Happenings (September 24, 2024)
Homecoming 2024!
Get ready for Homecoming!! Students may be out of uniform to dress for the theme days next week. This year’s theme is inspired by Disney’s movie ‘Inside Out.’ Students who choose not to dress up may wear this year’s Homecoming t-shirts or be in uniform. Please make sure all outfits are neat, clean, and modest. Below are the themes and events to look forward to next week.
High school students, remember to get your homecoming dance tickets! Tickets are $15 and will be charged to TADS. A permission form was emailed to all high school parents on Monday. No tickets can be purchased at the dance.
Homecoming Volunteers
Volunteer with the Hill Murray Fathers Club and Mothers Club at Homecoming! The Hill-Murray Fathers and Mothers Clubs are looking for parent volunteers to help staff the “Burgers and Brews” Beer Garden and Grill at the Homecoming Festivities on Friday, October 4th. Sign up for a shift HERE.
HM Give Day is in ONE WEEK!
Mark your calendar to join fellow alumni, parents, grandparents, and friends of Hill-Murray in donating on Hill-Murray Give Day on Tuesday, October 1st. Let’s celebrate Homecoming Week by raising dollars for the Hill-Murray Annual Fund. Follow HM social media channels and keep an eye on your email inbox for HM Give Day Updates. Thank you for supporting Hill-Murray!
Do you know someone in your circle who might be interested in the wide range of opportunities at Hill-Murray? If so, we would love for you to invite them to our Fall Open House on Monday, October 14th, 2024, at 6:00 PM. This event is a wonderful opportunity for prospective families to meet our passionate teachers, coaches, and school leaders. Please feel free to share this RSVP link with anyone who may want to attend. Thank you for helping us spread the word about Hill-Murray School!
Hill-Murray Scholarship Applications – Now Available for the 2025-26 Academic Year
All scholarship information can be found online this year under the Tuition Assistance tab on the main page of our Hill-Murray website. Scholarships are broken down into Need-Based and Non-Need Based Scholarships. Those families who complete the TADS application for financial assistance will automatically be considered for the Need-Based Scholarships. The TADS application is the only application to fill out for these scholarships. However, If a student is chosen for one of these scholarships, they will need to submit an essay, thank you, and student profile information to accept and receive the award. Regardless of whether or not they fill out the TADS application, any student can apply for the Non-Need Based Scholarships.
The scholarship application can be found and completed online under the Tuition Assistance tab. Completed applications are due by Friday, November 15, 2024. Don’t delay, get your application in today!
If you have any questions about this process, please contact Denise Bates at dbates@hill-murray.org.
Now Accepting 2025-26 New Student Admission Applications
We are thrilled by the enthusiasm surrounding Hill-Murray School and have high expectations for another successful enrollment year come next fall. To get things started, we are currently accepting applications for the 2025-26 academic year. Hill-Murray offers Rolling Admissions; once an application file is complete, which includes an online application and transcripts from your student’s current school, our Admissions Committee will review and be in touch with our decision in 7-10 business days. Although there is no “deadline” for applications, we encourage you, DO NOT WAIT, to submit an application! While we would love to welcome every student into our halls, we are committed to maintaining healthy and manageable class sizes that are optimal for every student to thrive at Hill-Murray and anticipate wait pools for the 2025-26 year. It is a great time to be a Pioneer! There is so much strength in our community – you are our best advocates!
Please share this link with your friends, family and anyone you think would be a great addition to the Hill-Murray family.
Please contact Krissy Pohl at kpohl@hill-murray.org (Middle School) or Emily Sharockman at esharockman@hill-murray.org (High School) in Admissions with questions.
* Please note, this is for NEW students interested in attending next fall.
Hill-Murray Senior Recognized as Commended Student in 2024 National Merit Program
Congratulations to Sophia Sampson, who has been named a Commended Student in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program! Sophia is recognized for her exceptional academic promise, placing among the top 50,000 students nationwide who entered the competition by taking the 2023 PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. This recognition highlights her outstanding potential for academic success and serves as encouragement as she continues her educational journey. We are proud of Sophia’s achievements and the bright future ahead!
Winter Sports Registration – Opens Tuesday, October 1st
Winter sports registration opens Tuesday, October 1`st! Click here to register next week.
Hill-Murray Football Youth Night
Attention Youth Football players! Join the Hill-Murray varsity football team during the Homecoming game against South St. Paul on Friday, October 4th!
Free admission and popcorn if you wear your jersey – check in with a coach at the gate. Youth players and families will meet on the field in the East End Zone starting at 6:00 PM and will go into the Fieldhouse before the game with the team. Prior to kick off, youth players will form a tunnel leading to the 50 yard line and will stand with the team during the national anthem. Youth players and families will watch the game from the East End Zone bleachers.
Please contact Middle School Head Coach Matt Garvey at mgarvey@hill-murray.org.
Hispanic Heritage Night
Join the Hill-Murray Spanish Club for Hispanic Heritage Night on Thursday, September 26th from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM on the TNC Patio! The first 100 people will get $4 to use at the food trucks. Wear your favorite soccer jersey to show your support!
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Theatre Parent Group Meeting – Friday, September 25th
Eucharistic Adoration – Friday, October 4th
One of the spiritual practices we celebrate at Hill-Murray is Adoration, which is held in the Hill-Murray Chapel during the school day typically on the first Friday of each month. Adoration is part of the rituals and traditions of the Catholic Church and is open to all members of the Christian faith. Adoration refers to the time when the Blessed Sacrament is placed on the altar and the faithful spend time with Jesus in the Chapel in quiet prayer and reflection.
Our first day of Adoration is Friday, October 4th. You are welcome to attend Mass in the Chapel at 7:20 AM – 7:45 AM which is immediately before Adoration begins. If you would like to sign up for a time to attend Adoration, please click here.
France Trip Informational Meeting – Wednesday, September 25th
Information meeting for parents and students on Wednesday, September 25th from 7:00 – 7:30 PM in the library!
Click here to learn more about the upcoming France trip!
OKi-Ni-Soo-Ka-Wa: Blackfeet Immersion Program
WHEN: November 2-9, 2024
WHO: 10 Hill-Murray Students & 2 chaperones (Fandrich and Goulet)
WHAT: Students will travel from MSP airport to Great Falls, Montana, where we will then travel to the Blackfeet Reservation. Once we have arrived, students will spend a week helping at De La Salle Blackfeet, an elementary school owned by the Christian Brothers located on the Blackfeet Reservation. Students will also hear from various cultural speakers, as well as spend time at Glacier National Park. Students will engage in daily prayer, nightly reflections, activities, and more.
COST: $800.00—Airfare, Meals (except travel days), lodging, transportation from the airport, speaker fees, and a trip to Glacier National Park will be covered by the school and are included in the price!
Click here for more information and to apply.
Costa Rica & Panama Trip
The Spanish department is offering a fabulous opportunity for current students in grades 8-11 to visit both Costa Rica AND Panama! Students will have 9 days to put their Spanish to use in real life scenarios while exploring volcanos, rainforests, beaches, historic towns, and of course, the Panama Canal! We will leave for this nine-day adventure mid-June of 2025!
Interested? Check out the full itinerary HERE! Contact Ms. Luna with any questions at kluna@hill-murray.org.
Uniform Update
We will send a new link for the uniform online store shortly. In the meantime, we have uniform inventory on site for purchase. To order uniforms, please send Lizzie Fredrick an email at efredrick@hill-murray.org. We will fulfill the order and Lizzie will let you know when it is ready for pick up at the front desk. Charges will be added to your TADS account.
Samples are still available for try on in the front lobby. The uniform store is open M – TH one hour after school for purchases and exchanges.
Next year, hoodie sweatshirts will NOT be allowed M – TH. Consider purchasing a ¼ Zip this year from the uniform store. Click here to view the options available.
“The Anxious Generation” Book Study for Parents
The Pioneer Institute for Health and Wellness is sponsoring a community book study featuring The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.
Click here to learn more and to register.
Middle School Corner
Middle School Student Council
The first middle school student council meeting of the year is during WIN A on Thursday, September 26th. Middle school student council is open to ALL students in grades 6-8 who want to help plan middle school activities and gain leadership skills. Students should sign up for WIN under Mrs. Deziel.
What is Connections?
New this year, all middle school students have a Connections group! This is a small group of students who meet with a teacher once a week during WIN (Mondays, WIN A) to check in with each other about how school is going, learn about activities happening around Hill-Murray, sign up for WINS, and “connect” with each other through games and team-building activities. Students also have time to look at the Weekly Student Slide Deck that goes over the schedule of activities for the week. This week, students learned about Homecoming at Hill-Murray and saw a preview from the High School Student Council of the activities and dress days for next week.
What is WIN time?
WIN (What I Need) is a thirty minute slot of time where students can choose where they go. In an average week, middle school students have nine WIN sessions. Students can use this time to talk with a teacher about classwork, receive help on a lesson, make up work from an absence, go to recess, participate in a club, like Middle School Student Council or Math Team, practice mindfulness, go on a nature walk, and many other activities. Students are required to sign up and choose where they want to go each day, and students are encouraged to sign up for the entire week during their Connections session on Mondays. Students are given time to do so during Connections. By signing up for the full week, students will know they have a locked-in location. Students are still able to change their session until 9:10 AM each day. A great conversation starter for your rides home or at the dinner table could be to ask your child where they go for WIN and what they do. Remind them to balance academic WIN sessions with clubs or recess, especially if they have an absence or a drop in grades.
Mark Your Calendars!
The Middle School Halloween Party is Friday, October 25th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. Students will be able to play games, win prizes, complete arts and crafts projects, explore a haunted house, and dance to a DJ. Costumes are encouraged but not required. The cost is $5, and students should use the student Commons entrance for the party.
Backpacks
Parents, have you lifted your child’s backpack lately? Some middle backpacks are bursting at the seams. Encourage your middle school student to unpack their belongings into their school locker and only carry around what they need for a few classes at a time. Another approach could be to only carry what they need for their Odd Day classes and leave their Even Day materials in their locker, and then swap out the next day. Their backs will thank them! Students are also required to place their backpacks in their lockers for lunch time, so it is important that backpacks are able to fit in the locker space.
Picture Retake Day – Tuesday, October 29th
Any student or staff member that would like to have their picture retaken or who did not have a picture taken yet for the 2024/25 school year, we will have picture retake day on Tuesday, October 29th. Students, please come in your school uniform polo shirt.
Any students who were absent from Picture Day will automatically be included. Families who want their students to retake their photo can register HERE.
Guidance & Counseling
Attention Parents of 11th and 12th grade students: Have you been receiving emails from our College Counseling Team notifying you of upcoming evening presentations or events? If not, please contact either Ms. Carrie Egan at cegan@hill-murray.org or Mr. Charlie Cicalello at ccicalello@hill-murray.org.
2025 Pioneer Premier Auction
Check out and follow the new Instagram account @hm_auction for all things related to the Pioneer Premier Auction, which will be held Saturday, April 26th! Stay tuned for the 2025 theme which will be announced soon!
