Principal's Weekly Message

May 15, 2026

May 15, 2026

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Thank you to our PTCO for the tremendous support during Teacher Appreciation Week! Our staff felt extremely valued, and we really appreciate the community response with donations as well. Speaking of PTCO, we will have some open positions for next year, including president, co-treasurer, and secretary. Interested in learning more? Click here and please contact hcms.ptco@gmail.com. The workload is very minimal, and it is a great way to support our community!

Last night we celebrated many of our students at our 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony. It was so fun to see the smiles as students were on stage, and the performances and speeches were outstanding. Thank you to our 8^th Grade Administrator, Dee Hallman, and her team for putting on an incredible show.

Next week we have lots of fun, with PACK assemblies, field days, and a clap out for 8^th graders at the end of the day on Thursday. While they will be missed, we’re also very excited to cheer on our 8^th graders as they get ready for high school.

And as we enter the final week of the 25-26 school year, I want to offer a thank you to our entire community. This is my fifth year as principal, and I couldn’t be more proud. I love working with our students and staff each day, and I am so fortunate to serve this community. Thank you for helping us support, coach, motivate, and push our students as they navigate the complex years of middle school. I really appreciate you all. I hope you have great summers with your families, and we’ll be ready to go in August as we welcome everyone back. In the meantime, please see below for important dates and reminders.

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

Important Dates – Remainder of the Year

As we head into the final stretch of the school year, there are many fun events planned. Here is a list of some of the biggies for your planning purposes:

May 20^th – 6^th and 7^th Grade Field Day and PACK Awards
May 20^th – 8^th Grade Dance (after school)
May 21^st – 8^th Grade Movie Field Trip (morning)
May 21^st – Last Day for 8^th Grade
May 22^nd – Last Day for 6^th and 7^th Grades (half day – 12pm release)

CMAS Results – Family Access

CMAS results will be available for families on May 29^th at the following portal. Please find additional helpful information here.

May ’26 Star Student Reports will soon be visible in PowerSchool. Families will be able to access their student’s Star Reports by going to the Document Library in PowerSchool through their Parent Portal (my.cherrycreekschools.org).

See attached for some great ways to keep your child reading this summer.

As summer break is here, we want to ensure that you have quick and easy access to mental health resources for your family. Please follow this link to learn about some wonderful organizations making therapy, mentorship, and community resources accessible. You will also notice emergency resources for use if you, your student, or a loved one were ever undergoing a mental health crisis. This is a great document to have on hand, so we hope you will check it out.

HCMS Summer Hours

The building will be open from May 26^th – mid-July from 9am – 3pm, excluding June 19^th and the week of June 29^th.

Save the Dates: 26-27

Thursday, August 13^th: Back-to-School Night
Monday, August 17^th: First day for 7^th & 8^th Grade (only)
Tuesday, August 18^th: First day for 6^th Grade (only)
Wednesday, August 19^th: All students (6^th – 8^th)

May 8, 2026

May 8, 2026

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Well how about that unexpected snow day!? Mother nature waited until May, but I know that many students enjoyed the feeling of having the day off.

This is a fun time of the year, and while stress is high, we’re in the thick of hiring and planning for next year. This means new opportunities and the chance to further solidify the essential work we do at Horizon Community.

We are about learning, and we have spent the 25-26 school year dialing in on what we believe will open more doors for all students to thrive. This includes collaboration, clarity on essential state standards, effective assessment and data analysis, and constant reflecting on how to adjust instruction based on data and student need. All along the way, we see students as humans with unique assets and needs that we will support. AND, while a much needed break for our extremely hard working staff is in store, please know that our sights are set high on ensuring that the narrative of HCMS is about all students learning at high levels.

Thank you for your constant support. This community is amazing to be a part of, both as your principal and a parent, and I am so proud to call HCMS home.

Let’s have a great final two weeks.

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

Summer Camps

Looking for camp options for your students this summer? Check out these options from within the Cherry Creek School District:

Cherry Creek Adventure Program. Click here to learn more.
STEAM Theatre Project. Click here to learn more.

Important Dates – Remainder of the Year

As we head into the final stretch of the school year, there are many fun events planned. Here is a list of some of the biggies for your planning purposes:

May 14^th – 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony at SHHS***
May 14^th – Last day for after school activities
May 20^th – 6^th and 7^th Grade Field Day and PACK Awards
May 20^th – 8^th Grade Dance (after school)
May 21^st – 8^th Grade Movie Field Trip (morning)
May 21^st – Last Day for 8^th Grade
May 22^nd – Last Day for 6^th and 7^th Grades (half day – 12pm release)

***The 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony is not a graduation/continuation event. Cherry Creek Middle Schools do not hold graduation ceremonies for 8^th grade students. Students (and families) who will be recognized with an award at the 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony have at this point been sent an individual invitation.

8^th Grade Families: We will be having lots of fun celebrating our 8^th graders in May. With this fun comes the expectation that student behavior and attendance is excellent as we finish the year. Students who engage in inappropriate behaviors, students who miss class, and students who are frequently late to class may not be invited to certain celebrations as a result.

Click here to learn more!

26-27 Bell Schedule

As we have examined ways to continue to improve as a school, we have adopted a new bell schedule for next year. Highlights include moving from 51minutes to 60 minutes for core classes, creating additional sections of electives classes, and building longer periods of time for most teachers to collaborate together. Elective classes will be 45 minutes long and Advisory/ACC will move to 30 minutes. Check out the new schedule here.

HCMS Yearbook

It’s time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay:

Pay online with our new "MySchoolBucks" system, or
Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Prices for the yearbook go up on Wednesday, April 1^st ($35 – soft cover, $45 – hard cover).

Questions? Contact our yearbook rep Jenna Morse, 8^th Social Studies teacher, at jmorse@cherrycreekschools.org.

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

May 1, 2026

May 1, 2026

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Congrats to students from our band classes who performed their final concerts of the year on Monday at Smoky Hill. And a huge thanks goes to Mx. Ariel Flach, our Band Director. They have done an exceptional job stepping into and leading the program this year!

Thank you to our entire community for the great turnout at Multicultural Night last night! It was very powerful to be in the shared space where so many aspects of the cultures of our families and students were on display. And great job to Mrs. Crystal Jacob, Choir Director, Mrs. Caroline Gonzales, Orchestra Director, and all of our performers for their final concerts of the year.

On Wednesday night we recognized three standout HCMS students as Aurora Scholars! Congrats to Tolif Tekalign (6), Hadley Ragland (7), and Alexa Medina (8), who had the unique opportunity to meet the mayor of Aurora. Thank you all for your leadership and contributions to our school, community, and city!

The final HCMS fundraiser of the year is at Chipotle on Wednesday, May 6^th. Please stop by from 5-9pm (Buckley & Quincy). Ordering online? Use this code: KQ3JZBY. Thank you for your support!

Looking for camp options for your students this summer? Check out these options from within the Cherry Creek School District:

Cherry Creek Adventure Program. Click here to learn more.
STEAM Theatre Project. Click here to learn more.

Finally, we are looking forward to the final three weeks of the school year! Please remind your student to have fun as we finish up, but also remember to practice our PACK commitments. While we love the energy of the spring, it is also important that we all work together to model and teach appropriate behaviors, especially as students embark on their next big academic transition.

Thank you!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

A Message from our PTCO

Teacher Appreciation Week is quickly approaching and our PTCO has organized some events to celebrate the wonderful staff here at Horizon Community! We are excited to give back with the support of our community. PTCO has organized a staff “lounge stocking” for Monday, May 5^th & Breakfast Set up for Friday, May 8^th. If you would like to support in any way, please take a look at this Sign Up Genius Link. All items can be dropped off in the Main Office. If you are not able to make it in on the day of event, please feel free to drop off items and we will set it aside for the event day. Questions? Please email treasurer.hcmsptco@gmail.com. We appreciate your community support through the year for our students and during this week to give back to our amazing staff members at Horizon Community!

Spring Book Fair

The Spring Book Fair is coming to HCMS! Click here to learn more, including how you can contribute to Share the Fair, where you can provide funds to help HCMS students make purchases.

CCSD Indigenous Celebration

The Cherry Creek School District’s Department of Equity, Culture, and Community Engagement is excited to invite Native and Indigenous Kindergarten, Fifth and Eighth Grade students, and their families to the Second Annual Indigenous Kindergarten, Fifth and Eighth Grade Celebration on Saturday, May 9, 2026, from 9:00–11:30 a.m. at Overland High School.

We warmly invite all Kindergarten, Fifth, and Eighth Grade students who identify as Indigenous, Native American, Alaska Native, North/Central/South American Indian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander, as well as Latino/a/x and Hispanic Kindergarten, Fifth, and Eighth Graders who honor their Indigenous heritage across the Americas. This celebration honors your accomplishments, cultures, and journeys, recognizing you as the future carriers of our ancestors’ paths. Click here to learn more and RSVP.

As we head into the final stretch of the school year, there are many fun events planned. Here is a list of some of the biggies for your planning purposes:

May 14^th – 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony at SHHS***
May 20^th – 6^th and 7^th Grade Field Day and PACK Awards
May 20^th – 8^th Grade Dance (after school)
May 21^st – 8^th Grade Movie Field Trip (morning)
May 21^st – Last Day for 8^th Grade
May 22^nd – Last Day for 6^th and 7^th Grades (1/2 day)

***The 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony is not a graduation/continuation event. Cherry Creek Middle Schools do not hold graduation ceremonies for 8^th grade students. Students (and families) who will be recognized with an award at the 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony will receive an individual invitation by early May.

8^th Grade Families: We will be having lots of fun celebrating our 8^th graders in May. With this fun comes the expectation that student behavior and attendance is excellent as we finish the year. Students who engage in inappropriate behaviors, students who miss class, and students who are frequently late to class may not be invited to certain celebrations as a result.

As we have examined ways to continue to improve as a school, we have adopted a new bell schedule for next year. Highlights include moving from 51minutes to 60 minutes for core classes, creating additional sections of electives classes, and building longer periods of time for most teachers to collaborate together. Elective classes will be 45 minutes long and Advisory/ACC will move to 30 minutes. Check out the new schedule here.

Please click here to learn more about Cross Country at Smoky Hill High School, a sport that begins in August.

HCMS Yearbook

It’s time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay:

Pay online with our new "MySchoolBucks" system, or
Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Prices for the yearbook go up on Wednesday, April 1^st ($35 – soft cover, $45 – hard cover).

After School Activities & Clubs

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

April 24, 2026

April 24, 2026

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Tonight is the night (and tomorrow)! We can’t wait to see our talented students perform at The Addams Family, our spring musical. See below for the details, and good luck to our cast and crew!

Congratulations to two HCMS students who received awards from Illustrating America for their artwork in honor of Veterans Day. Abel Padilla took second place, and Valentina Mejia Martinez was the winner! Valentina’s artwork will be moved to the next round of competition at the state level!

Last night we celebrated our Educator of the Year, Hailey Wilkinson, at the CCSD Educator of the Year awards event. Ms. Wilkinson is such a valuable member of our staff, supporting our students in the classroom, in activities and athletics, and as a restorative practices coach. Congrats, Hailey, and way to rep’ HCMS!

A message from our PTCO: Teacher Appreciation Week is quickly approaching and our PTCO has organized some events to celebrate the wonderful staff here at Horizon Community! We are excited to give back with the support of our community. PTCO has organized a staff “lounge stocking” for Monday, May 5^th & Breakfast Set up for Friday, May 8^th. If you would like to support in any way, please take a look at this Sign Up Genius Link. All items can be dropped off in the Main Office. If you are not able to make it in on the day of event, please feel free to drop off items and we will set it aside for the event day. Questions? Please email treasurer.hcmsptco@gmail.com. We appreciate your community support through the year for our students and during this week to give back to our amazing staff members at Horizon Community!

Finally, our Multicultural Night is next week (April 30^th from 5-7pm)! Please consider bringing a food item to share. We look forward to coming together to celebrate a piece of our own cultures with one another. Entertainment for the evening will include Smoky Hill Mariachi club, a Nepali dance, Eaglecrest's Habesha club, Alebrijes Folklorico, and more dance groups! Aurora Public Libraries will have a representative, and we will have final concerts for the HCMS Choir and Orchestra. We hope to see you there! Please note that students must have an adult present to attend.

Thank you!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

Spring Musical – Addams Family

Join us for a delightfully spooky evening with our production of The Addams Family Musical! Our students have been working hard to put together a show full of laughs, love, and just the right amount of strange—you won’t want to miss it!

Performance Dates: Friday, April 24^th, and Saturday April 25^th

Show Begins: 6:30 PM
Doors Open: 6:00 PM

Tickets are $10 each (plus a small service fee), and staff and students can join the fun for just $5 (plus a service fee). Seating is general admission. Please click on the links below to purchase tickets online. Come support our talented performers and enjoy a night that’s altogether ooky, spooky, and spectacular! We can’t wait to see you there.

Friday show: https://www.msbtickets.com/horizoncommunitymiddleschool/event/TheAddamsFamily

Saturday show: https://www.msbtickets.com/horizoncommunitymiddleschool/event/TheAddamsFamily2

Spring Book Fair

The Spring Book Fair is coming to HCMS! Click here to learn more, including how you can contribute to Share the Fair, where you can provide funds to help HCMS students make purchases.

CCSD Indigenous Celebration

The Cherry Creek School District’s Department of Equity, Culture, and Community Engagement is excited to invite Native and Indigenous Kindergarten, Fifth and Eighth Grade students, and their families to the Second Annual Indigenous Kindergarten, Fifth and Eighth Grade Celebration on Saturday, May 9, 2026, from 9:00–11:30 a.m. at Overland High School.

We warmly invite all Kindergarten, Fifth, and Eighth Grade students who identify as Indigenous, Native American, Alaska Native, North/Central/South American Indian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander, as well as Latino/a/x and Hispanic Kindergarten, Fifth, and Eighth Graders who honor their Indigenous heritage across the Americas. This celebration honors your accomplishments, cultures, and journeys, recognizing you as the future carriers of our ancestors’ paths. Click here to learn more and RSVP.

Important Dates – Remainder of the Year

As we head into the final stretch of the school year, there are many fun events planned. Here is a list of some of the biggies for your planning purposes:

April 24^th & 25^th – Spring Musical
April 27^th – Band Concert at SHHS (6pm)
April 30^th – Multicultural Night (including Choir and Orchestra concerts)
May 1^st – Non-contact Day (no school for students)
May 14^th – 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony at SHHS***
May 20^th – 6^th and 7^th Grade Field Day and PACK Awards
May 20th – 8^th Grade Dance (after school)
May 21st – 8^th Grade Movie Field Trip (morning)
May 21st – Last Day for 8^th Grade
May 22nd – Last Day for 6^th and 7^th Grades (1/2 day)

***The 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony is not a graduation/continuation event. Cherry Creek Middle Schools do not hold graduation ceremonies for 8^th grade students. Students (and families) who will be recognized with an award at the 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony will receive an individual invitation by early May.

8^th Grade Families: We will be having lots of fun celebrating our 8^th graders in May. With this fun comes the expectation that student behavior and attendance is excellent as we finish the year. Students who engage in inappropriate behaviors, students who miss class, and students who are frequently late to class may not be invited to certain celebrations as a result.

26-27 Bell Schedule

As we have examined ways to continue to improve as a school, we have adopted a new bell schedule for next year. Highlights include moving from 51minutes to 60 minutes for core classes, creating additional sections of electives classes, and building longer periods of time for most teachers to collaborate together. Elective classes will be 45 minutes long and Advisory/ACC will move to 30 minutes. Check out the new schedule here.

8^th Grade Families – SHHS Cross Country

Please click here to learn more about Cross Country at Smoky Hill High School, a sport that begins in August.

HCMS Yearbook

It’s time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay:

Pay online with our new "MySchoolBucks" system, or
Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Prices for the yearbook go up on Wednesday, April 1^st ($35 – soft cover, $45 – hard cover).

Questions? Contact our yearbook rep Jenna Morse, 8^th Social Studies teacher, at jmorse@cherrycreekschools.org.

After School Activities & Clubs

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsor or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

April 17, 2026

April 17, 2026

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Congrats to our student leaders who were inducted into the HCMS National Junior Honor Society on Monday night! It is always great to see our students assume leadership roles, and our NJHS Student Officers did an amazing job leading the ceremony!

We are just one week away from The Addams Family, our spring musical. We can’t wait to see and hear our talented performers, both on and off the stage. See below for more info.

Help support HCMS at Andy’s Frozen Custard on Tuesday, April 21^st, from 5-9pm. The address is 21450 E. Quincy Ave.

The Spring Book Fair is coming to HCMS! Click here to learn more, including how you can contribute to Share the Fair, where you can provide funds to help HCMS students make purchases.

Our Multicultural Night is on April 30^th from 5-7pm. Please consider bringing a food item to share. We look forward to coming together to celebrate a piece of our cultures with one another. Entertainment for the evening will include Smoky Hill Mariachi club, a Nepali dance, Eaglecrest's Habesha club, Alebrijes Folklorico, and more dance groups! Aurora Public Libraries will have a representative, and we will have final concerts for the HCMS Choir and Orchestra. We hope to see you there! Please note that students must have an adult present to attend.

Finally, thank you to our entire community for supporting us with CMAS. I acknowledge the stress, both at home and at school, as the routine changes from our modified schedule can make life challenging. That said, our participation rate is up from last year, and students took the tests seriously. I’m fully confident in our preparation and focus leading up to and during CMAS, and I look forward to seeing the results this summer.

Thank you, and have a great weekend!

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

Join us for a delightfully spooky evening with our production of The Addams Family Musical! Our students have been working hard to put together a show full of laughs, love, and just the right amount of strange—you won’t want to miss it!

Show Begins: 6:30 PM
Doors Open: 6:00 PM

Friday show: https://www.msbtickets.com/horizoncommunitymiddleschool/event/TheAddamsFamily

Saturday show: https://www.msbtickets.com/horizoncommunitymiddleschool/event/TheAddamsFamily2

The Cherry Creek School District’s Department of Equity, Culture, and Community Engagement is excited to invite Native and Indigenous Kindergarten, Fifth and Eighth Grade students, and their families to the Second Annual Indigenous Kindergarten, Fifth and Eighth Grade Celebration on Saturday, May 9, 2026, from 9:00–11:30 a.m. at Overland High School.

We warmly invite all Kindergarten, Fifth, and Eighth Grade students who identify as Indigenous, Native American, Alaska Native, North/Central/South American Indian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander, as well as Latino/a/x and Hispanic Kindergarten, Fifth, and Eighth Graders who honor their Indigenous heritage across the Americas. This celebration honors your accomplishments, cultures, and journeys, recognizing you as the future carriers of our ancestors’ paths. Click here to learn more and RSVP.

As we head into the final stretch of the school year, there are many fun events planned. Here is a list of some of the biggies for your planning purposes:

April 24^th & 25^th – Spring Musical
April 27^th – Band Concert at SHHS (6pm)
April 30^th – Multicultural Night (including Choir and Orchestra concerts)
May 1^st – Non-contact Day (no school for students)
May 14^th – 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony at SHHS***
May 20^th – 6^th and 7^th Grade Field Day and PACK Awards
May 20th – 8^th Grade Dance (after school)
May 21st – 8^th Grade Movie Field Trip (morning)
May 21st – Last Day for 8^th Grade
May 22nd – Last Day for 6^th and 7^th Grades (1/2 day)

***The 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony is not a graduation/continuation event. Cherry Creek Middle Schools do not hold graduation ceremonies for 8^th grade students. Students (and families) who will be recognized with an award at the 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony will receive an individual invitation by early May.

8^th Grade Families: We will be having lots of fun celebrating our 8^th graders in May. With this fun comes the expectation that student behavior and attendance is excellent as we finish the year. Students who engage in inappropriate behaviors, students who miss class, and students who are frequently late to class may not be invited to certain celebrations as a result.

As we have examined ways to continue to improve as a school, we have adopted a new bell schedule for next year. Highlights include moving from 51minutes to 60 minutes for core classes, creating additional sections of electives classes, and building longer periods of time for most teachers to collaborate together. Elective classes will be 45 minutes long and Advisory/ACC will move to 30 minutes. Check out the new schedule here.

8^th Grade Families – SHHS Cross Country

Please click here to learn more about Cross Country at Smoky Hill High School, a sport that begins in August.

HCMS Yearbook

It’s time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay:

Pay online with our new "MySchoolBucks" system, or
Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Inside Out Summer Enrichment Program

The Inside Out summer enrichment program, sponsored by the CCSD Office of Neurodiverse Student Services, offers students a learning environment that fosters critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and effective communication skills. Inside Out offers classes with options for half-day or full-day for one or two weeks during June 2026. Registration opens March 23^rd and closes April 20^th. For more information please click HERE.

After School Activities & Clubs

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

April 10, 2026

April 10, 2026

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Thank you for your support with CMAS this week! We are finished for 6^th & 7^th grades, and there are just two more days for 8^th grade (here is the schedule for the rest of the testing period.). This test is so important for us as a school and community, and we can’t thank you enough for motivating our/your students. Preliminary results show that our participation rate has improved quite a bit from last year, and teachers have shared that students are both trying very hard and taking their time on the tests. This is the best we can ask for!

We are just two weeks away from The Addams Family, our spring musical. We can’t wait to see and hear our talented performers, both on and off the stage. See below for more info.

Next Wednesday (April 15^th) at 6pm we will have a virtual community meeting. Following our virtual PTCO meeting (5:30pm), I will be sharing some highlights from the year, including data and plans related to our Social-Emotional Screener. You can access the Microsoft Teams meeting here. Hope to see you there!

Thank you, and have a great weekend!

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

Join us for a delightfully spooky evening with our production of The Addams Family Musical! Our students have been working hard to put together a show full of laughs, love, and just the right amount of strange—you won’t want to miss it!

Show Begins: 6:30 PM
Doors Open: 6:00 PM

Friday show: https://www.msbtickets.com/horizoncommunitymiddleschool/event/TheAddamsFamily

Saturday show: https://www.msbtickets.com/horizoncommunitymiddleschool/event/TheAddamsFamily2

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, April 15^that 6pm. Following our virtual PTCO meeting at 5:30pm, we will host a virtual community meeting where I will be sharing some highlights from the year. Topics of discussion will include data from our Social-Emotional Screener and more. You can access the Microsoft Teams meeting here.

As we head into the final stretch of the school year, there are many fun events planned. Here is a list of some of the biggies for your planning purposes:

April 24^th & 25^th – Spring Musical
April 27^th – Band Concert at SHHS (6pm)
April 30^th – Multicultural Night (including Choir and Orchestra concerts)
May 1^st – Non-contact Day (no school for students)
May 14^th – 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony at SHHS***
TBD – 7^th Grade Field Day
TBD – 6^th Grade Field Day
May 20th – 8^th Grade Dance (after school)
May 21st – 8^th Grade Movie Field Trip (morning)
May 21st – Last Day for 8^th Grade
May 22nd – Last Day for 6^th and 7^th Grades (1/2 day)

***The 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony is not a graduation/continuation event. Cherry Creek Middle Schools do not hold graduation ceremonies for 8^th grade students. Students (and families) who will be recognized with an award at the 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony will receive an individual invitation by early May.

8^th Grade Families: We will be having lots of fun celebrating our 8^th graders in May. With this fun comes the expectation that student behavior and attendance is excellent as we finish the year. Students who engage in inappropriate behaviors, students who miss class, and students who are frequently late to class may not be invited to certain celebrations as a result.

Please save the date for our annual Multicultural Night on April 30^th from 5:00-7:00PM (see our flyer HERE). This is a highly attended event to bring us all together to share food, talent, education, and be in community with one another. If you're able to bring a food item the night of the event to share with our community we'd greatly appreciate your support! At this time we are looking for some additional entertainment, so if you have any connections to dance groups, instrumental performers, martial arts demonstrations, etc., please contact Erin Taylor at etaylor7@cherrycreekschools.org. We proudly run this event on the generosity of the community, so we're unable to provide compensation/honorariums for the entertainment.

As we have examined ways to continue to improve as a school, we have adopted a new bell schedule for next year. Highlights include moving from 51minutes to 60 minutes for core classes, creating additional sections of electives classes, and building longer periods of time for most teachers to collaborate together. Elective classes will be 45 minutes long and Advisory/ACC will move to 30 minutes. Check out the new schedule here.

Please click here to learn more about Cross Country at Smoky Hill High School, a sport that begins in August.

It’s time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay:

Pay online with our new "MySchoolBucks" system, or
Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Inside Out Summer Enrichment Program

The Inside Out summer enrichment program, sponsored by the CCSD Office of Neurodiverse Student Services, offers students a learning environment that fosters critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and effective communication skills. Inside Out offers classes with options for half-day or full-day for one or two weeks during June 2026. Registration opens March 23^rd and closes April 20^th. For more information please click HERE.

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

April 3, 2026

April 3, 2026

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Please click here to see the CMAS schedule which starts on Monday! Testing will occur at the beginning of each day with classes to follow at the indicated times. There will also be afternoon tests on April 6^th and 13^th. We had some very fun assemblies today, featuring Captain CMAS, and we’re ready to go!!!!

As we have examined ways to continue to improve as a school, we have adopted a new bell schedule for next year. Highlights include moving from 51minutes to 60 minutes for core classes, creating additional sections of electives classes, and building longer periods of time for most teachers to collaborate together. Elective classes will be 45 minutes long and Advisory/ACC will move to 30 minutes. Check out the new schedule here.

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, April 15^that 6pm. Following our virtual PTCO meeting at 5:30pm, we will host a virtual community meeting where I will be sharing some highlights from the year. Topics of discussion will include data from our Social-Emotional Screener and more. You can access the Microsoft Teams meeting here.

As we head into the final stretch of the school year, there are many fun events planned. Here is a list of some of the biggies for your planning purposes:

April 24^th & 25^th – Spring Musical (more details coming soon)
April 27^th – Band Concert at SHHS (6pm)
April 30^th – Multicultural Night (including Choir and Orchestra concerts)
May 1^st – Non-contact Day (no school for students)
May 14^th – 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony at SHHS***
TBD – 7^th Grade Field Day
TBD – 6^th Grade Field Day
May 20th – 8^th Grade Dance (after school)
May 21st – 8^th Grade Movie Field Trip (morning)
May 21st – Last Day for 8^th Grade
May 22nd – Last Day for 6^th and 7^th Grades (1/2 day)

***The 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony is not a graduation/continuation event. Cherry Creek Middle Schools do not hold graduation ceremonies for 8^th grade students. Students (and families) who will be recognized with an award at the 8^th Grade Awards Ceremony will receive an individual invitation by early May.

8^th Grade Families: We will be having lots of fun celebrating our 8^th graders in May. With this fun comes the expectation that student behavior and attendance is excellent as we finish the year. Students who engage in inappropriate behaviors, students who miss class, and students who are frequently late to class may not be invited to certain celebrations as a result.

Thank you!

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

It’s time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay:

Pay online with our new "MySchoolBucks" system, or
Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Inside Out Summer Enrichment Program

The Inside Out summer enrichment program, sponsored by the CCSD Office of Neurodiverse Student Services, offers students a learning environment that fosters critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and effective communication skills. Inside Out offers classes with options for half-day or full-day for one or two weeks during June 2026. Registration opens March 23^rd and closes April 20^th. For more information please click HERE.

Multicultural Night

Please save the date for our annual Multicultural Night on April 30^th from 5:00-7:00PM (see our flyer HERE). This is a highly attended event to bring us all together to share food, talent, education, and be in community with one another. If you're able to bring a food item the night of the event to share with our community we'd greatly appreciate your support! At this time we are looking for some additional entertainment, so if you have any connections to dance groups, instrumental performers, martial arts demonstrations, etc., please contact Erin Taylor at etaylor7@cherrycreekschools.org. We proudly run this event on the generosity of the community, so we're unable to provide compensation/honorariums for the entertainment.

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

February 27, 2026

February 27, 2026

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

It is hard to believe that we are only two weeks away from Spring Break. And, next week is short with conferences on Thursday and a non-contact day on Friday.

We gathered a lot of data from our students over the past week, as we had another round of Star testing in Math and Reading. This data will be very helpful as we measure our progress and make final plans to prepare for the extremely important CMAS test in April. As you have seen for the majority of the year, we have been sharing resources related to anxiety. One of the reasons for this is that we frequently hear that some students do not want to take the CMAS due to anxiety. From our research and recent guest speaker, we have formed the belief that one of the best ways to address anxiety is to confront it. We are hopeful that these resources have been helpful, and our goal is to continue to work toward 100% participation on CMAS. Our participation rate has increased by 30% over the past few years, and we know we can continue to improve. Please help us, and, more importantly, your students, by making the commitment now for your students to take the CMAS in April.

Please see below for important information related to Multicultural Night, conferences next week, and more!

Have a great weekend!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

Reminder: Community Safety Concern

We have been seeing an increasingly large number of students running across Reservoir Road and through traffic in our parking lots. If your child walks to/from school, or is ever waiting in one of our lots for a ride, please have a conversation with them about safety in parking lots and around busy streets.

Multicultural Night

Please save the date for our annual Multicultural Night on April 30th from 5:00-7:00PM (see our flyer HERE). This is a highly attended event to bring us all together to share food, talent, education, and be in community with one another. If you're able to bring a food item the night of the event to share with our community we'd greatly appreciate your support! At this time we are looking for some additional entertainments, so if you have any connections to dance groups, instrumental performers, martial arts demonstrations, etc., please contact Erin Taylor at etaylor7@cherrycreekschools.org. We proudly run this event on the generosity of the community, so we're unable to provide compensation/honorariums for the entertainment.

Parent Teacher Conference Schedule – March (the final conferences of the year)

March 5th, 8:15am – 12:00pm (doors close at 11:30): In-person conferences. All teachers will be in the gyms for these conferences. Come by anytime to meet with teachers individually.

March 5th, 1:00pm – 4:00pm: Virtual conferences. Families can sign up for time slots to meet virtually via Microsoft Teams with teachers. Please sign up for a 10-minute time slot. You will receive an automatically generated email with a link to a Microsoft Teams Meeting for your conference. Be sure to select your student's teacher from the drop-down menu. Not sure who your student's teachers are? Check PowerSchool! (If the calendar is showing February, simply click the arrow for March, then click on the 5th).

Virtual Conferences

Ramadan Meal Service

The CCSD Food and Nutrition Services Department is pleased to offer take-home school meals to support secondary students who are fasting while observing Ramadan. Please click on this Ramadan 2026 Meal Flyer to learn more and sign up.

Contemporary Native American Voices Panel – 8th Grade (RESCHEDULED)

We are so excited for our 8th graders to experience our upcoming Contemporary Native American Voices Panel on Wednesday, March 4th. This will occur during Social Studies class in periods 1 – 3, and students who have Social Studies during period 7 will be invited to join an earlier session. The panel will begin with a brief presentation about identity, which will include how identity can be shaped by culture, history, family, and community. Students will hear from three Native American guest speakers from our community who will share their experiences, perspectives, and stories. Questions? Please contact your student’s Social Studies teacher.

HCMS Yearbook It’s time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay: 1. Pay online, or

2. Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Questions? Contact our yearbook rep Jenna Morse, 8th Social Studies teacher, at jmorse@cherrycreekschools.org.

After School Activities & Clubs At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Thursday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

February 20, 2026

February 20, 2026

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Next Wednesday, February 25th, from 6:00pm – 7:30pm is the CCSD Voices of Color meeting hosted at Smoky Hill High School. The topic of discussion is Language Supports and Services. Please join for this evening of important conversations and connection. Childcare will be available. For more information on the CCSD Voices of Color, please click here.

Community safety concern: We have been seeing an increasingly large number of students running across Reservoir Road and through traffic in our parking lots. If your child walks to/from school, or is ever waiting in one of our lots for a ride, please have a conversation with them about safety in parking lots and around busy streets.

Please see below for important information related to our Husky Boutique, final parent-teacher conferences, our Ramadan meal service, and our rescheduled 8th grade Contemporary Native American Voices Panel.

Have a great weekend!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

Husky Boutique

Student Council and the Husky Market are excited to announce our first-ever Husky Boutique on February 26. During this one-hour pop-up event, families are invited to come shop for free from a selection of gently used items donated this winter by our students and staff. The Husky Boutique is designed to support our community and reflect the generosity of our Huskies helping Huskies. We look forward to welcoming families to this special event. Check out this Husky Boutique Flyer to learn more.

Parent Teacher Conference Schedule – March (the final conferences of the year)

March 5th, 8:15am – 12:00pm (doors close at 11:30): In-person conferences. All teachers will be in the gyms for these conferences. Come by anytime to meet with teachers individually.

March 5th, 1:00pm – 4:00pm: Virtual conferences. Families can sign up for time slots to meet virtually via Microsoft Teams with teachers. Please sign up for a 10-minute time slot. You will receive an automatically generated email with a link to a Microsoft Teams Meeting for your conference. Be sure to select your student's teacher from the drop-down menu. Not sure who your student's teachers are? Check PowerSchool! (If the calendar is showing February, simply click the arrow for March, then click on the 5th).

Virtual Conferences

Ramadan Meal Service

The CCSD Food and Nutrition Services Department is pleased to offer take-home school meals to support secondary students who are fasting while observing Ramadan. Please click on this Ramadan 2026 Meal Flyer to learn more and sign up.

Contemporary Native American Voices Panel – 8th Grade (RESCHEDULED)

We are so excited for our 8th graders to experience our upcoming Contemporary Native American Voices Panel on Wednesday, March 4th. This will occur during Social Studies class in periods 1 – 3, and students who have Social Studies during period 7 will be invited to join an earlier session. The panel will begin with a brief presentation about identity, which will include how identity can be shaped by culture, history, family, and community. Students will hear from three Native American guest speakers from our community who will share their experiences, perspectives, and stories. Questions? Please contact your student’s Social Studies teacher.

HCMS Yearbook It’s time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay: 1. Pay online, or

2. Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Questions? Contact our yearbook rep Jenna Morse, 8th Social Studies teacher, at jmorse@cherrycreekschools.org.

After School Activities & Clubs At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Thursday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

February 6, 2026

February 6, 2026

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Congratulations to HCMS students Lauren Hansen, Milo Mascioli, Rory Hill, and Florence Acuña Aravena. They participated in the Cherry Creek Spelling Bee last Friday along with about 200 top students from district schools. And an extra special congratulations goes to Milo! He qualified for the oral spelling competition (last Saturday) and then scored in the top ten for the entire school district! He will be representing us at the state spelling bee in March. Great job to our students, and thank you to their sponsor, Mrs. Sarah Hewson.

We’d also like to congratulate two HCMS students who were selected to represent our school in the CCSD Middle School Honor Band! After sending in audition recordings, Alexis Jimenez Hernandez and Matthew Barron were invited to perform with the ensemble, which is made up of some of the most dedicated and accomplished band students in the district. After several intense rehearsals, students will perform five exciting pieces of music at the Grandview High School theater this Saturday (February 7^th) at 4:30pm. Please join us as we celebrate our students' hard work and musical artistry! We are so proud of their commitment and wish them the best at their concert!

As a reminder, parent-teacher conferences are next Wednesday evening (4:15pm – 7:00pm). In addition to visiting with your student’s teachers, please plan to attend one of the sessions of our guest speaker, Mr. Aaron Ragon (5:00pm or 6:15pm). Child care will be provided. Please see below for more information.

Also, it is National School Counselor Week. We are so thankful for our counseling team at HCMS. They work hard each day to ensure that students have the supports they need to thrive in school. Thank you to our team:

Ms. Arpa Shirvanyan, 6^th Grade HCMS Counselor
Mrs. Kristi Nistel, 7^th Grade HCMS Counselor
Mr. Shayn Walker, 8^th Grade HCMS Counselor
Mr. Damien Dawson, Administrative Assistant
Mrs. Terry Altman, Registrar

Finally, as you are aware, we had a large group of students who demonstrated their right to walk out of school today related to immigration enforcement actions happening across the country. This was not initiated or sponsored by staff members at our school; it was student led. Our role was to accompany the students for their safety, especially when they choose to leave campus. Several members of our administrative team, as well as school and district security personnel, walked with students to ensure they remained on sidewalks and out of harm’s way. We want to thank district staff for their efforts to ensure student safety while we followed our walkout protocol. While Horizon Community and the Cherry Creek School District do not endorse or host walkouts, we respect students as they exercise their First Amendment rights. Thank you for your partnership in ensuring that schools are safe places for students to learn, grow and develop into the leaders of tomorrow. If you have any questions about the events of today, feel free to reach out at any time.

Have a great weekend!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

Ramadan Meal Service

The CCSD Food and Nutrition Services Department is pleased to offer take-home school meals to support secondary students who are fasting while observing Ramadan. Please click on this Ramadan 2026 Meal Flyer to learn more and sign up.

Guest Speaker (February 11^th) Topic: Anxiety

We are excited to welcome a guest speaker to HCMS on the evening of February 11^th (same night as conferences) who will be presenting on the topic of anxiety. There will be two sessions to choose from (5:00pm and 6:15pm). Aaron Ragon has over 20 years of experience in mental health and education, including work on the inpatient psychiatry unit at Children’s Hospital Colorado, in private practice, and in leadership roles as a school counselor and district administrator. He currently serves as a Partner of Student Support in the Cherry Creek School District and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver, where he prepares future school counselors. For the past five years, Aaron has worked with the FACE Your FEARS anxiety model as both a practitioner and district trainer, witnessing its powerful impact on student confidence, emotional regulation, and engagement. He is passionate about expanding this work across educational settings. Click here to see a short video that summarizes his presentation. We will meet in the HCMS library, and HCMS students will be available to offer childcare during the presentations.

CCSD Food & Resource Pantry Drive

In recognition of the Cherry Creek School District Board of Education, we are excited to announce a district-wide VIRTUAL donation drive to support our school-based food and resource pantries. Click here to learn more and donate.

HCMS Yearbook

It’s time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay:

Pay online, or
Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Questions? Contact our yearbook rep Jenna Morse, 8^th Social Studies teacher, at jmorse@cherrycreekschools.org.

After School Activities & Clubs

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Thursday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

January 30, 2026

January 30, 2026

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Congratulations to our HCMS Parent Exceptional Volunteer for the year, Mrs. Alexandrea McIntosh! We recognized and celebrated her last night at the CCSD Exceptional Volunteer event. Thank you, Alexandrea, for all of your support for our school and community!

Also, this is the last chance to buy Husky spirit gear from our new online store. The deadline has been extended to this Sunday – see more information below.

Finally, it is time for all students to register for courses for next year. Here is information to know for each grade level:

HCMS Course Registration (Current 6^th and 7^th Graders)

Today (January 30^th) current 6^th and 7^th grade students received a paper registration form and watched a video discussing the registration process. On Monday (February 2^nd), students will complete a GoogleForm where they will make selections for their desired couses. We strongly encourage parents to talk with their students about their preference in advance. Click HERE to view the form for current 6^th grade students, and HERE for current 7^th grade students. We intend for all 6^th and 7^th grade students to have completed their course selections by Friday, February 6^th. Please contact Ms. Arpa Shirvanyan, 6^th Grade HCMS Counselor (ashirvanyan@cherrycreekschools.org) or Mrs. Kristi Nistel, 7^th Grade HCMS Conselor (knistel@cherrycreekschools.org) with any questions.

SHHS 9^th Grade Course Registration (Current 8^th Graders)

Today (January 30^th) school counselors from Smoky Hill High School returned during our Advisory period to ensure current 8^th grade students' course preferences were submitted. Learn more about course registration and SHHS HERE. Please contact Mr. Shayn Walker, 8^th Grade HCMS counselor, with any questions (swalker7@cherrycreekschools.org).

Have a great weekend!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

SmartPass

Horizon Community continues to use SmartPass, a online program where students sign in and out of class. This is a great way for us to keep track of where all of our students are, monitor how many students are outside of the classrooms, and keep students safe. Students are allotted 2 passes per day/10 passes per week. We continue to encourage students to use their passes wisely, however, we do realize emergencies happen and take this into consideration. Please reach out to Dee Hallman (nhallman2@cherrycreekschools.org) if you have any questions.

HCMS Spirit Gear Store – New!

We are so excited to launch our new HCMS Spirit Store! See the following link:

HCMS Spirit Store, and please place your orders by Sunday, February 1^st. Orders can be sent to homes for a shipping charge or delivered to HCMS, and they will arrive in mid-February. Questions? Please contact Mr. John (JT) Turner, HCMS Security Supervisor (jturner5@cherrycreekschools.org).

Guest Speaker (February 11^th) Topic: Anxiety

We are excited to welcome a guest speaker to HCMS on the evening of February 11^th (same night as conferences) who will be presenting on the topic of anxiety. There will be two sessions to choose from (5:00pm and 6:15pm). Aaron Ragon has over 20 years of experience in mental health and education, including work on the inpatient psychiatry unit at Children’s Hospital Colorado, in private practice, and in leadership roles as a school counselor and district administrator. He currently serves as a Partner of Student Support in the Cherry Creek School District and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver, where he prepares future school counselors. For the past five years, Aaron has worked with the FACE Your FEARS anxiety model as both a practitioner and district trainer, witnessing its powerful impact on student confidence, emotional regulation, and engagement. He is passionate about expanding this work across educational settings. Click here to see a short video that summarizes his presentation. We will meet in the HCMS library, and HCMS students will be available to offer childcare during the presentations.

CCSD Food & Resource Pantry Drive

In recognition of the Cherry Creek School District Board of Education, we are excited to announce a district-wide VIRTUAL donation drive to support our school-based food and resource pantries. Click here to learn more and donate.

HCMS Yearbook

It’s already time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay:

Pay online, or
Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Questions? Contact our yearbook rep Jenna Morse, 8^th Social Studies teacher, at jmorse@cherrycreekschools.org.

Anxiety – Part 3

For our next installment of a community message related to the topic of anxiety, we would like to share some information from our Counseling and Mental Health Offices. To start, feeling anxious is a natural emotion. Our counselors and mental health providers often support students who are feeling anxious, and we would like to share some of the strategies they use when working with our students. Feel free to try these Techniques to Use When Feeling Anxious at home. Also, mark your calendars! On the evening of February 11^th (same night as conferences), we will have a guest speaker presenting to our community on the topic of anxiety. There will be two sessions to choose from (5:00pm and 6:15pm). I invite you to join me, as a fellow parent, to this event. Stay tuned for more details!

Test Anxiety – Part 2

Earlier this fall, we shared that we would like to begin to engage in a conversation about a very real and common challenge – test anxiety. This is consistently one of the top reasons that families share related to choosing to opt their students out of testing (e.g. CMAS, PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP & IB Exams), and navigating the complexities of this topic is something we need to embrace as a community. We would much rather assist students and families with test anxiety than allow it to negatively influence how we feel about state assessments. Please know that if this message speaks to you, you are not alone!

In the conversations we have been having, we have identified two areas that we believe are equally important.

First, what are our beliefs when it comes to “doing hard things” in life? The CMAS is definitely challenging for many students, so we first want to share some thinking here. This article talks about grit and growth-mindset, two important aspects of development for middle school learners. Additionally, at HCMS we believe in the following:

Experiencing discomfort is part of the growth process,
Eliminating what makes us nervous can make the problem worse, as we may become more anxious because we did not practice how to navigate challenging situations, and
As caring adults, we tend to lead with our protective instincts. This may mean allowing our children to avoid challenging situations. But by modeling for them that they can do hard things, and that we believe in them, and by coaching them along the way, we can increase their ability to navigate life challenges better when they are older and have less support from us.

A second area of focus we have identified as important relates to the specific strategies we can use when engaging in challenging activities like the CMAS. Here is an article from the University of Colorado, and here is an article from the Mayo Clinic. Both have some practical tips for our students.

And, while this information merely scratches the surface on the topic of test anxiety, the good news is that we can help! If you would like to chat about more specific ways that we can support your student, please contact their counselor. And please consider doing this soon, as we do not want to wait until the spring to begin supporting students with test anxiety. We’d like to start now!

Counseling Office Contact Information

6^th Grade: Arpa Shirvanyan
7^th Grade: Kristi Nistel
8^th Grade: Shayn Walker

Thank you for partnering with us on this complex topic. While the information above is far from exhaustive, it is a start. CMAS scores are definitely not the only way we view the many talents of our students. But the test does matter to us. Scores help us see how we’re doing and how we can improve. Scores help students reflect on their own learning, set future goals, and they inform future course placement. As we work to continue to improve learning outcomes for all students at HCMS, we do believe that it is essential to prepare them to succeed on the CMAS. This is the sole assessment that the State of Colorado uses to measure the success of schools, and we want to be highly performing!

In closing, the beauty of reflecting on these ideas is that building one’s capacity to “do hard things” extends far beyond CMAS – it can serve as a foundation for approaching a classroom quiz, a unit exam, or really any academic (or life) challenge. The benefits reach well past school success, fostering greater confidence, resilience, and a willingness to try as students move through life.

Here are the articles from above listed again:

Grit and the Growth Mindset

Ways to Manage and Overcome Test Anxiety

Test Anxiety Actions

Literacy Resources

Recently our school district sent out a literacy-related communication to all families. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to check out the links below, which feature numerous ways that families can support reading efforts for our students and school.

CCSD Literacy Guide

Read Learn Lead

After School Activities & Clubs

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Thursday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

January 23, 2026

January 23, 2026

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Last weekend, four of our HCMS actors participated in the Cherry Creek School District Honor Theatre event. Ashe Atchley, Isaiah Butler, Amy Salazar, and Izzie Weinhold represented Horizon Community proudly with their talent. This amazing group consisted of the top middle school actors in the district based on audition. Students worked with professional clinicians to prepare and perform a series of one-act plays over the two-day event. Congratulations to these students for their hard work and achievement!

We’d also like to congratulate our students who were selected to represent HCMS in the CCSD Honor Choir! This audition-level ensemble represents some of the most dedicated and talented singers in the district. After long and focused rehearsals this Friday and Saturday, these students will put their hard work on display with a performance tomorrow, Saturday, January 24th, at 4:00pm, at Eastern Hills Community Church. We are so proud of their commitment and wish them the best in their performance! Congrats to Louella Ashley, Samara Bangoura, Daisy Boyd, Jaxson Carrillo, Jakob Espinosa, Ezra Gonzalez, Emily Hughes, Melelani Laguana, Julio Leal Garcia, Raphaela Poku Agyemang, Hadley Ragland, Itzel Romero, Josie Shipman, Samuel Smith, and Lily Thompson!

Looking ahead, we are so excited to welcome our incoming 6th graders next week. On Monday, 5th grade students from our feeder elementary schools will be visiting in the morning to learn all about HCMS. Then, on Wednesday evening, we will have our Husky Highlight Night for incoming 6th grade students and their families. We can’t wait to meet and welcome our new Huskies!

That’s it for today. Have a great weekend! And GO BRONCOS!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

SmartPass

Horizon Community continues to use SmartPass, a online program where students sign in and out of class. This is a great way for us to keep track of where all of our students are, monitor how many students are outside of the classrooms, and keep students safe. Students are allotted 2 passes per day/10 passes per week. We continue to encourage students to use their passes wisely, however, we do realize emergencies happen and take this into consideration. Please reach out to Dee Hallman (nhallman2@cherrycreekschools.org) if you have any questions.

HCMS Spirit Gear Store – New!

We are so excited to launch our new HCMS Spirit Store! See the following link: HCMS Spirit Store, and please place your orders by Monday, January 26th. Orders can be sent to homes for a shipping charge or delivered to HCMS, and they will arrive in mid-February. Questions? Please contact Mr. John (JT) Turner, HCMS Security Supervisor (jturner5@cherrycreekschools.org).

HCMS Course Registration (Current 6th and 7th Graders)

Soon we will begin the registration process for courses for next year. Next Friday (January 30th), current 6th and 7th grade students will receive a paper registration form and will watch a video discussing the process. On the following Monday (February 2nd), students will complete a GoogleForm where they will make selections for their desired courses. We strongly encourage parents to talk with their students about their preference in advance. We intend for all 6th and 7th grade students to have completed their course selections by Friday, February 6th.

SHHS 9th Grade Course Registration (Current 8th Graders)

Today school counselors from Smoky Hill High School visited our 8th grade classrooms during our Advisory period to speak with students about high school registration for the 2026 – 2027 school year. Their presentations covered course options, graduation requirements, elective opportunities, and helpful tips for planning a successful start to high school. This visit is a wonderful opportunity for students to:

· Learn what to expect in 9th grade,

· Begin thinking about their individual course selections,

· Ask questions directly to the high school counseling team, and

· Feel more confident about the transition ahead.

On Friday, January 30th, the school counselors from Smoky Hill High School will return a second time during our Advisory period to ensure your student's course preferences are submitted in PowerSchool. Learn more about course registration and SHHS HERE.

Guest Speaker (February 11th) Topic: Anxiety

We are excited to welcome a guest speaker to HCMS on the evening of February 11th (same night as conferences) who will be presenting on the topic of anxiety. There will be two sessions to choose from (5:00pm and 6:15pm). Aaron Ragon has over 20 years of experience in mental health and education, including work on the inpatient psychiatry unit at Children’s Hospital Colorado, in private practice, and in leadership roles as a school counselor and district administrator. He currently serves as a Partner of Student Support in the Cherry Creek School District and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver, where he prepares future school counselors. For the past five years, Aaron has worked with the FACE Your FEARS anxiety model as both a practitioner and district trainer, witnessing its powerful impact on student confidence, emotional regulation, and engagement. He is passionate about expanding this work across educational settings. Click here to see a short video that summarizes his presentation.We will meet in the HCMS library, and HCMS students will be available to offer childcare during the presentations.

Smoky Hill HS Wish Week

Smoky Hill Student Government will be sponsoring Wish Week from Friday, January 23rd, to Saturday, January 31st. We have a large number of events taking place to support Make-A-Wish Colorado and celebrate our 2026 Wish Kid - Genevieve! Throughout the Wish Week, Smoky Hill will be working with Make-A-Wish of Colorado to celebrate the wish of 14-year-old Genevieve. Genevieve is a 9th grade student at Smoky Hill! Her wish is to have a hot tub. Some of Genevieve’s favorite things are butterflies, purple, music, coloring and Frozen. Genevieve will be in attendance and celebrated at our Wish Week Pep Assembly on Friday, January 30th.

Interested in ordering a T-shirt or making a donation? Click here. You can also support the SHHS at the following restaurant nights:

Dutch Bros - Saturday, January 24th, Arapahoe Rd & Jordan Rd All Day

Slim Chickens - Monday, January 26th, Smoky Hill & Himalaya All Day

Panda Express - Tuesday, January 27th, Parker & Chambers All Day

CCSD Food & Resource Pantry Drive

In recognition of the Cherry Creek School District Board of Education, we are excited to announce a district-wide VIRTUAL donation drive to support our school-based food and resource pantries. Click here to learn more and donate.

HCMS Yearbook

It’s already time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay:

1. Pay online, or

2. Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Questions? Contact our yearbook rep Jenna Morse, 8th Social Studies teacher, at jmorse@cherrycreekschools.org.

Anxiety – Part 3

For our next installment of a community message related to the topic of anxiety, we would like to share some information from our Counseling and Mental Health Offices. To start, feeling anxious is a natural emotion. Our counselors and mental health providers often support students who are feeling anxious, and we would like to share some of the strategies they use when working with our students. Feel free to try these Techniques to Use When Feeling Anxious at home. Also, mark your calendars! On the evening of February 11th (same night as conferences), we will have a guest speaker presenting to our community on the topic of anxiety. There will be two sessions to choose from (5:00pm and 6:15pm). I invite you to join me, as a fellow parent, to this event. Stay tuned for more details!

Test Anxiety – Part 2

Earlier this fall, we shared that we would like to begin to engage in a conversation about a very real and common challenge – test anxiety. This is consistently one of the top reasons that families share related to choosing to opt their students out of testing (e.g. CMAS, PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP & IB Exams), and navigating the complexities of this topic is something we need to embrace as a community. We would much rather assist students and families with test anxiety than allow it to negatively influence how we feel about state assessments. Please know that if this message speaks to you, you are not alone!

In the conversations we have been having, we have identified two areas that we believe are equally important.

First, what are our beliefs when it comes to “doing hard things” in life? The CMAS is definitely challenging for many students, so we first want to share some thinking here. This article talks about grit and growth-mindset, two important aspects of development for middle school learners. Additionally, at HCMS we believe in the following:

· Experiencing discomfort is part of the growth process,

· Eliminating what makes us nervous can make the problem worse, as we may become more anxious because we did not practice how to navigate challenging situations, and

· As caring adults, we tend to lead with our protective instincts. This may mean allowing our children to avoid challenging situations. But by modeling for them that they can do hard things, and that we believe in them, and by coaching them along the way, we can increase their ability to navigate life challenges better when they are older and have less support from us.

A second area of focus we have identified as important relates to the specific strategies we can use when engaging in challenging activities like the CMAS. Here is an article from the University of Colorado, and here is an article from the Mayo Clinic. Both have some practical tips for our students.

And, while this information merely scratches the surface on the topic of test anxiety, the good news is that we can help! If you would like to chat about more specific ways that we can support your student, please contact their counselor. And please consider doing this soon, as we do not want to wait until the spring to begin supporting students with test anxiety. We’d like to start now!

6th Grade: Arpa Shirvanyan

7th Grade: Kristi Nistel

8th Grade: Shayn Walker

Thank you for partnering with us on this complex topic. While the information above is far from exhaustive, it is a start. CMAS scores are definitely not the only way we view the many talents of our students. But the test does matter to us. Scores help us see how we’re doing and how we can improve. Scores help students reflect on their own learning, set future goals, and they inform future course placement. As we work to continue to improve learning outcomes for all students at HCMS, we do believe that it is essential to prepare them to succeed on the CMAS. This is the sole assessment that the State of Colorado uses to measure the success of schools, and we want to be highly performing!

In closing, the beauty of reflecting on these ideas is that building one’s capacity to “do hard things” extends far beyond CMAS – it can serve as a foundation for approaching a classroom quiz, a unit exam, or really any academic (or life) challenge. The benefits reach well past school success, fostering greater confidence, resilience, and a willingness to try as students move through life.

Here are the articles from above listed again:

Grit and the Growth Mindset

Ways to Manage and Overcome Test Anxiety

Test Anxiety Actions

Literacy Resources

Recently our school district sent out a literacy-related communication to all families. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to check out the links below, which feature numerous ways that families can support reading efforts for our students and school.

CCSD Literacy Guide

Read Learn Lead

After School Activities & Clubs

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Thursday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

January 16, 2026

January 16, 2026

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Today in Advisory we celebrated students who earned the honor roll from Quarter 2 with our traditional ice cream party. Congrats to our students who have made strong achievement and growth gains with their grades!

Last weekend, seven of our HCMS students participated in the Cherry Creek School District Honor Orchestra event. Lynx Benedict, Mars Cole, Evangeline Jones, and Laynee Martinez all played violin, Abel Padilla was on viola, Agnieszka Cisneros was on cello, and Ezra Gonzalez played bass (first chair!). This prestigious group consisted of the top middle school Orchestra students in the district based on audition. Students worked with esteemed clinicians to prepare and perform a concert over the two-day event. Congratulations to these students for their hard work and achievement!

This week in Advisory students reviewed their Student Assessment Profile, which includes an analysis of their STAR Assessments taken in December. Each student received their individual reports for both Reading and Math and used them to update their profile. Students also completed this process after testing in August, so these profiles serve as a great way to track their growth over time. We’ve asked students to bring their reports home to share with you. Please take a moment to review them together and reflect on their progress – it’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate growth and set goals for the future! Also, you are now able to view your student’s Star reports online (in PowerSchool view Document Storage).

Students are invited to Skate City on Tuesday night for a Pajama Party! The event is from 6-8pm.

As a reminder, all students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Thursday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

We are so excited to launch our new HCMS Spirit Store! See the following link:

HCMS Spirit Store, and please place your orders by Monday, January 26^th. Orders can be sent to homes for a shipping charge or delivered to HCMS, and they will arrive in mid-February. Questions? Please contact Mr. John (JT) Turner, HCMS Security Supervisor (jturner5@cherrycreekschools.org).

That’s it for today. Have a great three-day weekend!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

Contemporary Native American Voices Panel – 8^th Grade

We are so excited for our 8^th graders to experience our upcoming Contemporary Native American Voices Panel on Friday, January 23^rd. This will occur during Social Studies class in periods 1 – 3, and students who have Social Studies during period 7 will be invited to join an earlier session. The panel will begin with a brief presentation about identity, which will include how identity can be shaped by culture, history, family, and community. Students will hear from three Native American guest speakers from our community who will share their experiences, perspectives, and stories. Questions? Please contact your student’s Social Studies teacher.

SHHS 9^th Grade Registration (Current 8^th Graders)

On Friday, January 23^rd, school counselors from Smoky Hill High School will be visiting our 8^th grade classrooms during our Advisory period to speak with students about high school registration for the 2026 – 2027 school year. Their presentation will cover course options, graduation requirements, elective opportunities, and helpful tips for planning a successful start to high school. This visit is a wonderful opportunity for students to:

Learn what to expect in 9th grade,
Begin thinking about their individual course selections,
Ask questions directly to the high school counseling team, and
Feel more confident about the transition ahead.

On Friday, January 30^th, the school counselors from Smoky Hill High School will return a second time during our Advisory period to ensure your student's course preferences are submitted in Powerschool. Learn more about course registration and SHHS HERE.

Guest Speaker (February 11^th) Topic: Anxiety

We are excited to welcome a guest speaker to HCMS on the evening of February 11^th (same night as conferences) who will be presenting on the topic of anxiety. There will be two sessions to choose from (5:00pm and 6:15pm). Aaron Ragon has over 20 years of experience in mental health and education, including work on the inpatient psychiatry unit at Children’s Hospital Colorado, in private practice, and in leadership roles as a school counselor and district administrator. He currently serves as a Partner of Student Support in the Cherry Creek School District and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver, where he prepares future school counselors. For the past five years, Aaron has worked with the FACE Your FEARS anxiety model as both a practitioner and district trainer, witnessing its powerful impact on student confidence, emotional regulation, and engagement. He is passionate about expanding this work across educational settings. Click here to see a short video that summarizes his presentation. We will meet in the HCMS library, and HCMS students will be available to offer childcare during the presentations.

Smoky Hill HS Wish Week

Smoky Hill Student Government will be sponsoring Wish Week from Friday, January 23^rd, to Saturday, January 31^st. We have a large number of events taking place to support Make-A-Wish Colorado and celebrate our 2026 Wish Kid - Genevieve! Throughout the Wish Week, Smoky Hill will be working with Make-A-Wish of Colorado to celebrate the wish of 14-year-old Genevieve. Genevieve is a 9^th grade student at Smoky Hill! Her wish is to have a hot tub. Some of Genevieve’s favorite things are butterflies, purple, music, coloring and Frozen. Genevieve will be in attendance and celebrated at our Wish Week Pep Assembly on Friday, January 30^th.

Interested in ordering a T-shirt or making a donation? Click here. You can also support the SHHS at the following restaurant nights:

Chick-fil-A - Tuesday, January 20^th, Parker & Chambers All Day

Chipotle - Wednesday, January 21^st, Quincy & Buckley 4:00 - 8:00pm

Noodles & Company - Thursday, January 22^nd, Quincy & Buckley 4:00 - 8:00pm

Dutch Bros - Saturday, January 24^th, Arapahoe Rd & Jordan Rd All Day

Slim Chickens - Monday, January 26^th, Smoky Hill & Himalaya All Day

Panda Express - Tuesday, January 27^th, Parker & Chambers All Day

CCSD Food & Resource Pantry Drive

In recognition of the Cherry Creek School District Board of Education, we are excited to announce a district-wide VIRTUAL donation drive to support our school-based food and resource pantries. Click here to learn more and donate.

Asthma & Winter Weather

Winter can be hard for kids with asthma. Cold air, indoor allergens, and respiratory illnesses can make breathing more difficult. Here are some simple tips to help:

Common Winter Triggers

· Cold air can make airways tighten and cause breathing problems.

· Indoor allergens like dust and pet dander build up when windows stay closed. This can irritate airways and cause coughing.

· Colds and flu can make asthma worse by adding mucus and swelling in the airways.

Tips to Help Your Child Stay Healthy

· Reduce allergens: Change air filters, clean often, and use an air purifier or humidifier (keep humidity between 30–50%).

· Avoid irritants: Limit candles, strong scents, and sprays that can bother sensitive lungs.

· Prevent illness: Get a flu shot, wash hands often, and keep away from people who are sick.

When to Call a Healthcare Provider

· Your child is coughing or wheezing more than usual.

· They need their rescue inhaler more often than normal.

· Breathing looks hard or fast, or you see skin pulling in between their ribs when they breathe.

· Symptoms don’t get better after using rescue medicine.

· Anytime you are worried about their breathing or overall health.

With these easy steps, you can help your child with asthma breathe easier and stay healthy all winter long!

HCMS Yearbook

It’s already time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay:

1. Pay online, or

2. Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Questions? Contact our yearbook rep Jenna Morse, 8^th Social Studies teacher, at jmorse@cherrycreekschools.org.

Anxiety – Part 3

For our next installment of a community message related to the topic of anxiety, we would like to share some information from our Counseling and Mental Health Offices. To start, feeling anxious is a natural emotion. Our counselors and mental health providers often support students who are feeling anxious, and we would like to share some of the strategies they use when working with our students. Feel free to try these Techniques to Use When Feeling Anxious at home. Also, mark your calendars! On the evening of February 11^th (same night as conferences), we will have a guest speaker presenting to our community on the topic of anxiety. There will be two sessions to choose from (5:00pm and 6:15pm). I invite you to join me, as a fellow parent, to this event. Stay tuned for more details!

Test Anxiety – Part 2

Earlier this fall, we shared that we would like to begin to engage in a conversation about a very real and common challenge – text anxiety. This is consistently one of the top reasons that families share related to choosing to opt their students out of testing (e.g. CMAS, PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP & IB Exams), and navigating the complexities of this topic is something we need to embrace as a community. We would much rather assist students and families with test anxiety than allow it to negatively influence how we feel about state assessments. Please know that if this message speaks to you, you are not alone!

In the conversations we have been having, we have identified two areas that we believe are equally important.

First, what are our beliefs when it comes to “doing hard things” in life? The CMAS is definitely challenging for many students, so we first want to share some thinking here. This article talks about grit and growth-mindset, two important aspects of development for middle school learners. Additionally, at HCMS we believe in the following:

· Experiencing discomfort is part of the growth process,

· Eliminating what makes us nervous can make the problem worse, as we may become more anxious because we did not practice how to navigate challenging situations, and

· As caring adults, we tend to lead with our protective instincts. This may mean allowing our children to avoid challenging situations. But by modeling for them that they can do hard things, and that we believe in them, and by coaching them along the way, we can increase their ability to navigate life challenges better when they are older and have less support from us.

A second area of focus we have identified as important relates to the specific strategies we can use when engaging in challenging activities like the CMAS. Here is an article from the University of Colorado, and here is an article from the Mayo Clinic. Both have some practical tips for our students.

And, while this information merely scratches the surface on the topic of text anxiety, the good news is that we can help! If you would like to chat about more specific ways that we can support your student, please contact their counselor. And please consider doing this soon, as we do not want to wait until the spring to begin supporting students with test anxiety. We’d like to start now!

Counseling Office Contact Information

· 6^th Grade: Aliyah Meehan (ameehan@cherrycreekschools.org)

· 7^th Grade: Kristi Nistel (knistel@cherrycreekschools.org)

· 8^th Grade: Shayn Walker (swalker7@cherrycreekschools.org)

Thank you for partnering with us on this complex topic. While the information above is far from exhaustive, it is a start. CMAS scores are definitely not the only way we view the many talents of our students. But the test does matter to us. Scores help us see how we’re doing and how we can improve. Scores help students reflect on their own learning, set future goals, and they inform future course placement. As we work to continue to improve learning outcomes for all students at HCMS, we do believe that it is essential to prepare them to succeed on the CMAS. This is the sole assessment that the State of Colorado uses to measure the success of schools, and we want to be highly performing!

In closing, the beauty of reflecting on these ideas is that building one’s capacity to “do hard things” extends far beyond CMAS – it can serve as a foundation for approaching a classroom quiz, a unit exam, or really any academic (or life) challenge. The benefits reach well past school success, fostering greater confidence, resilience, and a willingness to try as students move through life.

Here are the articles from above listed again:

Grit and the Growth Mindset

Ways to Manage and Overcome Test Anxiety

Test Anxiety Actions

Literacy Resources

Recently our school district sent out a literacy-related communication to all families. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to check out the links below, which feature numerous ways that families can support reading efforts for our students and school.

CCSD Literacy Guide

Read Learn Lead

After School Activities & Clubs

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Thursday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

January 9, 2026

January 9, 2026

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Welcome back! We are so excited for students to return to school, and we look forward to a great second half of the year. As a parent, your student is either halfway through 6^th grade, halfway through middle school, or five months away from high school. What an accomplishment for them (and you)!

As mentioned before break, we are excited to welcome a guest speaker to HCMS on the evening of February 11^th (same night as conferences) who will be presenting on the topic of anxiety. There will be two sessions to choose from (5:00pm and 6:15pm). Aaron Ragon has over 20 years of experience in mental health and education, including work on the inpatient psychiatry unit at Children’s Hospital Colorado, in private practice, and in leadership roles as a school counselor and district administrator. He currently serves as a Partner of Student Support in the Cherry Creek School District and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver, where he prepares future school counselors. For the past five years, Aaron has worked with the FACE Your FEARS anxiety model as both a practitioner and district trainer, witnessing its powerful impact on student confidence, emotional regulation, and engagement. He is passionate about expanding this work across educational settings. Click here to see a short video that summarizes his presentation. We will meet in the HCMS library, and HCMS students will be available to offer childcare during the presentations. I invite everyone to attend!

Yesterday an email was sent out with a link from PowerSchool to view your student’s Quarter 2 report card. It is titled Important Student Report for your student’s name. A password is required to open the file. The password is formatted as MMDDYY. (Example: date of birth= March7, 2011 is 030711). Please note that this link will only be active for seven (7) days, so be sure to review it promptly. If you do not see the email, please check your spam or junk folder.

Please see below for information on HCMS vision screenings, SHHS Wish Week, the CCSD Food & Resource Pantry Drive, and more.

Have a great weekend!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

HCMS Vision Screenings

Vision screenings will take place on Friday, January 16^th. We will be screening all 7^th graders, all students with IEPs and all students new to the CCSD school district this school year. Please have your student bring their glasses on this day for screenings. If you have any questions, please contact the HCMS Clinic at 720-886-6210.

Smoky Hill HS Wish Week

Smoky Hill Student Government will be sponsoring Wish Week from Friday, January 23^rd, to Saturday, January 31^st. We have a large number of events taking place to support Make-A-Wish Colorado and celebrate our 2026 Wish Kid - Genevieve! Throughout the Wish Week, Smoky Hill will be working with Make-A-Wish of Colorado to celebrate the wish of 14-year-old Genevieve. Genevieve is a 9^th grade student at Smoky Hill! Her wish is to have a hot tub. Some of Genevieve’s favorite things are butterflies, purple, music, coloring and Frozen. Genevieve will be in attendance and celebrated at our Wish Week Pep Assembly on Friday, January 30^th.

Interested in ordering a T-shirt or making a donation? Click here. You can also support the SHHS at the following restaurant nights:

Dave’s Hot Chicken - Friday, January 9^th, Arapahoe & Yosemite (West of I-25) 4:00 - 8:00pm Chipotle - Tuesday, January 13^th, Corner Star - Parker and Arapahoe 4:00 - 8:00pm

Chick-fil-A - Tuesday, January 20^th, Parker & Chambers All Day

Chipotle - Wednesday, January 21^st, Quincy & Buckley 4:00 - 8:00pm

Noodles & Company - Thursday, January 22^nd, Quincy & Buckley 4:00 - 8:00pm

Dutch Bros - Saturday, January 24^th, Arapahoe Rd & Jordan Rd All Day

Slim Chickens - Monday, January 26^th, Smoky Hill & Himalaya All Day

Panda Express - Tuesday, January 27^th, Parker & Chambers All Day

CCSD Food & Resource Pantry Drive

In recognition of the Cherry Creek School District Board of Education, we are excited to announce a district-wide VIRTUAL donation drive to support our school-based food and resource pantries. Click here to learn more and donate.

Asthma & Winter Weather

Winter can be hard for kids with asthma. Cold air, indoor allergens, and respiratory illnesses can make breathing more difficult. Here are some simple tips to help:

Common Winter Triggers

· Cold air can make airways tighten and cause breathing problems.

· Indoor allergens like dust and pet dander build up when windows stay closed. This can irritate airways and cause coughing.

· Colds and flu can make asthma worse by adding mucus and swelling in the airways.

Tips to Help Your Child Stay Healthy

· Reduce allergens: Change air filters, clean often, and use an air purifier or humidifier (keep humidity between 30–50%).

· Avoid irritants: Limit candles, strong scents, and sprays that can bother sensitive lungs.

· Prevent illness: Get a flu shot, wash hands often, and keep away from people who are sick.

When to Call a Healthcare Provider

· Your child is coughing or wheezing more than usual.

· They need their rescue inhaler more often than normal.

· Breathing looks hard or fast, or you see skin pulling in between their ribs when they breathe.

· Symptoms don’t get better after using rescue medicine.

· Anytime you are worried about their breathing or overall health.

With these easy steps, you can help your child with asthma breathe easier and stay healthy all winter long!

8^th Grade Families – Smoky Hill Presentations

Students and staff from Smoky Hill High School presented to our 8^th graders before break, sharing information about high school and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Interested in learning more about IB at SHHS? Click here!

HCMS Yearbook

It’s already time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay:

1. Pay online, or

2. Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Questions? Contact our yearbook rep Jenna Morse, 8^th Social Studies teacher, at jmorse@cherrycreekschools.org.

Anxiety – Part 3

For our next installment of a community message related to the topic of anxiety, we would like to share some information from our Counseling and Mental Health Offices. To start, feeling anxious is a natural emotion. Our counselors and mental health providers often support students who are feeling anxious, and we would like to share some of the strategies they use when working with our students. Feel free to try these Techniques to Use When Feeling Anxious at home. Also, mark your calendars! On the evening of February 11^th (same night as conferences), we will have a guest speaker presenting to our community on the topic of anxiety. There will be two sessions to choose from (5:00pm and 6:15pm). I invite you to join me, as a fellow parent, to this event. Stay tuned for more details!

Test Anxiety – Part 2

Earlier this fall, we shared that we would like to begin to engage in a conversation about a very real and common challenge – text anxiety. This is consistently one of the top reasons that families share related to choosing to opt their students out of testing (e.g. CMAS, PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP & IB Exams), and navigating the complexities of this topic is something we need to embrace as a community. We would much rather assist students and families with test anxiety than allow it to negatively influence how we feel about state assessments. Please know that if this message speaks to you, you are not alone!

In the conversations we have been having, we have identified two areas that we believe are equally important.

First, what are our beliefs when it comes to “doing hard things” in life? The CMAS is definitely challenging for many students, so we first want to share some thinking here. This article talks about grit and growth-mindset, two important aspects of development for middle school learners. Additionally, at HCMS we believe in the following:

· Experiencing discomfort is part of the growth process,

· Eliminating what makes us nervous can make the problem worse, as we may become more anxious because we did not practice how to navigate challenging situations, and

· As caring adults, we tend to lead with our protective instincts. This may mean allowing our children to avoid challenging situations. But by modeling for them that they can do hard things, and that we believe in them, and by coaching them along the way, we can increase their ability to navigate life challenges better when they are older and have less support from us.

A second area of focus we have identified as important relates to the specific strategies we can use when engaging in challenging activities like the CMAS. Here is an article from the University of Colorado, and here is an article from the Mayo Clinic. Both have some practical tips for our students.

And, while this information merely scratches the surface on the topic of text anxiety, the good news is that we can help! If you would like to chat about more specific ways that we can support your student, please contact their counselor. And please consider doing this soon, as we do not want to wait until the spring to begin supporting students with test anxiety. We’d like to start now!

Counseling Office Contact Information

· 6^th Grade: Aliyah Meehan (ameehan@cherrycreekschools.org)

· 7^th Grade: Kristi Nistel (knistel@cherrycreekschools.org)

· 8^th Grade: Shayn Walker (swalker7@cherrycreekschools.org)

Thank you for partnering with us on this complex topic. While the information above is far from exhaustive, it is a start. CMAS scores are definitely not the only way we view the many talents of our students. But the test does matter to us. Scores help us see how we’re doing and how we can improve. Scores help students reflect on their own learning, set future goals, and they inform future course placement. As we work to continue to improve learning outcomes for all students at HCMS, we do believe that it is essential to prepare them to succeed on the CMAS. This is the sole assessment that the State of Colorado uses to measure the success of schools, and we want to be highly performing!

In closing, the beauty of reflecting on these ideas is that building one’s capacity to “do hard things” extends far beyond CMAS – it can serve as a foundation for approaching a classroom quiz, a unit exam, or really any academic (or life) challenge. The benefits reach well past school success, fostering greater confidence, resilience, and a willingness to try as students move through life.

Here are the articles from above listed again:

Grit and the Growth Mindset

Ways to Manage and Overcome Test Anxiety

Test Anxiety Actions

Literacy Resources

Recently our school district sent out a literacy-related communication to all families. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to check out the links below, which feature numerous ways that families can support reading efforts for our students and school.

CCSD Literacy Guide

Read Learn Lead

After School Activities & Clubs

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

December 19, 2025

December 19, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

For the final community message of 2025, we have a big announcement. Please join me in congratulating the 25-26 Educator of the Year, Ms. Hailey Wilkinson! Ms. Wilkinson is a 6^th grade Language Arts teacher, and she contributes to our school in SO MANY ways. From supporting students as a Restorative Coach to serving as a co-coordinator of our Language Arts department to coaching athletics and more, Ms. Wilkinson is truly all in for our community. We are so fortunate that she is a Husky. Congrats, Hailey!!!

The second semester schedule begins on Tuesday, January 6^th. Your student's semester two schedule is available to view in PowerSchool. Please sign on to your parent portal (my.cc) to review your student's information. You will also be receiving an email with a link from PowerSchool that will allow you to view your student’s 2^nd semester schedule. This process is similar to how you access your student’s report card. Please note that this link will only be active for seven (7) days, so be sure to review it promptly. If you do not see the email, please check your spam or junk folder.

Also, please have your student schedule an appointment with their counselor if you see an error such as being scheduled for two classes at once or missing a class. Counselors will not be changing schedules unless there is an error. Appointments can be made through this link: Counseling Office

Vision screenings will take place on Friday, January 16^th. We will be screening all 7^th graders, all students with IEPs and all students new to the CCSD school district this school year. Please have your student bring their glasses on this day for screenings. If you have any questions, please contact the HCMS Clinic at 720-886-6210.

As a reminder, students return from Winter Break on Tuesday, January 6^th.

That’s it for 2025. Have a great Winter Break!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

Grief and Loss Support for Students

Horizon Community Middle School has partnered with Judi’s House to provide a 10-week series of small group meetings for students who have experienced a significant loss. The Judi’s House staff are experts in childhood grief and bereavement, and you can learn more about their services on their website, judishouse.org.

If your student has lost an important person in their life and you feel that they may benefit from support, please accept this invitation for your student to participate in a group facilitated by Judi’s House staff. This group will meet at school once per week for 1 hour for 10 weeks starting quarter 3 when we return from winter break. The small group meetings will focus on normalizing grief responses, developing coping skills, connecting with adult and peer support and creating a safe space to process and share grief. Our Mental Health & Counseling Teams collaborate closely with teachers to highlight the value of this group and to help ensure student attendance on a weekly basis. Students who participate have reported positive experiences and feelings of support by the facilitators from Judi’s House as well as the other student participants.

If you are interested in having your student participate in the next session, please complete the 2 links below in the language of your choosing. If you have any questions, please contact HCMS Social Worker Shelby Thomas (sthomas48@cherrycreekschools.org, 720-886-6271) at your earliest convenience.

English:

Application: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JHCommunityApplicationEnglis

Disclosure Statement/Consent: https://app.formdr.com/practice/NTIwNg==/form/qPLsQWTMc_GoGqExTJX4MZDsQNpofiaR

Spanish:
Application: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JHCommunityApplicationSpanish
Disclosure Statement/Consent: https://app.formdr.com/practice/NTIwNg==/form/rExE1sSivJc4HNlkZfwKQaJcw9Lu2zIJ

8^th Grade Families – Smoky Hill Presentations

Students and staff from Smoky Hill High School presented to our 8^th graders last week, sharing information about high school and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Interested in learning more about IB at SHHS? Click here!

HCMS Yearbook

It’s already time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay:

1. Pay online, or

2. Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Questions? Contact our yearbook rep Jenna Morse, 8^th Social Studies teacher, at jmorse@cherrycreekschools.org.

Anxiety – Part 3

For our next installment of a community message related to the topic of anxiety, we would like to share some information from our Counseling and Mental Health Offices. To start, feeling anxious is a natural emotion. Our counselors and mental health providers often support students who are feeling anxious, and we would like to share some of the strategies they use when working with our students. Feel free to try these Techniques to Use When Feeling Anxious at home. Also, mark your calendars! On the evening of February 11^th (same night as conferences), we will have a guest speaker presenting to our community on the topic of anxiety. There will be two sessions to choose from (5:00pm and 6:15pm). I invite you to join me, as a fellow parent, to this event. Stay tuned for more details!

Test Anxiety – Part 2

Earlier this fall, we shared that we would like to begin to engage in a conversation about a very real and common challenge – text anxiety. This is consistently one of the top reasons that families share related to choosing to opt their students out of testing (e.g. CMAS, PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP & IB Exams), and navigating the complexities of this topic is something we need to embrace as a community. We would much rather assist students and families with test anxiety than allow it to negatively influence how we feel about state assessments. Please know that if this message speaks to you, you are not alone!

In the conversations we have been having, we have identified two areas that we believe are equally important.

First, what are our beliefs when it comes to “doing hard things” in life? The CMAS is definitely challenging for many students, so we first want to share some thinking here. This article talks about grit and growth-mindset, two important aspects of development for middle school learners. Additionally, at HCMS we believe in the following:

· Experiencing discomfort is part of the growth process,

· Eliminating what makes us nervous can make the problem worse, as we may become more anxious because we did not practice how to navigate challenging situations, and

· As caring adults, we tend to lead with our protective instincts. This may mean allowing our children to avoid challenging situations. But by modeling for them that they can do hard things, and that we believe in them, and by coaching them along the way, we can increase their ability to navigate life challenges better when they are older and have less support from us.

A second area of focus we have identified as important relates to the specific strategies we can use when engaging in challenging activities like the CMAS. Here is an article from the University of Colorado, and here is an article from the Mayo Clinic. Both have some practical tips for our students.

And, while this information merely scratches the surface on the topic of text anxiety, the good news is that we can help! If you would like to chat about more specific ways that we can support your student, please contact their counselor. And please consider doing this soon, as we do not want to wait until the spring to begin supporting students with test anxiety. We’d like to start now!

Counseling Office Contact Information

· 6^th Grade: Aliyah Meehan (ameehan@cherrycreekschools.org)

· 7^th Grade: Kristi Nistel (knistel@cherrycreekschools.org)

· 8^th Grade: Shayn Walker (swalker7@cherrycreekschools.org)

Thank you for partnering with us on this complex topic. While the information above is far from exhaustive, it is a start. CMAS scores are definitely not the only way we view the many talents of our students. But the test does matter to us. Scores help us see how we’re doing and how we can improve. Scores help students reflect on their own learning, set future goals, and they inform future course placement. As we work to continue to improve learning outcomes for all students at HCMS, we do believe that it is essential to prepare them to succeed on the CMAS. This is the sole assessment that the State of Colorado uses to measure the success of schools, and we want to be highly performing!

In closing, the beauty of reflecting on these ideas is that building one’s capacity to “do hard things” extends far beyond CMAS – it can serve as a foundation for approaching a classroom quiz, a unit exam, or really any academic (or life) challenge. The benefits reach well past school success, fostering greater confidence, resilience, and a willingness to try as students move through life.

Here are the articles from above listed again:

Grit and the Growth Mindset

Ways to Manage and Overcome Test Anxiety

Test Anxiety Actions

Literacy Resources

Recently our school district sent out a literacy-related communication to all families. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to check out the links below, which feature numerous ways that families can support reading efforts for our students and school.

CCSD Literacy Guide

Read Learn Lead

After School Activities & Clubs

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

December 12, 2025

December 12, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

For our next installment of a community message related to the topic of anxiety, we would like to share some information from our Counseling and Mental Health Offices. To start, feeling anxious is a natural emotion. Our counselors and mental health providers often support students who are feeling anxious, and we would like to share some of the strategies they use when working with our students. Feel free to try these Techniques to Use When Feeling Anxious at home. Also, mark your calendars! On the evening of February 11^th (same night as conferences), we will have a guest speaker presenting to our community on the topic of anxiety. There will be two sessions to choose from (5:00pm and 6:15pm). I invite you to join me, as a fellow parent, to this event. Stay tuned for more details!

Next week is the week before Winter Break. We are excited to celebrate our students at our PACK Assemblies on Thursday (during their advisory classes)! Also, good luck to our choir students at their concert on Tuesday night (6pm, SHHS). As a reminder, students return from Winter Break on Tuesday, January 6^th.

That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

6^th Grade WEB Activity – Movie Time!

6^th Grade Families: At the beginning of the year, 8^th Grade WEB Leaders welcomed our 6^th grade students to HCMS. To celebrate completing their first semester of 6^th grade, our WEB Leaders will be hosting a movie after school on Monday, December 15^th. The G-rated movie will be voted on by our students, and it will play in the large gym from 4:00-4:40pm on Monday. All 6^th grade students are invited! Snacks will be provided, and students who do not ride the late bus should be picked up at 4:45pm. Thank you to our WEB Leaders for this event, and congrats to our 6^th graders for nearly being halfway through their first year of middle school!

8^th Grade Families – Smoky Hill Presentations

Students and staff from Smoky Hill High School presented to our 8^th graders this week, sharing information about high school and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Interested in learning more about IB at SHHS? Click here!

HCMS Yearbook

It’s already time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay:

1. Pay online, or

2. Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Questions? Contact our yearbook rep Jenna Morse, 8^th Social Studies teacher, at jmorse@cherrycreekschools.org.

Test Anxiety

Earlier this fall, we shared that we would like to begin to engage in a conversation about a very real and common challenge – text anxiety. This is consistently one of the top reasons that families share related to choosing to opt their students out of testing (e.g. CMAS, PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP & IB Exams), and navigating the complexities of this topic is something we need to embrace as a community. We would much rather assist students and families with test anxiety than allow it to negatively influence how we feel about state assessments. Please know that if this message speaks to you, you are not alone!

In the conversations we have been having, we have identified two areas that we believe are equally important.

First, what are our beliefs when it comes to “doing hard things” in life? The CMAS is definitely challenging for many students, so we first want to share some thinking here. This article talks about grit and growth-mindset, two important aspects of development for middle school learners. Additionally, at HCMS we believe in the following:

· Experiencing discomfort is part of the growth process,

· Eliminating what makes us nervous can make the problem worse, as we may become more anxious because we did not practice how to navigate challenging situations, and

· As caring adults, we tend to lead with our protective instincts. This may mean allowing our children to avoid challenging situations. But by modeling for them that they can do hard things, and that we believe in them, and by coaching them along the way, we can increase their ability to navigate life challenges better when they are older and have less support from us.

A second area of focus we have identified as important relates to the specific strategies we can use when engaging in challenging activities like the CMAS. Here is an article from the University of Colorado, and here is an article from the Mayo Clinic. Both have some practical tips for our students.

And, while this information merely scratches the surface on the topic of text anxiety, the good news is that we can help! If you would like to chat about more specific ways that we can support your student, please contact their counselor. And please consider doing this soon, as we do not want to wait until the spring to begin supporting students with test anxiety. We’d like to start now!

Counseling Office Contact Information

· 6^th Grade: Aliyah Meehan (ameehan@cherrycreekschools.org)

· 7^th Grade: Kristi Nistel (knistel@cherrycreekschools.org)

· 8^th Grade: Shayn Walker (swalker7@cherrycreekschools.org)

Thank you for partnering with us on this complex topic. While the information above is far from exhaustive, it is a start. CMAS scores are definitely not the only way we view the many talents of our students. But the test does matter to us. Scores help us see how we’re doing and how we can improve. Scores help students reflect on their own learning, set future goals, and they inform future course placement. As we work to continue to improve learning outcomes for all students at HCMS, we do believe that it is essential to prepare them to succeed on the CMAS. This is the sole assessment that the State of Colorado uses to measure the success of schools, and we want to be highly performing!

In closing, the beauty of reflecting on these ideas is that building one’s capacity to “do hard things” extends far beyond CMAS – it can serve as a foundation for approaching a classroom quiz, a unit exam, or really any academic (or life) challenge. The benefits reach well past school success, fostering greater confidence, resilience, and a willingness to try as students move through life.

Here are the articles from above listed again:

Grit and the Growth Mindset

Ways to Manage and Overcome Test Anxiety

Test Anxiety Actions

Literacy Resources

Recently our school district sent out a literacy-related communication to all families. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to check out the links below, which feature numerous ways that families can support reading efforts for our students and school.

CCSD Literacy Guide

Read Learn Lead

After School Activities & Clubs

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

December 5, 2025

December 5, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

As we settle into winter and look to the end of the second quarter, now is a great time to check your student’s grades on PowerSchool. Please reach out to their teachers with any questions, and please support your students as final due dates near. AND, please remember that in addition to seeing how our students are performing academically, we need to be equally, or even more, mindful of their social-emotional needs. If you haven’t yet, please check out what your student indicated on the social-emotional screener (see below for information on how to access), and please talk to them about this!

It is also a great time to check out our amazing Performing Arts! The Fall Play is tonight and tomorrow (more info is here), we have an Orchestra Concert on Monday at 6pm (Smoky Hill HS), and our Choir Concert is at 6pm on December 16^th (Smoky Hill HS). Good luck to our talented performers at these big events!

Lastly, while it’s only December, it’s already time to make your order for the 2025-2026 Yearbook! Click here to learn more. There are two ways to pay:

Pay online, or
Bring cash or check to Deborah Funk, our Bookkeeper.

Questions? Contact our yearbook rep Jenna Morse, 8^th Social Studies teacher, at jmorse@cherrycreekschools.org.

That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

Chipotle Fundraiser

Looking for a delicious way to support our school? Stop by Chipotle on Wednesday (December 10^th, 5-9pm, Buckley & Quincy).

Social-Emotional Screener

This fall your child took the Fall Panorama Social and Emotional Wellness Survey. Their self-assessment results are now available to view in PowerSchool.

At Cherry Creek Schools, we are committed to supporting every student’s growth and well-being. The Panorama screener helps us learn directly from students about their life skills, readiness for real-world challenges, and the strengths they will carry into life after high school.

At Horizon Community Middle School, we use this information to help students build the skills they need to discover their Pathway of Purpose. The survey measures eight key areas, is given twice a year, and is strengths-based.

To view your child’s results:

Log in to PowerSchool
Open the Document Library
Select SEL Survey

Click here to learn more. Also, if you have questions, please contact Ashlea Skiles, HCMS Administrator (askiles@cherrycreekschools.org).

HCMS Educator of the Year

The Cherry Creek School District’s Educator of the Year Honor recognizes outstanding educators who strive every day to meet and exceed our District’s mission – “To help students be inspired to think, to learn, to achieve and to care,” and embody our District’s core values of Growth Mindset, Equity, Whole Wellbeing, Engagement, and Relationships. Our vision at Horizon Community is "Learning: Every Day for Every One!" and our mission statement is "We are an authentic, empowered community that believes in opportunity for all."

All certified teachers, special service providers (i.e. counselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, therapists, etc.) and non-teaching licensed personnel (i.e. deans, instructional coaches, etc.) are eligible to be nominated. The written nomination should be between 150-500 words and should describe how the nominee exhibits and/or embodies our mission and core values.

Nominations for the HCMS Educator of the Year can be submitted until December 5^th, 2025. Please click here to complete a nomination.

Test Anxiety

Earlier this fall, we shared that we would like to begin to engage in a conversation about a very real and common challenge – test anxiety. This is consistently one of the top reasons that families share related to choosing to opt their students out of testing (e.g. CMAS, PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP & IB Exams), and navigating the complexities of this topic is something we need to embrace as a community. We would much rather assist students and families with test anxiety than allow it to negatively influence how we feel about state assessments. Please know that if this message speaks to you, you are not alone!

In the conversations we have been having, we have identified two areas that we believe are equally important.

First, what are our beliefs when it comes to “doing hard things” in life? The CMAS is definitely challenging for many students, so we first want to share some thinking here. This article talks about grit and growth-mindset, two important aspects of development for middle school learners. Additionally, at HCMS we believe in the following:

Experiencing discomfort is part of the growth process,
Eliminating what makes us nervous can make the problem worse, as we may become more anxious because we did not practice how to navigate challenging situations, and
As caring adults, we tend to lead with our protective instincts. This may mean allowing our children to avoid challenging situations. But by modeling for them that they can do hard things, and that we believe in them, and by coaching them along the way, we can increase their ability to navigate life challenges better when they are older and have less support from us.

A second area of focus we have identified as important relates to the specific strategies we can use when engaging in challenging activities like the CMAS. Here is an article from the University of Colorado, and here is an article from the Mayo Clinic. Both have some practical tips for our students.

And, while this information merely scratches the surface on the topic of text anxiety, the good news is that we can help! If you would like to chat about more specific ways that we can support your student, please contact their counselor. And please consider doing this soon, as we do not want to wait until the spring to begin supporting students with test anxiety. We’d like to start now!

Counseling Office Contact Information

6^th Grade: Aliyah Meehan (ameehan@cherrycreekschools.org)
7^th Grade: Kristi Nistel (knistel@cherrycreekschools.org)
8^th Grade: Shayn Walker (swalker7@cherrycreekschools.org)

Thank you for partnering with us on this complex topic. While the information above is far from exhaustive, it is a start. CMAS scores are definitely not the only way we view the many talents of our students. But the test does matter to us. Scores help us see how we’re doing and how we can improve. Scores help students reflect on their own learning, set future goals, and they inform future course placement. As we work to continue to improve learning outcomes for all students at HCMS, we do believe that it is essential to prepare them to succeed on the CMAS. This is the sole assessment that the State of Colorado uses to measure the success of schools, and we want to be highly performing!

In closing, the beauty of reflecting on these ideas is that building one’s capacity to “do hard things” extends far beyond CMAS – it can serve as a foundation for approaching a classroom quiz, a unit exam, or really any academic (or life) challenge. The benefits reach well past school success, fostering greater confidence, resilience, and a willingness to try as students move through life.

Here are the articles from above listed again:

Grit and the Growth Mindset

Ways to Manage and Overcome Test Anxiety

Test Anxiety Actions

Literacy Resources

Recently our school district sent out a literacy-related communication to all families. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to check out the links below, which feature numerous ways that families can support reading efforts for our students and school.

CCSD Literacy Guide

Read Learn Lead

After School Activities & Clubs

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

November 21, 2025

November 21, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Thank you for the tremendous support through our Color Games fundraiser! Now is the last chance to donate (see below), and our Color Games activities will be on Monday. Students should dress comfortably, as they will be engaged in fun games and color packets will be flying!

Next, as we enter concert season, please consider checking out our Performing Artists as they showcase their talents. Here are some upcoming shows:

Band, 11/24, 6pm, Smoky Hill
Fall Play, 12/5 and 12/6, 6:30pm, HCMS
Orchestra, 12/8, 6pm, Smoky Hill
Choir, 12/16, 6pm, Smoky Hill

Also, families can now view their students’ results from the Fall Panorama Social-Emotional screener. Please see below for more information.

Lastly, please check out the message below related to test anxiety. One of our beliefs related to this topic is that we need to coach students as they “do hard things” in life. This will help build resilience as students become more independent. If your student is hesitant to engage in state assessment for these reasons, please begin talking with them now about the importance of navigating these challenges. Also, as has been the case for the past few years, we will be spreading out our CMAS tests over several days, making the actual testing experience each day for students as stress free as possible.

That’s it for today. As a reminder, we only have school on Monday and Tuesday next week.

Thank you!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

Health Liaison Opening

HCMS is currently looking for a Health Liaison. This person assists our school nurse on a daily basis in our Health Clinic. Click here to learn more and apply.

Color Games Fundraiser

Our PTCO’s large-scale fundraiser this year, Color Games, is almost finished! Students will be outside for 80-minute blocks on November 24^th, and parent volunteers are welcomed! Click here to learn more, and click here to sign up to volunteer.

There are two different ways to donate:

Have your student ask an APEX Team Member (at school) to send you a personalized invitation link (this will connect the donation to your student).

You can also help your child get donations from family and friends. Just give your student their names and email addresses. An APEX rep will help your student send a personalized invitation.

Visit this link to make a blanket donation (and learn more):

Questions? Email APEX Team Leader, June, at jmarcel@apexleadershipco.com.

Social-Emotional Screener

Last month, your child took the Fall Panorama Social and Emotional Wellness Survey. Their self-assessment results are now available to view in PowerSchool.

At Cherry Creek Schools, we are committed to supporting every student’s growth and well-being. The Panorama screener helps us learn directly from students about their life skills, readiness for real-world challenges, and the strengths they will carry into life after high school.

At Horizon Community Middle School, we use this information to help students build the skills they need to discover their Pathway of Purpose. The survey measures eight key areas, is given twice a year, and is strengths-based.

To view your child’s results:

Log in to PowerSchool
Open the Document Library
Select SEL Survey

Click here to learn more. Also, if you have questions, please contact Ashlea Skiles, HCMS Administrator (askiles@cherrycreekschools.org).

HCMS Educator of the Year

The Cherry Creek School District’s Educator of the Year Honor recognizes outstanding educators who strive every day to meet and exceed our District’s mission – “To help students be inspired to think, to learn, to achieve and to care,” and embody our District’s core values of Growth Mindset, Equity, Whole Wellbeing, Engagement, and Relationships. Our vision at Horizon Community is "Learning: Every Day for Every One!" and our mission statement is "We are an authentic, empowered community that believes in opportunity for all."

All certified teachers, special service providers (i.e. counselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, therapists, etc.) and non-teaching licensed personnel (i.e. deans, instructional coaches, etc.) are eligible to be nominated. The written nomination should be between 150-500 words and should describe how the nominee exhibits and/or embodies our mission and core values.

Nominations for the HCMS Educator of the Year can be submitted until December 5^th, 2025. Please click here to complete a nomination.

Test Anxiety

Earlier this fall, we shared that we would like to begin to engage in a conversation about a very real and common challenge – test anxiety. This is consistently one of the top reasons that families share related to choosing to opt their students out of testing (e.g. CMAS, PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP & IB Exams), and navigating the complexities of this topic is something we need to embrace as a community. We would much rather assist students and families with test anxiety than allow it to negatively influence how we feel about state assessments. Please know that if this message speaks to you, you are not alone!

In the conversations we have been having, we have identified two areas that we believe are equally important.

First, what are our beliefs when it comes to “doing hard things” in life? The CMAS is definitely challenging for many students, so we first want to share some thinking here. This article talks about grit and growth-mindset, two important aspects of development for middle school learners. Additionally, at HCMS we believe in the following:

Experiencing discomfort is part of the growth process,
Eliminating what makes us nervous can make the problem worse, as we may become more anxious because we did not practice how to navigate challenging situations, and
As caring adults, we tend to lead with our protective instincts. This may mean allowing our children to avoid challenging situations. But by modeling for them that they can do hard things, and that we believe in them, and by coaching them along the way, we can increase their ability to navigate life challenges better when they are older and have less support from us.

A second area of focus we have identified as important relates to the specific strategies we can use when engaging in challenging activities like the CMAS. Here is an article from the University of Colorado, and here is an article from the Mayo Clinic. Both have some practical tips for our students.

And, while this information merely scratches the surface on the topic of test anxiety, the good news is that we can help! If you would like to chat about more specific ways that we can support your student, please contact their counselor. And please consider doing this soon, as we do not want to wait until the spring to begin supporting students with test anxiety. We’d like to start now!

Counseling Office Contact Information

6^th Grade: Aliyah Meehan (ameehan@cherrycreekschools.org)
7^th Grade: Kristi Nistel (knistel@cherrycreekschools.org)
8^th Grade: Shayn Walker (swalker7@cherrycreekschools.org)

Thank you for partnering with us on this complex topic. While the information above is far from exhaustive, it is a start. CMAS scores are definitely not the only way we view the many talents of our students. But the test does matter to us. Scores help us see how we’re doing and how we can improve. Scores help students reflect on their own learning, set future goals, and they inform future course placement. As we work to continue to improve learning outcomes for all students at HCMS, we do believe that it is essential to prepare them to succeed on the CMAS. This is the sole assessment that the State of Colorado uses to measure the success of schools, and we want to be highly performing!

In closing, the beauty of reflecting on these ideas is that building one’s capacity to “do hard things” extends far beyond CMAS – it can serve as a foundation for approaching a classroom quiz, a unit exam, or really any academic (or life) challenge. The benefits reach well past school success, fostering greater confidence, resilience, and a willingness to try as students move through life.

Here are the articles from above listed again:

Grit and the Growth Mindset

Ways to Manage and Overcome Test Anxiety

Test Anxiety Actions

Literacy Resources

Recently our school district sent out a literacy-related communication to all families. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to check out the links below, which feature numerous ways that families can support reading efforts for our students and school.

CCSD Literacy Guide

Read Learn Lead

After School Activities & Clubs

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

November 14, 2025

November 14, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Earlier this fall, we shared that we would like to begin to engage in a conversation about a very real and common challenge – text anxiety. This is consistently one of the top reasons that families share related to choosing to opt their students out of testing (e.g. CMAS, PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP & IB Exams), and navigating the complexities of this topic is something we need to embrace as a community. We would much rather assist students and families with test anxiety than allow it to negatively influence how we feel about state assessments. Please know that if this message speaks to you, you are not alone!

In the conversations we have been having, we have identified two areas that we believe are equally important.

First, what are our beliefs when it comes to “doing hard things” in life? The CMAS is definitely challenging for many students, so we first want to share some thinking here. This article talks about grit and growth-mindset, two important aspects of development for middle school learners. Additionally, at HCMS we believe in the following:

· Experiencing discomfort is part of the growth process,

· Eliminating what makes us nervous can make the problem worse, as we may become more anxious because we did not practice how to navigate challenging situations, and

· As caring adults, we tend to lead with our protective instincts. This may mean allowing our children to avoid challenging situations. But by modeling for them that they can do hard things, and that we believe in them, and by coaching them along the way, we can increase their ability to navigate life challenges better when they are older and have less support from us.

A second area of focus we have identified as important relates to the specific strategies we can use when engaging in challenging activities like the CMAS. Here is an article from the University of Colorado, and here is an article from the Mayo Clinic. Both have some practical tips for our students.

And, while this information merely scratches the surface on the topic of text anxiety, the good news is that we can help! If you would like to chat about more specific ways that we can support your student, please contact their counselor. And please consider doing this soon, as we do not want to wait until the spring to begin supporting students with test anxiety. We’d like to start now!

Counseling Office Contact Information

· 6^th Grade: Aliyah Meehan (ameehan@cherrycreekschools.org)

· 7^th Grade: Kristi Nistel (knistel@cherrycreekschools.org)

· 8^th Grade: Shayn Walker (swalker7@cherrycreekschools.org)

Thank you for partnering with us on this complex topic. While the information above is far from exhaustive, it is a start. CMAS scores are definitely not the only way we view the many talents of our students. But the test does matter to us. Scores help us see how we’re doing and how we can improve. Scores help students reflect on their own learning, set future goals, and they inform future course placement. As we work to continue to improve learning outcomes for all students at HCMS, we do believe that it is essential to prepare them to succeed on the CMAS. This is the sole assessment that the State of Colorado uses to measure the success of schools, and we want to be highly performing!

In closing, the beauty of reflecting on these ideas is that building one’s capacity to “do hard things” extends far beyond CMAS – it can serve as a foundation for approaching a classroom quiz, a unit exam, or really any academic (or life) challenge. The benefits reach well past school success, fostering greater confidence, resilience, and a willingness to try as students move through life.

Here are the articles from above listed again:

Grit and the Growth Mindset

Ways to Manage and Overcome Test Anxiety

Test Anxiety Actions

Thank you!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

Color Games Fundraiser

Our PTCO’s large-scale fundraiser this year, Color Games, is underway! Between now and November 21^st, students will be invited to participate in fun challenges and games, with all students having the opportunity to participate in even more fun at the final event. Students will be outside for 80-minute blocks on November 21^st, and parent volunteers are welcomed! Click here to learn more, and click here to sign up to volunteer.

There are two different ways to donate:

1) Have your student ask an APEX Team Member (at school) to send you a personalized invitation link (this will connect the donation to your student).

You can also help your child get donations from family and friends. Just give your student their names and email addresses. An APEX rep will help your student send a personalized invitation.

2) Visit this link to make a blanket donation (and learn more):

Questions? Email APEX Team Leader, June, at jmarcel@apexleadershipco.com.

HCMS Educator of the Year

The Cherry Creek School District’s Educator of the Year Honor recognizes outstanding educators who strive every day to meet and exceed our District’s mission – “To help students be inspired to think, to learn, to achieve and to care,” and embody our District’s core values of Growth Mindset, Equity, Whole Wellbeing, Engagement, and Relationships. Our vision at Horizon Community is "Learning: Every Day for Every One!" and our mission statement is "We are an authentic, empowered community that believes in opportunity for all."

All certified teachers, special service providers (i.e. counselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, therapists, etc.) and non-teaching licensed personnel (i.e. deans, instructional coaches, etc.) are eligible to be nominated. The written nomination should be between 150-500 words and should describe how the nominee exhibits and/or embodies our mission and core values.

Nominations for the HCMS Educator of the Year can be submitted until December 5^th, 2025. Please click here to complete a nomination.

Literacy Resources

Recently our school district sent out a literacy-related communication to all families. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to check out the links below, which feature numerous ways that families can support reading efforts for our students and school.

CCSD Literacy Guide

Read Learn Lead

After School Activities & Clubs

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

November 6, 2025

November 6, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Last week our school district sent out a literacy-related communication to all families. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to check out the links below, which feature numerous ways that families can support reading efforts for our students and school.

CCSD Literacy Guide

Read Learn Lead

Our PTCO’s large-scale fundraiser this year is called Color Games, and it starts next week! Between now and November 21^st, students will be invited to participate in fun challenges and games, with all students having the opportunity to participate in even more fun at the final event. Students will be outside for 80-minute blocks on November 21^st, and parent volunteers are welcomed! Click here to learn more, and click here to sign up to volunteer.

At HCMS we have many after-school activities/clubs for students. Check out the schedule here, and feel free to reach out to a specific club sponsors or our Activities Director, Kerri Benzel (kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org), with questions.

We hope to see you at conferences tonight or tomorrow. More information is below, and please remember that there is no school tomorrow (November 7^th).

Thank you!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101

Scholastic Book Fair

The Scholastic Book Fair will be at our school in a little under a week! Join us November 10^th – 14^th in the Library to shop the book fair! You can set up funds in an eWallet for your student by visiting our book fair webpage here! Want to shop with your student? The book fair will be open after school until 4:15pm. Interested in volunteering? Please fill out this Google Form. Additional questions: Please contact Ryane McKinney (rmckinney@cherrycreekschools.org).

8^th Grade Families – View of the Hill

Smoky Hill High School is excited to welcome incoming 26-27 Freshman to A View of The Hill (aka Incoming Freshman Night) on Wednesday, November 12^th, 2025 at 5:30pm. This is an excellent opportunity for parents and potential students to receive vital information about the availability and impact of clubs/activities/athletics at SHHS. Please reach out to Rosita Tantao at rtantao@cherrycreekschools.org if there are any questions.

Parent Teacher Conference Schedule – November

November 6^th, 4:15pm – 7:30pm: In-person conferences. All teachers will be in the gyms for these conferences. Come by anytime to meet with teachers individually.

November 7^th, 8:30am – 11:30am: In-person conferences. All teachers will be in the gyms for these conferences. Come by anytime to meet with teachers individually.

November 7^th, 1:00pm – 4:00pm: Virtual conferences. Families will sign up for time slots to meet virtually via Microsoft Teams with teachers.

Please sign up for a 10-minute time slot. You will receive an automatically generated email with a link to a Microsoft Teams Meeting for your conference. Be sure to select your student's teacher from the drop-down menu. Not sure who your student's teachers are? Check PowerSchool! (If the calendar is showing October, simply click the arrow for November, then click on the 7th)

Virtual Conferences

Veterans Day Celebration

On Wednesday, November 12^th, we will be honoring active-duty military and veterans at our Veterans Day Celebration. If you or an extended family member would like to attend, please complete this survey.

HCMS Advisory Programming

One of our focus areas at HCMS is related to Social Emotional Learning (SEL) as we work to support students to further develop important life skills such as emotional regulation, growth mindset, and self-efficacy. Students meet with their Advisory Class eight times per month, and some of those meetings are dedicated to SEL lessons and discussions.

Each month we focus on the following themes:

September: Safe spaces for hard conversations
October: Trusted Adults – “Who’s your person?”
November: Stress relief activities
December: Mindfulness & relationship skills
January: Growth mindset & goal setting
February: Identifying emotions & mood patterns
March: Resilience & recovery
April: Self-care & mindful moments
May: Transitions & belonging

Through these activities, students will gain tools to better manage emotions, set goals, and support one another – skills that matter both in and out of the classroom. If you have any questions about our Advisory programming, please contact Dee Hallman, HCMS Administrator (nhallman2@cherrycreekschools.org).

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

October 31, 2025

October 31, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Next week is our next round of conferences. Here is the schedule:

Thursday: 4:15pm – 7:30pm (in person)
Friday: 8:30am – 11:30am (in person), 1:00pm – 4:00pm (virtual)

Please see below for more information and to sign up for virtual conferences.

Also, please see below for more info related to our upcoming Color Games fundraiser, Book Fair, and more! Have a great weekend!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

Scholastic Book Fair

The Scholastic Book Fair will be at our school in a little under a week! Join us November 10^th – 14^th in the Library to shop the book fair! You can set up funds in an eWallet for your student by visiting our book fair webpage here! Want to shop with your student? The book fair will be open after school until 4:15pm. Interested in volunteering? Please fill out this Google Form. Additional questions: Please contact Ryane McKinney (rmckinney@cherrycreekschools.org).

8^th Grade Families – View of the Hill

Smoky Hill High School is excited to welcome incoming 26-27 Freshman to A View of The Hill (aka Incoming Freshman Night) on Wednesday, November 12^th, 2025 at 5:30pm. This is an excellent opportunity for parents and potential students to receive vital information about the availability and impact of clubs/activities/athletics at SHHS. Please reach out to Rosita Tantao at rtantao@cherrycreekschools.org if there are any questions.

Color Games Fundraiser

We will be hosting a color games fundraiser from November 10-21^st. Click here to learn more.

On Friday afternoon, November 21^st, students will be outside engaging in fun activities. More details will come, and we will be looking for parent volunteers for this event. There will be separate grade-level sessions, each being 60-90 minutes (all in the afternoon). Stay tuned for a volunteer sign up opportunity.

Parent Teacher Conference Schedule – November

November 6^th, 4:15pm – 7:30pm: In-person conferences. All teachers will be in the gyms for these conferences. Come by anytime to meet with teachers individually.

November 7^th, 8:30am – 11:30am: In-person conferences. All teachers will be in the gyms for these conferences. Come by anytime to meet with teachers individually.

November 7^th, 1:00pm – 4:00pm: Virtual conferences. Families will sign up for time slots to meet virtually via Microsoft Teams with teachers.

Please sign up for a 10-minute time slot. You will receive an automatically generated email with a link to a Microsoft Teams Meeting for your conference. Be sure to select your student's teacher from the drop-down menu. Not sure who your student's teachers are? Check PowerSchool! (If the calendar is showing October, simply click the arrow for November, then click on the 7th)

Virtual Conferences

Veterans Day Celebration

On Wednesday, November 12^th, we will be honoring active-duty military and veterans at our Veterans Day Celebration. If you or an extended family member would like to attend, please complete this survey.

HCMS Advisory Programming

One of our focus areas at HCMS is related to Social Emotional Learning (SEL) as we work to support students to further develop important life skills such as emotional regulation, growth mindset, and self-efficacy. Students meet with their Advisory Class eight times per month, and some of those meetings are dedicated to SEL lessons and discussions.

Each month we focus on the following themes:

September: Safe spaces for hard conversations
October: Trusted Adults – “Who’s your person?”
November: Stress relief activities
December: Mindfulness & relationship skills
January: Growth mindset & goal setting
February: Identifying emotions & mood patterns
March: Resilience & recovery
April: Self-care & mindful moments
May: Transitions & belonging

Through these activities, students will gain tools to better manage emotions, set goals, and support one another – skills that matter both in and out of the classroom. If you have any questions about our Advisory programming, please contact Dee Hallman, HCMS Administrator (nhallman2@cherrycreekschools.org).

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

October 24, 2025

October 24, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Yesterday was a powerful day at HCMS, as approximately 70 students from all grades engaged in a Student Equity Workshop. Students participated in very important conversations related to equity, and they discussed ways to improve our school and society. It was so inspiring to see these youth leaders in action. Way to go, HC students!

And last night we had an Orchestra Concert at HCMS. Led by Mrs. Caroline Gonzales, our Orchestra Director, our musicians did a great job performing music from their first quarter of class.

Congrats to our 7^th grade Boys Basketball team for a great season, and good luck to our 8^th grade boys as their season continues. 6^th Grade Boys basketball has now started as well (there is still time to join). Feel free to check out our Athletics Page for information on all sports offerings at HCMS.

Our next round of conferences is coming up, and more specific information can be found below. Please also note that the sign-up link for virtual conferences on November 7^th is now live.

Next week is Spirit Week! Check out the themes for each day here.

On Wednesday, November 12^th, we will be honoring active-duty military and veterans at our Veterans Day Celebration. If you or an extended family member would like to attend, please complete this survey.

Please see the attached flyer for the CCSD Parent Information Network (PIN) presentation on Tuesday, November 4^th.

Save the date: Friday, November 21^st. We will be hosting a color battle fundraiser from November 10-21^st. On Friday afternoon, November 21^st, students will be outside engaging in fun activities. More details will come, and we will be looking for parent volunteers for this event. There will be separate grade-level sessions, each being 60-90 minutes (all in the afternoon). Stay tuned for a volunteer sign up opportunity in the weeks to come.

That’s it for today, Horizon Community. Have a great weekend!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

Parent Teacher Conference Schedule – November

November 6^th, 4:15pm – 7:30pm: In-person conferences. All teachers will be in the gyms for these conferences. Come by anytime to meet with teachers individually.

November 7^th, 8:00am – 11:30am: In-person conferences. All teachers will be in the gyms for these conferences. Come by anytime to meet with teachers individually.

November 7^th, 1:00pm – 4:00pm: Virtual conferences. Families will sign up for time slots to meet virtually via Microsoft Teams with teachers.

Please sign up for a 10-minute time slot. You will receive an automatically generated email with a link to a Microsoft Teams Meeting for your conference. Be sure to select your student's teacher from the drop-down menu. Not sure who your student's teachers are? Check PowerSchool! (If the calendar is showing October, simply click the arrow for November, then click on the 7th)

Virtual Conferences

Donation Drive

Throughout the month of October, the Smoky Hill High School Feeder Area will be sponsoring a donation drive to support our food and resource pantries. We have a physical bin in our cafeteria, and additional information and ways to donate can be found here. At HCMS, we have our Husky Community Market which can be accessed by families. Please contact Jhohana Avila, our Family & Community Liaison (javilaromero@cherrycreekschools.org) for more information.

Star Student Reports in PowerSchool

Star Student Reports are now visible in PowerSchool. Families will be able to access their student’s Star Reports by going to the Document Library in PowerSchool through their Parent Portal (my.cherrycreekschools.org). And please ask your student how they did on the Star Assessment, as they recently completed a reflection and goal setting activity in Advisory class.

CMAS Parent Portal

You are now able to view your child’s Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) state test results using the Colorado Department of Education’s new Family Portal. This secure website will allow you to easily see how your child performed on the state tests given each spring to students in grades 3–8.

HCMS Advisory Programming

One of our focus areas at HCMS is related to Social Emotional Learning (SEL) as we work to support students to further develop important life skills such as emotional regulation, growth mindset, and self-efficacy. Students meet with their Advisory Class eight times per month, and some of those meetings are dedicated to SEL lessons and discussions.

Each month we focus on the following themes:

September: Safe spaces for hard conversations
October: Trusted Adults – “Who’s your person?”
November: Stress relief activities
December: Mindfulness & relationship skills
January: Growth mindset & goal setting
February: Identifying emotions & mood patterns
March: Resilience & recovery
April: Self-care & mindful moments
May: Transitions & belonging

Through these activities, students will gain tools to better manage emotions, set goals, and support one another – skills that matter both in and out of the classroom. If you have any questions about our Advisory programming, please contact Dee Hallman, HCMS Administrator (nhallman2@cherrycreekschools.org).

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

October 10, 2025

October 10, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Fall Break is here! From one HCMS parent to another, I hope you have a great week off with your family. We have worked extremely hard this first quarter, and our students have modeled our PACK commitments. This was evident yesterday, as our students were recognized by their teachers with PACK Awards at grade-level assemblies. Way to represent HC, students!

Over the past several weeks, students in 6^th grade Language Arts classes read the book Refugee. To conclude the unit of instruction, our teachers arranged for guest speakers to present to students about their experiences as refugees. This was such a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn firsthand from the perspectives of these members of our community. Thank you to our teachers for organizing this event!

For the past two weeks, our students have been raising money for Walk for Sudan. Between Penny Wars in lunches and our AVID class collections, HCMS raised over $5,600!!! We are so thankful to our entire community for supporting this amazing cause.

After break we will have a virtual community meeting on Wednesday, October 22^nd. The topic is school safety, and more information is below.

On Wednesday, November 12^th, we will be honoring active-duty military and veterans at our Veterans Day Celebration. If you or an extended family member would like to attend, please complete this survey.

That’s it for today, Horizon Community. Have a great break!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

Parent Teacher Conference Schedule – November

November 6^th, 4:15pm – 7:30pm: In-person conferences. All teachers will be in the gyms for these conferences. Come by anytime to meet with teachers individually.

November 7^th, 8:00am – 11:30am: In-person conferences. All teachers will be in the gyms for these conferences. Come by anytime to meet with teachers individually.

November 7^th, 1:00pm – 4:00pm: Virtual conferences. Families will sign up for time slots to meet virtually via Microsoft Teams with teachers (link to sign up coming soon).

Donation Drive

Throughout the month of October, the Smoky Hill High School Feeder Area will be sponsoring a donation drive to support our food and resource pantries. We have a physical bin in our cafeteria, and additional information and ways to donate can be found here. At HCMS, we have our Husky Community Market which can be accessed by families. Please contact Jhohana Avila, our Family & Community Liaison (javilaromero@cherrycreekschools.org) for more information.

Community Meeting – School Safety

We will have a virtual community meeting on Wednesday, October 22^nd following our PTCO meeting. PTCO begins at 5:30pm and our community meeting begins at 6:00pm. The topic for this meeting is school safety, and we will be joined by HCMS Assistant Principal Clare Dardis and CCSD Security Coordinator Ryan Brehm. Here is the Teams meeting link, which can also be found on our PTCO webpage.

Star Student Reports in PowerSchool

Star Student Reports are now visible in PowerSchool. Families will be able to access their student’s Star Reports by going to the Document Library in PowerSchool through their Parent Portal (my.cherrycreekschools.org). And please ask your student how they did on the Star Assessment, as they recently completed a reflection and goal setting activity in Advisory class.

CMAS Parent Portal

You are now able to view your child’s Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) state test results using the Colorado Department of Education’s new Family Portal. This secure website will allow you to easily see how your child performed on the state tests given each spring to students in grades 3–8.

HCMS Advisory Programming

One of our focus areas at HCMS is related to Social Emotional Learning (SEL) as we work to support students to further develop important life skills such as emotional regulation, growth mindset, and self-efficacy. Students meet with their Advisory Class eight times per month, and some of those meetings are dedicated to SEL lessons and discussions.

Each month we focus on the following themes:

September: Safe spaces for hard conversations
October: Trusted Adults – “Who’s your person?”
November: Stress relief activities
December: Mindfulness & relationship skills
January: Growth mindset & goal setting
February: Identifying emotions & mood patterns
March: Resilience & recovery
April: Self-care & mindful moments
May: Transitions & belonging

Through these activities, students will gain tools to better manage emotions, set goals, and support one another – skills that matter both in and out of the classroom. If you have any questions about our Advisory programming, please contact Dee Hallman, HCMS Administrator (nhallman2@cherrycreekschools.org).

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

October 3, 2025

October 3, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

As we near the end of the first quarter, thank you for your support with a great start! A high level of community engagement is essential, and our students will continue to thrive as a result of our partnership. And thank you to our hard-working teachers and staff members for pouring your hearts into our students each day. As a reminder, there is no school Monday, October 13th – Friday, October 17th for Fall Break. Quarter 2 begins on Monday, October 20th (which means a fresh start in the gradebook for all students).

Next Thursday (October 9th) is a fundraiser night at Skate City. Students can attend from 6-8pm for a Glow Party!

Throughout the month of October, the Smoky Hill High School Feeder Area will be sponsoring a donation drive to support our food and resource pantries. We have a physical bin in our cafeteria, and additional information and ways to donate can be found here. At HCMS, we have our Husky Community Market which can be accessed by families. Please contact Jhohana Avila, our Family & Community Liaison (javilaromero@cherrycreekschools.org) for more information.

Looking ahead, we will have a virtual community meeting on Wednesday, October 22nd following our PTCO meeting. PTCO begins at 5:30pm and our community meeting begins at 6:00pm. The topic for this meeting is school safety, and we will be joined by HCMS Assistant Principal Clare Dardis and CCSD Security Coordinator Ryan Brehm. Here is the Teams meeting link, which can also be found on our PTCO webpage.

Thanks, and have a great weekend!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720.886.6101 (office)

720.767.2352 (cell)

HCMS Shirts for 6th Grade Students

In recognition of their first quarter of middle school nearly complete, our 6th grade students will receive HCMS t-shirts next week in Advisory. Congrats on a great start!

Star Student Reports in PowerSchool

Star Student Reports are now visible in PowerSchool. Families will be able to access their student’s Star Reports by going to the Document Library in PowerSchool through their Parent Portal (my.cherrycreekschools.org). And please ask your student how they did on the Star Assessment, as they recently completed a reflection and goal setting activity in Advisory class.

CMAS Parent Portal

You are now able to view your child’s Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) state test results using the Colorado Department of Education’s new Family Portal. This secure website will allow you to easily see how your child performed on the state tests given each spring to students in grades 3–8.

HCMS Advisory Programming

One of our focus areas at HCMS is related to Social Emotional Learning (SEL) as we work to support students to further develop important life skills such as emotional regulation, growth mindset, and self-efficacy. Students meet with their Advisory Class eight times per month, and some of those meetings are dedicated to SEL lessons and discussions.

Each month we focus on the following themes:

September: Safe spaces for hard conversations
October: Trusted Adults – “Who’s your person?”
November: Stress relief activities
December: Mindfulness & relationship skills
January: Growth mindset & goal setting
February: Identifying emotions & mood patterns
March: Resilience & recovery
April: Self-care & mindful moments
May: Transitions & belonging

Through these activities, students will gain tools to better manage emotions, set goals, and support one another – skills that matter both in and out of the classroom. If you have any questions about our Advisory programming, please contact Dee Hallman, HCMS Administrator (nhallman2@cherrycreekschools.org).

CCSD STEAM-A-Palooza

We are excited to announce that STEAM-A-Palooza is back! This free, family-friendly event will take place on Saturday, October 4th, 2025, from 9:00am – 4:00pm at Thunder Ridge Middle School. See here to learn more.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

September 26, 2025

September 26, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Last week at conferences we handed out paper score reports from CMAS. If you were not able to pick them up, please ask your student, as this week we handed remaining reports to students in their 8^th period class. And if digital is what you prefer, we have great news! Below you can find information on how you can access both Star and CMAS reports online.

And speaking of assessments, we want to begin to engage in a conversation about a very real and common challenge – text anxiety. This is consistently one of the top reasons that families share related to choosing to opt their students out of testing, and navigating the complexities of this topic is something we need to embrace as a community. We would much rather assist students and families with test anxiety than allow it to negatively influence how we feel about state assessment. We are in the process of gathering resources that both acknowledge the reality and also offer strategies for support. Please stay tuned for more information. And please know that if this message speaks to you, you are not alone!

And most, most importantly…. Please know that while we as a school are committed to the importance of CMAS, we know that this is just one part of a body of evidence that makes up the brilliance of your child. CMAS matters, and so does everything else.

Next week HCMS students will be participating in the Panorama Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Assessment in various classes. This assessment helps us better understand students' perspectives on their social-emotional skills, such as self-awareness, emotional regulation, and relationships with others. The information gathered from the Panorama SEL Assessment supports our ongoing efforts to foster a positive school environment and to provide the best possible support for all students. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ms. Ashlea Skiles, HCMS Administrator, at askiles@cherrycreekschools.org.

Lastly, below you will find a summary of our approach to Advisory this year. Please ask your student about Advisory, and feel free to reach out to their teacher for more information on this very important class. Advisory runs on Monday and Friday throughout the year, with an exception being Monday – Friday on the weeks when we return from breaks. Academic Core Connections (ACC) occurs Tuesday – Thursday. In this class we provide students with additional support in reading and/or math.

Thanks, and have a great weekend!

Brad

Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

Star Student Reports in PowerSchool

Star Student Reports are now visible in PowerSchool. Families will be able to access their student’s Star Reports by going to the Document Library in PowerSchool through their Parent Portal (my.cherrycreekschools.org). And please ask your student how they did on the Star Assessment, as they recently completed a reflection and goal setting activity in Advisory class.

CMAS Parent Portal

You are now able to view your child’s Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) state test results using the Colorado Department of Education’s new Family Portal. This secure website will allow you to easily see how your child performed on the state tests given each spring to students in grades 3–8.

HCMS Advisory Programming

One of our focus areas at HCMS is related to Social Emotional Learning (SEL) as we work to support students to further develop important life skills such as emotional regulation, growth mindset, and self-efficacy. Students meet with their Advisory Class eight times per month, and some of those meetings are dedicated to SEL lessons and discussions.

Each month we focus on the following themes:

September: Safe spaces for hard conversations
October: Trusted Adults – “Who’s your person?”
November: Stress relief activities
December: Mindfulness & relationship skills
January: Growth mindset & goal setting
February: Identifying emotions & mood patterns
March: Resilience & recovery
April: Self-care & mindful moments
May: Transitions & belonging

Through these activities, students will gain tools to better manage emotions, set goals, and support one another – skills that matter both in and out of the classroom. If you have any questions about our Advisory programming, please contact Dee Hallman, HCMS Administrator (nhallman2@cherrycreekschools.org).

CCSD STEAM-A-Palooza

We are excited to announce that STEAM-A-Palooza is back! This free, family-friendly event will take place on Saturday, October 4^th, 2025, from 9:00am – 4:00pm at Thunder Ridge Middle School. See here to learn more.

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

CMAS & School Rating

We have again reached the highest level of state rating – Performance! You may recall that two years ago we jumped two whole levels from Priority Improvement to Performance. This leap was remarkable, and I am so proud that we have remained at the top. Maintaining the highest level for two years in a row speaks to the hard work we have been doing as a school and community.

If you are not aware, the CMAS assessment is the major data point used to determine state rating for middle schools. This is one of the reasons why we value the assessment so much. Two big areas of focus for us include:

Continuing to increase participation, and
Ensuring that what we do in the classroom is aligned to CMAS instructional areas (called subclaims).

The second part is all on us, and we’re happy to share the details anytime. The first part is where we need help from you, our families. The benefits of taking CMAS are extensive, for both individual students and our school. Please make the commitment right now that your child will participate in CMAS this spring. This is about us all banding together as a community to show the state that HCMS is a learning institution.

Social Media & Internet Safety Awareness

Recently, I (Brad) read the book The Anxious Generation as well as the book Accountable. I was moved by these texts, as they were very relevant for me as both an educator and a parent. I highly encourage these reads, and if you are ever interested in discussing the content of these books, just let me know!

Also, last year we engaged in a conversation with a representative from the District Attorney’s Office related to the topic of Internet Safety. Some of the tips I learned include:

Be smart with privacy filters, posting personal information, and downloads,
Including identifying information in a video/picture that will be posted can be dangerous,
The sharing of any inappropriate photos/videos by a minor can result in very serious and permanent legal implications. (please re-iterate this with your children)

There are definitely more things to know, and one of the best things we can do as parents is to know everything that our children are doing online and with their phones.

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

September 18, 2025

September 18, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

This week was filled with fun, as we hosted a whole-school dance on Tuesday, and we were visited by the Smoky Hill High School Spirit Bus on Wednesday! These were such great events to have some fun and celebrate our community.

Reminder: Parent-teacher conferences are tonight! Please join us for a drop-in style setting in our gyms. If you are not able to attend, simply contact any teacher at any time for an update on your child’s progress in class. Also, we will be handing out CMAS score reports at conferences. We will be sending these home with students next week if they are not picked up.

And good luck to our Track athletes as they compete at the CCSD Track Meeting this Saturday! The meet is at the Stutler Bowl (at Cherry Creek High School), and athletes were told what time to report by their coaches.

Finally, as a reminder, there is no school tomorrow due to a teacher workday.

Thanks, and have a great weekend!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

After School Academic Support

All students can attend After School Academic Support, Monday – Wednesday, from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. This occurs in the library, and teachers are available to support students in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

CMAS & School Rating

We have again reached the highest level of state rating – Performance! You may recall that two years ago we jumped two whole levels from Priority Improvement to Performance. This leap was remarkable, and I am so proud that we have remained at the top. Maintaining the highest level for two years in a row speaks to the hard work we have been doing as a school and community.

If you are not aware, the CMAS assessment is the major data point used to determine state rating for middle schools. This is one of the reasons why we value the assessment so much. Two big areas of focus for us include:

Continuing to increase participation, and
Ensuring that what we do in the classroom is aligned to CMAS instructional areas (called subclaims).

The second part is all on us, and we’re happy to share the details anytime. The first part is where we need help from you, our families. The benefits of taking CMAS are extensive, for both individual students and our school. Please make the commitment right now that your child will participate in CMAS this spring. This is about us all banding together as a community to show the state that HCMS is a learning institution.

Social Media & Internet Safety Awareness

Recently, I (Brad) read the book The Anxious Generation as well as the book Accountable. I was moved by these texts, as they were very relevant for me as both an educator and a parent. I highly encourage these reads, and if you are ever interested in discussing the content of these books, just let me know!

Also, last year we engaged in a conversation with a representative from the District Attorney’s Office related to the topic of Internet Safety. Some of the tips I learned include:

Be smart with privacy filters, posting personal information, and downloads,
Including identifying information in a video/picture that will be posted can be dangerous,
The sharing of any inappropriate photos/videos by a minor can result in very serious and permanent legal implications. (please re-iterate this with your children)

There are definitely more things to know, and one of the best things we can do as parents is to know everything that our children are doing online and with their phones.

Signs of Suicide Presentations

Over the next few weeks, the Horizon Community Middle School Mental Health and Counseling Team, in conjunction with all Cherry Creek middle schools, will present an evidence-based suicide prevention curriculum called Signs of Suicide (S.O.S.) to students. This curriculum is designed specifically for middle school students, and it proactively addresses how to recognize the difference between typical adolescent challenges and the warning signs of depression and suicide.

The S.O.S. lessons will be conducted by Horizon Community’s Mental Health and Counseling Professionals during your student’s Science class period on the dates listed below:

6th Grade

Thursday, September 18 – Ms. Esquivel’s Classes
Monday, September 22 – Mr. Jennings’ Classes

7th Grade

Wednesday, September 10 – Ms. Senbeta’s Classes
Thursday, September 11 – Ms. Murphy’s Classes
Monday, September 15 – Ms. Dill’s Classes

8th Grade

Monday, September 8 – Ms. Naranjo’s Classes
Tuesday, September 9 – Mrs. Bonaire’s Classes

These lessons will teach students positive coping strategies, how to recognize warning signs, how to respond when others may be struggling, and how to report safety concerns. Our Mental Health and Counseling Team will also be available to support students who wish to discuss the topic further.

If you have any concerns or questions about your child’s participation, please contact your child’s school counselor:

6^th Grade: Alecia Suazo – asuazo@cherrycreekschools.org | 720-886-6207
7^th Grade: Kristi Nistel – knistel@cherrycreekschools.org | 720-886-6112
8^th Grade: Kristina Danielson – kdanielson2@cherrycreekschools.org | 720-886-6119
All Grades: Shayne Walker – swalker@cherrycreekschools.org | 720-886-6124

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

September 12, 2025

September 12, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Our first evening of Parent Teacher conferences is next Thursday (September 18^th) from 4:15pm – 7:30pm. These conferences are "drop-in" style (no appointment needed). And while families are at HCMS for conferences, we will have multiple opportunities for our families to engage in additional academic conversations. Look for break-out areas presenting on the following topics:

HCMS School Rating & Academic Plans
CMAS Student Reports
PowerSchool, Schoology, and Talking Points Tutorials

Also, we will begin After School Academic Support next week. This will occur in the library Monday – Wednesday from 3:50 – 4:40pm. Students can receive support in any academic area. To attend, students simply need to sign up with any teacher on the day they plan to attend.

Finally, on Tuesday, September 23^rd we will host Peek at the PACK. This is an opportunity for family members to observe instruction inside the walls of HCMS and provide us with feedback. We will meet at 8:00am to plan for the day, and families will have the opportunity to observe classes during periods 1 – 3. Families may choose to either observe their own student's classes or not, and we will try to move through classrooms in small groups based upon shared interests. We will then meet at 11:15am to debrief, with the experience concluding at 12:00pm. We welcome all families to join for this experience. Please complete this form by Wednesday, September 17th if you would like to attend.

Thanks!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

Fall Dance

There will be a school-wide dance (all grades invited) on Tuesday, September 16^th from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. The cost is $2 per student, and cash is the preferred method of payment. Tickets will be sold through September 16^th during lunches and before school (no tickets will be sold after 2:00pm on September 16^th). The doors to the dance will close at 4:00pm, and students will need to stay the entire time. There will be late buses for students that normally ride a bus which will depart HCMS at 4:50pm. If you plan to pick your student up after the dance, please ensure to arrive by 5:00pm.

CMAS & School Rating

We have again reached the highest level of state rating – Performance! You may recall that two years ago we jumped two whole levels from Priority Improvement to Performance. This leap was remarkable, and I am so proud that we have remained at the top. Maintaining the highest level for two years in a row speaks to the hard work we have been doing as a school and community.

If you are not aware, the CMAS assessment is the major data point used to determine state rating for middle schools. This is one of the reasons why we value the assessment so much. Two big areas of focus for us include:

Continuing to increase participation, and
Ensuring that what we do in the classroom is aligned to CMAS instructional areas (called subclaims).

The second part is all on us, and we’re happy to share the details anytime. The first part is where we need help from you, our families. The benefits of taking CMAS are extensive, for both individual students and our school. Please make the commitment right now that your child will participate in CMAS this spring. This is about us all banding together as a community to show the state that HCMS is a learning institution.

Future Parent-Teacher Conferences: Please mark your calendars with our conference dates for this school year. Based on community feedback, we will offer a combination of in-person and virtual conferences this year. Please select one date per semester to attend conferences so that all families have a chance to meet with teachers. Teachers are also available outside of these time frames for individual conferences with families via phone, Microsoft Teams, or in-person; please reach out to your student’s teacher if you need to schedule a conference at a different time.

Semester 1 Conference Dates (Please select one date per semester to attend conferences so that all families have a chance to meet with teachers.)

September 18th, 4:15pm – 7:30pm: In-person conferences. All teachers will be in the gyms for these conferences. Come by anytime to meet with teachers individually. We will also be distributing individual student assessment results this evening. Stop by to pick up your student's CMAS scores and learn more about our school's academic data.

November 6th, 4:15pm – 7:30pm (details to come)

November 7th, 8:00am – 11:30am: In-person conferences. All teachers will be in the gyms for these conferences. Come by anytime to meet with teachers individually.

November 7th, 1:00pm – 4:00pm: Virtual conferences. Families will sign up for time slots to meet virtually via Microsoft Teams with teachers (link to sign up coming soon!).

Social Media & Internet Safety Awareness

Recently, I (Brad) read the book The Anxious Generation as well as the book Accountable. I was moved by these texts, as they were very relevant for me as both an educator and a parent. I highly encourage these reads, and if you are ever interested in discussing the content of these books, just let me know!

Also, last year we engaged in a conversation with a representative from the District Attorney’s Office related to the topic of Internet Safety. Some of the tips I learned include:

Be smart with privacy filters, posting personal information, and downloads,
Including identifying information in a video/picture that will be posted can be dangerous,
The sharing of any inappropriate photos/videos by a minor can result in very serious and permanent legal implications. (please re-iterate this with your children)

There are definitely more things to know, and one of the best things we can do as parents is to know everything that our children are doing online and with their phones.

Signs of Suicide Presentations

Over the next few weeks, the Horizon Community Middle School Mental Health and Counseling Team, in conjunction with all Cherry Creek middle schools, will present an evidence-based suicide prevention curriculum called Signs of Suicide (S.O.S.) to students. This curriculum is designed specifically for middle school students, and it proactively addresses how to recognize the difference between typical adolescent challenges and the warning signs of depression and suicide.

The S.O.S. lessons will be conducted by Horizon Community’s Mental Health and Counseling Professionals during your student’s Science class period on the dates listed below:

6th Grade

Thursday, September 18 – Ms. Esquivel’s Classes
Monday, September 22 – Mr. Jennings’ Classes

7th Grade

Wednesday, September 10 – Ms. Senbeta’s Classes
Thursday, September 11 – Ms. Murphy’s Classes
Monday, September 15 – Ms. Dill’s Classes

8th Grade

Monday, September 8 – Ms. Naranjo’s Classes
Tuesday, September 9 – Mrs. Bonaire’s Classes

These lessons will teach students positive coping strategies, how to recognize warning signs, how to respond when others may be struggling, and how to report safety concerns. Our Mental Health and Counseling Team will also be available to support students who wish to discuss the topic further.

If you have any concerns or questions about your child’s participation, please contact your child’s school counselor:

6^th Grade: Alecia Suazo – asuazo@cherrycreekschools.org | 720-886-6207
7^th Grade: Kristi Nistel – knistel@cherrycreekschools.org | 720-886-6112
8^th Grade: Kristina Danielson – kdanielson2@cherrycreekschools.org | 720-886-6119
All Grades: Shayne Walker – swalker@cherrycreekschools.org | 720-886-6124

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

September 5, 2025

September 5, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) has recently released a publication that highlights some of the great work done at schools throughout the state. Check out this article (page 17) which speaks to our family and community partnerships. A huge shout out goes to Jhohana Avila Romero, our Family & Community Liaison, for authoring this text.

And speaking of CDE, I am so excited to share a big announcement with our community. We learned last week that we have again reached the highest level of state rating – Performance! You may recall that two years ago we jumped two whole levels from Priority Improvement to Performance. This leap was remarkable, and I am so proud that we have remained at the top. Maintaining the highest level for two years in a row speaks to the hard work we have been doing as a school and community.

If you are not aware, the CMAS assessment is the major data point used to determine state rating for middle schools. This is one of the reasons why we value the assessment so much. Two big areas of focus for us include:

Continuing to increase participation, and
Ensuring that what we do in the classroom is aligned to CMAS instructional areas (called subclaims).

The second part is all on us, and we’re happy to share the details anytime. The first part is where we need help from you, our families. The benefits of taking CMAS are extensive, for both individual students and our school. Please make the commitment right now that your child will participate in CMAS this spring. This is about us all banding together as a community to show the state that HCMS is a learning institution.

At our first evening of Parent Teacher conferences on September 18^th we will be available to present details related to our academic areas of focus this year. We will also share this information at our first Peek at the Pack (see below). If you are able to attend Peek at the PACK on September 23^rd, please complete this form by Wednesday, September 17^th.

Please see below for an abundance of additional (and new) information.

Thanks!

Brad

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)

Please see the attached flyer for the first CCSD SEAC meeting.

Peek at the PACK (formerly known as Instructional Observation Day)

On Tuesday, September 23rd, we will host Peek at the PACK. This is an opportunity for family members to observe instruction inside the walls of HCMS and provide us with feedback. We will meet at 8:00am to plan for the day, and families will have the opportunity to observe classes during periods 1 – 3. Families may choose to either observe their own student's classes or not, and we will try to move through classrooms in small groups based upon shared interests. We will then meet at 11:15am to debrief, with the experience concluding at 12:00pm. We welcome all families to join for this experience. Please complete this form by Wednesday, September 17th if you would like to attend.

Fall Dance

There will be a school-wide dance (all grades invited) on Tuesday, September 16^th from 3:50pm – 4:40pm. The cost is $2 per student, and cash is the preferred method of payment. Tickets will be sold September 10^th – 16^th during lunches and before school (no tickets will be sold after 2:00pm on September 16^th). The doors to the dance will close at 4:00pm, and students will need to stay the entire time. There will be late buses for students that normally ride a bus which will depart HCMS at 4:50pm. If you plan to pick your student up after the dance, please ensure to arrive by 5:00pm.

Parent Conferences, Academic Plans, CMAS Reports, & Tech Support

Our first round of conferences is quickly approaching, which is Thursday, September 18^th from 4:15pm – 7:30pm. These conferences are "drop-in" style (no appointment needed). And while families are at HCMS for conferences, we will have multiple opportunities for our families to engage in additional academic conversations. Look for break-out rooms presenting on the following topics:

HCMS School Rating & Academic Plans
CMAS Student Reports
PowerSchool, Schoology, and Talking Points Tutorials

Future Parent-Teacher Conferences: Please mark your calendars with our conference dates for this school year. Based on community feedback, we will offer a combination of in-person and virtual conferences this year. Please select one date per semester to attend conferences so that all families have a chance to meet with teachers. Teachers are also available outside of these time frames for individual conferences with families via phone, Microsoft Teams, or in-person; please reach out to your student’s teacher if you need to schedule a conference at a different time.

Semester 1 Conference Dates (Please select one date per semester to attend conferences so that all families have a chance to meet with teachers.)

September 18th, 4:15pm – 7:30pm: In-person conferences. All teachers will be in the gyms for these conferences. Come by anytime to meet with teachers individually. We will also be distributing individual student assessment results this evening. Stop by to pick up your student's CMAS scores and learn more about our school's academic data.

November 6th, 4:15pm – 7:30pm

November 7th, 8:00am – 11:30am: In-person conferences. All teachers will be in the gyms for these conferences. Come by anytime to meet with teachers individually.

November 7th, 1:00pm – 4:00pm: Virtual conferences. Families will sign up for time slots to meet virtually via Microsoft Teams with teachers (link to sign up coming soon!).

Social Media & Internet Safety Awareness

Recently, I (Brad) read the book The Anxious Generation as well as the book Accountable. I was moved by these texts, as they were very relevant for me as both an educator and a parent. I highly encourage these reads, and if you are ever interested in discussing the content of these books, just let me know!

Also, last year we engaged in a conversation with a representative from the District Attorney’s Office related to the topic of Internet Safety. Some of the tips I learned include:

Be smart with privacy filters, posting personal information, and downloads,
Including identifying information in a video/picture that will be posted can be dangerous,
The sharing of any inappropriate photos/videos by a minor can result in very serious and permanent legal implications. (please re-iterate this with your children)

There are definitely more things to know, and one of the best things we can do as parents is to know everything that our children are doing online and with their phones.

Signs of Suicide Presentations

Over the next few weeks, the Horizon Community Middle School Mental Health and Counseling Team, in conjunction with all Cherry Creek middle schools, will present an evidence-based suicide prevention curriculum called Signs of Suicide (S.O.S.) to students. This curriculum is designed specifically for middle school students, and it proactively addresses how to recognize the difference between typical adolescent challenges and the warning signs of depression and suicide.

The S.O.S. lessons will be conducted by Horizon Community’s Mental Health and Counseling Professionals during your student’s Science class period on the dates listed below:

6th Grade

Thursday, September 18 – Ms. Esquivel’s Classes
Monday, September 22 – Mr. Jennings’ Classes

7th Grade

Wednesday, September 10 – Ms. Senbeta’s Classes
Thursday, September 11 – Ms. Murphy’s Classes
Monday, September 15 – Ms. Dill’s Classes

8th Grade

Monday, September 8 – Ms. Naranjo’s Classes
Tuesday, September 9 – Mrs. Bonaire’s Classes

These lessons will teach students positive coping strategies, how to recognize warning signs, how to respond when others may be struggling, and how to report safety concerns. Our Mental Health and Counseling Team will also be available to support students who wish to discuss the topic further.

If you have any concerns or questions about your child’s participation, please contact your child’s school counselor:

6^th Grade: Alecia Suazo – asuazo@cherrycreekschools.org | 720-886-6207
7^th Grade: Kristi Nistel – knistel@cherrycreekschools.org | 720-886-6112
8^th Grade: Kristina Danielson – kdanielson2@cherrycreekschools.org | 720-886-6119
All Grades: Shayn Walker – swalker@cherrycreekschools.org | 720-886-6124

Spirit Wear

Check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

Colorado Rockies Fundraiser

HCMS and other CCSD schools are able to attend Rockies games the first weekend in September at a discounted rate. Click here to learn more. Proceeds will come back to our school if enough tickets are purchased.

August 29, 2025

August 29, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

As we conclude the third week of school, please remember to check PowerSchool and Schoology to stay on top of your student’s progress in classes. As you receive continued communication from teachers, please contact them at any time with questions.

Track season is now well underway, and Drama Club started this week. As our after-school activities continue to begin, students will learn about them in morning announcements and in Advisory. Stay tuned for an additional schedule once all days/dates are solidified. We will also begin After School Academic Support within the next few weeks.

Looking back, we ended last week with our first whole-school assembly. It was one of our best yet, and our student leaders did an exceptional job. Moving forward, we will have whole-school assemblies on the Fridays after breaks.

That’s it for today. Have a great, three-day weekend!

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

Colorado Rockies Fundraiser

HCMS and other CCSD schools are able to attend Rockies games the first weekend in September at a discounted rate. Click here to learn more. Proceeds will come back to our school if enough tickets are purchased.

CCSD Veterans & Military Appreciation

Join Cherry Creek Schools on Saturday, September 20^th for an unforgettable afternoon honoring Veterans and Military members at our annual Veterans & Military Appreciation & Community Celebration!

· Free and open to all!

· Activities, live music, military displays, and more!

· Festivities start at 2 p.m. at Legacy Stadium

· Come together, stand united, and show your appreciation.

· www.cherrycreekschools.org/militaryappreciation

Spirit Wear

If you were not able to buy HCMS gear at Back to School Night, check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Peek at the PACK (formerly known as Instructional Observation Day)

On Tuesday, September 23^rd, we will host Peek at the PACK. This is an opportunity for family members to observe instruction inside the walls of HCMS and provide us with feedback. We welcome all families to join for this day. The approximate time is from 8:00am – 12:00pm. Please save the date if you are able to attend.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

TalkingPoints

We are excited to continue to use TalkingPoints as one of the ways we communicate with families. More information can be found here. Families are able to receive and send text messages to their student’s teachers using TalkingPoints. The messages can be translated into a preferred language. Families can download the optional TalkingPoints App.

Grief and Loss Support for Students

Horizon Community Middle School has partnered with Judi’s House to provide a 10-week series of small group meetings for students who have experienced a significant loss. The Judi’s House staff are experts in childhood grief and bereavement, and you can learn more about their services on their website, judishouse.org.

If your student has lost an important person in their life and you feel that they may benefit from support, please accept this invitation for your student to participate in a group facilitated by Judi’s House staff. This group will meet at school once per week for 1 hour. The small group meetings will focus on normalizing grief responses, developing coping skills, connecting with adult and peer support and creating a safe space to process and share grief. Our Mental Health & Counseling Teams collaborate closely with teachers to highlight the value of this group and to help ensure student attendance on a weekly basis. Students who participate have reported positive experiences and feelings of support by the facilitators from Judi’s House as well as the other student participants.

If you are interested in having your student participate in the next session, please complete the 2 links below in the language of your choosing. If you have any questions, please contact HCMS Social Worker Shelby Thomas (sthomas48@cherrycreekschools.org, 720-886-6271) at your earliest convenience.

English:

Application

Disclosure Statement/Consent

Spanish:
Application
Disclosure Statement/Consent

August 22, 2025

August 22, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

This week we completed Star testing in Math and Language Arts classes. Please ask your student how it went, and stay tuned for an upcoming communication from the CCSD. Families will soon be able to view Star results in PowerSchool via a new feature. This will be a great tool to improve communication and conversations related to these important assessments.

Also, if you haven’t yet, I encourage you to memorize your student’s course schedule. As a parent, I have found that asking my daughter to give me an update on each class (on the ride home, at the dinner table, etc.) has increased my awareness of what she is doing in her classes. By knowing her schedule, I am able to push past initial one-word responses and ask better questions about her learning. Give it a try!

Please see below for some fundraising and community updates.

Have a great weekend!

Dr. Brad Weinhold

Principal

Horizon Community Middle School

720-886-6101 (office)

720-767-2352 (cell)

Colorado Rockies Fundraiser

HCMS and other CCSD schools are able to attend Rockies games the first weekend in September at a discounted rate. Click here to learn more. Proceeds will come back to our school if enough tickets are purchased.

CCSD Veterans & Military Appreciation

Join Cherry Creek Schools on Saturday, September 20^th for an unforgettable afternoon honoring Veterans and Military members at our annual Veterans & Military Appreciation & Community Celebration!

· Free and open to all!

· Activities, live music, military displays, and more!

· Festivities start at 2 p.m. at Legacy Stadium

· Come together, stand united, and show your appreciation.

· www.cherrycreekschools.org/militaryappreciation

Spirit Wear

If you were not able to buy HCMS gear at Back to School Night, check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Peek at the PACK (formerly known as Instructional Observation Day)

On Tuesday, September 23^rd, we will host Peek at the PACK. This is an opportunity for family members to observe instruction inside the walls of HCMS and provide us with feedback. We welcome all families to join for this day. The approximate time is from 8:00am – 12:00pm. Please save the date if you are able to attend.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

TalkingPoints

We are excited to continue to use TalkingPoints as one of the ways we communicate with families. More information can be found here. Families are able to receive and send text messages to their student’s teachers using TalkingPoints. The messages can be translated into a preferred language. Families can download the optional TalkingPoints App.

Grief and Loss Support for Students

Horizon Community Middle School has partnered with Judi’s House to provide a 10-week series of small group meetings for students who have experienced a significant loss. The Judi’s House staff are experts in childhood grief and bereavement, and you can learn more about their services on their website, judishouse.org.

If your student has lost an important person in their life and you feel that they may benefit from support, please accept this invitation for your student to participate in a group facilitated by Judi’s House staff. This group will meet at school once per week for 1 hour. The small group meetings will focus on normalizing grief responses, developing coping skills, connecting with adult and peer support and creating a safe space to process and share grief. Our Mental Health & Counseling Teams collaborate closely with teachers to highlight the value of this group and to help ensure student attendance on a weekly basis. Students who participate have reported positive experiences and feelings of support by the facilitators from Judi’s House as well as the other student participants.

If you are interested in having your student participate in the next session, please complete the 2 links below in the language of your choosing. If you have any questions, please contact HCMS Social Worker Shelby Thomas (sthomas48@cherrycreekschools.org, 720-886-6271) at your earliest convenience.

English:

Application

Disclosure Statement/Consent

Spanish:
Application
Disclosure Statement/Consent

August 15, 2025

August 15th, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

We are now back in full swing, and the building feels great! Our new bleachers are installed, and we are loving the new paint job. Thank you again to our community for supporting these much-needed enhancements. Some updates…

Enrollment

As of today we have 779 students, which is higher than we anticipated! We love the growth, and we will work hard to continue to ensure that we meet the needs of all. Thank you for entrusting us.

Track

Our first sport, Track, has started! We are so excited for the upcoming season. Any interested athlete can simply head to the track after school next week. Questions? Contact Mr. Jason Harper, our Athletics Director, at jharper7@cherrycreekschools.org.

Family Communication

We have asked all teachers to send a welcome email to all families, which will contain important information about their classes. We have also asked all teachers to communicate to families every two weeks (or more frequently). Our goal is to increase communication about what students are learning in each class. Many teachers will also share questions you can ask your student about their classes. These prompts can be so helpful when you want to get deeper than the one-word responses our children often provide. We acknowledge that this increased communication may mean more emails and texts in your inboxes, but we believe this will only deepen relationships and collaborative partnerships while we all work together to support student learning.

Spirit Wear

If you were not able to buy HCMS gear at Back to School Night, check out this link for our Spirit Wear. After you make a selection and payment online, our Bookkeeper, Mrs. Deborah Funk, will contact your student. Any questions, feel free to email her at dfunk2@cherrycreekschools.org.

That’s it for today – have a great weekend!

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

Peek at the PACK (formerly known as Instructional Observation Day)

On Tuesday, September 23^rd, we will host Peek at the PACK. This is an opportunity for family members to observe instruction inside the walls of HCMS and provide us with feedback. We welcome all families to join for this day. The approximate time is from 8:00am – 12:00pm. Please save the date if you are able to attend.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

TalkingPoints

We are excited to continue to use TalkingPoints as one of the ways we communicate with families. More information can be found here. Families are able to receive and send text messages to their student’s teachers using TalkingPoints. The messages can be translated into a preferred language. Families can download the optional TalkingPoints App.

Grief and Loss Support for Students

Horizon Community Middle School has partnered with Judi’s House to provide a 10-week series of small group meetings for students who have experienced a significant loss. The Judi’s House staff are experts in childhood grief and bereavement, and you can learn more about their services on their website, judishouse.org.

If your student has lost an important person in their life and you feel that they may benefit from support, please accept this invitation for your student to participate in a group facilitated by Judi’s House staff. This group will meet at school once per week for 1 hour. The small group meetings will focus on normalizing grief responses, developing coping skills, connecting with adult and peer support and creating a safe space to process and share grief. Our Mental Health & Counseling Teams collaborate closely with teachers to highlight the value of this group and to help ensure student attendance on a weekly basis. Students who participate have reported positive experiences and feelings of support by the facilitators from Judi’s House as well as the other student participants.

If you are interested in having your student participate in the next session, please complete the 2 links below in the language of your choosing. If you have any questions, please contact HCMS Social Worker Shelby Thomas (sthomas48@cherrycreekschools.org, 720-886-6271) at your earliest convenience.

English:

Application

Disclosure Statement/Consent

Spanish:
Application
Disclosure Statement/Consent

August 8, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

Thank you for attending Back to School Night last night! It was wonderful to engage with our community as we prepare for school next week.

At B2SN students picked up their course schedules, which can now also be viewed in PowerSchool. If students have a cell phone, they are encouraged to take a photo of their schedule (or a screenshot from PowerSchool). We will also be handing out schedules if students need them on Monday/Tuesday next week, though PowerSchool is now live and the recommended place to visit for course schedule information.

Also, during the first two weeks of school counselors will be making adjustments to student schedules as needed to ensure an optimal learning experience. Urgent schedule changes include:

Duplicate classes
Missing required classes
Schedules not aligned with specific student plans (IEP, 504, etc.)

We will not be able to make schedule changes for other reasons (i.e. students requesting to be in classes with their friends). For urgent schedule correction requests or questions, students should make an appointment with their grade-level counselor:

Grade 6th Counseling Check-in & Appointments

Grade 7th Counseling Check-in & Appointments

Grade 8th Counseling Check-in & Appointments

As a reminder, on Monday only 7^th and 8^th grade students will attend HCMS. On Tuesday, only 6^th grade students will attend. All students will attend on Wednesday. Students will follow a modified schedule on Monday and Tuesday which will include break-out sessions related to various important aspects of HCMS (Security, Restorative Practices, Technology, Counseling/Mental Health, etc.).

Please see below for many important announcements related to the start of the school year.

Thank you!

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

Grief and Loss Support for Students

Horizon Community Middle School has partnered with Judi’s House to provide a 10-week series of small group meetings for students who have experienced a significant loss. The Judi’s House staff are experts in childhood grief and bereavement, and you can learn more about their services on their website, judishouse.org.

If your student has lost an important person in their life and you feel that they may benefit from support, please accept this invitation for your student to participate in a group facilitated by Judi’s House staff. This group will meet at school once per week for 1 hour. The small group meetings will focus on normalizing grief responses, developing coping skills, connecting with adult and peer support and creating a safe space to process and share grief. Our Mental Health & Counseling Teams collaborate closely with teachers to highlight the value of this group and to help ensure student attendance on a weekly basis. Students who participate have reported positive experiences and feelings of support by the facilitators from Judi’s House as well as the other student participants.

If you are interested in having your student participate in the next session, please complete the 2 links below in the language of your choosing. If you have any questions, please contact HCMS Social Worker Shelby Thomas (sthomas48@cherrycreekschools.org, 720-886-6271) at your earliest convenience.

English:

Application

Disclosure Statement/Consent

Spanish:
Application
Disclosure Statement/Consent

Check-in Procedures & Back to School Hub

Each year, all HCMS families are required to complete Parent Forms by visiting my.cherrycreekschools.org and accessing the PowerSchool tile. For students returning to Horizon Community Middle School, or for incoming 6^th grade students who attended a Cherry Creek elementary school, completing Parent Forms is the only registration requirement before school begins. Parent Forms are now available, and we encourage you to complete this step as soon as possible. This step is required in order for students to be able to attend classes in August. All families should also visit the CCSD Back to School Hub, which includes information pertaining to Food & Nutrition, Technology, and Transportation. Please contact our Registrar, Mrs. Terry Altman, at taltman3@cherrycreekschools.org or call 720-886-6240 with questions.

Important Dates

Monday, August 11^th – First day of school for 7^th & 8^th Grade students (6^th at home)
Tuesday, August 12^th – First day of school for 6^th Grade students and 6^th Grade WEB Orientation Day (7^th & 8^th at home)
Wednesday, August 13^th – All students attend HCMS

Students will not need academic school supplies on their first day of school, as this will be more of an orientation and welcome day (for all grade levels). Students will need to be prepared to engage academically beginning on Wednesday, August 13^th. Please see additional information regarding school supplies below.

6^th Grade WEB Orientation Day

Our WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) Orientation Day is designed to assist incoming 6^th graders with their transition to middle school. This will occur on Tuesday, August 12^th during the first day of school. The day begins at 8:50am. This will be a great opportunity for students to engage in fun activities, meet new friends, and learn from 8^th Grade WEB Leaders. Students are encouraged to bring a water bottle and dress comfortably as the day will be active. WEB Orientation Day is for students to independently experience getting to know their new school, as 7^th and 8^th grade students will not be in attendance. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Kyla Dyer at kdyer@cherrycreekschools.org or Mr. Donavon McDowell at dmcdowell2@cherrycreekschools.org.

CCSD Food & Nutrition Updates

For the 2025-2026 School Year the Cherry Creek School District will provide no-cost Breakfast and Lunch for all students, thanks to the Healthy School Meals for All program. Meals will continue to be free during the Fall Semester 2025. Due to the uncertainty of State funding for free Healthy School Meals for All, CCSD is highly encouraging all families to complete the Student Benefit Form. Although all students will receive no-cost meals through December 2025, it's still important for households to provide their income information when requested. Gathering this information allows the Cherry Creek School District to receive state and federal funding to support students. These funds go directly to schools to help cover the cost of meals and support after-school activities and other nutritional programs for students. Plus, qualifying households may be eligible for Summer EBT benefits, receive discounted school fees, class materials, bus passes, utilities support, and more. Providing household income information ensures you and your school receive all available financial support.

Please click here to learn more information.

New Staff Members

We are so excited to welcome our new staff members to HCMS! Please click here to see new educators in our community.

Student Computer Plan for 25-26

Since moving to a 1-1 computer plan in the Cherry Creek School District, we have seen many benefits that support and increase access to high levels of learning. We are so thankful that our school district has made this investment in our students. In addition, we have continued to navigate some challenges, which include computers not coming to school fully charged, inconsistent updates, and unfortunately, an extremely high rate of damages (and thus, fines to families). We have found that this is the case at most middle schools in the CCSD.

In order to maintain access to this important technology, but also address some of our challenges, starting this year we will be storing computers at HCMS each evening for 6^th and 7^th grade students. Computers will be housed in the 8^th period classes of students, and each morning students will pick them up before heading to their 1^st period class. Students will carry their computers throughout the school day. Given that our doors open at 8:40am and school starts at 8:50am, we believe that there will be ample time each morning for this process to occur. Also, 6^th and 7^th grade students will be permitted to sign out their computers for completing assignments and projects at home on an ‘as needed’ basis. If interested, they will work closely with their teachers to be added to a “Computer Sign Out” list.

As we are preparing our 8^th graders for high school, they will not be required to keep their computers at school.

If you have any questions about our computer plan for this year, please contact Ms. Dee Hallman, Instructional Support Administrator, at nhallman2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Technology Tools for Academics

PowerSchool and Schoology are technology tools used on a regular basis at HCMS, and it is very important that families and students access and navigate these continuously. Click here to learn more.

School Supplies

Our teachers have compiled a list of school supplies to support student learning each day. If you have any questions, please contact your student’s teachers. If you need any assistance with any supplies, please contact our Family & Community Liaison, Mrs. Jhohana Avila Romero (javilaromero@cherrycreekschools.org).

Lockers

While the vast majority of HCMS students do not use lockers, students are able to use lockers if they choose. If a student is interested in using a locker, their parent/guardian should complete this Locker Request Form. Upon completion of the form, students will be contacted by our Security Team during the first week of school with their locker assignment.

Grading at HCMS

At HCMS, we believe that grades should represent a demonstration of learning and growth. Grades should not be a reflection of student behaviors. Gradebooks are used as a tool to communicate student progress towards understanding of subject-specific skills. Please check out this HCMS Grading Video to learn more, and please ask your student’s teachers specific questions about grading and their gradebooks. Grades in middle school are assigned on a quarterly basis and are reset at the beginning of the next quarter (after fall, winter, and spring break).

Cell Phone Plan

In response to the numerous distractions to the learning environment that cell phones can cause, we will continue to follow our cell phone plan. Please check out this video to learn more.

Also, to support high levels of student engagement at HCMS, we ask that families do not text or call their students during class time. Students are allowed to communicate with families during their passing periods and while at lunch. Just like in pre-cell phone days, families can call our school during the day, and we will find your student if you need to speak with them urgently.

Athletics & Activities Information

We are excited for all students to participate in our sport offerings of track, basketball, wrestling, and volleyball. Please visit our Athletics Page for registration information and season schedules, and please direct any questions to Mr. Jason Harper, Athletics Director, at jharper7@cherrycreekschools.org. Our first season, track, starts on Thursday, August 14^th!

Interested in checking out our clubs? Visit our Activities Page, and contact our Activities Director, Mrs. Kerri Benzel at kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org with questions.

Family & Community Liaison

If you are need of any assistance as a family member in our community, please contact our Family & Community Liaison, Mrs. Jhohana Avila Romero (javilaromero@cherrycreekschools.org). Ella puede ayudarles en Español.

Husky Community Market

The Husky Community Market is here to assist families by providing non-perishable food, some household items, and school supplies. If you are interested, contact Jhohana Avila Romero at javilaromero@cherrycreekschools.org or 720-886-6139 to schedule a time to pick up some items.

Family Engagement

Please visit our Family Engagement Page to learn about ways to engage at HCMS. We welcome and encourage all families to participate in all aspects of the schooling experience of their children.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

TalkingPoints

We are excited to continue to use TalkingPoints as one of the ways we communicate with families. More information can be found here. Families are able to receive and send text messages to their student’s teachers using TalkingPoints. The messages can be translated into a preferred language. Families can download the optional TalkingPoints App.

Peek at the PACK (formerly know as Instructional Observation Day)

On Tuesday, September 23^rd, we will host Peek at the PACK. This is an opportunity for family members to observe instruction inside the walls of HCMS and provide us with feedback. We welcome all families to join for this day. The approximate time is from 8:00am – 12:00pm. Please save the date if you are able to attend.

CMAS Parent Portal

You are now able to view your child’s Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) state test results using the Colorado Department of Education’s new Family Portal. This secure website will allow you to easily see how your child performed on the state tests given each spring to students in grades 3–8.

Video for New Families

If you are a new family to HCMS, feel free to check out this video. It contains some big picture information about our school, including what is often shared at Husky Highlight Night (an evening in January for incoming 6^th grade families) and Back to School Night.

Building Hours & Activity Bus

Our school building will open at 8:40am each morning. Breakfast will be available at 8:30am (students enter through the cafeteria). School hours are from 8:50am – 3:45pm each day. Our Activity Bus, which departs HCMS at 4:45pm, will begin on Thursday, August 14^th, and will be available Monday – Thursday throughout the school year.

Morning Line-Up Locations

Students should gather at the following entrances as they prepare to enter the building each morning:

6^th Grade: East Entrance (near bus loop & STRIDE Clinic)
7^th & 8^th Grade: Main Entrance

All students who arrive after 8:50am should enter the building through the Main Entrance. Students who arrive after 9:00am should check in with the Main Office before attending their first class.

We believe that high levels of engagement and achievement occur when students are on time to school. Please support our students by ensuring that they are in their first period class and ready to learn by 8:50am each day.

August 1, 2025

August 1, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

We look forward to seeing everyone at Back to School Night next Thursday! Please see below for additional details. As a reminder, students pick up their course schedules at this event. And please stop by the Family Engagement table in the cafeteria to connect with other families and learn how you can get involved this year.

Last year we started an amazing program called Family Ambassadors. This group is comprised of current HCMS parents, and their work includes welcoming new families to our community. Should you have any questions about our school, and you would like to hear from the perspective of a current parent, feel free to contact Mrs. Cara LeMoine. Cara has a 7^th grade student this year, and she is happy to support you in any way needed. Feel free to email her (kirbyandcara@gmail.com) or find her at B2SN.

Finally, we would like to advertise one additional employment opportunity. The position is called Special Education Technician, and this person will provide instructional and behavior support, assistance, and training both outside and within general education classrooms and special education classrooms. Please find the posting here.

Please see below for many important announcements related to the start of the school year.

Thank you!

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

Painting Project Update

The building paint project is coming along! Crews are in the final stages of touchups, furniture moving, and cleaning. The lockers are now a beautiful navy blue, most walls are light gray, and there are accents of navy and teal scattered throughout. It is clear that our school colors have a strong presence in our new look. And, our new gym bleachers are scheduled to be installed in early August. The building will be in great shape when students return!

Check-in Procedures & Back to School Hub

Each year, all HCMS families are required to complete Parent Forms by visiting my.cherrycreekschools.org and accessing the PowerSchool tile. For students returning to Horizon Community Middle School, or for incoming 6^th grade students who attended a Cherry Creek elementary school, completing Parent Forms is the only registration requirement before school begins. Parent Forms are now available, and we encourage you to complete this step as soon as possible. This step is required in order for students to be able to attend classes in August. All families should also visit the CCSD Back to School Hub, which includes information pertaining to Food & Nutrition, Technology, and Transportation. Please contact our Registrar, Mrs. Terry Altman, at taltman3@cherrycreekschools.org or call 720-886-6240 with questions.

Important Dates

Thursday, August 7^th – Back to School Night (5:00pm – 7:00pm)
Monday, August 11^th – First day of school for 7^th & 8^th Grade students (6^th at home)
Tuesday, August 12^th – First day of school for 6^th Grade students and 6^th Grade WEB Orientation Day (7^th & 8^th at home)
Wednesday, August 13^th – All students attend HCMS

Students will not need academic school supplies on their first day of school, as this will be more of an orientation and welcome day (for all grade levels). Students will need to be prepared to engage academically beginning on Wednesday, August 13^th. Please see additional information regarding school supplies below.

Back to School Night

We are excited to welcome you to our annual Back to School Night on Thursday, August 7^th from 5:00pm – 7:00pm! This is a great opportunity for students and their families to:

Get class schedules
Meet teachers and staff
Learn about various clubs and activities
Find resources for family involvement and support

To add to the fun, there will be food trucks on-site with delicious options available for purchase. Food Trucks will be Walking Tacos, Fanwich, and Kona Ice.

6^th Grade WEB Orientation Day

Our WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) Orientation Day is designed to assist incoming 6^th graders with their transition to middle school. This will occur on Tuesday, August 12^th during the first day of school. The day begins at 8:50am. This will be a great opportunity for students to engage in fun activities, meet new friends, and learn from 8^th Grade WEB Leaders. Students are encouraged to bring a water bottle and dress comfortably as the day will be active. WEB Orientation Day is for students to independently experience getting to know their new school, as 7^th and 8^th grade students will not be in attendance. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Kyla Dyer at kdyer@cherrycreekschools.org or Mr. Donavon McDowell at dmcdowell2@cherrycreekschools.org.

CCSD Food & Nutrition Updates

For the 2025-2026 School Year the Cherry Creek School District will provide no-cost Breakfast and Lunch for all students, thanks to the Healthy School Meals for All program. Meals will continue to be free during the Fall Semester 2025. Due to the uncertainty of State funding for free Healthy School Meals for All, CCSD is highly encouraging all families to complete the Student Benefit Form. Although all students will receive no-cost meals through December 2025, it's still important for households to provide their income information when requested. Gathering this information allows the Cherry Creek School District to receive state and federal funding to support students. These funds go directly to schools to help cover the cost of meals and support after-school activities and other nutritional programs for students. Plus, qualifying households may be eligible for Summer EBT benefits, receive discounted school fees, class materials, bus passes, utilities support, and more. Providing household income information ensures you and your school receive all available financial support.

Please click here to learn more information.

New Staff Members

We are so excited to welcome our new staff members to HCMS! Please click here to see new educators in our community.

Student Computer Plan for 25-26

Since moving to a 1-1 computer plan in the Cherry Creek School District, we have seen many benefits that support and increase access to high levels of learning. We are so thankful that our school district has made this investment in our students. In addition, we have continued to navigate some challenges, which include computers not coming to school fully charged, inconsistent updates, and unfortunately, an extremely high rate of damages (and thus, fines to families). We have found that this is the case at most middle schools in the CCSD.

In order to maintain access to this important technology, but also address some of our challenges, starting this year we will be storing computers at HCMS each evening for 6^th and 7^th grade students. Computers will be housed in the 8^th period classes of students, and each morning students will pick them up before heading to their 1^st period class. Students will carry their computers throughout the school day. Given that our doors open at 8:40am and school starts at 8:50am, we believe that there will be ample time each morning for this process to occur. Also, 6^th and 7^th grade students will be permitted to sign out their computers for completing assignments and projects at home on an ‘as needed’ basis. If interested, they will work closely with their teachers to be added to a “Computer Sign Out” list.

As we are preparing our 8^th graders for high school, they will not be required to keep their computers at school.

If you have any questions about our computer plan for this year, please contact Ms. Dee Hallman, Instructional Support Administrator, at nhallman2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Technology Tools for Academics

PowerSchool and Schoology are technology tools used on a regular basis at HCMS, and it is very important that families and students access and navigate these continuously. Click here to learn more.

School Supplies

Our teachers have compiled a list of school supplies to support student learning each day. If you have any questions, please contact your student’s teachers. If you need any assistance with any supplies, please contact our Family & Community Liaison, Mrs. Jhohana Avila Romero (javilaromero@cherrycreekschools.org).

Lockers

While the vast majority of HCMS students do not use lockers, students are able to use lockers if they choose. If a student is interested in using a locker, their parent/guardian should complete this Locker Request Form. Upon completion of the form, students will be contacted by our Security Team during the first week of school with their locker assignment.

Grading at HCMS

At HCMS, we believe that grades should represent a demonstration of learning and growth. Grades should not be a reflection of student behaviors. Gradebooks are used as a tool to communicate student progress towards understanding of subject-specific skills. Please check out this HCMS Grading Video to learn more, and please ask your student’s teachers specific questions about grading and their gradebooks. Grades in middle school are assigned on a quarterly basis and are reset at the beginning of the next quarter (after fall, winter, and spring break).

Cell Phone Plan

In response to the numerous distractions to the learning environment that cell phones can cause, we will continue to follow our cell phone plan. Please check out this video to learn more.

Also, to support high levels of student engagement at HCMS, we ask that families do not text or call their students during class time. Students are allowed to communicate with families during their passing periods and while at lunch. Just like in pre-cell phone days, families can call our school during the day, and we will find your student if you need to speak with them urgently.

Athletics & Activities Information

We are excited for all students to participate in our sport offerings of track, basketball, wrestling, and volleyball. Please visit our Athletics Page for registration information and season schedules, and please direct any questions to Mr. Jason Harper, Athletics Director, at jharper7@cherrycreekschools.org. Our first season, track, starts on Thursday, August 14^th!

Interested in checking out our clubs? Visit our Activities Page, and contact our Activities Director, Mrs. Kerri Benzel at kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org with questions.

Family & Community Liaison

If you are need of any assistance as a family member in our community, please contact our Family & Community Liaison, Mrs. Jhohana Avila Romero (javilaromero@cherrycreekschools.org). Ella puede ayudarles en Español.

Husky Community Market

The Husky Community Market is here to assist families by providing non-perishable food, some household items, and school supplies. If you are interested, contact Jhohana Avila Romero at javilaromero@cherrycreekschools.org or 720-886-6139 to schedule a time to pick up some items.

Family Engagement

Please visit our Family Engagement Page to learn about ways to engage at HCMS. We welcome and encourage all families to participate in all aspects of the schooling experience of their children.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

TalkingPoints

We are excited to continue to use TalkingPoints as one of the ways we communicate with families. More information can be found here. Families are able to receive and send text messages to their student’s teachers using TalkingPoints. The messages can be translated into a preferred language. Families can download the optional TalkingPoints App.

Peek at the PACK (formerly know as Instructional Observation Day)

On Tuesday, September 23^rd, we will host Peek at the PACK. This is an opportunity for family members to observe instruction inside the walls of HCMS and provide us with feedback. We welcome all families to join for this day. The approximate time is from 8:00am – 12:00pm. Please save the date if you are able to attend.

CMAS Parent Portal

You are now able to view your child’s Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) state test results using the Colorado Department of Education’s new Family Portal. This secure website will allow you to easily see how your child performed on the state tests given each spring to students in grades 3–8.

Video for New Families

If you are a new family to HCMS, feel free to check out this video. It contains some big picture information about our school, including what is often shared at Husky Highlight Night (an evening in January for incoming 6^th grade families) and Back to School Night.

Building Hours & Activity Bus

Our school building will open at 8:40am each morning. Breakfast will be available at 8:30am (students enter through the cafeteria). School hours are from 8:50am – 3:45pm each day. Our Activity Bus, which departs HCMS at 4:45pm, will begin on Thursday, August 14^th, and will be available Monday – Thursday throughout the school year.

Morning Line-Up Locations

Students should gather at the following entrances as they prepare to enter the building each morning:

6^th Grade: East Entrance (near bus loop & STRIDE Clinic)
7^th & 8^th Grade: Main Entrance

All students who arrive after 8:50am should enter the building through the Main Entrance. Students who arrive after 9:00am should check in with the Main Office before attending their first class.

We believe that high levels of engagement and achievement occur when students are on time to school. Please support our students by ensuring that they are in their first period class and ready to learn by 8:50 am each day.

July 25, 2025

July 25, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

I am so excited to send this community message, officially welcoming everyone to the 2025-2026 school year! We cannot wait for students to return in a few short weeks. Learning: Every Day for Every One! is our vision. We are an authentic, empowered community that believes in opportunity for all. This is our mission statement. And we live by our PACK Commitments of Perseverance, Achievement, Connectedness and Kindness.

Below are several important pieces of information related to the beginning of the school year. We will continue to communicate updates, and I encourage you to visit the HCMS Website where we will post new information as it becomes available.

Also, we are excited to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the Cherry Creek School District this year! HCMS is so fortunate to be part of the larger community of the CCSD.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. We look forward to your partnership as family members of THE Horizon Community!

Sincerely,

Dr. Brad Weinhold
Principal
Horizon Community Middle School
720.886.6101 (office)
720.767.2352 (cell)

Painting Project Update

The building paint project is coming along! Crews are in the final stages of touchups, furniture moving, and cleaning. The lockers are now a beautiful navy blue, most walls are light gray, and there are accents of navy and teal scattered throughout. It is clear that our school colors have a strong presence in our new look. And, our new gym bleachers are scheduled to be installed in early August. The building will be in great shape when students return!

Hiring: HCMS Attendance & Administrative Support

We are in search of a staff member to serve multiple roles. This person will assist with attendance calls in the Main Office and will also support members of our administrative team. The position is called School Support Para Educator and the posting can be found here. Please share this information with anyone you know who may be interested. Please contact Ashlea Skiles, Instructional Support Administrator with any questions (askiles@cherrycreekschools.org).

Hiring: Severe Needs Para-Professional

We are also looking for para-professionals to support our Special Education Department. Under the guidance of licensed special education staff, para-professionals assist students with severe special education needs by helping individuals or small groups of students with curriculum, implementing programming, generalizing learned skills, and implementing behavior strategies. Please visit the posting here.

Check-in Procedures & Back to School Hub

Each year, all HCMS families are required to complete Parent Forms by visiting my.cherrycreekschools.org and accessing the PowerSchool tile. For students returning to Horizon Community Middle School, or for incoming 6^th grade students who attended a Cherry Creek elementary school, completing Parent Forms is the only registration requirement before school begins. Parent Forms are now available, and we encourage you to complete this step as soon as possible. This step is required in order for students to be able to attend classes in August. All families should also visit the CCSD Back to School Hub, which includes information pertaining to Food & Nutrition, Technology, and Transportation. Please contact our Registrar, Mrs. Terry Altman, at taltman3@cherrycreekschools.org or call 720-886-6240 with questions.

Important Dates

Thursday, August 7^th – Back to School Night (5:00pm – 7:00pm)
Monday, August 11^th – First day of school for 7^th & 8^th Grade students (6^th at home)
Tuesday, August 12^th – First day of school for 6^th Grade students and 6^th Grade WEB Orientation Day (7^th & 8^th at home)
Wednesday, August 13^th – All students attend HCMS

Students will not need academic school supplies on their first day of school, as this will be more of an orientation and welcome day (for all grade levels). Students will need to be prepared to engage academically beginning on Wednesday, August 13^th. Please see additional information regarding school supplies below.

Back to School Night

We are excited to welcome you to our annual Back to School Night on Thursday, August 7^th from 5:00pm – 7:00pm! This is a great opportunity for students and their families to:

Get class schedules
Meet teachers and staff
Learn about various clubs and activities
Find resources for family involvement and support

To add to the fun, there will be food trucks on-site with delicious options available for purchase. Food Trucks will be Walking Tacos, Fanwich, and Kona Ice.

6^th Grade WEB Orientation Day

Our WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) Orientation Day is designed to assist incoming 6^th graders with their transition to middle school. This will occur on Tuesday, August 12^th during the first day of school. The day begins at 8:50am. This will be a great opportunity for students to engage in fun activities, meet new friends, and learn from 8^th Grade WEB Leaders. Students are encouraged to bring a water bottle and dress comfortably as the day will be active. WEB Orientation Day is for students to independently experience getting to know their new school, as 7^th and 8^th grade students will not be in attendance. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Kyla Dyer at kdyer@cherrycreekschools.org or Mr. Donavon McDowell at dmcdowell2@cherrycreekschools.org.

CCSD Food & Nutrition Updates

For the 2025-2026 School Year the Cherry Creek School District will provide no-cost Breakfast and Lunch for all students, thanks to the Healthy School Meals for All program. Meals will continue to be free during the Fall Semester 2025. Due to the uncertainty of State funding for free Healthy School Meals for All, CCSD is highly encouraging all families to complete the Student Benefit Form. Although all students will receive no-cost meals through December 2025, it's still important for households to provide their income information when requested. Gathering this information allows the Cherry Creek School District to receive state and federal funding to support students. These funds go directly to schools to help cover the cost of meals and support after-school activities and other nutritional programs for students. Plus, qualifying households may be eligible for Summer EBT benefits, receive discounted school fees, class materials, bus passes, utilities support, and more. Providing household income information ensures you and your school receive all available financial support.

Please click here to learn more information.

New Staff Members

We are so excited to welcome our new staff members to HCMS! Please click here to see new educators in our community.

Student Computer Plan for 25-26

Since moving to a 1-1 computer plan in the Cherry Creek School District, we have seen many benefits that support and increase access to high levels of learning. We are so thankful that our school district has made this investment in our students. In addition, we have continued to navigate some challenges, which include computers not coming to school fully charged, inconsistent updates, and unfortunately, an extremely high rate of damages (and thus, fines to families). We have found that this is the case at most middle schools in the CCSD.

In order to maintain access to this important technology, but also address some of our challenges, starting this year we will be storing computers at HCMS each evening for 6^th and 7^th grade students. Computers will be housed in the 8^th period classes of students, and each morning students will pick them up before heading to their 1^st period class. Students will carry their computers throughout the school day. Given that our doors open at 8:40am and school starts at 8:50am, we believe that there will be ample time each morning for this process to occur. Also, 6^th and 7^th grade students will be permitted to sign out their computers for completing assignments and projects at home on an ‘as needed’ basis. If interested, they will work closely with their teachers to be added to a “Computer Sign Out” list.

As we are preparing our 8^th graders for high school, they will not be required to keep their computers at school.

If you have any questions about our computer plan for this year, please contact Ms. Dee Hallman, Instructional Support Administrator, at nhallman2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Technology Tools for Academics

PowerSchool and Schoology are technology tools used on a regular basis at HCMS, and it is very important that families and students access and navigate these continuously. Click here to learn more.

School Supplies

Our teachers have compiled a list of school supplies to support student learning each day. If you have any questions, please contact your student’s teachers. If you need any assistance with any supplies, please contact our Family & Community Liaison, Mrs. Jhohana Avila Romero (javilaromero@cherrycreekschools.org).

Lockers

While the vast majority of HCMS students do not use lockers, students are able to use lockers if they choose. If a student is interested in using a locker, their parent/guardian should complete this Locker Request Form. Upon completion of the form, students will be contacted by our Security Team during the first week of school with their locker assignment.

Grading at HCMS

At HCMS, we believe that grades should represent a demonstration of learning and growth. Grades should not be a reflection of student behaviors. Gradebooks are used as a tool to communicate student progress towards understanding of subject-specific skills. Please check out this HCMS Grading Video to learn more, and please ask your student’s teachers specific questions about grading and their gradebooks. Grades in middle school are assigned on a quarterly basis and are reset at the beginning of the next quarter (after fall, winter, and spring break).

Cell Phone Plan

In response to the numerous distractions to the learning environment that cell phones can cause, we will continue to follow our cell phone plan. Please check out this video to learn more.

Also, to support high levels of student engagement at HCMS, we ask that families do not text or call their students during class time. Students are allowed to communicate with families during their passing periods and while at lunch. Just like in pre-cell phone days, families can call our school during the day, and we will find your student if you need to speak with them urgently.

Athletics & Activities Information

We are excited for all students to participate in our sport offerings of track, basketball, wrestling, and volleyball. Please visit our Athletics Page for registration information and season schedules, and please direct any questions to Mr. Jason Harper, Athletics Director, at jharper7@cherrycreekschools.org. Our first season, track, starts on Thursday, August 14^th!

Interested in checking out our clubs? Visit our Activities Page, and contact our Activities Director, Mrs. Kerri Benzel at kbenzel@cherrycreekschools.org with questions.

Family & Community Liaison

If you are need of any assistance as a family member in our community, please contact our Family & Community Liaison, Mrs. Jhohana Avila Romero (javilaromero@cherrycreekschools.org). Ella puede ayudarles en Español.

Husky Community Market

The Husky Community Market is here to assist families by providing non-perishable food, some household items, and school supplies. If you are interested, contact Jhohana Avila Romero at javilaromero@cherrycreekschools.org or 720-886-6139 to schedule a time to pick up some items.

Family Engagement

Please visit our Family Engagement Page to learn about ways to engage at HCMS. We welcome and encourage all families to participate in all aspects of the schooling experience of their children.

Facebook Page

In addition to sharing information on our website and through email, we also post important school information on our Facebook Page. Join our Facebook Group here.

TalkingPoints

We are excited to continue to use TalkingPoints as one of the ways we communicate with families. More information can be found here. Families are able to receive and send text messages to their student’s teachers using TalkingPoints. The messages can be translated into a preferred language. Families can download the optional TalkingPoints App.

Peek at the PACK (formerly know as Instructional Observation Day)

On Tuesday, September 23^rd, we will host Peek at the PACK. This is an opportunity for family members to observe instruction inside the walls of HCMS and provide us with feedback. We welcome all families to join for this day. The approximate time is from 8:00am – 12:00pm. Please save the date if you are able to attend.

CMAS Parent Portal

You are now able to view your child’s Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) state test results using the Colorado Department of Education’s new Family Portal. This secure website will allow you to easily see how your child performed on the state tests given each spring to students in grades 3–8.

Video for New Families

If you are a new family to HCMS, feel free to check out this video. It contains some big picture information about our school, including what is often shared at Husky Highlight Night (an evening in January for incoming 6^th grade families) and Back to School Night.

Building Hours & Activity Bus

Our school building will open at 8:40am each morning. Breakfast will be available at 8:30am (students enter through the cafeteria). School hours are from 8:50am – 3:45pm each day. Our Activity Bus, which departs HCMS at 4:45pm, will begin on Thursday, August 14^th, and will be available Monday – Thursday throughout the school year.

Morning Line-Up Locations

Students should gather at the following entrances as they prepare to enter the building each morning:

6^th Grade: East Entrance (near bus loop & STRIDE Clinic)
7^th & 8^th Grade: Main Entrance

All students who arrive after 8:50am should enter the building through the Main Entrance. Students who arrive after 9:00am should check in with the Main Office before attending their first class.

We believe that high levels of engagement and achievement occur when students are on time to school. Please support our students by ensuring that they are in their first period class and ready to learn by 8:50am each day.

Resources In Your Language

English:
Please contact Jhohana Avila Romero at javilaromero@cherrycreekschools.org for support with this resource in your language.

Amharic:
እነዝህን መረጃዎችን በተመለከተ በቋንቋዎ ዕገዛን ለማግኘት ከፈለጉ እባክዎን ተሊሌን በዝህ እሜይል ያግኙዋት
thirpa@cherrycreekschools.org

Arabic:

يرجى االتصال بـ )جميعة صباحي أو جاودة العلمي( على ) org.cherrycreekschools@jsebbahi أو
org.cherrycreekschools@jdajanialami للحصول على الدعم مع هذا المورد باللغة العربية.

Chinese:
如有需要,请经由 ctaylor9@cherrycreekschools.org 与凯瑟琳•泰勒联系,以您的语言获得此资源的支持。

Dari:

برای کمک در مورد اين منابع به زبان خودتان با قزافی مهرزاد
لطفا با اييمل org.cherrycreekschools@qmehrzad تماس بگيريد . ً

Hindi:
अपनी भाषा में इस संसाधन के समर्नथ के लिए कृपया जेम्स रसाइथिी को jrasaily@cherrycreekschools.org पर संपकथ करें।

Korean:
귀하의 언어로 이 자원에 대한 지원을 원하시면 (리아 리) 에게 (llee6@cherrycreekschools.org) 로 문의하십시오.

Nepali:
कृपया जेम्स रसाइथिीिाइथ jrasaily@cherrycreekschools.org मा तपाइथको भाषामा यो संसाधनको सहयोगको िागी सम्पकथ
गननहथ ोिा।

Russian:
Пожалуйста, обращайтесь к Ларисе Бака по адресу: lbaca3@cherrycreekschools.org для получения поддержки с помощью
этого ресурса на своём языке.

Somali:
Fadlan la xiriir Omar Nur cinwaanka emaylka onur2@cherrycreekschools.org si aad u hesho macluumaad ku qoran luqadaada.

Spanish:
Si necesita ayuda con este recurso en su idioma, póngase en contacto con Ilse Chavez Maldonado en
ichavezmaldonado@cherrycreekschools.org, Rosa Han en rhan4@cherrycreekschools.org, Carmen Vargas-Ball en
cvargasball@cherrycreekschools.org o Monica Pantoja en mpantoja@cherrycreekschools.org.

Ukrainian:
Будь ласка, зв'яжіться з Зоряною Герман по електронній пошті zherman@cherrycreekschools.org, щоб отримати
підтримку з цього ресурсу на українській мові.

Vietnamese:
Vui lòng liên hệ với Thuý Ngọc tại Lchung2@cherrycreekschools.org để được hỗ trợ về tài nguyên này bằng tiếng Việt.