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Principal's Weekly Message

November 14, 2025

Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

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

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

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

·       8th 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 21st, 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 21st, 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 5th, 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.

 

English:
Please contact Jhohana Avila Romero at javilaromero@cherrycreekschools.org for support with this resource 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.

Previous Weekly Messages