Welcome to the home of the hawks and your child’s home away from home over the next three years! As a school family, we are committed to meeting the needs of all students through the support of a strong and positive home/school connection. We value the uniqueness and individuality of each student who walks through the doors of their new school and desire to meet them where they are as learners and community members. As part of our commitment in creating a space where all students have a sense of belonging, we strategically outline student expectations throughout the building, teach what we expect, spend time weekly discussing the skills needed to be effective communicators, a positive peer and a responsible learner in the classroom.
As we share each morning with our students:
You Belong Here
You Make a Difference
You Matter
And You are Loved
Welcome Home!
With much respect,
Dr. Allison Kouse, Building Principal, and Your Hollenbeck Family
Our professional learning community (PLC) has established areas of focus to guide Hollenbeck to be an exemplary middle school.
All members of the Hollenbeck Learning Community will establish and implement academic and personal goals, which ensure continuous academic improvement.
All members of the Hollenbeck Learning Community will create an atmosphere that promotes character. We will display mutual respect and model responsible behaviors to establish a positive foundation for learning.
All members of the Hollenbeck Learning Community will build a partnership that values open communication to promote student success.
Hollenbeck Middle School, named after the district’s longest-serving superintendent, C. Fred Hollenbeck, welcomed 7th grade students on July 5, 1972. Fifty seven years after the district formed, Hollenbeck would become the district’s first free-standing, soon-to-be, full-service junior high school. Founding principal Wayne P. Gronefeld began with 400 7th graders from Becky David and Central schools. The first phase of the building did not include a kitchen, so sack lunches were offered, prepared, and delivered from the Central School cafeteria. The second phase was completed in time to welcome a new 7th grade class, but also retained the newly promoted 8th graders. The building then housed a kitchen, all regular classrooms, an auditorium, gym, music rooms, and Industrial Arts shops. Fifty years later, Hollenbeck is still thriving on the same grounds as it was built.
As a District focused on continuous improvement, each of our 23 schools develops a site-based school improvement plan every year. The plan outlines the goals and actions the building plans to take throughout the year to improve various areas of performance.
A pyramid of intervention is a tiered approach to prevention and intervention strategies to support students both academically and behaviorally. The pyramid uses a variety of strategies and techniques to help all students stay on the right track. The foundation of the pyramid offers Tier 1 supports for all students. Tier 2 interventions provide additional support for smaller groups of students who need more targeted help. Tier 3 provides the most intensive supports for individual students when Tier 1 and 2 interventions have been unsuccessful. Our schools review and update their pyramid on a regular basis to ensure new strategies are incorporated and all are aligned with best practice.
