I want to welcome each of you to Hollenbeck and thank you for choosing to be a part of our learning community. I am excited to begin the year with you as the new building principal. Our teachers, counselors, administrators, and staff can’t wait to meet and work alongside you during the upcoming school year and for years to come. At Hollenbeck we are committed to seeing each student as an individual and providing to each of them what they need to be successful. Our commitment to student success does not begin and end with the school day. As a member of this community we are dedicated to ensuring that Hollenbeck Middle School is a pillar of pride for you as well as a safe space for academic, social, and emotional growth for our students.
We look forward to partnering with you to make Hollenbeck Middle School not only a destination for our academic achievement but to make the Hollenbeck community a place where all students and their families feel supported, heard, seen, and respected.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jason Brown
Principal
Hollenbeck Middle School
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.
The student handbook summarizes District policy and contains general guidelines and information. Translated copies of this Handbook are available. Contact the school office.
