Welcome Back Colt Families

Greetings Colt Parents-

The big day is nearly upon us… Tomorrow is the first day of school!!! For some of you, it will be a return to something familiar while for others it will be a brand-new experience. For me, it will be a return to the school where I spent my middle school years long ago (and yes, I am also a BUHS grad). I am super excited to be the leader of this school and want to assure all of you that I am first and foremost committed to providing a learning environment that is physically and emotionally safe for everyone. I want our students to be happy and feel connected when they set foot on our campus. It is simply our number one priority. Learning starts with feeling safe!

Having spent the last 13 years at BUHS, I know firsthand what students need to make a successful transition to the next phase of their education… high school. It can be scary. So I speak for the entire HSMS staff when I say we are dedicated to not just the academic growth and success of each student but also to preparing them to be caring, kind, and responsible citizens of our community. My experience prior to BUHS was as both a teacher and an administrator at a middle school in San Diego so I have the additional perspective of having worked with this very same age group for the previous twelve years. It too can be a scary and challenging time for our students. Just know that in addition to a caring and committed group of teachers who will be looking out for each of their students, we have a counselor and Native American Liaison who are on site each to support our kids when the needs arise. And they have additional resources outside of HSMS to help address needs when our services cannot.

Lastly, communication is vital to supporting our students. As parents, we ask you to be our partners in this process. If you have any questions or concerns about your student’s education, please feel free to reach out to our office. We will get your questions answered or your concerns addressed. Similarly, please reach out to your student’s teachers anytime there is a concern about academic progress or other class-related issues. And please get signed up for Google Classrooms and Aeries to follow class assignments and grades in real-time. Working together we can assure our students are ready for the next step in their education.

Best to all of you and I look forward to an amazing year at HSMS!

Go Colts!

David Kalk

Principal