General Information

James Wallis - Principal

Dawn Reig - Assistant Principal

COMMUNICATION

All telephone calls to Community Unit School District 300 (Central Office) go through the main switchboard. -The-number is (847) 551-8300. The District 300 Transportation Department number is (847)658-3262.

The telephone number to Hampshire Middle School is (847)683-2522.

MISSION

In collaboration with the entire Hampshire school community, our mission is to provide, through an effective and innovative staff, positive experiences for every student in a safe, diverse and supportive environment. The effect of these experiences will optimize achievement, will promote life long learning, and will allow our students to become productive, literate, and contributing members in a global society.

GOALS

To provide instruction for learning with a focus on reading comprehension, math reasoning, individual academic achievement, and the development of high-level thinking and creativity with practical application.

To integrate technology into the curricula in order to prepare students for their role in a changing world.

To promote personal growth and accountability in the areas of conduct, social skills, and citizenship.

To provide instruction and support for faculty and staff in order that they better meet the needs of students.

To enhance school improvement by fostering effective communication among students, staff, parents, business, and community.

To foster school/community pride by developing and maintaining an attractive school campus.

HISTORY OF D-300

Community Unit School District 300 was formed in 1948. The district includes the towns of Algonquin, Carpentersville, East Dundee, Gilberts, Hampshire, Lake-in-the-Hills, Pingree Grove, Sleepy Hollow, and West Dundee. The total area of the district, lying in Kane, McHenry, Cook, and DeKalb counties, is approximately 118 square miles.

HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Hampshire Middle/High School began as a log cabin built in 1838 and moved to a four room two story building constructed at a cost of $3,500.00 in 1876. It was here that the first high school graduation took place in 1886 with two graduates. This step, as great as it seemed, was just the first in a series of several building projects that took place as the Village of Hampshire grew and school enrollment increased. In 1886 a building was constructed on the corner of Jackson and Warner as the home of Hampshire Grade and High School and in the spring of 1897 seven seniors became the first to graduate from that new school building.

A change in the organization and administration of the schools came in 1948 with the consolidation of the Dundee, Algonquin, and Hampshire schools to form Community Unit School District 300. This was closely followed by the construction of the present home of Hampshire High School. The move and separation from the Hampshire Elementary School came in 1951 and the current building became a middle school/high school. Since that time many additions to the present building have been made. In 1976-77, an addition more than doubled the building capacity to 830 students. In 2002 another addition to the school increased the student capacity to 1,100 students. In 2008 -2009, a new high school was completed and the current building was renovated to become a middle school only.

MIDDLE SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY

Middle school education in Community Unit School District 300 is a set of unique experiences designed to serve a truly transitional function from childhood to adolescence. Students in grades six through eight are at a stage of development, which begins prior to the onset of puberty and extends through early adolescence. The middle school program fosters growth from childhood dependence toward a high degree of self-sufficiency necessary for the high school years.

In reflecting knowledge of student development, the Community Unit School District 300 Middle schools are institutions which:

• Provide smooth transition from elementary school to middle school to high school while allowing for the physical and emotional changes taking place during developmental years.

• Provide for the reinforcement and continuation of basic skills introduced at the elementary school level.

• Provide a variety of opportunities for students with varying academic abilities resulting in successful experiences, which stimulate and nurture intellectual development.

• Provide a variety of instructional approaches and techniques, which put the students in an active rather than a passive role in school.

• Provide the widest possible range of exploratory experiences designed to stimulate, broaden and reflect student interests.

• Provide experiences to foster aesthetic appreciation and to stimulate creative expression.

• Provide instruction related to the growth and development of the human body.

• Provide clear expectations for student academic performance and social interaction.

• Provide opportunities to acquire attitudes, values, skills, knowledge, and behaviors essential for wholesome interpersonal relationships and a positive self-concept.

• Provide a guidance program, which is organized as an integral part of the teaching-learning process. HOME/SCHOOL COOPERATION

Your child will spend a large part of his/her adolescent years in middle school. The middle school deals with the student during the crucial years when he/she is rapidly becoming an adult, when new stresses and strains are operating, when his/her social interests are at their peak, and when he/she is feeling the need to break away from adult control and stand on his/her own two feet. We are dealing with an emerging adult who must achieve independence, and who in the process, must be intelligently and sympathetically helped and guided. This is not always an easy task, and requires full understanding and cooperation among the student, the parent, and the school.

The desired cooperation between our school and your home can perhaps be better understood if we outline briefly what the parent has a right to expect of the school and what the school should be able to expect of the parent.

WHAT A PARENT CAN EXPECT FROM THE SCHOOL

1. The middle school will be operated in a businesslike and responsible manner with reasonable requirements and regulations administered in an impartial manner.

2. A reasonable regimen of work will be established for all students and that progress in academic areas will be given a first priority on the resources of the school.

3. Parent inquiries, visits, and concerns will receive prompt and courteous attention and the school's response to these inquiries or concerns reflect a constructive and helpful attitude directed toward the best interests of the youth.

4. Teacher's grading will be fair and impartial and that the basis for grading will be understood by the students and parents.

WHAT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL EXPECTS OF THE PARENT

1. Student attendance will be regular and punctual.

2. Parents will expect their student to be successful by requiring a regular routine of home study.

3. Parents inquiries are welcome and may be registered with the principal, assistant principal, teacher, or guidance counselor.

4. Parents will help promote a positive attitude toward the school. A negative home climate toward the school can damage the student's outlook and affect his/her behavior and success.