Highlands Middle School

Your schedule will be available in PowerSchool early August with the names of your teachers and the order of your classes. Print (or copy by hand) a few copies of your schedule to place in your school bag, binder, pencil case, pants pocket, etc. If you have a few extra copies, you will be less likely to stress out if you lose one.

At the beginning of the school year, your teachers understand that you are getting used to your schedule, your lockers, and finding your way around the school – we do not count tardies for the first few weeks. There will be teachers in the hallway to help you find your way if you get lost or have trouble with your locker.  Eventually, if you are late to class - teachers will mark you tardy to class.  This only becomes a problem if it happens frequently or you are not making good choices in the hall.

You will get 4 minutes between each class, no matter what schedule we are following. You will also always have 30 minutes for lunch, regardless of the schedule we are using. During breakfast break ONLY, you will have 6 minutes between your second- and third-period class.

All clothing should be within the guidelines posted in the Highlands Student Handbook. It is a good idea to look at those guidelines before you do any shopping for school clothes.

All other policies, procedures and academic expectations can also be found in the HMS Student Handbook. We encourage you to review the handbook before the start of the school year to answer any questions that may not be answered on this site.

HMS Dress Code

Highlands maintains dress code standards for everyone. Clothing must be modest, must not be revealing, and cannot display vulgar, sexual, or drug/alcohol/tobacco references and/or pictures. The Kennewick School District dress code policy will be enforced. Some guidelines for clothing are listed below. 

Clothing should fit each individual, keeping in mind:

• Sagging pants or extremely oversized clothing is not to be worn.
• Pants must be worn at the waistline.
• Undergarments must be completely covered.
• Shirt necklines may dip no lower in the front than even with the underarm.
• Shirts must cover students’ midriffs at all times (standing, sitting, bending over, etc). Tank tops must have straps that are at least as wide as two fingers and armholes no lower than mid bicep.
• Dresses, shorts, ripped pants and skirts must be modest.
• The standard we expect is that no undergarments or body parts normally covered by undergarments should be showing at any time (standing, sitting, bending over, etc).
• No hats may be worn.
• Bandanas of any kind or color are not allowed.

A good general policy regarding the dress code is: If there is ANY QUESTION about an item being inappropriate, DO NOT WEAR IT. 

If the student’s dress or grooming is objectionable under these provisions, the principal/designee shall request the student to make appropriate corrections. If the student refuses, the principal/designee shall notify the parent/guardian and request assistance in guiding the student to make the necessary correction. If both the student and parent/guardian refuse, the principal/designee shall take appropriate corrective action. Students may be suspended if circumstances so warrant, and students who violate provisions of the dress code relating to extracurricular activities may be removed or excluded from the extracurricular activity for such period as the principal/designee may determine. All students shall be accorded due process safeguards before any corrective action may be taken. 

• KSD PE Shirt: This is a SPECIFIC item of clothing that is required for PE class. Shirts can be ordered from the main office for $5. Orders can be placed online starting in August and those orders will be given out during the first week of school.
• KSD PE Shorts: This is a SPECIFIC item of clothing that is required for PE class. Shorts can be ordered from the main office for $10. Solid black leggings may also be worn. Keep in mind that students will be participating in physical activity. Orders can be placed online starting in August and those orders will be given out during the first week of school.
• Combination Lock: Combination locks are sold at the ASB window for $6, but you can buy your lock wherever you would like. You can even get one at the dollar store! *Limited amount of locks available at the ASB window
• Athletic Shoes: Many students find it helpful to have a spare pair of athletic shoes in their locker for days when you wear shoes that cannot be worn for PE class (like flip flops, sandals, boots, or slides).
• Socks: Like with athletic shoes, many students keep spare socks in their locker for when they are needed.
• Deodorant: Small trial-sized deodorants or deodorant wipes can be purchased at most stores and fit easily inside students' PE lockers. PLEASE NO AEROSOLS, as they can activate many students' allergies.

We do have showers in the locker room, but if you take regular showers at home, wear clean clothes, and use deodorant after PE there should be no reason to use them.

From the Student Handbook:

Electronics | We are not responsible for lost, stolen or misplaced electronic devices including those that are confiscated due to inappropriate use during school hours. School personnel has the authority to determine whether an investigation is warranted if any electronic devices are lost, stolen, or misplaced. Earbuds or headphones are not to be used in the hallways but may be used outside or in the cafeteria.

Students who bring their own devices to school do so at their own risk. Their devices may become lost, stolen or damaged. Neither Highlands Middle School nor the Kennewick School District may be held liable for loss, theft, or damage to personal property.

YES! Middle School students are allowed to check out their own Chromebook once a parent permission slip is completed and turned in. The Chromebook can be taken home and used for schoolwork.

Most students find that the biggest challenge with their Chromebook is remembering to bring them back to school charged and ready for use each day. It is expected that you have your charged Chromebook with you each day to be used in class – without it, you may end up having to work on in-class assignments on your own time while at home.

You will check out a Chromebook, a charging cable, and a Chromebook cover.

Students are expected to responsibly use district technology and network resources and to keep their district‐issued devices safe, secure and in good working order. Students and parents are provided with a Chromebook Manual that will assist both in meeting those expectations.

At Highlands, we have 8 class periods and NO early release Wednesdays.

This schedule is followed Monday-Friday. Different bell schedules will be used for 10:40 a.m. early release days and late start days (snow delays).  Note the difference between grade levels ending for 1st period (in order to accommodate 3 grade level lunches), and the breakfast break that is provided at Highlands. You can click here to see all bell schedules.

*Breakfast break snack is free and provided for students who did not have morning breakfast at Highlands.

CLICK HERE to access the PowerSchool login site for Parents and Students

For NEW accounts:

• Select the tab that says "Create Account" and fill in all of the required parent account details.
• You will need a one time Access ID and Passcode for your student to complete the account creation.  Call the Highlands main office at 222-6700 and an office staff member will provide that for you.

Does Every Student Get A Chromebook?

YES!  Middle School students are allowed to check out their own Chromebook once a parent permission slip is completed and turned in.  The Chromebook can be taken home and used for schoolwork.

What Parents Should Know

In 2018, our community voted to support a four-year technology levy that will provide a digital device to every student in the district by the year 2022.

As we assign Chromebooks to middle and high school students, we require that parents login at ps.ksd.org/public/ and follow instructions on how to login, create an account and electronically sign a permission form.

As part of the permission form, parents have the option of allowing their child to take their assigned Chromebook home or keep it at school and have it checked in/out each school day. Additional information about student use expectations, safety, and care are included in the One-To-One Responsibilities Manual that parents will review prior to signing the permission form.

Add a student to E-funds

On-Site Safety Professionals

At Highlands we have the benefit of having a full-time security staff member, who helps monitor student behavior and maintain safe learning conditions.  His presence throughout the day provides students with a resource to speak to when any safety issues arise.

We also have a School Resource Officer (from the Kennewick Police Department) who is regularly on campus.  He assists in providing the school (students & staff) with resources and training, while also making positive law enforcement contact with students.  When needed, he will step in to help investigate any disciplinary issues which affect the safety of the school.

Safety at HMS

We take safety very seriously at Highlands. Our school has multiple safety features (including the following):

• Over 90 security cameras that cover every inch of the campus (except for locker rooms, bathrooms and inside classrooms).
• A security system that can electronically lock all of the entry and fire doors in the building at the touch of a button!
• A silent alarm that uses flashing lights to alert staff and students that we need to lock down the school.

We practice using these safety features at least once a month, with critical and non-critical lockdowns and evacuation drills.  Students are also given regular safety surveys.

If you ever have a concern, please call!  Anonymous safety concerns can also be reported at https://www.ksd.org/report

In middle school, we highly recommend that you begin to encourage your student to be their own advocate. If they have questions about their grades, encourage them to speak with their teacher(s). If they are having other issues in class, encourage them to speak to a trusted adult (like their teacher or their counselor).

Email: If you do need to contact a teacher, the most efficient way to do so is by using email. This allows the teacher to respond when they have the time (sometimes even when class is in session), rather than having to wait until they have a time where no students are present in the classroom.  All teachers have an email address that is formatted the same, based on their name.  { first.last@ksd.org }

Phone: If you have tried email or want to speak directly with a staff member.  Please call the main office at (509)222-6700 and ask to leave a message for the staff member.

Please be aware that most staff members will not be able to return your call immediately.  Most will wait until the end of the school day or when there are no students in the classroom (to protect call privacy).