Welcome to the 26/27 School Year!

August 18, 2026 

Dear Jr. Lancer Families, 

We hope that everyone has enjoyed the summer months. It’s hard to believe that we will be back in school in just a few weeks! In anticipation of a successful partnership with you as parents, we have provided information below that will help ensure that your child is prepared for the start of the 2026-27 school year:

Schedule Release: 

Student schedules will be available on Genesis during the afternoon of Monday, August 24th. Please note that students with open fines on their account from the previous school year, as well as anyone who has not completed all of their forms in Genesis, will not be able to access and view their schedules until those items are resolved. 

There are currently 1,049 students enrolled at Heritage for the upcoming school year, which is the highest total number of students that we have ever had! That said, please understand that we are unable to accept requests for changes to student’s schedules. For any questions about your child’s schedule, please reach out to their school counselor.  

Fall Sports and Forms:  

Please be certain to log into the Genesis Parent Portal and complete all of the annual forms posted to your account. In addition, if you are interested in having your child participate in our fall athletics program, please be certain to register them online and complete and submit the necessary health forms to the main office.  All of this information can be found on our school website by clicking here. 

Bus Passes Information: 

Information on bus assignments are available in Genesis for any student who is a bus rider. Students who receive transportation will notice that they have two assignments: one for the AM route and one for the PM route. Each school bus/route has a “HM” and then a number after it. This is how students can identify their bus for both the morning and afternoon routes. Please abide by the time that your child’s bus is scheduled at their assigned bus stop for AM pickup.  In addition, as everyone adjusts to the routines and traffic during the new school year, buses in the afternoon may certainly run behind schedule; please be patient with this transition. 

First Day of School: 

The first day of school for students is Monday, August 31st .  Students are permitted to enter the building as early as 7:45 am.   Upon their arrival to school, all 7th grade students will report to the Auditorium for their holding location before homeroom; students in 8th grade will report to the cafeteria. Each group will be dismissed at a designated time where they will then report to their homeroom location.  Homeroom locations are available on the student’s schedule in Genesis. 

Homerooms will be extended on the first day of school to permit students time to receive their lock from their homeroom teacher and to set up their lockers. We will also review some essential expectations that we ask all students to comply with during this time as well. 

School Supplies and Expectations: 

We continue to expect all students to arrive at school each day with a fully-charged device. In addition, for the start of the school year, students should have basic general school supplies such as pens, pencils and highlighters for writing implements; 3-ring binders (an AM and PM Binder are what most students utilize) with loose leaf paper, and folders to store classroom handouts. Please know that some teachers may have more specific requests for their respective classes that they will communicate to their students during the first few days of school.  

All students will be expected to transition from one class to the next without the use of a bookbag or backpack. Many of our students have found the Case-it to be a useful tool to assist them with remaining organized for their classes in lieu of a bag or backpack. Students will be permitted to carry a small bag for personal care items and school supplies. 

Morning Drop-off Traffic Patterns: 

Our morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up procedures are set to accommodate the large number of students that are on our campus every day.  We ask that you review and adhere to the recommended traffic patterns for morning drop-off; we want to ensure a safe and expeditious process for everyone. 

Traffic Pattern: 

To ease the congestion of vehicles, we ask that our families who are dropping their child(ren) off at HMS each day follow this traffic pattern: 

• Cars Entering Foxcroft Drive from Hillside Avenue:  All families who are coming to Heritage via the Hillside Avenue entrance will TURN LEFT into the lower parking lot roundabout. PLEASE pull your vehicle all the way up to the door that is opened for students to enter. Once your vehicle has entered the parking lot and come to a stop, we ask that regardless of your position in line that your child exits the vehicle and enters the building via the sidewalk. Upon exiting this lot, please TURN RIGHT and go back towards Hillside Avenue to keep the flow of traffic moving. 

• Cars Entering Foxcroft Drive from Wynnewood Road:   All families who access Heritage via the Wynnewood Road entrance off of Northfield Avenue will TURN RIGHT into the main drive in front of the school. PLEASE pull your vehicle all the way up. Once your vehicle has come to a stop, please have your child exit your vehicle and walk on the sidewalk to enter the building. Upon exiting this drive, please TURN LEFT to go back towards Wynnewood Road. 

Your compliance with this traffic pattern will support the safety and well-being of our students and their families, as well as assist us in establishing a timely routine for our morning arrival. 

Afternoon Pick-Up: If you are picking your child up at the end of the school day, please note that parking your vehicle in our main driveway entrance is prohibited. This is used by our school buses.  We ask that parents park their vehicles on Foxcroft or any of the neighboring roads and avoid using our main campus lots for pick-up.  

Cell Phones and Internet-Enabled Devices:

Cell phones and any internet-enabled personal device (such as a smartwatch) are prohibited during the school day. Students must store these devices (in “silent” or off mode) in their lockers during the school day.  Should you have a message that you wish to convey to your child, please call the HMS Main Office for assistance.  Students have access to a school phone in the Guidance Office should they need to call a parent.

Lunch: 

Students will eat lunch daily with their grade-level peers. On days when the weather allows, lunch takes place outdoors for our students on the back fields. An indoor option will also always be made available for our students should the weather not be conducive for outdoor lunch.  Please understand that lunch lines may run longer during the first couple of weeks of school as students get used to the purchasing process.

Students must use their lunch accounts that are linked to their MySchoolBucks accounts to make purchases in the cafeteria. Cash is also accepted as a form of payment. 

The HMS Health Office will accept medication for any student on August 26th and August 27th from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, as well as from 1:00 pm  - 3:00 pm.  Please complete any of the pertinent forms for such medication in advance.  All health forms can be found by clicking here.

Reporting Absences/Tardies/Early Dismissals: 

All parents/guardians are required to notify the school in advance if they anticipate that their child will not be able to attend school, may be late to school for a specific reason (not simply running late), or require an early dismissal that day.  This process is to be completed via the Genesis Parent Portal. 

Thank you for your continued partnership as we look to set your children up for a great school year.  We look forward to seeing all of our students on Monday, August 31st! 

Shawn Kelly, Principal 

Heritage Middle School