Recent Highlights

2023-2024

• Purchased 2 VR headsets
• Purchased ESOL printer
• Contributed to replacement basketball uniforms
• Paid Science Olympiad Registration Fees for Regional and State Competitions
• Invested in Mentoring Program 
• Purchased the Counseling Department Printer/Copier/Scanner
• Funded 9 Teacher Licenses for Flocabulary Software
• Purchased WeVideo License for Mr. Mason
• Funded the Ron Clark Academy Stem Training for Mr. Poff and Ms. Clarke​

Beautification Project
​The Foundation recently sponsored a school building pressure wash which was done at the start of the school year in 2022. Check out some of the before and after photos.

Electronic Marquee
​The Henderson Middle School Foundation and PTSA partnered to provide support to replace Henderson Middle School's "old school" sign with an electronic marquee in 2021.  There continues to be important information for the school to communicate to the entire community, and an electronic marquee facilitates greater flexibility than the past sign which required manual letter changing.  Parents and community members made donations of approximately $2,070 toward the ~ $20,000 cost for the electronic marquee.   The HMS Foundation and PTSA funded the remainder.

More Highlights

2023-2024

• 2 VR headsets
• ESOL printer
• Contributed to replacement basketball uniforms
• Science Olympiad Registration Fees for Regional and State Competitions
• Mentoring Program 
• Counseling Dept Printer/Copier/Scanner
• 9 Teacher Licenses for Flocabulary Software
• WeVideo License for Mr. Mason
• Ron Clark Academy Stem Training for Mr. Poff and Ms. Clarke

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​Amplifiers

HMS Foundation provided 20 voice amplifiers for the teachers who teach virtually as well as in-person. This has helped the hybrid teachers tremendously by being able to focus more on the lesson of the day and less on interruptions from virtual students due to lack of hearing through computer microphone.   
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​Bilingual liaison services

HMS Foundation supports a bilingual liaison to help parents communicate with the school. The liaison's schedule helps fill gaps in the schedule of the school's Spanish language interpreter. ​

Electronic Marquee

The Henderson Middle School Foundation and PTSA partnered to provide support to replace Henderson Middle School's "old school" sign with an electronic marquee in 2021.  There continues to be important information for the school to communicate to the entire community, and an electronic marquee facilitates greater flexibility than the past sign which required manual letter changing.  Parents and community members made donations of approximately $2,070 toward the ~ $20,000 cost for the electronic marquee.   The HMS Foundation and PTSA funded the remainder.

Ms. Garay started DRUMBEAT at HMS

The HMS Foundation supports teachers in bringing innovative and effective programs to the school. Ms. Garay had great success with the DRUMBEAT program at her previous school. Through funding from the HMS Foundation, she was able to purchase drums and bring this new way to help students with social-emotional learning  Want to know what it's about: Watch this overview  https://youtu.be/cBhXS1Tov60  ​

Disc Golf at HMS!

With the support of the HMS Foundation, Coach Morrison is starting a new, exciting activity that will combine physical activity and STEM. A movable Disc Golf course (think Frisbee). Students will set up the course, test it, and use it, which involves science and math - figuring out speed, velocity, angles, arches, motion, inertia, etc. All the while they will also be outside and moving! ​

 Clorox Foundation - Community Development Program Grant will support our STEM garden

In addition to donations, we apply for grants to help the school. In February 2019 we received a $2,500 Community Development Program grant from the Clorox Foundation to expand the STEM gardens, including a green house so that the activities can be done year-round. ​

Other STEM Garden Donations - Thank You Sponsors! ​

We work with businesses and combine financial donations from the school community and donations of materials and services to make things happen. The student gardens are a great example! ​Lumber and accessories were donated, the foundation purchased the soil. ​

Thank you to Lisa Anderson from Handy Ace Hardware in Tucker! Mr. Purdy and all the STEM garden students will make use of the donated garden hose and caddy just as soon as the growing season starts! ​

Thank you to Simeon Niolon from Niolon Lumber Sales in Suwanee! Mr. Purdy and the STEM garden students will use the donated lumber to build more gardens just as soon as it's warm enough.

Atlanta Science Festival 

The HMS Foundation has supported students by providing the bus transportation to the Atlanta Science Festival Expo.  It's Atlanta’s biggest interactive science event with more than 100 hands-on, interactive science booths from local organizations, universities, and companies. ​

USA TesT PREP LICENSE RENEWAL 

​We purchased the renewal of the USA Test Prep since Title One budget was cut in 2022 due to Covid-19. 

PRESSURE WASHERS

      We support Henderson Middle School's Beautification Project as we want a clean and sanitized school for all of our students and faculty members. We recently purchased a pressure washer for the school so the inside can be washed thoroughly. 

Full List of HMS Foundation Sponsorships

With the help of our donors, the foundation has provided:

• We purchased two VR headsets in 2023/2024
• We sponsored Science Olympiad in 2023/2024
• We sponsored the purchase of WeVideo software
• We sponsored STEM leads to gain certifications at the Ron Clark Academy
• We purchased defibrillators
• We sponsored the busses which took our rising 8th graders to tour Lakeside High School
• We sponsored Mr. Purdy's outdoor garden 
• We purchased the renewal license for USA Test Prep, which teachers from every grade level used in their curriculum
• We purchased a pressure washer for inside of school
• An electronic marquee (in collaboration with HMS PTSA)
• Incentives for several teachers to go through training to obtain gifted certification
• A bilingual liaison to help Spanish language parents on days where there is no DCDS interpreter available
• Audio amplifiers for teachers to use in classrooms
• We purchased the licencing for Flocabulary which was a school-wide used software
• French newspapers for the first cohort of  Henderson Middle School's French immersion students  
• Entry fees for the district level science fair for several 8th grade students 
• Support the successful completion of STEM certification
  • Access to DefineSTEM, an integrated STEM curriculum that will make it easy for all teachers to develop hands-on learning activities
  • Teacher training for STEM education 
  • Attendance at STEM conferences
  • Creation of a STEM garden
  • Transportation for students to attend STEM and Science Expos (e.g., bus transport to the Atlanta Science Festival)
• Teacher workbooks to bring the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol, an evidence-based approach to improve ELA skills, to the classroom
• Support to the PTSA to bring Alice Between, an innovative cultural arts program, to the school
• Support to expand the student gardens as a school-wide learning opportunity 

In previous years:

• Sponsored Science Olympiad in 2022/2023
• Sponsored professional pressure washing services for the entire outside of school (2022)
• STEM training and supplies
• Scientific calculators for the school
• Science world magazines

We have made great progress towards STEM accreditation!  HMS received STEM program accreditation in 2018. STEM activities are integrated in all teams, and plans are underway to fully integrate STEM to the entire school. 

The Henderson Middle School Foundation of DeKalb County Georgia Inc. is a 501(c) (3) organization.