Hawtree Creek Middle School

Opened in 2013, Hawtree Creek Middle School is a small, well-organized school with solid academics, strong teaching and engaging projects. Hawtree earned well developed, the highest rating, on the citys 2014-2015 Quality Review.

Children learn to take notes, ask questions and stay organized, with tidy binders open and ready in every class. These skills are part of a program designed to help children who may be the first in their families to attend college. In addition, teachers follow Step up to Writing, a structured program to teach paragraph and essay writing, according to the schools annual plan.

Students are expected to read 20-30 minutes each night and keep track of the books they read on their own with a goal of 30 books per year. Solid test scores in reading reflect the extra attention to language arts, but math scores have room for improvement.

Attendance is good, and most children say teachers notice when they are upset or having emotional difficulties, according to school surveys. Students lead their own parent-teacher conferences and run orientations for incoming 6th graders. Parents are invited to sit in on classes and participate in lessons during school visit days.

Teachers have small advisory groups twice a week and give students lots of help with the high school search starting in 7th grade.

College Access for All organizes college trips and parent education. Seventh and 8th graders have visited SUNY Maritime, Bronx Community College, Lehman College, Queens College, York College, and Columbia University starting in 2017.

Special programs include newspaper, National Junior Honor Society and intramural sports. The budget summary shows there are part-time music and art teachers, and there is a full-time theater teacher. Students work with the non-profit D.I.G (Dealing in Good) Farm to create a garden on school grounds. In workshops, they teach children how to plant, harvest and cook vegetables. [photo from the D.I.G. website]

A maroon polo shirt and khaki or black pants is required.

Principal Maureen Hussey was formerly assistant principal at Marsh Avenue School for Expeditionary Learning.

Hawtree shares a building with JHS 226, Epic High School-South, and PS 233, a District 75 school that serves children with multiple disabilities and autism.

Hawtree Creek's main entrance is on 121st Street.

ADMISSIONS: Zoned school. Students living in the zone may choose JHS 226 or Hawtree. (Lydie Raschka, web reports, August 2017)