30 parent newsletter april 27th 2018hms.seekonk.sharpschool.com/userfiles/servers/server...• if...
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Parent Newsletter – April 26, 2018 Dear HMS Community, This week we offered a motivational MCAS Breakfast to students in all grades as we prepare for the MCAS Math assessments scheduled for all grades next week. The plan for next year is to hold these breakfast sessions once again, and add a component that includes celebrating student success. Our spring sports season is now well underway, and the baseball, softball, and lacrosse teams are all playing well. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @HurleyMiddle for updates about the games, including player highlights. This past Tuesday, April 24th, we held a fire drill. The Seekonk Fire Department was very proud of our students, citing that “the students and staff dif very well during this drill with no obvious delays or problems noted.” This was our third of the four required fire drills held at our school every year. Students in science classes across all grade levels participated in Google Expeditions Augmented Reality “adventures” this week. This edition of the newsletter includes more information from our HMS Librarian, Mrs. Jennifer St. Michel. The HMS Math Team is competed against other Massasoit League schools today at Somerset Middle School and finished in fourth place. Thank you to Mrs. Costa for doing a great job training our mathletes this year! I know that all of the students had a blast and learned a lot. The Cookie Dough Fundraiser Delivery Date is next Thursday, May 3rd. Students will be allowed to carry smaller orders home on the bus. Larger orders must be picked up at our front entrance between 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm. There is PTO meeting next Tuesday evening, May 1st, at 6 pm in the HMS Library. The final parent meeting for eighth grade students going on the class trip to Washington DC will be held Thursday, May 17th at 6 pm in the HMS Cafeteria. The 8th Grade Semi-‐formal dance is scheduled for Friday, May 18th at 6 pm. Students must hand in the required permission form in order to attend. This is a PTO sponsored event. Transportation to this event by limousine is strongly discouraged. Please remember that students must be present in school for three period in order to attend an after school event on any given day. Yesterday we held a “Faculty Meeting Breakout Session!” Thank you to Mrs. Handfield, Mrs. Thivierge, Mr. Dilworth, Mr. Coury and Mrs. Miller for planning and facilitating sessions for their colleagues in order to share best practices. These sessions are a great opportunity for our entire faculty to participate in free in-‐house professional development from our own HMS experts that are eager and willing to share with their colleagues. Congratulation to all of our students that earned a place on the 3rd Quarter Honor Roll! The Honor Roll in included in this edition of the newsletter, and can be found on the Principal’s Page of our website. Sincerely, Dr. William V. Whalen III Principal
Hello Hurley Families,
It has been a great week back from April vacation! I have enjoyed the MCAS breakfasts with all three grades this week, and I was able to share a few thoughts regarding MCAS and The Warrior Way with students. I mentioned to students the importance of finishing strong and keeping the same mindset and focus with math MCAS next week. I heard nothing but great feedback from both teachers and students regarding the level of effort during ELA MCAS.
Prior to April vacation I spoke to students about finishing strong when we
return for the final stretch. As you know the end of the year is challenging and also exciting with fun events planned for students. I reminded students of our core values of The Warrior Way, and the importance of following them to ensure a successful positive end of the year. We have brought back our Warrior Shout-‐out walls in the cafeteria in which students and staff members can recognize anyone in the HMS community for one or more of our core values. The participation so far has been outstanding! These warrior way shout-‐outs are a great opportunity to recognize someone and reinforce the importance of who we are as a community. As always it is greatly appreciated if you could also have conversations at home regarding the importance of The Warrior Way.
Yesterday I enjoyed attending all the breakout sessions during our faculty meeting. Thank you to Mrs. Handfield and Mrs. Thivierge for sharing their practice with flexible seating. Senor Dilworth provided a very enthusiastic informative session on restorative discipline practices, while Mr. Coury shared the power of student surveys. Mrs. Miller’s was the last session I was able to attend in which she shared strategies to inspire students in writing for success. This in-‐house free professional development is a best practice in itself as it empowers teachers and we are able to learn and grow from one another.
Earlier in the week we had a fire safety drill, and I am proud to report that the entire building evacuated in under two minutes. In addition, all students and staff were quickly accounted for. Thank you to the Seekonk Fire Department for all that you do in our schools.
With the warmer weather approaching I have included the student handbook policy regarding student appearance as well as a helpful visual. These visuals are posted throughout the building to also remind students.
STUDENT APPEARANCE: Students shall keep themselves well-‐groomed and neatly dressed at all times. Wearing clothing that creates a risk of substantial and material disruption or disorder within
the school is not acceptable or that violates reasonable standards of health, safety, and cleanliness is
not acceptable. Athletic uniforms worn during the school day must also adhere to these standards. Any student who wears one of the items below will be asked by a staff member to change or cover-‐
up the article of clothing. Students who refuse to remove or cover the item will be referred to the Main Office.
Examples of unacceptable attire include: • Blouses, shirts, sweaters, halter-‐tops, tube-‐tops, tank tops, T-‐back shirts, muscle shirts, jerseys,
pants, and midriff shirts that do not cover the stomach, back, chest or undergarments (including camisoles)
• Flip flops (sandals must have a heel strap) • Pants may not extend below the sole of the shoe • Low riding pants or jeans that display underwear • Revealing shorts, “pencil skirts,” or skirts -‐ Legs should not be exposed above fingertip length
when a student stands with arms fully extended downward. • Clothing depicting/referring to alcoholic substances and/or illegal substances • Gloves and wristbands • Pajamas, slippers, etc. • Clothing with spikes or chains of any kind • Clothing with holes (including pants) which expose areas of the body that should be covered
under the provisions or clothes with excessive rips. • Metal taps or cleats on shoes and shoes with wheels • Hats, caps, visors, bandannas, hoods, and other forms of outdoor headgear • Jackets and outer coats are not to be worn during the day except for medical reasons.
Administrators can waive this if building conditions warrant warmer clothing • Sunglasses unless required for certified medical reasons
It is highly recommended that spandex, leggings, and yoga pants be worn with a long shirt.
Shoes should be "floor friendly" so as to not have a sole which leaves marks on the floor.
Repeated violation of the dress code will result in disciplinary action.
Have a great weekend, Ms. Bouchard Assistant Principal
2018 – Quarter #3 Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School Honor Roll
High Honors – 3rd Quarter
Honors – 3rd Quarter
HEALTH OFFICE NEWS o Please be sure to provide a copy of your child’s PE to the nurse to have
on file for sports and to support the recommended requirements. Also, at any time please update the nurse with any new health issues.
o Those students who have seasonal allergies/asthma and using an inhaler be sure to inform the nurse.
o Dental health – Polished, a program providing preventative dental health will be at the HMS on Thursday, May 3, 2018. If you want your child to be seen by the dental hygienist please call the school nurse if your child does not bring home an informed consent form that will explain the services and requirements. This form will need to be completed and returned prior to May 3, 2018. Any questions please feel free to call the school nurse.
I have started to see a few students who have rashes due to poison ivy. The following information is a good resource for treatment and how to prevent exposure.
A rash from poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac is caused by an oil found in these plants called urushiol (you-ROO-shee-all). When this oil touches your skin, it often causes an itchy, blistering rash. Urushiol can stick to almost anything. If you touch a pet's fur, gardening tool, or sports equipment that has the oil on it, you can get a rash. Dogs and other animals do not get this rash. Only people get this rash. Is the rash contagious?
It is not possible to get this rash from touching someone who has the rash. The skin absorbs the oil too quickly. You cannot get a rash from getting the fluid in the blisters on your skin. POISON IVY, OAK AND SUMAC: SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
• Itchy skin. • Redness or red streaks. - It forms within 24 to 72 hours of contact, depending on
where the plant touched you. It usually peaks within a week, but can last as long as 3 weeks. A rash from poison ivy, oak, or sumac looks like patches or streaks of red, raised blisters. The rash does not usually spread unless urushiol is still in contact with your skin.
• An outbreak of small or large blisters, often forming streaks or lines. • Crusting skin (after blisters burst).
What causes this rash? There are 3 ways to get this rash:
• Direct contact • By touching poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac, you can get a rash. Every
part of these plants — the leaves, stems, roots, and flowers — contains the oil. • Indirect contact • Airborne contact • Burning these poisonous plants releases particles of urushiol into the air. These
airborne particles can land on the skin.
Most people can safely treat the rash at home. However, if you experience any of the following symptoms, go to the emergency room right away.
• If you have any of the following, go to the emergency room right away: • You have trouble breathing or swallowing. • The rash covers most of your body. • You have many rashes or blisters. • You experience swelling, especially if an eyelid swells shut. • The rash develops anywhere on your face or genitals. • Much of your skin itches, or nothing seems to ease the itch • if you develop a fever or have pus, pain, swelling, and warmth around the rash.
If you have a serious reaction, you will likely need prescription medicine. Your dermatologist may prescribe a steroid ointment that you can apply to the skin. To treat a severe case, a strong medicine like prednisone may be necessary.
To treat a rash from poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac and help stop the itch, dermatologists recommend the following:
• Immediately rinse your skin with lukewarm, soapy water. If you can rinse your skin immediately after touching poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac, you may be able to rinse off some of the oil. If not washed off, the oil can spread from person to person and to other areas of your body.
• Wash your clothing. Thoroughly wash all of the clothes you were wearing when you came into contact with the poisonous plant. The oil can stick to clothing, and if it touches your skin, it can cause another rash.
• Wash everything that may have the oil on its surface. Besides clothing, the oil from poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac can stick to many surfaces, including gardening tools, golf clubs, leashes and even a pet’s fur. Be sure to rinse your pet’s fur, and wash tools and other objects with warm, soapy water.
• Do not scratch, as scratching can cause an infection. • Leave blisters alone. If blisters open, do not remove the overlying skin, as the
skin can protect the raw wound underneath and prevent infection. • Take short, lukewarm baths. To ease the itch, take short, lukewarm baths in a
colloidal oatmeal preparation, which you can buy at your local drugstore. You can also draw a bath and add one cup of baking soda to the running water. Taking short, cool showers may also help.
• Consider calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream. Apply calamine lotion to skin that itches. If you have a mild case, a hydrocortisone cream or lotion may also help.
• Apply cool compresses to the itchy skin. You can make a cool compress by wetting a clean washcloth with cold water and wringing it out so that it does not drip. Then, apply the cool cloth to the itchy skin.
• Consider taking antihistamine pills. These pills can help reduce itching, however use with caution. You should not apply an antihistamine to your skin, as doing so can worsen the rash and the itch.
How to protect your skin from poison ivy, oak, and sumac Sometimes you cannot avoid these plants. When you find yourself in this
situation, there are some precautions you can take:
• Use a skin-care product called an ivy block barrier. This helps prevent the skin from absorbing the oil (urushiol), which causes the rash. These products usually contain bentoquatam. You can buy these products without a prescription. Be sure to apply the block before going outdoors.
• 2.)Wear long pants, long sleeves, boots, and gloves. Even when you apply an ivy block barrier that contains bentoquatam, you need to cover your skin with clothing.
If you find yourself in an area with poison ivy, oak, or sumac, it helps to know the following:
• All parts of these plants contain urushiol. The leaves, the stems, and even the roots contain urushiol. Touching any part of the plant can cause an allergic reaction.
• Touching anything that has urushiol on it can cause an allergic reaction. You can have an allergic reaction from touching gardening tools, sporting equipment, and even a pet’s fur.
• Burning these plants releases urushiol into the air. You can have an allergic reaction if airborne particles land on your skin.
What do the plants look like? Poison ivy is the only one that always has three leaves, one on each side and one in the center. They’re shiny with smooth or slightly notched edges. Poison oak looks similar, but the leaves are larger and more rounded like an oak
leaf. They have a textured, hairy surface. There may be groups of three, five, or seven leaves. Poison sumac leaves grow in clusters of seven to 13 leaves, with one by itself at the end.
From the Library… Teaching Students to be Digital Citizens With increasing access to computers, it is important that our students know the rules and guidelines of interacting in a digital world. Part of the sixth grade library curriculum includes lessons pertaining to safe and respectful behavior when using digital devices. These lessons pertain to topics such as cyberbullying, copyright, citation, and online safety. Students in all grades who are in my library skills classes receive additional instruction. This instruction can continue at home. The Common Sense Media website has a page dedicated to parent concerns regarding safe online activities. Please click on the link below to learn more: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/parent-‐concerns Dinosaurs (and More) Invade the HMS Library! On Thursday, a representative from Google brought Google Expeditions AR to the middle school. This is an augmented reality experience in which students can view objects via a cell phone. Teachers signed up when we were first given this opportunity a few months ago, and were able to choose from a variety of topics to present to their classes. Students appeared to be engaged and were able to better conceptualize topics through this experience!