35 parent newsletter may 13th 2016hms.seekonk.sharpschool.com/userfiles/servers... · thinglink (an...
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HMS Parent Newsletter – May 13, 2016 Dear Families, PARCC testing for students in all three grades is now well underway, and has gone smoothly. Today, as well as on Monday, our sixth grade students will be working on the PARCC assessment for math. Also next week, our seventh grade students will be completing the math assessment. On May 20th, as well as May 23rd and May 24th, the eighth graders will be working on the PARCC assessment for math, concluding the PARCC testing for this school year. Our eighth grade students have also completed the MCAS assessment for Science and Technology/Engineering. At this time, all eighth grade students that are going on the class trip to Washington DC should have submitted their final payment. We will be holding our pre-‐trip meeting for parents next Thursday, May 19th at 6 pm in the HMS Cafeteria. The final School Council meeting of the year will be held next Wednesday, May 18th. At that time, our council will be finalizing and signing off on the School Improvement Plan for 2016 – 2017. The meeting will be held in the HMS Library at 4 pm. The HMS Educator Leadership Team will be holding their final meeting of the year next week as well, on May 19th. The leadership team was established this year, and has accomplished quite a bit. One of our accomplishments includes beginning a chartered National Junior Honor Society starting with next year’s incoming sixth graders. Furthermore, the Unified Sports program at our school was implemented this year, along with additional support from our BASE teachers. The Educator Leadership Team also collaborated this year with our newly developed Student Leadership Team, and have been working together on various projects. Specifically, and most recently, the Student Leadership Team is involved in a library focus group for the Seekonk Public Library along with one of our educator leaders, Mrs. St. Michel. The students have also been involved with planning and presenting at the State of the School Address, reading to elementary students, participating in the Unified Sports program, and will soon be working to support incoming fifth graders with the transition process to middle school. Aside from working with our student leaders, our educator leaders have also been involved with planning in-‐house professional development throughout the year. This year we have held some Faculty Meeting Breakout Sessions, where educator leaders and other faculty members have presented to their colleagues, sharing best practices. The team is working on an
effective program to include instructional rounds in our school as well, in order to observe and share best practices. The purpose of the Educator Leadership Team is to offer faculty members an opportunity to lead from the classroom, as well as to promote a culture where teachers are empowered to exercise initiative and leadership essential to the improvement of the school, and to increase students’ engagement in learning. I appreciate all of the time and effort that the participating teachers have given to our leadership team this year, and feel that moving forward, the team will be a wonderful resource for the entire faculty. We currently have ten educators on the team that have volunteered to participate for this year. The meeting schedule is posted on the Principal’s Page of our website, and all members of the faculty, and the HMS Community, are welcome and encouraged to attend meetings. The final PTO meeting of the year is scheduled for May 25th. All members of the HMS Community are welcome to attend. The 8th Grade Semi-‐formal is scheduled for next Friday, May 20th, and will begin at 6 pm. Jeans, sweatpants, and basketball-‐style shorts are not considered acceptable dress for the event. Limousines are also discouraged for middle school semi-‐formal dances. This evening, the HMS Drama Club will present Something Cursed This Way Comes. The show begins at 7 pm. The performance will take place at Seekonk High School in the auditorium this evening, as well as tomorrow afternoon at 2 pm. Tickets are still available at the door. The Eighth Grade Promotional Ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, June 16th at 6 pm on the front lawn of our campus. As I mentioned last week, Seekonk High School graduate Nick Lancellotti will be our guest speaker. Students will receive their promotional certificates, in addition to other certificates and awards for academic achievement, and participation in extracurricular activities. The event is open to the public, and everyone is encouraged to bring their own lawn chair. Have a nice weekend. Sincerely, Dr. William V. Whalen III Principal
From the library…
Just a few spots left! The RI Computer Museum
will be in the HMS library on Monday May 23rd to lead
an afterschool workshop on Sonic Pi Synthesizer!
Students will use a credit card sized computer and using
it to create digital music! The session is limited to 16
students. Permission slips are available in the cafeteria
or you can print one from this newsletter.
Mrs. St. Michel
Sonic Pi Synthesizer workshop
Build a synthesizer and rock out in the HMS Library! Dan Berman, of the RI Computer Museum, will unmask the mystery of making digital music with Sonic Pi Synthesizer software and the Raspberry Pi, a tiny credit card sized single-board
computer! All materials will be provided Raspberry Pi. Digital image. Barracuda Drive. Real Time Logic LLC, n.d. Web. 4 May 2016. <https://barracudadrive.com/images/RaspberryPi-Hand.jpg>.
Monday, May 23, 2016 HMS Library
2:30 – 4:00 (Late buses will NOT be available!)
Seating is limited to the first 16 students who return a signed
permission slip. All Permission Slips must be returned to the main office by May
20. Students will be notified if they made the enrollment cutoff on
May 21.
Thank you to Seekonk Public Library for funding this program. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Permission Slip I am aware that my child will be staying for the Sonic Pi Synthesizer workshop after school on the date listed above. I also understand that there are no late buses available at the conclusion of this workshop – students must have a ride at the Tower Lobby at 4:00 PM. I agree not to hold KHMS or its employees responsible in the event of accidental injury/illness resulting from participation, pre-existing medical conditions/allergies occurring during this event. Student__________________ Homeroom Teacher: _________________ ____________________ ____________________ Parent Signature Parent Phone # during event Parent Email: ______________________________________________
Blue Team
ELA:-Students have been working on final projects for Gathering Blue. Periods C, D, F will be presenting on Friday and Period A will present on Monday. **Please note that Sp L 33 will be due on Monday, May 16, and Sp T 33 and Voc T 33 will be next Friday, May 20 due to math PARCC on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Science The focus of this week has been ENERGY! Energy is all around us and in everything that we do. The students discovered energy in everyday objects through a sorting activity. We quickly reviewed all the different forms of energy and how they can be converted into different kinds of energy. The main focus is on identifying potential and kinetic energy. We experimented with poppers and traveled through different stations demonstrating potential and kinetic energy. Math: Math classes have been reviewing for the PARCC exam, which is next week! We have taken the practice test and reviewed topics from earlier in the year. Supercore classes have been brushing up on data analysis. Social Studies: It’s hard to believe how fast the year is flying by! We’re already finishing up the second chapter of our LAST unit of the year...Rome! I’ve been stressing to all students the importance of finishing strong and they’ve really taken my advice to heart! We had a quiz on Friday on the Roman Republic, and students have made great connections as to how the Roman government, while quite different than the one we have here in America, shares some features of our own government!
The final Spotlight Pizza Party for all Dec-March recipients and their parents will be on Wednesday, June 1 from 5:30-6:30. Invitations will be issued next week. Please RSVP on the form being brought home by Wednesday, May 25, to Mrs. Dumas. We look forward to seeing you and honoring the lucky recipients!! Many thanks to author Matt Galeone and illustrator Bethany Farrell, 1990 graduates of this school, for speaking to Blue Team students on May 6 about the process of producing an illustrated book. Students were impressed with the time and effort that goes into the writing process before a book can even be published! Many of our budding writers and artists are inspired by their presentation and are determined to follow their dreams! Books may be ordered through Amazon! Special thanks to Mrs. St. Michel for all her help setting up for this presentation!
Art News from Mrs. Farrow
"Cardinal" Emily Pedro Tissue paper & glue
"Tulips" Madison Silva Oil pastels "Bunny" Jessica Kogut Oil pastels
"Butterfly" Lucy Codega Tissue paper & glue "Panda" Hailey Reynolds Tissue paper & glue
Band News from Mrs. Grande PLEASE ATTEND THE MONDAY MAY 16TH BAND PARENT MEETING at 6:00. Plans will be made for the swim club trip and end of year festivities. Please make sure your CORI form is up-to-date if you plan on chaperoning. FULL BAND rehearsal during the school day is as follows: Grade 6- Pegasus Band Monday May 16 and Tuesday May 24- Period A Grade 7-Intermezzo Band Tuesday May 17 and Tuesday May 24-Period B Grade 8-HMS Concert Band Tuesday May 17 and Friday May 20-Period C
These are the ONLY full band rehearsals we will have before the concert. Please remind your child to have music, instrument and a pencil at all rehearsals. Single- and Double-reed players should be breaking in a new reed for the concert now. Don't forget the Orange Leaf Fund Raiser on May 25! Computer Applications News from Mrs. DeLeo Grade 8: Thanks to all who donated towards our DonorsChoose.org project to secure 2 additional iPods giving our 8th grade Computer Applications students easier access to the necessary mobile apps used for our Social Media Unit! Grade 7: Students are working on finalizing scripts to start filming their book trailer projects. It is very important to each group that each member be present during filming. If your child knows they will be absent due to a pre-scheduled appointment or other absence they should be sure to let their group members know ahead of time so they can plan to film scenes around them. Filming schedule is as follows: B&E135: 5/24, 5/26, 5/31; B246: 5/25, 5/27, 6/1 (which is also a Band Festival Day so band students really need to check schedules to see if their presence in our class will be affected). Grade 6: Students are working independently on Geography-based newsletters as an extension to the project they worked on in my class using ThingLink (an awesome site you will enjoying checking out!). Health Education News from Mrs. Latimer 6th Grade: Two grade 6 classes are still working on or finishing up with Nutrition. My 6/Gray class is beginning with our Mental Health Unit. The other classes will pickup with this unit once they finish the Nutrition Unit. Students will begin learning about different emotions; healthy ways to deal with them and how to maintain healthy relationships with people they care about. We will finish up the unit with a little practice with those skills by performing role-plays in class. Showing me they know the skills on paper is one thing…let’s see how well they can demonstrate these skills! Students will be able to:
o Identify and describe common emotions & feelings and how they effect daily functioning
o Analyze healthy ways to express emotions
o Describe the importance of a personal support system to good mental health
o Identify those they can turn to in time of need to deal with troublesome emotions
o Apply attentive listening, feedback & assertive skills to enhance positive interpersonal communication
MA Frameworks Standards covered: o Growth and Development (1.8) o Mental Health (5.7, 5.10, 5.11) o Family Life (6.7, 6.8) o Interpersonal Relationships (7.5) o Violence Prevention (11.9)
National Health Education Standards: o Standard #1: Core Concepts o Standard #4: Interpersonal Communication o Standard #7: Self-Management o Standard #8: Advocacy
7th Grade: Students are finishing up with our Mental Health unit. Students have been learning about Stress Management. We will be discussing quite a few things regarding the physiology of stress and healthy ways to handle stress. Students have identified their stressors. This week they will receive their Stress Management Plan so that they can now be proactive in working on coping/eliminating them. Due dates for this project will be posted on Edline. In this unit students will be able to: StIdentify stressors in their life
• Identify symptoms of stress • Explain healthy and unhealthy ways to reduce stress o Explain the effects of long-term stress can have on our bodies o Identify who should be in their own personal support system
MA Frameworks Standards covered: o Growth & Development (1.8) o Mental Health (5.8, 5.8, 5.11, 5.16, 5.17, 5.19) o Violence Prevention (11.2)
National Health Education Standards: o Standard #1: Core Concepts o Standard #5: Decision Making o Standard #6: Goal setting o Standard #7: Self-Management o Standard #8: Advocacy
8th Grade: By the end of the school day today I will have updated and post grade 8 grades to Edline. I will continue to do this every Friday until the end of the semester. Students are continuing with our Substance
Abuse Unit. We will continue learning about various drugs including over the counter drugs, prescription drugs, club drugs, street drugs and narcotics. We will also be discussing the difference between responsible drug use, drug misuse and drug abuse. Of course, we cannot discuss all of these substances without practicing decision-making skills. Students will be able to:
o Explain the difference between responsible drug use, drug misuse and drug abuse
o Identify the different classifications of drugs o Explain the effect of marijuana on the brain, particularly the
adolescent brain o Accurately respond to scenarios using the decision-making model
taught in class o Explain the difference between “snitching” and reporting o Describe the stages of addiction o Identify internal and external factors that influence decision to use or
not to use drugs. o Identify physical, emotional/psychological and social effects of using
drugs MA Frameworks Standards covered:
o Tobacco, Alcohol & Substance Use/Abuse Prevention (10.5, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.13
National Health Education Standards: o Standard #1: Core Concepts o Standard #4: Interpersonal Communication o Standard #5: Decision Making o Standard #7: Self-Management o Standard #8: Advocacy
NEWS………….. Hello Hurley Families, This visual serves a reminder of our dress code policy regarding warm weather clothing on page 20-‐21 of the student handbook. Teachers have also reviewed this with students, and it posted in classrooms.
Have a nice weekend & enjoy the warm weather! Ms. Bouchard Interim Assistant Principal
The HMS Baseball Team defeated Coyle and Cassidy yesterday by a final score of 13-‐0. Jack Murphy made his debut on the mound getting the start, with Chalie Lehouritas appearing in relief. The game was played on the varsity baseball field at Seekonk High School. Seekonk High School’s Head Baseball Coach, Joe DeMello, provided us with some pictures!