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Dear HKMS Families,

One of the most effective features of a great schools are extracurricular activities. Extracurriculars have a strong positive correlation with academic performance, leading to higher GPAs, better attendance, and increased college enrollment. These activities foster essential skills like time management, problem-solving, and discipline, which transfer to academic success. They also enhance cognitive abilities, promote positive school engagement, build confidence and resilience, and provide real-world applications for classroom learning (so many good sources on this topic, here is just one good overview).  I know of no other singe feature a school can offer that has such a wide and positive impact on student outcomes.  This week we are very proud to announce the official kick off of 2025-26 HKMS Extracurricular Activities.  We also published the weekly extra help "office hours" for each teacher that students can (and should) take advantage of.  Check the Happenings section for a comprehensive chart and flyers of all the currently activities, clubs and extra help offerings. 

As discussed at open house, for each of the next few weeks we will highlight one skill that will give your child a competitive advantage in school and beyond.  These are skills we are working on in school, but will really only flourish if also worked on at home.   Each skill will include a rational and some ideas on how you can promote it at home.  This week's skill is:

 "Positive Energy"  

Rationale: 

• Be it positive or negative, energy is contagious and will spread.  Eeyore will suck the energy from you as much as Tigger will have you jumping right into the action!

• Positive energy children attract peers, teachers, and opportunities.  People want to be close to others with high positive energy.

• This is not "bouncing off the walls" energy, but enthusiasm for being happy to be in the present.  Being excited to be here, to do this work, who your with, "this is right where I want to be" kind of attitude. 

What you can do to promote: 

• Model excitement by saying things like, "this looks like fun let's try it!"

• Your visible excitement is contagious and becomes a model for how to approach facing challenges with excitement rather then dread.    

• Surround your child with other positive role models, friends, media (music, movies, books, etc) and events (anniversaries, seasonal celebrations, etc.).  

• Positive reframing is a great way to have students see the glass as half full.  A bad grade is not a failure, but an opportunity to learn. A spilled drink is not a mess but a chance to clean the floor. Its about how you look at the event, and know your kids are absorbing all you do and say when faced with adversity, they will do the same as you one day. 

Well our students and teachers certainly brought a ton of positive energy to HKMS this week, and you will pick up on it in this week's newsletter.  Enjoy!! 

Sincerely,

Steve Clapp, Ed.D. &   Annie Mohr

Principal Assistant Principal

Mrs. Brodeur's mathematicians are learning that there isn't just one way to solve a problem.  In fact, they psent time this week analyzing the "most efficient" way of subtracting mixed numbers with regrouping.  Mrs. Brodeur is explaining complex problems by turning the numbers into dollar and cent amounts so things make more sense in a real world way.

French students are being led by our good friend Mrs. Maggi in creating posters about French speaking countries!

SEPTA!

Easton's Special Education Parent Teacher Association