Dear HKMS Families,

What are you doing for dinner tonight? We have you covered! The annual 8th-grade Pasta Dinner is tonight, and our student leaders have planned, organized, and prepared a fantastic meal for you. For just $10, you can enjoy pasta, proteins, salad, beverages, dessert, and all the fixings.

We are also thrilled to welcome back the HKMS talent show to entertain our guests while they dine. All proceeds go directly toward supporting 8th-grade end-of-year events, including the field trip, semi-formal dance, picnic, and closing ceremony. Come out for an inflation-free meal and a great show while supporting a wonderful cause!

Next Tuesday afternoon, May 5th, the HKMS and SSES staffs will face off in a softball game as part of the annual Easton Spring Fling at Staples Field of Dreams! The event features a DJ and announcer for the game, ice cream provided by the PTO, and an opportunity for students to vote on the PTO end-of-year gift to the school.

While you are there, you can also stop by to participate in the budget referendum for the next fiscal year. It promises to be a great time as the Cougars try to win back the Easton Cup from the Dolphins! The weather looks fantastic with sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s. We hope to see you all out there for the first pitch at 4:30.

Next week is National Educational Staff Appreciation Week! The Easton PTO has arranged a wonderful week of treats and thanks from our parent and student community. We will be honoring all of the teachers, para-educators, secretaries, custodians, and bus drivers who make school and learning happen every day. The PTO funds for appreciation week are running low this year, so please consider making a donation to support these efforts via the PTO website linked here. Every contribution helps us show our staff how much we value their hard work!. 

This week, I had the privilege of witnessing 100 eighth graders present their Personal Interest Projects (PIPs) to panelists from across the district and the local community. I want to offer my sincere congratulations to all the students for the amazing work they developed.

For those who are unfamiliar, the PIP is a cornerstone project that encourages students to explore their personal interests through independent and guided research to develop a new idea, concept, product, or process. The diversity of work was truly impressive. Students created items such as a handcrafted wooden baseball bat, an improved fishing lure, crocheted clothing, and a robotic moving hockey target. Others modified an electric motorbike, built a working catapult, or learned the art of sewing, among 100 other unique and creative endeavors.

To accompany their physical work, students also designed professional logos and produced videos to document their progress. Beyond the final products, the most significant learning came through the development of essential time management and public speaking skills.

This success would not have been possible without the tremendous dedication of our Library Media Specialist, Allison Gale. Each year, the PIP process becomes more refined because she carefully analyzes the results and implements thoughtful improvements for every new iteration. Thank you, Allison, and congratulations once again to all our eighth graders. Several of the most distinguished projects will be selected to participate in Barlow-Palooza on May 21st at Joel Barlow High School.

You can see many pictures of the PIP projects along with all the great teaching and learning that happened at Keller this week below. I hope to see you all tonight at the Pasta Dinner and next week at the softball game!

Sincerely,  

Steve Clapp, Ed.D.

Principal