Covering the week of 9/29 - 10/3
Embedded Files
A Message from Dr. Clapp
Classroom Peeks
HKMS Happenings
Get Involved!
Community Clicks
Upcoming Events
Dear HKMS Families,
You did it! Thank you to everyone who contributed to this years PTO fundraiser. The last push on Monday got us over our goal. You ended up raising $6,661.00! The 6th graders did win the participation prize, but the 7th graders made it close! Here are the percentage finals:
Grade 6 = 44.1%
Grade 7 = 30.4%
Grade 8 = 23.5%
Once our new foosball and picnic tables are set up, I will highlight them in a future newsletter. Thanks to Nikki and Carrie for leading the PTO through this effort!
Walk to school day is coming next Wednesday (10/8)! If you have or have not had the chance to walk to school with your kids, please take advantage of this opportunity. Park at Jesse Lee Church and join the fun, or drop your child at the top of Ridgedale Rd. and watch them enjoy a bit of exercise, fresh air, and some lively music as they travel to school. Mrs. Mohr, Easton PD and I will be out there making sure all goes smoothly and safely. See a map in "Upcoming Events" with more details.
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:
"Managing Boredom"
Rationale:
The brain can only handle so much input before being saturated. Boredom allows the brain to process and make room for more input.
Brain studies reveal that boredom leads to deeper and more critical thinking.
Children who can sit with their boredom, become adults who solve difficult problems
Modern children today seem to "need" a constant stream of entertainment. Those who can mange boredom can make up their own entertainment, which fosters creativity.
What you can do to promote:
When your child says, "I'm bored" you can promote their management of this feeling by doing the following:
Hand them some basic supplies and step back (no prompting, just let them figure it out).
Try to avoid "the screen" as the answer. Video games, internet, or TV are nice treats, but makes our brain passive rather than active and will lead to more boredom, which leads to more screen, and starts a vicious cycle.
Send them outside, and step back. Let them figure it out. The world is full of engaging adventures, we just have to get them past the doorway.
This is not an adult problem to fix, it a child problem for our kids to figure out themselves. In fact, it is not a problem, it is a golden opportunity! The more we leave it up to them, the more self-reliant, confident, and resilient they will become!
For more fascinating information on boredom, check out this great doc: Interesting Info about the Positive Power of Boredom!
Hoping your weekend has just enough boredom for you to get those creative juices flowing.
Sincerely,
Steve Clapp, Ed.D. & Annie Mohr
Principal Assistant Principal
Students in 6th grade Spanish are writing "meet and greet" skits to practice their introductory vocabulary.
Our young mathematicians are multiplying mixed numbers using the double cross-reducing strategy. Creating an improper fraction, using multiples to cross reduce, then multiplying across numerators and denominators, and then finally turning the improper product into a mixed number is tough! Glade we have the help of Mr. Dortenzio and Ms. Zuch to remind us of all the steps involved!
Students in Dr. Baca's science classes created their own presentations and games to help their classmates learn about elements!
Students in Mr. Rogers' ILA classes are analyzing character development and character changes throughout a novel focusing on their global issues books.
Eighth grade writers in Mr. Jockers' classes have started to research for their news stories as a part of the journalism unit. This week student representative attended a press conference with Dr. Clapp and Mrs. Mohr to ask about all of the topics being covered by themselves as well as their peers. This information will be incorporated into their articles as well as other interviews and research.
Eighth grade students are studying Newton's laws and the impact of different forces on objects.
Grade 8 orchestra musicians are getting into their first concert pieces this week and they sounded amazing!
Students are running a timed mile in PE. The weather is perfect for this important cardiovascular activity!
Extracurricular Clubs and Activities!
This Gantt Chart shows our extracurricular timeline for the school year. If the month is colored in (i.e., not white) the activity is running that month. The color of the cell represents a day of the week and time. For example, Volleyball in dark yellow runs Wednesdays from January - March from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. The musical is the most unique activity as it will be running from November - February in some combination of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (depending on rehearsal group). Which is why the musical cells are a gradient of orange, yellow, and green. All current clubs and activities also have a flyer below this chart with more details about time, location, and advisor.
Extracurricular Highlight
Extracurricular Highlight
The HKMS garden club has made incredible progress already! They even planted garlic this week!
Changing of the Guard!
Out 8th grade leaders made their final announcements this week as they handed the reins off to our new 7th grade student government leaders! Thank you for adding your voices to our morning announcements.
SEPTA!
Easton's Special Education Parent Teacher Association
SEPTA 2024-2025 Year end.pdf
The Easton Learning Foundation!
Founded in 2004, the Easton Learning Foundation (ELF) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching Easton’s commitment to quality education. To that end, the Foundation strives to secure financial and human resources for innovative educational projects and programs by:
Building community-wide support for the benefit of our schools
Partnering with the District to help achieve their vision
Funding educational initiatives and programs that fall outside the school budget, like the cafeteria furniture seen below!
Who: HKMS Students, Family Members, and Well-Behaved Dogs!
What: Joining in National Walk to School Day!
When: October 8, 2025 (7:30-7:50 a.m.)
Where: For those who are not within walking distance we will have a drop off at the top off Ridgedale Rd. and parking area at Jesse Lee Church for those wishing to join the fun with the kids.
Why: Take this opportunity to enjoy walking your children to school and some light exercise before our day starts. All family members are welcome!
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