For the Week of 10/12 - 10/14

Welcome message from Dr. Clapp
Classroom "Peeks"
HKMS "Happenings"
Counselors' Corner
Ways to get involved at HKMS
and...Upcoming Events!

Dear HKMS Families,

I need to start with a few big THANK YOUs! First off thanks to all of you for your generosity. We have successfully accomplished our PTO fundraising goal of $6,000! A second big THANK YOU goes to all the parents who let us know about something that happened on your child's social media account or on a group text. As I said last week, as parents we need to snoop into our children's social media lives. It is just too dangerous, tempting, and easy for these developing minds to wander off course. We will be focusing on the allure and ills of social media on young adolescents at our November 17 parent coffee. Speaking of coffee, the PTO provides some great coffee and treats at our monthly gathering (thanks Beth and Gina). Next Week (10/20) we will gather, drink coffee, and discuss adolescent brain development. This article (A Grown Up's Guide to the Adolescent Brain by Kriya Lendzion) will set a nice tone for the rest of the year's discussions. If we understand how their brains are changing, we can better assist them successfully navigate these amazing years! A final huge THANK YOU (for this week) to Cathy S who beautifies HKMS on a shoestring budget. She rolled out all the lovely Autumnal decorations around school, brightening everyone's day!

The abbreviated week results in an abbreviated newsletter. We are highlighting the awesome BASH celebration we held today for all grades in recognition of the amazing PTO fundraising efforts from across the community. Incredibly, we blew away our goal and more importantly, the students felt a sense of accomplishment while having a ton of fun! Speaking of fun, the walk to school day was perfect! We had about 100 students and a number of parents and dogs participate. You have to check out the slo-mo video Mrs. Mohr took linked below. Thanks to everyone who joined us and the staff who volunteered to help supervise as well as Jesse Lee Church for the parking! We would love to do this again in May when everyone is excited to get back outside!

It looks like a beautiful stretch of Autumn weather. I hope you get a chance to enjoy our beautiful town as the foliage will be "peeking" this weekend!

Sincerely,

Steven Clapp, Ed.D.

Principal

Helen Keller Middle School

360 Sport Hill Rd, Easton, CT 06612

(203) 268-8651

sclapp@er9.org

Find your strength, build upon it, and share it!

Grade 6

Students in Mrs. Broduer's math students are playing integer head bandz!

Ms. Harington's French students are filming puppet shows in the target language.

Grade 7

Students in Dr. Baca's science classes had a chance to design their own experiment. The group pictured above was measuring and comparing the height of a chemical reaction in a Mentos and coke experiment.

Grade 8

Mr. Ackley is helping students grasp multi-step equations with variety of resolutions. Some have answers, some do not, while others have solutions that are infinite!

Eighth grade students are learning about how law enforcement helps us defend our rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness in the internet age. Easton Police Detective Kent Lyman and Senior State Prosecuting Attorney Tiffany Tortora met with the 8th grade social studies classes to discuss the how to stay safe and be responsible in the online world.

FPA

It's that puberty time of the trimester in health class. The physical, emotional, and social impacts of the developing adolescent brain are being examined. Our "habits of success" (left) can help us navigate school during these developmental phases!

With the yarn paintings completed, Mrs. G wasted no time in moving on to fall sketching!

Walk to school slow-mo.mp4

Yearbook Club Dates

Mrs. Rose needs help to create and design the 2022-223 HKMS Yearbook! If you are interested, check out the doc linked above!

Shout outs to the beautification committee for the fall decor and the PTO for the new HKMS lanyards and ID clips!

Not feeling like going out for recess? Grab a paddle and a few friends and get your ping-pong on!

IMG_9734.MOV

The Cookie Face Challenge

Minute-to-win-it! Trivia-challenges! Dance Party! All of that and more at today's BASH celebration!

HKMS Halloween Guidelines

Halloween is quickly approaching. It is fun to recognize the spirit of the day, but we want to ensure that the costumes do not impact students’ abilities to focus and learn in school. Dressing up is optional, but, if your child would like to dress up on Monday 10/31, please work with them to ensure that the following guidelines are met.

The school dress code guidelines still apply. Student dress must be appropriate and in line with our dress code reflected in the HKMS Student Handbook (p. 13).
Students wishing to participate by wearing a costume must arrive at school dressed in their costumes. Students are not to change into costumes or apply hair products at school.
Students are NOT permitted to wear “over the head” masks or other full-head coverings. This includes, but is not limited to traditional Halloween masks, hats, hoods, wigs, etc. Protective face masks for COVID-19 can still be worn.
If a student's costume compromises their safety or the safety of others, they will be asked to contact home for a change of clothes.
Students are NOT permitted to have weapons (or toys simulating weapons) as part of their costumes.
Students are NOT permitted to have any additional hand-held props to go along with their costumes.
Student costumes should NOT be overly graphic, suggestive, or depict violence, blood, or gore.
Costumes should NOT restrict movement or vision, or participation in normal activities.
Students are NOT permitted to wear inflatable costumes.

Halloween here at Keller will be festive, but it will still be a normal school day; we will be following a normal class schedule. We hope to enjoy good laughs with lots of learning, too! Thank you for your support in ensuring that Halloween is a “magical” experience for all here at HKMS.

Kim Heran, LCSW
School Social Worker

School-Based Counseling Services vs. Outside Therapy

Over the years, many have asked, “What is the difference between school-based counseling and outside therapy?”. The Counseling Team provides counseling and support to students for school-related problems and concerns. Counseling could be related to coping with academic stress, behavior problems, test anxiety, peer relationship problems or conflicts, executive functioning, or social-emotional concerns that manifest themselves primarily in the school environment. Students can seek counseling on their own, parents can refer their children or grade-level teams might consider school-based counseling as an appropriate intervention for students who are struggling academically or socially.

When problems become more pervasive or their impact is more significant on the child’s overall mental health and functioning both in and outside of school, outside therapy might be indicated and more appropriate. More recently, we know that the levels of anxiety and depression in youth have risen significantly and led many more parents to consider outside therapy for their children. Due to this increase in mental health concerns, many therapists have long waiting lists. It is important to note that your pediatrician is often the first and best contact parents should consult with when considering outside therapy. Pediatricians have relationships with mental health providers in the community and can readily help parents with this process. The HKMS Counseling Team can also be a resource if parents are uncertain how to go about navigating the process of obtaining a therapist for their child. The team has relationships with many therapists in the community who have successfully worked with other students from HKMS.

Renderings of the ELF Cafeteria's Innovative Space Redesign! Click here to get involved!

Link to the Article: https://www.kriyalendzion.com/_files/ugd/d500ec_5b78e16f6d9946be8afa53d8ff5a26c3.pdf

School Spiritwear Store!

https://stapleskellerspiritwear.com/

All proceeds go to the PTO!

Keller Educational Discussions

Do you have an area of expertise middle schoolers can learn from? Do you like sharing? We want you to give a KED-Talk!

Click here for more information and to sign up!

YS Nov-Dec trifold.pdf

Check out the new Easton Public Library youth offerings!

HKMS bus #9 announcement.pdf

If you would like your child take this bus to the library on a certain day, please send a note to HKMSmainoffice@er9.org or call (203)268-8651 You need to send this email EVERY TIME that your child will be taking that bus so that a bus note is issued to them on that day.