For the Week of 10/30 - 11/3
Embedded Files
A Message from Dr. Clapp
Classroom Peeks
Drive to Thrive
Happenings
Get involved!
Community Clicks
and Upcoming Events
Dear HKMS Families,
November may be my favorite month of the year. Yes, it was the month our daughter joined us all on this march around the sun but I also love the crisp cool mornings, the warm autumn sun, the foliage, and those occasional light dustings of snow. With warm fires on cold nights, great sports to entertain us, and the greatest of holidays, Thanksgiving, capping off the month, November is a gem! Additionally, the unofficial theme of November is gratitude. Gratitude is unique among human emotions. According to renowned social scientists Jesse Walker and Amit Kumar (2016):
The experience of gratitude leads to all sorts of positive outcomes. ...gratitude increases well-being, reduces visits to the doctor, enhances feelings of social connection, and improves sleep quality. Other research has shown that gratitude is associated with lowered depression, decreased envy, an increased sense of meaning in life, higher positive affect and life satisfaction, and an increased ability to delay gratification.
If you are or ever have been a runner, a cyclist, or a paddler you know the feeling of having the "the wind in your face" or "the wind at your back." When I ride my bike into the wind, it's just about all I think about and how I cannot wait to turn around to have the wind at my back. When I do turn around, I appreciate the wind at my back, for about three seconds, then I forget about it and ride on. In our daily lives we tend to focus on the various "winds in our faces." From traffic and daily chores to financial and relationships stressors, we can all identify these "winds" at any point in our day. But how often do we stop to identify the "wind at our backs?" The aspect of our lives that propel us forward, give us support, makes us better, more efficient, and provide a boost of energy that we hardly ever notice. When we do notice those winds on our back, we are tapping into the benefits of gratitude, which make us happier and healthier. I can think of few other self-care practices that so impact our own well-being than the act of sharing our gratitude to others. This month at HKMS we will be focusing on gratitude and practicing the act of giving thanks in a variety of ways.
Next week's Veteran's Day celebration will be a chance for the whole school to learn and give our appreciation to twelve veterans who will be at school on Wednesday. After a brief recognition ceremony, student will rotate through a special schedule giving them close access to different veterans who will share their military experiences and the benefits they enjoyed from their time of service. These will be powerful opportunities for students to learn about the great sacrifices our service men and women have provided to all of us and to express their appreciation for that service. As the month rolls on, we will hold our annual "gratitude assembly" which provides students and staff a moment of reflection about those things we are grateful for and an opportunity to share that gratitude with the entire school.
Every morning as I enter the school, I reflect and appreciate the community I have the fortune to learn alongside. As I exit the building every afternoon, I try put aside any wind that was in my face that day, and to remember all those who made the day a success. The hardworking students, dedicated staff, and supportive parents all provide me with the wind at my back for which I am truly grateful. Thank you all! I am also grateful for another wonderful week of amazing middle school teaching and learning, which is bursting in this week's newsletter! Be sure to check it out below or check out our podcast version which is linked above this message.
I hope everyone has a weekend with less wind in your face and more at your back.
Sincerely,
Steven Clapp, Ed.D.
A glimpse inside of the terrific teaching and learning going on this week at HKMS!
Grade 6
Trainers for our new math program, DESMOS, were on site this week training our math teachers by modeling various ways the program can be used.
Sixth grade French students demonstrate their learning during the warm-up activity and work collaboratively with peers to review their work.
Sixth grade French students have also been surveying each other about their preferences for music and free time activities. They wrote survey questions, surveyed all of their classmates and graphed the responses.
Grade 7
What a great way to celebrate Halloween with Mr. Rogers' writers sharing their spooky stories!
Teams of students join together to tackle the new French vocabulary unit for places in a town and city. A mastery of this vocabulary will springboard their engagement in upcoming activities and projects.
Students in Mrs. Caldera's class examined the side lengths and angle measures of polygons in order to understand similarity through a scavenger hunt.
Grade 8
Mr. Crawford's students have officially begun a new unit: Linear Relationships. In this unit, students will explore slopes and learn how to graph and create equations for linear equations. Students worked collaboratively this week to find slopes of lines (from graphs, tables, and when given two points).
¿Qué estudiaron los estudiantes esta semana? ¡El Pretérito!
Spanish scholars in Profe Cerra's classes are diving head first into learning the past tense!
Over the last two weeks, student teams studied the Revolutionary War from the perspective of one of four groups: Native Americans, enslaved Africans, women, or soldiers in the Continental Army. This week, they are teaching the class about what they learned and how the war did--or did not--deliver on the promise of freedom and equality for their group.
Over the last two weeks, student teams studied the Revolutionary War from the perspective of one of four groups: Native Americans, enslaved Africans, women, or soldiers in the Continental Army. This week, they are teaching the class about what they learned and how the war did--or did not--deliver on the promise of freedom and equality for their group.
FPAs
Health students participated in a debate about whether or not cellphones should be allowed in the classroom.
In the middle of their soccer unit, students in PE move inside this week and ran through footwork skills and more important teamwork drills.
American Mathematics Competition
Event: The AMC 8 math competition
Intent to participate: We need a count of students who are interested in participating in the AMC 8 math competition. We will offer it during school the week of January 18 (specific date, time, and location TBD).
The Ask: Please take a couple of minutes to review the slides with the your child and have them decide if they would like to participate.
Slides: AMC 8 Slides
Link to the form: https://tinyurl.com/AMC8HKMS
What is the competition:
The AMC 8 is a 25-question, 40-minute, multiple-choice examination in middle school mathematics designed to promote the development of problem-solving skills. The AMC 8 provides an opportunity for middle school students to develop positive attitudes towards analytical thinking and mathematics that can assist in future careers. Students apply classroom skills to unique problem-solving challenges in a low-stress and friendly environment. Here are some AMC 8 Practice Problems, so you can see the types of problems that may be on the test.
Events, activites, and other occurrences that happened at HKMS this week outside of the classroom.
It's a PINK OUT! On Monday students and staff filled our classrooms and halls with pink. Participants donated $1 with all proceeds going to the Norma Pfriem Breast Center at Bridgeport Hospital.
It's not too late to donate!!
It's not too late to donate!!
Scan the QR Code on the flyer below to support this great cause!
Halloween at HKMS
Halloween hijinks all over the school on Tuesday with lots of dressing up and 7th grade spooky stories! There were minions everywhere as well as some super creative costumes!
Extra-Curricular Activities
Below are all the planned clubs and activities we will be offering this year.
CLICK ON THE CHART BELOW TO OPEN THE FULL DOC.
As each activities start date approaches, we will publish flyers of each club with more details below.
Green Playful Chalk Board School Bazaar Flyer.pdfPlease fill out the HW Club form linked here prior to Thursday
Join the HKMS Garden Club!.pdf
A few weeks ago Mrs. Rose's student had a chance to "Zoom" with students in our sister city Sviatohirsk, Ukraine. This week, Dr. Bindelglass dropped off these wonderful gifts from those students. Simply amazing that they, who are on the frontline of a war, would send their gratitude to us.
Holiday pop up shop for spirit wear: https://eastonpto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/262943 Deadline to order is 11/14 ** image attached as well
HKMS Ski Club is Back!
Registration information: https://www.eastonctpto.com/ski-club
PLEASE NOTE: families must be PTO members for their student to participate. All the necessary links are on the PTO website ski club page (link above) Deadline to register is 11/22/23!
Spiritwear Direct
From JBHS - A community program for suicide prevention for grade 6-12 students and their parents.
Conversation Challenges Students, Community 'To Show Up' for Each Other
JRMS PTA, in partnership with John Read Middle School and Mark Twain Library, is proud to present youth motivational speaker David Flood on Wednesday, November 8. David will bring his renowned program, "The Power of Dignity, Respect, and Compassion" to JRMS student-assemblies during the school-day and offer a special evening program for parents at Mark Twain Library at 7 p.m.
The parent program, entitled “The Power of Showing Up: Unlocking Student Potential Through the Power of Presence,” will demonstrate how to form stronger bonds with our children to unlock their potential.
David’s humorous and genuine speaking style empowers students with social and emotional skills while teaching them the lost arts of dignity, respect, and compassion. His unique program challenges middle school students and the greater community to “Be kind. Care about others. Extend your caring beyond your immediate circle.”
As a youth motivational speaker, David has spoken in 38 states and Canada to over 400,000 students, inspiring them to look at people and things differently. His online videos have received over 125 million views. He speaks with passion and conviction and, through his humility, leaves his audience with so much to think about in their formative years as they move into their future.
Click here for more information about David.
Admission to the Parent Program is free, but RSVP is required.
Wednesday, November 8, 7 PM
Mark Twain Library
439 Redding Rd, Redding, CT
Easton Public Library Events
@helen_keller_middle_school
@helen_keller_middle_school
@hkmsmediacenter
Page updated
Report abuse