For the Week of 11/21 - 11/23
Embedded Files
Welcome Message from Dr. Clapp
Classroom Peeks
Counselor's Corner
HKMS Happenings
The Nurse's Nook (new feature!)
HKMS in the News!
Ways to get involved at HKMS
and...Upcoming Events!
Dear HKMS Families,
Thanksgiving is the absolute five-star holiday for many reasons. It is the quintessential New England holiday! It's all about the 4 Fs (family, friends, football/fútbol, and food), and most importantly, it is time to express our gratitude to those who have made a difference in our lives.
Personally, I am grateful for the incredible levels of support and trust we receive from you, our families, and from the PTO. I am grateful for the top-notch professional staff who I have the pleasure of learning from and serving alongside every day. I am most grateful for the students who I have the privilege of seeing grow up (...and up …and up) from month-to-month and year-to-year. Our middle school kids are kind, helpful, insightful, caring, forgiving, and oh-so-smart. It is a joy to witness them overcome challenges, collaborate to solve problems and stretch their minds to understand.
One of the pure joys in life is to share your gratitude with those who have impacted your life. I hope you get the chance to experience as much of that joy as possible over the next few days. Check out the counselor's corner section below for some evidence of the benefits of gratitude and how we can incorporate it into our daily lives.
AND…
...maybe you can also experience some of the joy in this week's not-so-abbreviated newsletter. From today's gratitude assembly to this week's food drive and last week's pancake breakfast, not to mention the amazing teaching and learning evident in this shortened week.....We certainly all have so much to be grateful for!
Wishing you and yours safe travels, a bit of indulgence, and a wonderful Thanksgiving. (oh, and Go Pats!)
Sincerely,
Steven Clapp, Ed.D.
Principal
Helen Keller Middle School
Find your strength, build upon it, and share it!
Grade 6
Mrs. Maggi's science students had a video chat with a real scientist about mosquitos!
Dr. Catherine Lippi is a Medical Geographer at the University of Florida at Gainesville in the Department of Geography, University of Florida.
She is part of the Quantitative Disease Ecology and Conservation (QDEC) Lab Group. Her main focus is the study of viruses transmitted by mosquitoes around the world. Students submitted questions to her earlier in the week after viewing the information she sent to them.
Ms. Harington's Spanish students made awesome videos presenting their dream room designs.
Students in Mr. Bernardi's social studies classes presented their incredibly creative projects about ancient civilizations. Here are some pictures of just a few of the many incredible projects!
Grade 7
Mr. Rogers' writers are improving their narrative writing pieces by adding more descriptions, detail, and well-structured event sequences. They will do this by adding figurative language, sensory words, and dialogue!
7th graders in Dr. Baca's science classes are exploring states of matter by creating Oobleck. Oobleck is a non-Newtonian state of matter. When left alone behaves like a liquid and when under pressure like a solid. Maybe Aunt Gertrude's Thanksgiving Jello mold was Oobleck, we just didn't have the word for it!
Grade 8
Mr. Mac's scientists are planning out experiments they will record and narrate to explain one of Newton's Laws.
Social Studies scholars trying to dissect primary source letters written by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson during George Washington's 1st term. Very challenging reading and very interesting interpersonal conflicts...one realization.... students quickly realized that politics hasn't really changed all that much after all.
FPA
Grade 8 Percussion Nov2022.MOVBang that drum!
Bang that drum!
Check out this video of the grade 8 percussionists pounding their way through this new piece...which will be ready for the winter concert in January!
HKMS students took part in World Cup Stacking Day as a part of their PE class.
What do 7th graders find stressful about their lives?
What do 7th graders find stressful about their lives?
Ms. Tiani gathered insight from 7th grade students in health class about stress in their lives before launching into lessons about stress management.
A Nutrition Escape Room
A Nutrition Escape Room
6th grade students in health class applied their knowledge from the nutrition unit to complete a serious of challenges to "escape".
Eighth graders in Mr. Fearn's PLTW classes are applying their knowledge of gear ratios to build and program a robot that can drive remotely, pick things up and deposit items into a container.
From: Yale's Child Study Center
Anxiety & Mood Disorders Program
Thanksgiving Newsletter, November 2022
The Benefits of Gratitude
Considering what you are grateful for can ease anxiety, as you appreciate the positive parts of life rather than worrying about the negative.
Research shows that counting blessings boosts well-being in 10-14 year-olds
Classes were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions and asked to fill out questionnaires about well-being.
Counting blessings: list up to 5 things you were grateful for yesterday
Hassles: list up to 5 hassles
Control: only complete questionnaires
Results: After two weeks of daily completion, those in the counting blessings condition reported enhanced gratitude, optimism, life satisfaction, and decreased negative affect.
Ways your family can practice gratitude
Ways your family can practice gratitude
Create a Gratitude Tree
Start with a festive-colored piece of construction paper
Use markers or colored pencils to draw a big tree with lots of branches, leaving room at the ends of and between the branches
Print and cut out pictures of loved ones you are grateful for (i.e., family, friends, pets) as well as things you are grateful for (i.e., having enough food to eat, favorite meal or dessert, places you love going)
Glue or tape these pictures to the branches
Hang this artwork in your room or keep it with you so you can look at it when you are feeling worried or nervous to remind yourself of all that you are grateful for!
Gratitude Alphabet Game
Start with the letter A, and go around the group thinking of a person, place, or thing that each person is thankful for
Continue through the alphabet to show how many things there are to be thankful for
Daily Gratitude List
Use a journal or notepad to create a Gratitude List
Write down people, places, or things you feel thankful for
Each day, read over 3 items on your list and add 1 more
Revisit this daily, for at least two weeks, to boost mood!
Click here to read the study: Froh, J.J., Sefick, W.J., & Emmons, R.A. (2008). Counting blessings in early adolescents: an experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being. Journal of School Psychology, 46(2), 213-33.
The HKMS Gratitude Assembly
The HKMS Gratitude Assembly
Student Bottle Flipping Competition 2022.MOVCheck out this video of the grade level competition of bottle flipping.
Ripple by Raisin' Helen- Gratitude Assembly 2022.MOVRaisin' Helen performed "Ripple" to remind us all of the impact that we have on others every day!
The Amazing HKMS Staff Band
Raisin' Helen!
The Advisory Door Decorating Competition
The Advisory Door Decorating Competition
THEME: A THANKFUL WINTER
Food drive success! Thanks to all the generous donations, we were able to donate a full carload (nearly 500 lbs.) of fresh produce going right to local families in need for this Thanksgiving! Many thanks to Diane from FoodRescueUS who came and picked up the donations and delivered to "Fridgeport" where the donations have already been dispersed.
Pure Pancake Joy!!!
Pure Pancake Joy!!!
The beloved HKMS Pancake Breakfast made a triumphant return this past weekend!!!! The 8th grade class council, under the direction of Ms. Montaine and Mr. Bernardi pulled off an incredible 47th Pancake Breakfast. The community came out in droves for delicious pancakes and sausage cooked and served by our very own eighth graders.
WOW, $4,936 was raised!
The School Play is BACK!
The School Play is BACK!
We are in school play season. Many people ask us what the differences are between the school play and drama club, so we made this handy chart! To see the full doc. just click here.
2022-2023 HKMS Ski Club INFORMATION.pdfHKMS - PTO Ski Club is BACK! Email ski.HKMS@gmail.com to sign up!
Weather Impacted Schedules
Three-Hour Delayed Opening
Three-Hour Delayed Opening
Finding the Schedules on the HKMS Website
Navigate to the HKMS home page, hover over school resources, then click on "School Hours and Schedules"
Click on Schedules which will bring you to the normal master schedule and all of the the Early Dismissal and Delayed Opening schedules.
Important Message from the ER9 Nursing Staff
Important Message from the ER9 Nursing Staff
It’s that time of year… Cold & Flu Season. And RSV. And COVID.
How can we control the spread?
We all should be taking necessary precautions to stay safe and healthy: washing our hands, covering our mouths when coughing or sneezing, staying well hydrated, eating healthily, and staying home if not feeling well.
When can my child return to school after being ill?
Children must have an improvement in symptoms, be feeling well, and be fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. It is recommended that a mask be worn for 10 full days after symptoms begin. Masks are available at all ER9 schools.
Flu
Symptoms Include:
● A sudden fever (usually above 100.4°F)
● Chills
● Headache, body aches, fatigue (unusual tiredness)
● Sore throat
● Dry, hacking cough
● Stuffy, runny nose
● Some children may vomit and have diarrhea
RSV
Symptoms Include:
● Fever (temperature of 100.4°F or higher)
● Cough
● Congestion
● Sneezing
● Runny nose
● Poor appetite
● Fast breathing
● Flaring of the nostrils
● Rhythmic grunting during breathing
● Belly breathing
● Wheezing
COVID
Symptoms Include:
● Fever (temperature of 100.4°F or higher)
● Cough
● Shortness of breath
● Fatigue
● Muscle/body aches
● Loss of taste or smell
School Spiritwear Store!
Keller Educational Discussions
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!
The first batch of furniture for our new innovation space arrived this week, and the students are already enjoying it! If you want to help the cause please consider making a donation to ELF for the HKMS Innovation Spaces Project! Thank you! https://www.eastonlearningfoundation.org/shop
Help the Keller Cooking Club!!
Help the Keller Cooking Club!!
A group of students created and presented a proposal to start a cooking club at HKMS and thanks to the PTO, it is going to happen!! We need to your help gather basic equipment to get the club up and running. If you have some extra mixing bowls or cutting boards laying around, you can donate them to the KCC (Keller Cooking Club)! Simply click on the sign up genius link below then drop off your donations inside the front door of HKMS. There is a box waiting to receive it all.
November 24th-25th: No School - Thanksgiving Break
December 15th: Principal's Coffee Sponsored by PTO 9:30 AM
(TOPIC: Adolescent Brains and Restorative Practices)
December 23rd - 30th: Winter Break - No School
2023!
January 18th: Winter Chorus Concert 6:00 PM (snow date 1/19)
January 19th: Principal's Coffee Sponsored by PTO 9:30 AM
(TOPIC: Healthy Habits and the Adolescent Brain)
January 25th: Instrumental Concert 6:00 PM (snow date 1/26)
March 2nd - 4th: HKMS Musical "13" (times TBD).
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