Dear HKMS Families,

Happy 2024!  Students and teachers came back from break well rested and eager to learn and get to work this week! This week's newsletter features an amazing "championship" debate among our eighth graders about which of our Bill of Rights to the Constitution is the most important in protecting our freedom and way of life.  Grade seven students are trying to create better MREs (meals ready to eat), both more nutritional, and better tasting as well as understand the chemistry involved in creating these emergency meals. Over in grade six, students are developing their narrative writing skills and applying their operational skills to fractions, decimals, and percent's.  It may have been a short week, but it was jammed with great teaching and learning! 

There are several important events coming up that I'd like to highlight. They are: 

• The PTO sponsored Bridgeport Islander's game is this Sunday with the puck drop scheduled for 3:00 p.m. The weather conditions on Sunday afternoon may not be ideal for driving.  We have been assured by the Bridgeport Islanders that the game will go on regardless of the conditions. We ask you to use your best discretion in assessing your family's safety in getting to the game. We would never expect you to put yourself or your family in harm's way for this or any school related event.

• The annual JBHS Program of Studies orientation is scheduled for Monday, January 8, 2024, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  The orientation will focus on describing course offerings, graduation requirements, and the course selection process for the 2024-2025 school year.  They will also be providing student led tours of our elective areas from 6:00-6:45. Here is a link to the JBHS  Program of Studies document. 

• Our first concert of the school year will be on 1/17 at SSES when out choral groups take center stage.  The program begins sharply at 6:00 pm on 1/17  in SSES's cafetorium

• Our instrumental concert will be held on 1/24 at 6:00 pm here in the HKMS cafetorium.

It is that time of year when weather can change at a moment's notice and, as winter approaches, there is potential for weather-related disruptions to the regular school day throughout the season.  In the event we have any change to the regular schedule, we will notify you through our communication database (called Thrillshare).  You may receive a text or phone call, both, or none depending on what you have signed up to receive.  We no longer put our weather impacted changes on local media stations.  If you would like to change the type of notifications you receive, we can modify your preferred communication by contacting Mrs. Cahalan at scahalan@er9.org. The modified school schedules for Helen Keller are listed below.