For the week of 3/28 - 4/1
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A message from Dr. Clapp
Mikey's Madness Recap
and...Upcoming Events!
Dear HKMS Families,
This special edition of the HKMS newsletter is focused on the huge, school-wide, town-wide events to support The Mikey's Way Foundation, which we called Mikey's Madness! There were 1,000 amazing things that happened this month in Mikey Friedman's memory and we are going to try to capture all of them in this newsletter. We will skip most of our regular features and give you tons of pictures, lots of videos, and a couple of special songs to help you experience the joy that this month brought to everyone's life. I have worked at several schools and I have never experienced or heard of another community that pulled together such an amazing series of events as what happened here this month. While I would love to take the credit for orchestrating such an event, it was really... well...EVERYBODY who should get the credit. Children this age are naturally altruistic, and the joy of giving to others was infectious! Parents, teachers, and so many of our students all brought their ideas, their time, and their love to this and that's why it felt so joyous.
There is a bit of business to attend to before we dive into the fun. Below are updated dates for our end-of-year events. I also put in a note about our food policy, as we are seeing a real jump in junk food and caffeinated drinks coming in from home. It is scientifically proven that these items impede a student's ability to focus and maintain self-control. If we want to set our children up for high levels of engagement, it is vital that they have a nutritious breakfast and lunch.
End of Year Events Dates, so far - grades 6 & 7 events still being discussed: (bold & underlined are new or updated)
6/15 Grade 8 Celebration Trip to Brownstone Adventure Park (all day)
6/15 Welcome to HKMS Grade 5 Event
6/16 Grade 8 Twilight Picnic (5:30 - 8:30)--NEW DATE
6/17 Grade 8 Closing Ceremony (6:00pm) --NEW TIME
6/20 "Moving Up" Day- Transition Talks by Students - Tips and Advice (6→7, 7→8, 8→6)
6/21 Last day! Whole School Field Day at ECC (all day, which is an early dismissal)
Enjoy this special edition of the newsletter over this early spring weekend. Thank you to all who made Mikey's Madness possible and such a success!
Sincerely,
Steven Clapp, Ed.D.
Principal
Helen Keller Middle School
360 Sport Hill Rd, Easton, CT 06612
sclapp@er9.org
MIKEY'S MADNESS at HKMS
A look Back at an AMAZING Month!
Throughout this month we have talked about the magic that happens when a sick child lights up with joy during a Mikey’s Way Day at the hospital. But this month here at HKMS proves that the magic of Mikey is much more than that. Over the last 30 days, we have come together as a community. Students have gotten up at the crack of dawn to play basketball, they have cheered on their classmates and teachers, they have made and sold hundreds of friendship bracelets and snacks, they have showed off incredible baking talents, designed a custom coffee cart, and made videos and cards to send love and support. They even succeeded in getting Dr. Clapp and Mrs. Mohr to do a Tik Tok dance!!
None of these were required assignments. They did these because they wanted to. They did them selflessly to show others they are loved and supported. THAT is the magic of Mikey! He once walked the halls of HKMS with the same goodness inside of him. A goodness that is inside of all of our HKMS students.
It’s truly MAGIC!
FINAL FUNDRAISING TOTAL
FINAL FUNDRAISING TOTAL
$7217
Note:
Some additional money came in after we wrote the big check!
Videos from Mikey's Madness to Make You Smile!!!
A group of 8th grade students, under the guidance of Nicole Solis, made a video for pediatric cancer patients. This video is a way for our community to send our messages of support and make others smile during a tough time. A QR code linked to this video will be on each friendship bracelet delivered with the Mikey's Way Day gifts.
During our celebratory assembly, our staff band, Raisin' Helen, performed their remake of "Sweet Home Helen Keller". This is the first time we have been able to come together as an entire school for an assembly since before the pandemic. Hearing the school sing along to Raisin' Helen brought tears of joy to our eyes.
Link: Video of Raisin' Helen performing "Sweet Home Helen Keller"
Dr. Clapp and Mrs. Mohr made a deal with the HKMS community. If we reached out goal of $5000, they would learn and record a Tik Tok dance. As a side note, this was chosen by the students. It was NOT their choice. :) Here is the video of Dr. Clapp and Mrs. Mohr fulfilling that promise!
A Mikey's Madness Photo Montage
A gentle reminder that BOE Policy R6142.101(g), copied below, encourages families to send students in with "healthy" lunches or snacks. We have seen a dramatic rise in candy, soda, and, huge bags of chips or crackers brought in for lunch the last few weeks.
Many studies show that a high protein, low carb diet, with lots of fruits and veggies provides the fuel that young adolescents need to power their brains through all the demands we put on them every day. If you have an extra 2 minutes I recommend you read this short blog post that sites several peer-review studies on the nutritional effects on learning.
April 5th: Principal's Coffee 9:30 AM at HKMS- Topic: Transition to HS
Special Guest: Dr. Almeida - Head of Schools JBHS
April 8th: Early Release Day
April 11th - 15th: April Vacation
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