For the Week of 3/4 - 3/8

A Message from Dr. Clapp
Classroom Peeks
Happenings
Get Involved!
Community Clicks
and Upcoming Events

“The arts especially address the idea of aesthetic experience. An aesthetic experience is one in which your senses are operating at their peak; when you’re present in the current moment; when you’re resonating with the excitement of this thing that you’re experiencing; when you are fully alive.”― Sir Ken Robinson

Dear HKMS Families,

Last night a group of staff members and myself were treated to a sneak-peek dress rehearsal of Finding Nemo Jr. and it was awesome! There are few things as joyful as attending any live performance, but there is something extra special about seeing 47 middle school students pull together as a team. The singing, dance routines, set changes, lighting, sound were all seamlessly done. Theater really is the ultimate team sport! What better way to kick off your weekend then coming over to check it out? We have about 50 seats left and a few group tables. I hope you can make it here tonight (7:00 p.m.) or tomorrow afternoon (2:00 p.m.).

There are a few updates below that deserve some extra attention. A note from our nurse reminds us all of the importance of keeping sick and recovering students home. We've had a few rounds of the stomach bug that have come through and students came back to school a bit to soon. See the "Nurses Note" from Mrs. Grega below. JBHS's St. Baldrick's fundraiser is winding down, please consider making a donation to the HKMS Cougar's shave team here. Grade 8 parents, your child's personal interest project needs your help this weekend. Next week grade 8 students will be doing an initial presentation of their progress and they may need some pieces of their project to be brought to school. Students should also be practicing their pitch and you are a great first audience. See the grade 8 section in "classroom peeks" for more information.

This week was a terrific one at HKMS. Book clubs, scavenger hunts, student-led lessons, statistics, robots and more! We even had a large group of JBHS athletes here telling our 8th graders about what it's like to be a varsity student athlete.

You can check it all out and more in this week's newsletter. Wishing you and your family a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Steven Clapp, Ed.D.

A glimpse inside of the terrific teaching and learning going on this week at HKMS!

Grade 6

Mrs. Burke's writers are creating "posts" about their book club selections complete with drawings and hashtag phrases representing the plot and characters.

Our amazing intern and long term Spanish sub, Ms. Demaso, has students leading the warm up then engaging in a time hunt with peers.

Grade 7

Dr. Baca's students are figuring out where fat goes when we "lose" it and how food breaks down in our bodies!

Not sure about you, but I keep trying to lose weight and it keeps finding me.

Mrs. Caldara's mathematicians are hunting! Scavenger hunting for rational numbers that is! As students solve problems they are directed around the room to other problems all leading to a final set of solutions! This is a great way to integrate mind and body as they apply new learning.

Grade 8

Mr. Mac's scientists are pulling out important statistics from a reading about sharks. They are taking time to analyze infographics and draw conclusions connecting multiple scientific ideas.

It is commands boot camp time in Profe's 8th grade Spanish classes. Students are using multiple methods to learn and practice the formal and informal commands in the target language.

NEXT WEEK!

On Tuesday, March 12th, eighth grade students will participate in a Personal Interest Project 'show and tell' with their advisory group. They will be sharing evidence of their PIP- for some students, this will be bringing in physical items, for others, this will be showing their photos and videos in a Google Drive folder on their Chromebook.

Please check in with your child to ensure they are prepared for this meeting next week. As a reminder, all families received an email of their child's topic and 'getting started' plan. Thank you for your help and support throughout this process!

FPAs

Chorus students have been spending time learning how to read to music and play the keyboard.

Mr. Dolecki's students are strengthening their listening skills through the piece "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin. This 16 minute piece evokes different emotions at every turn. Band students are creating images and storyboards representing the emotions felt during different segments of the song.

PLTW Robot Throwing a Ball.MOV

PLTW Robot Throwing a Ball 2.MOV

Check out these cool videos of a robot built and programmed by a few of our 8th grade students. It has a movable arm and even throws a ping pong ball!

Events, activites, and other occurrences that happened at HKMS this week outside of the classroom.

Student-athletes from JBHS were on hand this week to visit grade 8 students, explain what it's like to be a varsity athlete, and answer any questions about the transition to Barlow! Great to see some familiar faces who are thriving at the next level!

Tickets now on sale!

We are excited to send out ticket information for next week's performance of Finding Nemo Jr. Performances are Friday night (3/8 curtain at 7:00 p.m.) and Saturday (3/9 curtain at 2:00p.m.)

There are a variety of seating options, be sure to review the map carefully. Please use the link below to purchase tickets.

https://eastonpto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/272009

Thank you for your support!

Our library needs your help!

Notices for library books overdue by one month or longer were emailed home yesterday. These books alone total over $700!

When these books are not returned or replaced, other students miss the chance to find and read these titles!

We appreciate your help at home to ensure books are returned in a timely manner.