For the Week of 5/22 - 5/26


Dear HKMS Families,

As the Grateful Dead eloquently said, "Let there be songs to fill the air." Nothing rejuvenates the soul like an outdoor concert performed by young musicians.  The beautiful weather was only rivaled by the inspiring student performances at last night's orchestra and band concert. This culminating performance for a year's worth of practices, rehearsals, struggles, and accomplishments is a perfect metaphor for educating middle school students.  You win some, you lose some, but the important thing is to keep on playing! Bravo to all the students and teachers involved and thank you for the great turnout.

The "May-ness" is upon us with tons of great learning experiences and events happening all over campus. From baby chicks hatching, a visit from the search and rescue helicopter Eagle 2, to concerts, debates, and a visit from the JBHS Robotic Team, it all happened at HKMS this week! Please be sure to take a few minutes to check out all the great teaching and learning in the Classroom Peeks section below. 

Some good reminders are in the Happenings section including:

Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday weekend!

Sincerely,

Steve Clapp

Principal

Helen Keller Middle School

Find your strength, build upon it, and share it!

Grade 6

Mrs. Burkes' readers took a deep dive into the characters of the book Fever 1793.  They used text to illustrate character traits.

Mr. Bernardi's students engaging in a Socratic Seminar, a highly structured style of debate and discussion around a topic or question.

Happy Birthday to these adorable little chicks that Mrs. Maggi's scientists incubated, observed hatch, and will be caring for as they get ready for their forever homes!

Grade 7

Mrs. Rose is assessing student understanding of the unit on Africa while previewing what is coming next using Kahoot!

Ms. Mancini's mathematicians are busy comparing and ordering "real" numbers in ascending and descending order. 

Grade 8

A former HKMS Student, Emily Bartz, spent time with our 8th grade science classes.  She brought to life her career as an aeronautical engineer and her current work as Chief Engineer of the International Black Hawk Production Program out of Sikorsky.  This was perfect timing as the Eagle Two Helicopter landed on our field on the same day!!

Robotics 1.mp4
Robotics 1.mp4

Members of the JBHS Robotics team (#4572), seen here in their trademark lime green, treated our 8th graders to a demonstration of their award winning robot, Mantis.  The Barlow team described the process, the outside mentors, the many departments, and the intricate adjustments they made to build this robot.  We are hoping to see some of these 8th graders in lime green next year!

FPA

Mrs. G's artists are seen here working on neuro graphic art in the beautiful outdoors!

"Let their be songs to fill the air" (Hunter & Garcia). Last night the HKMS Bands and Orchestra filled the air with beautiful music and inspiration.  A wonderful kickoff to the outside "summer concerts" that are so much a part of our region. Bravo!

Helecopter landing.mp4

The Eagle has landed!  

Literally!

An amazing thing happened at HKMS today.  The Eagle Two Search and Rescue helicopter landed on our field!  Students and staff were outside to greet the pilots and ask questions abut their amazing experiences.  

ATTENTION!!

 ALL HKMS Library books due back in school by Friday 6/2.

We broke ground and set up the new beds! Shout out to the Easton Garden Club for the donations of copost, soil and sweat!

Happenings around...

Barlow-Palooza!

HKMS Displays and Projects at Barlow-Paluzza!

Graduation Gifts for Your Future Falcon


The JB Falcons Swag Store is now open for graduation gifts for the incoming JB class of 2027.  



Don’t miss out!

The JBHS Summer Academy 2023 is now accepting registration for our summer courses.  The registration form can be found within the Summer Academy Brochure.  

Questions about the Summer Academy should be emailed to dkellogg@er9.org or kbender@er9.org.

Open to all Easton 7th and 8th graders!

JBHS's annual color run will be Sunday 6/4 to support Mikey's Way Foundation! Link here.

Dr. McKinnon was joined by scholars and admin from across ER9 to recognize student leaders at the Western CT Superintendents' Association Banquet.  Congrats to Danny and Arianna from HKMS!


Permission Slip Central!

8th Grade Parents:  

Please use the link belowto sign your child up to attend the Twilight Picnic on June 8th for 8th grade students.  

The Twilight Picnic will be 5:30pm - 7:00pm and will feature the Big Green Pizza Truck!

Nothing better than a round of golf that helps support innovation in our schools!  Consider signing up for the annual ELF Golf Tournament. All proceeds go to support innovative educational opportunities at SSES and HKMS!

Share Your Time or Produce with Easton´s Homebound Seniors


The Easton ¨Grow-A-Row¨ program will be returning this summer and helpers are needed to make it a success. Beginning on June 20th, excess fresh produce grown in home gardens ( or purchased from local farms )  can be dropped off each Tuesday at Shaggy Coos Farm, 53 Center Road, Easton, CT from 8 am-12:00 pm. Volunteer drivers will deliver the collected food to homebound seniors in town.

Please contact Alison Witherbee [awitherbee@eastonct.gov or call (203) 268-1137] for more information.


There are several ways that Easton residents can support this initiative: 

School Spiritwear Store!

https://stapleskellerspiritwear.com/

Grade 8 Events

Parent Letter Grade 8 EOY Events 2023

This doc has a table of all the 8th-grade EOY events with a descripton and a parent to do list. A good one to print up and post on the fridge! 

@HKMS_easton 

@helen_keller_middle_school

@hkmsmediacenter