For the Week of 9/11 - 9/15
A Message from Dr. Clapp
Classroom Peeks
Happenings
Counselor's Corner
Get involved!
Keller in the News
Community Clicks
and Upcoming Events
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dear HKMS Families,
The solemn anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our country were observed this week as we passed the 22nd anniversary of those horrible events. I was a young teacher over at our sister school, John Read Middle School in Redding, when the attack occurred. I was given the news during my period 2 class by my mentor and long time team mate, Mrs Andrea Knox, who was pale as a ghost when she walked into my room. That morning we decided not to share the events occurring with the students. But as the day passed, more and more parents were picking up their children and the news eventually leaked out. As a faculty, we decided to ride the busses home with the students to be sure everyone was safely delivered and arrived home. I don't think I've ever been on a school bus so quiet.
As we dusted ourselves off as a community and country, the reality of the events horrified all of us and generated so many unanswerable questions for our students. It was one of the most challenging periods to be an educator, but like any challenge, once you overcome it, you become stronger for the experience. This week we honored the victims, with an extended moment of silence, followed by the playing of Taps, and I recited the quote from Dr. King from the top of this message, which gave me strength and perspective then as it still does today. My hope is that our students will learn from our example, of how we came together, rallied around the victims, recognized our heroes, and became stronger as a nation out of love and not hate.
To make an awkward transition, this weeks newsletter is full of love! The love of learning, teaching and connecting with students. Below you will find "peeks" into our advisory lesson, Dr. McKinnon who "Happened" to be around playing with our new ViewSonic boards, a new "Counselor's Corner" about developing good habits, ways you can Get Involved, and of course the all important Upcoming Events" list.
Wishing everyone 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
Can you find the location of a particular place in the world? How would you do that? Social scientists use relative location (where something is in relation to another place (e.g. Connecticut is South of Massachusetts) and absolute location (an exact spot, like an address or latitude and longitude). Any guess where 41.24530, -73.27068 might be?
Finding the area of irregular objects is tricky! Mrs. Brodeur's mathematicians are working on different strategies to solve those tricky area problems.
Grade 7
Mrs. Rose's social scientists are learning how to use Atlases to help understand various characteristics of places they will study. Then they took a Kahoot to see how much they learned.
Mrs. Solis is demonstrating how to categorize appropriate forms of questions and responses in French, then students worked in groups to complete their charts.
Mathematicians working through the Problem of the Week! 👍
Grade 8
Nothing like a good ol fashioned scavenger hunt to get those math minds pumping!
Spanish speakers "escribe la pregunta" or learning how to write proper questions in Profe's class this week.
FPAs
Mr. Dolecki takes time to really nail down his teaching point, which helped grade 6 band students hit the perfect notes on their scales!
Art portfolios will store all the treasures made in Art class this semester. Check out the amazing lettering and decorations made by our 6th graders!
Our young engineer's are using Computer Aided Designing (or CAD) to make 3D cubes, then deconstruct them to add more depth and style (or a smiley face).
Advisory
Our first advisory class of the year! These small groups will meet with their faculty advisor every other week. Some weeks they will discuss executive functioning (grade 6&7), their Personal Interest Project (or PIP, grade 8), or their social well being. This week there were some fun "get to know each other" activities and time capsules! The goal is to create trusted relationships is a small group setting.
Events, activites, and other occurrences that happened at HKMS this week outside of the classroom.
Dr. McKinnon came by on Tuesday to learn how we can "cast" from laptops, chromebooks, or mobile devices to our new ViewSonic boards!
Extra-Curricular Activities
Below are all the planned clubs and activities we will be offering this year.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE OF THE TABLE TO OPEN THE FULL DOC.
As each activities start date approaches, we will publish flyers of each club with more details.
(Note: dates and times are subject to change)
Grade 8 Recess is always full of smiles!
Students (and teachers) enjoyed some well-deserved "extra" outside break time following the NWEA testing block.
Let's start off the school year right!
We all want our children to have a successful school year. One way in which we can help them do so is by establishing routines!
Routines help create a sense of security, while the predictability and stability of routines helps ease anxiety and overtime increases student independence. When it comes to school, the morning, evening and homework routines can have an impact on a student's performance.
Every member of the family has different tasks to complete in the morning so sitting down together and creating a morning routine can help everyone get out of the house on time! In addition to getting ready, routines can be a great opportunity to assign shared responsibilities such as feeding the pets, packing the lunches, or making breakfast.
After school, establishing a time and location dedicated to homework may help students see an end to their work day knowing that free time is coming! Part of this routine may be getting a snack beforehand or plugging in their chromebook to charge afterwards. Additionally, with many students involved in extracurriculars, having a routine and schedule can help calm the chaos!
When it comes to the evenings, a nighttime routine can ensure that everyone is getting the sleep they need. Sleep plays a crucial part of child development and is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Kids who regularly get an adequate amount of sleep have improved attention, memory, and overall mental and physical health.
It's not always easy to develop routines but once you do, we think you will recognize the positive effect they can have.
For our 6th grade students, we are helping them get into the new routine and adjust to life at HKMS through lunch groups. These groups are optional, therefore students have the choice to participate or not, and will run for between eight and ten weeks. It is a great opportunity for them to get to know their peers and the counseling department!
Save the date: Wednesday October 4
For the third time in as many years we will be participating in the "walk, bike, & roll" to school day! If you don't live in walking distance, no problem! We are partnering with Jesse Lee Church to offer parking for you and your family to participate. You can also choose to "drop" your child off on Ridgedale Road. Mrs. Mohr, Dr. Clapp, and members of the EPD will be on hand to make sure everyone is safe and having fun! More info to come in next week's newsletter.
Plan on dropping or parking between 7:30-7:45 to make sure everyone is on time for school!
The Flags of HKMS!
Is your family's flag flying at HKMS? The ceiling and walls of the HKMS cafeteria will be filled with flags that represent the various cultures, countries, and ethnicities of the entire HKMS community! We want to be sure we have your family represented in the flags for the 2023-24 school year. Please take 15 seconds to fill out the questionnaire here so we can update our flags to include your family.
Spiritwear store now open with all new designs!
PTO Fall Fundraisers! Your going to buy mums anyway, and maybe its time to update your family photos? Support he PTO and check both off your to-do list!
Easton PTO is happy to offer fall family photo mini sessions with Justin Baiad Photography at Sport Hill Farm on Sunday, October 1st and Sabia Tree Farm on Saturday, October 21st.
Find ou more by following this link: https://eastonpto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/255414
Congratulation to two HKMS alumni (Nate and Ian) for being recognized for their academic excellence! There are many proud teachers here pulling for you guys!
The ECC's Teen Center Afterschool Program
From our friends at the Easton Public Library!
@helen_keller_middle_school
@hkmsmediacenter