For the Week of 9/26 - 9/29
Embedded Files
A Message from Dr. Clapp
Classroom Peeks
Happenings
Counselor's Corner
Get involved!
Keller in the News
Community Clicks
and Upcoming Events
“I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did."
~ Yogi Berra
Dear HKMS Families,
If you have never walked your kids to school before, next week is your perfect opportunity! Next Wednesday is National "Walk, Ride, or Roll" to school day. Students and parents all over our great country will be ditching the bus/car and walking, riding their bike, or rolling their board or chairs into school. To make it as safe as possible, we are partnering with Jesse Lee Church, allowing families to park in their lot and walk in with their child(ren) (please use the Flat Rock Rd. entrance to the Jesse Lee Lot). Families can also choose to drop their child(ren) off at the turnaround on Ridgedale Rd. Easton PD, the Easton Courier, Mrs. Mohr, several teachers and I will line the path from HKMS up through the snake path (don't worry it's named for the paved switchback that looks like a coiled snake) along the whole route. Having a grown up walk with you to school, it is such a great way to start the day, and I have such fond memories of my parents walking with me as a youngster. Create those lasting memories next Wednesday. We'll be out on Ridgedale Rd from 7:35 - 7:55.
We have officially left the "honeymoon" phase of the school year, and as you will see in this edition, teachers are really cranking out challenging assignments and assessments. With those assignments and assessments, come some of the first grades beyond homework and classwork completion. If you have not already done so, please consider signing up for weekly PowerSchool Notifications (I do not recommend the daily notifications as you will be inundated you with notices). It is important to remember low grades do not necessary reflect a student who is struggling, but is hopefully a sign of a teacher who is finding the right level of challenge for those young minds and encouraging them to take risks and work harder. Below are some suggested phrases you might employ if your child comes home with grades below their expectations. These phrases will reduce their anxiety about the grade and help them focus on growth and improvement. As always, if you are concerned, please reach out to your child's teacher, case manger, the grade level team leader, or me. Most times these "lower then expected" are a normal part of the growing up process.
It looks like we're in for a rainy Friday night and Saturday morning. What better way to fight off those early fall chills than cuddling up with the latest edition of our newsletter featuring some of the best in middle school teaching and learning!
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
Our emerging Spanish speakers are practicingsking and answering questions about each others 'names in the target language.
Our young social scientists are learning and practicing how historians date the ancient and modern worlds using BCE (Before the Common era) and CE (Common Era) which replaces BC (before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini - Latin for "in the year of our Lord").
Grade 7
Dr. Baca's scientists are doing experiments to create gas bubbles by mixing different ingredients with water.
Each year in 7th Grade Social Studies write an argument essay in support of important global issues. Students choose one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as their platform.. Students participate in lesson activities in order to understand the many different roles the UN plays around the world.
Grade 8
Mr. Crawford's mathematicians are preparing for a "quest" on Friday. A quest is like a quiz, but you can work in a group or alone and students can use a resource card. Students took a practice quiz on Thursday.
Mr.D's historians are studying what it means to be free. For this task they had to listen to a podcast about a freeman and draw a picture of the person the story is about. Afterall, a picture is worth 1,000 words!
FPAs
Mr. Fearn's students always circle up and celebrate what they accomplished in PLTW that week. Check out the engineering brochures that students created!
Our young artists have created peace paintings of tranquil seascapes! Do you know what kind of shoes do artists wear? Sketchers of course!
Advisory in Pictures
September 26, 2023
This week featured executive functioning lesson in grades 6&7 and paper airplane challenges in grade 8
Let the High School Process Begin!
-Kristin Burnham, HKMS School Counselor
To the Parents/Guardians of Eighth Graders:
I am excited to start working with your child on planning the next chapter of their academic career: high school! Preparing for the transition to high school can be a year long process. While the majority of students go on to attend Joel Barlow High School, some students may decide to apply to alternative or private high schools. I will be speaking with the eight grade classes about the different alternative high schools available. In the months of October and November, eighth grade students will have the opportunity to meet school staff from regional/magnet/technical high schools (see schedule below) and receive information about each school. Regardless of whether or not they apply to alternative high schools, all students will begin the process of reviewing the Program of Studies for Joel Barlow High School and will be guided through the preparation of selecting high school courses for next year.
They will also be visiting Joel Barlow High School on October 20th!
Alternative High School Visit Schedule:
Center for Global Studies- October 5th
Henry Abbott Tech- October 10th
Regional Center for the Arts- October 13th
Fairchild Wheeler- October 27th
Trumbull Regional Agriscience and Biotechnology Center- November 3rd
I will continue to reach out with important dates and information about the high school transition. If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact Kristin Burnham at kburnham@er9.org in the Counseling Office.
Events, activites, and other occurrences that happened at HKMS this week outside of the classroom.
The HKMS Library Media Center News!
The HKMS Library Media Center News!
Our Library Media Specialist, Mrs. Gale, will be putting together this update every other week.
Congratulations to grade 6 for checking out 367 book already, that's more then three per student!
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.
Join the HKMS Garden Club!.pdf
Save the date: Wednesday, October 4th
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! Please fill out the Google form linked here so we know how many to plan for.
Join the HKMS School Climate Advisory Committee
A Parent Volunteer Opportunity
Dear HKMS Parents and Guardians,
The climate of a community lives and breathes in the words we speak, the actions we display and a deep commitment to learning and connecting. Listening...truly listening to our students is the key to continuous growth and improvement of their learning environment,
Last year, HKMS ran a school climate advisory committee made up of HKMS parent volunteers, HKMS staff volunteers and HKMS student representatives. This committee comes together a few times during the school year to listen to student voice, It was an awesome experience and we can't wait to get started for this year!!
We are in need of parent volunteers to be a part of our committee this year.
The committee will meet 5 times total throughout the school year. These meetings will take place during the school day so that students are able to attend.
Please email assistant principal, Annie Mohr if you are interested and able to participate on this committee this year. Her email address is amohr@er9.org.
The magic of HKMS is that we all feel a shared responsibility for the well-being of our students and believe that student voice is the key to creating a supportive and growth-minded learning environment.
Thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Annie
The Flags of HKMS!
Is your family's flag flying at HKMS? The ceiling and walls of the HKMS cafeteria will soon 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.
A huge thanks to these 8th graders who helped Dr. Clapp sort through all the flags in preparation for installation!
Spiritwear store now open with all new designs!
PTO Fall Fundraisers! You're going to buy mums anyway, and maybe its time to update your family photos? Support the 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
From the ECC
Easton Public Library Events
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@helen_keller_middle_school
@hkmsmediacenter
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