parent newsletter march 15th 2013 - home - dr. kevin m...
TRANSCRIPT
Parent Newsletter—March 15, 2013 Dear HMS Community, Earlier this week I sent an email in regard to the change in traffic patterns and procedures at Dr. Kevin Hurley Middle School. This change has come about because of the traffic congestion that occurs in the front of the building when parents are dropping off and picking up their children. Beginning on Monday, March 18, 2013, all parents that are picking up or dropping off children should enter the campus via Water Lane and report to the back parking lot at the Tower Lobby. Parents should enter the lot passing the Tower Lobby on the right and drive as far up as possible, up to the softball field. Please do not stop at the Tower Lobby and drop off your child if there is room to move forward. No vehicles will be allowed to drop off children on Water Lane. I will be outside along with Mrs. Westcoat and Officer Kandarian to facilitate the process on a daily basis. The procedure will be the same for picking students up at the end of the school day, as well as after-‐school-‐help on Mondays and Wednesdays. Again, we ask that parents pull up as far as possible by the Tower Lobby in order to avoid traffic build up. Any child that has to exit the vehicle on the driver’s side should cross in front of their own parent’s vehicle and walk along the curb to the Tower Lobby. During pick-‐up, we ask that parents remain in line and not park in parking spaces for the children’s safety. Also, please do not park in the lot at the Water Department at any time. As is already the case, students should not be dropped off before 7:45 am, and will not be allowed to enter the building as there is not adequate supervision at that time. All school buses will now be picking up and dropping off students at the Newman Avenue entrance. Students will access the building via the Main Office Lobby. All students that walk home from school will be released from the Main Office Lobby at the Newman Avenue entrance after the buses have left the property. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with assisting us in this change in an attempt to decrease traffic congestion issues on the Dr. Kevin Hurley Middle School campus. I would like to also give advanced notice to you that on Friday, April 12th, there will be an early dismissal for middle school and high school students. Sincerely, Dr. Whalen
The following automated one-call message will be sent out to all families about the change in student drop-off and pick-up: Good afternoon, this is Dr. Whalen, Principal of Hurley Middle School In response to concerns regarding the traffic situation during arrival and dismissal times, we have decided to reverse the procedure that is currently in place. Beginning on Monday, March 18, 2013, all students being dropped off or picked up by a parent will enter and exit the school through the tower lobby located in the rear parking lot. Students that are transported by school bus will enter and exit the building through the front doors on Newman Avenue. This new plan should alleviate any traffic congestion in the afternoon as parents will now have adequate space to wait for their children behind the building. Please note that school buses have first priority. I am asking that you do not interfere with them as they exit the driveway onto Water Lane. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. The telephone number is 508-761-7570. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
School Council Meeting—Wednesday, March 20th at 4 PM.
PTO Meeting—Wednesday, March 20th 6 PM. The PTO welcomes anyone and everyone from HMS Community that would like to be involved.
BASEBALL/ SOFTBALL SCHEDULE 2013 Tuesday, April 9th-‐ Case at Seekonk
Thursday, April 11th-‐Seekonk at Middleboro
Thursday, April 25th-‐ Rehoboth at Seekonk
Tuesday, April 30th-‐ Seekonk at Somerset
Thursday, May 2nd-‐Berkley at Seekonk
Tuesday, May 7th-‐Seekonk at Rehoboth
Thursday, May 9th-‐Seekonk at Case
Tuesday, May 14th-‐ Dighton at Seekonk
Thursday, May 16th-‐ Seekonk at Taunton Catholic Middle School
Tuesday, May 21st-‐ Seekonk at Dighton
Thursday, May 23rd-‐ Bridgewater at Seekonk
Wednesday May 29th-‐ Somerset at Seekonk
Thursday, May 30th-‐ Raynham at Seekonk
Thursday, June 6th-‐ Seekonk at Westport
Head Baseball Coach— Sean Meagher Assistant Coach— Matt Mare Head Softball Coach— Tom Holden Assistant Coach— Amy Salois
8th Grade English: …thoughts as we approach the first day of spring, a time
symbolic of new growth
MCAS English March 20th and 21st:
While we all feel apprehension at this time of year with the approach of MCAS, it can be a time
for all to show off their “personal best’ and “play their game.” Throughout the years we have
taken our children to rehearsals for dance and gymnastics; we have encouraged them, while
they participated in soccer, baseball, swim, football, hockey, horse-back riding and more; we
have created opportunities for our children to take music lessons; we have helped them find
time to train for motor-cross and skate-boarding events. The point is, that no matter what our
children are doing, they practice, and then get to dance in the recital, play the game, or run the
race. They know the face of their personal best. MCAS might just be an opportunity to know
that school is not just a test grade to achieve, but skills to master and as they master those
skills, they will achieve the grade; their game will be played well, because they have done
their personal best.
Who was Dr. Kevin M. Hurley?
He was more than a name on a school. We have opportunities - once again - with Dr. Whalen to
approach education as if it were that first day of spring; that time when we can grow a-new! The
following is a copy of Dr. Kevin M. Hurley’s thoughts ‘round the campfires from years past:
“Sometimes in life we get tired, and the vibrant colors of youth fade into the routine of day-to-
day. In these times, we need to go back in order to go forward, to draw deep into what was
important; what should be important.
“In order to focus, once again, on the stars of what might be; what will be for all of us. A good
friend of mine, and a true mentor has often spoken to me of how you have to be, before you can
get about the business of being; how you first need to have a sense of yourself before you can
move on, and develop.
“In a true, in a vibrant sense, this sums up the camping trip as it has evolved over the years. You
see, it is all about re-centering; finding out, who we are before we get about being, who we can
become.
“And when we lose our way, it beckons us back through the metaphoric miles to remember who
we really are.
Each year our shared trip is neatly folded away to be baked by summer’s searing heat, buffeted
by the chill of autumnal breezes, buried under mounds of winter snow, only to be reborn each
spring in each of us.
“This trip, in so many ways, needs to take place each spring, as it represents a true renaissance
in each of us. A true re-birth of miracles and wonder as the years melt away and we, all of us,
are young once again, and all is possible.
“And so this time of year allows us to reach back and feel the heat.”
Dr. Kevin M. Hurley (1952 – 2004)
Blue Team News
English-‐Students have completed (phew!!!) the last of the practice essays for
Tuesday's MCAS long composition. Hopefully all the practice will make perfect! The
focus has now shifted to strategies for answering multiple choice and open response
questions.
Mrs. Geddes's math classes are in the midst of a very busy March -‐ we took part in
the World Math Day games last week, competing on line against students from near
and far. Congratulations to all of our high scoring students! This week we
celebrated Pi Day by experiencing Pi in trivia, music and design, as well as holding a
Pi Recitation Contest in each class. Kudos to all of the students who were willing to
compete. The top three achievers are: 3rd place -‐ Gabrielle Blum, reciting 38 digits
by memory; 2nd place -‐ Claudette Elkhoury, reciting 53 digits by memory, and 1st
place -‐ Jacqueline Sicard, reciting a whopping 142 digits of Pi by memory! Well
done!! Next up -‐ March Madness, with the brackets offering a great application of
percentages and probabilities!
Science with Mrs. Metcalf The Blue Team students have been learning about the digestive system. In groups of three or four, the students have been writing a play that requires them to describe the various parts and functions of this system. The students followed a rubric that listed almost 30 key terms that had to be present in the dialog of the play. Many students "met" their group mates on "Google Docs" for homework and collaborated on-‐line to write the script for the characters they created. Each group will be evaluated on the quality of their written script and their performance. It has been fabulous to see the creative side of so many students as they have made many of their own props and costumes.
A Message from Mrs. Westcoat…. “Be nice to those you meet on the way up. They’re the same folks you’ll meet on the way down.” Walter Winchell Our MCAS testing begins for grade 7 on Tuesday, March 19th and Wednesday, March 20th for 8th grade. Please encourage your children to get a good night’s sleep before the test. Research shows that students perform much better after a sound sleep. Third quarter ends on March 19th. Where does the time go? We also have a dance scheduled for March 22nd. If your child has not attended one of our dances yet this year, please encourage them to do so. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to come together in a safe environment and socialize. We have been working diligently to incorporate the evaluation system being implemented next year in Seekonk. If you are interested in knowing more about this process, I encourage you to go the DESE web site and take a look.
Spring 2013 MCAS TESTING DATES ELA MCAS TESTING DATES March 19th—ELA Composition for Grade 7 March 20th—8th Grade ELA March 21st—8th Grade ELA March 26th—7th Grade ELA March 27th—7th Grade ELA April 2nd—6th Grade ELA April 3rd—6th Grade ELA Math MCAS TESTING DATES May 7th—7th Grade Math May 8th—7th Grade Math May 9th—8th Grade Math May 10th—8th Grade Math May 14th—6th Grade Math May 15th—6th Grade Math Science and Technology MCAS TESTING DATES May 16th—Science/Technology; Grade 8 May 17th—Science/Technology; Grade 8
A Message from the Hurley Middle School PTO: Snowflake Ball Rescheduled to Friday, April 5 th The Snowflake ball has been rescheduled to April 5 th. I know that this is a huge inconvenience to those girls already signed up. Dr.Whalen told us that he has received several calls from unhappy families about the postponement. The PTO is extremely sorry for postponing at such late notice. Our committee members usually make it an evening to remember! Unfortunately, we do not have enough parents to help plan and host the event this year.
The PTO never l ikes to cancel an event for any reason, especially one as important as our Snowflake Ball . However if we don’t have volunteers to run it and donations to help fund it , we don’t have any other options. Fundraising has been steadily declining for the last few years and very few parents have accepted our pleas for volunteers.
I t is very important for families to send in their replies in a timely manner. I t is
difficult to plan the event if we don’t receive replies until 2 or 3 days before the dance. We don’t want to turn any girl away from this night, so if you haven’t responded please help us by sending in your reply right away!!! The deadline has been extended to Wednesday, March 27th.
Please consider helping us with the Snowflake Ball . We need parents to help us
prepare and staff the event. We need donations for the raffle baskets. Anything you can do to help will ensure that the PTO can have the event on April 5 th. Volunteers for planning and hosting please contact Nicole Hammond at 774-229-6433 or nmh0073@hotmail .com or Maria Harris at 401-449-5345 or [email protected] . Donations for Raffle items please contact Jenn Hess at 508-399-8855 or [email protected] or Maria Harris at 401-449-5345 or [email protected] . Thank you, HMS PTO Board If there is any girl who would like to attend but has a hardship, please contact either Dr.Whalen or Jenn Hess. This event is intended for EVERY girl at HMS, and requests are confidential .
SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING Date:April 10,2013 Location:Hurley Middle School Library Time:6:00 P.M.- 7:30 P.M. TOPIC: A Presentation and Discussion wth South Coast Educational Collaborative’s Speech Therapists: Peg McCaleb-Kahan, CCCSLP and Kimberly Mulcahy, CCCSLP will discuss Language Processing Disorder. The next PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING will be at the HMS Library on October 9,2013 at 6:00 P.M. TOPIC: Parents Rights Workshop
Marine Biology Club The 6th grade marine biology club has been a splash! We've gotten to interact with so many cool ocean creatures that our new friend Renee brings with her from the Biomes Center. So far, we've learned how to classify marine organisms, and we've gotten to experience first hand how sea animals protect themselves! Check out our pictures!
A Message from Mr. Holden, 8th Grade Class Trip Co-Advisor Today, students received an updated payment form that includes canning and calendar fundraiser credit. The third payment is due on Thursday, March 28th. Students have done a very good job with fundraising, as some have already paid off the trip and earned pocket money because of their efforts.
NEWS……………………….. This week students are wrapping up floor hockey and basketball with a quiz.
The next units will be volleyball and pickle ball. Students will be learning the bump, set, and serve shots in volleyball. Rally scoring will be used during volleyball games, which allows a point to be awarded to the deserving team on each serve. Pickle ball is a cross between tennis and ping-‐pong. Students use paddles that are about three times the size of a ping-‐pong paddle and have to try to hit the ball over the net after the first bounce. Students will learn the forehand, backhand, and underhand serve. Both units enhance decision-‐making skills, reaction time, communication, and teamwork!
Hoops for Heart Donations to the American Heart Association were collected this week and
those students who fundraised will receive their prizes sometime before April vacation. Our school raised $393.75! Thank you again to all those students, family members, and friends that helped to support a great cause. Physical Education Teachers Ms. Bouchard & Mr. Smaldone
Seekonk High School Guidance Staff will be speaking with all 8th grade students on Monday, March 25th. Students will review with the Seekonk High School staff their course offerings. They will receive their Course Selection Book along with their course selection sheet. Students will review their course options with their current teachers and then students are to review that information with their parents/guardians. Course Selections forms (a pink form) needs to be signed by the student, the student’s current teachers, and the student’s parents. HMS Yearbook
There are only two weeks left to order your child’s yearbook! Deadline: 3/31/13!
Please see order form at the end of this newsletter. Yearbooks are a great memento of the 2012-2013 school year for students in all grades! On the last day of school, students are given an opportunity to sign each other’s yearbook, to increase the sentimentality of the book.
HMS Yearbook Order Form
TIME IS RUNNING OUT – ALL YEARBOOKS MUST BE ORDERED BY 3/31/13!
Please use the form at the bottom of this page to order your 2012-‐2013 yearbook when paying by check or money order. No cash payments are accepted and will be returned. All yearbooks are sold on a pre-‐order basis. For credit card orders, please go to Lifetouch’s secure website https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/ and enter the HMS Yearbook Code of 9994713. Prices for the 2012-‐2013 school year are:
Cost Soft cover $22.00 Hardcover $27.00 Name imprinted in foil on the cover
Add $2.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return this form to Mrs. St. Michel in the Library with your Check or Money Order Student Name: _____________________________________ HR Teacher__________________________
Imprinting (if purchased): clearly print name below as you want it to appear on the cover of the yearbook – no more than 26 characters, including spaces.
Imprinting: _____________________________________________________________________ Return this form with a check made payable to the “Town of Seekonk” to Mrs. St. Michel in the library. Do not give it to your homeroom teacher. Cash payments and checks made payable to anyone other than “Town of Seekonk” cannot be accepted and will be returned. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer St. Michel via email at [email protected] , or by phone 508-‐761-‐7570 X 3145. Thank you!
Soft cover $22.00 Hardcover -‐ add $5.00 $ Imprinting -‐ add $2.00 $ Total -‐ check made payable to “Town of Seekonk”
$
Congratulations to the Blue Team “On A Roll Students.” The breakfast and presentation of certificates took place this morning in the library. The Blue Team is pleased to announce the January/February On a Roll recipients. Students are chosen for effort, citizenship, improvement in academics or behavior, or for being a positive role model! Lizzy Belliveau Noah Brennick Katie Calverley Sean Carlson Brittny Correia Devlin Danner Kaitlyn Danner Hannah DiFrancesco Kamryn Gelotte Sydney George Lindsay Guertin Alyssa Hills Jared Kogut Nicole Labossiere Jackie Sicard