Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School !! 650 Newman Ave. Seekonk,...

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Parent Newsletter

February 27, 2015

Dear HMS Families, Everyone in the HMS community is extremely excited about this evening’s 10th Annual HMS Idol. The thirteen contestants that are performing tonight were selected out of seventy-five students that auditioned back in November. These students have been rehearsing very hard, and I am confident that we will see some outstanding performances this evening. I have a tremendous amount of respect for these young women and men, as they have the courage and self-confidence to put themselves out there and perform in front of their friends, families, and people that they do not know. Tickets will be sold at the door this evening. Any student that purchases a ticket at the door must have a permission form with them, signed by a parent or guardian. I hope to see many of you there tonight! I would like to personally thank Mrs. Stacie Caddick-Dowty, a parent of one of our students, who works at the Pediatric Pulmonary Lab at Hasbro Children's Hospital. Mrs. Caddick-Dowty gave up a morning of her time this week to meet with students in Mrs. Metcalf’s science classes to talk about her role as a respiratory therapist. This edition of the newsletter includes more information about Mrs. Caddick-Dowty’s visit as a guest speaker, which can be found under Blue Team News. I am proud to announce that Mr. Ryan Eaton has been named the baseball coach at HMS. Coach Eaton is a Seekonk High School graduate, and has served as an assistant baseball and football coach at Seekonk High over the past few years. Mr. Jim Troiano will be returning to coach softball at our school this season as well. Students will receive information regarding baseball and softball tryouts next week. Beginning on Monday, March 2nd, will be draw daily winners for our 8th Grade DC Trip Calendar Raffle. The daily winners can be found on the Principal’s Page of our website. Thank you to everyone in the community that supported our eighth graders by purchasing calendars to support them in their efforts to raise money for the class trip. This newsletter contains a wealth of information about the exciting things that are going on academically in our classrooms. I would like to thank our faculty for continuing to provide the HMS community with information about their classes on a consistent basis. Also, page two of the newsletter once again includes the PARCC schedule. PARCC testing will begin on Monday, March 16th. We have been consistently reminding the students that the assessment is not anything for them to stress over, and that all they need to do is try their very best. Please help us by reiterating this philosophy to your child at home. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Dr. William V. Whalen III Principal

Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle SchoolDr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School 650 Newman Ave.650 Newman Ave.

Seekonk, MA. 02771Seekonk, MA. 02771 508508 -- 761761 -- 75707570

www.seekonk.k12.ma.uswww.seekonk.k12.ma.us Dr. William V. Whalen III Mrs. Mary C. Westcoat Principal Assistant Principal


March 2015 PARCC Schedule

Performance-‐Based Assessments

Grade 6 ELA March 16, 17, & 18 Grade 7 ELA March 19, 20, & 23 Grade 8 ELA March 24, 25, & 26 Grade 6 Math March 27 & 30 Grade 7 Math March 31 & April 1 Grade 8 Math April 2 & 7 Make-‐Up Period will take place March 17 – April 10 as necessary

PARCC (EOY) End of Year Assessment Window: Grade 6, 7, and 8 – Two Sessions for ELA Grade 6, 7 and 8 – Two Sessions for Math May 11th through May 24th (Exact schedule to be determined) Grade 8 Science MCAS Window: The Testing Window is May 5th through May 19th (Exact schedule to be determined)

Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle SchoolDr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School 650 Newman Ave.650 Newman Ave.

Seekonk, MA. 02771Seekonk, MA. 02771 508508 -- 761761 -- 75707570

www.seekonk.k12.ma.uswww.seekonk.k12.ma.us Dr. William V. Whalen III Mrs. Mary C. Westcoat Principal Assistant Principal


MATH LAB

This week in math lab, 8th grade students continued to explore

linear relationships and identifying slope from a line and two coordinates. 7th grade learned to find percent of a number and how to use that to find final prices after tax or a discount. In 6th grade, students continued setting up and solving proportions, graphing proportional relationships, and practiced related PARCC questions. Lastly students entered a Math Lab contest to see who could come up with the best acronym for PARCC that is positive, motivating, and promotes students best efforts. The winner and prize will be announced next week after all Math Lab students vote for their favorite. PARCC stands for:


Yellow Team English In Yellow Team English we are presenting our "Personal Hero" projects! It has been fascinating to get to know the various heroes that have been covered by the students. We have everything from athletes, musicians and actor/actresses to historical figures and a variety of authors. Presenting is not everyone's favorite activity to say the least. We are finding creative ways to have even the least "excited to present" students feel comfortable. At least somewhat comfortable. I can't wait for the presentations to begin tomorrow. They will take place between 2/27 (Friday) and next Friday (3/6). Yellow Team Social Studies In Social Studies we are now learning about the geography, history, and culture of the countries in Latin America. The students studied the history of the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas in fifth grade, so we have quickly reviewed that so they have a foundation for what is happening in modern times. This week students have been working in groups completing a jigsaw of the second chapter with each person completing their section and then sharing it with their group members. We will be having a test next Thursday and they will be using this graphic organizer with all the information they have filled in as their study guide along with the vocabulary quiz from today. Next, we will be focusing on Mexico and the spacial inequity experienced by its people. Yellow Team Math We are currently working on Ratios, Rates, and Proportions. We started the chapter reading a story about Jack and the Beanstalk (with a different twist and a play on the word ratio). We have noticed that food seems to be a common theme as we are working on this topic. The students are also becoming smart consumers by determining how to calculate the unit prices of items. We are currently working on solving ratio problems by using tape diagrams, ratio tables, and proportions. Our current TenMarks assignment is due on Friday 3/6/15. In Supercore, we are working on the coordinate plane and with integers. We are also going through the PARCC math tutorial. The PARCC test is an online test so we are looking at the mechanics of the test (dropdown menus, equation editor, etc). Yellow Team Science In science we have started our unit on Heat Transfer, which focuses on convection, conduction and radiation. We have been completing quick labs and analyzing how heat energy is actually transferred through matter and space. Check out the pictures to see what we've been up to! We will be continuing on through next week, with a test at the end of the week.


8th Grade Science - Orange Team – Ms. Murgo We're halfway through our chemistry unit and students have been busy incorporating their impressive math skills into science class. We've been counting atoms in chemical formulas and have started to balance some simple chemical equations. To help visualize the structure of molecules, students worked in cooperative pairings to draw molecular models, which their partner had to guess the correct formula for. We ended the week with a lab on the 'Law of Conservation of Mass'! 8th Grade ELA – Submitted by Mrs. Turner

Mrs. Johnson and I have enjoyed collaborating this year; enjoyed developing lessons

designed to build each student’s understanding of research skills, writing skills, text

structure within the context of fiction and informational texts as well as basic speaking and

listening courtesies. Listening to students, we learn that while our teaching strategies are

different, the skills and challenges students face in both classrooms are the same.

If you have not already explored the online resources for the Orange Team, use the

following URLs: • https://twitter.com/MsTurnerRoom212 (Twitter quick view),

• http://teacherweb.com/MA/DrKevinMHurleyMiddleSchool/dsturner/apt10.aspx (homework and class work),

• http://teacherweb.com/MA/DrKevinMHurleyMiddleSchool/dsturner/apt18.aspx (Shakespeare’s Tempest).

First quarter was a time students reinforced skills learned and began the process of

maturing those skills and strategies in preparation for the rigors of high school. Second

quarter students wondered what it meant to be independent and self-directed, phrases

they’ve heard often throughout the academic year. They wondered what it meant to read

directions independently, break those directions down into manageable parts, and make

decisions based on those directions. However, by third quarter class becomes a bit more

comical at times. An example: Wednesday students were in the midst of a Q&A knowing

the writing assignment I introduced Monday was due Thursday. Many of the questions

began with, “Do you want …, Can I …, Is it OK if …, and What if…? Each time a student began

-‐ what we now call permission questions -‐ he or she stopped and smiled realizing what

independence and self-direction looked like in the classroom. They smiled knowing I would


respond by volleying the question back to them. I would ask if they could give themselves

permission to make the decision without me, and I would remind them that I cannot help

them make decisions when they take SATs or PARCC. Now is the time to build confidence,

to practice breaking down what they read into manageable parts, and to make those

independent, self-directed decisions.

8th grade is the best possible grade to teach – that is, in my opinion. 8th grade young adults

are kind, loyal, and curious. They have wonderful senses of humor and yet, are filled with

that uncomfortable, but normal adolescent angst we all remember. They realize how much

easier life was when family members or teachers just told them what to do and how to do

it. Now, they learn that making decisions -‐ without the surety that the decision is correct -‐

is a bit tricky to say the least, but very much part of the growing up process and very much

part of living through an academic curriculum. While these young adults have matured so

much since September, they still want that reassurance as we all do. They want to be

reassured that what they choose is correct. However, the greater lesson is to work

patiently with each student and show them strategies to internalize the fact that it’s OK to

try and it’s OK to make mistakes. No one has all the answers, not one is perfect. If they

practice, they will develop those independent, self-directed skills; they will make those

Scrooge-‐like transformations necessary for traversing many varied “roads of yellow brick”

now and in the future.

Thank you, 8th grade students, for all the work you have done this year; for the courage you

have to continue to try.


HMS Speech-Language Newsletter – Mrs. Miller February 2015

As I review what I wrote in this section last month, I see that some wishes from my students and me for 2015 included: a Super Bowl trip for the Patriots (hooray!), a winning performance in our HMS Idol singing competition (coming up on Friday), and no snow days (we all know how THAT one turned out!). As the proverb says, "Hindsight is 20/20". We all can see what we should or shouldn't have done once the moment has passed. I find this often with our students who are well able to tell me how to handle social situations or academic tasks while they are in my room, but once they are out in the big, wide, world of middle school, they lose the set. Part of my job is to build skills in my sheltered setting in hopes that students will generalize those skills to classrooms, cafeterias, gymnasiums, and community settings as the years go by. In order to access these skills, we often work on material that is not grade-level. Some students feel they don't need my services anymore because they're doing well in my room. Perhaps, but unless they are carrying the skills out of here, we still have some work to do.

Newsletter Questionnaire - one last chance! If you have not done so, please take a minute to answer a few multiple-choice questions so I may better tailor the newsletter to your and your student's needs. So far, I have three responses. Thank you! http://goo.gl/forms/KFAZZXsu8M


Mapping it out 6th grade will finish up their auditory comprehension unit in the next few weeks. We have worked through hearing and solving mysteries, written our own mysteries and questions, and followed spoken directions. Students are now drawing in symbols on maps based on verbal directions. Soon they will draw a map and symbols of their own, and will write up their own directions for other students to follow. Figurative language and short writing assignments will be the focus of the pragmatics group for the next few months.

Going to the dogs Seventh grade had a great time creating stories about Caesar the Great Dane, the final dog in the My Life in Dog Years book. They will now write a final assignment which incorporates figurative language, inference, and making connections, and respond to the prompt "How are many of the characters good examples of the idiom 'You can't judge a book by its cover'?" Figurative language and drawing inferences continue to be the task of the pragmatics group.

The war rages on... Eighth grade's journey Behind Rebel Lines will come to a close next month. They will finish the book and write a final assignment answering the question, "Did Emma accomplish what she set out to do in the war?" The pragmatics group began looking into parts of Steven Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens and will continue.

Keep calm and get ready for PARCC! http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/classroom-solutions/2011/05/state-assessments-reducing-test-anxiety We are now in the home stretch of getting ready for the first round of PARCC testing in March. All grades will test in ELA and math at some point in the month. Because it is new to many (including teachers!), there is a fair amount of stress involved. This article from Scholastic gives some great tips to reduce test anxiety and to dredge up some inner calm before facing any daunting task.


Congratulations are in order…. The students in Dr. Shurtleff’s English class entered the Creative Communication Poetry Contest, and 36 Green Team students have been selected to be included in the poetry anthology, A Celebration of Poets. Since this is not a contest where every entry is published, having such a large number of students selected for publication is a tremendous honor. Following is the list of students that will have their poems published in the anthology: Nicole Lemos Tyler Benson Allison Houle Alyssa Lamoureux Amy Botelho Baily Adams Brian Martinez Casey Brown Charlie Lehourites Charlotte Millette Charlotte Young Dan Cruz Edwin Velasquez Eric Zirkel Grace MacDonald Jacob Calamar Jacob Tousignant Jaimee Deslauriers John Oliver Josh Valente Juliya Tolman Katerina Mihallides Kate Kane Kaylee Fonseca Libby Dyson Lila Yan Lyla Carvalho Megan Accardi Molly Loiselle Nathaniel Andersen Robery Strycharz Sophie Percival Sydney Mello Tiffany Rainho Vivek Patel Zachary Lozowski

A Message from Mrs. Lehane, Guidance Counselor: The Seekonk High School Guidance Staff will be at HMS on Thursday, March 12, 2015. The guidance staff will be meeting with all eighth grade students during their social studies classes. Students will receive their course selection sheets as well as the SHS course selection manual.


GRADE 8 MATH – Orange & White Teams Students just completed their midyear exam, which addressed previous work with rational and irrational numbers, solving equations, geometric transformations, and congruence and similarity. Our next unit introduces students to functions. They will focus on linear functions, slope, and slope-‐intercept form. Students will compare and contrast functions using graphs, tables, equations, and verbal descriptions. Additionally, they will explore connections to real world situations. Why do we learn about slope?

https://mikelindstrom.wordpress.com/

http://www.familyhandyman.com/

http://www.thagroup.org

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com


Blue Team Science: The Blue Team was honored to have Mrs. Stacie Caddick-Dowty, mom to Connor, as a guest speaker on Tuesday morning. Mrs. Caddick-Dowty, who works at the Pediatric Pulmonary Lab at Hasbro Children's Hospital, shared her expertise about the cardiopulmonary system and how she helps people every as a respiratory therapist. The students were fascinated by her presentation and were able to see how our unit of study connected to real world application!

Blue Team English- Students are completing The Call of the Wild by Jack London. This week they watched a movie, Sled Dogs-An Alaskan Epic, connecting the themes of the novel to the upcoming Iditarod. Next week students will be assigned a musher and will begin logging his/her progress as we compare/contrast the treatment of the dogs in the novel vs. the Iditarod.


Need a tutor?

8th grade students at Hurley Middle School want to help! Anyone who’s interested in being tutored in any of the four core subjects by 8th grade students, now’s the time. There are eight students who each are willing to

assist you in Math, Science, English, and Social Studies. For those who are open to being tutored, we will meet on Wednesdays in Mrs. Metcalf’s from 2:25 until 3:30.

English: Abigail Brennick & Abigail Sampson Math: Hanna Saisselin & Thomas Ciolfi Science: Bethany Smith & Ethan Paiva

Social Studies: Matthew Silveira & Aditi Patel To sign up, fill out the form down below and please hand in to Mrs. Metcalf or Mr.

Pellegrino by the Tuesday before the session you plan on attending. * If teachers would like to recommend students you can also fill out the form below.* * You may also fill out the form if you would like to become a tutor in the future.*

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Name: Date of session you want to attend (Dates shown above): Grade: 6 7 8 Homeroom teacher: Subject(s) you need help in: Teacher recommendation: Yes/No I am interested in becoming a tutor! (please indicate the subject):


A very special thank you to Isabella Pezzulli for the awesome poster of articulations! Her visual artistic talent has helped student understanding and brightened the band room too! Please note the flier regarding the Paint Night Fund Raiser at the Dublin Rose on March 4th. The information to register is www.drinkanddabble.com. This is a first for the HMSBPA and looks to be a fun night. Come out and join us! Our next BAND PARENT MEETING will be March 4 AT DUBLIN ROSE AT 5:00 before the paint event begins.


YOGA CLUB

The Spring session of HMS Yoga Club will

begin on Monday, March 2nd. Yogis should

bring a comfortable change of clothes,

water, and a yoga mat. Yoga mats will be

available for use for students without them.

All participants must make sure they have

submitted permission to the main office

before attending Yoga Club.

Namaste~

Ms. Damiani


Dance – Next Friday, March 6th Featuring DJ Just Juli

6:30 – 9 PM $5 at the Door

Wednesday March 11, 2015

School Council Meeting at 4 pm PTO Meeting at 6 pm

HMS Library

Snowflake Ball Friday, March 20th Venus DeMilo Swansea, MA


PHYSICAL EDUCATION NEWS……… We are now in our second week of our basketball unit. Students

have been working on their hand-eye coordination while participating in a variety of dribbling and passing activities. Students have also been working on their lay-ups and shooting skills using the acronym BEEF (balance, elbow, eyes, follow-through) to teach the fundamentals of shooting. Students will compete in games; learning and reinforcing positions and concepts. A quiz will be given at the end of the unit to assess skills, game concepts, history of the sport, rules of the game, and court layout.

Our annual Hoops for Heart event will take place during classes on March 5th & 6th. Students will participate in shooting contests and games for prizes. Students will have the opportunity to wear a nametag and play in honor of someone they know who may have had heart disease or other life threatening illnesses. We are also collecting the envelopes then or before from those students who chose to participate in the fundraiser portion. Please see the parent letter below for more information.

Physical Education Teachers: Ms. Bouchard & Mr. Pellegrino


GET READY TO HAVE FUN AND HELP SAVE LIVES!

Event Date: March 5th & 6th – During PE class!

Return Envelopes by: March 5th & 6th or before e

It Takes Heart to Be a Hero!

Dear Parent/Guardian, Our school is thrilled to be supporting the American Heart Association, through their Hoops For Heart program. This program teaches our students and their families how to take care of their hearts and how to make a difference.

When your child participates in Hoops For Heart he/she:

♥ Learns about the importance of the heart – how it works, and how to take care of it: Through classroom exercises and educational information provided by the American Heart Association.

♥ Helps kids with special hearts: Our safe online tool makes it easy for your child to set-‐up a web page and send emails to invite friends and family to support his/her fundraising efforts and to share life-‐saving information.

♥ Feels good for making a difference in people’s lives! Funds raised support American Heart Association research and education initiatives that save lives in our community. Fundraising is an optional part of Hoops for Heart.

Thank you for your support!

Ms. Bouchard Physical Education Teacher Mr. Pellegrino Physical Education Teacher

REGISTER ONLINE for Hoops For Heart today!

(Optional)

Here’s how… Step 1: Go to heart.org/hoops click on Register Now Step 2: Select your School State & select the City OR the first letter of your school’s name; click Submit to find your school’s event. When you find your team, click the Join Team hyperlink. Step 3: Create your own Username and Password security question. Click Continue. Step 4: Fill out the registration form. Review the Online Waiver and Click the box to accept it, click Continue. Step 5: Click to enter your HeadQuarters and set up your web page. Step 6: Once you have collected online donations print the online sheet and place in your donation envelope.

With ANY online

donation, students earn Scribbles Ninja

Duck!

Please make checks payable to American Heart Association.

For the safety of our children, we ask that your child NOT go door-‐

to-‐door or ask strangers for donations. Ask your company if they will

match your donation!

Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School !! 650 Newman Ave. Seekonk,...

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Transcript of Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School !! 650 Newman Ave. Seekonk,...