Connections - Holyoke Public Schools · 2016-11-13 · new training program. New District Literacy...

Holyoke Public Schools—Visit us on the web at: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us

The Holyoke School Committee has initi-ated the formation of a District Restructuring Com-mittee to look into a proposal, based on a New England School Development Council (NESDEC) study, to possibly change the current K-8 school organization. The proposal involves changing to a K-6 structure, including the Lawrence School (Center for Excellence) becoming a K-6 school, with the Peck School being converted to a 7/8 pre-high school. (Most of the CFE programs would eventual-ly be dispersed to the other schools.) Input will be sought from all school staff based on a district-wide survey. In addition, there will be three information-al nights held at different locations (TBA) for par-ents to attend. Our target time for making a deter-mination or recommendation is by very early De-cember. The final decision will be made by the School Committee. This newsletter space does not allow room to do justice to cover the several points of both sides of the restructuring issue. It is hoped that people will carefully review the NESDEC study and the proposal. The Restructuring Committee is encouraging feedback from everyone. If approved, district reorganization is a major endeavor that will

affect the entire school community. Therefore, we are committed to working very seriously, with as much feedback as we can garner, in order to make the best possible decision for the school district.

Fall 2012

Volume 11, Issue 1

Holyoke Publ ic Schools

Announcements 2-3

School News

4-12

After School

10

Athletics

11

Spanish

13-16

Holyoke Public Schools

Inside this issue:

Edition Highlights:

● Local Foods

● Parent English Classes

● Metcalf 100 Years

● Walk to School Day

District Restructuring

An Open Letter to the Holyoke School Community

By David Dupont, Superintendent of Schools

Connections A Community Working Together

Artist: Anton Davila, Sullivan School

Mission of "H" Council - Holyoke parents, guardians, community members and school staff, working together with the Superintendent's office, to achieve greater student success and to build a strong community

Our vision is to create an environment where every parent is involved, has a voice, and can develop solutions to issues. Each school will have a group of ambassadors that speaks for the parents and the children.

“H" Ambassadors” are volunteers selected from each of the Holyoke Public Schools as a representative be-tween parents, guardians, and the Superintendent's office to advocate for all children, parents and guardians.

Ambassadors will have a seat on their School Improve-ment Council. Ambassadors will attend and promote the bimonthly "H" Council meetings and its annual goals. Additionally, Ambassadors will help create a positive im-age for the Holyoke Public schools through media.

The committee members include:

Amy Fitzgerald-Principal Diane Bauer-Principal

Paul Hyry-Dermith-Principal Jonathan Roche-Teacher

Kim Izquierdo-Guidance Counselor Mary Beth Delisi-Teacher Mildred Lefebvre-Parent

Hazel Rosario-Parent Doug Arnold-Student Services

Leonard Gibbons-Technology/Operations John Foley-Community Representative William Collamore‐School Committee

Cesar Lopez-School Committee Kim Wells-Assistant Superintendent

David Dupont-Superintendent

“H” Council

“H” Counsel Meetings

January 9th March 6th May 1st

Held in the Holyoke High School Cafeteria at 6:00 PM


Connections

Mission Statement

The mission of the

Holyoke Public Schools is to provide

educational opportunities for all students to reach

their full potential in a safe, secure, healthy learning environment while valuing diversity

and promoting responsible citizenship.

“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. ” Author unknown, commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin

Holyoke School Committee

Mayor Alex Morse

Dennis Birks

Margaret Boulais

William Collamore

Joshua Garcia

Yvonne Garcia

Howard Greaney

Cesar Lopez

Michael Moriarty

Devin Sheehan

Deadline for article

submissions for inclusion in the Winter edition of the Connections Newsletter is

January 11, 2013

If you are a parent or guardian of an HPS student and are interest-ed in learning English, please refer to the contact information for

classes below. Beginners are welcome!

E.N. White: Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00AM-11:30AM Contact Katy at 588-2013 or Oneida at 534-2058

Kelly: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30AM-11:00 AM Contact Katy at 588-2013 or Taisha at 534-2078

Sullivan: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30-3:00 PM Contact Maria Correa at 552-2937 or Aida Gomez at 534-2321 Morgan: Tuesdays-Wednesdays-Thursdays from 9:00-12:00.noon Contact Glenda Morales at 534-2083.

“For Children to Learn, Parents too Must be Learners”, National Center for Family Literacy

By Jody Spitz

Fall is in the air and with the change of seasons – is the new school year! This year the excitement is not just for HPS children. Parents are getting in on the fun, too! Starting in October, moms and dads at E.N. White, Kelly, Morgan, and Sullivan Schools started English classes right in the schools! In addition to improving their own skills in speaking, reading, and writing English, parents also have opportunities to get involved in the school c o m m u n i t y , such as visiting their children’s c l a s s room s , getting to know teach-ers, and (most important ly) learning right alongside their children.

Connections Newsletter

Edited by Judy Taylor [email protected]

Editors Emeritus: Kelly Doktor and Laura DuPont Translated by: Luz Aguillar


Volume 11, Issue 1

Local Food Comes to Holyoke Schools

By Richard Leso

Thursday, September 20th, marked Local Day at the Holyoke Public Schools. The menu of the day featured Massachu-setts produced foods. There were calzones from Carando Gour-met, right next door in Chicopee, hot dogs from Old Neighbor-hood in Boston, chili from Kettle Cuisine in Chelsea, tortellini alfredo from Josephs Pasta Company in Ayer, roasted harvest vegetables from Czajkowski Farms in Hadley, milk from Garelick Farms in Lynn and visiting us from the next state over fresh apples from Hudson River Farms in Milton, NY. Students were enthused with these new fresh foods as was Mayor Alex Morse, who visited Holyoke High School to sample the menu and chat with students.

Students may notice something different in the school cafeterias this year. The Federal government recently mandated the implementation of the new School Food Nutrition Standards. Fresher, more colorful foods will be making an appearance in the cafeterias as well as whole grain rich breads, pastas and baked goods. In order to become acquainted with these new foods, So-dexo in collaboration with the Holyoke School Food Taskforce will be hosting taste testing opportunities for students in each school. To learn more about school food please visit: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/cafe_menus.html or contact Director of Dining Services, Richard Leso at 413-543-2000 x233.

Mayor Morse chats with Minerva Aponte and Angela Lempke

during a visit to the Holyoke High School cafeteria.

By Mary Wright

The District Literacy Coaches have begun the year visiting schools to check in and meet with teachers. Going around school to school has substantially helped them get to know the different dynamics in each of the unique schools.

Lynn Lajoie is the District Lit-eracy Intervention Coach for grades 1-8. Mary Wright is the District Literacy Coach for grades 6-8, and Kathy Alder-man is the District Literacy Coach for grades 3-5. The K-2 Literacy Coach posi-tion is currently unfilled.

The coaches hope to assist the teachers through training and follow up support in classrooms. Looking at student work, supporting best teacher practices, analyzing data and managing the Common Core Curriculum Standards are just some of the new focus areas for the Literacy Coaches.

Lynn has been busy coordinat-ing November Leveled Literacy Interven-tion (LLI) training for new LLI teachers.

Read 180 and Systems 44 are already up and running. Lynn will be concentrating this year on the importance of two-way communication between the classroom teacher and the interventionist.

Although supporting all grade 3-5 teachers, Kathy Alderman will turn the greatest attention to third grade teachers. The district will be piloting the grade 3 Literacy Curriculum Maps through the Massachusetts DESE. Kathy will also be busy training and supporting grade 3 teachers in this endeavor.

Mary Wright is focusing the school year on implementing Laying the Foundation, a Race to the Top endorsed, comprehensive program of Pre-AP teach-er training, support, lessons, and class-room materials geared toward improving student performance and creating a col-lege-ready culture for our students. The middle school teachers in Holyoke are both eager and enthusiastic about this new training program.

New District Literacy Coaches off to a Busy Start!

Please join other concerned parents at our upcoming meetings for the 2012-2013 school year. There is strength in numbers and support from others who are sharing similar experiences. Our combined efforts can influence the success of our children, as well as shape their futures.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

January 7, 2013: OT/PT

March 4, 2013: Summer School Programs

May 6, 2013: Bullying

Meetings are held at Donahue School at 6:00 PM

Visit the district website for more information: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/pdf/announcements/SEPAC.pdf

Questions: Contact: Kelly- [email protected]

or Dawn- [email protected]

Special Education Advisory Council (SEPAC) Meetings


Connections

Parent Center Opens at E.N. White School

By Hilary Russell

The 2012-2013 school year brings an opportunity for parents to engage at the school throughout the day. In October, more than twenty parents have registered and will begin adult English classes two days a week. These classes will be taught by Katy Moonan who was trained in adult ESL instruction through the International Language Insti-tute in Northampton. This program is a continuation of the summer Family Literacy Grant overseen by Jody Spitz. During these workshops, parents will also have workshops in helping support their children’s litera-cy. This will include spending time on a regular basis in their children’s classrooms to observe and use literacy strategies that can carry over to the home. The Parent Center is designed so that parents can access the Internet, use the library resources, and have access to workshops related to their needs and interests. The center will be overseen by our Family Liaison, Oneida Montanez, and is open from 7:30 AM. to 4:00 PM daily.

E.N. White Students Visit Holyoke Public Library By Laura Maspo

The Tiger Pride Community Organization funded a field trip to City Hall and the Holyoke Public Library's temporary location on June 20th and it was incredible! The top two readers in grades three through seven along with the students that volunteered their time on May 12th to wash cars in order to benefit the Holyoke Public Library, earned the

invitation for this special trip. Holyoke Library Director, Maria Pa-gan created an atmosphere in the library which made the students feel welcome and comfortable. She also managed to get new library cards into the hands of over twenty stu-dents! Many of the stu-dents "checked out" li-brary books and most felt certain they will return to "check-out" more and utilize the computers

throughout the summer. Other students had an opportunity to read to a classroom of preschoolers during their time in the library. Next, Mayor Alex Morse invited the students to visit his office,

ask questions and share stories. He thanked each of them for being star readers and volunteering their time at the car wash to earn funding for the City Library's 14.5-million dollar renovation. At that time, Samuel Texi-dor presented Maria Pagan with an earnings' check from the May car wash for $250.00 to help with the renovation.

Mayor Morse then gave a very informative, educational tour of

the entire City Hall. Students were able to visit each department includ-ing Room 11, used by The City Council. They were taught several as-pects of the operations of each department and were able to ask ques-tions at each stop. Among many teachings, they learned the importance of keeping their city parks clean, paying property and car taxes, register-ing their pet dogs as well as the importance of voting. Not only did the students leave the field trip with an education on how their great City runs, they left with library books, the Mayor's autograph and a pin that states: I am Holyoke. Most students proudly pinned it to their shirts immediately.

Sixth Graders Spend a Day on the Connecticut River!

By Laura Maspo

Ms. Lori Thayer, the sixth grade Science/Social Studies Teacher chose to plan a field trip for every sixth grade student to Holyoke Rows. Holyoke Rows is a non-profit community organization located at Jones Ferry River Access Center along the Connecticut River in Ho-lyoke. They offer many programs to the public such as kayaking safety, rowing fitness, and adaptive rowing programs for people with disabili-ties. They also develop skills in youth for high school crew programs.

On June 12th, each 6th-grade student in attendance had the opportunity to practice rowing fitness, row with their team of students and kayak on their own or with a friend. Each stu-dent was also able to learn of the migration of several fish species, and enjoy the surrounding wildlife and scenery.

The students gained confidence, prac-ticed healthy sporting activities, had 'tons of fun' within their community and so much more from working together. Stated best on the Holyoke Row website, "Sporting activities help young people maintain interest in school and keep them connected to their community. Sports help youth learn about their own strengths and limits. Rowing is a sport that fosters lead-ership skills within each individual."

Every student enjoyed their time on the river with each other and the Holyoke Row staff.

E. N. White

Samuel Texidor shakes hands with Library Director, Maria Pagan. Mayor Morse looks on in the background.

Luis Gonazalez and Becca Willis enjoy a library book about trucks.

Marc Gomez and Juan Cruz paddle across the river in a double kayak.

Eliezer Vazquez practices his paddling technique.


Volume 11, Issue 1

New Afterschool Program Begins at Dean

By Cynthia Carbone

Starting in October a new afterschool program has begun at Dean Technical High School. The program, “Hawks Taking Flight”, is a community service learning based program especially designed for high school students.

Hawks Taking Flight is based on the Wyman Teen Outreach Program (TOP) philosophy. The program enables teens to lead success-ful lives and build strong communities. The TOP program is an evidence-based, highly effective youth development program that influences teens in a positive way.

Program facilitator, Cynthia Carbone, RN, MSN, MEd, partici-pated in TOP’s extensive training earlier this year. This program is based upon the principles of youth development, and the socio-emotional well- being and health of teens. The approach provides teens with the necessary supports and opportunities to prepare for successful adulthood and avoid problem behavior. Carbone explains

that, “This evidence-based program has shown results such as a higher incidence of students staying in school, a higher percentage of school success, and a 53% lower risk of teen pregnancy. The program has a track record of 60% lower risk of school drop out.”

Six Students Receive Scholarships for High Academic Performance

By Kathy Levesque

William J. Dean Technical High School is proud to recognize six seniors who have qualified this fall for John and Abigail Adams Schol-arships through the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The award winners are:: Joel Brito, Xaviel Colon, Liliana Rodriguez, Carla Sanchez, Christine Thompson, and Zachary Tobin.

To qualify for the scholarship, students must score in the advanced category in either the English or Mathematics MCAS test, and attain a proficient or advanced score in the second subject (English or math). All award winners have combined scores ranking in the top 25% of their school district.

Dean Technical

Congratulations Students! Three JROTC Cadets recently attended and graduated from the State Trooper Academy. Congratulations to the following cadets: Jacob Colon, Daisha Serrano, and Luis Diaz.

Thirty students from a high school in Denmark visited Dean Technical on Tuesday, October 9th to tour the school. The visit provided a great opportunity for a cultural exchange between the visiting students and the Dean community, generating lively discussions about similarities and differences between countries within educational, healthcare and political systems (including the upcoming presidential election). The students made connections that will last beyond the visit, and we expect that their dialogue will likely continue.

STUDENTS FROM DENMARK VISIT DEAN TECH

(Dean Technical News Continued on Page 11)

Dean Talking Points Welcome Back Dance—On September

28th, Dean hosted it’s first dance of the year. The turnout was impressive and a good time was had by all.

Pep Rally Cheers— A great time was had by all at the first pep rally of the year. The entire school body attended and a volleyball game between the teachers and students was a resounding success with the teachers beat-ing the students three out of four games. The 11th graders were the only class to beat the teachers.

Student Voter Registration—Kudos to the Social Studies Department who managed to make sure that all Dean students who are 18 years of age or older were registered to vote. Now all these students will be able to vote in the upcoming election!

Cheerleading is Back— Karolin Herrera, a Holyoke High School graduate, has been hired is the new cheerleading coach. Student interest has been immediate. Twenty-six students have already signed up for the pro-gram.


Connections

Strengthening Climate and Culture at Peck School

By Cathy Foley

On September 13th a school wide assembly was held to kick off the adoption of the new Peck pledge:

Peck School has adopted the pledge which is recited over the intercom every morning at 9:00AM by selected students and faculty. The pledge was developed by the Unconditional Positive Regard Working Group over the summer and focuses on Peck’s commitment to pride, responsibility and respect. Mark Diaz, an 8th grade student developed a rap of the pledge with Mr. Cotton’s A dvisory Group. “I think the pledge is good because it helps the students know who we are as a school.”

During the 2011-2012 academic year Tina Siniscalchi, 7th and 8th grade Science teacher, along with Kristen Luschen from our FSCS partner, Hampshire College, developed a program for 7th grade students entitled Unconditional Positive Regard Group. Students with strong leadership abilities were selected for this new group and they met on a daily basis. The students and adult facilitators from Peck and Hampshire

College worked to develop an awareness around Peck’s core value of unconditional positive regard. As part of the ongoing initiative to create awareness around UPR students designed two tee shirts displaying UPR and the slogan – Stop and Think is it right. Hampshire College paid for the production of the tee shirts so that every middle school student, teacher and key staff member in the building received a free tee shirt that would become part of the student uniform. Limaris Soltren, a member of the UPR group stated, “The tee shirts send out a good message that students should think before they act, and they are something we knew the kids would like to wear.”

Daily Community Meetings are held at the elementary levels at Peck School. These 15 minute meetings allow the students a time to come together in order to promote classroom community. During this time teachers and students engage in activities that will help to build classroom community by taking the time to acknowledge and appreciate each student’s presence. Also they work to build a shared sense among students that they are part of a community and responsible for their actions.

Middle school faculty and students are participating in Advisory Groups. Advisory Groups promote small, caring communities of learners. These weekly small group meetings allow students and faculty time to build relationships and focus on establishing and strengthening school culture. The Advisory program ensures that every student is well known and supported by at least one adult, and that every student belongs to a peer group. Advisory also promotes increased attendance rates and decreased behavioral problems.

International Walk to School Day

By Maria Luisa Arroyo

October 6th marked International Walk to School Day, a Peck FSCS tradition, co-led by Mari Santiago, P-PUA leader and Peck volun-teer, and Maria Luisa Arroyo, Peck Family Access & Engagement Coordi-nator. Despite the overcast skies, the small yet excited group of Peck students and parents walked from Homework House to Peck by way of Beech and up the Dingle. Holyoke Fire Inspector Maria Pelchar accompa-nied the group to the surprise at school: friendly firefighters with a shiny red fire engine into which the students could climb! Additional incentives were provided by Safe Routes to School. This day also marked the first day of the Peck Walk-to-School-Bus, also coordinated by Mari, which will occur every school day morning at 8:00 AM from Homework House to Peck through Tuesday, November 20th.

Peck

Students Jaden Steiger-le-Clair, Haley Rivera, Jose Sandoval

(back), Alexander Rivera, Jr., Justin Armstead model their

Team Peck Unconditional Positive Regard tee shirts.

In June, the now 8th grade students had the pleasure of meeting with Congressman Richard Neal to discuss the high school dropout age and other political issues.

Parent Volunteer Mari Santiago raised over $100.00 in

a 50/50 raffle to benefit the 8th grade end of the year field trip.

PECKTALKINGPOINTS

We are Peck – Somos Peck

We are Excellent

We are committed

We are Kind

Peck = R3

We are respectful, Responsible, Ready to Learn

All, every day – Todo el dia, todos los dias!


Volume 11, Issue 1

Students in Ms. Descoteau’s Art Class took to the trails of the Larch Hill Conservation area in Am-herst to observe and interact with the natural environ-ment. Treetop nests, flying birds, native vegetation, and landscape color provided authentic connections to the John James Audubon paint-ings they had studied in class.

Students began their visit in the Hitchcock Center with an informational session led by staff members. Live animals and taxidermy models were observed to initiate a discussion related to habitat and animal adaptation. After the viewing, students hiked outside to investigate four different habitat loca-tions. They collected water samples from the pond, looked for insects in the field, listened for birds and natural sounds in the forest, carefully maneuvered their way on the boardwalk over the wetlands and felt the fresh air of a cool day.

A follow up lesson to the field trip was created by Brittany Gyllenhammer, a student art teacher from UMASS/Amherst, to capitalize on the field trip excursion. Students constructed pop-up dimensional models of the boardwalk areas of the hike. They interpreted the natural environment and developed representational dimensional landscapes that reinforced their learning experience.

Kelly Hitchcock Center Field Trip

By Ms. Descoteau

Kelly School has opened the 2012-2013 school year as a Full Service Community School. This opening was over a year in the making with the school administration, teachers, and parents working with con-sultant Julie Rappoport, to identify the needs of the families at Kelly School.

Project Manager, Rebecca Masters and Parent Access and Engage-ment Coordinator Jeannette Alicea, have been hired to spearhead the full service initiative along with Principal Jackie Glasheen.

The school’s first open partnership meeting was held on August 17th in the school cafeteria. Over 50 community partners were in at-tendance. The school is currently working to align the services provided by the community partners with the school’s identified areas of need.

The PTO also advocated for school uniforms to coincide with the opening of Kelly School as a Full Service Community School. The school has had 100% participation regarding the uniform policy. Parents and

students report it is much easier to get ready in the morning with the new uniforms.

Kelly Opens as a Full Service Community School

By Jacqueline Glasheen

KellyArtworkonDisplay

By Denise Descoteau

Kelly School students from Ms. Descoteau’s 3rd and 4th grade art classes displayed two dimensional work at the “Envision Depot Square” community event held October 13th at the intersection of Dwight and Main Streets. The drawings illustrated stylistic elements common to the architec-ture of Holyoke as well as interpretive drawings based on the resident and anadromous fish of the Connecticut River. (See photo).

Also included were students from Mr. Christofori’s Grade 8 art class. Students studied photographs of trains and constructed train models using wood, metal, paper, plastic, and wire to contribute dimensional work made from recycled materials.


Connections

Open House and Middle School Night

Our Open House was held on September 13th, and we had 397 families and friends attend! It was a wonderful evening filled with conversations, music, cookies and lemonade.

Then on September 20th, our Middle School night was held. Over 100 students and their families attended! Mr. Douglas Arnold, Director of Student Services, spoke about students prepar-ing for the future, and the Hampden County Sherriff’s Department explained the Text-A-Tip messaging system. Texting was actually allowed in school that evening!

By Ricky Cates

District Attorney Has Our Backs

Maurice A. Donahue School is off to a very busy start to the school year! Hampden County District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni visited with eighth grade classes at the Maurice A. Donahue School on Thursday, August 30th. During his visit, he spoke to the students about his role as District Attorney and provided them with a general overview of day-to-day court operations. Students received backpacks and school supplies, which were donated by his office.

District Attorney Mastroianni will continue this dia-logue with the class later this school year when plans are made to involve the students in a mock trial where students will have the chance to act in the roles of lawyers, judge and jury; litigat-ing a case from opening statement through verdict. Later this year, it is anticipated that this class will visit the Hampden County Courthouse on State Street in Springfield to observe firsthand how the Court system functions.

These events are part of District Attorney Mastro-ianni’s continuing effort to engage middle school and high school students and explore ways his office can interact with them to positively impact their own lives and encourage, pro-mote and recognize their positive achievements.

Donahue

Jalen Olivero, Demi Russ, and Corey Thomas

enjoyed Middle School Night.

Johanna Diaz. Zavier Vargus, Tatianna Olives,

and Kiara Falcon share conversations.

Redeemable Soda

Cans and Bottles Ching , ching! Once again the sounds of nickels are rolling in. The Donahue Dolphins and the Green Team are once again collecting redeemable soda cans and bottles. So far we have collected and recycled over 1,800 cans and bottles. Proceeds are for the Student Activities Fund.

WANTED

International Walk to School Day

On Wednesday, October 3rd, Donahue School along with more than 3,300 schools across the United States participated in the International Walk to School Day. This one day event is part of an international effort to motivate fami-lies to get out and enjoy the many benefits of walking safely to school. Students and their families met on Tokeneke Road and were escorted to school by teach-ers, 8th grade students, and representatives of the Holyoke Police Department, District Attorney’s Office and the Hampden County Sherriff’s Department. We all marched to the sounds of the Donahue Drummers!


Mineral Club Visits McMahon Students

By Gina Roy

Mr. Fred Wilda and Mr. Chris Wyse from the Connecticut Valley Mineral Club based at the Springfield Museum complex in Springfield, MA visited McMahon School on October 12th. They pre-sented our 6th graders with a glass cased collection containing official Massachusetts State rocks, minerals and fossils from various locations in Massachusetts. They also provided a forty minute presentation to students to broaden their knowledge base on this topic.

Volume 11, Issue 1

McMahon

Congratulations Metcalf—100 Years of Service

By Gina Roy

On September 27th Metcalf celebrated 100 years of service to the community of Holyoke. Ellen Jackson was the chair of the "100 Year Celebration Committee" responsible for organizing this well attended event. The Holyoke High School Bell Choir, Band and the Madrigal Chorus provided musical presentations under the super-vision of Mark Todd and Joan Cavanaugh to add to the celebratory ambience of the evening. Various guest speakers provided historical and sentimental stories about Metcalf. Some of the presenters includ-ed Mayor Alex Morse, Superintendent David Dupont, and Lou Ann Daly. The alumni chorus consisting of Ed Daly, Ed Bieber, Betty Griess, Jane Squire, Jean Armitage, and Carol Rogers sang the old Metcalf song. Display boards adorned the gymnasium enabling people to relive memories of their times in this historic building.

Metcalf

Center for Excellence

By Larry Duprey

The Center for Excellence began its first music program last year upon the hiring of music teacher, Otis Rogers. Otis teaches vocal and instrumental music to all students, K-12. The large music room is filled with guitars, percussion instruments, drums and keyboard. The space allows for student musicians to engage in instrumental practice as well as accompany singers at the microphones. Last year Otis had students of all ages along with some staff members perform bi-monthly, including a talent contest, for the whole school.

This year’s first performance was during the final half hour of Open House on October 2nd when 15 students performed three songs accompanied by students and staff members—Otis, art teacher Bob Bard and counselor Eric Franco on guitars, paraprofessional Antonio Robles on keyboard and custodian Jack Morneau on drums. The performance was a great beginning for this year’s group of talented musicians and singers.

Music Program Thriving at CFE


Connections

This fall, CONNECTIONS After-School Program at Kelly, Peck, E.N. White, and Morgan School is back with new and improved clubs! These exciting new clubs include Digital Music Making, Art-U-Luv, SWAG (Students Working towards Achievement and Growth), Teen Power, Nature/Art Club, Fitness and Nutrition Club, and Destination ImagiNa-tion, and appeal to students with a wide variety of interests and skills.

The Digital Music Making Club allows students the oppor-tunity to create musical and literary works in their own unique way by providing them with access to digital music software. This club allows students to express themselves through media and will involve a collabo-rative project in which students will produce podcasts. Students will learn a variety of skills necessary to create a musical piece including writing, songwriting, sound production, and voice acting.

The Art-U-Luv Club is a new club encouraging students to use self-expression and to explore their artistic and creative abilities. The students are given the power to express themselves artistically through mixed media.

The Students Working towards Achievement and Growth Club, or SWAG, focuses on future college and career aspira-tions for middle school students. Students will have the opportunity to take a field trip to a local college, where they will experience a day in the life of college students. A large part of the club will be focused on creat-ing a mural using students’ own designs and future goals.

The Teen Power Club is a unique new club that offers stu-dents an outlet to discuss issues that they may face on a daily basis, includ-ing self-esteem, social life and home life. Students are encouraged to “free talk” with no topic being off limits as long as they remain respectful of each other and the program. The students create a journal so that they can record their thoughts and ideas on different topics. Students will participate in group exercises where they try to come up with possible peaceful solutions to fictional problems. The goal of the club is to teach students to see situations from another person’s point of view and accept that others may handle things differently than themselves.

The Nature Club offers students the chance to learn about all aspects of nature through hands-on activities and arts and crafts. The club focuses on topics such as trees, animal habitats, water, food webs, birds and more. Students will learn how people can positively and negatively affect the environment and how important the environment can be in their daily lives.

Students in the Fitness and Nutrition Club will be intro-duced to some healthy food choices and learn how their bodies are affect-ed by these choices. Students will participate in warm-up exercises, stretches and individual and group games designed to keep the students active and involved. At the end of each class, students will be allowed “cool down” time where they can relax to music and wind down before they return home.

The Destination ImagiNation club focuses on students developing three important skills: creativity, team building, and problem solving. Students will break into teams and participate in open-ended and challenging questions. Students are then given the chance to think, imag-ine, and solve problems on their own. Students in this club will remain active both mentally and physically.

These new clubs, as well as the many other exciting and engag-ing clubs currently running in CONNECTIONS, give students the oppor-tunity to try new things and explore hidden talents. The clubs allow stu-dents to explore new interests and develop skills that will help them to become successful adults. Students and staff are looking forward to anoth-er great year at the CONNECTIONS program!

CONNECTIONS After-School Kicks Off- New Clubs and Adventures!

By Kayla Morrison

For more information about the program, contact:

Jorge L. Castellano, (413) 313-7710

Jennifer Scott, (413) 478-6132

ATTENTION SENIORS

A College Financing Seminar for senior students and parents will be held at Holyoke High School, Monday, December 10, 2012 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Presentations will be offered in English and Spanish on applying for financial aid, scholarships, loans, completing the FAFSA, and other topics of interest to students applying for college.

Holyoke High

CONNECTIONS

Holyoke High School was the host for the Pioneer Valley College Fair on September 27th. HCC and Avanza-2-College sponsored the event to which 40 colleges and hundreds of students attended. To learn more about preparing for college, view video at http://vod.hps.holyoke.ma.us:81/TRMSVOD/230-1-Perspectives-HolyokeHighSchoolGuidanceDepartment.wmv

This October, a record number of 117 PSATs were given to sophomores and juniors at Holyoke High School.


Volume 11, Issue 1

Ath

leti

cs

Dean Tech Partnership with HCC Awarded $200,000 Grant for Technology Career Program

By Kathy Levesque

The Holyoke Community College Foundation has been awarded a $200,000 grant from Urban Research Park CDE to launch a technology career pathways program in partnership with Dean Technical High School and the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center. The collaborative project, called Career Pathways in Technology for Holyoke,

is designed to enhance technology education for Holyoke and area residents by establishing a CISCO Academy at Holyoke Community and Dean, while leveraging educational opportunities through the new computing center. Classes are expected to begin in Janu-ary, with the program in full operation at both Dean and HCC by next September. One of the goals of the program is to create an educational pathway from Dean Tech to both the credit and non-credit opportunities available at HCC and ultimately into the workforce or toward further educational opportunities.

Waking Up Courage

By Patti Mertes

On September 14th the Dean Tech HS student body attended a powerful assembly, “Waking Up Courage,” presented by Community Matters, the organization that brought the Safe School Ambassadors Program to Dean Tech three years ago. This student-centered experi-ence enlists, unites, and empowers students to take a stand and speak up when they see bullying and violence among their peers. It was a high-energy event that delivered a compelling and consistent message to all students that bullying is not OK and silence isn’t either.

Dean Tech students rose to the occa-sion! At the end of the assembly, when students were asked to stand up, speak up, and build a positive school climate, they posted their com-mitments on a large poster entitled, “Be The Change.” Congratulations to Dean Tech stu-dents; committed to a positive learning environ-ment. The students will meet weekly throughout the year and will participate in a minimum of 20 hours of community service per year. “Taking action, reflecting on successes, and celebrating accomplishments is what Hawks Taking Flight is all about”, explains health teach-er, Cynthia Carbone.

Dean Tech’s JROTC program participated in the Opening Day Ceremonies at the Big E in September. The cadets participate every year and always shine for Dean Tech!

JROTCATTHEBIGE

The Boys Cross Country team is having another out-standing season with a current record of 7-1.

The Girls Cross Country team has turned things around and they are now one of the top teams in the league with a record of 5-3.

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Holyoke High School Field Hockey team sponsored their annual PLAY 4 THE CURE Field Hockey game to raise money and awareness to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. On Monday October 15th, the Holyoke Knights Girls’ Field Hockey team hosted a game with the Agawam Brownie's Field Hockey team at the Robert's Sports Complex at Holyoke High School dedicated to raising awareness and money for cancer. Both teams wore custom pink uniform jerseys to show their support for the many families affected by cancer, to remember those friends and family members who have lost their fight with cancer, to show their support for those who are dealing with it now, and to celebrate all Survivors of Cancer. The team also collected donations to support cancer research and support. All proceeds/donations from the game were donated directly to the Susan G. Komen Foundation to help them in their efforts to put an end to Cancer.

(Dean Technical High School News Continued from page 5)


Connections

Connections Newsletter

Edited by Judy Taylor [email protected]

Editors Emeritus: Kelly Doktor and Laura DuPont Translated by: Luz Aguillar

All events start at 6:30 except Donahue School events begin at 6:00.

DECEMBER

Mon., Dec. 3 Donahue Bingo for Books Wed., Dec. 12 McMahon Bingo for Books Thurs., Dec.13 E.N. White Bingo for Books Wed., Dec. 19 Kelly Family Game Night JANUARY Wed., Jan. 9 McMahon Math In A Bag Thurs., Jan. 10 Morgan Math In A Bag Mon., Jan. 14 Donahuel Bingo for Books Wed., Jan. 16 E.N. White Math In A Bag Wed., Jan. 23 Kelly School Math In A Bag Mon., Jan. 28 Donahue School Family Math Night FEBRUARY Mon., Feb. 4 Donahue Bingo for Books Thurs., Feb. 7 Sullivan Family Game Night Tues., Feb. 12 White Mardi Gras Bingo for Books Wed., Feb. 13 Kelly Valen ne’s Bingo for Books

Fun for the Whole Family

For grades K-12

As the school year picks up steam, the days of summer turn into nostalgic thoughts in the back of our memories yet again. Students and teachers alike will use their unique and interesting experiences from the summer to enhance the learning within their classrooms. An experience of mine that I would like to share with a feeling of great satisfaction is that of my time working in Enchanted Circle Theater’s Acting Shakespeare summer program at Peck School. The nine week program began with a group of twenty-three eager, somewhat appre-hensive middle school students, all of whom would be challenged with the difficult task of pulling off a theatrical production in such a short amount of time. The students were led by a team of teachers that included Enchanted Circle Theater teaching artist Aaron Brando and asso-ciate artist Lizzie Boliver, Brad Willenbrock, ELA teacher from Donahue School, and myself. We were assisted by interns Patrick Wells, a 2011 graduate of Holyoke High School, and

Meagan Rothe from Amherst College. The students wasted no time in get-ting down to business. One of the first tasks at hand was to read and comprehend the play that we would be producing, Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I was impressed with how quickly and enthusias-tically the students began to grasp such a com-plicated play. Through an array of reading, writ-ing, and theatrical strategies, they were able to reach a high level of understanding of Mac-beth and apply it when it came time to take on their roles in front of a live audience. The first performance was at the Renaissance Center on the campus of UMASS Amherst. All the time we spent practicing hit-ting our cues, nailing the delivery of our lines, and setting the tone of the play paid dividends on the outcome of our performance. We would follow up with our second performance at, Peck School’s auditorium, where we were met with a packed house. Once again, we gave the audience a show they could write home about.

What I enjoyed most about this expe-rience was the amount of fun we all had. For many of us, including myself, this was a first in terms of being a part of a theatrical production. We learned to take risks and to trust not only ourselves, but others. I believe it is important for any person to step out of their comfort zone in order to experience growth. This tre-mendous opportunity gave me an understanding of the boundless benefits of such a program. I was able to witness the significant academic and social growth that occurred within each of the twenty-three students who participated in the program. I saw students with positive attitudes working towards success. I saw students take responsibility and ownership of their roles as learners in the educational process. I saw stu-dents gain confidence that will prove to be inval-uable as they continue on their paths of educa-tion. Above all, I saw students take part in meaningful and authentic learning that I strongly feel will be a major, positive influence for their futures.

A Teacher’s Reflection on Creative Learning with Enchanted Circle Theater by Patrick Britton

Tit

le 1

Fam

ily N

igh

ts

Macbeth performers wore costumes that were on loan from The Hampshire Shakespeare Company,.


Misión "H" Consejo—Padres, guardianes, miembros de la comunidad de Holyoke y personal de la escuela, trabajando junto con la Oficina del Superintendencia,para lograr un mayor éxito de los estudiantes y para construir una comunidad fuerte. Nuestra visión es crear un ambiente en el que cada padre está involucrado, tiene una voz, y puede desarrollar soluciones a los proble-mas. Cada escuela tiene un grupo de embajadores que hablan por los padres y los niños. Embajadores “H” - Los voluntarios seleccionados de cada una de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke como un representante entre los padres, guardianes, y la oficina del Superintendente de abogar por todos los niños, padres y guardianes. Los embajadores tendrán una silla en el Consejo de Mejoramiento Escolar. Los embajadores asistirán y promove-rán las reuniones dos veces al mes “H” Las reuniones del Consejo y sus objetivos anuales. Además, los embajadores ayudarán a crear una imagen positiva de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke a través de los medios de comunicación.


Volume 11 Issue 1

Otono 2012

Estos son los puntos mas sobresalientes del Boletin

Una Carta Abierta a la Comunidad de la Escuela Holyoke

Reestructuración del Distrito

El Comité Escolar de Holyoke ha iniciado la formación de un Comité de Reestructuración del Distrito para examinar una propues-ta, basada en un Concilio de estudio en Desarrollo Escolar de Nueva Inglaterra (New England) (NESDEC), que posiblemente cambia la or-ganización actual escolar de K-8. La propuesta consiste en cambiar a una estructura K-6, incluyendo la Escuela Lawrence (Centro para la Excelencia) para convertirla en una escuela K-6, con la Escuela Peck que se está convirtiendo en una escuela pre-superior 7/8. (La mayoría de los programas de la CFE finalmente se dispersaron a otras escue-las.) Se solicitará información de todo el personal de la escuela basada de una encuesta en todo el distrito. Además, habrá tres noches infor-mativas que se llevarán a cabo en lugares diferentes (TBA) para que los padres puedan asistir. Nuestro objetivo de tiempo para tomar una determinación o recomendación es a principios de diciembre. La deci-sión final será tomada por el Comité Escolar. Este espacio en el bole-tín no permite espacio para hacer justicia para cubrir los diversos puntos de ambos lados de la cuestión de reestructuración. Se espera que las personas revisen cuidadosamente el estudio NESDEC y la propuesta. El Comité de Reestructuración está animando la opinión de todos. Si se aprueba, la reorganización del distrito es un esfuerzo importante que afectará a toda la comunidad escolar. Por lo tanto, estamos comprometidos a trabajar con mucha seriedad, con varios comentarios que podamos reunir, con el fin de tomar la mejor deci-sión posible para el distrito escolar.

Artist: Anton Davila, Sullivan School Por David Dupont, Superintendente de Escuelas

Los miembros del comité son los siguientes:

Amy Fitzgerald-Principal Diane Bauer-Principal

Paul Hyry-Dermith-Principal Jonathan Roche-Maestro Kim Izquierdo-Consejero Mary Beth Delisi-Maestra Mildred Lefebvre-Madre

Hazel Rosario-Madre Doug Arnold-Servicios-Estudiantiles

Leonard Gibbons-Tecnología/Operaciones John Foley-Representante de la Comunidad

William Collamore-Comité Escolar Cesar Lopez-Comité Escolar

Kim Wells-Asistente del Superintendente David Dupont-Superintendente

“H” Consejo

Reuniones del Consejo “H”

Miércoles, 9 de enero de 2013 Miércoles, 6 de marzo de 2013 Miércoles, 1 de mayo de 2013

Se llevó a cabo en la Cafetería de la Escuela Superior de Holyoke a las 6:00 PM


Connections

Comida Local vino a las Escuelas de Holyoke

Por Richard Leso

Jueves, 20 de septiembre, Día Local marcado en las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke. El menú del día incluyó alimentos producidos en Massachusetts. Había calzones de Carando Gour-met, justo al lado, en Chicopee, hot dogs de un Barrio Antiguo en Boston, chili de Kettle Cuisine en Chelsea, tortellini pasta alfredo de Josephs Pasta Co en Ayer, Verduras Asadas de Czajkowski Farms en Hadley, leche de las granjas Garelick en Lynn y visitar-nos desde el siguiente estado sobre manzanas frescas de Hudson River Farms en Milton, NY. Los estudiantes estaban entusiasma-dos con estos nuevos alimentos frescos al igual que el alcalde Alex Morse, quien visitó la Escuela Holyoke High para degustar el menú y charlar con los estudiantes. Los estudiantes pueden notar algo distinto en las cafe-terías de las escuelas este año. El gobierno federal recientemente mandó la implementación de las nuevas normas escolares en la Nutrición de Alimentos. Alimentos frescos, más coloridos harán acto de presencia en las cafeterías, así como panes integrales, pastas y productos horneados. Con el fin de familiarizarse con estos nuevos alimentos, Sodexo en colaboración con el Grupo de Traba-jo de Alimentación Escolar de Holyoke será la sede de oportunidades de los estudiantes de cada escuela para saborear. Para obtener más informa-ción acerca de la comida escolar por favor visite: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/cafe_menus.html o comunicarse con el Director de Servicios Alimenticios Richard Leso al 413-543-2000 ext. 233.

Mayor Morse charla con Minerva Aponte y Angela Lempke durante una visita a la cafetería de la Escuela Superior de Holyoke.

“Para que los niños aprendan, los padres también de-ben ser estudiantes ",

Centro Nacional para la Educación Familiar

Por Jody Spitz

El otoño está en el aire y con el cambio de estación - es el nue-vo año escolar! Este año, la emoción no es sólo para niños de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke. Los padres también se están sumando a la diversión! A partir de octubre, las mamás y los papás en la Escuelas E.N. White, Kelly, Morgan, y Sullivan comenzaron clases de inglés en las escuelas! Ade-más de mejorar sus propias habilidades para hablar, leer y escribir Inglés, los padres también tienen la oportunidad de involucrarse en la comunidad escolar, como visitar los salones de sus hijos, conocer a los maestros, y (lo más importante) aprendiendo al lado de sus hijos .

Si usted es un padre o guardián de un estudiante de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke y está interesado en aprender Inglés, por favor consulte la in-formación de contacto para las clases abajo mencionadas. Los principian-tes son bienvenidos!

E.N. White: lunes y miércoles de 9-11:30 AM. Comunicarse con Katy al 588-2013 o con Oneida al 534-2058.

Kelly: martes y jueves de 8:30-11 AM. Comunicarse con Katy al 588-2013 o con Taisha al 534-2078. Sullivan: martes y jueves de 12:30-3 PM. Comunicarse con María Correa al 552-2937 o con Aida Gómez al 534-2321. Morgan: martes-miércoles-jueves de 9:00-12:00 del mediodía, comunicarse con Glenda Morales al 534-2083..


Volume 11, Issue 1

¡Reserve estas fechas!

Por favor únase a otros padres interesados en nuestras próximas reuniones durante el año escolar 2012-2013. Hay una fuerza en números y el apoyo de otras personas que comparten experiencias similares. Nuestros esfuerzos combinados pueden influir en el éxito de nuestros hijos, así como dar forma a su futuro.

Próximas fechas de reuniones y Temas de discusión:

7 de enero de 2013: Terapia Ocupacional / Terapia Física 4 de marzo de 2013: Programas de Escuela de Verano

6 de mayo de 2013: Intimidación

Las reuniones se llevan a cabo en la Escuela Donahue a las 6:00 PM

Visite el sitio web del distrito para más información: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/pdf/announcements/SEPAC.pdf Preguntas: contacto Kelly- [email protected] o Dawn - [email protected]

Reuniones del Consejo Asesor de Educación Especial (SEPAC)

Atención

estudiantes

de grado 12 Se llevará a cabo un Seminario de Financiamiento para Colegio para estudiantes mayores y padres en la

Escuela Superior de Holyoke - Holyoke High School, el lunes, 10 de diciembre de 2012 de 6:00-8:00 PM. Se ofrecerán presentaciones en Inglés y Español para la solicitud

de ayuda financiera, becas, préstamos, para llenar la FAFSA y otros temas de interés para los estudiantes que soliciten ingreso

a la universidad.

DICIEMBRE Lunes, 3 de diciembre Escuela Donahue Bingo para Libros a las 6:00 PM Miércoles, 12 de diciembre Escuela McMahon Bingo para Libros a las 6:30 PM Jueves, 13 de diciembre Escuela E.N. White -Bingo para Libros a las 6:30 PM Miércoles, 19 de diciembre Escuela Kelly Noche de Juego en Familia a las 6:30 PM

ENERO Miércoles, 9 de enero Escuela McMahon Matemáticas en Bolsa a las 6:30 PM Jueves, 10 de enero Escuela Morgan Matemáticas en Bolsa a las 6:30 PM Lunes, 14 de enero Escuela Donahue Bingo para Libros a las 6:30 PM Miércoles, 16 de enero Escuela E.N. White Matemáticas en Bolsa a las 6:30 PM Miércoles, 23 de enero Escuela Kelly Matemáticas en Bolsa a las 6:30 PM

Lunes, 28 de enero Escuela Donahue Noche de Matemáticas en Familia a las 6:00 PM

FEBRERO Lunes, 4 de febrero Escuela Donahue Bingo para Libros a las 6:00 PM Jueves, 7 de febrero Escuela Sullivan Noche de Juego en Familia a las 6:00 PM Martes, 12 de febrero Escuela E.N. White Bingo Mardi Gras para Libros 6:30 PM Miércoles, 13 de febrero Escuela Kelly Bingo San Valentín para Libros 6:30 PM Miércoles, 27 de febrero Escuela McMahon Bingo para Libros a las 6:30 PM

Para grados Kínder hasta 12

Diversión

para Toda

la Familia

Titulo 1 Noches de Familia


Connections

A community working together/ Una Communidad trabanjando juntos

Connections


Media Center

c/o Judy Taylor

500 Beech Street

Holyoke, MA 01040

Connections - Holyoke Public Schools · 2016-11-13 · new training program. New District Literacy...

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