Expectations for Student
Learning
Academic:
The Haddam-Killingworth High School graduate
will:
1. access and analyze
information
2.
problem-solve
3. communicate
effectively
4.
apply
information
5. reflect and
evaluate
Civic:
The Haddam-Killingworth graduate will individually and
collaboratively
1.
act responsibly
Hello Everyone.
Another school year
has gotten underway and we experienced a very smooth opening.
The freshmen class was welcomed to the high school last
Thursday during an orientation program. During a portion of
the evening, students were given a building tour by our
student ambassadors and had the opportunity to meet their
counselor and homeroom teacher. The rest of the students
returned on Monday, August
31st.
1. NEW
STAFF
A.
Mr. Richard Westbrook has joined the science department at the
high school and will teach both Physical Science and Exploring
Science.
B.
Mr. Sean Gallagher, a graduate of Haddam-Killingworth High
School, has joined our technology education department and
will teach Introduction to Engineering Design, Principles of
Engineering, and Graphics
Communication.
I know
you join me in welcoming both of these educators to our
school.
2.
Freshmen and
Parents
A
Note on
Homework
A milestone in a child's life is entering high school.
It symbolizes the beginning of the final leg of formal public
school education as one starts to think about career choices
and opportunities that wait. A reality of high school is
the increased responsibility and commitment needed on the part
of students. It is reasonable and accurate to assume
that as one enters high school, the amount of homework
assigned will be greater than what had previously been
assigned. The amount of homework may vary according to the
number of core academic subjects being taken along with the
type and level of each course. Generally speaking, students
can expect lengthier and more involved assignments when taking
college preparatory
courses.
Teachers may assign homework for a multitude of reasons
including: review and/or reinforcement of the daily lesson;
preparation for class the following day; exploring subjects
more fully than possible during class time; or to provide
opportunities for students to identify and utilize various
resources.
In Helping Your Students with Homework, a guide sponsored by
the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in the U.S.
Department of Education, Paulu (1998) makes the following
recommendations, to parents, designed to help children be
successful with work at home and at
school:
·
Create a place at home that is conducive to studying. Good
study environments are well-lit and quiet. (Paulu,
1998).
·
Set aside a specific time for homework each day. (Paulu,
1998). This might involve limiting TV or phone conversations
until homework is completed.
· Make
sure students have all the supplies they need ahead of time.
(Paulu,
1998).
·
Support your children. Be available to answer questions, give
suggestions or review their work. (Paulu,
1998).
·
Make an effort to communicate regularly with
teachers.
Research has shown that when
families get involved and stay involved in their child's
education, their children:
1.
get better grades and score higher on
tests
2. have a higher
graduation rate than children who do not have parents involved
in their school lives
3. are
more likely to go onto to higher
education
4. have better
attitudes and are better behaved
A side value of
having children complete homework is that it can easily extend
beyond the high school walls. Diligence to the completion of
homework can help children learn important lessons about
responsibility, discipline, initiative and completing a task
from start to finish.
Our goal is to make the
freshmen year a pleasant and successful one. Understanding
what will be expected, having the proper attitude and working
as a learning community (teachers, students and parents) will
assure a successful beginning to high
school.
3. Projection
Graduation
News
Project Graduation
Haddam-Killingworth High
School
Gift Wrap Fundraiser 2009
Project Graduation
Wrapping Paper Fundraiser packages should have been mailed to
High School student households by the last week of
August. This fundraiser provides some of the necessary
backing for the senior class to experience a safe and drug and
alcohol free graduation
celebration.
·
The students should return their orders to the office by
Thursday SEPTEMBER 17. For your information, we will accept
orders until September 24. If any order forms are left
in your classroom, please bring them to the
office.
·
The orders should be delivered the 3rd week of October. We
will continue to update you and also our link on the
website. We will deliver the individually packaged and
labeled orders to your homeroom after school one day during
that week in October. We would appreciate it if you
encourage your students to take their orders home as soon as
possible so any errors can be
corrected.
·
If you receive a student order in error, please send the order
to the correct homeroom.
We THANK YOU in advance
for all your help and cooperation. We know this is a
very busy time and greatly appreciate all your efforts.
All the money raised goes a long way towards purchasing food,
prizes for each graduating student and entertainment
throughout the night.
Again, thank you for
all your support so our graduating class can have a safe and
fun night to remember!
Sincerely,
Kathy Strom (345-3398 or KSSTROM@aol.com)
The Project Graduation Committee is in need of
volunteers. They are specifically looking for a new
treasurer, a new publicist and a new clean up committee
chair. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every
month at 7 pm in the lower media center. The first planning
meeting for 2010 is September 8 at 7 pm. Please contact
Kathy Strom if you can offer your
assistance.
4.
Schedule
Students have returned to a new schedule this school year.
Full details of the schedule can be found on the district web
site (www.rsd17.org) under curriculum and
instruction.
5.
Advisory and Silent Sustained
Reading
All students are part of an advisory program that occurs each
Wednesday. Topics are tailored to meet the meet the needs of
the various grade levels. The grade/topic matrix is available
on the high school wed page. The advisory half of the
time period will take approximately 30 minutes. The remainder
of the period is for students to participate in pleasure
reading
(SSR).
Silent Sustained Reading Facts
FACT 1: SSR
is based upon a single principle: reading is a skill and the
more you use it, the better you get at it.
FACT
2: Students who read independently score higher on achievement
tests in all subject areas, and have greater content
knowledge.
FACT 3: In 8 out of 10 studies that
track pupils in the long-term SSR programs of 12 months or
more, students who read recreationally outperformed their
counterparts in classes that lacked
reading.
6. Important Dates
·
Open House -Thursday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m. in the
auditorium.
·
Underclassmen photos - Friday, September 18 at 8:00
a.m.
·
Early Dismissal for high school
students:
o
September 10 - NEASC
Accreditation
o
September 25- Staff Professional
Development
o
October 8- NEASC
Accreditation
o
October 13- Parent
Conferences
o
October 14- Parent
Conferences-
o
November 12- NEASC
Accreditation
o
November 25- Thanksgiving
Recess
o December
10 - NEASC
Accreditation
o
January 14- NEASC
Accreditation
o
January 19- Portfolio Day for K-12
Staff
o January
20 -
o February
4- NEASC
Accreditation
o
February 10- Parent
Conferences
o
February 11- Parent
Conferences
o
March 11- NEASC
Accreditation
o
April 22- NEASC
Accreditation
o
May 13- NEASC
Accreditation
o
May 21- Staff Professional
development
o
June 3- NEASC
Accreditation
o
June 15 & 16 Tentative end of school
year
Charlie
