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Parent Bulletin 14
Monday, May
18, 2009
1.
It is a busy time of the year and I want to keep
you well informed as you are booking your calendars for the
next 4 weeks of school.
2.
A huge thank you to our 6th grade
teachers and parent chaperones who worked at Nature's
Classroom last week.
I was able to join the students for one evening and
Mrs. Muzzulin and Mr. English did the same on
successive days. We are all very
impressed with the skills our sixth grade students develop
during this four day and night field trip. In our community,
Nature's Classroom has represented an annual spring rite, a
coming of age experience for sixth graders for over 25
years. Many
parents return to the same site to chaperone where they once
hiked and learned as 12 year olds. Thank you again for
supporting this event both financially and by spending time
overnight with our young campers.
It has come to my attention
that there is a rumor circulating in our community that
Nature's Classroom will be discontinued. That is absolutely
false! After 21
years as the trip coordinator, Mrs. White will be stepping
aside and we thank her for her selfless devotion to organizing
this trip.
However, Nature's Classroom will continue into the
foreseeable future and has my support and that or our staff as
a meaningful educational experience for our students.
3.
Another exciting spring ritual is the naming of
the 2009 Scholar - Leaders for Haddam- Killingworth Middle
School. This
prestigious award is given annually to one girl and one boy in
grade 8 across over 180 middle schools in Connecticut and is
sponsored by a variety of organizations, most notably, the
Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS). Students honored are
chosen by their teachers based on their records of
scholarship, leadership and service to their community. I am proud to announce
the names of our students for this year: Mr. Kurt Isleib, son
of Mr. and Mrs. Steven Isleib of Killingworth and Miss Lauren
Blewett, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Todd Blewett of
Killingworth.
The
Scholar Leaders and their parents will be attending a banquet
in their honor at the Aqua Turf in Southington on June 1.
Congratulations to our students and their
families
4.
We are looking forward to our annual Memorial
Day Assembly this Friday at 11:15 AM. (Remember Friday, May
22 is a half day and students will be dismissed at 12:35
PM). Ten of our
7th and 8th grade students will be
reading their essays and poems about "What Memorial Day Means
to Me" to the student body. A panel of local dignitaries and
veterans will be choosing two winners to read their essay and
poem at Memorial Day events in our local towns. We hope that you can
join our marching Band at the Killingworth Memorial Day Parade
next Monday, May 25 at 9:30 AM.
5.
Yes, the HKMS community garden is happening! We have had to work
around a very busy after -school club and sports schedule, not
to mention the weeks of wet weather. We have established
Friday, May 29 as our tilling and hoeing day. Students and staff
will be working from 3:00 to 5:00 to prep the soil and plant
our first seeds.
We can use donations of seedlings and seeds. If you are interested
in donating time or plants, drop me an email.
6. Every year our school presents the Sergeant George
Dingwall Community Service Award to a volunteer who epitomizes
service to our school community. We are accepting
nominations for this year's award. Please send
nominations to me via email or in writing by June 1. The award
is announced at Class Night which this year is Friday, June
12.
7.
Progress reports will be send home with our
students tomorrow, May 19. Please remember that
these are NOT final grades and this is NOT a report card. There are four weeks
left of school.
Remember you can track your child's grades on
ClassRolls at any
time!
8.
Our
annual Art Show is next Tuesday (May 26) evening from 5:30 PM
to 8:00 PM.
The art work for all four grade levels is displayed
throughout the building. Our PTO will be serving ice cream in
the cafeteria as well - so be sure to stop by and
visit.
9.
I regretfully
announce the resignation of Grade 8 English teacher, Matthew
Espinosa who has accepted the position of Assistant Principal
at Hale Ray High School.
We all wish Matt good luck in his new job and thank him
for his years of service as a teacher, team leader and
coordinator of the Washington, D.C. trip. Matthew and his wife
are also expecting a new baby in early June - so if he is out
for any length of time, we know that their second child has
arrived!
10. You should
have
received numerous notices about the newly organized H-K Hall
Of Fame! The first induction dinner will be held at our MS on
May 30. Did
you know that one of the coaches being honored is our own,
Dennis O'Rourke, History teacher for grade 8-1? So be sure to visit
our web site and order your tickets tonight.
11.
The National
Junior Honor Society will be sponsoring a second Food Drive
this year. With the present economy creating an
increased need for assistance, the Middle School has been
asked to help by donating to neighboring Food Banks.
Honor Society members will be collecting in
homerooms during the week of May 18th. The
winning homeroom will be rewarded with a Pizza
Party.
12.
Parents
of students in grades 4, 5, 6 and 7 should be receiving a
registration form in the mail in the next few days. Please make sure you
work with your child to complete this form and return it to
school by early next week. We would like to
update our biographical information in our database and
schedule your child for next year's classes by the beginning
of June. If you
have any questions about the scheduling process, please call
your child's school
counselor:
·
Incoming grade 5: Elizabeth Young
(transition counselor)
·
Incoming grade 6 and 8 : Alan Fortin (school
counselor)
·
Incoming grade 7: Joan Hill (school
counselor)
Sincerely,
Mim
Wagner
Principal | 