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Dear Parents:
We are excited to announce the first annual Eighth Grade Promotion Ceremony and Celebration. Please reserve the evening of Thursday, June 27 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Seating for our Promotion Ceremony is limited and, therefore, each student will be able to bring two guests. We are happy to announce that HCAM will be filming the ceremony and streaming it live, so that those who cannot be on hand can still enjoy our ceremony.
At the conclusion of the Promotion Ceremony, students will move to the gymnasium for a celebratory dance. Guests are welcome to stay and mingle with other parents in the cafeteria and enjoy light refreshments, or you may leave and return to pick up your child at 9 pm.
Each student will be charged $25 to cover the costs for this evening. This will be a fun evening of celebration to be followed the next day by a special program for our students marking the end of their middle school careers.
Your child will receive a permission slip to attend the ceremony/dance. On the permission slip, we will ask for the names of the two guests who will be attending the ceremony. Upon receiving and processing the permission slip, your child will be given two tickets.
As this is a very special evening for students, their families, and staff, which will include students walking up and across the stage to receive their promotional certificates, we ask students to dress appropriately and respectfully. Parents will make the final decision on what their child wears this evening.
We are very fortunate to have Mrs. Mary Ellen McMahon and Mrs. Jeannine Hagan helping us as parent volunteers. Your willingness to help in any way for this evening is tremendously appreciated. You can reach them at: maryellen.mcmahon@gmail.com andjshagan@verizon.com.
We are pleased to be able to honor our students and your children and look forward to this evening.
Thank you,
Alan M. Keller, Principal
Maryellen K. Grady, Assistant Principal
Carolyn Conner, Promotion Ceremony Cooridnator
May 8, 2013
Grade 8 Washington D.C. Trip – Important info and sheets to be signed
Dear Parent/Guardian:
The Washington, D.C. trip is almost here and excitement is building. Packets are going home today and tomorrow with important information regarding the trip as well as sheets that need to be read, completed, signed and returned. Included in this packet are the following papers:
Must be returned to the Main Office by Friday, May 17, 2013:
Must Be Signed and Returned to Bus Chaperone on Morning of Departure, 6/11/13:
FYI:
On Thursday, May 30, 2013, there will also be a mandatory information meeting. At least one parent/guardian must accompany and be seated with his/her child for the duration of the meeting. If a parent cannot make it, then the student needs to be accompanied by an adult who will be responsible for gathering information that night. At this meeting, you will receive the itinerary for the trip as well as other pertinent information.
This trip will be a lasting memory for your child and one that he/she will cherish for years to come. We are looking forward to a safe and wonderful trip. If you have any questions about forms, please call or email the Main Office.
Sincerely,
Alan M. Keller
Principal
HMS - 8th Grade Physical Education
Elective Selection Sheet
Dear Parents,
Once again, Hopkinton Middle School will offer electives for the 2013-2014 school year in 8th grade Physical Education.
In order to allow this program to run smoothly, we are asking that 7th grade students make their Physical Education elective selections now!
Class sizes will be limited to ensure a meaningful experience for everyone in the class. Therefore, every student will not necessarily get his/her top choices. To be fair, there is a system set up for determining who gets into each course:
· The selection sheet must be completed by the student and signed by a parent/guardian and returned to any PE teacher.
· Incomplete, unsigned, or illegible forms will not be accepted.
· Only return the bottom half of this page.
· Courses will be assigned based on the order in which forms are returned. The first student who hands in a form will be the first student scheduled.
· Changing courses will not be allowed (no exceptions).
· Forms must be returned between April 23rd and April 29th (no exceptions).
· Place a 1 beside the class that the student would most like to have.
· Students will be placed based on their indicated preference (ranking) and availability, so rank all classes.
Course descriptions for the entire year are on the following pages. Read each description carefully to understand what the class will involve and what is expected of the student. Fill out the bottom portion of this page NEATLY, have a parent/guardian sign it, and return a hard copy (not in an email) to any PE teacher as soon as possible. Rank the courses from 1 to 9, with 1 being the course that is desired MOST. If the form is not returned as instructed, the student will be placed in courses based solely on available space - not preference.
------------------------------
Elective Course Names (course descriptions follow)
_____5K Training
_____Basketball
_____Dance
_____Functional Exercise for Fitness and Sports
_____Games for Fun & Fitness
_____Jump Rope
_____Racquet Sports
_____Resistance Training
_____Volleyball
Student Name ______________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature ______________________________
8th Grade Physical Education Electives – Course Descriptions
5K TRAINING (1st term)
Running for fitness is a convenient, inexpensive, lifelong, healthy activity that millions of people enjoy as exercise. Running is a great way to prepare for your sport, prior to the start of your season, enhance your sport performance while in season, improve your overall physical fitness or even lose weight. Students will learn how to follow a 5K training plan that will have them running 4-5 days per week in class and at home. Students should also be ready to learn about developing their cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, muscular endurance and muscular strength. Be prepared to get your body moving every lesson. Your heart rate will go up; you will sweat and have fun. Grading will be based on participation and effort in each workout, logging workouts, homework, and writing about your experiences. The final project is to participate in a 5K Road Race.
Resistance Training (3rd term) Enjoy learning about lifelong fitness and exercise through a variety of ways. Students will learn how to improve flexibility, muscular strength and endurance, and cardiovascular fitness. Students will learn how to use resistance bands, balance discs, medicine balls, and exercise balls as well as other pieces of equipment. This class will also explore Yoga. The Fitness Center will be used as well. The final project will be a choice of either making a training chart, a training video, a practical exam or a commercial selling a piece of fitness equipment.
Games for Fun & Fitness (1st term) Playing games is a terrific way to get some exercise and have some fun – two important parts of living a long, healthy life. This course will give students the opportunity to practice and learn skills, refine game strategies and tactics, socialize with classmates, and express themselves. While playing old standards, and learning new games, students will learn what these fun and exciting games can do to help improve your fitness, and possibly your performance in other sports. There will be a strong focus on adapting these games (using Fitnessgram results and SMART goals as a guide) to make them better suited to contribute to improving all areas of fitness. Students will need to be ready to play hard and think even harder. Students will leave this course with a better ability to evaluate the benefits of participating in physical activity.
Racquet Sports (3rd term) Indoor racquet sports will be the focus of this course. Pickleball is a terrific, active game that is played by people of all ages recreationally and in tournaments, because it is fun and a great way to stay in shape. Check out the USA Pickleball Association’s website at www.usapa.org to see and learn more about this fun game. Badminton can be a challenging and vigorous activity that most people will play at some point in their life. While it looks easy, hitting that little birdie all the time is hard. In this course, students will learn skills, rules, and strategies to be successful and have fun playing racquet sports. Both the beginner and advanced player will be challenged. Once students have the knowledge, they will play in games (singles and doubl es play) and tournaments to test their skills. Students will also be responsible for officiating games throughout the course, and may be asked to make instructional videos or newsletters from which future classes can learn. Students will be graded on class involvement, game knowledge, skill development, and any of the previously mentioned projects.
Dance (2nd term) This course will incorporate several aspects of dance. Students will learn line/group dances – some simple and others more difficult. They will also learn various steps that are often combined to make up common group and line dances. Additionally, students will go through the process of creating unique dances of their own. Students in this course will be developing balance, coordination, flexibility, agility, strength, and endurance. There will be a lot of room for individuality and creativity, as well as flexibility on requirements for each student. At the end of this course there will be an x-block performance with a panel of expert judges picking the 8th grade dance champions! Grading will be based on class work and dance presentations.
Volleyball (3rd term) Volleyball is a lifelong activity people play for exercise, competition or just for fun. There are many programs for all levels of play, from beginner to Olympic athlete. This unit will be challenging for both the beginner and advanced level player. Students will focus on individual skills, team skills, and game play. These skills include serving, passing, attack, defense and strategy. As students develop their skill, they will also improve muscular strength, muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance. Teams will play in a round robin tournament and officiate games.
Basketball (1st term) Basketball is a great activity to help you stay fit or improve your physical fitness. Basketball skills can also improve balance, speed, agility, power, coordination, and reaction time. This course will keep you moving through a variety of basketball games and activities. The Sport Education Model will be used to play in a tournament towards the end of the quarter. Students will have the opportunity to participate in many roles that are associated with sports: player, coach, official/referee, manager, and more! Grading will be based on class work, the "Sport Education Model” rubric, and a written basketball interview. Come prepared and ready to move!
Jump Rope (2nd term) Jumping rope is a great cardiovascular activity that is also a lot of fun. You will explore the benefits of jumping rope, as you will learn many new skills, tricks and even double Dutch. It gives you a chance to be creative while challenging yourself. In this elective you will create a routine (to music of your choice) as a final assessment.
Functional Exercise for Fitness and Sports (2nd term) If you want to be more fit or even better at your sport than this is the class for you. Throughout this class you will learn to move better and increase your muscular strength and muscular endurance using sport specific movements. You will set SMART goals based on your Fitnessgram Scores and you will work to improve those scores and your overall fitness. Functional Exercise for Fitness and Sports will use many different pieces of fitness equipment and you will have the opportunity to use the Fitness Center. The final assessment will have you demonstrating your knowledge of the exercises that you have learned.
April 8, 2013
Dear Parents,
The HMS Hiller Holler is Hopkinton Middle School's monthly newsletter which highlights student achievement and provides you with a snapshot of life at Hopkinton Middle School. The bounty of student work contained in the newsletter, along with awards, enrichment programs, and extra-curricular activities provides evidence of the accomplishments that make me so proud to be Principal of this outstanding school.Our goal in offering you the HMS Hiller Holler is to create and provide the most student-centered newsletter possible. If you have not yet checked it out, or if you have only given it a cursory view to this point, please commit time to read through the many pages and features of our April edition of the HMS Hiller Holler.
Thank you,Alan M. Keller
Principal
https://sites.google.com/a/
March 14, 2013
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Whitsons School Nutrition is conducting a Recipe Contest for Elmwood, Hopkins and the Middle School. Entry forms are located in each of the schools front office, or you can print it out. There are two parts to the contest, part one is the actual recipe submission and part two is an essay contest on: Why is healthy eating important to you? What does it mean to you? More details on the entry forms. Please note that the entry deadline has been extended to April 12th, which is different from what is on the entry form.
IMPORTANT: In the “Check ONE recipe category from the food groups below” under Protein it includes nuts; with peanut allergies on the rise and Hopkinton being a peanut free district we ask that no recipes include nuts.
There is one winner of the recipe contest and one winner for the essay contest for all combined schools. The winner will receive a $75.00 gift certificate and their recipe will be featured on May’s school lunch menu. The winning student will also assist in the production of the featured meal of the day with a Chef from Whitsons.
Good Luck!
Mary O’Brien
Food Service Director (508)417-9493
March 27, 2013
Dear Parents of Grade 7 Students,
It’s hard to believe, but April is just around the corner. This means a couple of things: Spring is in sight, and so is the arrival of my baby! As some of you may know, I am expecting and planning to take maternity leave once he or she arrives. My anticipated leave date is for Friday, April 13, which brings us right up to April vacation. My return date will likely bring us towards the end of the school year or into the summer.
While I take some time to care for my baby, I can assure you that you will be in good hands with my substitute counselor, Natalie Bugg. Natalie is a familiar face to many here at HMS. She worked as a counselor in our department from 2006-2009 before embarking on a new adventure in Colorado. Natalie’s past experience in our school will help her hit the ground running and make for a smooth transition for your child.
In order to prepare for my leave, Natalie and I will be transitioning together with all seventh grade students in the coming weeks. This will include discussing student needs, visiting classrooms for introductions, and ensuring Natalie has all the information and tools necessary to maintain consistency and normalcy for your child.
All parents will be notified via listserv of my official leave-date. At this time, you will also be informed about Natalie’s contact information.
Thank you,
Katie DiPalma
Grade 7 Counselor
Dear Grade 6 and Grade 7 Parents:
We will be offering one more opportunity for students who have not yet taken the Accelerated Math Test to do so. The test will be offered on Tuesday, 3/26 after school from 2:15-4:00 PM. Please refer to the Accelerated Math Program Brochure for more details about the program, including information to help you decide if this fast-paced math program is right for your son or daughter. To register, please email the following information to Bob Berlo:
Student first name:
Student last name:
Current grade:
Parent email:
We ask that you do so prior to 6 p.m. Saturday at which time program registration will close. Be aware that this is the last chance to take the CTP4 test.
Thank you,
Alan M. Keller
Principal
Bob Berlo
Director of Secondary Education
