DR. KEVIN M. HURLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL

THE WARRIORMONTHLY NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2008

Happy Holidays to all! It is hard to believe that 2008 is almost over, and we are about

to embark on 2009!! Our accomplishments so far this year at the Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School have been plentiful! We have had two dances, organized a Faculty Senate Committee, Technology Committee, Data Committee, School Council, a Homework Club, an MCAS Prep class, a Drama Club, Scrabble Club, Lego club, Ski Club, as well as many more! We formed our first soccer team this year and are continuing our basketball teams as well as our cheerleading team. This season Hurley Middle School raised$ 1106 for the Dana Faber Cancer Institute. We extend a very special thank you to all of the Hurley staff that took a "soaking" for such a good cause.

We would like to take this time to remind you of our tardy policy. If a student is late to school, the only excused tardy is one with a doctor’s note. Any other time a student is tardy; he/she will receive a written warning, which has to be signed by both the student, as well as the parent. A student must receive three unexcused tardies in one quarter in order to get an office detention. Students should be in the building by 8:00 A.M. Our front doors open at 7:45 A.M. and students must be in their homerooms by 8:15 A.M. I am happy to report that our tardies have lessened by over 80%! Thank you for all your support! Great job!

The second quarter will end January 22, 2009. Report cards will be issued during the week of January 25, 2009. Please keep in mind; if a student is struggling in a class, there are many different options. Our teachers are here twice a week to offer extra help to those students who need it. We also have our Homework Club that meets twice per week, Monday and Wednesday. If you are interested in having your child join that club, please call us for more information.

Happy Holidays to all and a healthy New Year!

A Very Warm Thank You! From Maria Holmes, Drive OrganizerThe response to our recent outerwear drive was wonderful! A great number of coats, hats, mittens, snow pants and blankets were received. The plentiful donations went to a neighboring school community that was overwhelmed by the generosity shown by the Hurley Middle School family.

Many hearts will be warmed this winter ....We Sincerely Thank You!

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Principal’s Paragraph

PTO News

Connecting with Hurley Middle School as a parent volunteer provides a way to become a part of the Hurley Family. Our PTO always needs new members and fresh, creative ideas. Becoming an active member of the PTO is a way of building a connection to your child’s school. We need you too.

Happy Holidays from the PTO

Just a reminder: we do still collect box tops at the KHMS!!! Please collect and send them in to school. The three children bringing in the greatest number of box tops will win gift certificates to the movies!!!

The next PTO meeting is Thursday, January 22nd at 7 PM in the Hurley Library. Dr. Fargnoli will speak about the Title 1 funding that is available to Hurley and the after school programs that are being offered with the use of these funds to some of our students to improve their MCAS scores.

If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns, please contact one of our new PTO co-Presidents listed below. Once again, welcome back and enjoy the year!

Jennifer Hess 508-399-8855 JBhess@att.net orJustine Noelte 508-336-5929 GJnoelte@verizon.net

Treasurer: Michelle Luizzi 508-761-9836 Secretary: Donna Rowland 508-336-4138

Thank you from the PTO

It is never too late to send your Box Tops

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As the 8th grade students begin to discuss their high school options, parents and students are asked to view Mrs. Lehane’s new webpage: http://hms.seekonk.sharpschool.com/staff_list/guidance_department/mrs__lehane/ for updates on events and important upcoming dates.

• The week of the holiday break all eighth grade students will be receiving the Tri-County Regional Vocational High School View Book. All students and parents who wish to apply are asked to complete the application form and return it to Mrs. Lehane as soon as possible.

• Tri-County Regional Vocational High School will be here on Friday, February 6th, to interview all possible candidates.

• All students who are interested in applying to Bristol County Agricultural High School should see Mrs. Lehane as soon as possible for an application.

• Any student or family considering application to a private high school is asked to submit the “Transcript Request Forms” to Mrs. Lehane before the holiday break. Anyone with specific questions should see Mrs. Lehane at the earliest convenience.

• The Seekonk High School staff will be here in early spring to review high school course selections.

Notes from the Nurse

We are nearing the end of the fall season. The students and faculty at KHMS have remained quite healthy overall. As we approach the cold and flu season this winter, I would like to remind parents and students of some helpful tips for staying healthy:

1. A flu vaccine is the best way to protect against the flu. It’s not too late!2. Children and adults benefit from adequate sleep each night.3. Clean your hands often. Wash with soap and water (as long as it takes to sing the

Happy Birthday song twice). If soap and water is not available, wipes or gels with alcohol in them can be used.

4. Keep hands away from face.5. Cover coughs and sneezes to protect others.

Have a happy and healthy holiday season!Carolyn Manlove, RN, BSN

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Classroom News6th Grade Yellow Team News

Yellow team science students have been very busy researching and creating food chains and food webs, and they have done a superior job. They’re looking at how organisms interact with the environment and other organisms. Their next activity is to research an organism to discover how it adapts to its environment to survive. Once students have completed researching their organism, they will be analyzing it and comparing it to other organisms.

Yellow team students have begun library skill classes during team time. This week, our first lesson was to learn how to access iBestro, our library network system, to look for books in the school library as well as all libraries in the system. Our second lesson taught us about the Dewey Decimal system. We were given an on-line quiz and became masters. We now know how library book are cataloged, so we are able to easily access them.

Mrs. Johnson’s English ClassStudents in Mrs. Johnson’s English Language Arts classes are reading

Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt, while writing and recreating scenes from their novels. Finding similes, metaphors, and personification in the novel has become competitive! Verbs are also helping, acting, and linking in our grammar lessons. Students cut out hundreds of verbs from the Sun Chronicle and will utilize them as we cover the verb unit. The past, present, and future of verbs will be coming up soon, tied in with a creative writing assignment.

In Yellow Team Time students are reviewing English Language Arts skills in preparation for the ELA MCAS in March. Students are reading a variety of materials, such as fiction, non-fiction, folk tales, poetry, and plays. We are also reviewing writing mechanics, as well as reinforcing grammar lessons from English class.

Mrs. Libby’s Social Studies ClassThe students on the Yellow Team have been learning about ancient Egypt and

Nubia. In order to better understand the religion of Egypt and the mummification of their dead, each class is in the process of mummifying a cornish hen that will take a while to complete, but will be worth it in the end. The students have completed a mini research project choosing two rulers from this time period in which to become familiar. After a chapter test, they completed a midterm exam that covered everything since September. They will later have an exam in June that will encompass everything from January. When they return to school after vacation, they will begin studying the ancient Israelites and early Christianity.

Mrs. Halpin’s Math ClassAfter we finish up our Data Analysis unit in January, students will be working on

fractions and percents. This would be a good time to enhance these skills with real life applications such as figuring out the discount on some of those great Christmas sales, calculating a waiter’s tip, or the sales tax on a recent purchase. Students have worked on their word problem solving skills, focusing on the strategies Use Logical Reasoning, Draw a Diagram, and Guess and Check. If you're looking for some stocking stuffer ideas, items such as pencils, erasers, pens, markers, dry erase markers, and sharpeners would be welcomed.

On a Roll…..

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On December 3, 2008, the Yellow Team met in the cafeteria for a team meeting where the November Students On a Roll were celebrated. These students were recognized for their helpfulness, perseverance in becoming better students, putting forth effort in all they are asked to do, being good group partners, and for those qualities that make them such wonderful additions to our team. Our students for November were:

Bailey Fernandes Johnathon McCaugheyEthan Fox Gabriella PayanoMakenzie Gagne Samantha RussellZachary Garabian Anthony SousaIvy Gowans Jacob StanleySamantha Johannes Benjamin Tusino

In January we will be meeting again to celebrate those students recognizedfor their achievements during the month of December.

Team Time:Math MCAS Review - The students have started going over previous MCAS tests

and reviewing questions and vocabulary. In addition, they have worked on their equivalent fractions skills and will be focusing on the 6th grade math strands via Study Island.

6th Grade Red Team NewsMrs. Reilly's Science Class: In science, we just finished our cell projects. The posters were great and the cells were very creative. Students will be able to take their organelles home with them right before we break for the holiday.

We now are going to be learning about ecosystems, environments, communities, populations and how everything is interconnected. Students will understand how the food and energy in an ecosystem flow from the producers, to the consumers, and finally to the decomposers. They will understand how this works by learning about food chains and food webs.

Miss Fitzpatrick's English Class: In English, we are just finishing Traditional Literature which included reading a story about a very noisy lion. We learned about morals and talked about different fairy tales with which we are familiar. Every student also read a book of his or her choice and then either wrote a letter to the author, a diary entry from the main character, or created a play based on what was read. Essay writing is up next!

Miss Bradley's Social Studies class: In class we are studying Ancient Egyptian mummification in many creative ways. Red Team social studies has been doing in- depth studies into Ancient Egypt. So far, students have created hieroglyphic name tags, created Egyptian self-portraits, and even constructed a pyramid. Students will then be working on their first research project. We have also put up our "Holiday Shrub," and students have been bringing in decorations and ornaments representing themselves and the team. The Geography Bee is coming up - so start studying those maps!

Mrs. Maurice's Math Class: We have just finished our unit on decimal operations. We will have a unit test on adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals during the week of December 15th. Also during the week of December 15th, students will complete Weekly Word Problem #3. We have finished our 3 cycles of "Mad Minutes" and our now working on "Math Minutes." We will be starting a new unit on measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode, range) and graphing. Students will complete activities to gather and analyze real data. We will use laptops with spreadsheet software to help us complete these tasks.

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Team Time: In our small Team Time classes (Days 1 and 3), students wrote letters and holiday cards to an American soldier serving in Iraq. Students did a wonderful job writing and decorating their letters. After the holiday break, we will be starting a virtual self-portrait project. Be on the lookout for more information on these projects!

In our big Team Time classes (Days 4 and 6), students have been working on a variety of skills. Students will rotate among all 4 teachers for the next several weeks. Mrs. Reilly is doing a review of fractions. Mrs. Maurice is working on Math MCAS prep. Miss Fitzpatrick and Miss Bradley are reviewing English Language Arts skills.

Happy Holidays from the Red Team!!!

Grade 7 Green Team NewsMr. Kucia: Students in Mr. Kucia’s science classes recently used the microscopes to observe pond water, which contained both single-celled, and multi-celled organisms. They are currently utilizing the SmartBoard to study the major organelles of cells. The students will be working in groups to build a cell city to assist in their hands-on learning of the cell. They will then perform an experiment using eggs to demonstrate diffusion and osmosis through a semi-permeable membrane. From the cell, the students will proceed onto the study of the human body systems. They will be discussing the systems of digestion, respiration, circulation, excretion, skeletal, muscular, integumentary , endocrine, nervous and the immune systems. Dr. Kelly Brunt , a glacierologist, may be visiting the science classes to give a presentation on her field work in Antarctica, with an emphasis on global warming and how this affects their future.

Currently, Mr. Correia’s seventh grade Spanish students are learning about numeric value and similarities and differences in quantity in a foreign language. Soon the students will be using technology to make connections between geography and Hispanic cultural influence.

Mrs. Shurtleff: In Mrs. Shurtleff’s English class, the students are currently on Unit 12 in the spelling book. They have also continued to build their vocabulary and writing skills. As a class, the students finished a research report and personal narrative essays. Since the beginning of December, they have started to read The Giver by Lois Lowry. The Giver is a futuristic novel, told by the main character, Jonas. In the book, Jonas has many decisions and choices to make regarding his community's survival and his own personal happiness. The Giver is an enjoyable novel that Mrs. Shurtleff looks forward to reading with the students each year.

Mrs. Costa: In Mrs. Costa’s Math classes, students are just finishing a unit on Ratios, Percents, and Proportions. For a project, students needed to compute the price per gallon of thirty liquids and compare their findings to the price of gasoline. They are also investigating percent of change problems and solving word problems involving percents and proportions. They will next be moving to a chapter on Integers.Mr. Sandstrom: Mr. Sandstrom's social studies classes have been studying Latin America's climate regions and early civilizations. This month, students will participate in National Geographic's Geography Bee and explore some of South America's most diverse countries.

Teamtime: During Teamtime, students have been reading newspapers and writing summaries on current event articles related to their core classes. They will begin working on skill assignments related to the upcoming Exchange City visit in February.

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Congratulations to the following students recognized as our On a Roll Celebrants for November: Courtney BourqueEmilie LakeSamantha BrownTyler JensenLaura Martinez

Alexander HoShant EghianEvania ThompsonAshley GoyetteShannon Karbowski

Grade 7 Blue Team NewsThe Blue Team is preparing for our February visit to Exchange City by learning

about various roles and responsibilities within a community. Students will be choosing their three top career choices and will be applying for those positions. This will involve filling out applications and interviewing in front of a panel. The application process will include filling out the application form properly and neatly, as well as writing a resume. Once roles have been determined, we will practice with consumer issues including writing checks. All this should help make our experience at Exchange City a valuable one!

Mrs. Dumas: In Mrs. Dumas's English classes, students have finished reading Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix and are working on culminating projects. Students are eager to begin the sequel Among the Imposters. These books are part of the Shadow Children series.

Students continue with MCAS preparation by working on essay writing and reading comprehension skills. We will be switching from the personal narrative to the persuasive essay. Students are using practice MCAS books to familiarize themselves with the format of the tests and the wording of the questions.

We continue with spelling and vocabulary skills and adding to the weekly word parts. Many students are now able to figure out unfamiliar words based on putting together the meanings of prefixes, root words, and suffixes. This skill should also help with their MCAS testing.

Mr. Meagher: This month in social studies on the Blue Team we are studying the rich and diverse continent of Africa. The students have completed drawing a complete political map of Africa showcasing their remarkable artistic talent and their attention to detail. We began by discussing the physical geography of Africa, ranging from the vast Sahara Desert in North Africa, through the sprawling savannas, to the endangered rain forests of Central Africa. Students have come away with a better understanding of the both the political and geographic elements of Africa through our class readings, regional maps and our discussion of current events.Mrs. Metcalf: In science class we are still learning about the human body. The students did a great job with their performance assessments on the Integumentary System and the Muscular System. Projects included large paintings of a layer of the skin, models of how our forearms move, key note presentations and independent research on a particle aspect of these systems. We are now focusing on the cardiovascular system and will be studying about blood. Students should be asking about their blood type. Following the break we will begin our study of the Respiratory System.

Mrs. Geddes: Mrs. Geddes's math classes have finished their unit on ratios, rates, and percents. They used newspaper circulars from "Black Friday" to calculate some great "percentage off" sales. They also used an assortment of maps to calculate actual distances using the map scales. (This was a novel experience for many of them, in this age of GPS!) They've just begun exploring integers and coordinate graphing; they'll be

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using both number line "hikers" and bingo chip models for integer addition and subtraction. Study Island assignments will be used this term to reinforce some of the concepts we've studied so far.

The Blue Team teachers at the Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School would like to congratulate the following students for achieving On-a-Roll distinction for November:

Kaylyn AbbottMyles AscoleseDavid BienkiewiczLindsay GomesSerena HallahanMichael O'HalloranGeorge Mawad

Alec MendesTracy MoszkowiczJulia RansomDevin RheaumeJacob RossignolLauren Porto

Students were chosen based on exceptional effort, attitude, academic success, and being positive role models. They will be honored, with their parents, at an awards breakfast on December 12, 2008.

8th Grade Orange Team NewsMrs. DiTrolio, Miss Murgo, Mr. Moszczenski, Ms. Turner

English Language Arts: English students studied the elements of a myth, and the strategies to use those elements in written journal responses. Myths are examples of traditional literature and are categorized as fictional genre. LION KING was the myth studied. Students watched, read, and acted out scenes from the LION KING. They also used the laptops to write literary journal entries, and to practice using the “Pages” and “OPENOFFICE” software.

During team-time, students opened the “Pages” software, and drafted their resumes for Exchange City using that software. They read the Wanted Pages, chose jobs, filled out job applications, and began practicing job interview skills.

Math:In math class, students have been using proportions to solve various kinds of problems. Students went outside to measure shadows of various objects. They used shadow measurements and proportions to determine the approximate heights of trees, poles, fences, and buildings.

In preparation for Exchange City, students discussed "hot" items, economic trends, and supply and demand. They worked on marketing strategies and advertisements for various products, including pencil grips, drinking straws, and toilet paper.

Science:Students are completing their unit on Evolution and Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection. During this unit, students investigated how adaptations increased an organism's chance for survival. They performed two experiments in which they acted as Darwin's finches as well as acting as predators of the black & white peppered moths. Students are now writing a fictional short story based on a specific animal that uses camouflage or mimicry in its environment.

Social Studies:This month students were given a take-home essay, which focused upon two theories of history: the Great Man theory and the Impersonal Forces theory. The former posits the argument that select great men and women have altered history because of who they are, and what their vision is. Their charisma and leadership qualities were equally important. The second stands for the proposition that

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only impersonal forces: social, political, economic, religious etc. and that Great Men are simply themselves the creation of the larger historical forces, and that any action taken by these Great Men are beyond the control of any one person. Students relied on their knowledge of many of the leaders we have studied this year and also upon discussions in class about these forces. Students were required to prepare a persuasive essay of their choice as to the position they favored, and I was very pleased to see how some argued for the proposition that both theories often intertwine in reality.

We are studying Medieval Europe with a focus upon the Early Middle Ages, the concepts of feudalism and manorialism, and the growing power and influence of the Catholic Church in Europe. Students took an in-class short essay response test on feudalism and manorialism. They explained how feudalism was a mutual benefit political system, and how manorialism was a socio- economic system of mutual benefits, and then compared and contrasted them. I was very pleased to see the tremendous effort your children put into their preparation, as we consistently strive to have them hone their writing skills in preparation for high school and the MCAS examinations. In addition, students were given a fifty question multiple-choice mastery exam on the Early Middle Ages to insure that they have a wide exposure to the various types of questions they are likely to experience on the MCAS tests. We are now concentrating upon the High Middle Ages period.

Basketball with Coach Murgo:The girls’ basketball season has begun at Hurley Middle School! We have a great mix of fifteen student athletes with the returning players quickly befriending the talented young girls, who joined the team. The team has been practicing hard every day and earned a win during their first game of the season against Case Jr. High. Between wall sits, offensive drills, and conditioning - the team is learning a lot about the sport and having a great time working together each day.

Orange Team Awards:September:Team Player English: Morgan DesautelTeam Player Math: Brandi PoirierTeam Player Science: Alex CharpentierTeam Player Social Studies: Ally WhitelawTeam Player Spanish: Julia Cabral

Highly Motivated English: Shayna WheatleyHighly Motivated Math: Rebecca BeauregardHighly Motivated Science: Samantha LamoureuxHighly Motivated Social Studies: Ben LamoureuxHighly Motivated Spanish: Hannah Gadbois

Citizenship English: Dustin Winters

Citizenship Math: Kelsey TaylorCitizenship Science: Marcus GibsonCitizenship Social Studies: Sam ConnCitizenship Spanish: Andrew Montijo

October:Team Player English: Isaiah WoodenTeam Player Math: Zach KeenanTeam Player Science: Alicia RodriguesTeam Player Social Studies: Bev BienkiewiczTeam Player Spanish: Katelyn Osborne

Highly Motivated English: Emily PopeHighly Motivated Math: Erin VoyerHighly Motivated Science: Corey GibsonHighly Motivated Social Studies: Mary Cote

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Highly Motivated Spanish: Alec Almeida

Citizenship English: Khuong TruongCitizenship Math: Jordan YoungCitizenship Science: Miranda CummingsCitizenship Social Studies: Justin St. GeorgeCitizenship Spanish: Abbie Butler

November:Team Player English: Nathan TracyTeam Player Math: Tommy MoranTeam Player Science: Brittney VadeboncoeurTeam Player Social Studies: Zach ColangeloTeam Player Spanish: Victoria Dower

Highly Motivated English: Natalie FernandesHighly Motivated Math: Brittany WickhamHighly Motivated Science: Jeremy SousaHighly Motivated Social Studies: Nick GalassoHighly Motivated Spanish: Ryan Vincente

Citizenship English: Hassib MowadCitizenship Math: Jenna LombardoCitizenship Science: Sarinna Muth

Citizenship Social Studies: Alex D’AdamoCitizenship Spanish: Tim Malo

December:Team Player English: Brianna BruhnTeam Player Math: Connor PaineTeam Player Science: Ryan O’GallagherTeam Player Social Studies: Casey RowlandTeam Player Spanish: Dylan Treacy

Highly Motivated English: Lindsey LeclercHighly Motivated Math: Tori CoelhoHighly Motivated Science: Shyla DanforthHighly Motivated Social Studies: Natalie Silva FernandesHighly Motivated Spanish: Nate Robitaille

Citizenship English: Ben FiskCitizenship Math: Brooke HerdCitizenship Science: Katelyn AndradeCitizenship Social Studies: Collin Boyd Citizenship Spanish: Jon Sisto

8th Grade White Team News Briefs:Middle Ages Festival

During the days proceeding Thanksgiving, the White Team held its annual interdisciplinary Middle Ages Festival, complete with projects, games, and competitions! Every student had a project to complete: design and build a model castle that could have been built in the Middle Ages, build a scale model of a trebuchet, create a children’s book about the Middle Ages, or create a poster about the Black Death. Projects were evaluated and graded by each Team teacher. White Team teachers are pleased to have had 100% participation by their students! All projects have been stored and will be put on display at the Power of Language evening next spring.

Students also were divided into two teams and competed in activities that included a human chess board, “Knight Jeopardy,” “Middle Ages Cranium,” and a trebuchet tech.

Spanish Señora Pelicano & Señor Correia

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7th GradeSenora Pelicano's 7th grade Spanish students have been learning their numbers from 0 to 100. They have also been doing Spanish arithmetic and have practiced their numbers while playing The Price is Right in Spanish and Spanish Bingo.

Senor Correia’s seventh grade Spanish students are learning about numeric value and similarities and differences in quantity in a foreign language. Soon the students will be using technology to make connections between geography and Hispanic cultural influence.

8th Grade Senora Pelicano's 8th grade Spanish students have been learning definite and indefinite articles, and how to make noun/adjective agreement. They are learning vocabulary for describing someone's characteristics, clothing and colors. They also took some time to learn about Medieval Times in Spain and how the Moors and Jews have greatly influenced Spanish culture as part of a multidisciplinary unit and project.

Senor Correia’s eighth grade Spanish students are currently practicing how to construct meaningful sentences in Spanish using personal pronouns, indirect object pronouns and irregular verbs. Soon students will be discussing physical characteristics and persona appearance vocabulary through the use of Smart Board technology.

Art NewsIn addition to the current art projects, art students are busy making wonderful hand-made greeting cards for patients at Children's Hasbro Hospital for the holiday season.

Mrs. Hilary Farrow

Art teacher

Band news

December is a busy month for the HMS band program. The holidays present several performing opportunities for the bands. Brass Choir students performed at the Lighting of the Christmas Tree at Town Hall on Thursday, Dec. 4th. Both the Brass Choir and the HMS Jazz Band also be performed at the Swansea Mall “Music on the Mall Series” on Thursday, Dec. 11th.

The Holiday concert was held at the HMS on Thursday, Dec. 18th. This year featured all 3 bands as well as the select groups. The schedule was as follows:

6:00 Brass Choir Pegasus Band7:00 Percussion Ensemble Intermezzo Band8:00 HMS Jazz Band and HMS Concert Band

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On Saturday, December 6, select students participated in the S.E.M.M.E.A. District auditions. The students involved were: Victoria Luizzi- French horn, Holly Shillan-mallets, Alex Lansing-trombone, Nick Lancellotti-alto sax, and Shant Eghian-trombone. The audition includes a solo performance, several scales and technical exercises, and a sight reading selection. Great job, everyone! Those selected are Alex Lansing, Holly Shillan and Victoria Luizzi. Congratulations!

Congratulations to the following students winning the Dominoes Pizza Card fundraiser. They won Best Buy certificates!

6th grade- Patrick Gregorek7th grade- Matthew Ferreira8th grade- Marissa Cabral

Remember, the HMS Band Parent Association meets the first Wednesday of each month. All parents are welcome to attend. Please come and see what you can do to help out the growing band program.

www.talkingwithkids.org.htm

Talking with Kids About Tough Issues

Raising a child is probably the most gratifying job any of us will ever have -- and one of the toughest. We live in an increasingly complex world that challenges us every day with a wide range of disturbing issues that are difficult for children to understand and for adults to explain. We believe this Web site can help by offering practical, concrete tips and techniques for talking easily and openly with young children ages 8 to 12 about some very tough issues: sex, HIV/AIDS, violence, drugs and alcohol.

Health Education – Ms. PenhaMs. Penha is proud to announce her Students of the Month for December 2008!

6th GradeSteven GrandchampAthan LanciauxTyler PolandDestiny WelshmanSteve DumondMichaela CabralAnthony TusinoMatthew SalitLouisa HammondMeghan JohnsonWilliam KeeganZil Modi

Kyle DaLuzMakenzie GagnonJacob StanleyRachel TinleyPatrick GregorekAnthony SousaBrandon RibieroNicole Mowry

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7th GradeBrian CostaRonald SoutoChristine KandarianOlivia Sykes Kareem FernandesJoseph GivenKorey LopesLaura Martinez

George MawadJacob RossignolAmy WhitelawJacqueline Gauthier

Brandon McGuirkRachel GeorgeEric BurrusBriana PangbornJoshua WintersKaylyn AbbottLauren PortoMichael FerreiraCourtney Bourque

MA Childrens Book Award Program - reminderReminder to 6th grade students who are participating in the MA Children's Book Award program:Our tentative date for voting is February 25, 2009. Students who have submitted five (5) book review forms will be eligible to vote. Please remember to complete the book review form so that I can include you in the voting! The forms are available in the library and at http://hms.seekonk.sharpschool.com/library/reading_lists There are many good books to read that are part of the MCBA program this year - I can't wait to hear which book will be the winner!

More Research Tools from the Library The Internet is so large that it is easy to get lost in the sea of websites. Some are good and some contain information that is not accurate. To help direct HMS students to quality websites, I have created an account on Connotea.org. In Web 2.0 language, this is known as a “social book marking” website. In layman's terms, this is a website that contains links to other websites that have received my (or other teachers) seal of approval. While introducing this research tool to the students, I have suggested that they search my Connotea site for the topic they are researching before “googling” their topic.

To access my Connotea website, go to http://www.connotea.org/user/HMS . The websites I have bookmarked are listed in the middle column. To filter the websites to those pertaining to a particular topic, click on a topic located in the “tags” column on the left. Once filtered, click on the title of the website to access it. I am constantly adding websites to Connotea, so please be sure to check back often!As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at stmichelj@seekonk.k12.ma.us . I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year!

Jennifer St. MichelLibrary Media Specialist

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From the Library...

Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School650 Newman AvenueSeekonk, MA 02771508-761-7570

I just wanted to thank you again for the work you put into the One for Books campaign. I was able to maximize the $21 that we collected by shopping last night at the Scholastic Warehouse Sale!! What deals!

Fall 2008 Spelling TeamOn December 5th, the Seekonk Spelling Team led by Lauren Fitzpatrick competed in their fall meet. Nine schools competed in Raynham for the title. Unfortunately, Dighton took it again this semester. However, Seekonk was complimented on their superb behavior throughout the day. A few shining stars on Seekonk's team were Victoria Luizzi, Nick Lancellotti, Lindsay Gomes, and Madison Behan. Madison and Lindsay both stayed in the oral portion for five rounds! It was a fun day, and we are looking forward to our next meet in Norton!

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Lauren Fitzpatrick,Spelling League Advisor

NEW! Talking With Kids About Tough Issues has teamed up for a third year with NBC's award-winning The More You Know campaign in a national initiative to support parent-child communication. This season, The More You Know features top stars from "ER," "Law and Order," and "American Dreams" offering tips on effective communication. The PSAs are tagged with the Talking With Kids hotline 1-800-CHILD-44, where parents can request free informational materials by mail.

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL BREAKFAST/ LUNCH PROGRAM:

Starting January 7, 2009, Seekonk School District will be changing the procedure for collecting breakfast, lunch, milk and snack money. A Personnel Identification Number (PIN) will identify all students in the new computerized system as well as a new pay online system (which will be in place after the Christmas Holiday).

A prepayment envelope will be sent home by the school prior to the first and third Monday of the month. All cash or checks sent in will be required to be in a completely filled out prepayment envelope. No loose money will be accepted since we will not be able to credit your child’s account correctly. Please fill out the information on envelope completely. If paying by check, please make check out to: The Town of Seekonk and put your child’s first and last name on the memo line.

Please send a separate check for each child in your family since the prepayment envelopes will be collected in the homerooms. We are requesting that you send in your child’s prepayment envelope on the first and third Mondays of the month. In order to reduce the amount of time it takes to credit payments received. This also reduces the amount of paper we are using. Please send in a prepayment to cover meals and milk to last 2 weeks or more. You can pay the full month in advance if that is convenient for you. This is the first step to changing over to a computerized register system, which will be installed at the beginning of 2009. The new system will keep track of all payments and purchases and even give you the option of prepaying online for a small fee.

Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated. A letter will be sent home with more information as we get closer to the start date of the computerized register system at the beginning of January. If you any questions during the school year, please call Kimberley Orr, Director of Dining Services, at 508-336-0314.

Sincerely,

Kimberley Orr Chartwells Dining Services

**If you need a prepay envelope, they are always available in the office.

First Quarter Honor RollDr. Kevin Hurley Middle School

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Grade 6 Highest Honor Roll

Nicholas Accardi Aaron BrancoNathan Brown Michaela CabralJordan CarrollKarina ChavesMackenzie Cunha Melissa DeAmaralCayla DiSanoJulia DowningMitchell Farren Andrew Feighery Shelbee Finnegan Benjamin

Gallishaw Zachary Garabian Andrea GouinJohn GreeneLouisa Hammond Keriden Harrington Hailey Harrop Michael HintonSeth Holme Samantha Johannes Neil JoyceEthan LanciauxAlexander Lanzi Alison MinutoliNicole Mowry

Kevin MullenJennifer NicksonChristopher Platt Meaghan RochaBrian SalitMatthew SalitTimothy Salit Benjamin SawyerJeffrey Scott Matthew SpragueRachel TavaresMichael TerraAmber Webb

Grade 6 High Honor Roll

Alexandra AmaralAmanda AngellKayla BalascoSelena BarreiraJulia BartlettAshley BedardJamie BehanJenna BeyJillian Cartwright Ryan ClaudinoJennifer CoteKyle DaluzRaymond DinsmoreSteven DumondMakenzie GagneHannah GallupMichael GilmoreIvy GowansPatrick Gregorek

Sarah JolinWilliam Keegan Kaitlyn KeenanErica Kenneally Eugene L'Heureux Isabella LuizziSoleil MarcotteAndre MartinVictoria MartinRaquel Medeiros Zachary MedeirosNicole MelloJaime MendezZil ModiNatalie MoresheadLindsey Ogden Michael OliveiraSara PicheTyler Poland

Taylor RaposoJacob RobitailleSamantha Russell Casey RutterTyler SenecalCody SiasTaylor SmithAnthony SousaJacob StanleyJacob TaylorElizabeth Timoney Anthony TusinoVictoria VincentDante VolpeDestiny WelshmanJake Wickham Joseph Wooden Brianna Young

Grade 6 Honors Bailey FernandesMikayla GreavesPatrick Holden Meghan JohnsonElaine JoubertJohn McDevittRebecca McEvoy

Ryan McLaughlin Mathew MedeirosRiley MoranMatthew Nunes Daniel PaivaJonathan PaquetteJacob Pina

Lauren Rheaume Andrew RhilingerLeighann RicciJoshua RouxShaleah TousignantRaquel TuckerBenjamin Tusino

Grade 7 Highest Honors Kaylyn AbbottEmily AndrikopoulosMyles AscoleseJude Bernard Marissa BrackerTimothy Braunsdorf Nicholas CunhaShant Eghian Julianna Fonseca

Nathaniel GallishawLindsay Gomes Ashley Goyette Megan HaywardJoshua HessAlexander HoCaroline JoyceShannon KarbowskiNicholas Lancellotti

Kimberly MarquesMatthew Marques Alec MendesChristienne MendesFrancesco PaganoBriana Pangborn Brendan PickettNicholas SmithOlivia Sykes

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Evania Thompson Sarah Yany Grade 7 High Honor Roll

Kaitlyn AbramesMorgan Adamonis Darian AraujoDavid BienkiewiczEric BurrusJared Carroll Haley Cinq-MarsBrian CostaKailin DeLeo James ElineMichael FerreiraNicholas Foisy

Serena HallahanRobert Hammond Samantha Jennings Ann KaczowkaLaura Martinez Shane McCormackJacob MoranMichael O'HalloranSarah Orleck Michael PariseauHannah PelletierChristopher Pereira Andrew Platt Taylor Poirier

Lauren PortoDerin RheaumeJacob RossignolJena Seiber Brad Trenteseaux Tyler Warzycha Shannon WhalenAmy Whitelaw Andrew WuJake Zimmerman

Grade 7 Honors

Dalton Agostini Alicia AlbuquerqueBrittany AlvesDevyn AmaralKyle BannaChristopher BeaucageLucy BeltCourtney BourqueJonathan CordeiroMonica Doorley

Colby Dressler Benjamin Dundas Kareem FernandesJaclyn FiskJoseph GagliardiChristine Kandarian Emilie LakeKaitlin LebeauLydia Lewis-HicksVictoria LopezNicholas Machado

Andrea MartinMorgan McKennaSeth Merritt Michaela MulhearnMatthew PariseauLindsey PotterJulia Ransom Emily SimpsonJoshua Winters

Grade 8 Highest Honors

Kayla AnghinettiBenjamin AverillOlivia BlumJillian CasarellaAlex Charpentier Sarah FaulknerHannah Gadbois

Annie GagnonCorey GibsonKaila Greene Bradford Johnson Katelyn JohnsonVictoria LuizziMichael Pereira

Casey Rowland Holly ShillanJoshua SilvaMorgan SilveiraDylan TreacyAllison WhitelawBrittany Wickham

Grade 8 High Honor Roll

Katelyn AndradeJohn Balasco, Madison Behan, Collin BoydAlex Branco Marissa CabralZachary CarterTyler ChaceAlexandria D'AdamoShyla Danforth Trevor DemilleShelby DeWittDaniel DiFrancescoKevin DivverBenjamin FiskMeghan GeorgeMarcus Gibson

Anthony GuglielmoAlianza HagenburgAlan Hess Casey KampegaardHannah KumlinBenoit LamoureuxSamantha LamoureuxAnnika Lawson Lindsey LeclercJenna LombardoJoshua MayoRowan McKenna Jenna MedinaBrendan MullenRyan MullenKelsey Oliveira

Joseph PariseauCarlos ParreiraJoseiry PerezGabrielle PesaturoEmily PopeNicholas RichardsJake RoyDaniel SaggalRebecca SochinJeremy SousaAcacia St.PierreKelsy TaylorBrittney VadeboncoeurGino VolpeHoi Yee WongJordan Young

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Grade 8 Honors Luke Allison Mathew BasileBenjamin BensonBeverly BienkiewiczBrandon Burrus Hadley CabralJessica DaluzKristen HashwayHannah High

Zachary Keenan Alexander Lansing

Matthew LemosBrianna LopesMarissa MarcotteEmily Mayers Thomas MoranAlexander Musial

Kelsey NicksonBrie NoelteNathan Robitaille Alicia RodriguesDaniel Silva Niko SilvaTroy SimcockLauren SimpsonErin Voyer

Dec. 24 - Jan. 4 Christmas Recess

Monday January 5, 2009School Committee Meeting

@Seekonk High School 7:00 PM

Monday January 5, 2009 Hurley School Council Meeting 6:00 PM

Friday January 9, 2009 Hurley Ski Club @ Wachusetts 3 PM to 10 PM

Friday January 9, 2009 Hurley School Dance 7 to 9 PM

Wednesday January 14, 2009 HMS Technology Committee meeting 2:30 - 3:30 PM

Friday January 16, 2009 Hurley Ski Club @ Wachusetts 3 PM to 10 PM

Monday January 19, 2009 No School - ML King Day

Thursday January 22, 2009 PTO meeting & Title 1 Parent Meeting 7:00 PM

Friday January 23, 2009 Hurley Ski Club @ Wachusetts 3 PM to 10 PM

Friday January 30, 2009 Report Cards Issued

Friday January 30, 2009 Hurley Ski Club @ Wachusetts 3 PM to 10 PM

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Monday February 2, 2009 Hurley Middle School 7:00 PM

Monday February 2, 2009 HMS Technology Committee meeting 2:30 - 3:30 PM

Monday February 2, 2009School Committee Meeting

@Seekonk High School 7:00 PM

Friday February 6, 2009 Hurley Ski Club @ Wachusetts 3 PM to 10 PM

Monday February 9, 2009 Team 7 Green to Exchange City all day

Monday February 9, 2009 NAEP Testing for selected 8th graders AM only

Tuesday February 10, 2009 Team 8 Orange to Exchange City all day

Tuesday February 10, 2009Special Education Parent Advisory

Committee 6:30 PM

Wednesday February 11, 2009 Team 8 White to Exchange City all day

Thursday February 12, 2009 Team 7 Blue to Exchange City all day

Friday February 13, 2009 Hurley Ski Club @ Wachusetts 3 PM to 10 PM

all week February 16 - 20th Winter Recess

Wednesday February 25, 2009 PTO meeting 7:00 PM

Friday February 27, 2009 HMS Idol @ Seekonk High School 7:00 PM

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