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Summer 2011 Volume 9, Issue 4 Mission to Mars 2 A Visit from Space 3 Green & Clean 4 Food & Fitness 5 Mathematics 7 Sports 9 Connections 10 Holyoke Public Schools Connections A Community Working Together Our Web site: www.hps.holyoke.ma.us Preventing Teen Pregnancy 11 Inside this issue: Reflections on a positive school year By David Dupont Superintendent of Schools Veteran staff members will tell you how fast the school year passes and how the summer passes even faster. Looking back over this school year which opened with our barbecue at Dean Tech (which will be re- peated for the start of 2011- 2012), we can count 2010-2011 as another year of challenges and achievements. Mother Nature reminded us that even with all of the talk about global warming her ability to make snow has not been diminished one bit. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of all staff in educating and caring for our students. Their successes and achieve- ments in the classroom, on the playing field, in art exhibitions and music concerts, marching in parades, performing community service, and participating in numer- ous activi- ties, can almost al- ways be traced back to the work of teachers and the other adults who work with and provide support for them. An- other school year passes that began with wide-eyed and some teary-eyed preschoolers entering Metcalf and closed with smiling and some teary-eyed seniors at both Dean Tech and Holyoke High Schools. In whatever ca- pacity you work and wherever your work is performed, look back and feel proud of what you have done for our 6,000 children whose lives you have helped change for the better. Let me thank all of you for them. McMahon School sixth-graders Seth LaPorte and Jailene Stapleton work at Mission Command at the Christa McAuliffe Challenger Center during a recent field trip. See complete story on page 2. Holyoke offers summer learning programs By Elaine Pluta Mayor of Holyoke Another school year is drawing to a close, and although it signals another summer vacation, it shouldn’t signal a close to learning. There are many opportunities to keep learning all summer long, right here in our City of Holyoke. The Holyoke Public Schools offers Summer Learning Programs begin- ning in July for students from pre- kindergarten to the high school level. Pre-school children aged 5 years and entering kindergarten in the fall can attend KinderKamp in July to help them get acclimated to a school environment. The Enchanted Circle Theater is offering students in grades 6 to 8 a chance to try their acting skills with the Acting Shakespeare Con- nections Summer program which runs for five weeks. Other sources for fun learning include the Holyoke Public Library, Holyoke Children’s Museum, the Holyoke Parks and Recreation Department and the Wistariahurst Museum. All of these organiza- tions help keep students busy during the summer while having fun and, most importantly continu- ing to acquire additional knowl- edge. I want to thank the parents who have been involved with their children’s educational efforts this school year, as well as the teach- ers, staff and administration of the Holyoke Public Schools who have dedicated many hours for the educational benefit of our stu- dents. The Holyoke High School Boys Track Team won the Division I Western Massachu- setts Championship for the first time in 36 years! Congrats!

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Page 1: Holyoke Public Schools Connections ... - hps. · PDF fileinclude the Holyoke Public Library, ... educational benefit of our stu-dents. The Holyoke High School Boys ... the effect of

Summer 2011

Volume 9, Issue 4

Holyoke Publ ic Schools

• Mission to Mars

2

• A Visit from Space

3

• Green & Clean

4

• Food & Fitness

5

• Mathematics

7

• Sports

9

• Connections

10

Holyoke Public Schools Connections A Community Working Together

Our Web site: www.hps.holyoke.ma.us

• Preventing Teen

Pregnancy

11

Inside this issue:

Reflections on a positive school year By David Dupont

Superintendent of Schools

Veteran staff members will tell you how fast the school year passes and how the summer passes even faster. Looking back over this school year which opened with our barbecue at Dean Tech (which will be re-peated for the start of 2011-2012), we can count 2010-2011 as another year of challenges and achievements. Mother Nature reminded us that even with all of the talk about global warming her ability to make snow has not been diminished one bit. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of all staff in educating and caring for our students. Their successes and achieve-ments in the classroom, on the playing field, in art exhibitions and music concerts, marching in parades, performing community

service, and participating in numer-ous activi-ties, can almost al-ways be traced back to the work of teachers and the other adults who work with and provide support for them. An-other school year passes that began with wide-eyed and some teary-eyed preschoolers entering Metcalf and closed with smiling and some teary-eyed seniors at both Dean Tech and Holyoke High Schools. In whatever ca-pacity you work and wherever

your work is performed, look back and feel proud of what you have done for our 6,000 children whose lives you have helped change for the better. Let me thank all of you for them.

McMahon School sixth-graders Seth LaPorte and Jailene Stapleton work at Mission Command at the Christa

McAuliffe Challenger Center during a recent field trip. See complete story on page 2.

Holyoke offers summer learning programs By Elaine Pluta

Mayor of Holyoke Another school year is drawing to a close, and although it signals another summer vacation, it shouldn’t signal a close to learning. There are many opportunities to keep learning all summer long, right here in our City of Holyoke. The Holyoke Public Schools offers Summer Learning Programs begin-ning in July for students from pre-kindergarten to the high school level. Pre-school children aged 5 years and entering kindergarten in the fall can attend KinderKamp in July to help them get acclimated to a school environment. The Enchanted Circle Theater is

offering students in grades 6 to 8 a chance to try their acting skills with the Acting Shakespeare Con-nections Summer program which runs for five weeks.

Other sources for fun learning include the Holyoke Public Library, Holyoke Children’s Museum, the Holyoke Parks and Recreation Department and the Wistariahurst Museum. All of these organiza-tions help keep students busy during the summer while having fun and, most importantly continu-ing to acquire additional knowl-edge.

I want to thank the parents who have been involved with their children’s educational efforts this school year, as well as the teach-

ers, staff and administration of the Holyoke Public Schools who have dedicated many hours for the educational benefit of our stu-dents.

The Holyoke High School Boys Track Team won the Division I Western Massachu-setts Championship for the first time in 36 years! Congrats!

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Page 2 Connections

Edited by - Kelly Doktor - [email protected] Editor Emeritus: Laura DuPont

Contributing to this issue:

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.

Holyoke School Committee

Mayor Elaine Pluta

William Collamore

Yvonne Garcia

Margaret Boulais

Gladys Lebron-Martinez

Howard Greaney

Dennis Birks

Michael Moriarty

Cesar Lopez

Devin Sheehan

John Breish

Cynthia Carbone

Cathleen Foley

Josiah Friedberg

Helen Gibson

Yvonne Hilyard

Ellen Jackson

Kris Kirton

Lori McKenna

Aaron Morris

Laura Porter

Bonnie Randall

Gina Roy

Hilary Russell

Miranda Smith

Sarah Spence

Julie Winberg

Special thanks to:

Luz Aguilar

Mike Hines

Mitch Moskal

Cheryl Parzich

Aaron Patterson

Judy Taylor

Mission to Mars a complete success Students in Noreen Ewick’s sixth-grade science class from McMahon School visited the Christa McAuliffe / Challenger Center at Framingham State University (FSU)on Monday, May 16 to participate in a “Mission to Mars.” The Chal-lenger Center, which houses a full-size mock-up of both Houston’s Mission Control and a space sta-tion interior, provides the students a physical space to apply the princi-ples of both physical science and earth and space science to the real-time challenges of a simulated space flight. Working together in teams to problem solve, make responsible decisions and communicate effec-tively, the students “landed” the Beta Crew on Mars and “returned” the Alpha Crew to Earth. During the mission the students had to conduct geologic studies of the Martian surface, deploy the ARES plane into the Martian atmosphere, use topographic maps to study the surface, launch the probe to Phobos and Deimos and maintain the health and safety of the crew. Students also had to study current sun spot patterns and track coronal mass ejections that could endanger the crew, orbiting satellites, earth-based power grids, and citizens of Earth. Monitoring the quality of the artificial atmosphere, including tem-perature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure was the job of the life support team, while the isolation team used robotic arms to monitor micrometeoroid impact panels, and “potentially hazardous” chemicals stored on board the Mars Lander. According to Ewick, “This trip has proven to be a minds-on, hands-on learning experience that stu-

dents remember from year to year. It’s a fun way to apply the knowledge learned in the classroom while empowering them with a sense of real accomplish-ment. All the students work hard to make our mis-sion a success!” In addition to the mission, the students visited the FSU planetarium to view a multimedia exploration of the reason behind Earth’s annual cycle of changing seasons. The program, titled “The Tilt,” examined the effect of changing angles of solar illumination as the Earth orbits the Sun with its axis tilted at 23.5 degrees. “The Tilt” also highlights visits to astro-nomically aligned structures from antiquity and mod-ern times, all designed to track the seasons, and star-filled views of sunrise and sunset at various times of the year.

Sixth-graders Isaiah Cardenales and Emily Perez work hard at one of the control panels at the Challenger Center.

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Volume 9, Issue 4 Page 3

What’s New on the Web

By Judy Taylor

District Homepage http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us

NEW Links Added • 2011-2012 District

Calendar ~ schools open August 31 for grades 1-12 and September 7th for pre-school and kindergarten.

• Kindergarten Registration ~ read about the application process for children who will be age 5 on or before September 1, 2011

• Summer Learning ~ contains information regard-ing HPS summer learning opportunities, suggested summer activity guide and community literacy programs (including the Barnes and Noble summer reading pro-gram read eight books, get one free!)

• Opening Week Info ~ On the website in late summer, be sure to check back for information related to ath-letic tryouts, opening day, busing, cafeteria menus and curriculum updates.

Holyoke High School

http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/hhs/index.html

Click on the Guidance/Career Center link to view weekly an-nouncements, updated scholarship information, college representative visits, testing information, support services and transcript request forms.

A video visit from the Int’l Space Station Thirty middle school students from McMahon and Kelly Schools recently had the opportunity of a lifetime that was out of this world! Stu-dents from Andrea Hickson’s social studies class and Noreen Ewick’s science class traveled to the Springfield Technical Community Col-lege campus to participate in a video downlink with NASA astronaut Catherine “Cady” Cole-man. Organized by representatives from STCC, UMASS and NASA, along with Ewick and Hick-son, the students were able to talk “live” with Coleman from her “home away from home” aboard the International Space Station traveling at 17,500 miles per hour in orbit 220 miles above the Earth’s surface. This type of activity is designed by NASA to encourage students to study and pursue careers in science, technol-ogy, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Coleman, a NASA flight engineer, an-swered questions for about 20 minutes as she floated from side to side leaving her hair loose so students could see the effects of no gravity. Students asked questions about the effects of space travel on the human body, the possibility of a dog living on the ISS, how the impacts of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami are being monitored from space and when she realized she wanted to be an astronaut. Stu-dents asked about her missing her family and life on Earth and Coleman admitted she misses her family but calls home every day and video

conferences with her husband and son every week. Coleman ended by telling the students to work hard to achieve their dreams, and to never stop asking questions no matter how silly they think they are!

Astronaut Cady Coleman speaks from space

With the world map as a backdrop, students from McMahon and Kelly Schools “visit” space.

At Morgan School, Yvonne Hilyard’s and Maridia Hobert’s 7th and 8th- grade science students took part in an amazing opportunity to recently attend the Cambridge Science Festival at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Students had an opportunity to tour the campus, talk to current students and professors, and attend outdoor concerts by various student groups such as an African drum band and a Japanese student choir. Students also got to see student projects such as a solar powered car, satellites that could detect how much moisture there is in the soil, and a car which could turn into an airplane. Eighth-grader Miguel Colon said, “Now I want to become an engineer so I can create and build cool things too.” Eighth-grader Oscar Santiago reflected upon the trip, “I loved the interactive activities. We got to go around and talk to MIT students and see the projects they were working on and ask them questions. One guy’s project was creating a motorcycle that would run on only electricity by charging a HUGE battery, but he was also trying to make sure that the bike would still ride really fast. After we asked him some questions he even let me get on top of his electric motorcycle; it was awesome!”

Experiencing science first hand at MIT

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The City of Holyoke "City-Wide Clean Up Day" was held on Saturday, May 7. Five Ward 7 neighbors took action and joined forces with volun-teers from the E.N. White School in order to help Holyoke have a successful event. Eighth-grade teacher John Roche, middle school student council members, as well as other students from the school, volunteered their time in order to give back to the community in the neighborhood where the school resides. The volunteers spent the entire morning pick-ing up trash, raking leaves, shoveling dirt and sweeping debris in order to clear a cement pathway behind the school where many neighborhood residents walk their dogs. The students met a handful of neighbors as well as Councilor-at Large, Rebecca Lisi. Together, the volunteers (pictured above) created a positive difference for the City of Holyoke. At the con-clusion of the event, the city provided pizza and refreshments at Heritage State Park.

Members of the greater Sullivan School community participated in the City of Holyoke “City-Wide Clean Up Day” on May 7. Among those con-tributing to the volunteer beautification effort were parents, teachers and students from the Sullivan School Family Literacy group, students and teachers from third, fifth and sixth grade Saturday Academy, members from the Holyoke Food and Fitness Council, as well as various parents, students, and teachers. “I felt good about cleaning the grounds of Sullivan School and it looks way better than it did before,” said sixth-grade student Alysharee Arroyo. Student Karina Millayes added, “It felt special to help clean the environment.” In all, participants weeded the flower beds, planted over a dozen new plants and filled over 40 bags of trash and leaves in just over two hours. Most importantly, members from all across the Sullivan community worked together to improve the school.

Morgan School students in grades K-2 visited the Holy-oke World War II Park to plant trees in honor of Arbor Day. Kindergarten students from the classes of Jami Witherall and Maria Roldan sang a patriotic song. A student from each classroom planted a tree, assisted by Holyoke Mayor Elaine Pluta. A mural will be painted on the nearby basketball court and a garden will be planted with fruits that the com-munity will be able to enjoy. Stu-dents were given packets of sun-flower seeds, and maple and dog-wood tree saplings were given to the staff to take home.

The Garden Club at Donahue School teamed up with ELA teacher Brad Willenbrock to raise money for a field trip to The Mystic Aquarium by selling plants dur-ing the primary fund-raiser, a car wash. The plant varie-ties, aloe vera, spider, cactus, philodendron, peace lilies and jade sold for between $2 and $5. Under the direc-tion of science teacher Caleb Snow, students in the Garden Club collected, propagated and tended to the plants all year long in preparation for the sale.

Green Team and Plant Sale

Arbor Day planting

A group of Donahue School seventh-graders began “The Green Team,” an organization dedicated to making the school a more environmen-tally friendly place. Luis Otero, Ian Acosta, Adrian Ortiz, Roberto Santiago and Jose Cruz (pictured above), recently wrote a letter to Principal Paula Fitzgerald asking for permission to start this group. From their letter: “We are the Green Team. Our goal is to make the school more environmentally friendly. We are helping by recycling pa-per, and we noticed that we couldn’t recycle plastic, which really got our attention…. We notice that teachers bring a lot of bottled water in each year which can be recycled instead of thrown out in the trash.” These positive changes have made the Donahue world and the world in general a better place.

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Volume 9, Issue 4 Page 5

Nine middle school students in the Connections After-School Program at Dr. Marcella R. Kelly School learned first-hand the power of collaboration to make a difference in their community. Armed with gloves and plastic bags provided by the City of Holyoke as part of the Annual City-Wide Clean-Up, along with other trash collecting equipment provided by Kelly School, Connections students spread out across nearby fields, play-grounds, and streets like mine sweepers, collecting every candy wrapper, soda can, and discarded detention slip they could find. At first some students were skeptical of the impact of their efforts. “Even if we pick up the trash today, it’s just going to be dirty again tomorrow because people are still going to litter,” Tamisha Rios, 8th grade, wor-ried. But as they got to work, the clean-up crew received popsicles from local commu-nity members grateful for their efforts, suggesting that residents appreciate their efforts and will do their part to keep the neighborhood clean. Students took pride in cleaning up the area around Kelly School not only because their work left the grounds more beautiful, but also because the removal of bro-ken glass and other dangerous objects made the playground area safer for children and families who visited it. All counted, Connections students packed a total of ten bags full of debris, leaving the Kelly School community with a safer and more beautiful place to gather.

CONNECTIONS students participate in City-Wide Clean Up

José Torres, Kimberly Sanchez, Luz Vazquez, and Victor Pimpare keeping the neighborhood

safe and clean.

Before After

Holyoke Food and Fitness Policy Council Notes • The District Wellness Council Planning meeting on April 6 was well attended, including Mayor Elaine Pluta, several school principals,

staff members and parents. HFFPC is currently working to produce a one-to two-page condensed summary of the district wellness policy, and to help to establish wellness council groups in each school. If you are interested in being part of your school wellness coun-cil, please contact Ana Jaramillo at 413-420-2860 or [email protected]

• The Holyoke Food and Fitness Policy Council not only donated gardening tools and gloves to the volunteers at Sullivan School during the city-wide Clean Up Day on Saturday May 7, HFFPC members participated in the cleaning as well.

• HFFPC is hoping to pilot a new before-school Reebok BOKS (Build Our Kids Success) exercise program at one or two schools for the upcoming 2011-2012 school year.

• The free Earn-A-Bike - Bike Shop program is available at the Holyoke YMCA every Thursday afternoon from 4-6 pm for 11-18 year olds. Children and youth can learn how to build and maintain their own bikes. For more information, contact Liz Budd at 413-534-5631 x 114 or [email protected].

If you have questions or would like to learn more about the Holyoke Food and Fitness Policy Council, contact Laura Porter at 413-420-2861 or email [email protected].

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Page 6 Connections

Fourth-grade art students at Kelly School recently visited the Smith College Museum of Art in North-ampton to study two-dimensional portraits and figurative sculptures lo-cated in the permanent collection galleries. The tour began with a 30-minute hands-on art pro-ject to allow students to become familiar with how a portrait is created. Stu-dents chose from a variety of art media to produce their own mixed media self portraits. After the art activity, docents intro-duced students to artwork from different historical time periods, led dis-cussions about thematic content and asked students to consider the visual impact of each piece. Students learned about the relationship between history and art and how artists documented events in the United States, Europe, and Africa from the 18th century to the present. Students also observed the work of contemporary African-American artist Whitfield Lovell in his exhibit titled “More Than You Know.” Lovell’s work con-sisted of charcoal drawings on paper and large scale installations of rooms that had life-size drawings of African Americans on the walls with dimen-sional artifacts such as vases, chairs, tables and beds to add authenticity to the arrangements. Students had many favorable comments about the mu-seum visit but were very impressed with the tiles and porcelain in the “artist designed” rest rooms. The field trip was made possible by grant subsidies from the Smith College Museum of Art.

Studying art at Smith College

Students listen to the Smith College docent explain the art of portraits.

The drums beat loudly and the sound was like that of thunder this spring at the Peck Full-Service Community School. An awe-inspiring performance by the Ranbyoshi Folk Art Performance Group was presented to the whole school. Seventh-grader Sherlie Figueroa explained, “It was great to see the different colors and the way they played the drums.” Ranbyoshi not only tries to maintain the tradition of folk art, but also creates a new tradition of rhythm and sound. The presentation was an exciting mixture of drums, dancing and props – mainly dragons – which thrilled the audience. Anne Prescott, Ph.D., Director of the Five College Center for Asian Studies, and Professor Reiko Kato at Smith College, both Peck Full Service Commu-nity School Partners, were responsible for bringing the Taiko Group from Sapporo to Peck and the FCCAS contributed to the cost. “The performance was both scary and fun when they came out dressed as the dragons,” observed seventh-grader Selena Witherspoon.

Beating the drum at Peck

Dragons performing from the Ranbyoshi Folk Group

The E.N. White School is the proud recipient of an $8,540 grant from the Music Drives Us Organization. The money was used to purchase new violins in order to enhance the String Program at the school. The beginner String Students demon-strated their new skills in front of an audience for the first time followed by the ex-perienced String Orchestra playing a handful of selections. The 4th and 5th grade students, faculty, as well as many families listened with delight. Also in the audience, showing their support were Mayor Elaine Pluta, Superintendent Dave Dupont, School Committee Members Michael Moriarty and William Collamore. Immediately follow-ing the string performances, the guests of honor, Maestro Kevin Rhodes and Principal Trumpet Player Tim Bergeron of the Springfield Symphony, spoke about the importance of music education within the schools and the opportunities it will provide to any student seeking to continue music in the future. The entire event is being shown on Holyoke’s TV Channel 12 .

Music Drives E.N. White String Program

String Students perform with new violins

The drum is alive with rhythm at E.N. White School! The fifth graders performed a Drum Code in June under the direction of mu-sic teacher Doreen Veazie. Stu-dents prepared throughout the school year by attending Drum Circle and learning to sing and dance African style. The rhythms of Africa were played on the Djembe and Ashiko drums as well as the Axatse (a gourd rattle) and the Gankogui (a double bell). The students sang and danced the Gahu, which is the recreational piece of the Ewe people who live in Ghana.

The Drum Code “Our music comes from Ghana

On the west coast of Africa. We sing in several languages

With a universal beat.”

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Volume 9, Issue 4 Page 7

E.N.White School has a tradition of creating a themed mural for a hallway within the school each year. The

endeavor is performed with the hopes of teaching students about artwork, artists and the messages they represent. Each year Sheila Lamour and her middle school's Advanced Art Class work together and decide on a topic which will inspire students in their everyday life while contributing to a new found love of art. Artist Keith Haring (May 4, 1958 - February 16, 1990) was the inspiration for the mural in the middle school hallway this year. Haring's bold lines and active figures portrayed in his artwork are meant to carry a poignant message of vitality, unity and peace. His vision comes at a perfect time as bullying is a topic which a lot of students have had discussions on how to prevent, resolve and overcome. LaMour and her students bonded as they followed Haring's message while they created the mural. Students hope their mural reminds and inspires every student who walks the middle school hallway the importance of treating each other with kindness and respect.

Artist-inspired mural

Art students create a new mural at E.N. White

All fourth-grade students at E.N. White School were crowned Kings and Queens of Math the day before the Math MCAS testing. Fourth-grade math teacher Julie Griffin said the purpose of the crowning was to build the students’ confidence and to remind the students that they made great progress in math all year long. In addition to the crowns, the students made “good luck” t-shirts and motivational banners to put on display. Students also signed a contract that they would try their best on the Math MCAS and be proud of their work.

A Math MCAS Ice Cream Social was held in May at Morgan School to encourage students to do their best on the MCAS tests. Organ-ized by teachers and academic coaches, there were various stations for making ice cream sundaes. During the event, there were inspir-ing speeches from the staff to motivate the students to come to school well-rested and ready to work. Entertainment was provided by the Morgan School Chorus, with Emily Temple and Yvonne Hilyard coordinating, while Adrienne Wade and Jenifer Gelineau directed the string and cello players. With over 100 attendees, the event was a positive evening for families.

Also in May, Donahue School ran an ice cream social for the families of students to get MCAS testing off to the right start. Teachers, parents and students enjoyed delicious sundaes and discussed the

upcoming math and science portions of the MCAS. In addition to the treats, parents and students alike viewed Donahue’s new music video “Math-A-Gaina.” Sixth-grade teacher Iwona Langlois worked diligently with students crafting the concept and lyrics. Every classroom in the school, from kindergarten to RISE, to the eighth-grade took part in the production, which culminated in an outdoor school-wide assembly. This year’s video, along with last year’s “Beat It (the MCAS)” have been posted to www.teachertube.com.

Math Kings and Queens

Fourth-grade students became majestic for the math MCAS

One scoop? Or Two?

MCAS Kickoff Events at Donahue

Students from the Carpentry Program at Dean Technical High School attended the Massachusetts Construction Career Day at New England Laborers' Training Academy in Hopkinton with their instructor Nelson Garcia. Students learned information about apprenticeships and continu-ing education programs. They were able to work with a range of con-struction equipment and tools used on the job. Above, students met Gov. Deval Patrick (in yellow vest) during the career day.

Career Day for Dean Tech

carpentry students

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Page 8 Connections

Maurice A. Donahue’s new community partner, Nuestras Raices, is teaming up with the school to create the first-ever Farmer’s Market held on Holyoke Public School property. The market will begin on the first Saturday in July from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. and will run every weekend through the end of October. The partnership will help provide our families with access to fresh, locally grown produce. Food stamps and EBT will also be accepted.

Donahue sixth-grade students (above) under the direction of ELA teacher Iwona Langlois, helped those in need in Japan who were affected by March’s devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident. Students collected cans and bottles, as well as cash donations, and at press time, a total of $307 had been raised. The project has blossomed into another good deed - as students removed the soda can tabs to donate to the Shriners Hospital, helping to raise money for medical equipment.

Donahue School

A sixth-grade class at Donahue School was energized by the idea of a field trip and wrote an authentic proposal letter to their principal, Paula Fitzgerald. Preparation for writing the letter included an inter-view and online research. Students asked their prin-cipal to meet with them to discuss the steps for planning a field trip. Dur-ing that discussion, Fitz-gerald recommended Mystic Aquarium as a place to visit. The class agreed with Fitzgerald after they researched the educational opportunities on the Mystic Aquarium website. In a democratic way, the class voted on visiting the aquarium. As they wrote in their proposal letter, the class determined that “the aquarium holds gallons of learning opportunities with a big tank of wonder and joy.” The group coordinated various fund-raisers, including a car wash and a read-a-thon, to offset the costs of this trip. Student Destiny Arena said, “Once we got to the aquarium, we took notes on what we learned about the questions we asked. We did this by listening to the guides and reading information about exhibits.”

McMahon School This school year Diane Houston, and her canine companion Tristan, volun-teered from Bright Spot Therapy Dogs in Northampton at McMahon School. Houston and Tristan met with the students in Julie Levesque’s class. The children were able to in-teract with Tristan in whatever way made them most comfort-able. Some children enjoyed having Tristan do “tricks”, others fed him biscuits (which he was very fond of!) and other children took comfort in petting, hugging, or simply sitting by him. One of the great impacts Tristan's visits have had is in lessening/decreasing the fear one child had of dogs. On Tristan's first visit this young boy would not come anywhere near him and refused to be in the same room. By the end of school, the boy said, "Hello, Tristan" when he saw him and is comfortable being near him. The classroom teacher and staff report that many of the children are more verbal when Tristan was in the classroom. When Tristan turned 12, the children made him birth-day cards and had a party for him!

Student Nicholas Larson with

therapy dog Tristan

The McMahon staff was at it again! In honor of April being Au-tism Awareness month the school community came together to raise money and spread Autism aware-ness. Julie Levesque’s Autism Rise paraprofes-sionals Caitlin O’Hare, Sarah Greaney, Ilka Pagan, Sarah Hunter, Evelyn Tosses, Lydia Lorenzi and Ramona Cordero worked diligently cutting out puzzle pieces, creating pins, ribbons and making baked goods. The sale of these items generated $541 and was donated to the Autism Walk “Making a Difference ~ One Step at a Time” which will be held this September, and all proceeds will be donated to Holyoke Public Schools Autism pro-grams. The school community also wore blue on April 1 to support the "Light It Up Blue Campaign." Every year, autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awareness-raising events. Joe Hudson (BCBA) says, " It is great to see the school commu-nity come together to raise awareness and support for so many students that we have in our district."

Autism Awareness

Working hard for Autism Awareness are: front row L to R: Debbie Cruz, Evelyn Tosses, and Caitlin O’Hare. Back row:

L to R: Lydia Lorenzi, Sarah Greaney, Omar Almovodar, Ilka Pagan and Joe Hudson.

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Volume 9, Issue 4 Page 9

For those who followed the Dean Baseball team this season you have probably noticed a team that has been re-born. With a new coach, Juan Rodriguez, heading up the team, new uniforms, and a new attitude, the team has shown success on the field, in the classroom, and around the commu-nity. At press time, the Dean Baseball team has an overall record of 11-3 and they are undefeated and in first place in their league with a record of 9-0. The success they have shown on the field is reflective of the demands that have been placed on the players off the field and in the classroom. From the first time Coach Rodriguez met the players he brought accountability, disci-pline, and respect to the program. From day one, Coach Rodriguez has been in the cafeteria during lunch making the players pick up after themselves. On a daily basis Coach Rodriguez is at the school meeting with the vice-principals and resource officer to check on the behavior of his players. He walks the halls making sure his players are in class on time and getting their assignments done. He regularly checks on the players’ grades and when they show signs of struggle he demands that they stay afterschool with their teachers to get extra help. Many people are extremely proud of the accom-plishments of the Dean Baseball team this year, but no one should be sur-prised at the success the team is experiencing. The steps that Coach Rodri-guez has taken to build the baseball program at Dean Technical High School are things that we can all learn from in our daily lives. He believes in the players and cares for them while at the same setting high expectations in terms of behavior, academic achievement, and discipline. The lessons he teaches are the same lessons he has learned from his many years of serving in the Army. After spending two tours of duty, one in Afghanistan and one in Iraq, there is no place Coach Rodriguez would rather be than on the baseball field teaching kids how to play a game he loves and there is no one the players would rather have as their coach than Juan Rodriguez.

New Coach, New Image, New Results

The Holyoke High School Boys Volleyball team traveled to Morgan School to perform a volleyball clinic with gym teacher Lori Maliga’s intramural team. The volleyball team worked with elementary and middle school students on perfecting their passing and hitting skills. After the clinic, students watched Varsity and JV play against each other; then the Morgan intramural team played against the Holyoke High Volleyball Team. Work-ing together and playing at the end of the clinic was a great team-building activity. Tobey Rodriguez from the HHS boys volleyball team said, “It was nice to come down to Morgan and work with the kids and show them how we play the game.” Seventh-grader Samantha Mon-tanez reflected, “It was great to have the team help us with our skills and it was really fun to play them after-wards. I feel like we learned a lot.”

The Peck Full Service Community School eighth-graders sponsored the fourth annual Faculty/Student Basketball Game benefiting Horizons for Homeless Children. Approximately $300 was raised for the charity through admission tickets and a bake sale. Elementary Guidance Counselor Jose Ortiz plays every

year and commented, “It’s nice to be part of an event that gives back to the community.” New this year at the event was the invitation to Peck Alumni from Holyoke High School and Dean Technical High School to return and play in the game. High school students Omar Echevarria, Justin White, Nathaniel Rodriguez and Guillermo Godreau came back to play. Eighth-grader Joseph Jose said, “I like playing basketball. It was rewarding to play for charity and fun to see our teachers out on the court. Next year, when I come back as alumni of Peck, I know that we will beat the teachers.”

Mentoring the “dig”

Faculty vs. Students!

• On Friday, May 6, in honor of Mother's Day and all the strong women who support Morgan School students, kindergarten teachers Jami Witherell and Maria Roldan along with their kinder-garten classes, hosted a "Strong Women” luncheon. It was an opportunity for the strong women

who support the students every day, including moms and grandmas, aunts, and sisters (and even a few dads!) to come and spend some time relaxing with their children. The week before the luncheon was spent getting ready. Children performed, "I'm a little seedling!" and created handprint forget-me-nots. They also painted terracotta pots and planted marigold seeds to present as gifts. The librarian secured books to present to the families and the students designed and created bookmarks for their strong women.

• This spring Morgan School eighth-graders spent time at Holyoke High School where they toured the school and were given informa-tion about what to expect next year. Morgan students were assigned to the high school students in order to “shadow” them and follow a specific schedule.

• The first grade classes of Amy Drohan and Militza Semidei at Morgan School recently visited Lupa Zoo in Ludlow. The trip prepared the students to write non-fiction reports on animals. Upon returning to class, students wrote letters to Principal Paula Fitzgerald de-scribing their adventure and thanking her for the field trip. Many photographs were taken of the animals to be used in the student reports to promote language acquisition.

Morgan School

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Page 10 Connections

By James Reynolds, Enrichment Club Instructor This spring, eight middle-school students in the Connections After-School Program at Dr. Marcella R. Kelly School piled onto a bus and headed for the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. They were greeted on-campus by UMass students and staff who led them in a series of fun and interactive activities in the Theater Department and the Everywoman’s Center. The activities were designed to complement students’ eight-week enrichment clubs in Con-nections in order to demonstrate how they can pursue those interests while achieving a college education. For example, since all of the students attending the field trip had participated in theater-based enrichment clubs, UMass thea-ter students took them on a backstage tour of their upcoming production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night where they were introduced to all aspects of thea-ter production, from costume design to prop and set building to acting on stage. Kelly students also visited the Everywoman’s Center to view a live perform-ance of age-appropriate excerpts from the Women of Color Leadership Net-work’s Body Politics. UMass students from ethnic backgrounds similar to those of the Connections students in the audience presented powerful spoken-word performance pieces. These performances illustrated how ideas of race and gender continue to shape our social identities today, but also showed how dominant cultural attitudes toward certain racial and gender identities can be challenged in positive, self-affirming ways. The Body Politics excerpts comple-mented students’ experiences in the Explore Your Future enrichment club at Kelly, which focuses on social/emotional development, positive self-image, and college/career awareness.

Getting the acting bug

Students visit the prop workshop in the UMass

Theater Department

The CONNECTIONS After-School Program has created a new club for students to develop their presentation skills through the art of performance. Jeff Pyzocha and Jonas Cain are two new instructors who are teaching students a lost talent: magic. Students have learned how to perform a diversity of tricks in the Magic Club. They have worked with linking rings, magic wands, lights, fake thumbs and cards to create different illu-sions for their audiences. One of their favor-ite activities involves making objects levitate and disap-pear. Cain and Pyzocha aim to pass their own passion for magic onto students. They have succeeded with a re-cord-breaking, 80 students in their clubs. The Magic Club provides students with an opportunity to learn a skill that most students would never be exposed to. Both instructors consider magic a dying art, and they believe its revival lies in teaching others.

Abracadabra!

The CONNECTIONS After-School Program continues to incorporate fun into a scho-lastic environment with its new instructor, Scott Clark. Clark leads the Mad Science Club at Peck Middle School. He loves to ‘trick’ his stu-dents into learning with fun science experiments. Students have participated in a variety of experiments that develop their skills of inquiry and their knowledge of cause and effect. Throughout the eight-week session, students have created kaleidoscopes, volcanoes, slime, tornadoes, helicopters and lava lamps. They have learned essential concepts about chemical reactions, gravity, motion, and electricity. Clark and the Mad Science Club are a small part of what the CONNECTIONS After-School Program has to offer. The program continues to provide students with an op-portunity to work with dedicated individuals from the community in a supportive and academic environment.

Creating “mad scientists”!

Students simulating a closed electrical circuit

This spring, the Cat in the Hat visited the Metcalf Preschool at their Dr. Seuss Title I Event. Children worked on various activities with their par-ents and were read a Dr. Seuss story in the school library. In May, stu-dents from Joan Daly’s class put on a performance of Lynne Cherry’s The Great Kapok Tree. Students read the book prior to the play and made all their own costumes.

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Page 11 Volume 9, Issue 4

“You have choices”

At Dean: National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Dean Technical High School was one of 14 community groups that participated in the 10th annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy on May 4, 2011. The purpose of the National Day is to focus the attention of teens on the importance of avoiding too-early pregnancy and parenthood. On the National Day, and throughout the month, teens at Dean and nationwide were asked to go to www.StayTeen.org to participate in several online activities that challenge them to think carefully about what they might do “in the moment.” More than a half-million teens participated in National Day activities in 2010 and nearly 4.2 million individuals have taken the National Day Quiz since 2002. As part of the National Day, ninth-grade health students were invited to participate in a Teen Pregnancy Awareness poster contest sponsored by the Holyoke Adolescent Sex-ual Health and Pregnancy Prevention Task Force. The four winning entries, all students from Dean Technical High School ninth-

grade health classes, were Ashley Frazier, Anthony King, Christopher Nepus and Evelyn Reyes. Invited by Mayor Pluta to the City Hall, Superintendent Dupont pre-sented each winner with an award and a Holyoke Mall gift certificate donated in part by State Senator Michael Knapik, State Representative Michael Kane, and the Holy-oke Mall. Dean Health Teacher Cynthia Carbone, R.N., expressed her admiration for how hard all her students worked on their mes-sages for teen pregnancy aware-ness. Carbone explains that in class her students had learned that Holyoke has the highest teen birth rate in the state. In 2008, Holyoke’s teen pregnancy rate was about six times higher than the Massachu-setts average, and there were 115.6 births per 1000 teens ages 15-19. She said, “My students really got behind this initiative. They were participating in something mean-ingful and, through their posters, increased awareness about behaviors and attitudes

that may very well help to contribute to reducing teen pregnancy among our young adults here in our community.”

Award winning Dean Tech Health students (L to R) Christopher Nepus, Anthony King, and Ashley Frazier (Evelyn Reyes not pictured) with

Mayor Elaine Pluta.

Students in the Culinary Arts Department at Dean Tech-nical High School presented their Senior Projects on May 10th. Students shared their research, per-formed demonstra-tions, and provided their audience with samples. The students and their topics were: Angela Delvalle (Cakes), Carmen Acosta (Mexican Cui-sine), Myrna Gonzalez (Hawaiian Cuisine), Dwayne Smith (French Cuisine), Jason Wright (Pasta), Kayla Delaney (Delicacies around the World), Eric Vega (Egyptian Cuisine), and Jessica White (Sushi).

Unit MA-20022 at William J. Dean Technical High School has been selected as one of the units to receive the 2010-2011 Air Force Junior ROTC Distin-guished Unit Award. This award recognizes Air Force Junior ROTC units that have per-formed above and beyond nor-mal expectations and that have distinguished themselves through outstanding service to their school and community while meeting the Air Force Junior ROTC mission of producing better citizens for America.

Mayor Pluta visited Dean Technical High School for a school tour and also to pre-sent two students with H Awards. Wesley Cappa-Velez and Josh Suriel Montero were the recipients of H Awards. Both stu-dents are in the Culinary Arts Program. At right, Principal Linda Rex, “H” student Josh Suriel Mon-tero and Ralph Webb of the Culinary Arts program.

ROTC wins

Rewarding “H” Students

L to R: SMSgt. Michael J. Cross, Major William E. Kieda, Jr. and Mayor Elaine Pluta.

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As part of the historical fiction unit, eighth-graders at the Peck Full-Service Community School read “The Diary of Anne Frank” and studied the Holocaust. Each year the students voluntarily attend the Holocaust commemoration sponsored by the Council for Human Understanding, Holyoke Community College and Holyoke Public Schools. This year the guest speaker was Eva Metzger Brown, Ph. D., a child survivor of the Holocaust and well-known author and clinical psychologist who resides in Amherst. Eighth-grader Idalis Salgado commented, “It was interesting to hear about things we learned in class that she experienced in her life and to hear them told from her point of view.” Student Emanuel Correa said, “I never thought I would ever get to meet a survivor of the Holocaust. It seems like it happened a long time ago but really it is still with us today.”

Remembering the Holocaust

Eighth-grader Aidaliz Sandoval and sixth-grader Giovanni Ortiz were selected by the Massachusetts Latino Chamber of Commerce as Young Latino Heroes. The mission of the Massachusetts Latino Chamber of Com-merce is to develop, promote and protect Latino businesses and communities in Massa-chusetts and also to support the advancement of educa-tion. The two Peck students were selected from Western Mas-sachusetts middle schools in recognition of their outstanding academic accomplishments and leadership skills. They attended Latino Recognition Day at Fenway Park and the students were allowed to take one adult. The students and parents met David “Big Papi” Ortiz and got to be on the cherished Fenway Park field.

Young Latino Heroes

Young Latino Heroes

Giovanni Ortiz and Aidaliz Sandoval

• Eighth-grade Safe School Ambassadors and other students took part in the City of Holyoke City-wide Clean Up Day held on Saturday, May 7th. Participating in the event were Nilsa Gonzalez, Allizea Meadows, Aidaliz Sandoval, Idalis Salgado, Jose Santiago, Taylor Lasante, Phoenix Rivera, Ve-ronica Alvarez, Faevea Benton and Joanna Fernandez. • Karen McDermott and her third-grade colleagues took students back in

time to visit the year 1627 when they went on a field trip to Plimoth Plantation. Plimoth Plantation recreates what life was like in the time of the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians. The students also took a tour of The Mayflower II, a replica of the original May-flower.

• Fourth-grade teacher Becky Malin and her students participated in Learning By Design working with local architects to build a Box City. They took a walking tour of Holyoke to notice what makes a community/architecture and completed activities to learn about scale,geometry and 3-D objects. Student work was on display at the Honoring Families Celebration in early June.

• Over 20 Peck families enjoyed themselves during the Spring Family Fun Day at the Smith College Museum of Art. This event hap-pens twice a year with students from art teacher Darcy Dumont’s classes.

• The 2nd Annual 2011 Peck Appreciation Luncheon for Peck educators and staff was held on this spring. The event was organized by Yaldira Felix-Brown and Maria Luisa Arroyo. Food and services were donated by Peck parents, including most of the P-PUA leaders: Mari Santiago, Rafael Torres, Maria Rodriguez, Juan Perez, and Luz Roman.

• Congratulations to Peck Rising Stars – Rachael Dearman, Jose Cordova, and Nysha Sanchez. Peck’s Holyoke Hospital Award win-ners were Taylor Lasante, Emanuel Correa and Mariangie Fernandez.

• Peck Librarian Fiona Creed set a goal for this year’s book fair to have 100 families visit during parent teacher conferences and that goal was met. The prize was for Principal Paul Hyry-Dermith, teachers Justin Cotton and Jose Ortiz, custodian Rick Moynihan and Librarian Fiona Creed to dress up like characters from “The Cat in the Hat” for one day. Classrooms were visited by the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2 for stirring renditions of The Cat in the Hat.

The Joseph Metcalf Preschool is currently accepting applications for preschoolers. You can regis-ter at the Student Assignment Center located on the first floor of 57 Suffolk Street.

Preschool Registration Happening Now!

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Holyoke Public Schools

Volume 9 Issue 4

Verano 2011

Estos son los puntos mas sobresalientes del Boletin

2010-2011~ Llegando a su final Por David Dupont

Superintendente de Escuelas

Miembros veteranos del personal le dirá como pasan de rápido los años escolares y como los veranos pasan aún más rápido. Mirando hacia atrás en este año escolar que se inauguró con nuestra barbacoa en la escuela Dean (que se repetirá para el inicio del año escolar 2011-2012), pode-mos contar con otro año 2010-2011, de retos y logros. La madre naturaleza nos ha recordado que, incluso con todas las char-las sobre el calentamiento global su capa-cidad de hacer nieve no ha disminuido ni un poco. Apreciamos el trabajo y dedica-ción de todo el personal en la educación y el cuidado de nuestros estudiantes. Sus éxitos y logros en el salón, en el campo de juego, en exposiciones de arte y con-ciertos de música, marchando en desfiles, trabajando con servicio comunitario y participando en numerosas actividades,

casi siempre puede rastrear el trabajo de los maestros y otros adultos que trabajan con y ofrecen apoyo para ellos. Otro año escolar pasa que comenzó con los ojos muy abiertos y algunos con lágrimas en los ojos de niños en edad preescolar entrando a la escuela Metcalf y cerrar con una sonrisa y algunos adultos mayores con los ojos llorosos, tanto en la escuela Dean y Holyoke High. En cualquier capacidad de traba-jar y donde su trabajo se lleva a cabo, mirar atrás y sentir-nos orgullosos de lo que has hecho por nuestros 6.000 niños a los que se ha ayuda-do a cambiar sus vidas para mejor. Quiero dar las gracias a todos ustedes por ellos.

Sigue aprendiendo todo el Verano Por Elaine Pluta

Alcalde de Holyoke

Otro año escolar está llegando a su fin y, aunque señale otras vacaciones de verano, no debe señalar un cierre al aprendizaje. Hay muchas oportunidades para seguir apren-diendo durante todo el verano, aquí en nues-tra ciudad. Las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke ofrecen Programas de Aprendizaje en julio para los estudiantes de Kínder hasta el nivel de escuela superior. Los niños en edad prees-colar de 5 años y que entrarán a Kínder en el otoño pueden asistir a Kínder camp en julio para ayudarles a aclimatarse a un ambiente escolar. El Teatro Enchanted Circle está ofreciendo a los estudiantes de los grados 6 a 8, la opor-tunidad de probar sus habilidades de actua-

ción con sus funciones de Shakespeare en cursos de verano por cinco semanas. Otras fuentes para la diversión de aprendizaje incluyen la Biblioteca Pública de Holyoke, el Museo de Holyoke para niños, los parques de Holyoke y el Departamento de Recreación y el Museo Wistariahurst. Todas estas organi-zaciones ayudan a mantener a los estudiantes ocupados durante el verano mientras se di-vierten y lo más importante sigue adquiriendo nuevos conocimientos. Quiero agradecer a los padres que han parti-cipado en los esfuerzos educativos de sus hijos este año escolar, así como el personal, maestros, y la administración de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke que han dedicado mu-chas horas a los beneficios educacionales de nuestros estudiantes. Tenga un Verano Maravilloso .... y sigue aprendiendo!

La escuela McMahon alumnos de sexto grado Jack Adamczyk y el trabajo Cameron Wilson en mando de la misión en el centro de Christa McAuliffe rival durante un viaje de estudios recientes. ver la historia completa en la

página 2.

Joseph Metcalf el preescolar está aceptando solicitudes para los niños preescolares. puede registrarse en el centro de la

asignación de estudiantes ubicados en el primer piso de la calle Suffolk 57.

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Béisbol Dean ~ Nuevo Entrenador, Nueva Imagen, Nuevos Resultados Para aquellos que han estado siguiendo al equipo de béisbol de la Escuela Dean este año es probable que haya notado un equipo que ha re-nacido en esta temporada. Con un nuevo entrenador, Juan Rodríguez, encabeza el equipo, nuevos uniformes, y una nueva actitud, el equipo ha demostrado éxito en el campo, en el salón de clases, y cerca de la comunidad.Actualmente el equipo de béisbol de la Escuela Dean tiene un récord total de 11 y 3 y que están invictos y en primer lugar en su liga con un récord de 9 y 0. El éxito que han demostrado en el campo es un reflejo de las deman-das que se hayan colocado en los jugadores fuera de la cancha y en el salón de clase. Desde la primera vez que el entrenador Rodrí-guez se reunió con los jugado-res él trajo responsabilidad, disciplina y respeto al progra-ma. Desde el primer día el en-trenador Rodríguez ha estado en la cafetería durante el al-muerzo para asegurar que los jugadores recojan después de almorzar. Diariamente el entre-nador Rodríguez está en la reunión de la escuela con el Vice-Director y oficial de re-cursos para verificar el compor-tamiento de sus jugadores. Él camina por los pasillos ase-gurándose que sus jugadores están en clase a tiempo y haciendo sus tareas. Él regular-mente mira las calificaciones de los jugadores y cuando muestran signos de lucha él exige que per-manezcan después de la escuela con sus maestros para obtener ayuda adicional. Muchas personas están muy orgullosos de los logros del equipo de béisbol de la escuela Dean este año, pero nadie debería sorpren-derse por el éxito que el equipo está experimentando. Los pasos que el entrenador Rodríguez ha tomado para crear el programa de béisbol en la Escuela Secundaria Dean Técnica son cosas que todos podemos aprender en nuestra vida cotidiana. Él cree en los jugado-res y se preocupa por ellos y al mismo tiempo establecer altas expectativas en términos de comportamiento, logro académico y disciplina. Las lecciones que enseña son las mismas lecciones que ha aprendido de sus muchos años de servir en el Ejército. Después de pasar dos turnos de servicio, una en Afganistán y otro en Irak, no hay lugar donde el entrenador Rodríguez prefiere estar que en el campo de béisbol enseñándole a los muchachos como jugar un juego que él ama y no hay nadie que los jugadores prefieren tener como su entrenador Juan Rodríguez. LO QUE OTROS DICEN SOBRE EL ENTRENADOR JUAN RODRIGUEZ - ENTRENADOR DE BÉISBOL DE LA ESCUELA DEAN TÉCNICA: "He asistido a varios juegos y conozco personalmente el entrena-dor Rodríguez. Él sirve a su país en el ejército y trae al campo y la

posición con el mismo tipo de dedicación, el deber, el honor y la experiencia. Él es un residente permanente de Holyoke, que se ha conectado bien con todos los estudiantes y sirve como un modelo positivo. Sus expectativas para nuestros jugadores en el salón de clase es lo más elevado y riguroso como sus expectativas de ellos en el campo de pelota. Él infunde un sentido de responsabilidad, no sólo para desarrollar sus talentos deportivos, sino por su compor-tamiento positivo y académicos. Los estudiantes han llegado a sa-ber que no sólo se representan a sí mismos, pero su escuela, el distrito, la ciudad de Holyoke y sus familias dentro y fuera del cam-po de juego. "

-Wayne St. Peter - Maestro – de la Escuela Superior Dean Técnica "El entrenador Rodríguez ha traído una presencia muy posi-tiva para el equipo de Béisbol de la Escuela Dean Técnica, tanto dentro como fuera del campo. Su presencia frecuente en la escuela refuerza el mensa-je de conectando el salón de clase y el diamante. Los mucha-chos muestran su orgullo cuan-do se ponen su camiseta en los días de partido y trabajan duro en sus estudios. GO HAWKS! " -John Cavanaugh - Vice-Director - de la Escuela Supe-rior Dean Técnica

Juan Rodríguez ha desarrollado altas expectativas para sus jugado-res tanto dentro como fuera del campo de pelota. Él observa cómo interactúan con sus compañeros y

el personal de la escuela y durante su almuerzo. Se espera que sean ejemplos para otros estudiantes. Él demanda tutoría de atle-tismo para los estudiantes que necesitan la ayuda extra .” Linda Rex – Directora de la Escuela Superior Dean Técnica "Somos muy afortunados de tener al entrenador Rodríguez como nuestro entrenador de béisbol en la Escuela Superior Dean Técni-ca. No sólo traer una gran experiencia en el campo de béisbol, sino que también trae la experiencia de vida al equipo. Con conoci-mientos en el Ejército, él ha establecido estrategias de trabajo en equipo, expectativas altas, una exigencia de trabajar duro, y respe-to dentro y fuera de la escuela. Se hace sentir su presencia tanto en el campo y en la escuela y los jugadores saben que él se preocu-pa por ellos y su éxito. Los jugadores deberán recordar las leccio-nes que les ha enseñado en el béisbol desde hace muchos años. No hay duda de que él los ha hecho mejores jugadores y mejores per-sonas. " - Aaron Patterson - Director de Atletismo - Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke

Juan Rodriguez el entrenador da instrucciones a sus jugadores de béisbol Dean Technical High School..

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Volume 9, Issue 4 Page 15

Los niños tienen que cumplir

los cinco años en o antes

del 1° de septiembre del 2011.

¡Registraciones Solamente por cita!

La oficina de Asignacion de estudiantes

Lunes a Viernes ~ Horas 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

El Primer Piso ~ 57 Suffolk Street ~ Tel: 534-2007

Llame o visite para hacer una cita.

Horas de Registración 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Es con gran placer que anuncia-mos el inicio de Farmer's Mar-ket en nuestra escuela. Nuestro nuevo socio de la comunidad, Nuestras Raíces, se ha unido a nuestra escuela para crear el primer mercado de los agricul-tores en las tierras de las Escue-las Públicas de Holyoke. El mer-cado se iniciará el primer sába-do de julio de 09:00 AM a 3:00 PM y se llevará a cabo cada fin de semana hasta finales de octu-bre. Esperamos ayudar a pro-porcionar a nuestras familias con acceso a productos frescos y cultivados localmente. Los cupones de alimentos y EBT también serán aceptados. Nuestras Raíces ya ha de-mostrado ser un socio de la comunidad de primera categoría. Además del Farmer's Market, los estudiantes de la escuela Donahue podrán realizar excursiones a la granja, para tener un entendimiento más profundo de la agricultura y para partici-par en el diseño de actividades para mejorar nuestro plan de estudios. Hay un gran potencial aquí. Nos gustaría tomar un momento para dar las gracias a Amy Calan-drella, el Coordinador de Programas Nuestras Raíces, y al director Jesús Espinoza nuestro administrador de Farmer’s Market. Ambos han trabajado diligentemente para ayudarnos a tener esta oportunidad educativa y nutritiva de la tierra. Además, nos quitamos nuestro sombrero ante el Superintendente Dupont por la aproba-ción de este proyecto y por ofrecernos su apoyo. Nos vemos en el Farmer's Mar-ket!

Mercado de Agricultores para comenzar en la escuela Maurice A. Donahue

Amy Calandrella de Nuestras Raíces, socio Donahue nueva comunidad.

Durante las vacaciones de verano, los niños pueden perder dos meses de lo que han trabajado para aprender durante el año escolar. Hay algunas cosas simples que usted puede hacer en casa para disminuir la cantidad de la pérdida de aprendizaje que su hijo va a experimentar.

Mantenga un diario - Anime a su hijo/a a escribir en un diario para registrar las cosas divertidas que él o ella hace durante el verano. Lectura Diaria - Mantener al día la lectura como parte de una rutina que no termina cuando la escuela si. Para los niños más pequeños, leer en voz alta cada día. Deje que su hijo/a lo vea disfrutar de un buen libro. Noche de juegos familiares - Hay tantos grandes juegos de familia. Hay tantas habilidades matemáticas que se pueden practicar con una baraja de cartas. Visitas a las Bibliotecas - Disfruta de las grandes acti-vidades que tienen lugar en la Biblioteca Pública de Holyoke. Lleve su aprendizaje en las vacaciones con usted: Ir a la playa? Recoger conchas en la playa y buscar similitudes y diferencias. Tener un concurso para ver que se puede construir un castillo de arena más grande, más alto, más largo. Escribir y enviar tarjetas postales.

Tome fotografías para poner en un libro de recuer-dos. Escriba un párrafo para el bloc de notas para cada foto. Lo más importante es pasar tiempo juntos y hablar como familia. Su niño aprende tanto de interactuar con usted!

Diversión en el sol!

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Page 16 Connections

Holyoke Public Schools

Media Center

c/o Kelly Doktor

500 Beech Street

Holyoke, MA 01040

Connections

Holyoke Public Schools Rising Stars for 2011 Holyoke High School

Dae’quan Arrington, Carolina Gonzalez, Ashley Ruiz, Saul Caban, Nicholas Hamel, Berline Vargas Andujar, Carlos Colon, Erin Hebert,

Gabby Villa, Kathleen Fitzgerald, Jennifer Hernandez and Megan Wise.

William J. Dean Technical High School Naisha Tiana Arroyo, Barbara Rosario, Dayanaira Velazquez, Vanessa Rivera, Christine Thompson, and Stephanie Welch.

Superintendent’s Picks

Caitlin Anable (Holyoke High) and Rachel Houle (Dean Tech)

Peck School

Jose Cordova, Rachael Dearman and Nysha Sanchez

Donahue School

Jordan Kennedy, Carolina Ocampo and Shane M. Taylor

E.N. White School

Nickolas Alger, Kiara Rivera and Ashley Westry

Kelly School

Karina Maldonado, Carlos Medina, and Jaddiel Torres

McMahon School

Destiny Champagne, Robert B. Proulx, and Tamara Rivera

Morgan School

Mercedes Cabrera, Alondra Jimenez and Alyssa Velasquez

Sullivan School

Maya Birks, Aiden Moriarty and Alexandra Roesslin

The Holyoke Public Schools and the Celebrate Holyoke Public Schools/Rising Star Committee extend a heartfelt thank you to the following generous benefactors: Peoples Bank, The Holyoke Credit Union, Holyoke Community College, The Holyoke Merry-Go-Round, The Republican, Dean Distributive Education Program, Mark Balfour ~ Director of Food Services, Mark

Todd and the Student Services Department.