september, 2013 hoover happenings

Principal’s Message

September, 2013 Hoover Happenings

We hope you have had a super start to the 2013-14 school year!

Students have been transitioning back into the school routine

extremely well and are focused on making their academics a top

priority. We are piloting the ELA Modules in several of our ELA

classes and are teaching math modules in all of our mathematics

classes. The modules will help our students to make shifts and

prepare them well for the increased rigor presented to them in the

Common Core Learning Standards. There is much a parent can do

to help their child adapt to the common core. There is a wealth of

information for parents and families on the engageny.org website.

Among the resources is an explanation of how parents can help

students work with the CCLS “Shifts.” The shifts in a nutshell as

presented on engageny.org and are as follows for ELA & Math:

Welcome back, Hoover families!

Mrs. Persico 1

Miss Halgash 4

Counseling 4, 5

Social Studies 8 6

Health Office 6,7

Computers 7

Career Day 8

Art Dept. 9

Music Dept. 10

LOTE Dept 11

Technology 11

Inside this Issue

Hoover Happenings

“The object of

education is

prepare the young

to educate

themselves

throughout their

lives”

Robert Maynard

Hutchins

Hoover Happenings

We must work together to ensure your child’s academic success. Please help us to

keep open lines of communication between school and home. Do not hesitate to

contact your child’s teachers, counselor, or administrator. We are all in this

together!

Hoover has also been roaring with activities and has many events planned in the

upcoming months. Continuing on with our school ROARS code, we will soon

be debuting the mobile Dragon Scale Store. Students who exemplify the ROARS

code will be awarded dragon scales by staff. These dragon scales will allow

students to purchase prizes from the store. And although there are many great

prizes, our ultimate goal is to move our students towards the intrinsic reward of

doing what’s right because it is the right thing to do. We ask for your continued

support in our endeavor to nurture the whole child. In doing so, please

encourage your child to get involved in school. There are so many opportunities

among which are sports and extracurricular activities in which your child can

participate: basketball, soccer, volleyball, student council, yearbook, glee club,

and more. Remember, an involved child is a successful student!

Lastly, I have included some important dates for your reference. Please mark

your calendar for future planning. Additionally, subsequent editions of the

Hoover Happenings will be made available online only. If you do not have access

to the internet, please call our main office to arrange for a hard copy to be sent

home. Once again, welcome back and may this year be the best yet!

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:

October:

3rd—Early Release Day—1:00

4th—Early Emergency Dismissal

Drill—3:14

11th—Career Day—8th Grade

14th—Columbus Day—No school

22nd—PTA Meeting 6:30

25th—Picture Re-takes

November:

5th—Superintendent’s Conference

Day—No school

11th—Veteran’s Day—No school

19th—7th grade Scholar Breakfast

& Book Battle Jeopardy

20th—8th Grade Scholar Breakfast

& PTA meeting 6:30

21st—Early Release Day 1:00 and

Parent-Teacher Conferences 1:30-

4:00 & 5:00-7:30

28th/29th Thanksgiving Recess

December

4th—Early Release Day—1:00

6th—Spelling Bee

12th—Holiday Concert

23rd—31st—Winter Recess

from

News from the 6th Grade Counseling Center

Hoover Happenings

Dear Parents/Guardians,

On behalf of the entire Hoover Middle School faculty and staff, we would like to

welcome you back to school. Whether it’s your child’s first day at school or

returning for another year at Hoover Middle, the start of a new school year is an

exciting time indeed.

We are very proud of our achievements here at Hoover Middle School. They are

all due to an excellent staff of dedicated men and women, a wonderful student

body, highly supportive parents and an exemplary school district and community.

We greatly appreciate your trust and support in providing your child with the best

education.

Parental involvement makes a huge difference in a child’s success, yet it can be as

simple as discussing current affairs with your child or having a family conversation

about the school day over dinner. Your participation is the key and you are always

welcome to give suggestions.

Our doors are always open to you!

Sincerely,

Ms. Kami Halgash

Assistant Principal’s Message

Dear Parents and Guardians of 6th graders,

Welcome to Hoover Middle School! I hope that your son or daughter’s year has

been off to a good start. I will be working with your child throughout middle

school as their counselor. The role of a school counselor has changed

dramatically over the years. My role is to provide a linkage between home and

school. I serve as a consultant to you and your child’s teachers as well as provide

individual, group, and crisis counseling to all 6th graders if needed. I look

forward to getting to know each and every 6th grader.

and working together

towards setting goals for their

future. Students in FACS

classes will be using the

“Career Cruising” software

program online and will be

reviewing the results with

their counselor. The “Career

Cruising” software guides

students through a series of

questions that results in a list

of potential career choices.

This very detailed online

program allows students to

My name is Elizabeth Cipolla

and I will be your child’s

counselor for the remainder

of 7th grade and continue on

through grade 8. Middle

school is an exciting time,

full of learning experiences.

However some of these

situations may be challenging

for students as well. As they

grow and develop socially, I

will be available to assist

them in decision making,

developing positive and

healthy peer relationships

investigate their chosen

careers further by providing

detailed information on job

descriptions, education,

salary, job outlook and

related occupations. I am

hoping to continue to build

character education with

activities throughout the

school year. I am looking

forward to working with

you and your child on a

successful completion of

Middle School!!

Hello parents of 7th grade students!

Hoover Happenings

12 Ways to Help Your Child Do Well in Middle School:

1. Share a positive attitude

2. Get to know the new school

together

3. Set up a study space at home

4. Teach your child to be organized

5. Help your child learn good social

skills (Listening, cooperation,

managing anger, being polite)

6. Talk about bullying (types, signs,

and what to do if it happens)

7. Learn school policies (Look in

agenda & on the website

8. Talk about peer pressure (How to

get out of an uncomfortable

situation

9. Encourage your child to get

involved

10. Stay on top of your child’s

schoolwork

11. Be an active parent

12. Stay connected with your child

Mrs. Kathy Vittum, 6th grade counselor

News From the 6th Grade Counseling Center, continued...

News From the 7th Grade Counseling Center

It has been a busy start in

Mrs. Halt’s eighth grade

social studies class! We

will be reviewing the

Emancipation

Proclamation and other

key events during the

Civil War. Our next unit

will be on

Reconstruction. The

students will work on

their first document

based question next

month. We are very

excited about this school

year. I want to encourage

our eighth graders to

work hard in the

classroom and get

involved in

extracurricular activities.

I would love to have a lot

of 8th graders get

involved in student

council. We will work on

a variety of school-wide

activities. It has been a

great start to the school

year. Our 8th graders are

motivated and ready to

challenge themselves!

They are ready to make a

difference. Good luck!

News from Mrs. Halt, Grade 8 Social Studies

News from the Health Office — Fall 2013

“Learning is a

treasure that will

follow its owner

everywhere”

...unknown

Hoover Happenings

If you have a child in 6th grade who has not received his/her Tdap vaccine

(required Tetanus & Pertussis booster for school) please contact the Health Office.

Per New York State Education Law, parents/guardians have to submit either proof

of the vaccine, or an appointment to receive one, with the intent of returning the

paperwork the next school day. This vaccine is usually given around the time of a

child’s 11th birthday. If you child does not turn 11 until October, November,

December, or beyond, you most likely will not be able to get an appointment until

after the birthday. Please notify the Health Office of this appointment. If you are

in need of a clinic to obtain this vaccine, please contact the Health Office for

further information.

Please note that all medications, whether for emergency purposes (i.e. Epi-pen,

Glucagon, Benadryl, inhaler), as well as any over-the-counter medications for pain,

cough (including cough drops), and cold/allergy symptoms require a note from

your child’s health care provider. Students should not be carrying these

medications on them without medical documentation, and are in direct violation

of the Ken-Ton School District Zero Tolerance Policy for Drugs.

Parents of 7th graders are reminded to turn in their child’s required physical if

they have not done so already. If you have an upcoming appointment for one,

please notify the Health Office of when your child will be going. Most health care

providers will print you a copy of the physical at the time of the visit, but if you

need additional forms, please contact the Health Office. Please note that many

health care providers may charge you a fee for paperwork requested after the time

of the well visit, so it is in your best interest to ask for any paperwork at the appoint-

ment.

All green emergency cards must be completely filled out, signed by a parent/

guardian, and returned to the Health Office. Please make sure that all phone num-

bers, addresses, and contact information is correct. In case of emergency regarding

your child, it is extremely vital that we have this information. If you are in need of

another green card, please contact the Health Office for one.

There is a family flu shot night for students and their families on October 9, 2013

from 4 pm-6:30 pm at the Franklin Middle School cafeteria. Information was re-

cently sent home regarding this event.

Health Office News, Continued...

Computer Class News

Attitude is

everything at

Hoover

Middle

School

Hoover Happenings

7th and 8th graders take 10 weeks of computer class at HMS. It is my goal for

students to become proficient in Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Publisher, and

PowerPoint. 7th grade students complete a project using Photostory 3 for

Windows and 8th graders complete a research-based project on a national park of

their choice. In addition, students learn to be safe online through an Internet

Safety and Digital Citizenship curriculum designed for middle school students.

They also use several web 2.0 tools to create documents and complete projects

that will prepare students for the work that will be expected of them in high

school and beyond. I look forward to working with your children!

Mrs. Stillman We’re on the web

The counselors worked very hard this summer preparing for the beginning of the

2013-2014 school year. New registrations and the preparation for our incoming

sixth graders made for a busy summer! Thank you to Mrs. Kieffer for doing such

a great job on the schedules; what a task that was this summer. Thank you to the

parents for being understanding with some of the scheduling issues.

I can’t believe how quickly the 8th graders have grown up. It felt like just

yesterday that they were starting 6th grade and getting acquainted with middle

school. It has been a pleasure to watch your child grow up over the last two years.

We have an exciting year ahead in 8th grade, and I look forward to making this a

great year .

On October 11, 2013 from 9:00 to 10:30, am Hoover Middle School will be

hosting its 3rd Annual Career Day. Students will select three careers that they are

interested in learning more about and then will have the opportunity to talk with

the person in that career field in a small group for about 15 minutes. We are so

lucky to have more than 30 career fields available for students to choose from.

Our Ken-Ton community, BOCES, and our own Hoover Middle School staff

family members have generously dedicated time out of their day to meet and talk

with 8th grade students. We are anticipating that Career Day will be a

tremendous success because of the support of our school, teachers, and

community members. If you have a chance, please feel free to stop by and join in

the festivities. Please feel free to contact Mrs. LaRoach with any questions at 874-

8405, extension 3, or by email at [email protected]

Let’s have a great school year!

Mrs. LaRoach

Hoover’s 3rd Annual Career Day!

Hoover Happenings

Greetings from Hoover Art teachers, Mr. Kubala and Mrs. Mihelbegel. We are

looking forward to providing your children relevant, exciting and challenging new

Art experiences this year. This includes a 6th grade written Art Critique, a 7th

grade drawing from observation and an 8th grade art final. All of these assessments

are given district wide. When visiting Hoover, please check out the student art of

display. Perhaps your son or daughter’s artwork is featured.

Congratulations to Amber Mowers, Amber Kwiatowski, Olivia Wood, Abbie Paul,

Marianna Casillas, Alexis Cimino, Kaitlyn Chimento, Dion Howard, Yaseen

Hussain, Hope Wicks, Oscar Machias, Nadim Kfoury and Tim Snyder. Their work

was on display at “Healing Hearts: From Hope to Hurt” an anti-bullying art display

in the Albright-Knox Education Department, from August 26th to September 28th.

This powerful show featured artwork that also illustrated some of Hoover’s

ROARS themes.

ART ALERT! The Albright-Knox Art Gallery offers FREE ADMISSION for you

and your entire family every first Friday of the month. Enjoy the Albright for

FREE, Friday, October 4, or Friday, November 1, from 10 am to 10 pm. These

events include activities for children and entertainment for the entire family.

Check out the latest event listings at www.albrightknox.org or call 882-8700. the

gallery is on Elmwood Avenue across from Buffalo State College and its First

Fridays are among the finest free monthly art events in the entire country. Mark your

calendars and enjoy—we are fortunate to have such a great cultural resource so close

to our community!

Art Department News

Each day

learn something

new, and just as

important,

relearn something

old

Robert Brault

Hoover Happenings

“Notes” from the Music Department: Mrs. Kwitowski, Ms. Welfare,

Miss Cartwright, and Mrs. Hasselback

A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that music and other rhythmic stimuli can alter mental states in

predictable ways and even heal damaged brains. Rhythmic music may change brain function and treat a range

of neurological conditions, including attention deficit disorder and depression. “Listening to music seems to be

able to change brain functioning to the same extent as medication, in many circumstances,” said symposium

director, Gabe Turow. Similar studies have found that rhythmic light and sound therapy helped struggling

students achieve a significant improvement in their grades. In addition, anecdotal evidence suggests that

increased blood flow evident on bran scans during music listening could also help victims of brain damage

regain cognitive function. “It’s too easy to forget how fundamental rhythm is in so many things and how

important musical rhythm can be, “ said symposium participant Patrick Suppes, the Lucie stern Professor of

Philosophy, Emeritus, at Stanford, who studies brainwaves and language cognition. (Article written by E.

Saarman)

Hoover Happenings

We extend a warm welcome to our “new” teacher, Mrs. Lisa Hasseback! She is our half-time general music

instructor for grades 6, 7, and 8. She also teaches half the day at Hoover Elementary. Many parents with

students that attended Jefferson will already know her...she is a great teacher, and we are lucky to have her as

part of our music-making team!

In general music, classes this year Ms. Welfare and Mrs. Hasselback are exposing students to a wide variety

of music experiences including playing instruments, composing original music, and studying past and

present musicians! Already this year the 8th graders have studied West African drumming and written their

own call/response pieces. The 7th graders are busy reviewing rhythms from last year and have begun

applying their knowledge and skills to creating a “STOMP comp.” 6th graders are playing rhythms on

instruments and will soon write their own compositions as well!

Our performing ensembles are up and running. At last count, there were over 250 students registered for

one or more of our groups! WOW—we are so excited. A huge thank you goes out to all the parents who

continue to show support of children’s choice to perform. Adjusting your morning schedules to enable your

child’s participation does not go unnoticed– THANK YOU! We are thankful that, just as we do, you

believe in the positive effects that music performance has on learning and brain development!

Speaking of music and the brain, take a look at this brief excerpt from a report by neurological scientists and

ethnomusicologists at Stanford University that focused on rhythm and its effects on brain activity. It

actually shows that rhythm is good for you! You can access the entire study by going to news.stanford.edu

and searching “Feeling the Beat: Symposium Explores the Therapeutic Effects of Rhythmic Music.”

Happy fall to all! See you at our winter concert on the evening of December 12th!

LOTE at Hoover

The Hoover Middle Technology Education Department has started the school year in an exciting

way with 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Hoover’s 7th and 8th graders have started off the year learning

the engineering design process. In 7th grade, students are assuming the role of a structural engineer

while designing model structures that will be tested under extreme compression. Hoover’s 8th

graders are currently designing “crazy contraptions” which is a project based around Rube

Goldberg’s wacky cartoons. The 6th graders at Hoover are currently reviewing standard

measurement and learning how to technically draw while designing an air racer. We encourage you

to talk to your children about what they are learning in our technology classrooms.

News from the Technology Department

Germany

France

Spain

The LOTE department at Hoover Middle School welcomes all 7th and

8th grade students to the 2013-2014 school year. We are very excited

and pleased at the enthusiasm our students are showing for learning a

second language. Together we will explore the wonderful world of

learning another language and its culture.

All students who successfully complete two units of study in a language

other than English will receive 1 high school credit. It is our hope that

our students enjoy the many benefits of learning a second language.

One of these benefits includes the ability to more easily solve problems

that involve misleading cues. We look forward to opening the world of

languages with all its amazing benefits to our amazing students.

Frau Boehm, Frau Crusan, Senora Haseley, Madame Kowal, and

Senora Woltz

Hoover Happenings

september, 2013 hoover happenings

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