final publication for web fixing kindergarten announcement

Holyoke Public Schools—Visit us on the web at: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us

It is very exciting to be able to share some of the efforts that are being made in the Holyoke Public Schools. The amount of work preparing students for MCAS testing has been incredible. It has been an amazing experience to work with the district teachers and administration as we reflect and brainstorm about the significant challenges we have in our district. Despite the fact that we have been focusing a great deal of work on the third grade, the academic improvement in every grade level is evident. I want to publicly thank the teachers and others involved for the long hours of work devoted to creating complex lesson plans and reflecting upon how these will impact the students in our schools. The reality of being defined as a district based upon the MCAS performance of our students is unavoidable. We have spent many hours working on the current status of ours schools, and it is difficult to see how that academic performance has a very real outcome in regard to the man-agement of our schools. Recently, the state decided to

give control of the Morgan School to an outside agency. Despite this setback, I am glad that in the short time I have been here, new direction, as well as renewed commitment to high expecta-tions and rigorous curriculum, have been given and enthusiastically received. I have a very clear conviction, based upon my experience and work in urban settings, that we will be able to demon-strate that all of our students can and will learn. We are invested in supporting our teach-ers and ensuring they have the every-day re-sources necessary to carry out the promise of public education. The district has identified critical areas of work, but it is essential that we focus our en-ergies on Early Literacy, Drop-Out Prevention, and Teen Pregnancy Prevention. You will find

information about these topics on our web-site at www.hps.holyoke.ma.us and on the following pages of this edition: 9,11 and 12. The support of staff, parents and members of the community has been generously of-fered in many areas and is greatly appreciat-ed. I have presented a “State of the Schools” message this month, highlighting our district’s positive results and exciting future plans. This information is accessible on the district website and Channel 12, our educational television channel. Thank you for your support of the Holyoke Public Schools.

Spring 2014

Volume 12, Issue 3

Holyoke Publ ic Schools

Announcements 2

School News

3-11

Athletics

10-11

After School

12

Spanish

13-16

Spanish

13-16

Holyoke Public Schools

Inside this issue:

Edition Highlights:

● PVEIT Awardees

● Early Literacy Initiative

● Teenage Pregnancy Prevention

● Drop Out Prevention

Efforts, Support, and Appreciation An Open Letter to the Holyoke School Community

By Dr. Sergio Páez, Superintendent of Schools

Student Artist: Thalia Tirado Rodriguez, Peck-Lawrence

Connections A Community Working Together

Every day we are grateful for the opportunity to work with our students.

We now have a district Facebook page.

Like us Today! Visit www.Facebook.com/HolyokePublicSchools and “Like” us to receive updates on district news, videos and photos.


Page 2 Connections

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.

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” - Henry David Thoreau

Holyoke School Committee

Mayor Alex Morse

Dennis Birks

Erin Brunelle

John Brunelle

William Collamore

Mildred Lefebvre

Cesar Lopez

Devin Sheehan

Rosalee Tensley Williams

Connections Newsletter

Edited by Judy Taylor [email protected]

Editors Emeritus: Kelly Doktor and Laura DuPont Translated by: Jacqueline Escalera

Deadline for:

article submissions

to be included in the

Connections Newsletter-

Summer Edition—

May 9, 2014

School Committee Meetings Visit the Holyoke Public Schools website for meeting schedule: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/schoolcommittee.htm

For Grades K-12—All events start at 6:30 PM

April 15 Family Game Night McMahon School

April 29 Math in a Bag Kelly School

April 30 Bingo for Books Morgan School

May 1 Bingo for Books Lawrence School

May 1 Science Night E.N. White School

May 9 MCAS Kick-off Donahue School

May 27 Exploring the Sea McMahon School

June 2 Bingo for Books Kelly School

June 3 ALOHA Bingo for Books Morgan School

June 4 ALOHA Bingo for Books E.N. White School

June 6 Teddy Bear Parade Metcalf School

June 10 Bingo for Books McMahon School

Tit

le I

Fam

ily N

igh

ts

Kindergarten Registration

Register Now! Children must be 5 years old

on or before September 1, 2014. Registration by Appointment Only

Applications available at the: STUDENT ASSIGNMENTOFFICE

57 Suffolk Street 413-534-2007

Kindergarten Information Night

May 6, 2014

Time: 6:00 PM—7:00 PM

Loca on: Metcalf School

Parents will be provided with an overview of Kindergarten readi-ness, programs, re-sources, a ques on and answer session.

Special Education Advisory Council (SEPAC )MEETING—May 5, 2014 at 6:00 PM—

Location: Lawrence School

Topic: Overview of Summer Program Offerings

AUTISM RESOURCE

NIGHT

For Families of Children with Autism

McMahon School

April 30, 2014

6:00PM-7:30PM

Scan bar code to visit our website.


Page 3

Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award (PVEIT)

The prestigious Pioneer Valley Excel-lence in Teaching Award was presented to sev-en Holyoke Public Schools teachers on Tues-day, February 25th. Excited family mem-bers and district administrators surprised the teachers with balloons, flowers and award cer-tificates . The award provides recipients with:

a $500 cash award

An engraved plaque.

A 3-month YMCA membership.

An invitation to a celebration event at the Log Cabin.

Invitation from WGBY to take an online course.

$100 scholarships given by Western New Eng-land University, Springfield College, Bay Path College, Elms College, and Westfield State University to take a graduate course.

Nomination Criteria

Excellence in teaching practices

His/her own professional devel-opment

Good attendance on the job

Enthusiasm for teaching and/or working with children

Award recipients (Clockwise from top left) include: Leslie Rocha (Kelly School), Kara O’Connor (Morgan School), Iliana Delgado (Peck School), Jennifer Consedine (Sullivan School), Joseph Hudson (McMahon School), Virginia Hey-manns (Metcalf School), and Jillian Carriere (Lawrence School). Visit http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us for video presentation documenting this thrilling event.

Kelly Receives State Award By Jacqueline Glasheen

On Tuesday March 4, 2014, Kelly School received an award at the state conference for Safe Routes to School. The award highlighted our community effort to get our students to school every day and on time. I want to thank our teacher monitors: Katie Engelson Rosie Caracciolo Diane Baez Norma Rodriguez Will Carlino Kelly McMahon Brian Keane Leslie Rocha Rain, sleet, snow, and freezing temperatures haven’t kept these teachers from walking our students to school every day! This program wouldn’t work without their commitment. I also want to thank Rebecca Masters. This was her idea last spring and she worked tirelessly over the summer to make it happen. We hope to expand the program to the other side of our zone next year. Thank you Rebecca!!! This is just one more example of how to make change happen!

Rebecca Masters displays Kelly’s award certificate.


Page 4 Connections

By Alison Keller

Parent Leaders Trained in 7 Habits of Effective Readers

We are excited to report on our collaboration with En-chanted Circle Theater teaching artist Tony Jones. He has trained Morgan parent leaders in creative literacy activities that teach the 7 Habits of Effective Readers. Participating parents have learned the 7 Habits through activities. Then, these parents had four day 'residencies' in the Kindergarten and first grade classrooms to lead these activities with the students. We are developing parent leadership to support early litera-cy strategies at home. The parent leaders also supported K-3 teachers leading literacy-based activity stations at Literacy Night on Thursday April 3rd. The parent leaders prepared bags for each family filled with all of the materials from each station so that they could continue building literacy skills though interactive play at home.

Food Drive Nets a Whopping 1,200 Pounds of Food for Holyoke Families

The HPS Full Service Community School Basic Needs workgroup (staff members from Peck-Lawrence, Kelly, and Morgan and their community partners )organized a Food Drive to benefit the HPS Weekend Backpack Program. The food collected directly helps alleviate hunger for homeless students in Holyoke on the weekends. To date nearly 1,200 pounds of food has been donated! A BIG THANK YOU to all of the community partners who conducted food drives, helped organize the drive, or transported donations, including: Bresnahan Insur-ance, Department of Youth Services, Gandara CSA, Girl Scouts of America, Holyoke Catholic High School, Holyoke Children’s Museum, Holyoke City Hall, Holyoke Housing Authority, Ho-lyoke Medical Center, Jericho Youth Group, Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center, River Valley Counseling Center, Sisters of Saint Joseph, US Attorney’s Office, South Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Association, Holyoke Food & Fitness Policy Council, Holyoke WIC, BMC HealthNet Plan, Behavioral Health Network.

HCC Reading Mentors Bring Joy to Lunchtime Reading

For the past several months Holyoke Community College (HCC) Reading Mentors have been reading twice monthly with students at Morgan during their lunch and recess time. We have fourteen students throughout Kindergarten—Grade 3 reading with the HCC

Mentor volunteers. Mentors meet with the same student each week, building a relation-ship, reading aloud and enjoy-ing books together. The Men-tors love it! Mentor Colleen Cameron shares, "There is no greater joy than sharing some-thing you love with a child! [My student's] face lights up when we see each other, and he has become such an enthusiastic reader, I cannot help but think my efforts are being rewarded!” The student she reads with love the program too; he recently shared, "I really hope my mentor can keep reading with me next year when I'm in fourth grade!" We are grateful to our literacy partnership with HCC, who also sponsors library book donations to Morgan through Link to Libraries.

Staff of Holyoke Medical Center loadied boxes of food donat-ed by employees for the HPS Weekend Backpack program - (Back Row Left) Charles Sullivan, Tony White, Simone Prystowski, Helen Arnold and John Rybak., (Front Row)Yashira Almeyda.

Kindergarten student Jovan Berrios reads with HCC Reading Mentor Bill Fogarty.

First grade student Dexter Ortiz reads with HCC Reading Mentor Leona Florek.

Morgan parents: Hermelinda Santiago, Vilmarie Gonzalez, Daisy Vega, and Isabel Burgos meet with Teaching Artist Tony Jones, and Kelly parent Vimarie Torres.


Page 5 Connections

Read more about Three Kings Day celebrations in our district on page 12.

Picture Book Art Works!

By Matthew Klumpp Starting January 28th and lasting through the 30th, Donahue Elementary School hosted visits from the children’s book author/illustrator husband and wife team of James and Lesa Cline Ransome. The visits were part of a year-long grant from the Eric Carle Museum and the National Endowment for the Arts called Picture Book Art Works, with the goal being to get students to use the making of art to elaborate in their writing with deeper thinking and more description. In addi-tion, the grant includes professional development at the museum for Donahue teachers, with a focus on using visual arts to enhance writing. On the first day of the visit, there was an assembly for grades 1-8, where the Ransomes introduced themselves and their crafts, as illustrator (James) and author (Lesa). Students had the opportunity to interact with the Ransomes and watch them create artwork on the stage. On the second and third days of the visit, the Ransomes worked in the art studio with the entire second grade and Donahue’s art teacher, Martha Mulcahy. For an hour each day, the students worked on creating self-portraits to use as companions to auto-biographical “about the author” pieces they wrote as part of Holyoke’s grade 2 non-fiction informational writing curriculum. The Ransome’s visit was the second of three visits scheduled this year through the grant. Each second grade student received a signed copy of the Ransome’s book, Words Set Me Free for their home library, one of four signed books they will receive this year through the grant. The next artist residency occurred this month when author/illustrator Pat Cummings visited Donahue. The culminating event of the grant will be on May 29th, with a student art exhibition at the Eric Carle Museum in which each student will have a piece of art and a piece of writing on display. Everyone is encouraged to attend (free of charge). Thank you to Margaret Bartley for helping to bring this program to Donahue.

Mckayla Stewart Inspires Others

By Rick Cates

Nine year old, Mckayla Stewart, likes to learn and share. Every morning, she joins her friends in Mrs. Rivera’s homeroom,. This classroom is rich with pictures of class projects, diagrams, and words on the wall which immediately ignites your interest the moment you walk in. Mckayla was encouraged to in-teract with her class by conducting a class project she could build at home and share with her peers. She went to a nearby store with her dad, Shawn, and picked up a volcano kit. After a few hours of assembly, her project was finished. In class, she demonstrated how to make lava flow down the side of the volcano. She carefully mixed the ingredients: baking soda, baking powder, food coloring, and lastly added vinegar to get the volcano to erupt. The project was a success and inspired other students to think about projects they may want to pursue.

Page 5

James Ransome shares his skills with Donahue students.

McKayla Stewart displays her volcano project for fellow Donahue students.

Science + Art + Advocacy

By Cheryl R. Parzich

Students in Cheryl Parzich’s fifth-grade science classes at Sullivan School recently participated in an exciting program, The Water Cycle: Integrating Science, the Arts, and Civic Engagement. funded by the Massachusetts Cul-tural Councill. The residency brought Environ-mental Educator Patty O’Donnell from Hitch-cock Center for the Environment and Enchanted Circle Theater Teaching Artist Terre Parker into the classroom to help students learn more about water, how it gets polluted, and what can be done to keep water clean. Students engaged in hands-on science activities and created storm drain artwork and poetry. The residency also

included visits from community partners United Water and the Connecticut River Watershed Council, who educated students on how wastewater is treated and what is being done to remove pollution from the Connecticut River, respectively. At the culmination of the program, students showcased their artwork and poetry for parents and younger students at the school.

Give 100%, Don’t’ Give Up

By Noreen Ewick

Andrea Enright, third grade teacher at Sullivan, is working hard to prepare her students for their first MCAS test. Using the same tech-niques she employs as a coach, she is instilling in her students a great work ethic, reminding them to “work hard”, “don’t give up” and “give 100% effort all the time.” These reminders have helped the Longmeadow High School girls’ varsity basketball team to succeed as they re-

cently won the Western Mass, Division 2 title and then headed to the state finals under her direction. Way to go Andrea!

Art Exhibits—A True Success!

By Caitlyn O’Neill

Fourth grade artists at Sullivan School hosted two highly successful art exhibits for their friends and families. After weeks of inten-sive study in the studio, where students focused on creating and discussing works of art, each artist invited their family to attend the opening reception. Students were excited to teach their families about the artists, materials, and tech-niques they had been exploring. After looking at the wide array of exemplary artwork, each fami-ly participated in the creation of some work of their own!


Page 6 Connections

Living History

By Cathy Foley

On Tuesday, February 25th the eighth grade was privileged to be invited by Priscilla Kane Hellweg, Executive Artistic Director of Enchanted Theater, to attend a performance of their play Between the Canals that was being performed at Holyoke High School. BETWEEN THE CANALS: The Evolution of a Mill Town is a living museum-styled theater production that covers 150 years of American history through the lens of the city of Ho-lyoke. The play offers a message of hope for the future based on the harsh realities and personal triumphs of the past.

Making a Positive Change

By Justin Cotton & Cathy Foley “Here at Peck we are working on reducing suspensions and improving the climate and culture of our school. We now have two new programs in place that we are very excited about,” reports Justin Cotton, Assistant Principal. Peck FSCS has partnered with Mount Holyoke Col-lege Athletes in order to engage students in conversations about leader-ship. We have also partnered with Westfield State University students in our restorative justice program in an effort to allow students to contrib-ute positively to the school environment as an alternative to external and in house suspensions. Students are engaged in putting up signs, and clean-ing the gym.

Common Core in the Library

By Karla Gartsu

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Every month (or more often if opportunity presents itself) in the library I post at least one of the large photos we have from the Pictur-ing America exhibit. Picturing America is presented by the National Endow-ment of the Humanities (NEH) in cooperation with the American Library Association. The exhibit includes a teacher’s resource book which helps students focus on description, analysis, and interpretation, based on the art work.

Questions are posted and students are encouraged to think, discuss, and then WRITE the answers to the guiding questions. Recogni-tion will be given to all participants, and an award will be presented to the student with the winning entry for that particular exhibit. This week Mr. Ferullo’s class engaged in this activity. Three students were discussing the picture with enthusiasm and engaged in a lively discussion. Mr. Ferullo was encouraging his students to really LOOK and THINK and DESCRIBE. I felt like I was in a college library or at an art exhibit!

Parent Parties

By Yamaris Rivera and Antonia Santiago

The Peck campus will be organizing several parent “parties” focused on behavior management. We want to gather parent feedback and brainstorm ideas with parents on how we can successfully manage behavior together at home, school and in the community. If you are inter-ested please contact Antonia Santiago FAEC at 413-534-2040.

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) By Jessenia Ramos “In these classes I’ve learned how to read, write and express myself with confidence when using the English language. I am becoming more comfortable helping my daughter with her reading and spelling homework”, says ESOL student Adaliz Collazo. Students with parents who are involved in their school tend to better academic performance.- In support of that, Peck-Lawrence has ESOL classes on Mondays and Wednesdays for families interested in improving their English skills and public speaking abilities. For this semester, ESOL students participated in fun activi-ties such as Bingo, plays, computer time and word games to help im-prove English skills in an easy going, fun environment. We enjoyed watching ten of our Peck-Lawrence parents using their new skills in an exciting reenactment of a personal story. For enrollment information, please contact our school. ESOL classes are offered at the following schools: E.N. Whtie, Kelly, Peck-Lawrence and Morgan.

Students Emelymarie Almonte, Marineiry Ortiz and Joshua Fernandez were asked to be performers and did an excellent job portraying mill workers.

Yunque at Peck-Lawrence! - On Feb 10th Mayor Alex Morse and Representative Aaron Vega visited the Yunque! They enjoyed the tropical vegetation and took photos with Mr. Munoz.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn, the more places you’ll go”

- Dr.Seuss


Page 7

Through the generosity of staff members, the children at Metcalf Preschool were able to get a first hand look at cactus plants. During the month of January the students at Metcalf School learned about the animals and plants that live in the desert. They built jungles and deserts in their classes and read many stories about jungle and desert life. To help them appreciate why animals in the desert do not harm cactus plants, some cactus plants were brought to school so the students could look closely at the cactus spines.

The Friends of the Holyoke Public Schools are a private non-profit organization that raises monies to provide opportunities in the arts, music and support of early childhood literacy to the students in the Holyoke Public Schools. We have been in existence since 2008 and have funded the summer string program since that time. That program offers free of charge to HPS students the opportunity to learn the violin and cello as well as providing yoga, reading, chorus, art, field trips and performances at off site venues over a four week/four days a week period. We have also sup-ported various other opportunities for HPS students relative to the arts, such as sending english students to Love's Labor Lost and Hal Holbrooks presentation of Mark Twain to name a few. Recently we offered a $1,000 grant to K-3 teachers in all the schools to promote early childhood literacy. E.N. White and Maurice Do-nahue Schools were the recipients of those grants and used them to expose their students to all that the newly renovated Holyoke Public Library has to offer. They both also reached out to parents and asked them to be involved in the library introduction. Both schools realize the importance of early childhood literacy becoming part of the students’ home life with family as well as school and these are the initiatives that the Friends of Holyoke Public Schools wants to assist with. Our second annual fundraiser at the Log Cabin featuring the Improv Asylum from Bos-ton was held February 21, 2014. The Improv Asylum plays all over the world and we were proud to host them for the second year. Over 300 people attended this year and a good time was had by all. Well, except maybe not by our Superintendent as they decided to get to know him a little bet-ter during the show. Dr. Páez was an incredibly good sport at the expense of the Improv troupe and we thank him for not taking it too seriously and being able to laugh with the rest of us. Dr. Páez is charged with many challenges in his position, so it was nice to see him have a good time and be able to enjoy the evening. We thank him for his leadership and undying commitment to changing the course of the Holyoke Public Schools. This event funds the summer string program as well as allows us to offer small grant opportunities similar to those taken advantage of by the Donahue and E.N. White Schools. The night was a tremendous success and we will be bringing the Improv Asy-lum back for another round of laughs next year. For more info on who we are and what we do, you can reach out to us at our [email protected] or call me at 413-210-1545. We would love to know how we can help those in the schools as that is why we were created.

A Message from the Friends of the Holyoke Public Schools By Christian LaChapelle, Friends of the Holyoke Public Schools, President of the Board

Thank you Friends of the Holyoke Public Schools!

Learning About the Desert

By Joan Daly

See page 8 article ”Literacy Grant from the Friends of the Holyoke Public Schools” to read more about the Friends of the Holyoke Public Schools.


Page 8 Connections

Middle School Writing

By Astrid Lindstrom Even as middle school students at E.N. White are working hard on open responses and long compositions in preparation for the MCAS, they continue to focus on other, often more creative, types of writing.

The staff of the middle school literary magazine, Interlude, meets once a week to review creative writing, as well as art work, submitted for publication this spring. Eighth graders Kayla Lafortune, Kassidy Lawrence, Maggie McAndrew, and Hali’a Pamaylaon, along with seventh graders Tyler Guertin, Harrison Rodriguez, and Juan Rodriguez make most of their own decisions about which writing we should publish, how it needs to be edited and revised, and in what order it should appear in the magazine. This year our prize for best piece of writing submit-ted directly by a student, rather than by his/her teacher, goes to eighth grader Alex Ortiz for his poem entitled “Dreams.” The winner of the best piece of art work submitted directly by a student also goes to an eighth grader, Antonio Colon, for his imaginative drawing of a dinosaur, a bird, and a train.

Seventh graders also continue their writing collaboration with seniors from the Ho-lyoke Council on Aging. In December we met to read and discuss our respective memoirs.

Taina Valazquez shared her memoir about how her mother’s illness has affected her family with Norma Bagnall, over 90 years old (still climbing stairs at E.N. White, as well as still writing!), who read not only her memoir about a horseback riding accident her daughter had, but also a poem about Christmas. The class that did not have an opportunity to share memoirs with senior writers in December hopes these older writers will return this spring to share composi-tions about life goals. Despite all the differences between middle school students and senior citizens, they always discover when sharing their writing that they also have a lot in common.

Third Graders Join Cinderella Cast

By Tammy Lawrence

Eight students who have shown ex-ceptional interest in chorus, have proven to practice and play an instrument and/or are inspi-rational, and are peer leaders within their music instruction time, were chosen to be part of Holyoke High School's Musical Cinderella. They all played the roles of peasant children in three scenes throughout the entire week's produc-tion of the Musical.

The students worked closely with E.N. White Music Teacher, Mr. Dan Rose and HHS Musical and Choral Director, Mr. Todd at the High School for 2 1/2 hours several nights per week practicing their lines, their dance moves and their expressions on-stage. Each morning, while at E.N .White School, Mr. Rose again reviewed their parts, strengthened their abilities and raised their confidence in order to prepare them for an outstanding performance on-stage.

Literacy Grant from the Friends of the Holyoke Public Schools

By Carole Gamache, Deb Poulin and Joan Gazaille The first and second grade students at E.N. White School were visited by the Zoo on the Go from the Forest Park Zoo. They enjoyed learning about live animals, such as the Silkie chicken, an albino hedgehog, a tortoise, a ferret and a bearded drag-on. This was all made possi-ble by a grant from the Friends of Holyoke Public Schools. The Early Literacy Grant applied for by the first and second grade teachers is designed to correlate with the reading

and writing informational unit students are cur-rently studying. All four classrooms also visited the Holyoke Public Library in March. Students re-ceived a library card and were introduced to the Children’s Room and received a tour of the brand new facility. Students also conducted research on animals to add more information to their animal report. Classrooms received a set of nonfic-tion books as part of the grant. Read more about the Friends of the Holyoke Public Schools on page 7.

Reader to Reader

By Astrid Lindstrom Both this school year and last, seventh graders at E.N. White have been participating in the Reader to Reader program, directed by Dennis Quinn through Amherst College. The program donates a collection of fiction and non-fiction to our classroom library, from which each student selects books to read with college men-tors. Several times a week, our students post their comments and questions on what they have read. By the next day, their mentors have responded, also volunteering questions and com-ments of their own to inspire middle school students to read at a deeper level.

All three middle school students agree that working with someone who (like them-selves) is a student, rather than a teacher, but who is much more experienced than they, is a fun learning experience.

Taina Valazquez meets with Nancy Bagnall (from the Holyoke Council on Aging).

(Left to Right) Helena Middleton, Davonte Westbrooks, Chantel Littleton, Mr. Dan Rose, Sasha Middleton, Leslie Brazeau, Ella Lawrence (other members missing from photo: Jacob Robles and Chris Perez).

Students enjoying the Zoo on the Go include (Left to right): Walter Nieves, Tryanna Ayala, Richard Verdecia, Louchiano Rivera, Josian Muniz, Angely Bermudez.

(Left to right ) Entering their responses on their Amherst College/Hampshire College blog to their college mentors are Tyler Guertin, Helena Middleton (foreground) and Aracelis Acevedo.


Page 9

I wanted to share with you some of the exciting work that is happening due to the Early Literacy Initiative. We know that since 2010, there has been a 50% decrease in Grade Three Proficiency. We are ag-gressively aiming to move from 13% to 40% proficient by June 2014. Since coming on board seven weeks ago, I have felt an overwhelming sense of pride in being part of this positive movement. The response from teachers has been one of hope and inspiration. In working closely with teachers and principals, I've witnessed the vast amount of intelligent, reflective, hard-working individuals who spend the majority of their time engrossed in the work of improving their practice in order to implement the best teaching practices for the students of Holyoke.

One of the endeavors we are focusing on as a means to move our students forward, is assessment. Now, when you hear assessment, I know that immediately makes you think of all students, sitting silently at their desks, doing a paper and pencil test where they read and answer multiple-choice questions. Well, that's not entirely accurate. One assess-ment that is done 3 times a year is the Benchmark Assessment. This is when a teacher listens to each student read individually to determine their instructional need based on accuracy, comprehension, or fluency and also their reading level. This assessment is the best way for teachers to inform their instruction. Based on that data, they will target specific teaching points for each child, and be able to monitor and guide students based on their need. It also allows teachers to group students (three-four) and teach them in a small, guided reading group. Recognizing that all students have different needs, this is the most effective approach in teaching students to read.

The other type of regular assessment we're referring to are check-ins that happen during the day that don't interrupt the flow of teaching and learning. These are called formative assessments since they inform instruction. For example, let's say a grade one teacher is working with her students on how to find details in a text as they relate to the main idea. During the whole group lesson, the teacher will model how she finds a detail. The students then work with a partner to discover another detail. She may then have each child write their own detail on a post-it. The teacher can then collect the post-its, gather the data, and determine which students need more scaffolding and support with finding relevant details. This is an example of a piece of formative data that will help guide the teacher's next steps. In other words, we are not having students do anything extra; we are having teachers use what they are already doing in a meaningful way.

The second endeavor we are focusing on is bringing more rigor to the classroom. The word rigor is very subjective since there hasn't really been a concrete definition attached to it. In order to allevi-ate the misconceptions, I'm going to explain it in terms of what it means for the Holyoke Public Schools. When we say we need more rigor in the classroom we mean we want everyone teaching to their grade level standards:

1. Foundational Skills - lessons include explicit, systematic develop-ment of foundational literacy skills and align skills to the grade level standards.

2. Texts - students are being exposed to high quality, engaging texts at their grade level during whole group instruction as well as texts at their reading level during independent time, and texts on their in-structional level during guided reading time.

3. Questions and Tasks - teachers create questions and tasks that are text dependent to train students in the understanding that Reading is Thinking and we read to learn and understand.

4. Academic Language - teachers are explicitly teaching academic

vocabulary in the lessons, questions, and tasks.

5. Engagement - All students are productively engaged in tasks and student discourse (conversation) during all lessons.

The last endeavor that we are focusing on is Professional De-velopment (PD) and Coaching for teachers. In the past, there hasn't been district-wide, explicit professional development that aligned to the focus. We are now developing PD that drills down on a few topics in order to increase the capacity and expertise of all teachers. We are using teach-ers’ self-reflections and targeted walk-throughs to determine next steps for additional PD's. After our January Professional Development, second grade teacher, Rebecca Nahar stated, "The training put teachers' time to good use by providing specific, relevant, and easily applicable instruction and resources pertaining to forming and leading guided reading groups based on instructional need.”

We are also tackling the need for individual and grade-level coaching. Currently, we are focusing on Grades three and four and host-ing bi-weekly Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) after school. All grade three and four teachers have the opportunity to collaborate and connect with their colleagues to learn and share best practices to im-prove their teaching. We have started conducting Lessons Studies where teachers can watch a lesson with an explicit focus and debrief after to determine implications for their own practice. We will be continuing this process and will compile a library of videos on the HPS website for teachers to view.

Overall, the work that has started has been enormous and exciting. At this point, teachers, principals, district leaders, and district partners have come together and joined forces to collaborate and con-nect the work we are all doing. As stated by Gail Shattuck, Informational Systems Specialist, “I’ve been in the district for 27 years and I’m feeling a sense of excitement with regards to the cohesiveness I’m seeing from all our leaders and stakeholders! There is a renewed dedication in getting down to the work and producing the outcomes we need.” We are al-ready seeing the data trending higher in grade three since we started our targeted work with them. We have all the pieces in place to make a dif-ference for the City of Holyoke!

Early Literacy Initiative in Our Schools By, Gabrielle Agron, Director of Early Childhood Learning

HPS Media Center Video Archive Visit the Holyoke Public Schools website: www.hps.holyoke.ma.us and click on “Media Center Archive” for district produced videos about the following topics that were included in this edition:

Early Literacy Initiative

7 Habits of Effective Readers,

Reading Matters at Morgan

Drop Out Prevention—Graduation Coaches

Teenage Pregnancy Prevention

Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Awards

Picture Book Art Works! (at Donahue School)

Tropical Garden at Peck (Yunque at Peck-Lawrence)

Jackie Robinson Day (McMahon)

Adult English Classes (at Kelly)

Athletics (Various) and the Holyoke High School Skating Program


Page 10 Connections

Century Innovation Coming To Dean Tech By Barry Bacom Next year, Dean Tech will be one of New England’s only New Tech High Schools, specifically designed to teach the skills students need for college and careers with growth potential. The New Tech model is a totally different approach to learning, a project-based experience that builds practical knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)—but in a dynamic new way. It’s all about teaching that engages, technology that enables, and a culture that empowers students for suc-cess. Project-based learning will be at the heart of the instructional approach. In this model, learning is contextual, creative, and shared. Students collaborate on projects that require critical thinking and com-munication. By making learning relevant to them in this way, student engagement reaches new levels. This higher level of engagement is asso-ciated with better educational outcomes. The smart use of technology will support our innovative approach to instruction and culture. All classrooms will have a one-to-one computing ratio. With access to Web-enabled computers and the latest in collaborative learning technol-ogy, every student becomes a self-directed learner who no longer needs to rely on teachers or textbooks for knowledge and direction. Dean will use Echo, an online learning management system to create a vibrant network which helps students, teachers, and parents connect to each other, and to student projects across the country. Finally, as a New Tech school, Dean will maintain a culture that promotes trust, respect, and responsibility. At New Tech schools, students and teachers alike have exceptional ownership of the learning experience and their school environment. Working on projects and in teams, students are accounta-ble to their peers and acquire a level of responsibility similar to what they would experience in a professional work environment.

A Unique Program at Dean Tech High School

By David Te Demand for Diesel Technicians is growing by 15%. Dean Tech is preparing students to be ahead of the curve. Businesses just can’t find enough highly skilled Diesel Technicians—and Diesel careers can lead to serious income for people with the right know-how. Dean Technical High School has the only Diesel training program in the re-gion, and it’s one of the best anywhere. At our Transportation Acade-my, students learn from experts on real-world equipment. Students gain the practical skills to succeed in a high-growth field. Because it is not offered anywhere else in Western Massachusetts, students do not have to be Holyoke residents to take advantage of this unique program.

By. Myriam Ulloa-Skolnick On Friday January 31st, McMahon School had the honor of having a Red Sox dele-gation visit the school, along with the 2013 world series trophy! Congressman Neal was present, and was instrumental in having the entourage visit Western Massachusetts. Other visitors included Dick Laven (poet laureate), Dr. Steven Schwine (Jackie Robinson Super-fan), Tommy Harper (former player and coach), and Dr. Charles Steinberg (Red Sox P.R. Admin-istrator). Last but not least was Wally, the Green Monster! The Red Sox promoted a middle school essay contest about Jackie Robinson with the prompt: “Using Jackie Robinson’s story as an example, tell us how you practice team-work, justice, and persistence in your everyday life.” The top three essay contest winners were Eighth Graders: Jared Ramraykha, Madison Gutierrez, and Gabriella Torres. These students

received four tickets to Jackie Robinson day at Fenway in April, along with a copy of the DVD 42, about Jackie Robinson’s life.

The Honorable Mentions included: Grade Eight Students: Nathaniel Ernst, Michael Arcott, Mikayla Roldan, Siobhan Brennan, Izaien Lugo; Grade Seven Student: Brittany Kooblall; and Grade Six Student Devin Ramos. These students received a copy of the DVD 42.

Since the program was geared to the older students, Wally the Green Mon-ster decided to pay the K-5 students a visit, and said hello by running down the hall of the elementary wing. As he high-fived the younger students, a chant of ‘Wally, Wally, Wally!!” could be heard throughout the building. The children were then treated to Red Sox-themed ice cream cups!

Every single middle school student present received a bag full of Red Sox goodies and a cupcake with the number ‘42’ on it.

Jackie Robinson Day

Top Essay Winners Jared Ramraykha, Madi-son Gutierrez, and Gabriella Torres. admire the World Series Trophy held by Wally.

Athletic Highlights By Melanie Martin Wrestling finished their season with a 6-3 record. We hosted the Western Mass Wrestling Championships in February. Two of our wrestlers became WMass Champions: Carlos Santiago, 152 lb. weight class and Justin Pe-rez, 160 lb. weight class. Phillip Fernandez was the State Heavyweight Cham-pion and Justin Perez was the State Runner-up in the 160 lb. weight class.

Congratulations wrestlers—(Left-to-right) Philip Fernandez, Justin Perez and Carols Santiago!


Page 11

The Holyoke Public Schools expects and aspires to

have EVERY student graduate. Our Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative aims to reduce teen pregnancies in Holyoke and improve access to health care for adolescents. The district provides a compre-hensive, coordinated healthcare curriculum that is age ap-propriate and aligned with the National Sexuality Educa-tion Standards.

According to most recently published state data (2010) there were 83.6 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19 in Ho-lyoke.

67% of births were to mothers aged 18-19 years old and

33% of births were to mothers aged 15-17 years old

Holyoke has the highest teen birth rate in Massachusetts

Holyoke’s teen birth rate is 5.1 times higher than the state average and has been the highest in the state over the past ten years.

The district has taken several strategic steps to improve ado-lescent health so that all students can reach their academic goals.

The Holyoke Public Schools has implemented an evidenced based sexual health education program in grades six through nine.

Curriculum Information:

Sixth and Seventh grades: Family Life and Sexual Health (F.L.A.S.H.) Eighth grade: It PaYS (which includes Making Proud Choices) Ninth grade : F.L.A.S.H. and ¡Cuídate!—which means take care of yourself in Spanish

School-Based Resources/Support:

School Based Health Centers (Teen Clinics) - located at Holyoke High, Dean Technical, and Peck Full Service Community School Districtwide Support - School Nurses and Guidance Counselor

In January 2014 Superintendent Dr. Páez arranged for a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Summit meeting which included HPS leaders, staff and community partners to address the alarming rate of teen pregnancy in Holyoke. The meeting was a powerful call for action to help empow-er the teens in Holyoke to plan and work diligently for bright and suc-cessful futures. Páez illuminated the need for all staff in the district to know the facts of the latest data collection regarding teen pregnancy rates, embrace and understand the sexual health curricula used in our middle and high schools, and be aware and supportive of the “You Have Choices” campaign that the YEAH network and the Mayor’s task force (HASHPP-AC) are currently bringing to our youth. In addition, there has been a strategic alignment between the health educators, school nurses, school based health centers, guidance counselors, and community or-ganizations to improve access to sexual health education and health services. Holyoke’s teens need to know how much the district’s staff care about the choices teens make throughout their journey to gradua-tion and beyond. Holyoke teens can make a difference and become significant contributors to Holyoke, the US and the global community.

The Holyoke Public Schools is committed to continuing its collaboration with community based organizations, city leaders and partnerships which include the YEAH Network, Youth First, and the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy. This environment will ena-ble the district to better address adolescent sexual health and youth empowerment.

USA Massachusetts Holyoke

34 17.1 83.6

Teen pregnancy and parenting are significant

contributors to high school drop-out rates.

Teen Pregnancy Prevention by Patty Alford

Skiers Madysen Lawrence and Jim Mier had great seasons and competed in the State Ski Championships. The Boys Ski team finished 2nd in their league and the Girls Ski Team finished 7th.

Girls Basketball finished with a 13-8 record, losing to Northampton in the Semi-Finals of the WMass Champion-ships.

Boys Basketball finished with a 14-7 record, losing to Leominster in the Quarterfinals of the WMass Champion-ships.

Cheerleading placed third in League Champion-ships, Second at the Chicopee Tournament, Fourth at the South Hadley Tournament and received the Sportsmanship award for both Tournaments.

Indoor Track had 4 athletes qualify to compete at the State Meet: Maddy Carroll in the mile, Michael Cabral in the 600m run, Ryan Kirton in the 55m hurdles and Robert Proulx in the high jump and long jump.

Athletic Highlights By Melanie Martin

Thank you to all who supported our in-credible Cinderella musical. This was truly a performance to remember!

Thank you to supporters of our Special Educa-tion Skating Program. The main focus of this program is to develop relationships amongst all students while providing an opportunity to interact and have fun.


Page 12 Connections

By Gary Tirrell The Holyoke Public Schools expects and aspires to have every

student graduate. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sergio Páez and his ad-ministrative team are aggressively addressing the serious issue of high school drop outs in our district. In our dropout prevention initiative we have various programs and resources to support our students. We would like to share some of our efforts to increase our graduation rates and decrease our dropout rates.

In addition to the high school credit recovery program, which has students enrolled at both the Dean Technical High and Holyoke High School sites, the district continues to provide additional differentiated opportunities for students to complete their education. The school guid-ance counselors and staff play an integral role in identifying and encourag-ing students to take advantage of after school programs, including, but not limited to high school graduation coaches, after school tutorials, mentor-ing programs and regularly scheduled office hours by teachers. These initiatives are designed for students who are currently enrolled in one of the Holyoke Public Schools.

We are thrilled to announce that through the efforts of the Holyoke Public Schools’ Administrative Team, a grant was secured to provide opportunities for Holyoke High School Dropouts to participate in a twilight credit recovery program. The Pathways to Success Credit Re-covery Program is designed for students 17-21 years of age, who have dropped out of a Holyoke School Program and would like to earn high school credits, using a non-traditional online model while receiving scaf-folding by district educators. The goal is to have dropouts return to school to complete a program. Students may be eligible for a Dean Tech-nical High Diploma, Holyoke High Diploma, or a City of Holyoke-Holyoke Public Schools Diploma, which has been added as yet another avenue for students to complete their high school education in Holyoke. The Path-ways to Success Credit Recovery Program offers one-on-one assistance by licensed educators and is held at Holyoke High School on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 P.M. - 6:30 P.M. It is a self paced program where students are encouraged to work off campus and attend the three days on campus for staff support. Students are not required to attend the three day sessions each week, and are not required to stay for the full three hours. All tests in this credit recovery program are com-pleted on site with staff present. There are currently 21 candidates in-volved in this Campus-Style educational opportunity.

As this program has grown over the past month, the mission seems to be expanding. Some students, who are in between grades, (9/10 or 11/12, etc.), are earning credits in anticipation of reentering day school and returning to their originally projected year of graduation.

This program is designed for students to earn their High School Diploma/ Certificate of Attainment*:

People who have dropped out recently and are less than 22 years old

Individuals that need to complete credits for graduation/ certificate of attainment (for students who do not pass the MCAS)

Teenage mothers/students that have been placed in unavoidable circumstances, but still want to receive their diploma/certificate of attainment*

Students who have dropped out and want to earn credits to reenter the Holyoke Public Schools

Program Features:

Online computer based instruction/learning

Work at your own pace at home on on-site

Individualized learning plans

Professional one-on-one support

Social/emotional support

Career Counseling

*Students that do not pass the MCAS will receive a Certificate of Attainment, which acknowledges that high classes have been completed; however the issu-ance of a diploma requires the successful completion of the MCAS Test.

Community groups such as Juntos, Career Point, Holyoke Adult Learning Center (HALO), Holyoke Works and the Care Center have come forward to model and support this initiative and these adolescents, who are willing to take another chance in our learning community.

Contact the Pathways to Success Credit Recovery Program Administrator, Dr. Gary W. Tirrell at 413-427-4594 for more information.

Drop Out Prevention Initiative

The CONNECTIONS After-School Program and the 4-H Youth Development Program at UMass Extension are teaming up to bolster stu-dents’ learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

While most people think of farms and agricultural shows when it comes to 4-H, another focus of the program is preparing today’s youngsters to be the scientists, engineers, and technology experts of tomorrow. Massa-chusetts 4-H is connected to the research and resources of not only the

University of Massachusetts, but also the research and resources of the Cooperative Extension Program’s 106 land-grant uni-versities and colleges across the country. By offering engaging science program-ming in non-formal settings, youth are provided with a variety of options that address different learning needs and pro-mote excitement in learning about the natural world.

Students in science themed clubs work together to solve prob-lems such as how to best slow a marble rolling down hill or what will make the best “pusher” in a game of mini shuffleboard. Pictured left CONNEC-TIONS students at E.N. White construct bridges across gaps between math books using paper and straws in Club Invention after learning how arches are used to support weight. E.N. White student Emily Rodriguez says her favorite thing about Club Invention is that “It’s fun that we get to make stuff and that [the instructor] doesn’t make it for us.” She adds, “We get to learn about how things move and what it has to do with physics and it makes it fun.”

CONNECTIONS and Massachusetts 4-H through the UMass Extension will continue to work together to develop curricula that brings science and technology to students in fun and exciting ways. More infor-mation about Massachusetts 4-H can be found at http://mass4h.org.

CONNECTIONS AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM - UMass Extension Team Up By F. Ryan

For Program Information, contact: Jorge L. Castellano, (413) 313-7710 [email protected]



Volume 12 Issue 3

Primavera 2014

Estos son los puntos mas sobresalientes del Boletin

Una Carta Abierta a la Comunidad de la Escuela Holyoke

Estamos Transformando Vidas

Es bien emocionante el poder compartir algunos de los esfuerzos que se están realizando en las Escuelas Públicas de Hol-yoke

La cantidad de trabajo para preparar a los estudiantes para las pruebas de MCAS ha sido increíble. Ha sido una experien-cia asombrosa trabajar con los maestros y la administración del distrito mientras reflexionamos e intercambiar ideas acerca de los retos importantes que tenemos en nuestro distrito. A pesar de que hemos enfocado una buena cantidad del trabajo al tercer gra-do, la mejora académica en todos los niveles de grado es evidente. Quiero darles las gracias públicamente a los maestros y otros in-volucrados por las largas horas de trabajo dedicadas a la creación de planes de lecciones complejas y reflexionando sobre cómo estos van a impactar a los estudiantes en nuestras escuelas.

La realidad de ser definidos como un distrito de acuerdo al desempeño del MCAS de nuestros estudiantes es inevitable. Hemos pasado muchas horas trabajando en el estado actual de nuestras escuelas, y es difícil ver cómo el rendimiento académico tiene un resultado muy real en lo que respecta a la administración de nuestras escuelas. Recientemente, el Estado decidió darle el control de la Escuela Morgan a una agencia externa. A pesar de este revés, me alegro de que en el corto tiempo que he estado aquí, nuevas direcciones, así como renovar el compromiso con altas expectativas y un currículo riguroso, lo hayan recibido con entusiasmo. Tengo una convicción muy clara, en base a mi expe-

riencia y trabajo en el entorno urbano, que vamos a ser capaces de demostrar que todos los estudiantes pueden aprender y aprende-rán. Hemos invertido apoyando a nuestros maestros y asegurán-donos que tengan los recursos necesarios del día a día para llevar a cabo la promesa de la educación pública.

El distrito ha identificado áreas críticas de trabajo, pero es esencial que enfoquemos nuestras energías en la Alfabetización Temprana, Prevención de Deserción Escolar y Prevención de Em-barazos en Adolescentes. Usted encontrará información sobre estos temas en nuestra página web www.hps.holyoke.ma.us y en las siguientes páginas de esta edición: 9, 11 y 12.

El apoyo del personal, padres y miembros de la comuni-dad ha sido ofrecido generosamente en muchas áreas y es enormemente apreciado. He presentado un mensaje “Estado de las Escuelas” este mes, destacando los resul-tados positivos de nuestro distrito y los emocionantes planes para el futuro. Esta información esta accesible en el sitio web del distrito y en el Canal 12, nuestro canal de televisión educativo.

Gracias por su apoyo a las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke.

By Dr. Sergio Páez, Superintendent of Schools


Todos los días estamos agradecidos por la oportunidad de trabajar con nuestros estudiantes.

Ahora tenemos una página en Facebook del distrito.

Dale me gusta Hoy! Visite www.Facebook.com/HolyokePublicSchools

Y dale “me gusta” para recibir noticias, videos y fotos actualizadas del distrito.

Estudiante de Arte: Thalia Tirado Rodriguez, Peck-Lawrence


Page 14 Connections

Oportunidades de Aprendizaje

durante el Verano

Ofrecido a los Estudiantes de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke

Comenzando el 8 de julio hasta el 8 de agosto

de 8:00 AM a 1:00 PM

Para obtener más información, visite el sitio web:

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

Reuniones del Comité Escolar

Visite el sitio web de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke para ver calendario de reuniones:

http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/schoolcommittee.htm

15 de abril Noche de Juego en Familia Escuela McMahon 29 de abril Matematicas en Bolsa Escuela Kelly 30 de abril Bingo para Libros Escuela Morgan 1 de mayo Bingo para Libros Escuela Lawrence 1 de mayo Noche de Ciencia Escuela E.N. White 9 de mayo Comenzó MCAS Escuela Donahue 27 de mayo Exploración del Mar Escuela McMahon 2 de junio Bingo para Libros Escuela Kelly 3 de junio ALOHA Bingo para Libros Escuela Morgan 4 de junio ALOHA Bingo para Libros Escuela E.N. White 6 de junio Desfile de Oso de Peluche Escuela Metcalf 10 de junio Bingo para Libros Escuela McMahon

Tit

ulo

I N

och

es d

e F

amili

a Diversión para Toda la Familia

Reuniones del Consejo Asesor de Educación Especial (SEPAC)

Por favor únase a otros padres interesados en nuestras próximas reuniones durante el año 2013-2014. Hay una fuerza en números y el apoyo de otras personas que comparten experiencias simila-res. Nuestros esfuerzos combinados pueden influir en el éxito de nuestros hijos, así como dar forma a su futuro.

Próxima fecha de reuniones y temas de discusión:

5 de mayo: Descripción general de lo que ofrece el Programa de Verano Las reuniones se llevan a cabo en la Escuela Lawrence a las 6:00 PM Visite el sitio web del distrito para más información: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/pdf/announcements/SEPAC.pdf Preguntas: contacto Kelly - [email protected] o Dawn - [email protected]

NOCHE DE RECURSOS DE AUTISMO:

Para familias de niños con autismo

Escuela McMahon

Miércoles 30 de abril del 2014

6:00PM-7:30PM

Todos los eventos comienzan a las 6:30 ParagradosKínderhasta12


Page 15

Inglés para los que Hablan otros Lenguajes (ESOL) Por Jessenia Ramos

"En estas clases he aprendido a leer, escribir y expresarme con confianza al usar el idioma inglés. Me he vuelto más cómoda ayudando a mi hija con su lectura y las tareas de ortografía ", dice la estudiante de ESOL Adaliz Collazo.

Entre más los padres se involucran en la educación de sus hijos, mejor será el rendimiento académico. En apoyo a esto, Peck-Lawrence tiene clases de ESOL los lunes y miércoles para las familias interesadas en mejorar sus conocimientos de inglés y habilidades para hablar en público.

Para este semestre, los estudiantes de ESOL participaron en divertidas actividades como bingo, juegos, tiempo de computadora y juegos de palabras para ayudar a mejorar el nivel de inglés en un ambiente tranquilo y divertido. Disfrutamos viendo a diez de nuestros padres de Peck-Lawrence utilizando sus nuevas habilidades en una recreación interesante de una historia personal. Para información de inscripción, por favor póngase en contac-to con nuestra escuela.

*GRATIS * Venga uno, vengan todos! Clases de ingles para adultos *GRATIS* No hay mejor hora que AHORA! Estudie ingles en la escuela de su hijo y aprenda como apoyarlo en su lectura y asignaciones! Las clases están abier-tas a todo el mundo desde principiante para arriba.

Únase a las clases de ingles para papas, guardianes, y miembros de familia (abuelos, tíos, etc). Si usted tiene un familiar que sea estudiante en las escue-las Kelly, EN White, Sullivan y Morgan—y quiere aprender o mejorar su ingles—hay lugares abiertos!

Hablar y entender el ingles la ayuda diariamente, incluyendo en situaciones como:

citas medicas o visitas al hospital preparación para examen GED aplicar y atender clases a nivel universitario aplicar para un trabajo

Conozca a otros padres de familia en las escuelas! Disfrute de giras durante las vacaciones escolares para toda su familia! Por favor llame para regis-trarse:

Atención

Clases de ingles para padres-Programa de aprendizaje familiar E. N. White School

Martes y jueves 9:00-11:30

Favor de llamar a Daisy al 413-534-2058 o Katy al 413-588-2013

Kelly Full Service Community School Martes y jueves

9:00-11:30 Favor de llamar a Jeanette al 413-534-2078

o Katy al 413-588-2013 Morgan School Martes y jueves

9:00-12:00 Favor de llamar a Glenda Morales al 413-534-2083

Peck-Lawrence Full Service Community School Lunes y miércoles

12:00-3:00 Favor de llamar a Jessenia Ramos al 413-534-2040

Los niños tienen que cumplir los 5 años en o

antes del 1o de septiembre, 2014. Solicitudes disponibles en LA OFICINA DE ASIGNACIÓN

57 Suffolk Street Primer Piso

Matricula por cita solamente

Llame o visite: 413-534-2007

MATRÍCULA DE KINDERGARTEN

06 de mayo de 2014 Hora: 06:00-07:00 p.m.

Loca on: Metcalf School, 2019 Northampton Street

A los padres se les proporcionará una descripción general de preparación para el kindergarten, los programas, los recursos, y una sesión de preguntas y respuestas.

Noche de Información de Kindergarten para Padres/Guardianes


Page 16 Connections

Connections

HolyokePublicSchools

A community working together/ Una Communidad trabanjando juntos

We now have a Facebook page.

Like us Today!

Visit www.Facebook.com/HolyokePublicSchools and “Like” us to receive updates on district news, videos and photos.

Visitusontheweb:www.hps.holyoke.ma.us


Media Center

c/o Judy Taylor

500 Beech Street

Holyoke, MA 01040

Documents

final publication for web fixing kindergarten announcement