Winter 2006

Volume 4, Issue 2

Holyoke Public Sc hools

eighteen months from now.

We are now five months into the implementation of America’s Choice Readers and Writers Workshop at the middle school level and ninth grade Ramp Up to Math and Literacy Skills at the high school. The work has been rigor-ous and I particularly want to commend teachers and admin-istrators in the build-

ings for their tremendous ef-fort to bring this program to life along with the 25 Book Campaign and Book of the Month. These high expecta-tions and academic rigor are paying off and we are beginning to see that the students are more engaged in their work and challenging each other to become better students.

At the end of the month, the State Department of Education will be visiting and our princi-pals will be sharing with them the progress at each of our schools vis-à-vis a comprehen-sive portfolio showing how we are addressing and reaching our goals. Congratulations to all of the staff and students of the Holyoke Public Schools. It is through your hard work and dedication that the Holyoke Public Schools is rising in achievement and commitment to excellence.

If you would like more infor-mation on any of our current efforts, feel free to contact any of the schools or my office. Best wishes.

Time to take a mid-year look at our progress By

Dr. Eduardo Carballo Superintendent of Schools

As we approach the mid-year mark of the 2005-2006 school year, the Holyoke Public Schools community is engaged in reviewing the progress made thus far with the Kindergarten to Grade 8 implementation. The Superintendent’s Advisory Task Force has been meeting throughout the fall and looking at data regarding our imple-mentation efforts of creating smaller learning communities within a comprehensive gram-mar school. When we opened our school doors in Septem-ber, 2005, four of our grammar schools were K-8 schools. We are revisiting the original goals of creating these schools and so far the preliminary data is very positive. Of particular interest is our survey of par-ents who have children in those schools as well as the parents of all fifth grade stu-dents in the Holyoke Public Schools. The response has been overwhelmingly in favor of keeping their children in a comprehensive grammar set-ting. A perusal of student data also reveals that there are a number of favorable trends, i.e. middle school students in a comprehensive grammar school setting appear to have better attendance. They also have fewer instances regarding conflicts with other students clearly showing a decline in the suspension rate at the K-8 level. Currently, the Task Force members are analyzing data and conducting a survey of teachers and staff in the schools to see if they compare to the parent views. The

School Committee members and I are looking forward to seeing the results as we are poised over the next several weeks in deciding the feasibility of expanding the K-8 program.

On other fronts, we continue to make progress in the Read-ing First program and this is year two of a three school effort to use a scientific reading method sanctioned by the state and federal government under No Child Left Behind. We have been using a forma-tive assessment to check on the progress of children as they learn their letters and sounds, the precursor of the fundamental elements of be-coming good readers. The instrument we use is called the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators Basic Early Literacy Skills) and schools are reporting that there has been a very positive movement of children in the Reading First program to read and recognize sounds. We are encouraged by these positive results as we look forward to these students’ participation in the third grade MCAS some

Inside this issue:

Universal Preschool 2

Mayor Michael Sullivan 3

School Briefs 4-6

Talking Points 7

Sports Corner 8

Everybody Is Reading 11

Spanish Highlights 13-16

Holyoke Public Schools

Connections A Community Working Together

11th grade Culinary Arts students Josue Hernan-dez (left) and Aramis Lopez (right) show Dr. Edu-ardo Carballo what they are preparing in the kitchen at Dean Tech High School.

dren, employers report reduced employee turnover, lowered absenteeism, increased produc-tivity and positive business rela-tionships. Those skills devel-oped in a preschool program are the same skills used later in life to ensure an adequate sup-ply of productive and capable workers.

The Commonwealth is commit-ted to universal access to high-quality preschool services. Both the Early Education and Care Council and the Early Education and Care Advisory Committee have recommended continuing Massachusetts’ mixed delivery system that provides access to preschool in public school set-tings, centers, Head Start pro-grams and licensed family child care homes. To meet that goal, the state must expand the num-ber of programs in the state and raise the quality of both new and existing programs. The State will also need to increase the qualifications of the current workforce and recruit and re-tain new, qualified teachers and providers. All of these actions will require time, commitment, and money but the advantages to our youngest learners will be well worth the efforts.

A broad coalition of educators, child advocates, religious lead-ers, and leading business groups have been working together for several years to make quality early education and care for all 3, 4 and 5-year olds a reality in Massachusetts. The state would not be a pioneer if it instituted early childhood education for all. Georgia was the first to offer publicly-funded early edu-cation to all 4-year-olds. New Jersey decided that “at-risk” children are entitled to free early education. Florida and Oklahoma formally guarantee pre-kindergarten for all chil-dren, and about three dozen other states provide programs for poor children. This issue is now at the top of the agenda for many other states.

The New York Times special supplement Education Life (July 31, 2005) reported: A third of a century ago, then President Richard Nixon vetoed legisla-tion that would have underwrit-ten preschools nationwide. “No communal approaches to child rearing,” Nixon insisted, playing to his constituency, but how times have changed! The Cen-sus Bureau estimates that in 2003 nearly 60 percent of all eligible children were enrolled

in preschool, more than double the percentage in 1980. A re-cent survey found that 87 per-cent of voters support using public money to send every child to a high quality preschool. More than three-quarters of a million children are now in state-financed pre-school pro-grams which are not operated by the Head Start Program. The Massachusetts Department of Education estimates that 82 percent of the State’s preschool aged children spend time in early education programs – and the numbers keep growing.

Research has established that children who participate in high-quality early childhood pro-grams develop better language skills and have fewer behavioral problems once they enter ele-mentary school. They are 40 percent less likely to need spe-cial education services or to be held back a grade. They are 30 percent more likely to graduate from high school and twice as likely to attend college. Juvenile arrests are also decreased by half for that attended preschool. Quality early childhood educa-tion is also a factor in economic development: When workers have reliable, quality early edu-cation and care for their chil-

Page 2 Connections

Edited by Laura DuPont

ldupont@hps.holyoke.ma.us Special Thanks to:

Elaine Lathrop, Luz Aguilar, Judy Williams, Michael Hines

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 Michael Sullivan

Michael Moriarty

Mary Signet

Yvonne Garcia

Barry Conway

Mollie Plant

William A. Collamore

Margaret Boulais

Gladys Lebron-Martinez

Jonathan Allyn

Eileen Cathro

Sharon Sampson

Dr. Lora Barrett

Lee McGarrigle

Nancy Stenberg

Joanne Marcotte

Julie Dwight

Darcy Dumont

Ray Mitchell

Ellen Stein

Pauline Carriere

Elizabeth Larivee

Claire Ann Williams

David Valade

Bob Ferro

Mary Kate Ritchie

Kate Dean

Dr. Helen Gibson

James Lescault

Mark Todd

Marie Silver

Karen Guillette

Jody Spitz

Aaron Morris

Linda Rex

Myriam Skolnick

Ary Gonzolez

Suddenly everyone is talking about Universal Preschool

The education of a community

Bilingual PAC and HPS celebrate Three Kings Day

giver before them. Adult learn-ing opportunities are our promise to make this genera-tion a full participant in the evolution of learning. I fully understand the fact that it is easier to sell pre-K options. The early childhood partici-pants are cute and innocent, unlike adult learners, who come with baggage and are more hardened towards educa-tion and life in general. That should never allow us to see past the tough veneer and coax the participants to success. We should never lose the impor-tance of family learning. Thankfully Holyoke has never done so and continues to im-prove its understanding with new innovations like Avanza (see sidebar) with Gustavo Acosta, the Family Literacy Project under the wonderful leadership of Jody Spitz, and the One Book Holyoke with Tzivia Gover. These new ini-tiatives will continue Holyoke’s place in the annals of educa-tional evolution.

By Mayor Michael Sullivan

The City of Holyoke has a rich history in educational innova-tions. The community was the incubator for the Headstart program, creating the template which President Kennedy would use for the national program. Holyoke was the first community to offer a free school breakfast program. The breakfast initiative was put in place by Principal William Dean of the former Holyoke Trade School which was the precur-sor to the current innovative William Dean Technical High School. Holyoke has always been a pioneer in the junior college arena which is now more familiarly known as a community college education. Under the leadership of George Frost, David Bartley and now President William Messner, Holyoke Community College has offered a steady diet of higher educational needs meeting the ever-changing demands of a diverse market.

I have always been especially proud of our legacy and efforts in the area of adult basic educa-tion. The Holyoke Adult Learn-ing Organization (HALO) is yet another example of the socially responsible approach that is the bedrock of our city. Pro-viding adults basic literacy skills is both a humane and economi-cally sound approach to im-proving the quality of life in our hometown. The quality of life will improve not only for pro-gram participants, but for all the population. People that have basic skills are far more likely to attain a livable wage and to see the beginning of a path to the American dream. It also provides a necessary workforce to fuel the econ-omy.

Adult education is important to both inspire and to allow the next generation to leapfrog to success. When an adult learner can assist their children with learning basic educational tasks or concepts, it places the child farther along the learning path than their parents or care-

from Dean and Peck, directed by teacher Carmen Nieves, wowed the audience with tra-ditional dances. As dinner ended and the excitement grew, retired Holyoke teacher, Victor Guevara, and his band, Pleneros de Momento prepared the crowd for a visit from three special guests bearing gifts for all the children.

The Three Kings, (Hector San-tos, of Kelly School, David Valade, ELL Program Supervi-sor, and student, Manuel San-chez) marched in to a Spanish version of The Drummer Boy led by Laura Nogué. With the support of volunteers, the kings distributed gifts to more than 400 Holyoke schoolchildren.

For the second year in a row, the Bilingual Parent Advisory Council, led by President Jac-queline Yos, Victor Guevara, Manolo Frau, and Doris Ortiz, supported by the Holyoke Public Schools celebrated Three Kings Day on January 6 in the Holyoke High School cafeteria for the community. Over 600 people enjoyed a delicious traditional Puerto Rican meal catered by Salsaren-gue Restaurant. They nibbled on snacks provided by HPS Food Services, and munched on rich cake baked by students at Dean Technical High School. Of course, there was plenty of flan for all.

The evening started with Mark

Todd’s Madrigal Choir singing seasonal songs as the crowd settled in for the night. Then Holyoke High School student, Laura Nogué sang the national anthems for the United States and Puerto Rico. Her mother, Yolanda Nogué, facilitated events as the master of cere-monies; she introduced enter-tainment and shared childhood stories of Three Kings Day celebrations in Puerto Rico.

As families feasted, they were serenaded by the Technology Department, Ramón Rivera’s band, V&B. Eddie Rivera’s band, Los Jíbaros de Springfield, and other musicians played tradi-tional seasonal Puerto Rican music. White skirted bailarinas

Page 3 Volume 4, Issue 2

Avanza Avanza is the Holyoke

Task Force for Excellence in Latino

Education. This partnership brings

together city leaders, education officials and

other community partners in an effort to improve access to education for Latino

students.

Top Photo: Mrs. Ellory of West-over Air Base donates gifts to Rafael Bones and Kim Wells.

Center Photo: Three Kings David Valade, Manuel Sanchez and Hec-tor Santos

Bottom: Two of the 600 people who attended the festivities.

Page 4 Connections

Some of you may re-member artist Susan Boss as a life-sized But-

terfly roller-blading through the halls of Magnet Middle School. Well, she's back as artist in residence at the Lawrence Ele-mentary School this spring, funded by a grant from the Frances R. Dewing Founda-tion. The fun begins in February, when Susan will start working with art teacher Darcy DuMont and students in grades 2-5 in the Murals for Literacy Project which integrates the America's Choice Book-a-Month reading program with art. Students will be creating not just two large indoor murals, but an outdoor mural as well, all drawn and painted by students to represent the district book themes of generosity, attitude, com-munity, acceptance, compassion, persever-ance, and courage. The Murals for Literacy Project will partner Lawrence School with Dean Technical High School.

This winter, second grade students at Law-rence School were the happy recipients of hand-knit slipper socks. The colorful socks were delivered on November 16, by Mrs. Anita Healy who had knitted all the socks herself. Mrs. Healy suggested that each child read three books in a month. The students, delighted by the socks, promised to read the books in return for the socks. This is the second year Mrs. Healy has done this pro-ject for the school.

Another generous knitting donation to Law-rence School came from Mrs. Barbara Curtis and her friends at Loomis Village. In Decem-ber, every kindergarten and first grade stu-dent received a hand-made wool cap. The hats, which came in an array of colors, were received warmly by the children.

On December 14, Donahue School celebrated the “Touch of the Island”. This event was won-derful because about 450 parents, grand-parents, students, and

friends attended. The program included a presentation of a description of the island’s culture and history. Miverva Rivera, through the Connections after school program, helped coordinate a presentation consisting of the salsa, bachata, and other Puerto Rican dances. The event was a very positive, cul-turally rich, family event.

Dr. Jose Passalacqua (above with Ashlie Roche, Grade 7) was hired in August of 2005 by Luz Perez, the Principal at Dona-hue School. Dr. Passalacqua holds a doc-torate in music performance and music edu-cation and is an experienced guitar teacher. Guitar classes are given to students in grades 5 – 8. The class lasts for five weeks. In the class, students learn how the music notation system works by learning to play the guitar. Simple coordination exercises are practiced during the first week. In sub-sequent weeks students will learn a varied repertoire of musical pieces in different musical styles from classical to blues to country. At the end of the five weeks, stu-dents will be able to perform simple melo-dies as well as chord accompaniment for songs they have learned.

Students at E.N. White School in grades 3-8 who participate in the after-school pro-gram decided to use some of the math skills the are learning to give something back to the community. During the month of De-

cember they worked on customary units of measure and fractions in their after-school classes. They used their knowledge to make over fifty loaves of bread and they chose to donate them to Kate’s Kitchen. A repre-sentative from Kate’s Kitchen (Above in photo) came to E.N.White School to accept the gift of bread and to tell the children about the services which Kate’s Kitchen provides to Holyoke residents. The project was overseen by math coaches Valerie De-Celle and Lisa Prechtl, along with teachers Susan Desjardins and Erin O’Brien. The E.N.White after-school program for stu-dents in grades three through eight is de-signed to help them prepare for the MCAS exam by reinforcing lessons learned in their regular classes.

On December 23rd, 2005, enthusiastic stu-dents at the E.N. White School enter-tained staff and parents with a musical pro-duction entitled “Celebrate with Joy!” This non-denominational holiday choral concert featured two performing units: The “Cubby Chorale” for K-1, and “The Tiger Chorus,” from grades 2-8. Musical selections from a number of countries, styles, and holiday traditions were featured. The performance ended with a sing-along in which everyone could participate. There were two perform-

ances, a morning show for the younger children, and an afternoon show for the older students. The students had never performed as a complete unit until that day, and they were thrilled at the sound they produced as a group. The Cubbies include all kindergarten and first grade classes.

Modeling their new hats are Kindergarten students (left to right)Daychaleen Rosario, Leyshla Santiago, Justin Pereira, Luis Figue-roa

Page 5 Volume 4, Issue 2

Morgan School has been chosen to rep-resent the Hart-ford/Springfield area in the Southwest

Airlines Adopt-A-Pilot program. For four weeks this spring, a pilot will be visiting the fifth grade. Students will be tracking their adopted pilot’s journeys. The progam in-cludes lessons in math, science, geography, language arts, and other subjects that have been aligned with the fifth grade state and federal standards. The central message of the program is the importance of staying in school and how education is critical in reaching personal goals.

Dr. Orville Ray Atkins who spoke at McMa-hon School on Professional Development Day, 2005 emphasized the importance of making connections with children who are living in difficult circumstances. With this thought in mind, Rebeca Allessi who teaches third grade at Morgan School is in the proc-ess of establishing a relationship between Morgan School and Smith College. Cur-rently, Sylvia Sanchez, an Ada Comstock scholar from Smith, is helping out five days a week in Morgan School’s third and first grade classrooms. Ms. Sanchez received an Urban Education Fellowship from Smith College to gain experience wit urban school settings in preparation for her degree in education. She is able to share the college experience with the students and reminds them that college is possible for anyone.

As part of the Northampton Bowl’s Com-munity Outreach program, all students at Morgan School received six free strings of bowling for a family of six in plenty of time for the holiday break. Hopefully these en-couraged some quality family time. Redeem-ing the coupon placed families on a mailing list for Northampton Bowl events or party planning.

Morgan School is thrilled to announce the unveiling of the Morgan School Community Board. The bilingual message board will be at the C Town supermarket, (formerly Pat’s) on Cabot Street. Ongoing and upcoming events and activities at Morgan School will be posted regularly on the board.

Kicking off the holiday season on December 14th, third and fourth graders from Sullivan School performed at Open Mike Night. Open Mike Night provided opportunities for the third graders from Lisa Curtin’s room and the fourth graders from Eileen Driscoll and Joyce Lefebvre’s room to select and

perform poetry, choral reading, reader’s theater, and songs. In addition to being a festive night for parents and friends, Open Mike Night addressed a multitude of the state standards for English Language Arts. For example, preparing for Reader’s Thea-ter, children had the opportunity to practice reading fluently. Fourth grade students read long compositions, written in preparation for MCAS testing. Presentations were made in English, Spanish, and American Sign Lan-guage for the enjoyment of all.

Fifth grade students from Donahue and McMahon went on an educational trip to Hazen Paper in

December. This fieldtrip is funded by Hazen Paper in partnership with the "World is Our Classroom", Holyoke Community College, and the Davis Foundation. The program is conducted on site at Hazen Paper, and ad-dresses the need to provide students with hands-on, "real world" applications of sci-ence and technology that are linked both to their school curricula and to local industry. It uses Hazen's plant and personnel, along with exercises related to basic paper making, to inntroduce the children to the technol-ogy, challenges and rewards of careers in the manufacturing sector. All fifth grade students in the district will have an opportunity to go on this field trip during the school year.

The annual Reading Angels program at Dr. William R. Peck Middle School has once again completed another successful year. The program was established in 1999 by Lynn Lajoie and Peggy Vershon, then sixth grade teachers at the school. It is a tradition carried on by Read 180 classrooms through-out many of our schools. Students in Read 180 (a reading intervention program for children reading below and far below grade level) partnered with a younger child to read to them twice a week for 30 min-utes. It could have been a brother, sister, cousin, neighbor etc. The program started at Thanksgiving and culminated with a cele-bration for all participants and their families on December 21. The younger children who were being read to received small gifts from their reading angel such as candy cane reindeer and magic reindeer food to sprinkle on their lawns on Christmas Eve. The youngsters also received pictures and pho-netic flash cards to begin their own liter-acy experi-ences. According to C.E. Snow in Preventing Reading Difficulties in Younger Children, “Being read to as a child has been identified as a source of children’s early literacy development, includ-ing knowledge about the alphabet, print, and characteristics of written language. In addi-tion, shared reading with a child during that child’s preschool years leads to higher read-ing achievement in elementary schools.” The students were reminded about tech-niques for reading to a younger audience. I believe we will have some budding new teachers in the future after listening to them answer questions about characters and set-tings. They even asked their young partners to make predictions as to what might hap-pen next in the story. It was a wonderful experience for all who participated in the program and plans are already underway to improve the experience for next season.

Teachers and students ready for spring art show ing reception for the Heart of Holyoke will be on Wednes-day, April 5 from 6-7:30 p.m., and the show will remain hang-ing until the morning of April 28.

On Thursday, April 27, art teachers will have a closing reception for their exhibit from 6-7:30 p.m. There will be about 50 pieces of faculty art, all completed within the last year or so and not previously shown in the faculty show.

Please put the dates on your calendar and join us!!

Art teachers are busy getting ready for two major annual art shows, the Heart of Holyoke, which is the K-12 student ex-hibit, and the faculty show. Both shows will run concur-rently at Wistariahurst Mu-seum, located on the corner of Beech and Cabot Streets. Art teachers have purposefully decided to display both student and art teacher work at the same time so that what have historically been two different audiences may see the work of both groups together.

With space for about 200

pieces, each art teacher will be afforded the opportunity to select about ten to twelve exemplary student pieces for display, which is no easy task given the amount of talent that students show and the enthusi-asm with which students par-ticipate in art classes. All of the work will be representative of the broad range of visual arts standards in this core curricu-lum subject. In addition to paintings, collages, print reliefs and digital imagery, there will be a number of three-dimensional pieces. The open-

Page 6 Connections

The Peck Middle School band and the Sullivan Band joined forces in December for the first annual Middle School Band Concert. Band directors, Claire-anne Williams and Steve Damon combined the two bands to play Kwanzaa Celebration and All Through the Silent Night together. The Sullivan band traveled to Peck on one of the November half days to spend the afternoon rehearsing and getting to know each other. Each of the band directors conducted one of the pieces so that the students had an opportunity to experience different conductors. Fun was had by all! The concert was performed on December 8th for an audience filled with parents, teachers and friends. The Peck Band was also able to raise most of the funds needed to attend The Great East Festival in May. It was a truly successful evening. The next concert will be on March 15th at 6:30 in the Peck auditorium. All are welcome to attend.

On December 2, 2005, the Educational Advi-sors from the GEAR Up program at Dr. Wil-liam R. Peck Middle School took a group of students to the Basketball Hall Of Fame.

The purpose of the Basketball Hall of Fame trip was to reward students for their contin-ued efforts in the area of attendance for the first marking period. Gear Up took a group of students from a specific homeroom that

has demonstrated excellence in their atten-dance.

It is in the opinion of the Gear Up program leaders that the students would benefit from this trip by seeing the past and present ath-letes who contributed to the success of the sport of basketball. It would also give them valuable information about Springfield being the birthplace of basketball. Students inter-acted in a number of fun but educational games within the facility geared toward math. The Basketball Hall of Fame presented a rich history about both men’s and women’s con-tributions to the sport.

“Blogging” is an abbreviation for weblogging, which is a cross between emailing and instant messaging. Weblogs can only be accessed with a username and password. Middle school students at Lynch, Peck and EN White are getting to know middle school students from

Athol, Massachusetts through an initiative called the Western Mass Writing Project. This blogging project is designed to merge technology with writing by having students from both Athol and Holyoke work collabo-ratively on various projects. The goal is that they learn about the power of technology and their words while coming to better under-stand students from a very different commu-nity. Students have been divided up into dif-ferent teams with their own colored-coded weblog acting as a home base for their work. However, all the blogs are interconnected as part of one writing community. The Western Mass Writing project is part of a larger, feder-ally funded National Writing Project. The link to the main page is: http://blogs.writingproject.org/blogWrite255/. Although anyone can read what the students are writing, only the students and teachers involved can write in the blog.

Gear Up students from Peck visited the Basket-ball Hall of Fame.

Lynch student Amarilees Bolerin “blogs” with students in Athol, Massachusetts.

Page 7 Volume 4, Issue 2

The Three Kings Day Celebration com-mittee would like to express their thanks to the following students who helped make the evening a great success: Edda Amaro, Keyla Collazo, Yajaira DeLeon, Keishabell Ibarra, Christabell Ibarra, Shadira Hernández, Dely-ann Marté, the Madrigal Choir members, Laura Nogué, Kenia Rivera, Keyshla Sánchez, Manuel Sánchez, and Leonardo Santiago.

The following HPS staff volunteered their time and energy: Carol Babkiewicz, Aida Bonilla, Dimarie Cartagena, Kelly Curran, April Dewey, Aleja Figueroa, Roberta Freder-ick, Duver Gómez, Nilda Guzmán, Margaret Kleciak, Ida Leonard, Jim Lescault, Loida Martínez, Víctor Morales, Carmen Nieves, Dr. Aida Oquendo, Doris Ortiz, Martha Owen, Ramon Rivera, Virginia Roche, Héctor Santos, Iris Salgado, Maria Marquez and Mark Todd.

Joseph Hodgins, a junior at Dean Technical High School, was recently chosen to receive a Student Paths Education Award. Hodgins,

who was one of the 27 students chosen na-tionally, will receive $200 to help with his transition from high school to a college ca-reer.

“We’re excited to recognize Joseph for this award, and we commend him for taking the extra step to go through the program and be

better prepared for life after school,” said Chris Wills, Student Paths Founder.

Student Paths is a free, nationally recognized program, used by high schools to help stu-dents be better prepared for their transition

to different post-secondary choices and op-tions.

The program, which is coordinated locally by the Dean guidance staff, covers topics such as identifying interests and related careers, find-ing scholarships, and learning what it is like to live with a stranger in a dorm room. Student Paths was founded by a 20-year-old college student who had just gone through a chal-lenging and frustrating transition himself. He wanted to help students avoid making the same mistakes he did. The program is now used by over 700,000 students across the country.

Currently ten Holyoke science teachers are completing the twenty hours of required follow-up for the Biology course they took during Summer 2005. Eight Holyoke science teachers participated in a Geology course last summer. As part of their follow-up, they are

designing curriculum units using what they learned in the Geology course.

Students and staff at Lynch Middle School raised $500 last fall to send to the New Or-leans West College Preparatory School. New Orleans West relocated to Houston after the destruction from Hurricane Katrina forced the evacuation of their students. Once in Houston, they were able to find a building to use as a school and were up and running quickly, providing their students with some comfort and stability. Michael Brick coordinated the fundraising, which included raffles for students and staff and a bake sale on Open House night. Lucy Longstreth’s 8th grade homeroom raised $100 through a weekend bake sale. The money was evenly divided amongst the 6th, 7th and 8th grades to purchase classroom reading sets.

Congratulations to Lawrence Roberge, Biology and Chemistry teacher at Holyoke High School. He was named at Goodwin College 2005 Connecticut Professor of the

Year. Roberge was selected from among nearly 400 top professors in the United States. Prior to joining the Holyoke Public Schools in September, he was the Chair of the Science Department and Associate Pro-fessor of Science at Goodwin College. “It was quite an honor and quite a surprise,” said Roberge. While at Goodwin, Roberge is credited with setting up the science depart-ment, building two labs, and training faculty in the use of multimedia.

Joseph Hodgins (Center) stands with Dean Guidance Councilors Maureen Lyons (Left) and Kelly Kiltonic.

Several bands volunteered their time for the Three Kings Day Celebration.

Lawrence Roberge attended the award ceremony in Washington, D.C. in Novem-ber. The award was presented by The Car-negie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advance-ment and Support of Education

Mrs. Ann Romney, wife of Governor Mitt Romney, visited Peck Middle School this fall and was greeted by (left to right) Miguel Sanchez, Victoria Elizabeth Rivera, Wilfredo Palma Padilla and Vianca Ramos.

Sports Corner

Sometimes life can break your heart

ming is 4-2 and three swimmers have qualified for Western Mass. and two of the girls have quali-fied. The boys’ and girls’ ski

teams are traveling to Berk-shire East and doing well. The indoor track team travels to Smith College on Fridays for its meets and both the boys’ and girls’ teams are extremely competitive. It’s been quite a sports year for the Holyoke Public Schools.

What a year! This past fall both soccer teams at Holyoke High along with the girls’ vol-leyball team made the Western Mass. tournaments. The field hockey team missed the tour-nament by one point. The football team had a winning season and had a great Thanks-giving Day game. We had a golfer qualify for the states. At Dean the girls’ volleyball team qualified for the tournament and the football team played in the State Vocational School Super Bowl and won: Con-gratulations state champs!

The winter season is off to a fast start. The Dean/Holyoke High co-op wrestling team is undefeated at 9-0. The boys’ basketball team has a winning record and should qualify for the Western Mass and state tournaments. The girls’ team is struggling but constantly improving. At Holyoke High the Knights boys’ basketball team is very talented and has a 5-1 record. Likewise, the girls’ team has some solid veterans and stand at 6-3. The hockey team has been in every game but stands at 2-6. Boys’ swim-

the hallmark of Randy’s teach-ing approach. Mr. Bean’s pa-tience and professionalism were legendary at Dean. Staff members frequently remarked how Randy could control so many students at once with seemingly little effort. The answer is simple. Students can spot sincerity and caring at a glance. These qualities were the essence of Mr. Bean.

Mr. Bean taught his students technology but he taught all of us about bravery and charac-ter.

Sleep well Randy, and thank you for sharing your life with us.

Dean Tech lost a friend and gentleman with the passing of Special Needs teacher Randel Bean on Christmas Day. “Randy” leaves his beloved

wife Pamela, his parents Raymond and Anna, and three sons, Na-than, Jessie and Mathew.

These pages usu-ally feature arti-cles about a school system moving positively forward in its service to Holy-oke students. It is only fitting to pay tribute to a man

who contributed so much to this effort for seventeen years. A huge man with a gentle de-meanor and caring attitude was

Page 8 Connections

Mr. Bean worked with Special Needs students at Dean Technical High School.

A huge man with a gentle demeanor

and caring attitude was the hallmark of

Randy’s teaching approach.

Spring musical in works at Holyoke High School ion Showcase and Holyoke High School.

Ads can also be placed in the program by contacting Mrs. Barbara Pasternak at HHS 534-2020,

Last year’s production of Grease was sold out 3 of the 4 performances. Plan early so you can “Ease on Down the Road” with the cast in March.

Holyoke High School Choral Music Department has started work on their 7th musical production, the Broadway

Musical, The Wiz. The show will be performed in March on the 23rd through the 26th in the John F. Sears Auditorium. The Wiz is a show adapted from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, book by William F. Brown, music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls. Tickets will be available two weeks before the show at Highland Rose Florists, Lorraine’s Fash-

Family Literacy is alive and well in Holyoke

Community thrives through Even Start Family Literacy

School (1916 Northamp-ton Street). Please call 534-2465 for more infor-mation.

• Pathways to Family Suc-cess provides a GED class at the MSPCC Parent Center. Please call 534-2026 for more informa-tion.

Family Literacy takes families from where they are to where they want to be.

There are many opportunities for parents and children to participate in a Family Literacy program in Holyoke. Parents and children learn and grow together, creating a powerful family unity.

After School programs—

If you have a child enrolled in any of the Connections After School programs, a parent or other adult family member may enroll for:

• An English class at the

Kelly Elementary School or

• A GED preparation class at the Holyoke High School. Please call 538-5770 about the English class or 534-2026 about the GED class.

Evening Programs

• Even Start provides Eng-lish classes for adult s and activities for children and families. They are now located at Peck Middle

Start community, within her home throughout her ordeal.

Virgen Valentin, an active member within the program took it upon herself to organ-ize a food drive, recruiting all of the families to donate food for the creation of a Holiday Basket. Tickets were sold by the parents for a raffle on the basket.

This effort was under taken by Virgen and the parents when they learned that one of the program’s paraprofessionals’ grand-daughter was born pre-maturely and in need of exten-sive medical treatment.

During the program’s pre-Christmas party Virgen, on behalf of the families presented a check from the raffle to the paraprofessional for her grand-daughter.

These examples of mutual cooperation and shared re-sponsibility for each others well being should be recog-nized and celebrated. These families are creating a commu-nity in which we all benefit and can be proud of.

Although Even Start’s main objective has always been and continues to be the offering of well defined educational classes for adults and their children, there is something else the program nurtures and encour-ages – building community.

A recent example was the parent coordinated and pro-duced surprise baby shower for Grisel Cruz, an active member in the intermediate ESOL class. Grisel currently expecting a baby girl expressed her surprise and gratitude. “I felt so proud and I appreciated the parents and staff for doing

something so special. I will always re-member that night.”

Knowing the difficulties in preparing the home for an infant, the parents gave Griesl many useful and needed arti-cles and gifts for the baby. This was the

third baby shower the parents had held over the years for their fellow students and staff. Each shower has been over-flowing with generosity and kindness solidly rooted in mu-tual respect and love.

Another example of parent initiated cooperative ventures was in response to one of their fellow classmates recovering at home from medical treatment. Parents offered to cook and deliver meals on specific nights for her and her children. This act enabled the mother to heal more rapidly and to have the visible support of her Even

Page 9 Volume 4, Issue 2

Grisel Cruz (center) is surrounded by children who attended her baby shower at Even Start.

Title 1 Activities

6:30 p.m.

Feb. 13 Bingo for Books Donahue School

Feb. 15 Bingo for Books Morgan School

Feb. 16 Family Game Night - E. N. White

March 8 Bingo for Books - Sullivan School

March 9 Bingo for Books- Mater Delorosa

March 13 Dr. Seuss Night Donahue School

March 14 Dr. Seuss Night McMahon School

March 15 Bingo for Books Morgan School

March 22 Family Science Night - E.N. White

March 23 Dr. Seuss Night Lawrence School

March 27 Poetry Night Donahue School

March 29 Dr. Seuss Night Morgan School

April 5 Family Science Night - Morgan School

April 6 Bingo for Books

McMahon School

April 10 Family Science Night - Donahue School

April 11 Bingo for Books

Lawrence School

April 25 Bingo for Books

E.N. White School

April 26 Poetry Night Morgan School

Science and the Performing Arts in 6th Grade poseful movement all to a voice narrative. Enchanted Circle and Hitchcock will pre-sent another cycle of programs in several 4th grade classes in the District. These classes will focus on Electricity and Mag-netism and you can bet that students will be up and out of their seats creating perform-ances that explain some of the science content in these topics. These programs are funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Creative Schools Program. Stop by and see what is going on! For more information email ted@hitchcockcenter.org or priscilla@enchantedcircletheater

If you stepped into one of several 6th grade science class-rooms in Holyoke recently you might have seen something that at first glance didn’t look very much like science. Stu-dents were pounding out origi-nal drum rhythms, waving large colored fabrics, and learning how to move with focus and attention. Holyoke’s En-chanted Circle Theater and the Hitchcock Center for the Envi-ronment in Amherst have been working together to present programs that combine science content with the performing arts. Students learn about geologic earth events including volcanoes, earthquakes, tsuna-

mis, and geysers as well as the slow movements of Earth’s continents. Then the students work in small groups to invent original performances to dramatize these events. And their peers get to guess, with-out any hints, which event they are portraying. The ground was rumbling, buildings were collapsing, people were drown-ing, magma was erupting, and the continents were drifting all with the use of some simple props and percussion instru-ments. Students used their creativity to invent plots for the presentations, design musi-cal accompaniments and cho-reograph dramatic and pur-

Space themed-activities launched after school visiting the Springfield Science Museum. The dinosaur exhibit was awesome, as was the Af-rica exhibit, but one of the exhibits that most interested this group was the asteroid exhibit. The computerized simulation of an asteroid’s impact on the planet tied right in with the club’s theme. The NASA Club outing included taking many pictures, and what better location than the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, located at the Springfield Museum! Sci-ence, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) can be fun! The NASA Club aimed to fos-ter this belief so that the chil-dren will become more confi-dent in their studies and will continue their interest in the study of space.

The 21st Century After-School Program joined resources with a NASA grant to offer middle school students space-themed activities. The NASA Club was based at Sullivan School, and headed by Myriam Ulloa-Skolnick, who teaches grade 6 Science at the school. During the first session of the NASA Club, one of the ‘missions’ was to rise to a NASA engineering challenge. Students nationally were pro-vided with models of the new STEREO vehicles. STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) is the third mis-sion in NASA's Solar Terres-trial Probes program . This two-year mission will employ two nearly identical space-

based observatories to study the Sun and the na-ture of its coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. The NASA Club participants successfully completed the STEREO engineering assign-ment and submitted it to NASA. They took the model concept even further by making a model of the

sun which was used as a back-ground. They then combined technology and their imagina-tion to create some interesting pictures featuring their STE-REO models. The second session of the after-school club included even more NASA-related activities. The students used the idea of the solar model used in the first session and created a mural of the sun, which will utilize Science and Math infor-mation. This information will help children understand the relationship between the sun and the earth, and our depend-ence on our incredible star. The NASA explorers com-pleted the second session of the after-school program by

Page 10 Connections

Students learn about geology from Enchanted Circle Theater and the Hitchcock Center for the Environment.

During Spring and Summer 2006 Holyoke middle and high school science teachers will be able to take part in three graduate level courses (3 graduate credits and/or 67.5 PDPs): "Math for Science Teachers", "Engineering for Science Teachers", and an "Integrated Science" course. These courses are funded by a grant from the Massachusetts DOE/MMSP program in partnership with the Springfield Public Schools and the Five College Partnership. The courses will be taught by professors from Amherst College, Mount Holyoke and the University of Massachusetts. Ten Holyoke teachers will be selected and paid a stipend to participate in each course. Teachers who need science content for licensure or for the "highly qualified" designation from NCLB will be considered first. Please contact Dr. Helen L. Gibson, Science Coordinator at Peck Middle school (534-2312 or hgibson@hps.holyoke.ma.us) for course dates and information about how to apply for any of these courses.

Page 11 Volume 4, Issue 2

Step into any classroom at Kelly School, and you will know the magic number: twenty five. Ask any student, teacher, or administra-tor and they will tell you the same. Why twenty-five? Twenty-five books, of course!

Students and teachers are equally excited about the success of this program. “It’s nice to see students so in-vested in independent reading, as well as being so excited about some-thing we are all working on together,” says fourth grade teacher Kamie Lyle, “It’s fun for them to know that I am reading twenty-five books, that Mrs. Car-rier is reading twenty-five books, and that every student is reading

twenty-five books.” The Kelly School com-munity has banded to-gether and taken the 25 Book Campaign by storm.

All over the school evidence of the impor-tance of the campaign can be found. Student contracts are on dis-play. Classrooms have posted charts chroni-cling student progress. Students bring their 25 Book Campaign book to indoor recess. Ad-ministrators and teach-ers have posted lists of the books they have read. The crown jewel, however, is the beauti-ful bulletin board cre-ated by the 25 Book Campaign committee and Art teacher Phil Christofori. The board showcases books stu-

dents have read, their recommendations for books for other stu-dents to read, as well as an opportunity for eve-ryone to see the pro-gress the entire school community is making towards its grand total of 12,500 books. As they complete a book, each student receives a color coded sticker which they may place on the bulletin board. The result is an impres-sive look at the number of books read and the teamwork achieved at the Kelly School com-munity.

McMahon School has welcomed Miranda Smith to the staff as the new library media specialist. Ms Smith has a wonderful rap-port with the stu-dents. “She treats us like her friend”, said 4th grade student Luis Delgado, Another student, Denise Gar-cia added, “We really understand the mean-ing of the stories that Ms Smith reads to us.” Ms Smith has incorporated the Book of the Month into her weekly meet-ing time with the stu-dents. “We really

focus on the book once a month with a read aloud and a dis-cussion,” said Ms Smith. “We have many discussions about the meaning of the story and we have also done author studies along with the stories.”

The first book that was focused upon was Thank You, Mr. Falker. Ms Smith has worked in conjunction with school guidance counselor, Betsy Sheehan, to dis-cuss subjects like bully-ing, hazing, and respect.

Donahue School welcomed guest read-ers this fall. (above) Holyoke Police Chief Anthony Scott reads to students while Mayor Michael Sullivan (below) leads students in a discussion.

Senator Michael Knapik (left) reads to a class at Donahue School.

(Right) ELL Students at Sullivan School participate in the 25 Books Campaign during the month of January.

Manager and technician join HPS Technology staff

Salsa, hip hop and more in the after school program

emerging technologies while supporting HPS staff. Their commitment and eagerness to serve the HPS far exceeds the expectations of their respec-tive job descriptions making for a dynamic education tech-nology team.

The Education Technology Department welcomes Todd McDermott, Network Man-ager and Lisa VanBuren, Com-puter Technician. Todd is a graduate of Holyoke High School and UMass and brings nine years of information tech-

nology (IT) experience to the Holyoke Public Schools. Lisa is a graduate and the 2003 Vale-dictorian of Dean Technical High School. Lisa received her Associate’s Degree as a Com-puter Support Specialist from STCC and brings two years of computer support experience to the HPS.

Todd and Lisa along with all members of the Education Technology Department bring a wealth of knowledge, com-mitment, and a willingness to be on the cutting edge of

their relations with peers and adults and their behavior.

The success of our efforts each year is measured by classroom teachers and program staff who complete evaluations on program participants at the beginning of the year and again at the end. Last year our evaluation process yielded very positive results in all categories at all sites. We hope that we are able to continue to work effectively with regular school day staff this year to successfully address the outcomes listed above.

Last but hardly least, The CONNECTIONS Program provides free GED/ESOL classes for family members of program participants. Child care is provided during these classes which are held at both Kelly School and HHS several days/week during the after school program hours.

For More info contact: Karen Gui l le t te at 534-2168 (Spanish spoken)

T h e C O N N E C T I O N S Program, now in its fourth year in the Holyoke Public Schools, is an after school program for students grades 6–12.The program operates from Monday through Thursday, from the end of the school day at 2:50 pm to 5:50 pm. A snack is provided during the first ½ hour as students relax, visit with friends and play board games. From 3:20 to 4:20, HPS teachers and community based agency staff assist part icipants with their homework. From 4:20 to 5:50pm participants engage in a wide range of enrichment activities….from cooking and gardening activities to learning salsa, hip hop dance and cd production, movie-making, fitness, games, yoga, knitting, outdoor adventure, art, science, fashion design, astronomy, Crime Scene Investigation, solar cars, arts a n d c r a f t s , s p o r t s broadcasting, life skil ls, engineering, building Cuatros (Puerto Rican guitars), chess and more!

The second 16 week session

of The CONNECTIONS after school programs at Kelly, Sullivan, Donahue, HHS and Dean will begin on January 31st. At this point in the program participants can select different club activities and new students can join the program. Registration packets are available in the office at all six schools with middle school students and at both Holyoke High and Dean.

The funds to support this program come from the 21st Century Community Learning Center Program of the Massachusetts Department of Education. In addition to our goals of supporting healthy youth development and i n c r e a s i n g p o s i t i v e connections with the school, peers, the community and families, we are required by the funder to identify and address several academic and behavioral outcomes for our participants. This year we are working with students in the program to improve the amount and quality of their homework, their verbal communication skills, analysis and problem solving skills,

Page 12 Connections

Connections Program

We have the resources (and

have promised the funders) to provide

homework assistance and enrichment

activities (Gardening,

Cooking, Art, Dance, Outdoor

adventure, Recreation, Yoga, Knitting, Chess,

Crime Scene Investigation, etc) to approximately 100-120 students per week at each

site.

Lisa VanBuren

Todd McDermott

Holyoke High School

MSAS Tutoring for Grades 10,11,12

Math and ELA

Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

and Thursday

6:45 - 7:45 a.m. in cafeteria

3:00 - 4:00 p.m. in Room 110

Holyoke Public Schools Estos son los puntos mas sobresalientes del Boletin

Tiempo para mirar nuestro progreso a mediados del año

Por

Dr. Eduardo B. Carballo

Superintendente de Escuelos

Ya que nos estamos acercando a mediados del año escolar 2005-2006, la comunidad de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke está involucrada en repasar el progreso con el Jardín de infancia a la clasificación del grado 8. El Consejo Consultivo del Superintendente ha estado reuniéndose a través del Otoño y mirando datos en cuanto a nuestros esfuerzos de realización para crear comunidades de aprendizaje más pequeñas dentro de una escuela primaria. Cuando abrimos nuestras puertas escolares en septiembre de 2005, cuatro de nuestras escuelas primarias eran escuelas con grados de K-8. Visitamos de nuevo los objetivos originales de crear estas escuelas y hasta ahora los datos preliminares son muy positivos. De interés particular es nuestro cuestionario de padres que tienen a niños en aquellas escuelas así como los padres de todos los estudiantes de quinto grado en las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke. La respuesta ha sido a favor del cuidado de sus niños en un grupo completo. Una lectura de datos de estudiante también revela que hay varias tendencias favorables, es decir los estudiantes de escuela secundaria parecen tener la mejor asistencia. Ellos también tienen menos casos en cuanto a conflictos con otros estudiantes que claramente muestran una decadencia en el precio de suspensión en el nivel K-8. Actualmente, los miembros analizan datos y conducen un cuestionario de maestros y personal en las escuelas para ver si ellos se

comparan con las vistas paternales. Los miembros de Co

mité Escolar y yo deseamos ver los resultados durante las próximas semanas en la decisión de la viabilidad de ampliar el programa K-8.

Continuamos progresando con el Primer programa de Lectura y este es el segundo año del tercer esfuerzo escolar para usar un método de lectura científico sancionado por el gobierno estatal y federal bajo No Child Left Behind -Ningún Niño es Dejado Atrás. Hemos estado usando una evaluación formativa para comprobar el progreso de niños cuando ellos aprenden las letras y sonidos, el precursor de los elementos fundamentales de ser buenos lectores. El instrumento que usamos es llamado el DIBELS (Indicadores Dinámicos de Destrezas Básicas de Alfabetismo Temprano) y las escuelas reportan que hubo un movimiento muy positivo de niños en el Primer programa de Lectura

para leer y reconocer sonidos. Estamos animados con estos resultados positivos cuando pensamos con mucha ilusión en la participación de estos estudiantes en el tercer g r a d o M C A S ap rox imadamen te en dieciocho meses.

Ahora tenemos cinco meses con la implementación de Lectores Selectos de América y Taller de Escritores en el nivel de

escuela secundaria y la Rampa de noveno grado en Habilidades de Alfabetismo y Matemáticas en la escuela

secundaria. El trabajo ha sido riguroso y en particular quiero alabar a los maestros y administradores en los edificios por su tremendo esfuerzo en traer este programa a la vida con la Campaña del Libro 25 y Libro del Mes. Estas expectativas altas y rigor académico dan resultado y comenzamos a ver que los estudiantes están más involucrados con su trabajo y retándose el uno del otro para ser mejores estudiantes.

Al final de mes, el Departamento de Educación del Estado nos visitará y nuestros principales compartirán con ellos el progreso en cada una de nuestras escuelas vis-à-vis una carpeta completa que muestra como nos dirigimos y alcanzamos nuestros objetivos. Felicitaciones a todo el personal y estudiantes de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke. Es por su fuerte trabajo y dedicación que las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke se elevan en lograr y comprometer a la excelencia.

11th grade Culinary Arts students Josue Hernandez (left) and Aramis Lopez (right) show Dr. Eduardo Carballo what they are preparing in the kitchen at Dean Tech High School.

Invierno

Volume 4, Issue 2

Page 14 Connections

La Educación de una Comunidad

El Alfabetismo de Familia está vivo y bien en Holyoke

Por

Mayor Michael J. Sullivan

La Ciudad de Holyoke tiene una historia rica en innovaciones educativas. La comunidad era la incubadora para el programa Headstart, creando un patron que el presidente Kennedy usaría para el programa nacional. Holyoke fue la primera comunidad en ofrecer un programa de desayuno escolar gratis. La iniciativa del desayuno fue puesta por el Principal William Dean de la antigua Escuela (Holyoke Trade School) que era el precursor innovador actual de la Escuela Secundaria Dean Técnica. Holyoke siempre fue un pionero del colegio que es más comúnmente conocida ahora como un colegio de educación del centro universitario. Bajo el mando de George Frost, David Bartley y ahora el Presidente William Messner, el Centro Universitario de Holyoke ha ofrecido necesidades educativas más altas que encuentran las

demandas de un mercado diverso.

Yo siempre estaba muy orgulloso de nuestra herencia y esfuerzos en el área de la educación básica adulta. La Organización de Aprendizaje de Adultos de Holyoke (HALO) es aún otro ejemplo del acercamiento responsable social que es el lecho de nuestra ciudad. Proporcionando a los adultos las habilidades de alfabetismo básicas y humanas como económicamente para el mejoramiento de la calidad de vida en nuestra ciudad natal. La calidad de vida mejorará no sólo para participantes del programa, pero para toda la población. La gente que tiene capacidades básicas con mayor probabilidad alcanzará un salario habitable y vera el principio de un camino al sueño americano. Esto también proporciona un personal necesario para abastecer la economía.

La educación de adultos es importante para ambos inspirar y permitir la siguiente generación al éxito. Cuando un principiante adulto puede ayudar a sus niños con el

aprendizaje de tareas educativas básicas o conceptos, esto coloca al niño más lejos a lo largo del camino del aprendizaje que sus padres. El adulto que aprende oportunidades son nuestra promesa para hacer de esta generación un participante completo en la evolución de aprendizaje. Entiendo totalmente el hecho que es más fácil vender opciones pre-Kinder. Los participantes de infancia tempranos son lindos e inocentes, a diferencia de principiantes adultos, que vienen con el equipaje y son más endurecidos hacia educación y la vida en general. Esto nunca debería permitir que nosotros veamos por delante de la chapa resistente y persuadimos a los participantes al éxito. Nunca deberíamos perder la importancia del aprendizaje de familia. Por suerte Holyoke nunca la ha hecho y sigue mejorando su entendimiento con nuevas innovaciones como Avanza con Gustavo Acosta, el Proyecto de Alfabetismo de Familia bajo el maravilloso mando de Jody Spitz, y Un Libro de Holyoke con Tzivia

Hay muchas oportunidades para los padres y niños participar en un programa de Alfabetismo de Familia en Holyoke. Los padres y los niños aprenden y crecen juntos, creando una unidad de familia poderosa.

1. Programas Después del Horario Escolar: Si usted tiene a un niño matriculado en cualquiera de los programas Escolares (Connections) después de horas escolares, un padre u otro miembro de familia adulto pueden matricularse para

una clase de ingles en la Escuela Primaria Kelly O

una clase para preparación de Diploma GED en la Escuela Secundaria de

Holyoke - HHS. Por favor llamar al tel. 538-5770 sobre la clase de ingles o al tel.

534-2026 sobre la clase para el Diploma - GED.

2. Programas en la tarde:

Even Start proporciona clases de ingles para adultos y actividades para niños y familias. Ellos están localizados ahora en la Escuela Peck. Por favor llame al tel. 534- 2165 para más información.

Caminos al Éxito de Familia proporciona una clase de GED en el Centro de Padres

MSPCC. Por favor llame al 534-2026 para más información.

“El alfabetismo de Familia toma familias de donde ellos son a donde ellos quieren estar.”

Escuela Secundaria de Holyoke - Holy-oke High School

Tutoria para el MCAS para estudiantes en grados 10, 11, y 12.

Matemáticas y ELA - Artes de Len-guaje en Inglés

Cada lunes, martes, miércoles, y jueves

6:45-7:45a.m. en la Cafetería con el Sr. Feinberg

3:00-4:00p.m. en el Salon 110 con Mre. Rex, Sr.O'Roark, y Sr. Marchewka.

No esperes hasta que sea demasiado tarde.

¡¡Ven ahora!!

Page 15 Volume 4, Issue 2

Por segundo año consecutivo, el Consejo Bilingüe de Asesor de Padres, dirigido por el Presidente Jacqueline Yos, Victor Guevara, Manolo Frau, y Doris Ortiz, apoyada por las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke celebró el Día de los Tres Reyes el 6 de enero en la cafetería de Escuela Secundaria de Holyoke - HHS para la comunidad. Más de 600 personas disfrutaron de una deliciosa comida Puertorriqueña tradicional proveída por el Restaurante Salsarengue. Ellos saborearon bocados proporcionados por los Servicios de Alimento de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke – HPS y comieron un pastel rico horneado por los estudiantes de la Escuela Secundaria Dean Técnica. Por supuesto, había mucho flan para todos.

La noche comenzó con el Coro Madrigal de Mark Todd cantando canciones estacionales cuando la personas se instalaron para disfrutar de la noche. Entonces el estudiante de la Escuela Secundaria de Holyoke, Laura Nogué cantó los himnos nacionales para los Estados Unidos y Puerto Rico. Su madre, Yolanda Nogué, facilitó acontecimientos como la maestra de ceremonias; ella introdujo el entretenimiento y compartió historias de infancia del Día de celebraciones de los Tres Reyes en Puerto Rico.

Mientras las familias comían el banquete, tuvieron serenata a cargo del Departamento de Tecnología, la orquesta de Ramón Rivera, V&B. La orquesta de Eddie Rivera, Los Jíbaros de Springfield, y otros músicos tocaron la música Puertorriqueña de la temporada tradicional. Bailarinas con faldas blancas de la Escuela Dean y Peck, dirigido por la maestra Carmen Nieves, admiraron el auditorio con bailes tradicionales. Cuando la comida se terminó y el entusiasmo creció, el maestro, Victor Guevara jubilado, y su orquesta, Pleneros de Momento preparó la muchedumbre para una visita de tres

invitados especiales que llevaban regalos para todos los niños

Los Tres Reyes, (Hector Santos, de la Escuela Kelly, David Valade, Supervisor del Programa ELL, y el estudiante, Manuel Sanchez) marcharon en a una versión española del Muchacho de Tambor conducido por Laura Nogué. Con el apoyo de voluntarios, los reyes distribuyeron regalos a más de 400 niños de Holyoke.

Los niños y las familias regresaron felices a su casa, la música y el baile continuo en la noche hasta que finalmente el evento se cerró a las 8:00. Cada uno comentó de la maravillosa noche y pensaban con mucha ilusión para el acontecimiento del próximo año.

El Comité de La Celebración del Día de los Tres Reyes les gustaría expresar sus agradecimientos a los siguientes estudiantes que ayudaron a hacer la noche un gran éxito: Edda Amaro, Keyla Collazo, Yajaira DeLeon, Keishabell Ibarra, Christabell Ibarra, Shadira Hernández, Delyann Marté, los miembros del Coro Madrigal, Laura Nogué, Kenia Rivera, Keyshla Sánchez, Manuel Sánchez, y Leonardo Santiago.

El siguiente personal de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke ofreció su tiempo y energía: Carol Babkiewicz, Aida Bonilla, Dimarie Cartagena, Kelly Curran, April Dewey, Aleja Figueroa, Roberta Frederick, Duver Gómez, Nilda Guzmán, Margaret Kleciak, Ida Leonard, Jim

Lescault, Loida Martínez, Víctor Morales, Carmen Nieves, la Doctora Aida Oquendo, Doris Ortiz, Martha Owen, Ramon Rivera, Virginia Roche, Héctor Santos, Iris Salgado,

Maria Marquez, y Mark Todd.

Consejo Asesor de Padres (PAC) bilingüe y las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke celebran la Segunda Festividad Anual de los Tres Reyes

Foto Superior: la Sra. Ellory de la Base Aérea en Westover dona regalos a

Rafael Bonesy Kim Wells.

Foto dle centro: Los Tres Reyes David Valade, Manuel Sanchez y Hector

Santos Foto abajo: Dos de las 600 per-sonas que asistieron a las festividades.

13 de Febrero Bingo para Libros Escuela Donahue 15 de Febrero Bingo para Libros Escuela Morgan 16 de Febrero Noche de Juego Familiar – Escuela E. N. White

8 de Marzo Bingo para Libros Escuela Sullivan 9 de Marzo Bingo para Libros Escuela Mater Delorosa

13 de Marzo Noche de Dr. Seuss Escuela Donahue 14 de Marzo Noche de Dr. Seuss Escuela McMahon 15 de Marzo Bingo para Libros – Escuela Morgan 22 de Marzo Noche de Ciencia Familiar – Escuela E.N. White 23 de Marzo Noche de Dr. Seuss Escuela Lawrence

27 de Marzo Noche de Poesía Escuela Donahue 29 de Marzo Noche de Dr. Seuss Escuela Morgan 5 de Abril Noche de Ciencia Familiar – Escuela - Morgan 6 de Abril Bingo para Libros - Escuela McMahon 10 de Abril Noche de Ciencia Familiar – Escuela Donahue

11 de Abril Bingo para Libros Escuela Lawrence 25 de Abril Bingo para Libros Escuela E.N. White 26 de Abril Noche de Poesía Escuela Morgan

Actividad es del Título I 6:30 p.m.

Page 16 Connections

Holyoke Public Schools

Media Center

500 Beech Street

Holyoke, MA 01040

Connections

El Departamento de Música Coral de la Escuela Secundaria de Holyoke - Holyoke High ha comenzado su trabajo en su séptima (7ma.) producción musical, el Broadway Musical, el Wiz. El espectáculo se llevará a cabo del 23 al 26 de marzo en el Auditorio John F. Sears. El Wiz es un espectáculo adaptado por el Maravilloso Mago Oz (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ) por L. Frank Baum, libro por William F. Brown, música y poema lírico por Charlie Smalls.

Los boletos estarán disponibles dos semanas antes del espectáculo en la Floristería Highland Rose, Lorraine’s Fashion Showcase y la Escuela

Secundaria de Holyoke – HHS.

Los anuncios también pueden ser colocados en el programa comunicándose con la Sra Barbara Pasternak de la Escuela HHS al tel. 534-2020.

La producción del año pasado (Grease)

fue vendida 3 de las 4 interpretaciones. Planee temprano para la producción de marzo.

Primavera musical en la Escuela Secundaria de Holyoke - HHS