21 Parent Newsletter January 27th 2017seekonk.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_232884/File/16-1… · The Seekonk School Department does not discriminate on the basis of age,

The Seekonk School Department does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.

Parent Newsletter January 27, 2017

Dear Families, Last week, at our State of the School Address, I asked students to think about two questions. First, I asked them, “What are you passionate about?” The other question that I asked was, “How can you positively impact the lives of others?” I told them to think about these questions, and be prepared to have an answer ready when I ask them. I told them that this could happen at anytime, as I would be stopping students in the hallway, talking with them during lunch, and maybe even bringing it up during one of their classes. I also asked them to think about one word for the new year of 2017, and be ready to tell me what it is if asked. You may want to ask your child if they have given this any thought since the State of the School Address last week when I had mentioned it. I look forward to fostering some wonderful conversations with students about this, beginning next week. This past week, we held our second session of Lobby Hours in the Tower Lobby with students and staff. Lobby Hours give our staff and students the chance to sit with Ms. Bouchard and me in order to share ideas, ask questions, and engage in conversation about our school. Both the student and faculty sessions were well attended. We have enjoyed holding the sessions in order to offer everyone in the school a chance to have their voice heard. The last session of Lobby Hours will be held at some point toward the end of the third quarter. I will be hosting a “Pizza with the Principal” session for parents and guardians on Thursday, February 16th. This is a change from the “Principal’s Coffee” sessions that we usually hold for parents. As usual, there will be a short presentation from me, and also one from Ms. Bouchard. After the short presentations, there will be time for questions, and an opportunity for parents to share ideas and offer feedback. Come hungry, as we will have plenty of pizza and soda on hand for everyone to enjoy. I will include more on the “Pizza with the Principal” session in the upcoming weeks. This weekend, we will be hosting our third annual HMS Basketball Tournament. Teams from Rhode Island, as well as from our Massasoit League of Middle Schools, will be participating. The cost for adults is five dollars, or seven dollars for a weekend pass. Children are free of charge. This edition of the newsletter includes the schedule for tomorrow, Saturday, January 28th. I hope to see some of you there! Sincerely, Dr. William V. Whalen III Principal

@DrWhalen3 DC Trip Calendar Fundraiser Raffle Order Forms are Now Due

Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle SchoolDr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School 650 Newman Ave.650 Newman Ave.

Seekonk, MA. 02771Seekonk, MA. 02771 508508 -- 761761 -- 75707570

http://hms.seekonk.sharpschool.com/http://hms.seekonk.sharpschool.com/ Dr. William V. Whalen III Ms. Alexis A. Bouchard Principal Interim Assistant Principal


Hello Hurley Families,

Students have been reminded this week about the importance of being safe when walking or riding their bikes to and from school. If your son/daughter is a walker, please continue the conversation and stress the importance of staying on the sidewalk and using the crosswalks. Also, students need to be on the sidewalk at all times even in their travels to the Seekonk Public Library.

If you pick up your son/daughter after school please pull all the way up in the line

that is formed. Cars should not be parked waiting for students on Water Lane. If you wish to park your car it must be in the lot and please walk to the tower lobby door to escort your son/daughter. We want to ensure the safety of all our students and they should not be walking through the parking lot without an adult, as there is a lot of traffic.

Best of luck to our boys and girls basketball teams participating in our annual

tournament this weekend. Go Warriors!

Have a great weekend, Ms. Bouchard Interim Assistant Principal


RED TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT - Hi Red Team Families! Your students are researching Natural Disasters, which ties into their Science Curriculum - but, a key part of the ELA common core is also research and research-based projects! The kids are all making interactive brochures on their disasters, using the one-to-one laptop cart we're lucky enough to pilot this semester! Google Suite, however, is limited in what it has to use for graphics. The Graphics website - Canva - has a much wider selection of options, so we'll be using that to create our brochures! The 'Terms of Use' for Canva requires students to be supervised by a parent or adult - ie: a teacher - during use. We just wanted to make families aware of the terms, on the off chance a student is working on their project at home! Thanks! I can't wait to see their final products!


Yellow Team News

Math The students wrapped up the Expressions and Equations unit recently. Along the way, they played some rounds of Expressions Rummy and Beat the Combine Like Terms maze. We also completed the mid-term Galileo testing this week. Stay tuned for the next Mathletics assignment. In Supercore, we are investigating how to calculate the surface area of rectangular prisms, triangular prisms and cubes and at the same time, figuring out how much paint we will need for the buildings in our Geometrocity. We are also calculating the surface area of some candy bars (thank goodness Toblerone’s candy box is in the shape of a triangular prism). We are also beginning to construct our cities by turning the building nets into three dimensional figures. The students are doing a great job!

English Language Arts Much has transpired since our last newsletter! We have continued on with our Informational Text unit delving deeply into persuasion and argument. Ethos, Logos, and Pathos--claim and counterclaim: each have yielded insights into our understanding of the potential of the written word. The culmination of our exercises led into our recently completed Argument Essay, which tasked students to make a claim for a chosen topic, cite evidence to support that claim, and to use their powers of persuasion to formally, confidently win their reader over. I have started to wade into their essays, and am already convinced that we have achieved our aim! Next up: our Natural Disaster Research Project. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!

Social Studies In the past two weeks we have finished our European unit of Geography. The students have taken their test and received their scores. Your children did a tremendous job on their projects, their tests and their overall interest and work quality this term! I’m a very impressed and happy teacher! Students are moving on to Africa for third term, I expect some more great work from them! Students had the chance last week to see “how people eat around the world”, a series of 12 posters on different countries and cultures around the world. Each country is represented by a different family, with different food, budgets for food and different cultures. Students had the chance to look at these posters and then write about how they were influenced and impacted from them. I was very impressed with the detailed and strong responses I read. Ask your child about which country surprised them the most and why.


Finally the students on the Yellow and Red Teams had a collaborative lesson in the library with Mrs. St. Michel. Mr. Durand and myself worked with Mrs. St. Michel on educating the students on fake news and how to spot it. The students discussed, debated and learned about fake news and the problems with it. Finally the students learned how to research appropriately and how to spot fake or poor websites with Mrs. Michel. Have a great weekend!

Science Quite a bit has been happening in Yellow Science since our last Newsletter update! We completely finished our Ecology unit and our research essays were absolutely phenomenal! Below are pictures of our (finally!) finished poster projects, complete with our essays glued on the back! We are moving into our Physics unit now! This week we have been using the metric system to measuring volume, while also exploring the different states of matter. Next week we will begin calculating density and studying density as a property of matter. Follow us on Twitter (@HMS_JDowning) to see daily updates of our classroom activities!


Mrs. Reilly Green Team Science In the last few weeks, students have been learning about how the universe formed and gravity's role in this process as well as the formation of our solar system. Students did an activity determining their weight on other planets. Their eyes got really big when they saw how little or how much more they would weigh depending on the planet.They also did some jumping to see how far they would be able to jump on different planets. Doing these activities really made a difference in their understanding of gravity's role. Last week, students enjoyed using triple beam balances to find the mass of an object. We wrapped up with understanding the relationship between mass, gravity and weight. The more mass an object has, the more gravitational pull on the object the more it will weigh and vice versa. We will be moving on to seasons!!


Band News: GREAT job by the trumpets after school last Wednesday. Thank you to Mia DiPippo for helping out with the younger students. Not all got to see the trumpet washing so we will try to do this again. All band students should be working on the new music. Encourage your child to practice a few times a week on the new pieces. It is difficult in the beginning, but soon becomes much easier. The next HMSBPA meeting will be Wednesday, February 8th. All are welcome. Computer Apps News from Mrs. DeLeo Check out student work posted on my YouTube channel! http://bit.ly/1XHOTvG Please check our Portal to see if your child is missing any work/has an Incomplete for the semester. Work must be completed by the end of next week. Students who have Incompletes have been notified so they know! It was a pleasure having your children for the first semester of the year. And, for those I have met for this semester, this is going to be another awesome finish to the 2016-2017 school year!


Warriors Basketball Players on the court prior to a game vs. Middleboro

Boys Team Starting Five – Lucas Boudreau, Nathan Clarke, Will Smith, Kyle Blanchard, Jacob Barreira


Winter'Tournament'2017'

January'28th'Game'Schedule'

Boys'teams'/'Seed' Girls'Team'/'Seed''Swansea,'MA'(1)'Seekonk,'MA'(2)'Somerset,'MA'(3)'

East'Providence,'RI'(4)'Lincoln,'RI'(5)'Riverside,'RI'(6)'Rehoboth,'MA'(7)'Warren,'RI'(8)'

North'Smithfield,'RI'(9)'

Seekonk,'MA'(1)'Rehoboth,'MA'(2)'Riverside,'RI'(3)'Swansea,'MA'(4)'

North'Smithfield,'RI'(5)'Somerset,'MA'(6)'Lincoln,'RI'(7)'Warren,'RI'(8)'

''

DAY'1'(January'28th)'

' ' TIME'' TEAMS''GIRLS'' Game'1' 8:00' Riverside'(3)'vs.'Somerset'(6)'BOYS' Game'2'' 9:10' Somerset'(3)'vs.'Riverside'(6)'BOYS' Game'3' 10:20' Warren'(8)'vs.'North'Smithfield'(9)'GIRLS'' Game'4' 11:30' Seekonk'(1)'vs.'Warren'(8)''BOYS' Game'5' 12:40' Seekonk'(2)'vs.'Rehoboth'(7)'GIRLS' Game'6' 1:50' Rehoboth'(2)'vs.'Lincoln'(7)'BOYS' Game'7' 3:00' East'Providence'(4)'vs'Lincoln'(5)'GIRLS' Game'8'' 4:10' Swansea'(4)'vs.'North'Smithfield'(5)'BOYS' Game'9'' 5:20' Swansea'(1)'vs.'WINNER'of'Game'3'

'


Students at Lobby Hours – January 23rd


From the Library… Source Credibility When looking for information (whether that be for a research project or everyday need), it is important that whatever source of information we use is accurate. HMS students and staff have access to library databases that contain highly accurate information that comes from credible sources like encyclopedias, scholarly journals, and the like. Although these are available through the Internet, they are different than a website that can be “Googled” (the free or open web). When I teach web evaluation skills, students learn that anyone can create a website, and that there is no organization that governs the Internet to check each website for accuracy – that is up to us! They know to avoid wikis, which contain information that can be edited by people who aren’t necessarily experts in what they write about. This week, I collaborated with Mr. Durand and Mr. Manton on a Grade 6 social studies unit on current events/fake news. Students read and compared a real and fake article on the same topic and guessed which one was made up – it is not easy to decipher! We gave students tips on detecting fake news, and we went over website evaluation skills using the C.A.R.S. method. We collected feedback and received the following comments, among others:

“I learned how to tell the difference between a fake website and a real website that I can use for research. This lesson will help me when I need to look up information” “You have to be very careful and make sure the information you are using is true because nobody does it for you” “I learned that you should trust websites with credible authors and accurate information.”

Pictures from our week:



HEALTH OFFICE NEWSLETTER

Mandated health screening will continue for those students who are now in PE

class in the month of February. All 6th and 8th grade students will have scoliosis

screening done. All 7th grade will have height, weight, vision, hearing and

scoliosis checked. As a reminder if you do not want your child screened please,

inform the school nurse before February 1, 2017.

Vitamin D

Known as the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D is a vitamin you can get from food or supplements. Exposure to the sun also stimulates vitamin D production in the skin.

Vitamin D serves several important functions in the body. These include:

• promoting calcium absorption • maintaining normal calcium and phosphate levels • promoting bone and cell growth • reducing inflammation

According to Harvard University, an estimated 1 billion people are low in vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiencies can cause short-term symptoms and long-term complications.

What are the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency? Several factors have contributed to the rising incidence of vitamin D deficiency. These include:

• wearing sunscreen (sunscreen blocks the sun’s ability to stimulate vitamin D production)


• not spending enough time outside • having darkly pigmented skin, which won’t absorb the sun’s rays as well • exclusively breast-feeding babies for prolonged time periods • being obese, which typically raises your vitamin D requirements

Some people are born without the ability to process vitamin D. Other people have medical conditions that keep them from digesting vitamin D well.

Vitamin D deficiency doesn’t always cause symptoms. When it does, some of the symptoms may include:

• difficulty thinking clearly • bone pain • frequent bone fractures • muscle weakness • soft bones that may result in deformities • unexplained fatigue

Vitamin D deficiencies don’t always cause symptoms until levels get very low or have been low for some time. This can make the condition difficult to diagnose.

How is vitamin D deficiency diagnosed? Your doctor will start by taking your health history to determine if you’ve been experiencing symptoms that could indicate vitamin D deficiency.

A doctor will likely order a blood test for the serum concentration of 25(OH)D. This is the type of vitamin D that circulates in the blood. It’s considered a good reflection of how much vitamin D you’ve absorbed from sun exposure and taken in from foods.

Levels of vitamin D are expressed in nanomoles/liter (nmol/L) or nanograms/milliliter (ng/mL). According to the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), the results can indicate the following:

• deficiency: less than 30 nmol/L (12 ng/mL) • potential deficiency: between 30 nmol/L (12 ng/mL) and 50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL) • normal levels: between 50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL) and 125 nmol/L (50 ng/mL)


• high levels: higher than 125 nmol/L (50 ng/mL) If your vitamin D levels are low and you’re having symptoms of bone pain, a doctor may recommend a special scan to check for bone density. Doctors use this painless scan to evaluate a person’s bone health.

What are the complications of vitamin D deficiency? Researchers still aren’t sure of all the possible complications of vitamin D deficiency.

One study found that vitamin D deficiency was a contributing factor in recurrent major depressive disorder with seasonal patterns. This is a form of depression that only occurs during certain times of year. Another study found that vitamin D deficiency was linked with faster growth of breast cancer cells in mice. Doctors do know that vitamin D deficiency can cause:

• impaired immune system functioning, which puts you at a higher risk for infection

• rickets, a condition that most commonly occurs in children that causes bone softening

• insulin resistance, which affects your ability to use insulin to process blood sugar

• thin or brittle bones, which increases your risk for osteoporosis

How is vitamin D deficiency treated? Doctors often treat vitamin D deficiencies by prescribing or recommending vitamin D supplements. The amount you should take usually depends on how low your vitamin D levels are. For example, some people may reach their vitamin D intake by taking a multivitamin. These usually have between 400 and 800 IU of vitamin D with each serving. However, people who are very deficient in vitamin D may need higher levels of supplementation — about 1,000 IU per day. Ask your doctor how much vitamin D you need every day.


The ODS recommends the following dietary allowances for eating foods that contain vitamin D as well as taking supplements:

• ages 0 to 12 months: 400 IU • ages 1 to 70 years (including pregnancy and lactating): 600 IU • ages 70 and older: 800 IU

Foods that are naturally high in vitamin D include:

• fatty fish, such as mackerel, salmon, and tuna • beef • cheese • egg yolks • fish liver oils • mushrooms However, food manufacturers often add or fortify foods with vitamin D. Examples include:

• milk • breakfast cereals • yogurt • orange juice • margarine • Manufacturers also add vitamin D to some infant formulas to reduce the risk

that infants will have low levels. • It’s also possible to increase vitamin D levels by going outside more. About 15

minutes of sun exposure (without sunscreen on) is usually enough to build up vitamin D levels. Several factors can influence the amount of sun exposure you get, including the time of year, cloud cover, and the time of day (the sun’s rays are more direct during the middle of the day). Another consideration is that ultraviolet B radiation can’t penetrate glass. This type of radiation is what stimulates vitamin D production. So even if you’re taking in sunlight through a window, you won’t get the benefit of vitamin D production.


What is the outlook for someone with vitamin D

deficiency? It’s important to know that vitamin D deficiency usually can’t be “cured” overnight. Also, it is possible to take too much vitamin D. There are two kinds of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble.

Fat-soluble vitamins (like vitamins A, D, and E) are stored in the body’s tissues. Water-soluble vitamins (like vitamins B and C) aren’t usually stored in the body. This means that fat-soluble vitamins can build up to excess levels in the body, possibly causing side effects like damage to the kidneys and heart.

Do not take more than 4,000 IUs per day without talking to your doctor.

How can vitamin D deficiency be prevented? Some steps you can take to maintain healthy vitamin D levels include:

Getting out in the sun without sunscreen on for 15 minutes each day

• taking a multivitamin that contains vitamin D • eating foods that are high in vitamin D • purchasing and eating foods that are fortified with vitamin D, such as cereals

and milk • Eating a healthy diet with fortified foods and getting some sun exposure when

possible can help you keep your vitamin D at healthy levels. Information obtained from http://www.healthline.com/health/vitamin-‐d-‐deficiency#Overview1 Written by Rachel Nall, RN, BSN, CCRN



Documents

21 Parent Newsletter January 27th 2017seekonk.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_232884/File/16-1… · The Seekonk School Department does not discriminate on the basis of age,