Connections - Holyoke Public Schools 2015.pdf · Holyoke Public Schools—Visit us on the web at: Page 2 Connections Mission Statement The mission of the Holyoke Public

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

Since I began as Superintendent in the Holyoke Public Schools, people have worked tirelessly to implement new initiatives to transform our district. As you know, the district is now in state receivership. As we proceed, it is important that we reflect on how this transition can be turned into an opportunity to continue supporting our students and our families. We have set a new tone for the issues related to our district, and it is important that the existing foundation continues to be built upon. I believe that changes in education are complex but are based on human capital and intelligent deci-sions which then impact resources and quality of programs. The last two years have been professionally exhilarating and personally reward-ing for me in my role as Superintendent. I want to acknowledge the commitment and dedication of so many individuals and organizations in supporting the initiatives we re-cently started. The amount of work that has been performed is truly remarkable, and I am very proud that we worked together to implement a comprehensive plan to im-prove outcomes and conditions for students in Holyoke. I wish nothing but success for the students which will also prove, as we have always said, that every student can learn and reach their potential in our public schools. In closing I’d like to:

Remind parents/guardians to register your students for kindergarten and preschool (See page 2).

Praise our high school graduates (For a listing of college acceptances visit our district home page).

Felicitate Holyoke High’s As Schools Match Wits Team (See page 10).

Applaud The Holyoke Early Literacy Initiative [HELI], for its recognition as a 2014 Pacesetter by the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (See page 3).

Congratulate our Rising Stars (See page 3).

Commend Mark Todd and Shaylyn Fitzell-Stevens from Holyoke High School. Shaylyn has been honored with the Partners in Excellence Teacher Award and Mark has been named a Massachu-setts Teachers Association Boston Red Sox Most Valuable Educator (See page 10).

Announce that the Special Education Department has produced a new newsletter entitled Voices for the purposes of providing information about special education issues, educators, programs, happenings, and events (See page 2).

Thank those who supported the district's Instrumental Spring Concert, the Heart of Holyoke Annual Student Art Show, and Holyoke High Drama Club’s To Kill a Mockingbird.

Encourage you to regularly visit the Holyoke Public Schools website for important communi-cations. Summer programming and back to school information will also be available.

Thank you all for your hard work and support. I wish you all

a safe and enjoyable summer.

Summer 2015

Volume 13, Issue 4

Holyoke Publ ic Schools

Announcements

2

School News

5-11

Connections After School Program

5

Athletics

12

Spanish

13-16

District News

3-5

Holyoke Public Schools

Inside this issue:

Edition Highlights:

● HELI Recognized as 2014 Pacesetter

● Rising Stars

● Pathways Graduates

● Special Education Skating Program

● Students Rewarded for Best Attendance

● Fall Athletics: Tryout Information

End of the School Year An Open Letter to the Holyoke School Community

By Dr. Sergio Páez, Superintendent of Schools

Student Artist: Jasan Bonilla, Donahue School

Connections A Community Working Together

Connections A Community Working Together

Like us Today! Visit www.Facebook.com/HolyokePublicSchools 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.

“Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.” - Author Unknown

Holyoke School Committee

Mayor Alex Morse

Dennis Birks

Erin Brunelle

John Brunelle

William Collamore

Irene Feliciano-Sims Mildred Lefebvre

Devin Sheehan John G. Whelihan

Rosalee Tensley Williams

Connections Newsletter

Edited by: Judy Taylor [email protected]

Translated by: Luz Aguilar

Summer Visit the district website

for Summer Information, including:

Learning Opportunities, Community Literacy

Programs, and Summer Activities

For Parents/Guardians of Current Sixth Graders For a student to enter seventh grade in September 2015, documentation of the following requirements will

need to be submitted to the school nurse by the first day of school

1. Physical exam (copy of exam or appointment date)

2. Two doses of Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccine (MMR)

3. Three doses of Hepatitis B Vaccine

4. One dose of Tetanus (Tdap) Booster Vaccine (unless last tetanus booster was within the last 5 years)

5. Two doses of Varicella Vaccine (or physician documented case)

High School Athletics Tryout Information: See page 12.

New Special Education

Newsletter - Voices Accessible via the Good News page on our district website.

College Acceptances - Congratulations Holyoke High and Dean Tech students! Visit the HPS district home page for complete list-ing—http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/ .

Children must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2015

Registration by Appointment Only Call 413- 534-2007

Applications and registration information are available at the Student Assignment Office (57 Suffolk Street 1st

Floor) and on the district website. http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/studentservices.htm

KINDERGARTEN


Page 3

HOLYOKE HIGH

Martin Keane Brayan Taveras Hailey Butler Sarah Cavanaugh Laura Ernst Brian Swierzewski Maeliz Colon Leika Munoz Ann Cavanaugh

DEAN

Lizbeth Hernandez Almanzar Jorge Velez

Karina Maldonado

DONAHUE

Siannah Santos Imari Colon

EN WHITE

Emily Marie Rodriguez John Christopher Shea Anna Price

KELLY

Brissell Bonilla Gabriella Martinez Nashali Pagan

MC MAHON

Nilmarie Velazquez Patricia Haradon Kaysha Rosado

MORGAN

Adriel Berrios Kayra Ortiz Melanie Feliciano

PECK

Naressa Kempadoo Jose Serrano Acumulado Luis Valentin

SULLIVAN

Nathaliemalee Vazquez Christiaan Boria Ian Beauregard

Rising Stars 2015 The district celebrated its 21st Annual Rising Stars on Wednesday, May 20th. Students were honored at a dinner at Dean Technical High School for their academic achievement, leadership, and school/community service. Congratulations students!

THANK YOU! The Holyoke Public Schools and the Celebrate Holyoke Public Schools/Rising Star Committee extend a heartfelt thank you to our kind benefactors—Peoples Bank, Holyoke Community College, Log Cabin/DelaneyHouse/D Hotel, and Holyoke Sporting Goods. We would also like to thank Dean Tech’s Graphics Department for the invitations and banners as well as Richard Leso, Ken LePage, Keri Penard, Gina Roy, Peggy Vershon, Virginia Roche, Edgar Robles, Phil Christofori, Barry Bacom, and Kirk Donahoe. We are grateful to district staff and student families for encouraging these Rising Stars to reach their potential!

The Holyoke Early Literacy Initiative [HELI], Holyoke’s Birth to Grade 3 Grade-Level Reading Campaign, has been recognized as a 2014 Paceset-ter by the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading for its measurable progress on student attendance outcomes. Holyoke gained a total of 1,500 days of attendance between 2012-13 and 2013-14.

The HELI Theory of Action focuses on the following four strategies:

1. District-wide efforts to increase Attendance,

2. Family Engagement,

3. Birth to age 5 “Kindergarten Readiness” and

4. Aligning Instructional Partnerships

The Holyoke Early Literacy Initiative extended efforts to target school attendance including a community-wide attendance awareness campaign to help parents understand and own the importance of good attendance and learn about the supports that address barriers to getting to school. Additional strategies include school-level messaging, modeling, and incen-tives to nurture a culture and cultivate the habits of excellent attendance. Home visiting and a series of broader, on-going efforts to build early

warning and rapid response systems to reduce and prevent chronic ab-sence are other efforts that are used.

HELI reaches approximately 5,000 low-income children in the communi-ty. In partnership with the Holyoke Public Schools, HELI regularly tracks students who are chronically absent as a key measure of its overall im-pact on student outcomes. “From before school programs at Donahue School to the Walking School Bus at Kelly School, and many home visit-ing programs at other schools, we are seeing a real impact,” stated Mi-chael Moriarty, local Grade Level Reading Lead.

Thank you to all of our HELI Parents, HELI Partners and HELI School Leaders! We are honored to receive an award that recognizes our stra-tegic, city-wide effort to ensure that all children are proficient readers by the end of grade three. The success of our earliest readers depends on the work of our schools, parents, and community members.

For more information about HELI, contact Megan Harding, Holyoke Public Schools Full Service Community District Manager at (413) 534-

2000 x248 or visit: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/heli.html.

Holyoke’s Early Literacy Initiative (HELI) Named 2014 Pacesetter


Page 4 Connections Connections Connections

Special Educa on Ska ng Program at Holyoke High

Thank you to supporters of our Special Education Skating Program. The main focus of this program is to develop relationships amongst all students while providing an oppor-tunity to interact and have fun. Students from Holyoke High School, including over thirty students with disabilities, returned to the Fitzpatrick’s Skating Arena this year to learn and enjoy the magic of ice skating. Some used handicapped-equipped skate sleds and walkers to facilitate their skating. The coordination of mainstream students and special education students within the high school has enriched the program for all participants. This program has developed into a perfect inclusion experience for all the high school students involved.

Students Rewarded for Best A endance

The Student Services Department recently spon-sored an attendance contest. One class from each K-8 school with the highest attendance for the month of March was treated to an afternoon skating party, which included pizza, popcorn and beverages at Interskate 91 in Hadley, MA. The event took place on April 16th, a half day for students due to parent teacher conferences. For more about the important role that attendance plays in your child’s education, visit: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/attendance.htm

Spring Intramurals in Full Swing

This spring, middle school intramural sports offerings included co-ed soccer and tennis mixed doubles. Soccer practices began March 23rd within each school and games were played at Dean Tech’s soccer field. Soccer playoffs were held at Robert’s Field in June. Tennis teams practiced and played at each middle school and a Double Elimination Tournament was held at the Holyoke High School tennis courts May 1st through June 12th.

Congratulations to these athletes who had fun, stayed physically active, and made new friends.

Visit page 12 for high school athletics tryout information.


Page 5 Connections Page 5

While pomp and circumstance played, six students from the Holyoke Public Schools Pathways to Success Credit Recover Program donned caps and gowns as they entered the Holyoke High School audito-rium for their commencement ceremony. Mayor Alex Morse and Superintendent Sergio Paez, commended, and advised the students, prior to distributing their di-plomas. Proud family and faculty members congratulat-ed the graduates and joined them for a reception in the Holyoke High School cafeteria. Congratulations stu-dents!

The Pathways to Success Credit Recovery 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 scaffolding by district educators. For more information about this program, visit:

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

Congratulations Pathways Graduates By Judy Taylor

I hope your dreams take you to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to

the windows of your opportuni es, and to the most special places your heart has ever

known. ~Author Unknown

Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart. ~Kongzi

Families Explore the Ashley Reservoir By Heather Sim

On Saturday, May 2, 2015, the Holyoke Public Schools CONNECTIONS program in partnership with Enchanted Circle Theater (ECT) presented the third free, fun event in the “Explore, Grow, Create!” Family Fun Series at the Ashley Reservoir in Holyoke. After two successful events in the series, held at the Holyoke Public Library and Smith College’s Museum of Art and Botanical Garden, CONNECTIONS and ECT rejoined to pro-mote literacy through nature exploration. Through the Family Fun Series—part of the Holyoke Early Literacy Initiative—families are provided with fun, creative, hands-on ways to engage their children in literacy and learning. Thirty-one eager participants of all ages arrived on a bus provided by CONNECTIONS at 10 a.m. to the Ashley Reservoir. Children active-ly involved in CONNECTIONS, and their families, gathered in the sun by the reservoir to introduce themselves, discuss what they were most excited about during the field trip, learn about the upcoming scavenger hunt, and collect a disposable camera to document their adventures throughout the day. The families split into two smaller groups for a walk around the reservoir in search of all the items on the scavenger hunt, consisting of locating turtles, frogs, water striders, bird calls, geese, ducks, and pine cones, to name a few. Students and families were able to explore, find, discuss, and learn about their findings through collaboration with each other and staff. After enjoying lunch, the group enjoyed a slew of literacy and nature-based expressive arts. All families were excited to take part in this fun, educational opportunity to engage with their children and other families. Families then completed a short questionnaire, in which one family, whom had attended all other events in the Family Fun Series, stated that she “enjoyed every minute of the trip, it was the best one yet! Keep them coming, they just keep getting better!” Another wrote that her favorite part of the trip was “the time spent with my kids and other parents.” Overall, families reported a high level of learning from this event. For more information about CONNECTIONS, contact Jorge Castellano at (413) 313-7710.

Dual Language Class Receives Visit from Link to Libraries By Amy Burke

Metcalf’s Dual Language Kindergarten Class enjoyed a visit from School Committee Member Erin Brunelle and Link to Libraries, a nonprofit organization that promotes literacy by collecting and distributing new books to local children and school libraries. The students listened intently while Erin read

aloud two stories—Knufflebunny and Pete the Cat. Each student in the classroom was then able to choose a new book donated by Link to Libraries.

Thank you Erin for reading to our students and thank you Link to Libraries for your generous book donations.


Page 6 Connections Connections

Students Receive New Book Donations By Cathy Hebert

Donahue School students recently received over $300 in Scholastic Books donated by New Vision Pioneers-Verizon. Member, Joan Carney, presented the books on May 1st. New Vision Pioneers has worked for many years on literacy projects, do-nating dictionaries, books, and supplies to schools. The organization is the world's largest group of industry-specific employees and retirees dedicated to community services. Pioneers volunteer more than 15 million hours annually responding to the individual needs of their community. We are very thankful for their donation and our students are loving our new books!

Donahue Hosts Career / Community Expo by Jaclyn Bedinelli

On Wednesday, April 29th, Donahue School held a Career/Community Expo for the middle school students and their families. The purpose of this exposition style event was to get our students thinking about high school, college, and career planning, and to also show the Donahue families the many services that the Holyoke Community has to offer. Numerous exhibitors joined us for the event including Holyoke Community College, Holyoke High, Dean Technical High School, YMCA, Girls Inc., the Holyoke Police Department, Boys and Girls Club, Holyoke Public Library, Behavioral Health Network, Gandara, Team Link, Gear Up, Career Point and much more! The students and families enjoyed food catered by Fernandez Family Restaurant while listening to music and walking around to the many display tables to see what the exhibitors had to present and offer in regards to services, activities and clubs. Over 250 students, family members, staff, and exhibitors joined us for this event. We hope to offer the Career/Community Expo annually to the middle school students.

Morgan School is excited to be offering a summer school program for rising third, fourth, and fifth graders. The purpose of this program is to reinforce concepts learned this year as well as support students in their language, literacy and numeracy development for the coming school year. This three-week intensive program will begin on Monday, July 13th, and end on Thursday, July 30th. The program will be held Monday through Thursday each week and students will attend classes from 9:00-12:30pm each day. Students will end their day with lunch.

Teachers for summer school will be implementing instruction based upon end of year data from multiple sources. Each grade of students will rotate to three classrooms every day to create rela-tionships with different teachers, while keeping the summer program engaging and interesting for the students. Students will receive English Language Arts instruction, including guided reading as well as writ-ing instruction. Students will also participate in a Mathematics class.

An interest form was sent home for parents to complete.

Summer Program Offering By Kerry Savino


Page 7

Memories from Second Grade Written by eighth grade students who had

Mrs. Gamache for their second grade teacher

Interview:

Mrs. Gamache, how long have you been teaching? Almost 50 years

How old were you when you started teaching? Almost 22

What other schools have you taught at? Kirtland, Lawrence and Holyoke High

Have you always taught second grade? If not, what else? No, Biology and Algebra and fifth grade at E.N. White

What is your favorite part about teaching? The children and teachers

Do you remember your students’ names from your first year teach-ing? Yes, Judy Fletcher, previous Principal at E.N. White, Edward Caisse, Anne Messenger, Officer Edgar Robles, City Councilor James Leahy, Diana Orlowski, current teacher at E.N. White.

What are you going to do when you retire? Set up a room at my church with books to help children with homework and reading. It will be open Wednesdays from 4:00-5:30PM.

Student Memories:

Karina Clemente—Some of my best memories come from that sec-ond grade class; from holding tarantulas and snakes to watching the life span of butterflies and tadpoles and winning the teddy bear from my favorite book. All were great experiences.

Mya Laboy—I remember writing a book in her class. It was memoirs of our lives from the time we were born to how old we were. I also

remember when we had caterpillars and took care of them until they became butterflies. Then we let them go.

Tyshaun Diaz—I remember having pet tadpoles in Mrs. Gamache’s class for the whole year. I also remember when they brought in a tarantula, snake and scorpions.

Anna Price- When I was in second grade I enjoyed Mrs. Gamache’s class. I remember doing things like writing never ending stories and taking care of tadpoles. We did a lot of science experiments with animals like snakes, frogs, spiders and butterflies.

Aracelis Acevedo—Mrs. Gamache was a good teacher and I remem-ber her choosing me for best picture, which she put in the school book.

Left to right: Aracelis Acevedo, Anna Price, Tyshaun Diaz, Karina Clemente and Mya Laboy with Mrs. Gamache

Zoo on the Go Visits E.N. White

By Tammy Lawrence

FRIENDS of HOLYOKE Public Schools recently made available a $1,000 grant and E.N. White School's first and second grade teaching teams took advantage of the organization’s generosity and hired Zoo on the Go to come visit and benefit approximately one hundred stu-dents. These first and second grade students had the opportunity to

observe and touch many of the animals they have been learning about in their class-rooms. This program helped address a need in the area of early literacy by building background knowledge and essential experi-ences which will enrich students' literacy skills by building vocabulary and develop speaking skills by generating questions for the Zoo Keeper.

Students Earn Books

By Tammy Lawrence

Once again the Tiger Pride Community Organization had the pleasure of hosting an awesome Scholastic Book Fair event! E.N. White families and staff worked together to place great books into the students' hands and encouraged them to read.

Clifford, the big red dog, helped advertise the fair while greet-ing students and their families in the car pick-up line. Every classroom visited the fair with their teacher in order to complete a wish list as well as view the books and educational tools. Many families chose to visit the fair before or after their parent/teacher conferences. An origami art station was set-up for anyone interested in learning how to fold "Under the Sea" creatures; coloring pages of sea creatures were available for those wishing to color. A "Guess the Goldfish" raffle was in place for any student wishing to participate for a chance to win a small prize. As al-ways, families could choose to exercise on the school's rock wall. From the time the fair opened until the minute it closed, the "Under the Sea" themed fair flourished with activity!

In the end, the fair was a huge success in promoting literacy, producing scholastic dollars, and adding books to classroom libraries. Best of all it was a fun filled community event that provided positive memories for all involved!

Left to right: Heysha-Lee Vega, Carlos Soto, and Jeanchel Colon-Rivera (first graders) are introduced to a hedgehog.


Page 8 Connections Connections Appreciation Afternoon

By Cathy Foley In response to staff and student feedback, an Appreciation Afternoon was held for them on April 15th. The after-noon, set up by Peck administration and supported by teachers, was to recognize the hard work of students during the ELA MCAS and the improvement in our school’s climate and culture. Students could choose between attending a dance, watching a movie, and participating in vol-leyball and basketball games. Eighth grader Ruby Garcia chose to play volleyball, “I loved the chance to play – I played volley-ball for a while on the Peck team and it was cool to play against other kids from Peck.” For each activity students were asked to spend Peck dollars ,and students with a pass could move between events. Eighth grader Gillian Gormally stated, “With my friends I chose to go to the movie. I chose that because sports are not my thing and I hurt my knee recently so I can’t dance. Plus we wanted to chill and hang out with each other. It was great that they planned this for us.” Ron McCoy, Assistant Principal reflected, “It was an excellent opportunity to reinforce the use of Peck dollars and for the students to realize that their efforts are noticed and appreciated.”

Know the Danger By Sue Leary

On February 6th Mr. Ray Goulais from Holyoke Gas & Electric came to Peck School to talk with the fourth and fifth graders about safety rules around high voltage wires. The subject matter coupled with his style of teaching kept the students entranced. Student questions were well thought out and the answers Mr. Ray pro-vided, although sometimes gruesome, in-formed the students of how dangerous electricity can be. Mr. Ray and the G&E donated $10 Target Gift cards to three students who created posters displaying these dangers.

Peck-Lawrence

Tree Planting Ceremony by Cathy Hourihan

The four kindergarten classes from the Lawrence K-3 Campus were invited to participate in a tree planting ceremony at the Holyoke Public Library. Students sang a song they had learned in their Science Specials Class to the tune of “Head, Shoul-ders, Knees and Toes” – Leaves, Branches, Trunk and Roots to the assembled dignitaries. Students then rolled up their sleeves to plant six trees alongside the library building and in the front grassy area. Students dumped buckets of soil into the holes and learned about the steps to planting. There was a lot of excitement around dirt, and finding worms and larvae in the piles of soil. Stu-

dents eagerly shared their knowledge about what they knew about the different compo-nents of the tree and their purposes. Stu-dents wrapped up the event by enthusiastically participating in an Enchanted Circle Theater activity in the library.

MCAS Kickoff Party By Cathy Foley Peck School held an MCAS Kickoff Party on Thursday, March 26th for all Peck students and their fami-lies. Organized by Antonia Santiago, with support from parents and teachers, the event was a fun night of infor-mation and celebration. Each grade hosted a table, manned by staff, with general information and ideas for families about preparing their students for the upcoming state tests . For the students there was popcorn, refreshments, a bounce house, a raffle and other fun activities. Many fami-lies attended the event and had a great time!

(Left to right) - Seventh grade staff Jeremiah Barrett, Ann Kelly and Evelyn Melendez look forward to talking with families.

Dance the Night Away By Cathy Foley

Organized by Antonia Santiago, Peck School held a Semi-Formal Dance on March 20th from 5:30-8:00 PM for all students. Parent volunteers trans-

formed the gym into a beautiful, magical space. Mr. Munoz, the D.J., played music that inspired the students to get up and dance! Many students attend-

ed and had a great time. Eighth grader Emily Velasquez commented, “The dance was fun and entertaining. The music was today’s music and a lot of kids

were dancing. It was great to see people looking elegant, all dressed up.”

Congratulations Karen Malley Karen Malley, ESL teacher at Lawrence, was awarded a Linda Schulman Innova-tion Grant for a project that will start in September. Third grade English Lan-guage Learners will be paired with men-tors who attended the Holyoke Public Schools and have achieved success in college and/or career. Students will interview their mentors and write re-flections about what they they have learned about how to become success-ful adults. Videotapes of the interviews and the written reflections will be part of an exhibit at the Holyoke Public Li-brary in November and December.

Poster contest winners include (left to right), Nashalie Reyes, Alondra Ramos and Emmanuel Rodriguez. Congratulations students!


Page 9

On Thursday, April 30th, McMahon School hosted the Third Annual Autism Resource Night. The Holyoke Public Schools Autism Programs sponsored this evening for parents and family members to learn more about the opportunities for their children within the Holyoke Public School District as well as in the community. Families had a chance to speak with the district staff and exhibitors as well as view artwork and writing by the students from the pro-grams. We had many exhibitors participate such as the Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC), Community Resources for People with Autism, Heart Beats Music Therapy, Special Olympics and the Holyoke Fire Department to offer safety tips just to name a few! We also held a bake sale and raffle to help raise money for the Autism Programs throughout the district. A big thanks goes out to all of the exhibitors, families and staff that came to help and participate. The Autism Programs would not be successful without you!

Autism Resource Night By Christina Trudeau

Recipes Rock

By Melanie Wise In creative efforts to increase family engagement, Dr. Marcella R. Kelly Full Service Community School now offers teachers a menu of different activities for them to host in their classroom. With the clever name Kelly a la Carte, this menu incentivizes teachers to strive to engage families outside of the typical parent-

teacher conference format. The family coordi-nator and family liaison (Geisha Uroza and Melanie Wise) then run the show, coordinating the event from start to finish. One of these activities, Recipes ROCK!, was particularly successful. Held three times so far in an eighth grade, second grade and kindergarten classroom, parents joined their students to consider the everyday use of math and literacy in the kitchen. They voted on a recipe to learn, then observed Ms. Wise demonstrating said recipe. The students were very eager to help in this process. Needless to say there were no leftovers! Ms. Wise even sang a catchy tune about the importance of measuring while preparing food, which the students quickly picked up, adding some of their own lyrics. The integrative education model goes a step beyond cognitive processes, entailing physical and sensing processes, social processes, and intuitive processes. Working collaboratively to produce a common goal through creative means brings a breath of fresh air to the classroom. It also engages different intelligences, captivating students who may not be proficient in math or reading. By providing outside-the-box ways to bring parents into their child’s classroom, Kelly School hopes to nurture positive family

connections, so the symbiotic parent-teacher relationship can flourish. Only by educators and parents working side by side can the future generations shine.

Presenting…

The Walking School Bus By Jackie Glasheen

Per request of Massachusetts Safe Routes to School, Kelly School was invited to present a workshop based on its success with their Walking School Bus model. Kelly School Project Manager Rebecca Masters, and Kinder-garten Teacher and Walking School Bus Ad-ministrator Katie Engelson co-presented. A Walking School Bus works a lot like a regular school bus, with designated "stops" along the route. Kelly staff meet students at designated corners, every morning, and walk to school together. Since last year there has been a 60% improvement in tardies and absences of stu-dents who walk at least four days a week with the bus. The Walking School Bus—It’s free, fun, and safe!

Christian Figueroa helps Ms. Wise measure the chocolate chips.

The McMahon School Connections program has been very busy this year. Some of our activities have included Fitness and Tennis with Mrs. Barabara Tabin, and Robotics with Mrs. Yvonne Hillyard-Ordonez . Our Culinary groups led by Ms. Mannin and Ms. Collamore have cooked up some very delicious meals. Ms. Yesenia Rivera intro-duced her groups to some amazing cake decorating tips including measur-ing, and estimating. Mr. Pfefferle taught students some of the core ele-ments during his Wood Working Club. Students have also had the op-portunity to participate in Hip Hop and Kung Fu, and have learned many fundamentals. Other students have loved joining Miss Isabelle and Mr. Oliveras in Salsa dancing, Outdoor Adventures, Eco Kids, Magic, Mad Science with Enchanted Circle Theatre, Drummings, and Explore your Future.

All of the students at McMahon have worked very hard during the first year of the Connections After School program. The students

truly enjoyed the clubs and are very excited for our next year of imple-mentation.

Mrs. Carmen Chatel has led many after school art groups and some of their projects have included volcano making, painting murals, and a recycling project which led to the creation of “Miss Recycling” second from the left).

Students Enjoy After School Connections Program Offerings By Kate Ritchie


Page 10 Connections Connections Connections Connections

Thank you to all who supported Holyoke High School Drama Club’s May 4th production—To Kill a Mockingbird.

Shaylyn Fitzell-Stevens Garners Award

By Judy Taylor Shaylyn Fitzell-Stevens, English Language Arts Teacher and Chair of the Holyoke High School English Language Arts Department, has been honored by Mass Insight Education with a Part-ners in Excellence Teacher Award for her work in the Advanced Placement Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Program. She is one of 33 Massachusetts Advanced Placement teachers who are being recognized for exemplary contributions to student success during the academic year 2013-2014.

Holyoke High School Principal Stephen Sullivan stated, “Holyoke is fortunate to have teachers like Shaylyn Fitzell-Stevens. Her first priority is always our students and their success. Shaylyn is dedicated and committed to the students at Holyoke High School and constantly pushes them towards their full potential. We are so proud to have Shaylyn recognized for this award, but it comes as no surprise to us.”

GO PUBLIC! By Myles Sanders GEAR UP at Holyoke High School hosted a GO PUBLIC! Event for sophomores and juniors on April 6, 2015. GO PUBLIC! is one avenue used to engage the students into thinking about their futures. We want the students to know how much success is possible at Massa-chusetts state universities, community colleges, and UMass campuses. One part of GO PUBLIC! consisted of a college fair where state colleges were represented and students had access to speak with Admissions Counselors directly. The other half of GO PUBLIC! al-lowed sophomores and juniors to hear firsthand experiences from college students. Stu-dents were given the chance to ask the college students questions and an emphasis on con-tinuing an education post high school was emphasized. In upcoming years, a college educa-tion will be required for over 70% of jobs in Massachusetts. GO PUBLIC! is a tool GEAR UP utilizes to gain awareness and prepare students for undergraduate programs.

Congratulations to our As Schools Match Wits Team! The students performed extremely well this year. Tune in to WGBY-TV and watch our students as they perform in the finals and see who wins the title this year. For broadcast schedule, visit: http://www.wgby.org/asmw/schedule

Mark Todd Named a Most Valuable Educator By Judy Taylor Mark Todd, Choral Musical Director and Department Head has been named a MTA Boston Red Sox Most Valuable Educator (MVE) for his outstanding efforts in promoting student achievement. As an MVE, Mr. Todd received tickets to attend the May 23rd Red Sox game, was seated behind home plate, and had the opportunity to go out onto the baseball field at Fenway Park during a pregame ceremony. Per Superinten-dent of Schools Dr. Sergio Páez, “Mr. Todd truly represents the spirit of the Holyoke Public Schools. His actions more than his words define the great accomplishments he has achieved in the last seventeen years. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Todd and want to thank him for making our schools and our community proud.”

Red Cross Blood Drive—We were able to collect 52 pints of blood during our Red Cross Blood Drive. Potentially, this can help 156 people as each pint collected can help 3 people. The Red Cross staff could not have been more complimentary of our students.

Thanks to all who supported the Dodge for a Cause event hosted by Holyoke High School Sport Management II class. Students were able to raise $1,225 for Community Resources for People with Autism.


Page 11

Athletics continued on page 11.

SkillsUSA Championships

By Vionette Escuedero

This year’s Massachusetts SkillsUSA Championships was held in Marlborough from April 30th to May 2nd with approximately 2,500 participants. Students at Dean worked very hard to prepare for this competition and we were able to send a representation of eight stu-dents, three of them competing in their respective categories — Hector Cabrera in Diesel, Adeline Skuse in Carpentry and Anthony Skuse in Metal Fabrication and Joining Technology. Our students were chaper-oned by Scott Baronas, Carpentry teacher, John Sheedy, Precision and Manufacturing teacher and Christine Larriu, Cosmetology teacher. We also had Mike Jones from Graphic Communications acting as judge in the competitions. The SkillsUSA Championships is the showcase for the best career and technical students in the nation. The philosophy of the Champ ion -ships is to reward stu-dents for exce l lence , to involve industry in directly eval-uating stu-dent perfor-mance and to keep training relevant to emp loyer s ’ needs.

Slave Narratives shared with Peck Students

By Mary Brazeau On Monday April 6th representatives from Dean Tech's 9th grade Humanities classes visited Peck School to present a collection of Slave Narratives they published to the fifth grade students studying slav-ery. They read a story and answered student questions about slavery, rights and writing slave narratives. Present with Mr. Cadigan and Mrs. Brazeau are Lisbeth Hernandez, Genesis Ramos, Kiara Gonzalez and Seth Robles. With Ms. Alwon: Felipe Cintron, Jean Feliciano and Mari Laduzinski.

Puzzle Day at Springfield College

By Vionette Escuedero

Our s tudent s were invited by the Mathe-matics, Physics and Comput-er Science Department at Springfield College to partici-pate in Puzzle Day on Thurs-day, April 23rd, during April vacation. Students from tenth grade partici-pated in this event as part of the Math Boot Camp offered here at Dean. At Springfield College students were challenged to use logic and their math skills to solve math puzzles. Dustin Rose, Tenth Grade Math teach-er and Sarah Alwon, Inclusion teacher, attended the event with the students. Mr. Rose stated, “The students were an excellent representa-tion of Holyoke and Dean specifically, as we were the largest group there, despite our size of six. It was very impressive to bring our stu-dents and their zeal to a workshop at which they dominated in math and intrigue, and learned about math as it can be applied to patterns and puzzles—that math extends greater than just 3+x problems”. The stu-dents had lunch at the dining commons and were offered a campus tour.

2015 Outstanding Vocational Technical Student Award

By Vionette Escuedero Karina Maldonado, the recipient of the 2015 Outstanding Technical Student Award, is a student who has excelled in the Graphic Communications technical program at William J. Dean Technical High School. Her dedication to the program is seen on a daily basis and ob-served by many. Karina is the “go-to” student in her technical program if there is a school related job to be done. She has beautifully created many school flyers and pamphlets. In addition, Karina has demonstrat-ed great discipline and perseverance in her academic classes, participat-ing in rigorous course of study which includes Advanced Placement courses. Her dedication to both her technical program and academics is clear as she holds one of the top GPA’s in the senior class. Karina is involved in many activities that benefit both her school and community. Such activities include serving on the city of Holyoke’s Youth Commis-sion, being founder/teacher of an art club at a Holyoke middle school, and serving on student government as a grade 11 student. She has also served as a tutor for various programs throughout the district. Karina has worked at a local food bank and with a program called “teen techs,” (a pro-gram in which local teens work with sen-iors to help them with their technology). Karina plans to contin-ue to further her edu-cation in the graphic communications field and pursue a Bachelor’s de-gree in this field of study. This award is presented by the Massachusetts Asso-ciation of Vocational Administrators and the Massachusetts Vocational Associa-tion.

With Mr. Jones: Jaidalyn Santiago, Paola Rohena, Nekisha Rodriguez and Ashley Berrios.



Athletics—Tryout Information

Holyoke High School BOYS SOCCER-. GIRLS SOCCER- THURSDAY, AUGUST 27TH 5:00-7:00 PM THURSDAY, AUGUST 27TH 9-11:00 AM ROBERTS’ FIELD TURF ROBERTS’ FIELD PHYSICALS, CLEATS, SNEAKERS CLEATS, SHIN GUARDS, RUNNING SHOES COACH SCOTT STEVENSON (413) 427-4896 COACH KEVIN ROBERTS (413) 532-8285 OR (413) 265-3295 [email protected] [email protected] GOLF- CROSS COUNTRY- WYCKOFF COUNTRY CLUB- THURSDAY, AUGUST 27TH 5:00 PM COACH WILL CALL OR MAIL YOU THE INFO. RUNNING SHOES, WATER BOTTLE, PAPERWORK- GOLF SEASON IS SHORT….PRACTICE! Summer training a must. COACH TBA HOLYOKE H.S. TRACK-ROBERTS’ SPORTS COMPLEX B COACH-DAVE REINHART (413)-297-6555 [email protected] G COACH-LISA HOLMES (413) 575-6816 ([email protected]) GIRLS VOLLEYBALL FIELD HOCKEY-11:00 AM-1:00 PM THURSDAY, AUGUST 27TH 10:00 AM-12:00 PM THURSDAY, AUGUST 27TH ROBERTS’ TURF FIELD-HHS H.H.S. LARGE GYM SNEAKERS, STICK, GOOGLES, SHIN PADS, CLEATS SNEAKERS, SHORTS, T-SHIRT, SWEATPANTS *If you don’t own a stick, we can advise you on the 1st day of tryouts COACH PAULA CONWAY COACH JACKIE MOTYL (413) 563-5470 ([email protected]) FOOTBALL-GRADES 10-12 CHEERLEADING- MONDAY, AUGUST 24TH MONDAY, AUGUST 24TH @ 4 P.M. HOLYOKE H.S. LARGE GYM ROBERTS’ FIELD TURF-NO PADS T-SHIRT, SHORTS, SNEAKERS, NO JEWELRY, CELL PHONES, ETC. CLEATS, T-SHIRT, SHORTS, SNEAKERS COACH JULIE ROCHEFORT (413) 315-0649 ([email protected]) COACH-RICK JEWELL [email protected] FRESHMEN FOOTBALL-GRADE 9 TUESDAY, AUGUST 25TH @ 4 P.M. ROBERTS TURF

Dean Technical High School FOOTBALL- MONDAY. AUGUST 24th 9:00 AM GIRLS VOLLEYBALL-THURSDAY, AUGUST 27TH DEAN TECH FIELD-BE IN SHAPE!!! DEAN TECH GYM-SNEAKERS, SHORTS, T-SHIRT, PHYSICAL CLEATS, RUNNING SHOES, T-SHIRT, SHORTS COACH JOE DUTSAR (860) 202-9779 [email protected]

WE OFFER AN ATHLETIC TUTORING PROGRAM WHICH IS OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS. IT IS A MANDATORY PROGRAM FOR ALL STUDENT-ATHLETES AT BOTH HIGH SCHOOLS. MONDAY-FRIDAY 3 P.M.-3:40 P.M. & A.M. SES-SIONS FOR GAME DAYS.

For Program Information, contact: The Athletic Office, (413) 493-1683 [email protected]

ELIGIBILITY: STARTING NEXT FALL (2015-2016) SCHOOL YEAR- You must have a current physical to participate. AT HOLYOKE H.S.-YOU MUST BE PASSING 30 CREDITS. AT DEAN TECH H.S.-YOU MUST HAVE 7 PASSING CREDITS AND BE PASSING YOUR SHOP.

Aaron Reed #20 for Holyoke slides into 2nd Base.

Visit our Athletic Department webpage for updates to tryout information. http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/athletics.htm


Una Carta Abierta a la Comunidad de la Escuela Holyoke

Fin del Año Escolar

Desde que comencé como Superintendente de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke, la gente ha trabajado sin descanso para po-ner en práctica nuevas iniciativas para transformar nuestro distrito. Como ustedes saben, el distrito se encuentra ahora en administración judicial del estado. A medida que avanzamos, es importante que reflexionemos sobre cómo esta transición se puede convertir en una oportunidad para seguir apoyando a nuestros estudiantes y a nuestras familias. Hemos establecido un nuevo tono para los asuntos relacionados con nuestro distrito, y es importante que la base existente se sigue construyendo. Creo que los cambios en la educación son complejos, pero se basan en el capital humano y las decisiones inteligentes que luego impactan los recursos y la calidad de los programas.

Los dos últimos años han sido profesionalmente estimulante y gratificante para mí en mi papel como Superintendente. Quie-ro reconocer el compromiso y la dedicación de tantos individuos y organizaciones en apoyar las iniciativas que recientemen-te comenzamos. La cantidad de trabajo que se ha realizado es verdaderamente notable, y estoy muy orgulloso de que hemos trabajado juntos para implementar un plan integral para mejorar los resultados y las condiciones de los estudiantes en Holyo-ke. Nada más me gustaría que el éxito para los estudiantes que también demostrarán, como siempre hemos dicho, que cada estudiante puede aprender y alcanzar su potencial en nuestras escuelas públicas.

Para terminar me gustaría:

Recordarle a los padres/guardianes en registrar a sus estudiantes para kínder y preescolar

Felicitar a nuestros graduados de la escuela superior (high school) para obtener una lista de las aceptaciones de la universidad visite nuestra página del distrito en www.hps.holyoke.ma.us ).

Felicitar el Equipo de Partido Wits de la Escuela Superior de Holyoke (Ver la página 10). Aplaudir la Iniciativa de Alfabetización Temprana de Holyoke [HELI], Nacimiento de la Campaña a Nivel de Lectura de Tercer Grado,

por su reconocimiento como un “Pionero 2014” para la Campaña de Lectura a Nivel de Grado (Ver la página 3). Felicitar a nuestros Rising Stars (Estudiantes Estrellas (Ver la página 3). Elogiar a Marcos Todd y Shaylyn Fitzell-Stevens de la Escuela Secundaria de Holyoke. Shaylyn ha sido honrada con el Premio de

Maestra de Excelencia y Mark ha sido nombrado el Maestro Educador Más Valioso de la Asociación de Medias Rojas de Boston, Massachusetts (Ver la página 10).

Anuncio que el Departamento de Educación Especial ha producido un nuevo boletín titulado Voces para brindar información sobre temas de educación especial, educadores, programas, acontecimientos y eventos (Ver la página 2).

Gracias a los que apoyaron los siguientes eventos: To Kill a Mockingbird – Matar un Ruiseñor, el Concierto Instrumental de Primavera del distrito, y el Corazón de Arte Estudiantil Anual del Show de Holyoke.

Le recomendamos que visite regularmente el sitio web de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke (http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/) para comunicaciones e información importante. La programación de verano e información de regreso a la escuela también estarán disponi-bles.

Gracias a todos por su trabajo y apoyo. Les deseo un verano seguro y agradable.

Por Dr. Sergio Páez, Superintendente de Escuelas

Dale me gusta Hoy! Visite www.Facebook.com/HolyokePublicSchools y dale “me gus-ta” para recibir noticias, videos y fotos actualizadas del distrito.


Volume 13 Issue 4

Verano 2015

Estos son los puntos mas sobresalientes del Boletin


Estudiante de Arte: Jasan Bonilla, Escuela Donahue

Estos son los puntos mas sobresalientes del Boletin



Los niños deben tener 5 años en o antes del

1 de septiembre de 2015 Insciripción por Cita Solemente - Llamar al: 413- 534-2007

Solictudes e información de registración disponibles en la Oficina de Asignación al Estudiante (57 Suffolk Street 1er. Piso) y en el sitio web del distritoe. http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/studentservices.htm

KÍNDER

Verano Visite el sitio web del distrito para Información de Verano,

incluyendo:

Oportunidades de Aprendi-zaje, Programas de Alfabeti-zación en la Comunidad y Guía de Actividades de Verano

Información de Salud—Para Padres/Guardianes de Sexto Grado Actual Para un estudiante entrar en el séptimo grado en septiembre de 2015, tendrá que presentar documentación de los si-

guientes requisitos a la enfermera de la escuela para el primer día de clases.

1. Examen Físico (copia del examen o la fecha de la cita)

2. Dos dosis de las Vacunas de Sarampión, Papera, Rubeola (MMR)

3. Tres dosis de la Vacuna de Hepatitis B

4. Una dosis de la vacuna del tétanos (Tdap) (a menos que la última vacuna antitetánica estaba dentro de los últimos 5 años)

Atléticos de la Escuela Superior

Información de la Prueba:

Ver la página 12.

Aceptaciones en la Universidad ¡Felicidades a los estudiantes de la Escuela Superior de Holyoke HHS y

de la Escuela Dean Técnica! Visite la página del distrito de las Escuelas

Públicas de Holyoke para una lista completa:- http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/.

El Departamento de Servicios al Estudiante recientemente patroci-nó un concurso de asistencia. Una clase de cada escuela de kínder a octavo con la mayor asistencia para el mes de marzo fueron invi-tados a una fiesta de patinaje, que incluyó pizza, palomitas de maíz, refrescos en Interskate 91 en Hadley, MA. El evento tuvo lugar el 16 de abril, por medio día para los estudiantes debido a las confe-rencias de padres y maestros. Para más información sobre el papel importante que desempeña la asistencia en la educación de su hijo, visite: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/attendance.htm

Estudiantes Premiados por Mejor Asistencia


Page 15

¡Felicitaciones estudiantes!

Espero que tus sueños te lleven a Ias esquinas de tus sonrisa, a lo más alto de tus deseos, a

las ventanas de tus oportunidades y a los lugares más especiales que tu corazón ha cono-

cido. ~Autor Desconocido

Dondequiera que vayas, ve con todo tu corazón. ~Kongzi

La Iniciativa de Alfabetización Temprana de Holyoke [HELI], Nacimiento de Tercer Grado Campaña de Lectura a Nivel de Grado, ha sido reconocido como un Pionero 2014 por la Campaña para Lectura a Nivel de Grado por su progreso mensurable en los resultados de asisten-cia de los estudiantes. Holyoke obtuvo un total de 1,500 días de asisten-cia entre 2012-13 y 2013-14.

La Teoría de Acción HELI se enfoca en las siguientes cuatro estrategias:

1. Esfuerzos de todo el Distrito para aumentar la Asistencia,

2. Participación de la Familia,

3. Desde el Nacimiento hasta los 5 años “Preparación para Kínder” y

4. Asociaciones de Alineación en la Instrucción.

La Iniciativa de Alfabetización Temprana de Holyoke extendió esfuerzos para orientar la asistencia escolar incluyendo una campaña de concientización de asistencia de toda la comunidad para ayudar a los padres a entender y poseer la importancia de la buena asistencia y apren-der acerca de los apoyos que dirijan las barreras para llegar a la escuela. Otras estrategias incluyen mensajes a nivel escolar, el modelado, y los incentivos para cultivar una cultura y cultivar los hábitos de una excelen-te asistencia. Visitas al hogar y una serie de esfuerzos más amplios, es-fuerzos continuos para construir sistemas de respuesta rápida de alerta

temprana y para reducir y prevenir la ausencia crónica son otros esfuer-zos que se utilizan son otros esfuerzos que se utilizan.

HELI llega a aproximadamente 5,000 niños de bajos recursos en la comunidad. En colaboración con las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke, HELI busca periódicamente a estudiantes que están crónicamente ausen-tes como medida clave de todo su impacto en los resultados de los estu-diantes. “Desde antes de los programas escolares en la Escuela Donahue al Autobús Escolar Caminando a la Escuela Kelly, y varios programas de visitas al hogar a otras escuelas, estamos viendo un impacto real, ”declaró Michael Moriarty, Nivel de Lectura Grado Local.

¡Gracias a todos nuestros padres, Compañeros y Líderes de HELI Iniciativa de Alfabetización Temprana de Holyoke! Nos sentimos honrados de recibir un premio que reconoce nuestro esfuerzo estratégi-co, en toda la ciudad para garantizar que todos los niños son lectores competentes para el final de tercer grado. El éxito de nuestros primeros lectores depende del trabajo de nuestras escuelas, padres de familia y miembros de la comunidad.

Para obtener más información sobre HELI, favor comunicarse con Megan Harding, Administradora de Servicio Completo de la Comu-nidad Escolar de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke al (413) 534-2000 x248

o visite : http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/heli.html.

Iniciativa de Alfabetización Temprana de Holyoke (HELI) Nombrado Pionero 2014

Los Intramuros están en Pleno Funcionamiento

Los deportes de Primavera Intramuros de la Escuela Intermedia son Co-ed Fútboly Tenis Mixtos Dobles. Las prácticas de fútbol comenzaron el 23 de marzo dentro de cada escuela y los juegos se jugaron en el campo de fútbol de la Escuela Dean Técni-ca. Los playoffs se llevaron a cabo en Robert’s Field en junio. Los equipos de Tenis practicaron y jugaron dentro de cada escuela intermedia. Una Eliminación Doble del Torneo se llevó a cabo en la cancha de tenis de la Escuela Superior de Holyoke el 1 de mayo hasta el 12 de junio.

Mientras las pompas y circunstancias jugaron, seis estu-diantes del Programa Caminos Hacia el Éxito para Recu-peración de Créditos de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyo-ke se pusieron togas y birretes al entrar al auditorio de la Escuela Superior de Holyoke – HHS para su ceremo-nia de graduación. El Alcalde Alex Morse y el Superin-tendente Sergio Páez, elogiaron y aconsejaron a los estudiantes, antes de la distribución de sus diplomas. Orgullosos miembros de familia y de la facultad felicita-ron a los graduados y se unieron para una recepción en la cafetería de la Escuela Holyoke High. ¡Felicitaciones estudiantes!

El Programa de Caminos Hacia el Éxito de Recupera-ción de Créditos es diseñado para los estudiantes de 17-21 años de edad, que han abandonado el programa de escolar de Holyoke y desean obtener créditos de la escuela secundaria, mediante un modelo de línea no tradicional mientras reciben enfoques de aprendizaje por los educadores del distrito. Para obtener más informa-ción, visite: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/drop_out_prevention.htm


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Connections - Holyoke Public Schools 2015.pdf · Holyoke Public Schools—Visit us on the web at: Page 2 Connections Mission Statement The mission of the Holyoke Public