As part of our annual College Week at HCS, students and teachers showcased various colleges by decorating their classroom doors. Colleges and universities from all around the United States were represented, which was a great way for students to engage in conversations about their future plans. Prizes will be awarded on Monday to top place winners of the contest!
As part of the annual College Week at HCS, teachers represented various careers as a way to peak students' interest in a variety of fields. During the "Career Fashion Show," each career was highlighted for the students in forum with information about salary, education requirements, job placement, and skills for each career path. Check out the pictures below from the forum fashion show, and a whole-group snapshot from this year and last year. All last week HCS Elementary P.E. classes went Cosmic Bowling. We transformed the elementary gym into a Cosmic Bowling Alley, with the help from a local D.J. The D.J. equipment we used were laser lights, disco balls, black lights, glowing pins, and strobe lights, along with upbeat music to create this fun atmosphere. The first two weeks students learned bowling techniques, how to keep score, and what a great lifetime activity bowling can be. It was a fun way to end the last week of our Bowling Unit and the students really enjoyed it! The Hamilton FFA accepted a generous donation from the Monsanto Fund Thursday night after the conclusion of the budget meeting. Edward Carhart, a local Hamilton dairy farmer, selected the Hamilton FFA as one of the recipients of the award. The Monsanto grant is awarded on the basis of community support from local area farmers, as well as a grant application. The FFA will use this gift to construct a deer fence around the already existing raised gardens beds. The Ag classes at Hamilton Central School planted and cared for the raised beds last year until the deer raided them. The fence will be used to keep deer and other rodents out of the raised beds area, which is located behind the School Greenhouse. With the addition of a fence the hard work of the AG classes will be grown into produce, and the produce will be donated to the school Cafeteria to be incorporated into the lunches of the students. One of the many highlights of being a third grader includes connecting with other third graders in Japan. As we have done in the past, this year's third graders and their families gathered in the Think Tank to share their own and learn about the culture of their third grade peers in Osaka, Japan. Because of the time difference, our third graders came back to school at 6:30pm, while the Japanese students were just starting their day. Throughout the 40-minute interaction, each group of students were able to learn about the culture, food choices, entertainment, schools, communities, fashion, and more from one another. As a way to wrap-up our time together, third graders on both side sang, "It's a Small World After All," which really sums up the evening: technology is making our world so much smaller and interactions like this broaden understanding of various cultures from around the world. A huge thank you to all of the parents and families who brought their children back to school for this event! The HCS Winterfest to benefit East Rockaway School on Long Island was a huge success! As a community, we joined forces to raise more than $5,000 for our downstate neighbors. A huge thank you to everyone who made this event such a huge success! From a delicious chicken BBQ and volleyball tournament, to scavenger hunt, movie, and a 5K, it was a day to give back to others! Below you will find pictures from the event as well as a video from East Rockaway thanking our community for their support! As a country, we could not fathom the unimaginable grief and heartache that parents and families felt in Newton, CT this past December. We watched in disbelief wondering how we could help the Newtown community. HCS parent, Sabrina Craven, watched the news wanting and hoping that there would be an opportunity for her to reach out. As she watched, she noticed the US flag flying at half mast around the country. She was reminded of the September 11th flag, which serves as a memorial to those we lost, and honors all of our heros. And so, an idea was born. "I wanted something that my children could see and feel they were doing something that helped those who lost someone without seeing that a lot of them were children that were their age," said Craven. She contacted New England Flag and Banner, with the original intention of having three flags created; one for her family, one for HCS, and a third to send to Newtown. The final version of the flag, which was designed in a collaborative effort between Craven and New England Flag and Banner, is displayed below. "The adults are represented with the larger stars surrounding the little ones, much like what the teachers and staff did that day protecting those little ones." At this point, other schools and organizations are also purchasing the flags. New England Flag and Banner would not accept any money for the original flags, and have not accepted money for those that have been ordered either. The flag was dedicated at the recent elementary PARP assembly at HCS, and will be hung in the elementary wing of the building. It will forever serve as a memorial to all of the adults, children, and families in Newton. Below you will three pictures of our flag that will be displayed at HCS. Additionally, there are two pictures from the flag that flies over the fire station in Newton, CT. |