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. Over break many Hamilton FFA members traveled to Stockbridge Valley School to compete at District 5 FFA competition. There were many students who participated in many events such as Jr. and Sr. prepared public speaking, Jr.and Sr. extemporaneous speaking, creed speaking, and job interview. Here are the results of the Hamilton FFA members who competed. Places 6th and above will be moving on to substates in March at Tully. Congratulations to all who participated! Sr. prepared public speaking: Lauren Jaquay- 1st Jr. prepared public speaking: Kallie Jaquay- 2nd Sr. extemp.: Tyler Curtis-1st Tony Casoratti- 3rd Kristi Wratten- 4th Lindsey Palmer- 7th Jr. extemp.: Monica Jones-5th Alyssa Gronland- 10th Sr. creed speaking: Morgane Kerval- 1st Job interview: Lauren Jaquay- 2nd Greg Palmer- 3rd Tony Casoratti- 7th This picture was shared with us by one of our middle school parents. She snapped this picture of her daughter, an HCS seventh grader, hard at work on some science homework between short track speedskating races at the Empire State Games in Lake Placid. Now, this is w
It's almost here....our "all hands on deck" winter festival to benefit our downstate neighbors of the East Rockaway School District. Below is a letter written by HCS Superintendent, Diana Bowers, outlining this community event. Please visit our student created and student updated website for the event at www.hcswinterfest.weebly.com for more information including the chili cook-off, 5K run, and ordering custom-made birdhouses!
Check out the article below outlining a wonderful joint effort between Hamilton PTO and our elementary classrooms at HCS!
This past January 26-27 members of the Hamilton FFA traveled to Embassy Suites in Syracuse, NY for the 360/212 Leadership Conference. On Saturday 360 Sr. High (9th thru 12th) members attended four leadership sessions at Justin’s restaurant down the road from Embassy Suites. The 212 Jr. High (6th thru 8th) members stayed at the hotel for their leadership sessions. The focus for this year conference was vision, having a clear vision of your goals and how to accomplish them. On Saturday night there was a big party for all 360/212 participants. There was a dance floor with a DJ, two mechanical bulls, quilt squares that will be made into a quilt presented at NY State Convention, customising cowboy hats, a photo booth, and themed photos in front of a green screen. On Sunday everyone returned to their previous places for two final leadership sessions before heading home.
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