Technology Plus

The Yarmouth Technology Lead Learner teachers will be part of a K-12 technology visioning and implementation team, working closely with the three district Instructional Technology Integrators and building administrators. Selected teachers will meet monthly to discuss what is needed to keep moving forward with using technology for learning and differentiation. Team members will stay on the new team for two years, with new members being added each year.

8th grade Science and Social Studies teacher, Megan Rice, has been selected to represent HMS on this district-wide team. Her teaching and technology integration skills will make her a strong asset to this team.

Thankful Again

A heartfelt thank you goes out to Brenda Whitney and the HMS PTO! The HMS staff has yet one more reason to be thankful.

World Traveler Visits HMS

Our visitor was Bill Nichols.  He runs his own consulting company, providing marketing strategy services to financial organizations, most recently in several African countries where he also voluntereed his time & business expertise to assist non-profit organizations and NGOs.  He is an avid traveler and has visited nearly 100 countries.  In honor of Geography Awareness Week's theme this year around global interdependence, Bill prepared a fantastic presentation for the entire fifth grade entitled: "Your Rice Dinner Connects the World...in more ways than you can imagine."  Bill started with a picture of his dinner plate, filled with universal rice, spices, veggies and protein (fish in this case).  Then he traced his food to its origin, starting with the rice.  He showed the kids pictures of rice farming in several Asian and African countries he has visited as he explained the process of growing, harvesting and exporting rice. Then he used the spices, vegetables and fish from his meal to discuss the lives of the farmers who grow these crops and catch the fish, focusing on Africa.  He helped the students understand where their food comes from and how they are connected to people very different from themselves.  The students were engaged and asked thoughtful questions because there was so much to learn!

St. Bakhita Letter Exchange Continues

Last year students at HMS began a letter exchange program with the St. Bakhita Nursery and Primary School, which is located in the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement in Bweyale, Uganda. Schools for Refugees (http://schoolsforrefugees.org/) was set up by Charlie and Susan Roscoe of Yarmouth, with the goal of supporting the education of these children. Several letters have been exchanged between the two schools.

Charlie Roscoe and Bill Morrill presented information on their recent trip to St Bakhita to HMS students on 11.13. They shared pictures of the children at St. Bakhita reading letters from our students, and using the tables and chairs built with the money that HMS students raised last spring. Bosco Oringa, a former student of the school, and a recent graduate of the University of New England, joined Charlie and Bill today as a surprise guest. Our students met Bosco last year when he presented with Charlie; they were excited to see him again. 

Our HMS community continues to be enriched by the special relationship between the two schools. Our thanks to Paula Vicenzi for bringing this opportunity to HMS, and to Charlie and Susan Roscoe, Bill Morrill, and Bosco Oringa for all of their support!

HMS Book Fair

Our annual HMS Book Fair began today, and the excitement in the building was palpable! Students flocked to the library to explore possible purchases, and set aside the books they've been waiting to take home. The Book Fair will run from Monday, November 5 through Thursday, November 8, from 8:00-3:00 daily.
 
We'll host a special Book Fair Family Event on the evening of Wednesday, November 7th, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the HMS Library. Parents and children are welcome to munch on complimentary cookies and browse through this year's book fair selections. There will be a drawing for a $10 book fair gift certificate every half hour. Special items will also be available just for the evening event. We hope to see you there! 

Special thanks to all of our volunteers who help to run the fair.

Heather Shields and Jessie Alberding

All proceeds from the book fair go toward library materials and special library events.

Spooky presentation to science classes

Dr. Paolucci continued her Halloween tradition of presenting to the eighth grade science classes on the physical and chemical changes in matter. Her experiments gave our students the opportunity to witness some spooky effects, while learning about the specifics of this work.

Fond Farewell To Caroline Reinfelder

Caroline Reinfelder, valued member of our main office support staff, is beginning an exciting new venture. She'll start work at Planson International, in New Gloucester, on Monday, 11/5. Caroline's position at Planson will allow her to put her foreign language and research skills to good use, helping

the company source and supply everything from computers to bee hives for the U.N., and emerging nations in Africa and the Caribbean.

HMS students and staff wished Caroline well, and thanked her for all she has done for us over the years, during a day long celebration on Friday, 11/2 (one day was not nearly long enough to show our gratitude!). HMS and Yarmouth schools will miss Caroline so much; her new colleagues are in for a rare treat!

Then There Were Five (Really Six)

The Frank H. Harrison Middle School has been selected as an Apple Distinguished School for the 2012-2013 school year. We join 43 schools that Apple selected nationwide as exemplary learning environments and centers of innovation, leadership, and educational experience.

The selection notification says, "The administration and faculty at Frank H. Harrison Middle School have shown that they exhibit the five best practices of an Apple Distinguished School: visionary leadership, innovative learning and teaching, ongoing professional learning, compelling evidence of success, and a flexible learning environment."

"Apple has engaged with educators for over 30 years to explore and enhance the experience of teaching and learning. We believe in a world in which all learners are empowered to discover their own special genius. Our education mission is to provide a learning environment that supports the way students live and how they want to learn. We applaud schools such as Frank H. Harrison Middle School who are able to advance this mission, ensuring that all students are prepared for future success in work and life."

The fifth plaque is in the mail - Apple began awarding the plaques five years ago, a year after we were first selected as an Apple Distinguished School.