Holy oke P ublic Sc ho ols Connections Holyoke Public Schools Volume 14, Issue 3 Spring 2016 Artist: Destiny Franco A Community Working Together An Open Letter to the Holyoke School Community Celebrating Teaching and Learning By Dr. Stephen Zrike, Receiver Holyoke Families and Community Members, Donahue Student Artist: Siannah Santos It has been a privilege celebrating the talented students and staff in the Holyoke Public Schools over the last few months. In March we were able to recognize seven staff members who were awarded the Howard Grinspoon Award for Excellence in the Pioneer Valley. As we celebrated and honored these Inside this issue: teachers, I couldn’t help but think that these awards could have been given to countless teachers across HPS. All year I have watched our teachers go to great lengths to connect with families, exten- sively plan lessons to reach all students, provide an embrace or words of encouragement to a reluctant Announcements 2-4 learner and remain open-minded about our turnaround work. Our most critical asset is our staff and we are committed to continuing to develop, support and advocate for their success with our city’s School News 4-11 children. Athletics and 12 At the same time, we must also highlight the extraordinary talents of our young people. In the last few After School months, our students have been celebrated for: their induction to the National Honor Society, their performance on last year’s MCAS assessment, excellence in athletics, a critically acclaimed perfor- Spanish 13-16 mance of Shrek, their art work at the annual Heritage Park show and outstanding achievement in the career technical fields. These are just some of the many examples of students sharing their brilliance across the Holyoke Public Schools. There is much to build and grow on as we begin planning for the 2016-17 school year. We have com- Edition Highlights: pleted a series of important and exhaustive reviews of our special education programming, our services for English Language Learners, and our central office design. These reviews have revealed opportuni- ● Excellence in Teaching Awards ties for us to better serve our students. Specifically, we have committed resources to: providing ● Register for Pre-K and schools with additional discretionary funds to support their full school day plans, launching an aggres- Kindergarten Today! sive campaign to retain our best educators and recruit talent to Holyoke, and improving technology access for students and staff. We continue to invest in the early childhood experience through the ● Join the HPS Team of Educators! expansion of preschool seats, introduction of project-based curriculum and a stronger orientation to our schools. Our secondary redesign efforts are focused on establishing a personalized 9th grade acad- ● HHS National Honor emy at Holyoke High, increasing early college options for students and designing multiple pathways for Society Inductees student success across both high school campuses. Finally, we value providing our families with multi- ● Dean’s Destination ple choices for their child’s education. We continue to expand the dual language program at Metcalf Graduation by growing to second grade and adding a preschool option for interested families. Additionally, we ● Autism Awareness have launched an exciting personalized pathway program (P3) at Peck that is open to all 6th and 7th grad- ers from across the District. This approach uses the power of one-to-one technology to provide stu- dents with an individualized learning experience that includes project-based time, mentoring, interven- tion/acceleration and enrichment. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we take bold and innovative steps to trans- form the teaching experience for our educators and the learning experience for our students. We are committed to ensuring that the Holyoke Schools are the first choice for our city’s families. Receive updates on district news, view videos and photos! Like us www.Facebook.com/HolyokePublicSchoolsLike us www.Facebook.com/HolyokePublicSchools Follow us https://twitter.com/HPSHOLYOKEFollow us https://twitter.com/HPSHOLYOKE Holyoke Public Schools—Visit us on the web at: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us Page 2 Connections Mission Statement The mission of the Apply today to join the Holyoke Public Schools team of educators! Holyoke Public Schools is to provide Learn more at www.teachwesternmass.com educational opportunities for all students to reach their full potential in a safe, secure, healthy 9th Grade Academy Open House learning environment while valuing diversity May 11, 2016 at 5:45 PM in the Holyoke High School Auditorium and promoting (For 8th graders who are starting as high school freshmen in 2016) responsible citizenship. Receive a tour of the school, meet members of clubs and athletic teams Pre-K and Kindergarten—Register Today! Holyoke School Committee Pre-K children must be 4 years old and Kindergarten children must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2016 Mayor Alex Morse Dennis Birks SEE PAGE 4 Erin Brunelle FOR MORE DETAILS, INCLUDING SCHEDULE OF John Brunelle INFORMATION SESSIONS William Collamore Nyles Courchesne ANNE CULLEN PRIZE RECIPIENTS Irene Feliciano-Sims Anne Cullen was a dedicated teacher of Holyoke Public School (HPS) students for thirty years. Throughout her Mildred Lefebvre career as an educator, she exhibited a consistent commitment to strive to give the best to all of her students. Devin Sheehan In honor of her example, the Anne Cullen Prize for Teaching Excellence recognizes outstanding teachers in Rosalee Tensley Mathematics and other disciplines. Award recipients exemplify and embody the belief that all students can achieve success. The HPS teachers that were selected as recipients include: Roseanne Caracciolo, David Cayer, Williams Kari Courchesne, Lindsay Hall, Erin Hanley, Karen Kent, Katherine King, Ashley Kulik, Tamara Lindskog, Michelle Longey, Amy Piedra, Manes Pierre, Kathleen Plasse, Yajaira Rodriguez, Julie Rohan and Dustin Rose. These educators taught at the HPS April Acceleration Academy. Connections Newsletter Edited by: Judy Taylor [email protected] Translated by: Luz Aguilar and Jacqueline Escalera “What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven't even happened yet.” - Anne Frank Holyoke Public Schools—Visit us on the web at: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us Page 3 Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award The prestigious 2016 Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award (PVEIT) was presented to the following seven Holyoke Public Schools educators on Thursday, March 5th: Destinee Meeker (McMahon School) Annemarie Khalil (Morgan School) Erin Hanley (Kelly School) Korri Flynn (Lawrence School) Margaret Miller (Sullivan School) Mary Wright (Donahue School) Nicole Horton (Holyoke High School) Excited family members and district administrators surprised the educators with balloons, flowers, and award certificates. To learn more about this year’s recipients and view video coverage of this exciting event, visit: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/grinspoon.htm. Left to right Top row: Korri Flynn, Nicole Horton; Annemarie Khalil Middle row: Mary Wright, Erin Hanley; Bottom row: Destinee Meeker , Margaret Miller The PVEIT Award provides recipients with $500 cash, an engraved plaque, a three month YMCA and Springfield JCC membership, two tickets to a celebratory dinner at the Log Cabin, an invitation from WGBY to take an online course, and $100 scholarships from local universities towards graduate courses. Holyoke Public Schools—Visit us on the web at: http://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us Page 4 ConnectionsConnections Sullivan Educator Honored for Teaching Excellence Kelly Doktor, second-grade teacher at Sullivan Elementary School, was honored for the Teaching Excellence for Americanism and Patriotism Award by the Hampden County District 7 Veterans of Foreign Wars in a ceremony in Ludlow on March 8th. Doktor was one of five teachers, and the only one from Holyoke, to receive this award representing the 23 cities and towns in Hampden County. Her work in the classroom promoting civics and government by recognizing patriotic holidays through read-alouds and activities, as well as her volunteer work for the VFW organiza- tion in the community, had earned this nomination. Along with certificates from the Massachusetts Left to right: Eric Segundo, Massachusetts VFW Statehouse and the VFW and a cash award, she is now eligible for the Massachusetts Teaching Vice Commander; Kelly Doktor, Brian Willette, Excellence for Americanism and Patriotism Award which will be announced at the VFW State Purple Heart Recipient and Commander of the Convention on June 10th. Congratulations Ms. Doktor! Holyoke VFW and Julie Mason, Ladies Auxiliary. Students Perform at Western Massachusetts Junior District Festival By Amanda Metcalfe Music In Our Schools Month was alive and well in the performance hall at Minnechaug Regional High School on Saturday, March 19th. Three middle school students from Lt. Clayre P. Sullivan School proudly represented Holyoke as they performed amidst hundreds of peers from Longmeadow, Amherst, and other surrounding communities at the Western Massachusetts Junior District Festival! Students Jalen Cortes (grade 8) and Sixto Morera (grade 6) performed in the Young Men’s festival chorus, while student Bridie Bowler (grade 6) performed in the Young Women’s treble festival chorus. Students delivered a Student performers (left-to-right) include: Sixto powerful performance to a packed