August 18, 2011
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I was born and raised here on the South Shore, and I cannot image living anywhere else. Sure, every year, right around the end of February, I think about all the warmer places that I could live, but summers like the one we are enjoying this year remind me why I tolerate our often-fierce New England winters. I love summer, but as soon as I turn the page on the calendar to August, I start to get that nervous excitement about the start of another school year. It amazes me that in a little more than a week, the classrooms will again be filled with our students and the 2011-2012 school-year will have begun. Here are some things you need to know as we approach the first day of school.
Staff Changes
As most of you know, Mrs. Galluzzo, Mrs. Gonzalez and Mr. Gilliam, all said their farewells to Hull High School in June. Scott Sivo and I, along with teacher and parent volunteers, have conducted interviews throughout the past month to fill these open positions. Unfortunately, we were unable to find a qualified French teacher, so this year we will begin to phase out our French program. Students currently enrolled in French II, III, and IV will have the opportunity to finish their French studies using a virtual (on-line) classroom. However, we have hired two Spanish teachers to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn a foreign language while at Hull High School. Our two new Spanish teachers are:
- Aaron Eaton, a graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, has taught for the past three years at Nobel High School in North Berwick, ME.
- Elizabeth Wescott, a graduate of the University of Vermont, has taught at Pollard Middle School in Needham, MA, for the past year.
In addition to these outstanding additions to our faculty, I am very pleased to welcome:
- Our new music teacher, Scott Casaway, is a recent graduate of the Berklee School of Music.
- Our new special education teacher, working with our Team-Based Learning program, John Zuccaro, is a graduate of Salve Regina University, and has been teaching at Quincy High School for the past two years.
- Our new English teacher, Denille Sprague, has transferred up to the high school after teaching last year at the Memorial Middle School.
New Ways to Connect to Hull High School
This summer we have made an effort to make it easier for students, parents, and community members to keep track of what is going on at Hull High School
- The
Hull High School - The platform for these new efforts will be our new blog. This blog will be updated by members of the HHS administration when they need to share information with the community. You can follow the blog at http://www.hullhighschool.blogspot.com/.
- Facebook and Twitter
- In order to allow our blog followers to receive updates, we have linked the Hull High School Blog to both Facebook and Twitter. Please search the new
Hull High School Hull High School
Handbook and Agenda
In keeping with our desire to “Go Green”, we will not be providing hard-copies of the Hull High School Student Handbook this year. However, if a hard copy is needed we will be happy to provide you with one. Otherwise, students and parents will be able to access the handbook at the Hull High School homepage. If your child benefits from having an agenda, please purchase one for your student. However, please remember that all cell phones have a “memo” and/or “calendar” feature, and students will be encouraged to use these features to track their homework assignments and other school responsibilities.
Freshman Open House
All freshmen and their parents are invited to join us on August 23, 2011 at 6:30 PM for our annual Freshman Fall Open House. Freshmen will have a chance to find their lockers and follow their schedules throughout the building. Parents of freshmen will have the opportunity to meet some of our faculty and staff, as well as have those “last minute” questions answered. Light refreshments will be served. This is a great chance for freshmen to “get to know” our school better before they arrive on the first day of school.
Summer Reading
If your student has not already started (or completed!) his/her summer reading assignment, please encourage him/her to do so. Students who receive a “B” or better on this assignment will be able to have their lowest quiz grade in their English class dropped, and will have his/her name entered in a drawing for a new digital camera. The summer reading books and assignments can be found on our homepage.
First Day
The 2011-2012 school-year starts for all students on August 30, 2011. All students must report to their advisory (a list of all advisories will be posted in the main lobby) by 7:25AM. Please remember that we have added 10 minutes to our school day, and that dismissal is now at 2PM.
School Pictures
Hockmeyer Studios will be here on the first day of school, August 30th, to take school pictures. All students will be required to take a picture for their student ID, and, as always, families have the option of purchasing pictures of their student(s). More information will be coming from Hockmeyer Studios in the next week. Seniors who have not yet had their senior portraits taken may have them taken on the first day of school. More information regarding senior pictures will be sent in the next few weeks to parents of students in the Class of 2012.
Open House
Mark your calendars now for our annual Open House, which will take place on September 13, 2011 at 6:30 PM. The evening will begin in the Joseph Doniger Auditorium here at Hull High School Hull High School
School Council
This year, we have two parent seats on our School Council that need to be filled. The School Council advises me on issues related to the budget and policies, and, last year, helped to run our incredibly successful Quiz Night. At our Open House, the PTO will run an election to fill these two vacant seats. If you are interested in running, or would like more information about the School Council, please contact me at mdevine@town.hull.ma.us.
School Improvement Plan
If you would like to see what our school’s priorities are for the 2011-2012 school year, please take a look at our School Improvement Plan, which can be found on our high school homepage. The School Council and I developed this plan last spring, and it was approved by the School Committee in June.
Calendar
Included in this mailing is the Hull High School
Student Government
Students are reminded that the process of electing our student government will begin as soon as we return to school. There will be an informational meeting for all prospective candidates after-school on Wednesday, August 31st. Students interested in running for the following positions should be in attendance:
· Student Body President (seniors only)
· Student Council Representative (four positions per grade level)
· Class Officer (four positions per grade level)
All elections will take place during the second week of school. We strongly encourage students to consider serving the student body by running for one of these leadership roles.
As I start my third year as the principal of Hull High School
Enjoy the rest of the summer and see you soon.
Sincerely,
Michael F. Devine
Principal
