Mr. Devine's October Newsletter

October 7, 2011

Dear Parents and Guardians:

This past Wednesday was our Second Annual Advisory Kick-off Day, and I had the opportunity to spend the entire day with the Class of 2015, our freshman class. Our sophomores were doing community service at the senior housing and the Sunset Point Camp here in Hull, while our juniors and seniors were visiting colleges and cultural sights in Boston.  This was my first opportunity to really get to know our freshmen, and I was so impressed by their humor, unity, friendliness, and spirit.  I have no doubt that they will, like the other students here at Hull High School, do great things during their time with us.

As always, there is a great deal taking place at Hull High School.  Here are just a few things to draw to your attention:

PROGRESS REPORTS

Enclosed in this mailing is your student’s term one progress report.  The grades that are shown on this report are not final grades.  There are still four weeks left in term one.  If you are satisfied with your student’s grades, encourage them to keep up their efforts, and strive for even better!  If you are not satisfied with your student’s grades, please email your student’s teacher(s) to see what can be done to raise that grade before the end of the term.  Don’t forget that teachers post homework assignments on their websites, so you can always check and see if your student is being completely honest when they tell you, “I have no homework tonight.” 

GUIDANCE COUNSELORS

In the next few weeks, we will say goodbye to one of our guidance counselors, and welcome back to another counselor.  Mrs. Kate LaVigne will be leaving us in two weeks, as she takes on the toughest job in the world:  full-time mom.  I have worked with Mrs. LaVigne for more than 6 years, and I will greatly miss her honesty, intelligence, and student-centered approach to every decision. 

Taking her place is Mrs. Maureen Kelliher.  Mrs. Kelliher worked as a guidance counselor and Director of Guidance at Abington and Norwell High Schools, and, during the 2009-2010 school year, worked at Hull High School as the guidance counselor for our seniors.  Mrs. Kelliher is an outstanding guidance counselor and will be working with all students currently assigned to Mrs. LaVigne.  As sorry as we are to see Mrs. LaVigne leave us, we are tremendously excited to welcome Mrs. Kelliher back to Hull High School.

NEASC VISIT

In less than 30 days we will begin our NEASC Accreditation Visit.  On November 6^th, a team of 16 educators from throughout New England will join us for our NEASC accreditation visit.  They will be here for four days and will speak to teachers, students, parents, and community members to judge how well we are doing as a school.  I need your help.  On Sunday, November 6^th, we will host an opening reception for the team.   Within the next two weeks, you will be contacted by a member of the School Council asking you to attend this opening event and, if you are able, to help provide light refreshments for our guests.  Please join us that night.  Remember – you only get one chance at a first impression, and Sunday, November 6^th is our chance to shine!  I am asking that every family send at least one representative to this reception.  I want the folks from NEASC to see that Hull is a community that cares about its children and their education.  I want them to be amazed by the turnout for an academic event.  We have all seen that this town comes out in droves to important athletic events, now let’s show them that we all come out for important academic events, too. 

PSATs

On Wednesday, October 12, all our freshman, sophomores, and juniors will take the PSATs here at Hull High School. This test is an excellent opportunity to prepare to take the SATs, and is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship competition.  In their advisories, all underclassmen have been educated about this test, and informed of its seriousness.   I ask that you echo this message at home and encourage your student to do their best on this important exam.

HULL HIGH SCHOOL BLOG

In order to make it easier for students, parents, and community members to keep track of what is going on at Hull High School, we are now utilizing different forms of social media to get important information out to the public.  Please join us on the web to hear about the great things happening here at our school.

• 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 fan page on Facebook and “like” us.  You can also follow the blog, via Twitter, by following us at @HullHighSchool.

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

Each month we recognize students, selected by their teachers, as our Students of the Month.  These students are chosen for their hard work, enthusiasm, seriousness, and/or improvement in their classes.  We honor these students each month at a breakfast at the school, and have their names prominently displayed in our school.  This year, we will also post the names of these outstanding students on our blog.   Congratulations to these students for receiving this honor.  They are:

Internship                       Katie Manning

Media                            Michael Buckley

Art                                 Lydia Roman

Social Studies                Natalie Smith

Foreign Language           Raven Dunstan

Wellness / PE                 James French

Science                          Cassedy Gwynn

Academic Support         Lydia Roman

Math                             Noah Kellem

English                           Baylie Symanski

Music                            Alyssa Steen

Student – Athlete           Christopher Shaffer

AP SCHOLARS AND NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP COMMENDED STUDENTS

Congratulations to our students who have received national recognition for their scores on the PSATs and Advanced Placement exams.  AP Scholars have received a score of at least 3 (out of a possible 5) on 3 or more AP exams.  National Merit Scholarship Commended Students are honored for earning exceptional PSAT scores.  The names of these students can also be found on the Hull High School blog.

FLU CLINIC

Once again, the Board of Health and the School Department are working together to provide seasonal flu vaccine to students.  If you wish to have your child receive the vaccine at school, please complete the enclosed consent form and return it to the school nurse.

I find it hard to believe that we have already completed more than 25 days of school.  The year is already flying by!  I look forward to seeing you out at the athletic fields, around town and, most importantly, at our NEASC Opening Reception on November 6^th.