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Term 2 Report Card Letter

January 26, 2012

Dear Parents and Guardians:

It really seems hard to believe that we are at the halfway point the 2011-2012 school year.  As the Hull Times so nicely put it last week, "Hull High School is on a roll!” Last week, we were informed that Hull High School is one of seven schools nominated by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for consideration as a National Blue Ribbon School.  This nomination is an incredible honor, and has been earned by the outstanding instruction provided by our teachers, and the fantastic achievement of our students.  We have until March 2nd to complete, and submit, a very daunting application, but our entire community will pull together to show the entire country what we already know - that Hull High School is an amazing teaching and learning community, and that our students can accomplish incredible things.  However, the Hull Times did get one thing wrong - the entire Hull community earned this honor.  When students achieve great things, it is due to the efforts of the entire community, from the elementary and middle school teachers, to the community leaders and coaches and mentors, to the parents that make their children sit and do their homework each night, to the people in town that support our schools.  We are all in this together!

Home – School Communication

As you read when you received your student’s term 2 report card, this blog will now be our primary method of communication with parents and families for the remainder of the year.  This will save us a great deal of money in paper and mailing costs, but will also enable us to communicate with you in “real-time”, as opposed to waiting until a scheduled mailing.  Starting in September, our hope is to completely phase out mailings, as our new Student Information System, X2, will allow you to see your student’s report cards and progress reports on-line.  More information will be coming, but we ask that you check the Hull High School Blog on a daily basis, as everyday we will post information regarding all the great things taking place at Hull High School.

Report Cards

Term 2 report cards were sent home last week for all high school students.  Please take the time to look at this report card with your student(s).  Do you think that the grades he/she earned reflect his/her ability?  Have you seen your student doing work at home?  Have you called or emailed your student's teachers?  Please remember- the greatest way that you can help your student succeed in school is to let them know that you value their education enough to be involved, even when your child does not want you to be.

Conferences

Parent conferences are scheduled for March 1, 2012 from 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM.  To set up a conference, please email Fran Troy at ftroy@town.hull.ma.us.   In your email, please let Fran know which teachers that you would like to see.  If you do not have access to email, please call Fran at 781-925-3000 x1112.  Requests for appointments will be accepted starting Monday, February 13^th and will be handled in the order in which they are received.  No matter what grades your child earned in his/her classes, please take the time to meet with his/her teachers.

Students of the Month

Congratulations to our December Students of the Month.  These students have been selected by their teachers in recognition of their dedication, interest and hard work in their classes. They are:

Internship                                Lauren Geary

Media                                      Hailey Carlson                                   

Art                                           Josh Eliason               

Social Studies                         Robert Mueller           

Foreign Language                   Brendan Clifford

Wellness / PE                          Kathleen Dunn

Science                                    Sam Palma     

Academic Support                  Ryan O'Donnell

Math                                        Anthony Bates                       

English                                    Mackenzie Gamble                

Music                                      Michael (Che) Buckley

Student - Athlete                    Lyndsey Capen

Nickelodeon

Two weeks ago, a production team from Nickelodeon spent three days with us at Hull High School, interviewing staff members and students, and spending time at our first Pirate Fun Night, and at a basketball game.  They were here to do a story on our students and their fundraising efforts to keep our athletic program alive.  We are thrilled that they saw the efforts of our students as newsworthy, and they will be running the story sometime in March.  As soon as we know the date, we will let you know.

Graduation

As we start the second semester, we are already making plans for the graduation of the Class of 2012.  The 54th annual Hull High School Commencement Exercises will take place on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 1 PM on the Athletic Field.  The Class of 2012 has invited Mr. Joseph Menice to be the commencement speaker, and he has graciously accepted.  More information will be coming soon, and a letter, with more specific details, will be sent to parents and guardians of seniors within the next month.

2012-2013 Student Handbook and Program of Studies

This is also the time that we start to look at the policies and proceeds, and course offerings that we will recommend to the Hull School Committee for next year.  In order to make this as an inclusive process as possible, I am asking that you let your voice be heard!  If you have suggestions regarding the academic offerings or about how we do things here at HHS, I am asking that you share these with me: via email, a letter, phone call or in person.  All recommended changes will be brought before the HHS School Council, but you also have a say.

As I type this letter, it seems strange to me that we will not make 350 copies of it, fold them, stuff them, and mail them.  Technology has changed the way we do so much in our lives, and now we will use technology to communicate with you.  As always, I welcome your feedback, and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Michael F. Devine

Michael F. Devine

Principal

Hull High School

HHS Boys' Basketball Hosts Cub Scout Troop 21

                                   Pirates past, present, and future joined up on the basketball court this past Sunday.


The Hull Boys' Varsity Basketball team hosted Cub Scouts Pack 21 on Sunday night at their practice. The Cub Scout watched some of the boys' practice and then got out and played basketball with the Pirates. On Friday, the Cub Scouts will be our guests as the Pirates host Carver High School.

Don't Forget to Order Your 2012 Yearbook!

It's not too late.  You can still order your 2012 yearbook at http://www.ybpay.com/.  In order to ensure you sill receive a yearbook this year, your order must be submitted by February 13th.  Don't miss out!  Also, seniors have received a form for a PDA (Parental Display of Affection).  Parents, or guardians, or grandparents, etc. may send a special note to their graduating senior that will appear in the yearbook.  Don't delay, the deadline for this to be returned to Mrs. Canniff MacKenzie is also February 13th.  Don't delay! 

Congratulations to Devonte Riley for...

... receiving an honorable mention in the Boston Globe Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition.  Devonte was recognized for his drawing Mother Hen. 
Way to go, Devonte!

Thank you, Ms. Held, for all your great teaching and for submitting student work to this competiton.

Schedule Changes

Students have until Friday, February 3rd to make changes to their second semester classes.  Schedule change request forms are available in the guidance office.  Many classes are already full and requests will be granted on a first come first serve basis.  All schedule changes require a parent signature before they will be processed.

Students should see their counselor with any questions.

Pirate Fun Night: A Huge Success

On Wednesday, January 11 the varsity cheerleaders, and boy's and girls' basketball teams hosted elementary school aged children for a Pirate Fun Night fundraiser. Activities included: movies, coloring, face painting, board games, ball games, lego stations, wii and more. Camera crews from Nickelodeon were on site throughout the night because our student-athletes are being featured on Nick News with Linda Ellerbee, due to their fundraising efforts to support our athletic department.

The night was a huge success as 275 elementary students filled the gymnasium. Our Hull High School students and staff did an amazing job working with such a large group, but enough cannot be said about the amazing behavior and attitude of the Jacobs School students in attendance. They truly made this a special experience for all involved. Pirate Fun Night could be a wonderful new tradition, which could carry on for years to come.

A special thanks goes out to the following staff and community members for making this event possible:
Ms. Penta
Mr. Shaw
Ms. Desmond
Ms. Walper
Mrs. Connors
Ms. Londergan
Mr. Campbell
The Hull Boosters

Please enjoy the following pictures from Pirate Fun Night courtesy of John Lidington:

Hull Has Amazing Fans!

OK - I promised John that I would post this picture on the blog.  A shout out to Danny, behind us trying to get in the picture.  One of the best parts of my job is spending time with students at athletic and social events.  Mr. Sivo, Coach Q and I have set very clear expectations for the students and they always (well, almost always) live up to these expectations.  We laugh, talk, joke and just have a lot of fun.  All in all – not a bad way to spend a Friday or Tuesday night.

I hope to see you at the next home game!

Second Semester Schedules

Second semester schedules will be available for pick-up outside the cafeteria tomorrow (Wednesday, January, 18th) during lunches.  Schedule change forms will be available in the guidance office begining tomorrow.  All changes must be made by Friday, February 3rd.  Only second semester classes can be changed at this time.

Transcript Requests for Scholarships

Now that many of you have finished your college applications, you'll likely begin the scholarship search.  Many of these scholarships will require you to send in a transcript and/or counselor letter of recommondation.  We have now moved the transcript request process online to Family Connection.  Below are instructions on how to request a transcript.  Please give us at least 3 days to process the request and send out the transcript!

After logging on to Family Connection and clicking on the Colleges tab, do the following:

Step 1:  Click on "transcripts" under the resources link on the left side of the page.

Step 2:  Click on "Request transcripts for scholarships or athletics"

Step 3:  Fill out the form. 

Special Instructions:

1. If you are mailing it in with your application please put your own name as the recipient.  We will put it in a sealed envelope and get it to you during school.
2. If the organization would like your senior year grades to be included, please click the box that says "mid-year transcript."  A copy of your term 2 report card will be sent with it.
3. If it requires anything else from guidance (letter of recommendation, additional paperwork to be filled out, unofficial copies of test scores, etc.) please write this in the "Other notes" section.  Give any paperwork to your counselor or Mrs. Troy in the guidance office.

Step 4:  Click "Add transcript requests" at the bottom of the page.

After the Request: Your counselor will either mail the transcript and materials directly to the organization or give you a copy to mail in on your own. You can track the status of your request underthe transcipts link on Family Connection. 

See your counselor with any questions.

Tonight's School Council Meeting - Cancelled

Tonight's scheduled School Council Meeting is cancelled.  Our next meeting will take place on February 7, 2012 at 6:30 PM in the HHS library.

Sorry for any inconvenience that this may have caused.

Congratulations to our December Students of the Month!

Internship                     Lauren Geary

Media                           Hailey Carlson                      

Art                                Josh Eliason                

Social Studies              Robert Mueller  

Foreign Language        Brendan Clifford

Wellness / PE               Kathleen Dunn

Science                         Sam Palma

Academic Support       Ryan O'Donnell

Math                             Anthony Bates            

English                         Mackenzie Gamble              

Music                           Michael (Che) Buckley

Student - Athlete         Lyndsey Capen

Congratulations to Our Pirates Hockey Team!

If you haven't already seen it in tonight's Patriot Ledger, click on the link below to read a great article about our Pirates Hockey Team.

Keep up the all your efforts, Pirates!!

http://www.patriotledger.com/topstories/x2129631443/New-Hull-High-hockey-coach-charts-course-for-Pirates

School Council Meeting Moved

Tonight's scheduled School Council meeting has been moved to Tuesday January 17th at 6:30 PM in the high school library.  The following items will be discussed:

1.      Hull High School Updates

2.      A district-wide school council meeting

3.       The 2012-2013 Student Handbook

4.      The District Curriculum Accommodation Plan (DCAP)

5.      Quiz Night

All are welcome and encouraged to attend and participate. I hope to see you there!

Great Article on Dealing with the College Rejection

  My "second choice school," Miami University  One of the most difficult parts of senior year for many students is when they aren't accepted to a school they had their heart set on.  Many of us, myself included, experienced this when we were in high school.  No matter how many adults offer advice like "When one door closes, another one opens" or "What's meant to be will be," there is often little that can be said to soften the blow. In the end I believe most of the kids will end up exactly where they are supposed to be.  It's not about what school is the "best," but which one is the "best fit."  Many of us "rejects" went on to have a great experience at our second choice and wouldn't trade it for anything! Here is a link to an article from The Wall Street Journal about some pretty successful people who were denied from their first choice and how the rejection changed the trajectory of their life.  Thanks to one of our awesome parents for sending this my way! After the College Rejection - Wall Street Journal



Pirate Fun Night!

On Wednesday, January 11 at 5:45 p.m., the varsity cheerleaders, and boy's and girls' basketball teams will host elementary school aged children for a Pirate Fun Night fundraiser. Children will be charged a $3 entry fee for activity running from 5:45 through 8:30. Activities will include: movies, coloring, face painting, board games, ball games, lego stations, wii and more. Camera crews from Nickelodeon will be on site throughout the night as our student-athletes are being featured on Nick News with Linda Ellerbee for their fundraising efforts to support our athletic department.

Parents are encouraged to drop children off at Fun Night and attend the Memorial Middle School Concert that is being held in the Joseph Doniger Auditorium at Hull High School at 7:00. Children will be supervised by high school student-athletes, Coaches and Hull Boosters' Club members.

Class Cup Update (Challenge 6 of 12)

We are half of the way through the 2011-2012 Class Cup competition.  With the conclusion of the NHS/Student Council Food and Clothing Drive, points have been awarded for the first six challenges this year.

The results for the food and clothing drive were as follows:

1st Place:   Sophomores  4 pts

2nd Place:  Seniors  3 pts

3rd Place:  Freshmen  2 pts

4th Place:  Juniors  1 pt

Class Cup Standings  (6 of 12 Challenges Complete)

Seniors   17 pts

Freshmen  16 pts

Sophomores 14 pts

Juniors  13 pts

Next Challenge (7 of 12):

Which class will have the highest percentage of their class on the term two honor roll?

SAT Test Prep

We recently passed back the PSAT to all our 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students and one of the biggest questions we were asked was "How do I improve my scores?" 

For ninth and tenth grade students we would suggest that they open a College Board account and take advantage of all the free online practice questions.  Their PSAT score card gives them an access code to the site that will set them up with an individualized study plan.  It also allows them to pull up the PSAT questions they answered incorrectly so they can find out why they got it wrong.  www.collegeboard.org/quickstart

For eleventh graders the fastest and most significant way to improve scores is to register in a prep course.  Below are links to three different companies that have group classes or private tutoring in the area.  These classes usually begin about 6 weeks before a scheduled SAT day and will include many practice tests.  They tend to be expensive, but we would encourage you to call the company and see if they have any reduced rates and/or scholarship opportunities.  Many of the companies also offer an online class which might be a good option for those students with busy schedules.

Revolution Prep - http://www.revolutionprep.com/

Princeton Review - http://www.princetonreview.com/

Kaplan - http://www.kaptest.com/