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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: