HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS
Homer Middle School, May, 2016
From the Principal
Happy May!
May is here and in just a few weeks, we will be saying goodbye to our 8th grade students. I am sure many of them are ready to spend the next four years in high school and will hopefully look back and have fond memories of HMS. On the last day of school, we will have our End of the Year BBQ, Yearbook distribution and have an informal end of day assembly to honor our 8th grade students and give them their final send off. We will end with our traditional Circle Sit.
Prior to the last day of school there are many events occurring, so be sure to look at the Dates to Remember section and add them to your calendar. I also want to remind our students and parents May 2-6 is Teacher Appreciation Week. Please be sure to thank your teachers for everything they do for you!
Homer Middle School is also saying goodbye to one of our long time faculty members. Linda Rourke is retiring, and May 25th will be her last day. Be sure to stop by to thank her for her many years of service. I would like to congratulate Lisa Fellows who will be the new guidance counselor and interventionist. We are fortunate to have one of our own to assist with a smooth transition. We would like to also welcome Andrea Price to the Husky Team; she will be our new Resource Teacher.
Thank you for your continued support to make HMS a Great School!
Kari Dendurent, HMS Principal
DATES TO REMEMBER
May 3 HMS Spring Concert
May 3 & 4 Performance Series Testing Language Arts
May 4 EARLY RELEASE DAY
May 5 Math Meet
May 6 7th Grade Field Trip
May 6 Nikiski Invitational Track Meet
May 9 7th Grade Field Trip
May 9 Site Council 3:30
May 10 & 11 Performance Series Testing Math
May 13 Activity Night 6:30
May 14-15 Track Borough Finals @ SOHI
May 18 LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!
May 19 Last Teacher Work Day
H.O.W.L Expeditions 2016
TRIPS are limited to 12 students. Questions? Contact Loreta at 399-HOWL (4695)
EARLY Release Schedule
MAY 4TH
*No Music*
1st & 2nd Per 8:30-9:15
3rd Per 9:19-10:04
4th Per 10:08-10:53
5th Per 10:57-11:42
LUNCH 11:42-12:07
6th Per 12:11-12:56
7th Per 1:00-1:45
7th Grade Field Trip
The 7th grade team is working on setting up field trip days for Friday, May 6 and Monday, May 9. This year we will be doing the beach census surveys and the cold-water survival, and, new this year, a field trip to Island and Ocean visitor center for a climate change program presented by Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.
VISUAL FEAST the 27th Annual KPBSD Juried Student Art Show
FIRST PLACE
"Swift as a Koi Fish", by Grace Cordell
"Burnt Cards", by Katelyn Engebretsen
"A Fish Journey", by Laura Inama
"Spades", by Ella Blanton-Yourkowski
The Visual Celebration
On display in Kenai for the month of April, the show seeks to accomplish the following goals in order to advocate and support visual arts programs in the KPBSD;
- To showcase the best art work created throughout the year in a classroom setting;
- To reflect sound learning of art techniques, concepts, standards and visual literacy;
- To display juried art work in a professional gallery setting;
Works submitted will be judged by a panel of professional artists for awards.
· Original, distinctive and unique
· Technical excellence in design, composition and form
· Superior craftsmanship
· Unique, personal sensibility to the particular medium
The show was held at the Kenai Art Guild Gallery on Cook Street in Kenai for the month of April.
Prizes
Each First Place winner will receive a package of markers, some drawing pencils and a hard bound sketch notebook. The Middle School Best of Show winner will receive a $25 gift certificate.
We are proud to announce that the following 7th grade art students have been given an award for their outstanding art pieces:
Grace Cordle-1st Place
Ella Blanton Yourkowski-2nd Place
Laura Inama-Honorable Mention
Kately Englebretsen-Honorable Mention
There's Always Something Interesting Going on in Science!
The 8th Grade Engineering Challenge
In Ms. Booz’s 8th grade science lab, the annual Bridge Design & Build Project was wrapping up with the ever popular load test. All bridges had to meet the same design specifications; weight, materials used, dimensions, etc., then each bridge was subjected to continually increasing load until…crushed.
This year's load winners:
1st Place Noah Fisk 121.6 pounds
2nd Place Jonathan Raymond 111.2 pounds
3rd Place Reece Young 86.3 pounds
Abby Middleton won "Most Efficient Design"
Kelli Bishop's bridge was voted "Most Favorite"
NEWS RELEASE Twelve students present their innovative ideas in live competition, for 25K in cash awards
Kenai Peninsula Borough Students making a difference
After several rounds of judging, the top 12 ideas were presented in a live competition, before a panel of community judges.
· In first place, Evangeline & Marguerite Cox [Nikiski Middle-High School] claimed $1,600 with “Breath for Pets.” Their project places pet oxygen masks in the hands of first responders on the Kenai Peninsula. “Animals are a big part of our lives, not just domestic pets but wildlife as well, and these respirators can save both in emergency situations,” said Evangeline.
· Second place and earning $1,100 is freshman Hunter Hanson [Kenai Central High School] who plans to put drones into service for environmental research, “My plan is to use drones to survey moose on the Kenai Peninsula using thermal imaging,” said Hunter.
· Third place and claiming a $900 prize is Alicia Steiner [Homer High School] who is implementing a program at her school to reduce Styrofoam tray waste, “My project is to limit the amount of Styrofoam trays by implementing ‘Tray-less Tuesday’ which is one day of the week that we don’t use any Styrofoam only paper products,” said Steiner.
· Fourth place and claiming $750 is Rowan Biessel [Homer High School], whose idea is to install algae photo bioreactors in buildings on the Kenai to combat climate change.
· Fifth place and winning $650 is Victoria Giles [Soldotna Prep] who wants to convert common trash into energy with a bio-digester that could be used in homes or landfills.
· Sixth place and winning $550 is Jacob Nabholz [Kenai Central High School] who is teaching the bio-cultural connection between people and nature by learning the meaning of ancient language of our host Dena’ina culture that reveals knowledge of local ecology.
“I am very proud of all the finalists for Caring for the Kenai,” said Sean Dusek, superintendent. “This program allows the students and staff in our district to extend learning beyond the classroom in a meaningful way. These types of projects are the true measure of education in our district and exemplify what is happening on a daily basis in our classrooms. Congratulations to all of the participants and I look forward to the students taking the next step with their projects by making them happen in our communities.”
HUSKIES SPORTS PAGE
Huskies' Wrestlers Take Top Honors at State
Mina Cavasos and Sadie Blake each placed 1st in their weight class
Mose Hayes placed 1st in Folkstyle
Please, extend your congratulations to these athletes when you see them -- we're talking about STATE here, people!!
***HOMER MIDDLE SCHOOL NURSE'S CORNER***
IMMUNIZATION UPDATE -- It’s time to check your child’s immunization record again!
If your child is due for a booster over the summer, I will be sending out reminder letters in the mail as the summer gets closer.
The places in Homer that provide immunizations are:
Homer Public Health Center-235-8857 Sliding scale, does not bill insurance, Medicaid accepted. No one is refused service for inability to pay.
Safeway Pharmacy-226-1060 Call for information
Private Providers
Homer Medical Clinic 235-8586
Kachemak Bay Medical Clinic 235-7000
Seldovia Village Tribe Clinic 226-2228
Parents need to accompany their child, and to bring the child’s yellow shot record. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me or them.
Happy Summer!!
Janette Latimer R.N.
Homer Middle School Nurse
235-5711
Can you believe it is Spring?!
What a great time to remind your teenager to “Play it Safe!”
Bike helmets are a simple way to prevent many head injuries. Skateboarding helmets and gear prevent many more injuries. Simply getting an adequate amount of sleep (Middle school students need about 9 hours each night for peak performance at school!) and eating a healthy breakfast can help your child stay healthy. Set an example for your teen by putting on your own helmet, strapping on that personal floatation device, and taking care of yourself. Remember that actions speak volumes!
Helmets are also available at the Homer Fire Hall.
School Contacts
Kari Dendurent, Principal -kdendurent@kpbsd.org
Marilyn Wythe, Secretary – mwythe@kpbsd.org
Linda Rourke, Counselor – lrourke@kpbsd.org
Janette Latimer, Nurse – jlatimer@kpbsd.org
500 Sterling Highway
Homer, AK 99603
235-5700/fax 235-2513
Email: mwythe@kpbsd.org
Website: http://homermiddleschool.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/
Location: 500 Sterling Hwy, Homer, AK, United States
Phone: (907)235-5700 (907)235-2513