HMS UPDATE
December Newsletter
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Tis' the season of giving at HMS as students have been active in helping others in need through their participation in two successful collection programs.
All three elementary schools joined together in providing gifts for Sussex County foster children. Students in K-3, donated toys, games and gifts for children of all ages, while HMS students donated over $2000 in gift cards for older children. This event was a great success, and it culminated in a tri-school gift wrapping Service Night. It was wonderful to see so many families helping to wrap and sort the gifts.
The other major collection we were involved in was the Tilly's Kids toy drive. This collection benefited students from several schools and shelters in Newark.
Both efforts serve as testaments to the generosity and compassion of the Spartan community and hopefully demonstrate for our students the power in helping others in need. For more information on these drives, check out the articles in this newsletter's "In the News" section down below.
Wishing all of our students, staff, and their families a restful, peaceful and joyful holiday break.
Proudly,
Doug Layman
Principal
UPCOMING EVENTS (also posted on website calendar):
December
26-31: No School
January
2: No School
3/4: Explorations Begins
8: Harlem Wizards
12: Chorus Concert @ SHS, 7pm
13: PTO Meeting, 9:30am
16: No School
27: End of MP2
Meet the Teacher....
This month: Ms. Karin Kratina
1. Who is your favorite artist?
It's too hard to choose just one artist , but on the top of my favorite list are, John Singer Sargent, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Alice Neel. I'm fortunate that my job allows me to associate vicariously with some of the most remarkable men and women who ever lived.
2. What museum- anywhere in the world- would you recommend for our students to visit?
I recommend the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC and locally the Montclair Art Museum for my students to visit.
3. What is your favorite art project at HMS?
My all time favorite project at HMS was Folk Art Santas and Wizards. This was a sculpture project that was doable when art class met for 70 minutes once a week. Parents still comment and share photos of this project on display in their home during the holidays, even though their children are now adults.
4. How do you respond to the child (or adult) who says, "I'm not a good artist"?
My first response when someone says, " I'm not good at art" is to ask them if they would tell the coach of a sport they play that they are no good. They always answer no. I ask , "how would you get better" and of course they say"practice". I tell them it's the same with art. The more you do the better you get.
This same question was addressed in the blog, The Art of Education this week. Art educator Lindsay Moss said "Well. thankfully art is a lot like athletics...innate talent is just a tiny piece of success, it's mostly just a lot of practice with a highly qualified coach."
5. Which form of art do you find to be the most rewarding (or relaxing)?
One of my favorite media to work with is clay. I also enjoy making altered and artists' books. I have been studying Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arrangement, for many years. Ikebana is like a poem or painting made with flowers. It expresses the beauty of flowers and the arranger's spirit.
HMS LEGO ROBOTICS
Class Instagrams!
hmschoollibrary
hmsroom9 (Hyland)
hmsroom37 (Caputo)
hmsroom27 (LaBell)
hmsroom7 (Zoeller)
hmsroom36 (Sawicki)
hmsroom33 (Feldmann)
spartastep345
HMS Strings Winter Concert Success!
HMS PHOTO ALBUM
Using base-ten blocks for working with fractions
Students using classroom document cameras
Backstage at the strings concert
Tuba Christmas at Rockefeller Center
The Lego Lords tackle the slalom course
The Albert Legostein team watches their robot navigate a tough course
The Lego Bulldog team makes programming changes for their robot
The Great Eight's robot tackles the mission field
Team Short Circuit gets ready to take on another mission
Collecting donated gifts for Tilly's Kids toy drive
That's a wrap! The tri-school toy drive's family wrapping night.
5th Grade Band Rehearsal
Mrs. Curtis, Leader of the Band
The HMS Main Office's Mannequin Challenge
Yearbook for 4th grader?
SPARTA COMMUNITY FLYERS
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Helen Morgan School
Email: doug.layman@sparta.org
Website: hms.sparta.org
Location: Sparta, NJ
Phone: 973.729.5770