KP Connection
October 20, 2017
Need to Know Dates
Saturday - 10/21 - KP Color Run - 10 - 11:30AM (registration is at 9:30)
Monday - 10/23 - Rotation 1 Ends
Wednesday - 10/25 - Public Library Cards for 8th grade Students
Thursday - 10/26 - QuEST SeaTea Improv - 11:45AM to 2:30PM
Friday - 10/27 - High School Options Fair for 8th graders - 8 to 11:00am
Thursday - 11/2 - Midfest Orchestra to Hall HS - 8:15AM - 2:30PM
Thursday - 11/2 - Midfest Band to Conard - 8:15AM to 2:30PM
Friday - 11/3 - KP Cares Fundraiser Dance - 7PM
Saturday - 11/4 - MS State Cross Country - 10:30AM to 3PM
School News
Lead Learner Highlights
Dear KP Families,
It has been quite the week. We have had renown artist and parent, Amy Genser collaborating with our 7th-grade art students on an amazing paper quilling piece which is sure to have an influence as they complete their own quilling pieces. Our Cross Country Intramural is running up a storm, and our students are supporting Breast Cancer awareness by buying pink bracelets. We are excited about our 1st Color Run event tomorrow, for what now will be an exciting event for our KP Community. We have 140 registered runners comprised of students, families, and staff. Thank you to those of you who volunteered to bring food, help with setup, registration, and/or cleanup. It's not too late to participate. You can register for $30. It is going to be so much fun.
This month is National Bullying Prevention Month. In addition to the work we've been doing in morning advisory to discuss respect, empathy, and kindness, we would like to unite as a school and celebrate Unity Day by wearing orange as a community on Oct. 25, to stand united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. We would love to have you join as well and feel free share your photo wearing orange at work, at home, or anywhere else you travel to support Unity Day. Please send your photos to marc_kotler@whps.org.
Congratulations
Congratulations to 8th grader Simon R. for being selected as the Top Choice in the ASAP! 7th Annual Celebration of Young Photographers. He was chosen out of nearly 200 submissions! Each submission was selected through a blind process so the selection committee had no knowledge of whose piece they were viewing. Of all the photographs submitted, 62 were selected to be on exhibit. (click on his photograph to enlarge).
FYI: They learned about the contest through this newsletter. :-) ASAP! Is a creative arts organization.
Opportunities to Serve the KP Community
Collecting books
Hi! My name is Alexander Steinberg from the Ruby team. For my Bar Mitzvah project, I am collecting books to donate to kids in need. If you have any preschool and elementary (grades K-3) books at home that you don’t want anymore, please consider donating them. You can bring them to the security desk in front of the office and put them in the book box that I will provide! The books will be donated to preschoolers who don’t have the privilege of having as many books as we do. So open your hearts and your bookshelves, and give to children in need.
I will be collecting books through the month of November.
Thank you.
7th and 8th grade Families
We will need volunteers to bring/bake snacks (chips, cookies, cupcakes, box of candy bars/candy and plastic water and or bottles of Gatorade. Please Email Nancy_Faulkner@whps.org if you are interested in helping to make this dance a success.
Student & Family Opportunities
Parent Information
Buy Your Groceries and Support KP -- Click Below for our Big Y Fundraiser
West Hartford Special Education PTO September & October 2016 Events
Wednesday, October 25 at 7pm
Becoming Your Child’s Best School Advocate: Tips and Tools for Supporting Your Child with an Educational Disability
Carrie Berman, Special Education Advocate and one of the founding members of the West Hartford Special Education PTO, will share her top strategies to help parents effectively communicate with their child’s school and advocate for an appropriate education. Participants will learn tips on preparing for PPT meetings, how to foster positive relationships with teachers and how to work collaboratively as a team even when they disagree.
NEW LOCATION: King Philip Middle School Media Center, 100 King Philip Drive, West Hartford
Membership Drive
Our website, www.whsepto.org, contains our calendar of events and special education resource links as well as other helpful information. We encourage parents & guardians of students with IEPs and 504 Plans to join WHSEPTO in addition to their local school’s PTO/PTA. To join West Hartford SEPTO please register online at www.whsepto.org/membership.html
Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/West-Hartford-SEPTO
Follow us on Instagram at @whsepto
Community Events
13th annual Celebrating Gifts of Music Benefit Concert, Saturday
Alexa Tarantino and Friends, showcasing Tap Dancer Leo Manzari,will perform as special guests at the 13th annual Celebrating Gifts of Music Benefit Concert on Saturday, October 21,at 7:30 p.m.,at the Ellen Jeanne Goldfarb Memorial Auditorium at the Intensive Education Academy, 840 North Main Street, West Hartford. Alexa and drummer Jimmy Macbride are graduates of the West Hartford Public Schools.,
Presented by the West Hartford Public Schools' Department of Fine and Performing Arts, the concert will feature more than 60 student performers. These include the Jazz All Stars (musicians from Conard and Hall High Schools), I Giovani Solisti (a chamber orchestra of string musicians from Conard and Hall), and Suzuki music students from WestHartford Public Schools. The benefit concert supports current Gifts ofMusic students studying both classical and jazz music.
For more information or to order tickets to the concert ($25 each), visit www.giftsofmusic.us. For more information, contact Deb Berman, Gifts of Music Advisory Committee Member, at deladyb@gmail.com or (860) 424-7560.
Breakfast, Pantry and Mobile Foodshare
The Mobile Foodshare Truck will be distributing food in the back parking lot of the Community Kitchen at the Universalist Church at 433 Fern Street in West Hartford from 9:15-9:45 AM. Contact: FoodshareMobile@westhartforduu.org
Breakfast is served from 9:00-10:00 AM. The dates are every other Monday: October 23; November 6 & 20; December 4 & 18. Contact: CommunityBreakfast@westhartforduu.org
The Fern Street Food Pantry dates and hours are 10:00 AM-11:30 PM, October 21, November 18 and December 16. Contact: FernStFood@gmail.com
For more information about the Fern Street Community Kitchen, 860-233-3669.
West Hartford Public Schools Mentor Program
Help us spread the word - Mentoring matters!
We are calling on all mentors to spread the word about the value of mentoring. Please take a moment to think about your own mentoring experience. Share this experience with others - your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.
Help us tap potential recruits by encouraging others to complete an application (attached) for the Fall New Mentor Workshop to learn more about mentoring.
Fall New Mentor Workshop
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Conard High School – Rm. 169
110 Beechwood Drive, West Hartford
6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. (Refreshments will be served)
Guest Speaker: Dr. Susan Weinberger, President, Mentor Consulting Group
Those who are interested may sign up for the October 24 New Mentor Workshop by contacting Carol Wilkas, West Hartford Public Schools, District Mentor Coordinator, at 860-231-6009.
As always, we thank you for your continued support of the Mentor Program.
"Public Act 16-189
We believe that it is vital for all students in West Hartford Public Schools to be able to efficiently and effectively use digital tools that empower them in all phases of the learning process, including research, problem solving, content creation, communication, and collaboration. We also believe that we must be committed at all times to protecting students' privacy and providing them with a powerful and safe educational experience. To that end, the West Hartford Public Schools follow the legal requirements of Public Act 16-189 to promote the safety and security of all students and staff.
In compliance with Connecticut State Law, we update online programs used within the district that house student data. The programs may be used district-wide, in a very small number of classrooms, or with individual students. The list will be updated each time the district enters into a new contract where student data is housed. For more information on the specifics of Public Act 16-189 and updates of vendor agreements, visit www.whps.org/pa189."