It’s back to school time for Hanscom youth

  • Published
  • By by 1st Lt. Lisa Spilinek
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. -- --  School bells will ring through the halls of the Hanscom Primary and Middle schools Wednesday to officially begin the first day of classes for students in grades one through eight. Kindergartners will begin their classes on Thursday. 

For the schools' faculty and staff members, however, the 2007-2008 school year has already begun. Many of these individuals spent time over the summer break engaging in on- and off-site curriculum and course work in subjects such as math assessment, science engineering and responsive classroom readiness, said HMS Principal Mark Kaufman and HPS Principal Randy Davis. 

Faculty members particularly honed their technological skills during the summer and during a day-long training session on Wednesday. During this session, the instructors learned about the schools' new student record database and the 21st century equivalent to the blackboard, known as a SMART Board™, among other things. SMART Boards™ allow instructors to connect computer keyboards to a white display board. Information that is typed on the keyboard will display on the board and information that is written or drawn on the board will display on the computer screen. Each school now has three portable SMART Boards™. 

Ms. Davis referred to the efforts made by the Lincoln School District, of which the Hanscom schools are a part, as an "infusion of technology." 

"The district has invested heavily in infrastructure and equipment," she said. 

Another investment made by the district was the placement of four new computers in each of the HPS and HMS classrooms. Additionally, a new computer laboratory is now housed in the middle school where the home economics room once was. 

To ensure parents aren't left out of both the technological and informational loops, Mr. Kaufman requested that parents update their e-mail addresses with the middle school, which no longer sends out paper copies of its Friday newsletter. The HMS newsletter, along with the HPS newsletter, is available online at www.lincnet.org. HMS parents can also receive the newsletter via a weekly e-mail. 

The primary school will continue to send out hard copy newsletters, but Ms. Davis encouraged parents of primary school students to also file their e-mail addresses with the school. 

With approximately 560 students enrolled in the schools, Ms. Davis and Mr. Kaufman said that technology would be just one means of staying connected to students and parents. 

Each school has developed a theme that will be emphasized to students periodically throughout the school year. The theme at HPS is "Every Voice Counts." 

To make this theme easier for young children to understand, the school's Student Citizenship Agreement was re-written and now focuses on three points of emphasis: "Be safe, be kind and be a hard worker," Ms. Davis said. 

"We really want kids to see that they can make a difference," she said. 

Additionally, "Every Voice Counts" will be integrated into the school year through various math-related activities, which will include Math Nights for students and parents as well as "Tens Day," a school-wide celebration that will highlight how the number system is based on the number 10. 

The theme for the middle school is "Hanscom PRIDE and Commitment," with PRIDE standing for: Preparation, Responsibility, Improvement, Determination and Excellence. 

Mr. Kaufman said the goal of having "Hanscom PRIDE and Commitment" as the year's theme is to encourage students to make the PRIDE traits "habits of the mind," which students are committed to upholding. 

Both principals said that strong partnerships between parents and schools were helpful in strengthening the skills and traits students develop and hone at school. 

Parents are encouraged to participate in class field trips and are welcome to volunteer at the schools, however, Ms. Davis said parents should note that state legislation now requires that a Criminal Offender Record Information form is on file with the schools before participation can take place. Parents must come into the school office to complete the form. For information on the CORI form, visit www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/advisory/cori.html. 

The principals said they were excited to begin the new school year and that new faces would be seen among both the student and faculty populations in both schools. 

"The quality of the new faculty and staff members is top notch. They bring us a lot of experience from school districts across the country," Ms. Davis said.