Get your festive spirit ready for HCS Spirit Week! Every day will feature a different festive theme. Join the fun!
Our Wee Deliver postal service is underway! This past week our students were busy writing letters and our fourth grader postal workers were hard at working making sure that the letters were delivered on time and to the correct addresses. So far nearly a hundred letters have been written and delivered. Way to go! Thank you to Mrs. Freilich who is severing as our Wee Deliver Coordinator this year!
We did it! A new world record was set for Cup Stacking! 746,698 stackers and 2,242 schools / organizations took part in the WSSA Cup Stacking event. This event set a new WSSA World Record for the "Most People Sport Stacking at Multiple Locations". Our third and fourth grade students' participation in this event helped surpass the previous record of 737,863 stackers.
In PE class, students participated in a cup stacking ladder tournament. In the tournament if you won the round you moved up in the ladder. At the end of the tournament a winner was determined from grades 3 and 4. Congratulations to Gr. 3 winners Ben Fowler and Harper Malcom and to Gr. 4 winner, Sam Peterson. Way to go Gr. 3 &4 students and thank you to Mrs. Arroyo and Mrs. Ingraham for organizing this event!
This past week our Wee Deliver program was opened for business. This in-school postal service offers students the opportunity to write letters to friends and staff through out the school. Wee deliver was opened this year with an all-school assembly featuring a special visit from the postmaster from the East Hampstead Post Office, an explanation on how to use Wee Deliver, a presentation by some of our fourth graders on how to practice kindness and gratitude in writing letters, and the swearing in of the entire fourth grade as official HCS Wee Deliver postal carriers. We are excited to bring back this popular, fun program. Thank you to Mrs. Freilich, our Wee Deliver Coordinator and thank you to the East Hampstead Post Office for visiting us!
Yesterday HCS celebrated Thanksgiving with a "Balloons Over Broadway" Parade and Kindergarten Turkey Trot. First grade students worked this week designing and decorating their balloons and then proudly paraded them through the hallways like the Macy's parade in New York. All the students and teachers came out to enjoy the parade. Later in the afternoon, our Kindergarteners took to the hallways with their "Turkey Trot." They showcased the turkeys they made for the whole school to see. It was a fun, festive day yesterday at HCS! Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
First graders did a fun Mayflower STEM project this week. Students used their engineering design skills to add counting bears (Pilgrims) to aluminum foil boats (The Mayflower.) The students were able to try multiple times to improve their designs. The boat with the most Pilgrims ended up carrying 200 pilgrim bears! Well done!
For the last several weeks, the third grade students have partnered with GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) to document the changing colors of the deciduous leaves on our Hampstead Central School campus. Each third grade class chose a different type of deciduous tree to observe and recorded the changing leaf color progression using a color guide tool. This data was collected until the leaves dropped from the trees. In the scientific community, this phenology process is called “Green Down” In addition to this important data collection, third grade students at HCS had the opportunity to share their green-down research with GLOBE students in Ireland. Globe hosted a Zoom meeting for us to share and collaborate with second and third grade students from the Timoleague National School in Timoleague, Co. Cork, Ireland. Students from both schools shared about the trees they were observing and there was time to share some cultural information as well. Although the “green down” for the season has ended, third grade students at HCS are excited to continue this dialogue with their new Irish friends from the Timoleague National School. Thank you to the third grade team and Mrs. Wisecarver for orchestrating this international project!
First Graders had the opportunity to combine technology with the Thanksgiving tradition of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Students designed their own paper balloons to be carried on a route through the city using programmable Bee Bots. As part of technology class, students learned how to program the Bee Bots to complete the parade route. This was a fun opportunity for students to use technology and creativity with a festive Thanksgiving theme.
HCS Ski Club Info night is next Thursday Nov. 16 from 6:30-7:00. HCS Ski Club is open to 3rd and 4th graders. Representatives from McIntyre Ski Area in Manchester will be in attendance both to answer questions about their program and to size skiers/riders who wish to rent equipment from McIntyre. "Ski" you there for answers to all your HCS Ski Club questions!
MIchael Terrile - Coordinator
Sophia Poulin - Coordinator
Ann Le - Coordinator
Erin O'Neill - Gear Transport Extraordinaire
Students in Mrs. Burkett's and Mrs. Rodrigues's science classes worked on creating interactive bat posters using "Makey-Makey" kits to celebrate International Bat Week. Makey-Makey is a bridge between the digital and physical worlds that allows anyone to become an inventor. The students worked on becoming "myth busters" and recorded facts that would help people understand that even though bats can look scary, they are incredibly helpful to our ecosystems. Once students completed their interactive posters, the classes did a gallery walk and had the opportunity to view each team's work.
Last week our fourth graders had the opportunity to visit the State House and the NH Historical Society Museum in Concord. Students visited the legislative chambers of the House of Representatives and the Senate. While there, they met local lawmakers and debated a mock bill about adding an additional hour to the school day (it was voted down by the students!). Students also visited the governor’s office and the State House lobby featuring paintings of NH leaders and historical flags dating back to the Civil War. Across the street, students visited the NH Historical Society Museum where they explored numerous exhibits on the cultural history of New Hampshire. Students learned about the cog railway, NH’s indigenous past, antique artifacts, artwork, and colonial history. The fourth graders enjoyed their visit to Concord and gained a better understanding of NH history, culture, and government.
HCS Parents,
Please take a look at our Lost & Found table located outside the office while you are visiting for Conferences.
Thank you!
This past week our third graders had the opportunity to participate in Caine's Arcade, an interactive, collaborative STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) project where students grouped up, designed, constructed, tested, and played cardboard arcades. One design construction and collaboration were foci for this project. Students drafted and constructed creative and innovative designs and had fun through the learning, design, construction, and testing process. Thank you to Mrs. Wisecarver and the Gr 3 teachers. Well done Grade 3 students!
October fun in Third Grade Science: Students practiced making predictions and recording results while investigating what would happen to a piece of candy corn when it was submerged in hot water, soda, and vinegar.
HCS preschool students have been exploring the symbols of autumn. They have been learning about apples and pumpkins. They learned about different types of apples, how apples grow, and even how to make applesauce! Students also learned about pumpkins, how they are used, and how they grow. The preschoolers loved learning about these quintessential New England fall symbols.
During last week and this week, HCS students learned about Fire Safety. Through developmentally appropriate lessons and activities, students were introduced to the basics of fire safety and the role of firefighters as community helpers. Students in grades K-2 had the opportunity to meet our Hampstead firefighters and learn from them firsthand. Thank you to Mrs. Crisa for organizing this opportunity and a big thank you to Captain Dane and the Hampstead Fire Department for coming to visit us!
Over the summer, one of our fourth grade teachers, Mrs. Heather Burkett, was named a semi-finalist for the 2024 NH Teacher of the Year. She was one of 20 semi-finalists from around the state and had the opportunity to participate in the finalist round at the NH Dept. of Education in Concord. Though Mrs. Burkett was not ultimately named the NH Teacher of the Year, we applaud Heather for her dedication and hard work in the application and selection process and rounds. She worked very hard and represented HCS and the Hampstead School District well. We couldn’t be more proud of her! Thank you to all that have supported and encouraged Mrs. Burkett on her NHTOY journey.
Mrs. Whitehead’s class read Ten Timid Ghosts. After they read the story, students did a Haunted house STEM activity. Students had to build a haunted house for their their ghosts. Check out our awesome haunted houses!
Check out our second graders "spooky arrays!" #visualmath
Congratulations to Heather Burkett, one of our fourth grade teachers who was recently named a semi-finalist for the 2024 NH Teacher of the Year Award! Mrs. Burkett is one of 20 semi-finalists from an initial nominee pool of 92 educators from around the state. Mrs. Burkett will go on to the next round and present to the NH Dept. of Education in August. We are proud of Mrs. Burkett and wish her the best of luck in the next round! #hcshuskies
