May 2012  Issue 6
www.dcn.davis.ca.us/go/hjh
A Message from the Principal, Derek Brothers
Upcoming Events
5/11
5/16
5/18
5/23
6/07
8/21
9th Grade Permission
Slips Due for Class Trip
Last Late Start
Dance #3
Last PTA Meeting
Last Day of School
WEB Orientation
Holmes JHS Welcomes Our New 7th Graders
for 2012-2013
As a welcoming gesture from Holmes Junior High School,
this issue of the Holmes PTA Newsletter is being sent to
the households of our incoming 7th grade families. We
hope that this newsletter will provide you with some ideas
about activities and events at our school, and we invite
you to get involved. Parents: Please note the information
regarding joining the PTA. The Holmes PTA is very active
in supporting our school and provides feedback to the
administration about school and community matters.
There are many other ways for parents to get involved so
check out this edition and call the PTA or the Holmes
Office for more information about any item of interest.
FROM THE PRINCIPAL:
This year has passed too quickly! We are
preparing to enter another year of change with
reduced budgets from the state and our school
district. Thank you to the Davis Community for
passing Measure C to help maintain the high
level of instruction for Davis students. I am
expecting Holmes to offer many of the same
excellent courses that the Holmes Community
has come to depend on, but unfortunately our
class sizes will be larger.
Many familiar
teachers will be on campus, but there will be a
reduction in staffing, and more teachers may be
traveling between the junior high campuses.
Continued on page 2
A Message from the Vice Principal,
Kerin Kelleher
What Makes a Positive School Climate
Happen?
As we come to the end of the 2011-12 school
year, I want to take this opportunity to share
with you some observations I have made in
regards to our efforts to create and maintain a
positive school climate for your student at
Holmes. There are as many reasons as there
are people responsible for our positive school
climate at Holmes, but let me highlight just two
programs that made significant contributions.
Continued on page 3
Page 2
Holmes PTA Newsletter
Principal’s Message
Continued from page 1
On a positive note, there have been many,
many accomplishments and successes to
celebrate at Holmes this year. I would like to
share some highlights with you here:
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Seventh grade students began the year with
increased confidence and comfort on
campus thanks to the successful orientation
and follow-up activities by the WEB (Where
Everyone Belongs) program.
Sixty 9th
grade WEB leaders (under the direction of
staff members, Kirsten Street, Caroline
LaFlamme, Bill Williams, Mike Dufresne and
Kerri Hogan) offered support and friendship
to our new students as they made the
transition to junior high.
About 60 students representing diverse
groups were trained as Holmes School
Ambassadors who offer comfort to those
who have felt disrespected and try to
intervene positively in conflict situations.
Students enjoyed exciting and interesting
assemblies.
Almost 400 7th and 8th graders were
involved in Holmes athletics. Students had
fun, learned to be both competitors and
good sports, and they showed tremendous
growth throughout their seasons.
Through the successful Unfundraiser
Campaign, the PTA has helped provide
Holmes’ students a chance to hike together
as a large class of 9th graders; 8th graders
got to experience a Civil War reenactment,
and 7th graders saw what life was like
during the Renaissance.
Students participated in several clubs during
all-school lunches.
Members of the student Mix-it-up Team
planned 3 special school wide lunch events
where students participated in varied and
fun activities with groups that were different
from their usual friendships.
Many other talented students played
instruments or sang in remarkable musical
concerts both at Holmes and the IPAB.
May 2012
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The school counselors held anti-harassment
workshops in 7th grade classrooms.
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Many adult mentors worked with varied
student groups to support learning, future
planning, and leadership goals.
PE classes were scheduled by single grade
levels to provide a sequential 3-year
curriculum.
Classes for student support in Algebra and
English/History were offered.
We had a Math Counts Team that went to
the state finals competing in a wide variety
of other competitions and events in which
our students participated.
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It was a busy and productive year, and we, the
staff and parents of Holmes Junior High School,
can be very proud. All of this and more added
to the ongoing efforts of students and teachers
in classrooms who on a daily basis complete a
challenging and packed curriculum.
I want to thank each and every one of you for
your gifts to our school.
Please enjoy your
summer when school ends on June 7, 2012.
Derek Brothers
Holmes Junior High Principal
Yearbooks
Yearbook preordering is now
complete. A list of students who
pre-purchased will be posted on
the MPR windows and in room
E39. Remaining books will be sold
first come after school on June
5th. Cash or check to Holmes
Junior High for $45.
Page 3
Holmes PTA Newsletter
May 2012
Vice Principal’s Message
Continued from page 1
First, with the help of staff, PTA support, and
students, we have had several successful MixIt-Up-Day Lunches which are sponsored by the
School Climate Committee at Holmes.
Success is largely due to our 8th and 9th grade
Mix-It-Up-Day student leaders who organize
and run various lunchtime venues for our
students. At our last lunch we had dancing in
the Gym, water-balloon tossing, dodge-ball, ice
cream eating contests, and knock-out
basketball. It was great to observe students
from all three grade-levels interacting in these
high-energy activities. Prizes included a pizza
party for a student’s whole class, tickets to the
head of the lunch line, and passes for our last
dance. In addition to the students in charge,
special thanks go to teachers Mindy Dufresne,
Paul Rooney, Kris King and Heather Wade for
always helping us out at our special lunches by
being an adult presence during activities.
Another example of making a positive
difference here at Holmes is our Holmes School
Ambassadors (HSA) program coordinated by
counselor, Joanna Littell and teachers, Lisa
Mowry, Dianna Henrickson, Jennifer Sommer
and Georgene Fritz. Their training is also
sponsored by our PTA. Students in this
program worked all year serving other Holmes
students with conflict management and with
other support services. These student
ambassadors are congratulated for their high
level of commitment to help Holmes continue to
be a safe school, one action at a time. I was
fortunate to be invited to their end-of-the year
breakfast celebration, and I was very impressed
with the cross-section of 8th and 9th graders
who served in the HSA this year. I know each
of these students and they modeled good
behavior, limited negative interactions between
students, and served with quiet dignity
throughout the school year. They, too, have
made an enormous positive contribution to
Holmes.
Both of these worthwhile programs are
scheduled to continue next year, and with some
veteran staff, parent, and student participation, I
fully expect these programs along with others to
continue to achieve our school goal of making
Holmes Junior High School a safe and positive
place to be.
Kerin Kelleher
Holmes Junior High Vice Principal
Come Enjoy the Festival of Arts.
The Annual Holmes Festival of Arts takes place
on Thursday May 24th from 6pm to 7:30 pm.
Come enjoy an evening showcasing the music
and elective department students performances
and products. Jazz band begins the evening at
6pm, followed by combined bands and chorus.
Bring a blanket and picnic on the lawn. Some
food will be available for purchase. Visit the art
and crafts booths put on by the Art, Industrial
Technology and Computer Departments where
you can purchase student works and support
those programs. Invite your friends and
neighbors.
Library News
The Scholastic book fair will be in the library
May 4 - May 11. This is a great way to stock up
on summer reading material!!! The book fair will
be open before school, at lunch, and after
school.
All library books are due on May 18th.
Textbooks are due May 25th. If you have any
questions or concerns about fines or lost books
please contact the library staff at 530-757-5445
Ext. 173.
Sarah Lanyi
Holmes Junior.High
Library Technician
Page 4
A Message from
Christina Dicker
Your
Holmes PTA Newsletter
PTA
President,
Thank You PTA Volunteers!
I can’t begin to say how much I appreciate
every Holmes parent, teacher and staff member
who donated time, energy, money and smiles
to the PTA and the school. This year has been
tremendously successful because of the hardworking individuals that make-up our school
community.
Being PTA president this year has been a
fabulous experience thanks to the wonderful
Executive Board I work with – Nancy Loeb
Williams, Emily Ault, Julia Grim, Julie Cuetara,
Jennifer Raven, Sara Johnson, Anne TernusBellamy, Claire Cole and Jennifer Thompson.
Thanks to their support, I truly enjoyed my time
with the Holmes PTA.
The PTA chairs also did a fantastic job – Sue
Rutherford (gardens), Carin Loy (directory),
Mary James (red ribbon week), Kristi Gladding
(registration and hospitality), Stacey Clark
(hospitality),
Diane
Rubin
(hospitality),
Geraldine Prince (hospitality), Anne Finkelston
(hospitality), Sally Albertson (hospitality), Julia
Grim (scrip), Jennifer Thompson (membership),
Mario Reina-Guerra (newsletter editor), Desi
Jenks-Asay (newsletter layout), Sara Johnson
and helpers (newsletter production), Teri
McNamara (parent education), Emily Ault (UnFundraiser), Lisa Best (volunteer coordinator),
Stephanie Malone (toy shop), Allison Broaddus,
Becky Marigo (career day), and Beth Stein
(website). Thank you!
My gratitude also goes to Derek Brothers, Kerin
Kelleher, Jan Chandler and all the office staff,
the counselors, Heather Wade and all teachers
- all of whom are so dedicated to our children.
With these caring individuals in charge, our kids
are getting the best education possible each
and every day.
Although I’m sad to be leaving Holmes Jr. High
at the end of this school year, I’m happy to say
wonderful people have volunteered to be on the
Executive Board for next year so the PTA is in
May 2012
very good hands. Knowing there are so many
talented and creative people volunteering, I am
confident the PTA’s success will continue.
There are some volunteer positions still
available so please consider joining the team.
The available positions are Newsletter Editor,
Newsletter Production, Directory Publisher, Toy
Shop Coordinator and Hospitality. Please
contact me if you would like volunteer.
I hope you can attend the last PTA meeting on
Wednesday, May 23, at 7:00 pm in the Holmes
library. It’s a good time to celebrate the end of
a great school year. I wish everyone smooth
sailing through May and June and I wish you a
relaxing summer full of sun and fun!
Christina Dicker
christinadicker.pta@gmail.com
PTA President
Counselor’s Corner
2012-2013 Registration Information
Beginning of school packets will be sent to all
Holmes families the beginning of August. This
packet contains many forms that must be filled
out plus information about PE clothes, math
supplies, joining the PTA, registration dates,
WEB for incoming 7th graders (Save the date!
Tuesday morning August 21nd ) and a lot more.
Included are instructions to complete necessary
forms that need to be turned in on registration
day in order for students to receive their
schedules.
Important Information About Tdap
Requirement:
California state law requires schools to have a
copy of incoming 7th through 12th grade
students’ immunization records showing that
they have received a Tdap vaccine after the
age of 7. Students will not receive their school
schedule at registration and will not be allowed
to attend school until proof of Tdap is on file
with the school nurse. Tdap protects against
pertussis (whooping cough) which has reached
epidemic levels in California.
Page 5
Tentative
Times:
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Registration
Holmes PTA Newsletter
Dates
and
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Wednesday, August 15th, 9:00 am – noon:
Incoming 8th and 9th grade registration,
MPR
Thursday, August 16th, 9:00 am – noon:
Incoming 7th grade registration and parent
tours of campus, MPR
Make up registration for all grades in the
Attendance Office:
Friday, August 17th, 2:00-4:00 pm
Wednesday, August 22nd (first day of
school), starting at 7:30 am
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Nurturing Your Relationships
Last year was the anniversary of the Columbine
Massacre. Parents of children who died during
the tragic event shared that the one piece of
advice they would give to parents is to enjoy
and spend time with their children. With the
summer vacation approaching, it seems like a
perfect time to follow this advice. However, that
may be easier said than done. On one hand,
you may love your child dearly, but you may not
love the idea of enduring his or her teenager
attitude. On the other hand, your child may be a
joy to be with, but it is hard to find the time to
spend together. Either way, the effort to create
nurturing, relationship building opportunities is
worth the effort. According to a recent research
brief published by Child Trends, a non-profit
research center, positive and warm parent child
relationships are associated with positive
outcomes, including: Increased likelihood for
better grades; less suspensions from school;
fewer violent behaviors; avoidance or lower use
or alcohol, tobacco, and drugs; lower inclination
to initiate sex or be sexually active; and higher
self-confidence and psychological well-being.
Here are some ideas of activities that can build
positive relationships:
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Go to the Sacramento Zoo.
Wash the dog or family car.
Have a family slumber party inside or camp
out in the backyard.
Go for a picnic in Slide Hill Park and swim at
Manor pool.
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May 2012
Have a culture night that includes making a
culturally appropriate meal and sharing
information about the culture while you dine.
Go to the Explorit Science Center
(admission is free to the general public on
the 4th Friday of every month or the 1st
weekend of every month for those who have
Bank of America debit or credit cards).
Make family cards for holidays and
birthdays.
Visit a State Park (for information on
activities
and
facilities
go
to:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/parkindex/default.asp?t
ab=5).
Go around the table after dinner and have
everyone offer another person a compliment
until each family member has received one.
Go to the Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays
from 4:30-8:30, munch on locally grown
fruits and listen to local musicians as part of
the Picnic In the Park program (from MarchOctober).
Host a game night.
Watch a sunset and a sunrise locally in a
spot that has a reputation for being
especially spectacular.
Have a talk about goals and identify family
goals.
Reserve at a minimum a half hour, one night
a week for each child to have at least a half
hour of one on one, uninterrupted time with
parent(s) after the other siblings have gone
to bed. Host a dessert. Pay close attention
to your child.
Do you have a good idea of an activity that you
have found to build positive relationships?
Submit ideas to Joanna Littell, counselor:
jlittell@hotmail.com, and she will include them in
future newsletters. Please consider a special
request for inexpensive and creative ideas!
Moore, K., Guzman, L., Hair, E., Lippman, L. &
Garrett, S. (2004). Parent-Teen Relationships and
Interactions: Far More Positive Than Not. Retrieved
April 22, 2009 from
http://www.childtrends.org/Files/Parent_TeenRB.pdf
Joanna Littell
Counselor
Page 6
Holmes PTA Newsletter
May 2012
Become a Host Family
WEB Orientation
Attention Davis parents! Have you been
wanting to enrich your families cultural
experience, but don't have time to travel the
world? Become a host family for eager
international students! The U.S. China Student
Exchange
Program
(UCCHN)
brings
academically motivated Chinese students to
live and study in the United States. They are
boys and girls from ages 10-17 that are eager
to experience life in America. Our Davis
programs run in the summer and winter and are
typically 2 - 3 weeks long. These programs take
the form of international youth camps or tours
that bring together groups of students from one
or from many areas of China. Hosting is a
volunteer opportunity. Our host families must
be willing to share their culture and lifestyle,
while practicing patience and understanding
with their students. For most students it is not
only their first time in America, but their first
time away from family. It is important that they
feel welcomed in to your home with warm
hearts and loving arms. Hosting a student can
be an extremely rewarding experience for
everyone in the family, yet it is a role that
requires a lot of responsibility. The basic
requirements to become a host family include
providing a bed and quiet place to study, three
meals daily, and local transportation. Host
families are given a per diem to help with the
financial burden, if any, of welcoming a student
into their home. The per diem rate may vary
depending on the specific program budget. The
per diem rate ranges from $25-$30 per student
per night. If you are interested in joining our
ever-expanding network of families, please
visit http://uschinastudentexchange.org/ and fill out
and application, email
info@uschinastudentexchange.org for more
info, or call our office in San Francisco at 415568-2175 and someone will answer all your
questions. This could become an experience
that will develop friendships for a lifetime. We
look forward to sharing this cultural exchange
opportunity with you and your family!
We are very excited that your child will be
attending Holmes Junior High and we look
forward to meeting your student at the WEB
Orientation on Tuesday, August 21, 2012 WEB
is an inspirational, high-energy program whose
sole purpose is to help seventh graders feel
more comfortable and help them achieve
success in their first year of junior high school.
The WEB seventh grade orientation and
transition program is designed to both welcome
and support seventh graders by assigning them
a ninth grade WEB Leader. WEB Leaders will
mentor seventh graders through their first year
at Holmes, both socially and academically.
WEB Leaders were selected from a large pool
of applicants and have met the qualifications of
being good role models and positive leaders on
our campus. Following is some information to
let you know what you and your student can
expect before school starts.
1. Your student will receive an invitation to the
Seventh Grade WEB Orientation in June.
2. A few days before orientation in August,
your student will also receive a phone call
from his or her WEB Leader personally
inviting him or her to attend the WEB
Orientation.
3. Your student is encouraged not to bring
backpacks, purses, or other personal items
as the day is quite active.
4. Make sure your student wears comfortable
clothing that does not restrict movement.
The WEB Orientation is a student-only function,
so we encourage you to let your child attend on
her or his own. WEB Orientation and seventh
grade registration are separate.
We look forward to having every seventh grade
student attend the WEB Orientation on
Tuesday, August 21st. Welcome to Holmes
Junior High School!
Mike Dufresne
Kerri Hogan
Caroline LaFlamme
Kirsten Street
Bill Williams
Holmes Junior High
2011-2012 WEB Coordinators
Page 7
NOTES
OFFICE
FROM
OUR
Holmes PTA Newsletter
ATTENDANCE
Leaving Campus during School Hours
For your safety and by School Board authority
Holmes is a closed campus.
May 2012
inappropriate clothing. Students will be asked
to change their clothes to meet our dress code
standards. Thank-you to the many students
and parents who do support our district/school
dress code.
Students are not allowed to leave campus
without permission. Before school, bring a note
to the Attendance Office signed by your parent
or guardian stating the time and reason for
which you must leave. Pick up your off-campus
pass and sign-out at the Attendance Office
before you leave campus. If you must leave
during the school day, an adult that is listed on
your emergency card must pick you up. If you
return to school before the end of the day, you
must sign in at the Attendance Office.
Three (make that four) cheers for our
Scrip Merchants!
Visitors
Students who do not attend Holmes Junior High
School are not allowed on campus during the
school day. To avoid any disruption of the
instructional program, student age visitors are
never allowed to attend classes at Holmes.
Visitors are not allowed at any Holmes school
dances.
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A NOTE ABOUT OUR DRESS CODE
The Davis Junior High Schools try to maintain a
professional and friendly atmosphere in which
teachers can teach and students can learn.
While each student's mode of dress and
grooming may be an expression of personal
style and individual preference, a student's
choices may affect the educational program or
the health and safety of others. Our goals are to
promote school safety and enhance the
learning environment, while at the same time
discourage distractions that inhibit learning. If a
student's dress is not in accordance with this
policy, any staff member may ask the student to
make an appropriate correction.
Please take a few minutes and talk to your
student about their clothes. With the hotter
weather here we are starting to see a raise in
the number of referrals to the office. Staff
members refer students to the office for
A lot of us feel like we’ve been squeezed
through the fiscal ringers this year- times have
been tough for so many. That includes our
local retailers, whose profit margins have been
on diet pills. That makes the contributions from
our family of scrip merchants to your PTA and
our kids worthy of rousing rounds of “hip hip
hoorays!”
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Thank you Safeway, for your generous
donations this year; every month you pump
valuable contributions into PTA’s coffers,
enabling us to (among other things)
purchase sorely needed equipment for our
P.E. department, so that Mr. Rooney, Mr.
Sacramento, and Mrs. Dufresne can help
our kids stay fit and lean.
Our glowing appreciation to you friendly
folks at Nugget Market for your ongoing
support; those monthly checks warm the
hearths of our hearts, and have ensured
that every 7th grade science student knows
everything there is to know about
mealworms. That, and plenty more inspiring
moments for our kids.
Dear SaveMart, please accept our gratitude
for keeping the Holmes machine well-oiled.
If it weren’t for those SHARES dollars that
you feed into our hopper, it is indeed a
possibility that fewer lathes would have
cranked out fewer toy trains in Mr.
Gunnerson’s wood shop for holiday stocking
stuffing.
Jamba Jamba Jamba…you may be the
newest addition to our Holmes family, but
Page 8
Holmes PTA Newsletter
May 2012
you’re off to a stellar year; we love your
smoothies on hot days, and your generosity
just lights our sparklers. If you’re ever on
the Holmes campus, check out those
patriotic tiles, dutily crafted by 8th grade
history students, that hang proudly in the
main Quad, and salute yourselves- you
helped out!
As a parting shot, I ask three more favors:
1. Next time you visit one of these fine
members of our community, please extend
a thank you from all of us for their generous
support.
2. Remember to pull your scrip card out of
your wallet and use them. Do it all summer
and forever.
3. Keep smiling, and thank YOU for your
support.
Julia Grim
Outgoing scrip coordinator
A note from Heather Wade regarding Athletics!
Reminder to parents of all Holmes athletes –
In order to participate in after school sports at Holmes, athletes need to have a physical form on file
at the school. Summer is a good time to schedule physicals for students. Blank physical forms
can be picked up in the attendance office. Completed forms can be sent to or dropped off at
Holmes attn: Heather Wade. One form is good for the whole year. Go Patriots!
7th / 8th Sports
August/September
Cross Country
Volleyball
7/8 Boys /Girls
7/8 Girls
October/November
Basketball
7th Boys /Girls
December/ January
Basketball
8th Boys/Girls
February/ March
Soccer
7/8 Boys /Girls
April/ May
Track
7/8 Boys /Girls