Worthington Hooker School
Happenings
Week of January 4 through January 8, 2016
IMPORTANT DATES
Jan. 6
Jan. 7
Jan. 11
Jan. 13
Jan. 13
Jan. 14
Jan. 15
Jan. 18
Jan. 20
Jan. 29
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NO SCHOOL – Three Kings Day
History Day Fair – Grades 6, 7, 8 (snow date: Jan. 8th) – see blurb below
Early Dismissal – 12:50pm – Professional Development – NO AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM!!
Afterschool Program Committee Meeting – 3:30pm – Upper school Conference room
Winter Concert – Upper School – 6:30pm – Auditorium
Snow date for Winter Concert – same time and place
Winter Dance – 6th – 8th graders only – 3:00 – 5:30pm Upper School Gym
NO SCHOOL – DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY
PTA Meeting – Whitney Avenue Library – 6:30pm
Worthington Hooker Science Fair
ALL SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Breakfast is served daily in the cafeteria at 8:15am. Any student wishing to have breakfast should arrive early and then meet their
classroom teachers in the designated areas by 8:30am. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS NO SUPERVISION
BEFORE 8:15AM!!!!!!!
The STUDENT COUNCIL ANNOUNCES A
Winter Dance for Grades 6-8; January 15, 2015 3-5:30 pm in
the Worthington Hooker School (upper school) gymnasium.
Dress Up OR DOWN but be ready to dance and/or hang out with your peers!!!
We will have a Selfie photo area with dress up items.
Snacks (NUT-FREE) will be for sale and any money raised will help pay for the DJ, the
decorations and future FUN activities. (in the unlikely event of snow we will move the dance to
the following Friday)
The Student Council wishes to thank all the students, staff and families who donated to the Adoption and Winter
Wear/Clothing Drive. The donations were collected by Waterford Country School which provides residential, support, family and
educational services to children in foster care. The items will be disseminated to children in need and those in foster care
throughout Connecticut. Thanks to Mike Howard who made this connection for us. Mr.
Howard now teaches in NHPS and spoke to the 7th and 8th graders about his personal
experiences growing up as a foster child, which inspired the idea for this year’s donation
recipients.
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Worthington Hooker School
Happenings
The Worthington Hooker Basketball Association (WHBA) opened 2015-16, its twelfth season, before the holiday break. While
players in grades 1 and 2 as well as intramural players in the upper grades worked to develop their skills in school clinics, some of
the older players began also playing competitive games in the City league.
Grades 3/4: The WHBA team, known as the Celtics, opened against the Thunder December 10. Though that opponent prevailed
11-10, the game was close throughout, and the Celtics showed strong effort. This continued December 18 vs. the Knicks, when
the WHBA team rallied, through aggressive defense and timely shooting, from a 12-7 deficit in the final minutes and had a
chance for the winning shot before falling 12-11.
Grades 5/6: On December 10 and December 17, Coach Tim Shortt's players began their season with a rotating roster of players
balancing learning, fun, and teamwork in two challenging games at Wexler-Grant School.
Grades 7/8: WHS opened its season December 11, losing a tough game to Edgewood despite a dramatic rally in which Justin
Evans scored 8 points in 2 minutes. He had 9 blocked shots, scored 17 points, and collected 18 rebounds in the 32-23 loss. On
December 18, while missing some of its players and then gaining substitutes from another team, the WHBA squad participated in
a close game that ended in a 48-41 victory at Troup School.
Note: On Saturday, January 16, school families are invited to attend the Yale men's basketball Youth Day, with discounted tickets
for those ages 12 and under and an autograph session after the game, which begins at 5 p.m. at Payne Whitney Gym. Also, the
WHS Arpeggios chorus will sing the national anthem!
www.goWHBA.org
Dear Parents, Students and Staff:
Get your pictures in the yearbook! The Yearbook invites students, parents and staff to submit photos for the
yearbook. If you've got great photos of school events we'd like to see them. Our photographers can't be everywhere.
Help us get as many photos as possible to create a terrific book everyone will want to have.
Here is how you can submit photos online:
• Go to: https://images.schoolannualonline.com/login
• Enter username: 402803589
• Browse to select the photo(s) you wish to upload.
• Enter information about the photo and provide contact information in case the staff needs additional
information.
• Click "Save Details".
It's that easy! Submit your photos today! The last day to submit photos is 03/15/2016. You may also email photos to
mia.breuler@new-haven.k12.ct.us
All photos will be reviewed to determine final yearbook content. We cannot guarantee that all submissions can be
used in the book but usually all are! Enjoy the rest of the school year and keep snapping photos! Thanks!
Sincerely,
Mia Y. Breuler
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Worthington Hooker School
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The Green Sheet will be posted on our school’s website weekly. We will continue to send home a hard copy once per month
on the first Monday. Worthington Hooker’s K-8 website is: www.worthingtonhookerschool.weebly.com .
Worthington Hooker has adopted a nut-free policy. Please do not send in any nut products to school with your
children. This includes all before and after school programs. Thank you for your cooperation.
Worthington Hooker Yearbook 2015-2016
Your child should have received a yearbook order form to bring home. It is not too soon to order your Worthington
Hooker Yearbook 2015-2016, which will come at the end of the year featuring photos of our school’s activities and
your child over this year! Secure your copy now and avoid forgetting to order later on. Yearbook cost is $20.00. Cash
or check made out to Worthington Hooker School using the provided envelope from School Annual that your child
brought home OR you can ORDER ONLINE at: www.SchoolAnnual.com Click on: “Buy My Yearbook” button on the
right side of the page and enter your information. Order online or bring in the order envelope to the main office, homeroom
teacher or to Sra. Mia Breuler.
If you have any questions feel free to contact Sra. Mia Breuler at the Big School 203-497-7200 or via email at
mia.breuler@new-haven.k12.ct.us
K-2 ANNOUNCEMENTS
Attention Parents: Please be reminded that gym is scheduled on Tuesdays and Fridays and is held in the cafeteria, with the
first class beginning immediately at 8:40am. We are asking that you exit the building by that time. Thank you in advance
for your cooperation.
3-8 ANNOUNCEMENTS
History Day Fair
This year, the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will participate in Worthington Hooker's first annual History Day Fair! The Fair
will take place on Thursday, January 7th. (Snow date: Jan. 8th) We are looking for volunteers to help judge the
projects. A history background is not necessary. If you are interested in volunteering, please email Dr. Stein at
eden.stein@nhboe.net or Mrs. Behn at kristin.behn@nhboe.net. Thank you for your support!
Worthington Hooker Winter Concert: Mark your calendars, our dates are set. Come witness the fruits of our
middle school musician's labors. Our Winter Concert will be held Wednesday, January 13, with the snow date of
Thursday, January 14 at 6:30 p.m. Our Spring Concert will be Wednesday, May 18 at 6:30 p.m.
Chorus and Band Concert Attire: plain white shirt with sleeves, black pants for band members, any color pant for
non band. Gentlemen must wear a tie. No jeans, sweat pants, nor sport pants.
Grade 6-7-8 Science Fair
It's the time of the year when the students are gearing up for Worthington Hooker’s Annual Science Fair. Our Science Fair will be
held on Jan 29, 2016 (Snow date: Feb 5, 2016) at the Upper School. All students from Grades 6-7-8 will participate, as it is part of
their Science grade. Students can work on their projects in small groups of 2-3 or by themselves. Students should be starting to
think about the type of project they might do. Teachers provide some guidance in class, but most of the work is done by the
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Worthington Hooker School
Happenings
students at home on their own. We encourage parents to help brainstorm and assist their children in the exercise, but let the
child do most of the work on their own. This page from the New Haven City Science Fair Manual is a good resource for students
and parents as project brainstorming begins: http://nhsciencefair.org/images/stories/scifairmanual2014.2015/2014-2015SciFairmanual-pg13-15.pdf
Please note that to ensure the safety of the students and others, projects that involve human subjects (e.g., friends, family),
vertebrate animals (e.g., dogs, hamsters, birds), microbes (e.g., bacteria, mold, viruses) and hazardous substances (e.g., alcohol,
tobacco, medicines, chemicals, flammable liquids, "black” lights and lasers) must be approved prior to being conducted. Students
who wish to do such projects must apply for approval here:
http://nhsciencefair.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=60&Itemid=72 . Once the Scientific Review Committee
grants approval, then the students can carry out their experiment. Approval is not needed for projects that do not involve human
subjects, microbes, vertebrates or hazardous substances.
If you have questions, please contact your child’s science teacher, or one of the parent volunteers listed below.
Thanks for your support!
Mary Beth Decker marybeth.decker@yale.edu
Ruchi Jain ruchi.jain@yale.edu
Anita Karne anitakarne@hotmail.com
Matt Regan matthew.regan@yale.edu
Sahar Usmani-Brown saharusmanibrown@gmail.com
PTA NEWS
There will be an After-school Program Committee meeting on Wednesday January 13th at 3:30 in Whitney Avenue
conference room. All are welcome to attend. Please come to share your thoughts, express concerns, or offer
suggestions. If you have questions or are unable to attend, please contact Courtney Cheng at cbm314@gmail.com or
203-215-0447.
The PTA is excited to announce that we have a new website: www.whspta.org. The site contains a calendar, info about the PTA's
programs and events, and a lot more. Bookmark it!
Do you receive the PTA's announcements via e-mail? E-mail us at ptaworthington@gmail.com to be added to our e-list.
Come like the PTA on Facebook! You can find us at: www.facebook.com/WorthingtonHookerPTA
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Worthington Hooker School
Happenings
January 4, 2016
Dear Worthington Hooker Community,
It is with mixed emotions that I announce my retirement from NHPS and Worthington Hooker School. I
have been blessed to work with wonderful families, delightful children, and a committed and creative staff
these past 6 years. Being part of a vibrant educational community is all that I could have asked for and after
39 years working in a profession I love and respect I believe it is time for me to move on to the next exciting
chapter.
I thank you for your support as we grew our school and children. I celebrate with you our recognition as a
2015 National Blue Ribbon School and as a 2014 ConnCan Success Story School. I am proud of the new
challenges we embraced and the opportunities we created for real student learning. In the past six years
we created our Jazz Band, Ukulele Chorus, held Annual Hootenannies, tripled enrollment in our in school
Honors Geometry, and expanded the requirement of scholarly research in the form of History Day and
Science Fair projects for all middle school students. With the tireless efforts of our gardening parents we
ushered in the School Yard Habitat program and established a model After School Program for our
students. We expanded our HOTs commitment with ECHOs, were recognized as an exemplary HOT school
program by the state organization, and acknowledged by the CT State Department of Education for closing
the achievement gap and for our students, producing standardized test scores that rivaled wealthier
communities without the diversity we celebrate at Hooker.
We have worked hard; we are on a good course and can now look to new challenges. Embracing HOTs
philosophy and moving from projects to practice, continuing to grow a culture of kindness, tolerance, and
acceptance of all cultures and beliefs. Embracing our new families and new celebrations while continuing
the traditions we hold dear. Worthington Hooker is a special place and I am grateful to have been part of its
growth and traditions.
Wishing you all the best in the future,
Sheryl Hershonik
Principal
Worthington Hooker School
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