HUDSON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Telephone: 518.828.4360
Hudson Junior HS National Junior Honor Society
The Hudson Junior High School Chapter of the National Junior Honor
Society gathered together for their annual induction ceremony on Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at the Junior High School. Guest speakers, Mr. Derek Reardon, Principal (Hudson Junior High School) and Ms. Maria Suttemeier, Assistant Superintendent (Hudson City School District) addressed the inductees emphasizing character, scholarship, leadership, service and citizenship.
Photo by Chip Moon
A Reception followed the event which brought students, faculty, families and friends together in celebration. New inductees pictured (in alphabetical order) Farzana Akhter, Mahmuda Alam, Alexandra Bartolotta, Alfred Tyler Bartolotta, Lauren Bowes, James Chaplin, Caitlin Cowan, Nyla Dallas, Shamar Daniels, Sophie Filli, Michaela Gomula, Jenna Gregory, Anna Harcleroad, Brian Harring, Shohag Islam, Shoheb Khan, Ahbab Miah, Jahed Miah, Joshua Moon, Olivia Otty, Donaven Peck, Kody Pinkowski, Nafisa Rahman, Jenifer Rosete-Garcia, Olivia Shader, Fardush Sultana, Ramisa Tasnim, Colin Taylor, Danielle Valentin, Olivia Waldron and Shonette Yarde.
Every Day Counts – Attendance Recognition
The staff at Hudson Junior High School believes that students who are most successful academically, socially and emotionally are those who attend school on a daily basis.
That being said, congratulations to the following students for the role they have played in their attendance from September 8, 2010 - April 8, 2011.
Upon reviewing attendance records, these students have attended 95% or more of their scheduled instructional periods since the beginning of school.
Once again, CONGRATULATIONS! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
National Junior Honor Society Induction
The National Junior Honor Society Induction was held on May 27 and recognized fifty new National Junior Honor Society members for their commitment to character, leadership, scholarship, service and citizenship. To be eligible for membership students must maintain a 90 or above overall average and meet minimum requirements in the areas of leadership, character, citizenship and service based on their application materials. Read more here.
Hudson JHS Afterschool Program Visits Bard College
Students in the Hudson Jr. High Afterschool Program (ASP) recently traveled to Bard College to spend a day with the Bard College Men’s Basketball team, take a tour of the campus and eat in the student dining hall.
Yonah Greenstein, a sophomore and member of the basketball team at Bard College, has been volunteering his time with the Jr. High ASP since the beginning of the school year. Read more here.
Eighth Grade Students Learn about Life as High School Freshmen
On May 20 High School seniors in Mrs. Abitabile’s Sociology class held a discussion with eighth grade students to help the incoming freshmen prepare for their first year as high school students this fall. Read more here.
June Book Club Selection - Walking on Glass
Groundbreaking held for Henry Hudson Discovery Garden!
The Henry Hudson Discovery Garden officially opened on the evening of May 4. Board members, faculty, staff and several members of the community attended the groundbreaking ceremony. Read more here.
Award Winning Author Todd Strasser Visits HJHS
Todd Strasser, award winning author of more than 135 books for children of all ages, visited students at the junior high school to talk about the writing process and the life of a published writer. During his visit Mr. Strasser also attended a luncheon with the school book club. Read more here.
Students Plant Seedlings for Earth Day
To celebrate Earth Day students in Ms. Doto’s Biology classes spent time planting seedlings in the Henry Hudson Discovery garden. Seen here are 7th grade students Xzavier Smith, James Vacanti, Ashley King, Megan Schoep, Lexington Higgins, Brittany Varriale, John Berth, Joey Rivette, Becky Ward, Mohannad Alamin and Taylor diMonda.
April and May Book Club Selection - Sold
Students Participate in Twin County Science Expo
A total of ten Junior High School students participated in the Twin County Science Expo, held at Columbia Greene Community College on March 20. Students presented their projects as individuals or in small groups and competed based on grade level. Read more here.
JHS Announces Principal's Award Recipients
Hudson JHS is proud to announce Principal’s Award Recipients for the 2nd quarter. Read more here.
Junior High School Odyssey of the Mind Team Takes 3rd Place!
Congratulations to the Hudson Junior High School Odyssey of the Mind team for taking 3rd place in their division at this year’s Odyssey of the Mind Competition! This is the first time Hudson has won a medal at an Odyssey of the Mind competition.
This year’s team performed an 8 minute skit, based on their solution to an assigned long-term problem called Nature Trail’R. Teams were judged on their performance, problem-solving skills and on a spontaneous question and answer segment.
Congratulations to team members Nazmul Bhuiyan, Brent Decker, Ramel Jackson, Humaira Khan, Sharif Khan, Abdullah Shabazz and Tangina Uddin on a job well done! Thank you to coaches Ms. Williams and Mr. Maloy for supporting the team. The Odyssey of the Mind team was funded by the 21st Century grant.
HJHS Physical Education Classes Create Link to Literacy
To help promote literacy throughout Hudson Junior High School students in Ms. Graziano’s Physical Education classes took a break from traditional PE to work on a special Olympic project. Working in small groups students created brochures for each sport in the Winter Olympics.
Each brochure included a cover page, vocabulary section, schedule of events, biography of a US Olympic athlete and a section on records and accomplishments of the sport. Students used resources in the school library to research their assigned sport and worked with Librarian, Ms. Keeler, to learn how to use Microsoft Publisher for layout and design of the brochure.
Seen here are students Sharif Khan, Cortlynn Jepsen and Emily Haigh with PE teacher Ms. Graziano showing off their display.
March Book Club Selection - Wish You Were Dead
Middle School Students Show Off Their Talents
On February 11, Hudson Junior High School students hosted their first annual Talent Show in the school auditorium. Over 20 students participated in the event and all 7th and 8th grade choir members performed in the show’s finale.
Seen here are Kaitlyn Krein and Shannon LaChance performing.
Afterschool Book Club
The Hudson Junior High School after-school book club recently completed reading their first book entitled, Buried, by Robin Merrow MacCready, with great success!
During the first club meeting students took turns reading aloud and were asked to finish the book at home before their next session. Students entered the second session excited, eager and ready to speak with author, Robin Merrow MacCready via Skype. Students had the opportunity to ask questions and hear about the author’s personal connections with her writings. She also shared her reasons for writing the book and talked about the writing and publishing processes.
For a project, each student created a “Get Organized” to-do list using Post-it notes. This project centered on the main character in the novel, Claudine, who used Post-it notes to organize her life.
For the month of February, club members will be reading, Inside Out, by Terry Trueman.
Soldier's Workshop
Before the holiday break Ms. Connors' Technology Class helped raise funds, donate "items in need" and write letters to soldiers deployed overseas. Students started a virtual business unit where they learned how to successfully run a non-profit organization called, "Soldier’s Workshop".
Students were organized into departments including Sales, Finance, Design, Administration and Human Resources. They then learned the roles and responsibilities of each department. Students were also asked to dress professionally on each Wednesday.
The goal of the class was to have every middle school student donate $1, write a letter or donate from a list of "in need items". Each class also hosted an after-school bake sale to help raise additional money. Students successfully raised over $500, mailed out more than 200 letters and had over 20 boxes of donated items to send to soldiers.
This project was a huge success not only for our students but for the community as a whole. The Columbia County Department of Corrections, Center for Corporate and Human Development, Investments in Youth and numerous families donated more then we could have imagined. This was truly a successful learning adventure not only for Ms. Connors and her students but for soldiers who are overseas as well. Ms. Connors and her class would like to thank everyone for their support and donations.
Afterschool Book Club
The Hudson Junior High School is pleased to announce the creation of an after-school book club. The book club will begin meeting on Monday, January 11, 2010 and will meet on every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month thru June from 2:45-3:45 PM. Students will be responsible for their own transportation home.
The book club will be reading:
- Buried by Robin MacCready
- Inside Out by Terry Trueman
- Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser
- Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
- Sold by Patricia McCormick
- Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters by Gail Giles
- Walking on Glass by Alma Fullerton
These titles were chosen off of a recommended reading list for young adults compiled by Gay Ivey, a well known author and professor at James Madison University as well as the American Library Association’s recommended reading list for reluctant readers. Each member of the book club will be provided with a copy of the book and will be responsible for returning that copy at the end of the discussion.
If your child is interested in attending the book club, please fill out the attached permission slip and have it returned to the Hudson Junior High main office. Permission slips can also be picked up at the Junior High main office. If you have any questions please call the school at 828-4360 ext. 8100.
Afterschool Program
This free Afterschool Program is primarily funded through the 21st Century Grant. The hours are 2:45-5:45 Monday through Friday. FREE bag dinner and drink is provided daily at 2:45. A bus is available at 5:00 daily to drop students off at central locations – door to door. Students MUST sign up on registration form to be eligible to take the bus.
YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN HUDSON BLUEHAWK NATION. THE HAWKS NEST (Junior High Building) Change is coming and you can be part of it!!! Help design the “Hawk’s Nest” by participating in planning for the new Afterschool Program. We want to hear your thoughts and ideas. It is not a requirement to attend everyday. We will be taking many trips, where do you want to go?? This is your program and we want to know what YOU want. Sign up now to be part of this exciting movement. If interested please pick up an application in the Hudson Junior High School Main Office. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call Site Coordinator Vincent Hemmingway or Michael Fulton at (518) 828-4360 ext. 3193.
Read All About It! In HJHS Newsletter #2!
In this edition you'll read about the Six Pillars of Character, Project Wisdom, how to make sure homework gets done, report cards, and H1N1, plus get those schedules of important times and dates you're always misplacing. Get it here.
Bulletin Board Commemorates Veterans in HJHS Families
Junior High School Social Studies Teacher Lynn MacGowan has been observing Veterans’ Day for “10 or 11 years” in a way that gets people in the school – students and faculty alike – to think about their own relationship to this country’s history in ways that they might never have before. She creates a bulletin board and invites people to fill it with the names of relatives who served in the Armed Forces, both in war and peacetime.
ABOVE: Junior High School Secretary Lorraine Dellavecchia, Ashley and Paige Herber, Peter Wagar, Michaela Marotta and Mrs. MacGowan with this year's bulletin board. Ashley and Paige are represented by their great-uncle James Hoffman, who fought in Vietnam, and their grandfather John Herber, who fought in Korea. Michaela's grandfather, James Marotta, also fought in Korea, and Peter's distant cousin, Josh Schools, fought in Iraq.
This year the board is in the hallway directly across from the Junior High School office, and includes the names of people who fought in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnamese War, Desert Storm and Iraq, as well as the Cold War. Most of the names are on stars that, in addition to the name of the relative, tell the branch of service and the war fought in. Often, Mrs. MacGowan said, her students are unaware of their family’s participation in armed conflict. “Please go home and ask,” she tells them. “Find out.” One year, there was a child who found out they had an ancestor in the U.S. Civil War. This year, the board includes an Honorable Discharge for Leroy Garrison, a sergeant with Company F of the 51st Pioneer Division, who was discharged July 9, 1919 because his services were “no longer required.” Born in Hudson, he was 21 years when he enlisted, was employed as a clerk, had brown eyes and hair with a fair complexion, and stood 5 feet, 7 inches. The board also includes a special section for the numerous relatives of Miss Osuch who served in uniform. All told, the board includes five persons who fought in Korea, 14 from World War II, 11 from Vietnam, four from the Cold War/Peacetime, one from Desert Storm, and one from Iraq.
Top Fundraisers Don't Get Lost in Shuffle
The Junior High PTO ran a fundraiser and students that were able to collect a certain amount of money were given an i-pod shuffle. The top selling 7th and 8th grade girl and boy each received an i-pod shuffle. All the students that were able to fundraise a certain amount of money were put into a raffle and the winner received a 32’ flat screen tv.
RIGHT: Marcus Hinds, winner of the drawing for a flat-screen TV. BELOW: The top sellers with their new i-pod shuffles, from left to right: Eighth graders Jose Melendez and Shanice Davis and seventh graders Richard Dellavechia and Jahnessa Mackey.
PBIS: What is it?
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports is an educational philosophy that emphasizes proactive, preventative, positive strategies for dealing with challenging behaviors and improving the school climate. It is being used in the Hudson schools. See the power point presentation on PBIS Junior High School Principal Reardon delivered to the Board of Education Monday, Oct. 26.
Junior High Guidance Newsletter New On-Line
To read the October newsletter, click here.
Message from Principal Derek Reardon
Welcome to Hudson Junior High. There are many physical changes taking place within the district and we have the opportunity to open a brand new Junior High for grades 7 and 8. We are thrilled with the new building. It has been exhilarating to watch the weekly progress this summer. We are extremely fortunate to have a new community school. We will have an opportunity for everyone to tour our “new” campus sometime in September.
We certainly are looking forward to a renewed sense of learning and community. Your involvement as a parent is an essential part of your child’s successful junior high experience and contributes to the overall culture of Hudson Junior High as a learning community. In this spirit, the staff and I look forward to working with you and your child throughout the school year.
YES Program Schedules Informational Meetings
The Youth Employment Services Program, the goal of which is to prepare students for employment and maintain their interest in school, will have two informational sessions Tuesday, Oct. 27 in the High School Library. Interested persons can choose between the 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. meeting or the 6 to 7 p.m. meeting. The program, for ages 14 and older, leads to a paid internship. To see the YES flier, click here.
Veteran of Iraq War, Trade Center Talks to 7th Graders
Sgt. Michael Burnett, now a U.S. Army medic and formerly a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, talked about his experiences at the site of the World Trade Center bombing and later in the U.S. invasion of Iraq with Mr. King's 7th grade social studies classes Friday. Sgt. Burnett was a college student at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks. Three weeks later he was called and asked, as a U.S. Marine, to leave his classes and help with security at the disaster site, which he did. When he arrived at the site, a month after Sept. 11, there was still fire, smoke and ashes, he said. "It seemed surreal to me until I looked up in the trees and saw sneakers and a tie hanging there," he said. "Then I realized something catastrophic had happened." While in the Marines, he served as a rifleman, machine gunner and grenadier. He said he eventually left the Marines to join the army so he could become a medic. "I saw what medics do," he said. "They're amazing people; I wanted to be one."