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Greetings Nathan Hale Parents and Guardians,
We hope you are home and staying safe, out of the snow and sleet!
I wanted to share with you what Nathan Hale Middle School has been doing to honor Black History Month. Each morning during announcements, students hear about a prominent African American in history. So far, students learned about the following people:
Shirley Chisholm - Pioneer for African-American women holding major roles in the government, Chisholm was elected as the first African-American Congresswoman, and later became the first leader of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Bessie Coleman - First licensed Black pilot in the world.
Claudette Colvin - at 15-year-old, was the first Black person on record to defiantly choose not to sit at the back of the bus.
Ruby Bridges - At age 6, Bridges embarked on a historic walk to school as the first African American student to integrate the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana.
Alice Coachman - First African American woman from any country to win an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. She set the record for the high jump at the Games, leaping to 5 feet and 6 1/8 inches
Jane Boland - First Black woman to attend Yale Law school in 1931 and the first Black female judge in 1939!
Yesterday, (Thursday, February 24th) the entire Nathan Hale student body watched the film “Hidden Figures” in homerooms to celebrate women in science. “Hidden Figures,” tells the story of three brilliant African American women at NASA - Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson - who served as the brains behind the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. If you haven't seen it, I urge everyone to watch the story of the amazing female mathematicians and their stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, and turned around the Space Race of the 1960s.
On Monday, February 28, all students and teachers will participate in a program to help understand who they are as Nathan Hale citizens, and to celebrate and work to understand Black identity and how that intersects with the values we hold within our school community. A group of panelists, including Norwalk Common Council members, Ms. Darlene Young, and Mr. Greg Burnett, and Board of Education member, Ms. Sherell Harris, will provide their unique insight into questions from students and faculty. (This program was originally scheduled for today.)
Then, Dean of Students, Ms. Stephanie Peckham, will host grade-level assemblies celebrating student achievements in the first semester of the school year. These awards will be focused not only on academics but also on students who exemplify the values of our campus. While other grades are in their assembly, the Arts Coach, Ms. Elizabeth Simmons, and the Technology Liaison, Mr. Malcolm Welfare, will provide activities for homerooms to complete that reinforce the ideas discussed in the panel presentation.
I have one more important reminder for parents of Grade 6 students, from the School Nurse, specifically for parents of Grade 6 students:
State law requires ALL Grade 6 students to have a physical exam at their doctor during their Grade 6 year BEFORE they enter Grade 7. Doctors' offices quickly get booked during the summer months. Please schedule your child's physical for this Spring. Without a recent physical, your child will not be able to enter a Connecticut School at the end of August. Students entering Grade 7 next year must be up to date on all vaccinations. Any questions, please contact School Nurse, Mrs. Page Seyfried - SeyfriedP@NorwalkPS.org
Please note: The physical exam must be on the Connecticut Health Form which is available from your Pediatrician's office. Forms can also be printed at home using this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uwd3GAlHGw8xLVw3DDxKVhWsxtemCo1v/view
I urge parents and guardians to make their child's appointment now, to avoid delays during the summer. Again, any student entering Grade 7 for the new school year in August will not be allowed to start the school year without a physical on file with the nurse.
As always, please let us know how we may be of service to you. Enjoy your weekend… 😊
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