Hampstead Central School

Last Thursday the students of HCS and HMS hosted a " Winter Wonderland of Literacy" event. This event included a Scholastic Book Fair, the famous PTSA Bingo for Books, a book swap, and some amazing Winter Wonderland art! Thank you all for joining us for this fun event. Here are some pics from Bingo for Books!

This weekend our district's DI (Destination Imagination) Teams did incredibly well at the Amherst Affiliate Tournament! Over 400 students from around the state came to showcase their innovative solutions for this year's challenges. "The Overpowered Oreos" (Grades 4 &5) came in 4th place at the elementary level for the technical challenge. In the Technical Challenge students completed tasks using engineering, research, strategic planning, and related skills. Team "REZZRected" (Grade 7) came in 3rd place at the middle level for the scientific challenge. The Scientific Challenge blended the curiosity of scientific research with the creative expression of performance art. Congratulations to both teams on a job well done! We are proud of you! Team "Overpowered Oreos"- Tessa L, Harper M, Violet D, Caden P, Jordan A and Team Manager Megan Malcolm Team "REZZRected"-Evan D., Jason W. ,Anna A., Danny L., Caden W., and Team Manager Sarah Wisecarver

Last Thursday the students of HCS and HMS hosted a " Winter Wonderland of Literacy" event. This event included a Scholastic Book Fair, the famous PTSA Bingo for Books, a book swap, and some amazing Winter Wonderland art! Thank you all for joining us for this fun event. Here are some pics from Bingo for Books!

Hampstead Central School is assembling a Preschool Study Team! We are asking ALL families, staff, and community members to take a few minutes to complete our preschool program survey, which will help us better understand the hopes and dreams for our preschool program. Your feedback is essential in ensuring that we provide a high-quality, supportive, and enriching early preschool learning experience. Thank you for your time and partnership in helping us create the best possible preschool program for our young learners! Survey link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfA95uken8HTIwtep4wwkNeztIx02_83yELXH-q1n8Y1n8nXQ/viewform

Hampstead Central School is assembling a Preschool Study Team! The goal of this team is to build upon the strengths of our current program while identifying opportunities for growth and development. We value your input in shaping the future of our preschool program! We are asking ALL families, staff, and community members to take a few minutes to complete our preschool program survey, which will help us better understand the needs of our children, families, and community. Your feedback is essential in ensuring that we provide a high-quality, supportive, and enriching early preschool learning experience. The survey will be available until Friday, March 21. Thank you for your time and partnership in helping us create the best possible preschool program for our young learners! Survey link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfA95uken8HTIwtep4wwkNeztIx02_83yELXH-q1n8Y1n8nXQ/viewform

HCS One School, One Book - whole school read! For four weeks all students and staff at HCS will read "The Sasquatch Escape" by Suzanne Selfors. This story follows a boy named Ben who is facing the most boring summer vacation ever. He is staying with his grandfather he hardly knows in a rundown town called Buttonville. But then the family cat brings home an injured baby dragon so Ben and his new friend Pearl visit the only veterinarian in town and then discover that there is nothing boring about this unusual animal hospital.

HCS third graders started their Colonial America unit. Putting their learning into action, Gr 3 visited Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth where they toured the buildings and learned about colonial life including: homelife, games, architecture, tools, cooking, and chores! It was a fun, interactive visit that was enjoyed by all!

St. Patrick’s Day at the Central School was celebrated in full force with the wearin’ o’ the green, glittered hallways, student artwork, themed writing activities, place value with pots of gold, festive crafts, and the construction of leprechaun traps. A fun, festive day was had by all!

Last week, Mrs. Griffin's 7th grade class met with their Gr 2 buddies at HCS to hear Leprechaun stories which the second graders wrote and illustrated. This was another great partnership opportunity between HCS and HMS!

In Mrs. Lazarro's Gr 2 class the essential reading question recently was, "How do you express yourself". Students discussed various ways they express themselves through music, art, writing and dance, to name a few. Students also read a story about recycled instruments which inspired them to create their own instruments in class. Students then brought their instruments to music class and Mrs. Stark integrated them into her lesson on four-beat rhythm patterns.

Last week HCS hosted the Hot Shots from Newmarket Elementary School for a jump rope demonstration as part of our school’s celebration of Jump Rope for Heart. The Hot Shots did an excellent job demonstrating jump roping technique, choreography, skill, and talent. It was an impressive performance! Well done Newmarket Hot Shots!

Earlier this week, HCS preschoolers had a visit from Mrs. Griffin's 7th grade students to work on fun, interactive, zoo-animal based STEM activities. This was a great partnership event between our schools and fun for all students and staff involved. The preschoolers loved the opportunity to work with their big buddies from HMS!

Today HCS preschoolers had a visit from Mrs. Griffin's 7th grade students to work on fun, interactive, zoo-animal based STEM activities. This was a great partnership event between our schools and fun for all students and staff involved. The preschoolers loved the opportunity to work with their big buddies from HMS!

Last week was Read Across America Week! Students throughout the school had fun with reading in creative ways! Undercover Monday: Read underneath something Read Together Tuesday: Read with a friend, neighbor, or family member. Once Again Wednesday: Re-read a favorite story! Furs-day Thursday: Read with a pet or stuffed animal! Flashlight Friday: Turn off the overhead lights...and read by flashlight!

HCS Robotics League is underway! This past week, 30 fourth-grade students met after school to begin the CoderZ New Hampshire Robotics League Competition. Soon they will compete against other local fourth-grade and middle school students! It was an afternoon full of collaborative problem solving, coding, programming, and pure excitement and engagement as they began! We are excited to see the progress these Husky coders make as the competition goes on!

Last week HCS students participated in Blankets for Hope Kindness Workshops where students wrote messages of inspiration, encouragement, and kindness to those in need. Students attached their kindness letters to one of the 420 blankets that were donated for this project. The blankets will be delivered to local foundations and organizations to be given to those who need them the most! This exciting project was also featured recently in the local newspaper and on the news! Way to go HCS!

Today HCS third graders had a special visit from News 9 Weather's Kevin Skarupa! This visit coincides with the third grade's study of weather. Mr. Skarupa taught students about being a meteorologist, weather conditions, predicting the weather, and how he broadcasts the weather on TV. It was a fun and informative visit and a perfect way to finish Gr 3's study of weather. Look out for a video shout out to HCS on the news! Thank you Mr. Skarupa for visiting with us!!

Happy 100th Day of School! Every year, this special day is celebrated with a variety of 100th Day activities including crafts, cup stacking, math games, writing, and fun with all things "100."

Hampstead Central School students attended an assembly last Friday to learn about Kindness Week! They learned about Blankets of Hope, a service learning project where students will write messages of inspiration, encouragement, and kindness to those in need. Students will participate in a Kindness Workshop where they will attach their letters to one of the 420 blankets that were donated for this project. The blankets will then be delivered to local foundations and organizations to be given to those who need them the most! Stay tuned for photos of the Kindness Workshop in action in our classes! Thank you to Mrs. McLaughlin for organizing this great community service project!

HCS Kindness Week February 10-14-- Next week HCS will celebrate Kindness Week! We will practice acts of kindness and celebrate with spirit-themed days. Kindness Week will kick off this Friday, February 7th when we will have an assembly to launch a project called Blankets of Hope. This initiative spreads warmth and kindness to those in need. As part of the project, our school is not only donating cozy blankets but also writing heartfelt messages and encouraging notes to individuals facing hardships. This experience teaches students about the power of generosity and making a difference in their community.