Week of December 8th, 2008 Activities
SELAC Holiday Event
Hoover Staff and Students are delighted to bring you a unique holiday experience this year! Talented students in Choir, Folklorico dancing, Spanish for Native Speakers and the Two-Way Immersion classes have joined forces artistically to create an innovative song and dance performance in Spanish. Hear the colorful and original lyrics of their festive Son, by poets from the Spanish Language Arts classes, and performed by the talented and award-winning Hoover Choir. Hoover’s own Folklorico dance troup will dance to this original music presentation. Join in the fun of this original, creative endeavor by Hoover’s many diverse student artists. Date: Wed. Dec. 10th. Time: 6:00. Place: Cafeteria SELAC Invitation
Hoover Fall Play 
The Hoover fall play, ‘“Blather, Blarney and Balderdash” opens Wednesday, December 10th and runs through Friday, December 12th, in the Historic Hoover Theatre. The play is an Irish tale with fairies and leprechauns. Fin O’Grady must learn to tell a tale; will the leprechauns help him? ADVANCE sales tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for children 0-12, and $3 for Hoover students with an ASB sticker on their student body card. Tickets may be purchased through Mrs. Jordan. Tickets at the door will be $10 for adults and $5 for ages 0-12 and Hoover students with an ASB sticker on their student body card!
Blather, Blarney and Balderdash
Hoover Events
Show your Hawk pride this holiday season and attend a Hoover sports or performing arts event. Check the weekly updates online and in the glass cases around school for event dates, times, and locations.
Hoover Happenings!
Student Council Meeting Monday
Room Reps, listen to the announcement at the end of 3rd period today to let you know where today’s Student Council Meeting will be.
Lunch Clubs 
Remember, lunch clubs are today and Thursday at lunch! Clubs
Got Bottles?
Did you know Hoover receives five cents for every recycled bottle collected by our Recycling Club? Instead of throwing your bottles in the trash (where they earn us no money), deposit them in our recycling bin out on the quad by the student store.
Buy Your DC Trip T-Shirt Today!
Support our Washington DC bound students by purchasing a limited edition ‘DC T-Shirt’ today in the Student Store. Quantities are limited, so don’t delay – buy yours today!
We Need Your Bottle Caps!
Save your metal bottlecaps for the Hoover Folklórico, Choir, Spanish for Native Speakers, and Two-Way Immersion joint project. Metal bottlecaps are needed to make “sonajas” (rattles) for our presentations on 12/10 for the Hoover SELAC and on 12/17 for the Choir Concert. You can give them to Mr. Palkki, Mrs. Maciel, Mrs. Muñoz, or Mrs. Cadena. Thank you.
GEAR UP Meeting Tuesday
Attention all 7th graders - GEAR UP meets this Tuesday at lunch in room 133.
Lunchtime @ Hoover
Our lunchtime procedures will be changing to better address our trash problem. Be on the lookout for news and information from your ASB cabinet this week.
CJSF Meeting Tuesday
CJSF STUDENTS: Please attend an important meeting on Tuesday, December 9th at lunch in room H-105. See you there!!!!
Buy a Yearbook – Win a Camera!
Would you like to win a free digital camera!? Pre-order your yearbook at lunch and you will be entered in a drawing for a FREE digital camera. Yearbooks are on sale for only $30 and order forms are available from Ms. Voskes in H-207, Don’t miss out on the chance to capture the memories with a yearbook and a FREE digital camera!
News from the National Service Summit
After-School All-Stars selected one of Hoover’s outstanding students from its after-school program to represent the organization at the ServiceNation summit in New York City, which featured presidential candidates, Barrack Obama and John McCain. Robert Greenhalgh, an 8th grader from Hoover was selected to represent After-School All-Stars because of his involvement in Entourage, a student-elected after-school service-learning and leadership program. To help the community this past school year, Robert created anti-drug and anti-violence projects, led his peers in supporting the local Special Olympics and in visiting elderly in nursing homes, taught younger elementary school kids to read and raised awareness and support for the issue of homelessness. Congratulations, Robert!
GEAR UP
GEAR UP is starting this week at Hoover! The goal of the San Jose GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) program is to increase the number of students attending college after high school. Your GEAR UP team, Maria Flores, Brian Stevenson and Sunny Choi will follow and support students success as they progress from 7th through 12th grade.
Throughout the 2008-2009 school year, we will provide before and after school tutoring help, academic and career counseling, field trips to local colleges, and college awareness workshops for both students and parents. These services can be provided in both English and Spanish.
If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to stop by the Parent Center (Room 133). Your GEAR UP staff will be available Monday through Friday 8:30am to 3:30pm.
GEAR UP
Principal’s Message
October-November, 2008
Hoover Families:
I hope that Hoover Middle School has been as positive for your child as it has been for me over the last six weeks. I have had the opportunity to visit classrooms, to attend evening family activities and sports events and to get to know students and staff. Some of the changes we have put in place include the following:
Lunchtime activities lead by our student government
Opening of our before-school homework center
Updating of our school and individual teacher web pages
More frequent Parent Link announcements
New guidelines on student drop-off and pick-up
Student safety assemblies and bike helmet giveaways
On Friday, October 17, our teachers participated in staff development. We focused on our English Learners and on strategies for engaging all of our students in the learning process. Students today have grown up in a fast-paced, technology-oriented society and we have adjusted how we approach teaching to meet their needs. Newer strategies include activities for visual, auditory and hands-on learners, integration of technology in the classroom, and balancing large group, small group and independent work.
As you know, a home-school partnership is also critical to student success. Thus, we ask the following:
Share your educational expectations with your child- that you expect him or her to be prepared with necessary materials and homework completed. Don’t just ask if he or she has homework; Look at your child’s Binder Reminder – Does your son or daughter have his or her homework assignments written down? Please ask to see the homework once it is completed, even if your child says, “I did it at school.”
Use the Parent Information Viewer, if possible, to check on grades. If you are not sure how to do this, please contact us. Communicate with your child’s teachers, if you have any concerns. Our telephone number is (408) 535-6274.
Make sure your child is eating three healthy meals a day and getting enough sleep. Recent student surveys by one of our teachers show that some children are not eating properly or sleeping a sufficient number of hours to be rested for the next day’s work. Some students report spending multiple hours watching television, playing video games or visiting social websites on the Internet instead of doing homework, reading for pleasure or getting exercise.
Continue to emphasize the importance of education and talk with your child about goals. Studies have shown that successful students have goals, even at this young age. These goals may include entering a particular profession, attending college, and the like.
In the second semester we will be implementing a Homeroom/Advisory period, and we are still working out the details about how often it will take place – most likely two or three times a week for 18 minutes per day. During this time, students will meet in grade-level groups with a Homeroom/Advisory teacher, who will remain with the group for up to three years. The purpose of Homeroom/Advisory is the following:
To provide a consistent adult connection for each student
To provide a time for Sustained Silent Reading – students and teachers will read during one Homeroom/Advisory period each week
To implement curriculum that is important to the development of the “whole child,” e.g, goal-setting, developing friendships, strategies for being organized, career awareness, and bullying prevention
To provide a time for grade-level assemblies to recognize student achievement
You will hear more about Homeroom/Advisory as the year progresses.
Thanks so much for teaming with us to support your child’s success.
Sincerely,
Suzanne Barbarasch
