Principal's Corner: Miles River Middle School and Hamilton Wenham Regional High School Newsletter

Miles River Middle School and
Hamilton Wenham Regional High School

Newsletter
December 4, 2009
Principal’s Corner
I looked out of my office yesterday and actually saw a student in the courtyard at lunch in shorts! This crazy
weather makes me worried about what the winter will look like. Speaking of the courtyard, I would like to
recognize and thank Shawn O’Keefe for his successful efforts in cleaning up and beautifying our courtyard.
The landscaping and new wooden planks for our benches are a huge improvement! Shawn used this project to
complete the final requirement to earn his Eagle Scout. Thanks to Shawn and his fellow troop members for
making our courtyard a focal point of the high school campus!
The Fine Arts department has an invitation for you:

The Fine Arts Department of Miles River Middle School will present the annual Winter
Concert on Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in the Ferrini Dramatics
Center. The Winter Concert is free and open to all members of the community.
Performances will include a variety of music from both the middle school band and
chorus. Please join us for a lively evening of music led by Director of Bands, Erik Fecke
and Choral Conductor, Abby Frost. The student performers have been preparing for the
concert since September and are eager to share their music with you! For further
information please contact Kirsten Losee at (978) 468-0418 or
e-mail at loseek@hwschools.net
I would like to congratulate all of the fall sports teams. My first season working with the High School athletics
was very exciting. I look forward to all of our winter sports!
Congratulations to Griffen Desroches for becoming the middle school’s winner of the National Geography Bee.
Under the guidance of Mr. Walker, we had a very hard-fought battle to win the school’s title. Griffen will now
begin the process of qualifying for the State finals. Good Luck Griffen!
As a final congratulation, just last night our high school math team took second place in their third math meet.
The team has now placed either first or second in every meet this year. Great job and good luck at your next
meet!
Have a great holiday-filled month of December!
Matt Fox
Principal
HWRHS/MRMS
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Friends Meetings – Meetings are at 7:00pm in the high school Lobby

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 – Cancelled due to History Fair
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010 (if needed)
Principal’s Coffee – Coffees are held at 9:00am in the high school Lobby
Friday, December 4, 2009
Friday, January 29, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Table of Contents
Page 3 Athletics Department
Page 3 Social Studies/History Department
Page 4 Science Department
Page 7 Foreign Language Department
Page 12 General News
Yearbook
Alpine Athletics
In Control Driver Safety
Winthrop Holiday Boutique
Page 13 High School Guidance
Page 20 Friends of HWRHS and MRMS
HWstuff.com
Box Tops for Education
Page 21 Wenham Council on Aging
The Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District does not discriminate in its programs, activities or employment practices based on age, race, color, national origin,
religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
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News from the Athletics Department
Don Doucette, Atheletic Director
Congratulations to the following teams for qualifying for state tournaments: Boys soccer, Boys & Girls cross
country and cheer.
The girls cross country team became the Division 4 East Champs and came in second at the All State
Competition.
Our cheerleaders qualified for the state competition & placed 4th.
Winter sports have just started. Good luck to all our athletes in the following sports: basketball, cheering,
indoor track, swimming, gymnastics, wrestling & ice hockey.
News from the Social Studies/History Department

Kevin O’Reilly, 6-12 Curriculum Leader
All members of the public are invited to join the students and faculty of the History Department for Hamilton-
Wenham Regional High School’s annual History Fair. Students in grades ten and eleven have created projects
relating to “Innovation in History” through the National History Day program. The fair will take place at the
High School on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 from 5-8 PM. Displays will be open for viewing all evening in the
cafeteria, and websites will be displayed in various classrooms. Performances (auditorium) and documentaries
(classrooms) will be presented throughout the evening.
Student project topics this year include: Sigmund Freud, Insulin, the GI Bill, the Panama Canal, National Parks,
Les Paul, Sewers, Levittown, China’s Economy in the 1970s, Walt Disney, Radar, CNN, Levi Strauss, and
Propaganda in World War I.
Students will be judged on their projects, but instead of a score they will receive comments. The purpose of
History Fair is for students to share what they have discovered while exploring different innovations and their
effects on history. In January, the department will select students to advance to the district competition of
National History Day.
Please join us for this exciting evening of carefully crafted, innovative student presentations.
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News from the Science and Engineering Department
John Kotch, 6-12 Curriculum Leader
High School Science Department receives Grant from Cell Signaling
For the second consecutive year, the high school Science Department has been awarded a grant from the Cell
Signaling Technology’s Education in Science Committee. Established in Beverly MA in 1999, Cell Signaling
Technology (CST) is a privately-owned company and a world leader that provides innovative research tools that
are used to help define mechanisms underlying cell function and disease. This year’s grant totals over $6300.00!
It will be used to purchase state-of-the-art, touch-screen SPARK learning system interfaces and a variety of
electronic sensors to be utilized in both the classroom and in science fair experiments. These include such
sensors as the Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen Gas Sensors, to name two. The SPARK is described by the PASCO
Company in the following: SPARK Science Learning System is an all-in-one mobile device that seamlessly
integrates the power of probeware with inquiry-based content and assessment. With its large, full-color display,
finger-touch navigation and completely intuitive data collection and analysis capabilities, SPARK completely
redefines the concept of easy-to-use--so the focus remains on the learning of science. This grant will allow our
students to become trained and adept in the use and function of lab technology that is being utilized in current
lab settings and research facilities in both college and the private sector.
Grades on-line for High School Science Department
As a parent it is always nice to know how our children are performing in school. The task of checking with
your child about homework and how school is going is not always met with the greatest enthusiasm from the
typical adolescent! Wouldn’t it be nice to just be able to go on-line to get the latest progress report right from
the comfort of your own home? Well, your dreams have come true! The high school science department is
now using the website mygradebook.com for all student grades. You can access this website by going to:
http://www.mygradebook.com/
You will need a “classword” and a “password” from your specific student to view their grades. Please ask your
child for this information. Also, you can email your child’s teacher to access this information. All teachers
have an email address which is: last name, first initial at hwschools.net. If need be, you can always ask the
teacher and they can supply this information. You can now have a “progress report” whenever you want at the
click of a mouse.
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Websites for Science Department

Not everyone loves to use the internet. This is true for adults in particular. However, if you are one of the
“tech-heads” and prefer to access information from such sources, I encourage you to search your child’s
teacher’s website for information. For example, parents and students can access due dates for homework, test
dates, lecture notes from PowerPoint presentations, “webassignments” and many other important pieces of
information. The most effective way to access the various sites is to go to the school’s webpage for the links
from the Science and Engineering Department. For the high school, this can be found at:
http://www.hw-regional.k12.ma.us/hwrhs/departments/Science_Engineering/Science_and_Engineering.html
For the Miles River Middle School, go to the main page for the school and follow the link from each grade and
then to the specific teacher’s webpage. The main page can be found at: http://mr.hw-regional.k12.ma.us/
Biology MCAS results are in!

In June of 2009, we had our 9th grade students take the Biology MCAS exam. This is the only MCAS exam
taken by 9th graders at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School. To graduate from high school in a
Massachusetts public school, each student must pass one science MCAS exam. We have chosen to give the
exam to the 9th grade because it allows the students future years to retake the test in other subjects should they
not pass in their first attempt.
We had an excellent result in 2009! We had only 2 failures out of the 189 students taking the test. This is
approximately a 1% failure rate compared to the state failure rate of 12%. Our level of “advanced” scores was
41%, compared to a state rate of 15%. We are very proud of these results and congratulations go out to the both
the students and the Biology teachers! The teachers include: Kristi Umile, Deb Clapp and Melissa Neipp.
7th Grade Middle School Students go 3-D

The seventh graders have just returned from a field trip to the IMAX Theater in Wakefield where they viewed
two outstanding movies that tie into our unit on the Solar System. "Magnificent Desolation" was about the
Apollo Moon Project and "The ISS” was a feature about our International Space Station. Both movies were in
HD and 3D. Students and Faculty had a great time alike! The IMAX Theater has a comprehensive program
developed just for educators. To view their educator’s guide, use this link:
http://www.imax.com/spacestation/pdf/educator_resource_guide.pdf
6th Grade Middle School Students get Muddy!

Sixth graders began the school year in science with the topic What is Science? As they learned that science is a
part of their everyday lives, they made inferences and predictions and became aware of the skills and scientific
attitudes needed by scientists. With the introduction of the salt marsh in early October, students learned of the
history and organisms of the salt marsh. They enjoyed a memorable trip to the salt marsh to see the plants and
animals firsthand both at the marsh and on a boat tour of the Essex River and came to understand the connection
of the nearby Essex Shipbuilding Museum to the marsh. This is always a fun trip and one that the student’s
always enjoy!
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News from the Foreign Language Department
Kevan Sano, 6-12 Curriculum Leader
At the Middle School
In 6th grade Spanish, The sixth graders have been practicing how to tell time and describe the weather in
Spanish. They have just finished researching a Spanish speaking country and designing a poster to present to
their classmates. Many of the students have chosen to make an online poster with a program called “Glogster”
and they have created very impressive works of art. We have just begun learning the classroom objects and we
are working on how to describe them and use them in conversation by expressing quantity, color, and what each
student has in his or her backpack.
In 7th grade Spanish, students have just begun a virtual "Viaje a España" (trip to Spain) where all future classes
will be taught in context of this trip. They will begin by packing their suitcases and getting a passport. Next
students will then head to Logan where they will embark on their trip to Madrid. While in Spain for a year, they
will study at an international school with students from all over the world. Seventh graders will study some
early history of Spain and will take several trips throughout the country to see firsthand the imprint that so many
different cultures left on Spain. Students will attend a "Corrida de Toros" and will visit many famous places in
Madrid, such as the Casa de Campo (the zoo), the Parque del Buen Retiro, the Palacio Real and the Museo del
Prado. All of our activities will be written in Spanish in a journal so they will have their own little
"remembrance book." In addition as students travel through Spain from the classroom they will learn
vocabulary, grammar structures and have lots of opportunity for speaking and writing in the target language.
In 8th grade Spanish, despite all the excitement for Thanksgiving and the annual MRMS Turkey Bowl our class
took a few minutes to remember what we are thankful for. My students included their "amigos, padres,
hermanos, amigos, casas" and of course a large "Comida de Pavo" as what they give thanks for. We are
continuing to work hard and we are talking about, using and perfecting our "A personal" before people and pets
when they are the objects of lots of verbs! We will also start a project that illustrates our mastery of common
actions in Spanish with Sra. Smaldone's 8th graders. G Block is learning about the family, how to express that
we love each other and live in Hamilton and Wenham. We are going to look at Spain's "Familia Real" and
create our own "arboles geneologicos" to share with each other. While we look forward to the winter holidays
and can't wait for a rest, we will be working hard until December 23!
French with Mrs. Day
We are sorry to report that we only have one class of French, a combination of French 2 and French 3, but
nevertheless they are moving ahead and have been progressing at a steady pace. Students have been practicing
vocabulary and grammar concepts through skits and projects, such as "A la plage" (our good-bye to beach and
summer activities), "Le Shopping", and "La Routine Quotidienne". In order to accommodate the different levels
of ability in this class, the students are sometimes grouped into reading/speaking circles, thus giving them a
chance to advance at their own pace. Tout le monde adore le français!
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Latin with Mr. Crowther
The discipuli have been focused on the trade and crafts of the Roman world. The students have been reading
about the trials of a shopkeeper in Alexandria. They have studied the ports of Rome, and have even made our
own Roman coins, complete with Latin inscription!
Spanish I
First term was spent learning the basics of Spanish: the alphabet, greetings, good byes, calendar and weather
words as well as useful phrases followed by an ever increasing list of infinitives. Our cultural lessons have been
centered on finding evidence to prove that there is a strong Spanish/Hispanic influence on the culture of the
USA. We've concluded that Spanish is not such a foreign language as many previously assumed. Students in
Spanish I have been asking to do a project, so that just may be happening before too long!
Spanish 2A1
Students enrolled in one of the six Spanish 2A1 classes offered this school year can expect to experience two
action-packed semesters of language-learning fun! The Spanish 2A1 curriculum is steadily being revised,
articulated and mapped. The three Spanish teachers teaching 2A1, Ms. Sansoucy, Mrs. Sprouse and Mrs.
Richards constantly compare what they are doing, what they will do next and share the many Internet sites,
Smart Board activities and worksheets they have. It is truly a collaborative effort. In addition to the online
mapping, teachers are keeping curriculum notebooks that can be referred to and whose contents can be shared
with less experienced teachers.
Students recently finished up a very enjoyable unit centered on El Día de la Raza. They studied family,
professions, countries and nationality vocabulary along with the verb ser and adjectives, which culminated in a
written product and an oral presentation, based the students' own family and ethnic background. If you are in the
building stop by room 204 and check out the board with each students' "melting pot" containing their personal
information and expressing their "orgullo" (pride)
Students are expanding on skills mastered at the Middle School level in order to express themselves more
effectively by learning to use the two forms of the past tense in Spanish, the present progressive verb tense, and
the simple future tense. Students will augment their current vocabulary to include words related to basic wants
and needs, nutrition and healthy lifestyle, travel, "things around the house," and various holidays of the hispanic
world. They will also expand their knowledge of Mexican culture by participating in Food and Dance Days, as
well as viewing authentic Mexican films, inviting guest speakers, and of course, decorating our classroom with
holiday piñatas.
Spanish 2H
Our Spanish 2 Honors classes provide the foundation for our AP program. In order to attain mastery in the
target language, students use grammatical concepts and vocabulary in context. New Smart board technology has
allowed us to use interactive programs that have increased student participation in class. Students have also
begun presenting two-minute “charlas” twice a week. The topic for this first round is show and tell, and so far I
have been impressed with the students’ use of concepts covered in our class and in previous classes. We are off
to a great start!
Spanish 3A1
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In our 3A1 classes, the focus this year is on reading in the target language. Students recently completed their
second story. By using the context of these stories, students have increased their vocabulary and have practiced
and/or learned grammatical concepts in a more natural way. Also, students are learning to apply pre-reading
steps to facilitate reading with understanding.
Now that it is second term, we are picking up the pace by practicing and applying what we have learned while
adding more conversation, vocabulary and grammatical concepts.
Spanish 3H
In Spanish 3H, taught by Ms. Sano, students just completed a cooperative jigsaw on the subjunctive. Working
first in expert groups then in teaching (working) groups, each student was responsible to learn one aspect of the
subjunctive becoming an expert on their piece, then teaching their piece to the other members of their teaching
groups. Over the course of several classes students could be seen with their heads together working on a variety
of assignments all relating to the subjunctive. Truly a collaborative unit the final piece was an individual
assessment and I am happy to report that my students did a terrific job.
Grammar is not the only thing happening in 3H. Students are reading their first novel “Susana y Javier en
Sudamérica”. As the main characters travel through out South America discovering the wonders of Argentina,
Peru and several other countries, my students, too, are discovering the wonders of South America. The first
seven chapters take us to Argentina. In an effort to make their experience more authentic, students drank “yerba
maté” and ate “dulce de leche” while watching and listening to the music of the Tango. “Viva la Argentina”
Our next destination will be Peru, where we will visit the ancient capital of the Incas and discover the wonders
of Machu Picchu. Grammar, culture and vocabulary are all taught in context as we journey through South
America.
Spanish 4A1
Spanish 4A1, taught by Mrs. Richards, is immersed in the Puerto Rico unit. Having just finished the pre-
Columbian indigenous culture and literature unit, students have just begun the Puerto-Rican Americans video
which is a springboard for getting acquainted with famous Puerto-Rican Americans, the conflict of identity [that
will be further explored in the movie "Almost a Woman" and Ricky Martin's song "Raza de mil colores". A
segment of the video discusses typically Puerto-Rican refrains and this week students will be creating and
illustrating an original story whose punch line will be one of those
refrains.
Spanish 4 Honors
The Spanish 4 Honors class is immersed in a study of the many peoples that make up the Americas. Students
have finished a study of many Pre-Colombian civilizations with special attention paid to the similarities
between the creation myths of several cultures. We have just completed an in-depth study of the Mayans and
Mayan legends. We culminated our study with a re-enactment of el Rey Colibrí, a legend explaining why the
quetzal, the national bird is the symbol of liberty for the Guatemalans.
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Upper level Spanish
As a department, we have made a commitment to keeping our Spanish program strong despite budget issues and
the loss of most our French courses. Our Advanced Placement Spanish Language and Literature courses
continually provide us with evidence of student achievement in the language. We are one of only a few schools
in the area that offers both courses, AP Language for juniors and AP Literature seniors. Exam scores have
increased every year since we implemented the AP program and students are taking more than ever out of their
high school Spanish courses. I have received many letters and emails from HW graduates studying Spanish at
top universities thanking our department for preparing them to compete in advanced courses during their
freshman and sophomore years. The system works!
Spanish 5A1 with Ms. Sanscoucy
Seniors participating in Spanish 5A1 this year will be the first group of students to experience an entirely new
course that allows them to learn about topics in Spain and Latin America by incorporating authentic Latin
American films into the curriculum, giving them the opportunity to use the Spanish they have learned to view
the world through the eyes of others. The course will explore four distinct themes: History and Politics in Spain
and Latin America, Famous Hispanics, Immigration, and Latinos in the United States. Students will be
assigned research topics that pertain to each theme, present their findings to the class (all in Spanish, of course!)
and then view the film that is relevant to the theme. So far, the course has received excellent feedback from
students, and we will continue to make improvements in both our Spanish proficiency as well as cultural
awareness as the year goes on.
Travel Opportunities for 2010 and 2011

2010 – France and Spain: Paris to Barcelona lead by Mrs. Day and Mrs. Sprouse
The Foreign Language Department's trip during April vacation 2010 promises to be an outstanding opportunity
to visit both France and Spain. Our itinerary will take us to Paris, where we will explore the famous sights of
the City of Lights. We will travel on to explore the vast palace and grounds of Versailles and the magnificent
cathedral at Chartres, before continuing on to visit some of the famous chateaux of the Loire Valley.
In Spain, we will visit the seaside town of San Sebastian, explore the Baroque architecture of Zaragoza, and
enjoy the highlights of Spain's second-largest city, Barcelona. Among many highlights will be Gaudi's Parc
Guell and Casa Mila, with its undulating facade, organic shapes and surrealistic chimneys. There will be plenty
of opportunity to practice our Spanish and French and to enjoy the local culture.
Viva España! Vive la France!
2011 – Travel to Peru with Ms. Sano and other teacher chaperones. It may seem a long way in the distance
however it is never too early to plan for student travel. The benefits of planning over a year in advance include
securing a better price and allowing for more time to save and budget. We are accepting applications for the
trip in 2011 and have limited seats still available. This trip is open to students studying Spanish and is an
extension of the 3 Honors curriculum. For more information visit: http://www.educationaltravel.com User
name: sanok Password: Peru2011 Check out the site, See who is enrolled and sign up for an amazing
experience!
Foreign Language Club

This year, the Foreign Language and Global Cultures Club will meet on Tuesdays at 2:30 in Miss Sansoucy's
room (#202.) Club members look forward to experiencing the music, film, dance, cuisine, and art of our
world's diverse cultures by taking part in hands-on activities as well as group excursions to multi-cultural events
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in the Greater Boston area. The club is still accepting new members, and all students are invited to stop by
and join in on all the fun.
Other Foreign Language Events
On Wednesday, November 4, Mrs. McFarland and Miss Sansoucy took fifty-five Spanish students to Berklee
College of Music to participate in a concert that showcased various styles of Latin music from Central and
South America and the Caribbean. Students had a blast singing and dancing to the music! The highlight of the
show was when junior classmen Gabe Diana was chosen to perform the Lambada, a Brazilian music and dance
style, on stage with the lead singer in front of a crowd of over five hundred audience members! (You can view
Gabe's performance by becoming a fan of "Miss Sansoucy's Spanish Class" page on Facebook.) After the
concert, the group visited Antonia's restaurant on Revere Beach, where they were served an authentic
Colombian meal of yuca frita con salsa rosada, arroz y habichuelas con salchichas, pollo adobizado, and a
Colombian-themed cake from Spinelli's Bakery of East Boston by chef Alex Herrera and other enthusiastic
members of Antonia's staff. The Spanish department looks forward to having another field trip excursion
during the second semester!
Congratulations go out to Mr. Sofronas who was just awarded National Board Certification for World
Languages other than English. Bravo Sr. Sofronas!
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General News
News from your Yearbook staff
The Yearbook staff is working feverishly to meet its big deadline next week. The senior section and the fall
sports are the first to be submitted this year as the spring sports have already been successfully sent off. Parents
are urged to submit their Family Ads by December 11th. This is the most sentimental and touching section of
the yearbook. Please have your child included. ALL Yearbook information is easily accessed on the high
school's home page. Check out our new slide show and click on the links to submit
pictures and order your yearbook through Jostens Direct Solutions.
On the slopes with Alpine Athletics

It is not too late to sign up for our Gunstock ski program beginning January 28th and running for 4 weeks. The
cost is $200 for 4 weeks and includes transportation and lift tickets.
Also in the works is a Friday night trip to Gunstock after exams on Friday January 22nd. Permission forms will
be available outside the Foreign Language office.
In Control Driver Safety – Discounted costs

Car crashes are #1 cause of teen death, responsible for 48.5%! Because of this, the Hamilton-Wenham Rotary
Club, Police Depts, and Leslie Ray Insurance have partnered to subsidize training for teens of both
communities. In Control’s hands on training reduces teen crashes by 70%. For more information please visit
www.driveincontrol.com/hamiltonwenham. This course is a one time, 4.5 hour class offered in North Andover
(and several other MA sites). The normal cost of the training is $299, but through this subsidy HW teens can
gain these life saving skills for only $99 (additional savings for those with Safety Ins)! In addition to a 70%
lower chance of being the 1 out of 2 teens that crashes in their first 2 years of driving, many will also receive a
discount on their insurance. Come learn crash avoidance techniques with In Control in a fun, safe environment
so when you encounter these situations on the road you have the experience to stay safe.”
Winthrop School Holiday Boutique

Holiday Boutique at Winthrop school, Hamilton, Saturday 9am- 3pm December 5 - a wonderful
way to get into the holiday spirit!
This year's boutique will feature many local vendors offering fabulous gift ideas for the holidays. You can stock
up on cookies at the Cookie Walk, bid on some great items at the Silent Auction, find some "Hidden Treasures"
in our version of a white elephant shop and browse around the Scholastic Book Fair. Enjoy a scrumptious lunch
prepared by local restaurants in our café. A favorite with the kids: children will delight in doing their own
holiday shopping with the help of some very eager elves in the Children's Secret Shop where all gifts cost $5 or
less. And of course Santa will be on site! Don't miss out on the excitement and spread the word amongst your
friends in the community. Admission is $2 for adults; $1 for children 5 and up and seniors.
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News from the High School Guidance Department
Frank Sullivan, Guidance Department Chair
My College QuickStart™
Students who took the 2009 PSAT/NMSQT test in October will receive their score reports during the first two
weeks in December. These students will receive access to My College QuickStart, a free personalized planning
kit based on their test results. Students will have the opportunity to take the next steps toward college with these
features:
An online score report, including projected SAT score ranges, state percentiles, and the power to sort answer
explanations by difficulty and question type
A customized SAT study plan based upon student test performance, highlighting skills for review and
practice.
A starter list of colleges based on the student’s state and indicated choice of major.
Majors and career matches that are compatible with the student’s general interests and personality type.
My College QuickStart will be available for 2009 test-takers in mid-December. Student access codes will be
found on their paper score report and on our school's roster of student scores and plans. Students will have
access to My College QuickStart throughout their high school careers.
College Application Process

Seniors should continue to bring their completed Transcript Release Authorization Form to the Guidance Office
at the earliest possible date. The secondary school package which supports the student’s application, and is sent
directly from the Guidance Office, contains an official copy of the transcript, the HWRHS Secondary School
Report including the counselor’s statement, high school profile, and any teacher letters of recommendation that
have been submitted through Naviance to the guidance office. It is not necessary to provide envelopes or
postage. It is also not necessary to submit the Mid-Year School Report as mid-year grades are automatically
sent to each college/university. Students will be billed $4.00 per secondary school package in the spring.
Requests for the secondary school package must be made at least 10 school days prior to the application
deadline. Seniors who have a January 1st deadline are asked to submit their request for the secondary school
package to the guidance office by December 8th. Transcript request forms from students with a deadline of
January 15th are due by December 22nd. At a time when more students are sending out more college
applications this timeline will enable counselors to process their component in as thorough and timely a manner
as possible.
Naviance Notes:
Top Ten (+1) Things that Seniors and their Parents need to know about the college application process:
1. Students are responsible for submitting the actual application, application fee and any college-specific
requirements, i.e. art portfolio, etc. Carefully read the instructions as they vary from one institution to another.
2. Students are responsible for submitting a Transcript Release Form to the Guidance Office at least 10 school
days in advance of the specific college’s application deadline.
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3. Students should come to the Guidance Office and ask for your original Transcript Release Form to add
additional colleges to your list, make any changes, or to remove colleges from your list. The $4 fee for each
package prepared is collected in the spring. You will not be charged for any requests that are cancelled before
processing.
4. Students must tell their counselor if they are using an online Common Application or an online Institutional
Application. Be certain that this information matches what you’ve indicated on the Transcript Release Form.
5. If students are submitting letters of recommendation from coaches or others outside of the HWRHS faculty,
please give these individuals a stamped, addressed envelope for each of your colleges. Keep copies for future
reference- such as scholarship applications.
6. Students must request teacher letters of recommendation in a timely manner and be sure that teachers are
aware of your earliest deadline. This request must be done through personal contact, not an e-mail.
7. Students must go to the “My Colleges” tab in Naviance and fill out the Privacy Notice (FERPA) form
completely thus allowing us to forward your transcript package electronically.
8. The user name and password that you enter when logging into the Common Application webpage must be
entered exactly the same way on the Privacy form in Naviance where they ask for this same information. The
name (s) of the college (s) must be added to your Common Application account to enable your counselor to
send the Transcript Package to the appropriate college.
9. Parents and students are assigned their own distinct and unique Naviance accounts and should use their own
accounts as permissions differ. Students must use a student account to see certain information in Naviance.
As the Guidance Office frequently sends updates and reminders to students & parents, you should check your e-
mails regularly.
10. Parents are reminded that the college application process needs to be a student driven experience – please
refer to the Middlebury College’s admissions statement in the last newsletter publication.
Advanced Placement
To find colleges and universities with AP credit policy information go to:
http://collegeboard.com/apcreditpolicy/index.jsp
Extras
A recent newspaper article reiterated the statement made by the National Association for College Admissions
Counseling when it examined student on-line profiles and their impact upon college admissions decisions. The
point was again made that whether it's through Friendster, Facebook, MySpace, Xanga or LiveJournal, a student
better have an air-tight online profile. Online profiles could make or break an admissions decision.
Most college admissions offices will say they look online for applicants only if something in a profile was
brought to their attention. A University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth study of 453 college admissions
departments found that 26 percent of them are actively researching students through search engines such as
Google and 21 percent are checking out social networking profiles when reviewing applicants. The U-Mass
study interviewed public and private universities around the country ranging from 50 to 50,000 students and
with annual tuition ranging from $1,000 to $40,000. The data showed that college admission officers' usage of
social networks to background applicants is outpacing Fortune 500 companies who use online profiles to
background potential employees.
15
How to fix your profile

Have an air-tight online profile for getting into college:
Safety first: Never post personal information such as your address, daily schedule, phone number, etc.
Make your profile private so that strangers can't look at your information, and be cautious about adding new
friends who you do not personally know.
Pictures and references of you on your friends' pages can be damaging. Ask them to take down photos on their
profiles in which they've "tagged" you, along with comments.
Financial News
The office of Federal Student Aid at the U.S. Department of Education makes FAFSA4caster, its early
eligibility estimator, available at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov. They have also notified high schools that
they no longer provide paper FAFSAs to schools in bulk; instead, students/parents may request up to three
copies from 1-800-4-FED-Aid or www.edpubs.org. Alternatively, parents may download a PDF of the FAFSA
at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov.
Any parent who was unable to attend the Guidance Department’s annual Financial Aid Night Presentation that
was held on November 18th is encouraged to contact the guidance office to obtain a copy of the MEFA
handout. The power point presentation is available on the department’s website, www.hwschools.net. Parents
are also reminded that if you were unable to attend the seminar, please visit
www.mefa.org/planning/seminars.php for an updated list of seminars being offered at other schools in our area.
The evening’s presentation will be broadcast on our local cable access channel, and can be seen at video-on-
demand at HWCam.org. You may also want to visit MEFA’s website especially designed to assist
Massachusetts families with the entire college financing process – www.mefacounselor.org.
The following article is presented as a follow-up to the information on Trends in College Pricing that was
published in the last HWERHS/MRMS Newsletter.
Trends in Student Aid 2009 – College Board
There have been a number of recent innovations to the federal student aid system. As of July 1, 2009, student
borrowers can repay their federal loans through the Income-Based Repayment Plan, which limits monthly
payments to no more than 15% of the amount by which the borrower’s income exceeds the federal poverty
level. Pell Grants are now available for year-round study, and Congress increased the maximum Pell Grant from
$4,731 in 2008-09 to $5,350 in 2009-10. As of January 2010, some students will be able to automatically
transfer data from their income tax forms to their financial aid applications, reducing the confusion and the time
involved in the process. Limits on the amount students can borrow through the unsubsidized Stafford Loan
program also have been increased, and Congress has imposed some new regulations on the private student loan
market.
Trends in Student Aid provides extensive data describing student aid of all types from all sources. It does not
attempt to evaluate student aid programs or policies, but provides detailed information that can inform
policymakers, researchers, student advocates and others in their efforts to assess and improve the effectiveness
of student aid in increasing educational opportunities. The data reported this year do not reflect all of the recent
changes now in effect, and if many of the proposals currently under consideration are implemented, the
landscape could change quite a bit. Future editions of Trends in Student Aid will track these changes.
Trends in Student Aid reports on the different types of financial aid distributed to students and the various
sources of that aid. The federal government, state governments, colleges and universities, and employers and
16
other private entities are all partners in the student aid system, which provides grants, loans, tax benefits and
work aid. Growth in aggregate amounts of aid may be misleading in an environment of rising enrollments and
increasing college prices. To understand the impact of financial aid on educational opportunities, it is important
to examine the amount of aid per student, the breakdown of aid between undergraduate and graduate students,
and the distribution of aid across institution types and by student characteristics.
Every year since 1983, the College Board has published a new edition of Trends in Student Aid, providing
detailed updated information on the sources, forms and amounts of financial aid available to assist students and
families in paying for postsecondary education. A new website, introduced in 2008, makes data easily available
for reference and downloading. All of the graphs and the selected tables included in the print version can also be
found online, along with substantial additional information. Go to www.collegeboard.com/trends to access data
from both Trends in Student Aid and its companion publication, Trends in College Pricing.
Total Student Aid

Table 1 reports on the total funds available to postsecondary students, both undergraduate and graduate, to
supplement family and student payments over the decade from 1998-99 to 2008-09. Figure 1, modified from
previous years, shows receipt of these funds — both student aid dollars and the money students borrow from
nonfederal sources — on a per full-time equivalent (FTE) student basis. Together with students’ savings and
earnings, as well as support from parental earnings, savings and borrowing from other sources, these funds
contribute to making higher education financially accessible.
We report on percentage increases of each type and source of aid over the decade. However, the percentage
increases have very different implications depending on the starting level. The 204% constant dollar increase in
nonfederal loans represents an $8 billion increase from $3.9 billion in 1998-99 to $11.9 billion in 2008-09. In
contrast, the 99% increase in federal loans represents a $41.7 billion increase from $42.3 billion to $83.9 billion.
It is also important to consider these increases with a perspective on enrollment growth. In 2008-09, total FTE
enrollment included 3.3 million more students than it had a decade earlier, a 31% increase.
The figures in Table 1 have been adjusted for inflation. Similar tables with data in current dollars (unadjusted)
and broken down between undergraduate and graduate students are available online.
Types of Student Aid

From the student’s perspective, grant aid, which is a pure subsidy not requiring repayment, is the most desirable
form of financial aid. Education tax credits and deductions are also pure subsidies, although the fact that the
savings generally materialize months after the bills have been paid makes them less effective in facilitating
college access.
A variety of forms of loans are described in this publication. Subsidized Stafford Loans and Perkins Loans
provide the greatest benefit for students because the government pays the interest while the student is in school.
Unsubsidized Stafford Loans and PLUS Loans for parents of undergraduate students and for graduate students
also carry a federal guarantee and interest rates that are limited by legislation. In contrast, nonfederal education
loans from banks and other lending institutions are not subsidized at all. Their value is only in providing
liquidity for students who have no other means of accessing funds. We report on nonfederal student loans
because of their importance, but do not include them in our measures of student aid because they do not carry
any subsidy.
A small amount of student aid comes from the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program, under which the federal
government provides funds to institutions to subsidize the wages they pay to some student workers with
documented financial need. Although these funds are packaged along with grants and loans to help students pay
their bills, from the student’s perspective, they are simply wages received for services performed.
17
As Figures 2a and 2b reveal, the composition of the aid received by graduate students is quite different from the
composition of the aid on which undergraduates rely. Federal loans play a much larger role for graduate
students, while federal grants provide more support to undergraduates. The teaching and research assistantships
from which many graduate students benefit are a form of compensation and are not included here.
Federal Aid
The allocation of federal student aid funds differs across programs. Need-based aid relies on the information
provided by students and parents on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the formula
known as the Federal Methodology (FM). Pell Grants are distributed based on the expected family contribution
(EFC) determined by this formula and do not depend on the charges at the particular school attended.
Subsidized Stafford Loan eligibility is based on both the EFC and the cost of attendance at the student’s
institution. A student who is found to have financial need at a high-priced institution might not have measured
need and therefore might not receive a subsidized Stafford Loan if she attended a less expensive college or
university. Campus-based federal funds including FWS, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
(FSEOG), and Perkins Loans are also need-based. However, these funds are distributed to institutions based on
a complex formula, and the institutions allocate them to students with financial need. Unsubsidized Stafford
Loans are available to all students regardless of their financial circumstances; PLUS Loans require only the
absence of adverse credit — a criterion that has affected more applicants during the recent financial crisis.
Figure 9 illustrates the distribution of these various forms of aid to students at different types of institutions that
results from these various allocation methods.
If the current efforts by the Obama administration and some members of Congress to simplify the aid
application process and the federal need-analysis formula are successful, the allocation of federal student aid
funds will certainly change to some extent.
Grant Aid
Grant aid comes from the federal government, state governments, employers and other private sources, and
from colleges and universities in the form of discounts from the published price. As Figure 5 shows, these
sources have contributed fairly stable portions of total grant aid over the course of the 1998-99 to 2008-09
decade.
Pell Grants, targeted at low- and moderate-income students, are designed to provide access to postsecondary
education for those least able to afford it. Figure 12a provides details on Pell Grants over time. While federal
expenditures on Pell Grants increased by 87%, from $9.7 billion to $18.2 billion in constant 2008 dollars over
the most recent decade, the combination of rising college prices and an increase in the number of recipients
from 3.9 million to 6.1 million has diluted the value of these grants to individual students.
The maximum Pell Grant level is currently determined annually through the Congressional appropriations
process, resulting in very uneven growth. The Obama Administration has proposed increasing the maximum
Pell Grant by 1% per year beyond the increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This policy would increase
predictability, but would have an indeterminate effect on award levels over time.
The maximum Pell Grant is awarded to students whose incomes are too low to generate any expected family
contribution and is the most frequently cited descriptor of Pell funding levels. However, only about one-fourth
of Pell Grant recipients qualify for the maximum grant. In 2008-09, the average grant of $2,973 was a better
representation of the subsidy received by the typical Pell Grant recipient than the $4,731 maximum grant.
The largest portion of grant aid comes from colleges and universities. The data available on institutional grant
aid are less precise than those on state and federal awards. In addition to the estimates of total institutional aid
18
found in Table 1, this year we include more detailed data from the recently released National Postsecondary
Student Aid Study (NPSAS). The NPSAS defines need-based aid as only those funds awarded on the basis of
financial need. Aid that meets need but is awarded based on academic or other criteria is classified as non-need-
based. This definition contrasts with that used by the College Board’s Annual Survey of Colleges, which
categorizes aid based on the financial need of the recipient, regardless of the motivation for the award. In
reporting NPSAS data, we describe the allocation of grant aid by parent income levels.
An estimated 16% of all grant aid comes from employers and private sources. No reliable data are available on
the precise amount of funding from these sources. We base our estimates on a combination of data from the
NPSAS and from membership surveys conducted by the National Scholarship Providers Association.
Loans
The federal government, the primary source of education loans, offers several different types of loans. There are
two types of funding for Stafford Loans, the major federal education loan program. Under the William D. Ford
Federal Direct Student Loan Program (FDSLP), students borrow directly from the government. Under the
Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), the federal government guarantees loans issued by private
lenders. The division of loans between these two programs can be found in Table 1. The percentage of federal
loans provided through the FDSL Program declined from 33% in 1998-99 to 19% in 2007-08. A combination of
the difficulties in private credit markets, decreases in federal subsidies to lenders, and anticipation of the
possible elimination of the FFEL Program led many schools to switch to direct lending, and in 2008-09, 25% of
federal loans came through the FDSL Program.
All Stafford Loans issued in 2006-07 and 2007-08 carried interest rates of 6.8%. The interest rate on
unsubsidized Stafford Loans remains fixed at 6.8%, but the rate on subsidized Stafford Loans declined to 6.0%
in 2008-09 and to 5.6% in 2009-10. It is scheduled to decline to 4.5% in 2010-11 and 3.4% in 2011-12. Interest
rates on both Stafford and PLUS Loans varied with market rates before 2006-07.
The private loan market is an important supplementary source of funds for students. These loans generally have
higher interest rates and less favorable repayment terms than federal loans; they are not included in the new
federal Income-Based Repayment Plan. The recent difficulties facing credit markets in general, combined with
increases in the availability of federal loans for students, are reflected in diminished use of private education
loans in 2008-09. There is no reliable source for exact information on total borrowing from these sources. Since
1995-96, the College Board Trends staff has conducted an annual survey of private lenders to compile the best
possible estimate of this lending. We estimate that private loan volume was almost 50% lower in 2008-09 than
in the preceding year. It is important to remember that our estimates in this area are much less precise than the
data we report on student financial aid.
The Consumer Price Index

We provide much of our data in constant dollars, adjusting values for changes in the Consumer Price Index
(CPI). We use the change in the CPI from July 2007 to July 2008 to measure the price level for academic year
2008-09. While necessary to make meaningful comparisons of values over long periods of time, comparisons of
one-year changes in constant dollars may be confusing. Large fluctuations in energy prices have led to an
unusually volatile CPI recently. The 5.6% increase in the CPI from July 2007 to July 2008 is the highest annual
inflation rate since 1982. As a result, constant dollar increases for 2008 are small relative to current dollar
increases. Between July 2008 and July 2009, the CPI declined by 2.1%, which will result in constant dollar
increases that are large relative to current dollar increases.
19
A Message from the Friends of HWRHS and MRMS
The Friends of the Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School and Miles River Middle School are excited
to announce the opening of the online store where you can buy your own official HW High School and
Miles River Middle School gear, all while supporting your school!
The HWStuff.com Store Opens for a LIMITED TIME from Sunday, November 15th, 2009 to Sunday,
December 6th, 2009!
Click this link to order from HWStuff.com
Official 2009 HWStuff.com Merchandise!
You will need to act fast because all orders must be placed by Sunday, December 6th, 2009. After this
date orders will be processed, produced, and shipped within two weeks. You get hassle free, one-stop
shopping delivered by Christmas! Be careful when ordering as items cannot be returned.
Thanks for your support and we’ll see you around school!
Box Tops for Education

Giving Box Tops to the MRMS office is like giving the school a bag full of dimes since each Box Top is worth
10 cents. Examples of brand names providing Box Tops on their packaging are Betty Crocker, Nature
Valley, Total, Pillsbury, Yoplait, Scott, Pillsbury, and Avery, among others. For a complete listing, please go to
http://boxtops.org/Image.aspx?id=2164. Donations are ongoing and welcome anytime.
20
A Message from the Wenham Council on Aging
The Wenham Council on Aging is looking for 15 - 18 middle school/high school parents to help with the
delivery of holiday plants on Monday, December 7th, starting at 10:00 AM. Plants will be divided by streets,
and each person will be given 5-10 plants, along with a street list/address of where to delivery the plants.
Plants/addresses will be at the Wenham Senior Center, across from the Buker School/Administration Blgd, (the
little gray house). If anyone is interested in helping out, please call Trudy Reid at the Wenham Council on
Aging at 468-5529, no later than December 1st.

Principal's Corner: Miles River Middle School and Hamilton Wenham Regional High School Newsletter

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Principal's Corner: Miles River Middle School and Hamilton Wenham Regional High School Newsletter

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Miles River Middle School and

Hamilton Wenham Regional High School

The Fine Arts department has an invitation for you:

Have a great holiday-filled month of December!

Friends Meetings – Meetings are at 7:00pm in the high school Lobby

News from the Social Studies/History Department

High School Science Department receives Grant from Cell Signaling

Grades on-line for High School Science Department

Websites for Science Department

Biology MCAS results are in!

7th Grade Middle School Students go 3-D

6th Grade Middle School Students get Muddy!

At the Middle School

French with Mrs. Day

Latin with Mr. Crowther

Spanish 5A1 with Ms. Sanscoucy

Travel Opportunities for 2010 and 2011

Foreign Language Club

Other Foreign Language Events

On the slopes with Alpine Athletics

In Control Driver Safety – Discounted costs

Winthrop School Holiday Boutique

College Application Process

How to fix your profile

Trends in Student Aid 2009 – College Board

Total Student Aid

Types of Student Aid

The Consumer Price Index

A Message from the Friends of HWRHS and MRMS

Click this link to order from HWStuff.com

Official 2009 HWStuff.com Merchandise!

Box Tops for Education

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