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Friday notes is a weekly update from Superintendent Gary E. Maestas on the happenings within the Plymouth Public Schools.
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Plymouth Public Schools School Committee Meetings:
The next Plymouth School Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 18, 2010 at Plymouth Community Intermediate School. The meeting starts at 7:00 P.M.
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'Man's mind stretched to a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions.'
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jnr |
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PSMS News
SCIENCE ON WHEELS
The National Science Center out of Atlanta, GA and the U.S. Army, co-sponsors of the Mobile Discovery Center Truck, visited Plymouth South Middle School last week. Mrs. Runyon's and Mrs. Cumiskey's grade 8 classes participated in the in-school field trip on Friday, October 1st when their classes were held in this mobile science laboratory parked in the front parking lot.
The students got to see sound waves break glass, electricity pass through their bodies, and a black, yellow and green American flag that fooled their eyes, among other visual demonstrations. Both educational and entertaining, the lessons taught inside this state of the art mobile lab not only met the Massachusetts State Standards, they also imparted wisdom on the importance of staying in school.
A free service of the NSC and U.S. Army; any teacher of grades 4 -9 can sign up to be included in their next rotation in this area. For more information, check them out at http://nationalsciencecenter.org.
PSMS 8TH GRADERS GO TO COLLEGE
As part of our goal to expose students to the importance and possibilities of college and career awareness, third floor grade 8 students visited Bridgewater State University for a campus tour on October 4th.
Prior to leaving, students engaged in activities designed to stimulate interest in preparing for the college experience and learned new vocabulary related to college and careers. A Powerpoint presentation by our guidance staff highlighted information about Bridgewater State and the campus tour.
Once on campus, the students were escorted by student tour guides and had lunch in the Tillinghast Dining Hall. The students learned about different course offerings and career possibilities. They also gained firsthand experience as they mingled with undergraduates and staff during a typical day.
Our goal is to provide our students with an exposure that typically occurs much later in high school. It is our belief that this experience will inspire the students and get them thinking about their futures. Upon, return, students engaged in debriefing discussions with teachers, produced a written reflection based on a writing prompt and completed a feedback survey. Guidance counselors were available to answer any questions.
Hopefully, the students enjoyed the experience and realized the relationship between effort, motivation and academic and long-term success. The second floor 8th graders have been re-scheduled due to weather and will visit on October 18th.
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Cold Spring News
Cold Spring started an exciting new effort at our school called the Peaceful School Bus Program. This program will address student behavior concerns on our school buses. It will also create community and responsibility among students riding the bus. We hope this program will make children's experience on the bus easier and more enjoyable.
Three times a year, students on the same bus will meet together in our school building. They will get to know each other and learn how to act responsibly on the bus. Bus drivers will join them in these meetings, and parents have been invited to attend as well. By seeing bus drivers, staff members and parents working together, students will know that adults care about what happens on the school bus.
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Plymouth South High School News
SHERIFF, PLYMOUTH SOUTH TEAM UP AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE - This spring students in the marketing program at PSHS were challenged to design a domestic violence awareness t-shirt around the phrase "1000 reasons, no excuses". The winning design selected by the Sheriff, District Attorney and South Shore Women's Center over the summer was unveiled on Friday, Oct. 8th at 11:00 AM at the Sheriff's HQ Bldg. on Long Pond Road. The goal of the project, set to be an annual contest, is to raise awareness among high school students and serve as a reminder never to remain silent when confronted with domestic violence. The Sheriff's vocational print shop program inmates have silkscreened 200 t-shirts which will be on sale at Plymouth South - with proceeds donated to the South Shore Women's Center.
PSATs - PSHS will be offering the PSATs on Wednesday, October 13th to all students in grade 11 and students who have elected to participate in grade 10. All students have been notified oby their English testing of their testing location.
SATs - Registration deadline for the Nov. 6th SAT exam is October 8th.
SENIORS - Seniors should continue to check our guidance website for ongoing information, scholarship updates, and resources/links.
Please do not desitate to contact the guidance office at any time with specific questions or concerns regarding your child, their academic programss, the post-secondary process, etc.
Dealine for Senior portraits is November 12, 2010.
Plymouth College Fair, Tues., Oct. 19, 6-8 PM, at PSHS; All Cape College Fair, Wed., Oct. 20, 3:30- 5 PM, at Barnstable High School.
Financial Aid Night, Wed., Nov. 17, from 7-9 PM, at Plymouth North High School. |
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No Place for Hate to Celebrate Diversity with Sidewalk Art
Nearly a dozen communities on the South Shore, working together as the South Shore No Place For Hate Coalition, will join together for a fun day of celebrating diversity and building respect. "Chalk One Up for Diversity" is an outdoor drawing event for children of all ages, families and adults alike, which will take place at Colony Place in Plymouth. There will be designated marked squares for all participants who want to draw a picture or write words with chalk on the topic of diversity and what it means to them. The goal of this event is to unite neighbors from South Shore communities, and to create temporary works of art that will capture the diversity of our region. There will be entertainment and fun for all!
Join us at Colony Place on October 17 from 2-4 P.M.
Colony Place Shopping Center is off of exit 7. Take route 3 onto route 44 west heading toward route 80. Turn right onto Commerce Way. For more information e-mail: noplaceforhate.southshore@gmail.com
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HedgeSchool 100 Year Time Capsule On October 29th, Hedge School will be burying a time capsule that will be opened in 50 years. Students will be writing letters about school in 2010. Pictures of Hedge School and current day North Plymouthwill be placed in the time capsule. Other items will include : Hedge School T-Shirt, First Day button, newspapers of today, headlines of today, and current day items (silly banz, etc). If you have any other ideas, please let Mr. Blaisdell know as soon as possible. The burial will be at 1 PM on October 29th. Former teachers, parents and alumni are invited.
100th Year Dinner Dance Tickets
The dinner dance will take place on Saturday, October 16th beginning at 6 PM at the Garibaldi Club. There are a limited number of tickets, so act fast. Tickets are $25. A buffet dinner prepared by Piantedosi's will be served at 7 PM. Checks must be made payable to Hedge School PTA. Please call no later than Monday morning if you are interested. Tickets will not be sold at the door!
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5K Walk for A Child
Come and join in a 5K walk to raise funds for our foster children! Proceeds from the walk will go towards the DCF Kid's Fund, a non-profit organization, that was established to provide extracurricular events and social activities for children in foster care. Money raised will benefit foster children residing in 19 towns within Plymouth county.
- Registration is from 9-11 at Nelson Park, Plymouth Waterfront on Saturday, 10/23.
- 11 A.M. the walk begins at Nelson Park
- 12-3 P.M. join in the events and lunch!
Immediately following the walk will be events and entertainment. Events will include bouncy house, pony rides, arts and crafts, face painting, spin art, karaoke, demonstrations by the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department and the Plymouth Fire Department, raffle, lunch and more!
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School Health Services News
School Based Oral Health Program - The PPS Oral Health Program with Polished, LLC got off to a great start at PSMS on 10/7/10. The program offers dental hygiene, preventative services, and education to our students with parental consent. Plymouth is identified by the MA Department of Public Health (DPH) as an area of need for dental services, with 41% of our students reporting lack of access to preventative dental care. Our program is fully compliant with the MA DPH and federal Center for Communicable Diseases (CDC) recommendations for school based dental programs. Our goal is improve access to dental care, prevent cavities and dental disease, and educate our students about the importance of oral hygiene. The Polished, LLC team will be rotating through our schools during the year to provide these much needed services. Thanks to all for your efforts to make this program a success!
Student Flu Vaccine Clinics - We will be providing nasal flu vaccine to our students in grades 6 through 12 again this year. The 2010 flu vaccine is a combination of seasonal and H1N1 influenza (flu), so we only need to administer one dose of vaccine this year (children 8 years of age and under require 2 doses of vaccine if it is the 1st year they are receiving flu vaccine). Informational packets with parental consent forms will be distributed to students to take home over the next week, and will be due back on October 22nd. This information will also be available on the School Health and middle and high school websites. We anticipate our flu vaccine clinics will be held early to mid November, and encourage all students to participate in this important program to prevent the flu!
Town of Plymouth Flu Clinics - School Health Services will be unable to provide flu vaccine for the staff of Plymouth Public Schools this year. There are 2 public flu vaccine clinics for residents of Plymouth coming up - the first is October 19th at PNHS from 3 - 6pm, and the 2nd is October 26th at Memorial Hall from 3:30 - 5pm. Staff members who are not Plymouth residents should check with their local Board of Health for public flu vaccine clinics offered in their town, or check with your health care provider to get a flu vaccine. Several area pharmacies are also offering flu vaccine for a fee. |
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Federal Furnace Anti-Bullying Initiatives
On October 7, 2010 Federal Furnace students in grades 2-5 participated in Anti-Bullying Awareness assemblies. The presentation outlined the social competency and bullying prevention programs that have been in place at Federal Furnace and in the Plymouth Public Schools for at least as long as our students have been in school. It also introduced some new initiatives such as 'Bucket Fillers' and 'Peaceful Bus.' In addition, we reviewed the definition of bullying, what it can look like, how to report it and the steps taken by the school once a report of bullying has been made. These steps reflect the recent "Bullying Law" passed by the Massachusetts legislature.
Students in grade 1 and kindergarteners will also be engaged in anti-bullying awareness throughout the school year.
On October 26, 2010, from 6:30-8:00, Federal Furnace will be providing an Anti-Bullying Presentation for parents. Childcare will be available free of charge, courtesy of the Old Colony Y Program. We hope many families and interested community members will join us.
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PCIS News
PCIS visits Massachusetts Maritime Academy
On October 7th and 8th the PCIS 8th grade students from PCIS were given an opportunity to visit a college campus. This field trip was designed to build college awareness at PCIS and encourage the students to start thinking about college.
The 8th grade students and their teachers visited the Mass Maritime campus in Buzzards Bay. The students were greeted by Admiral Richard Gurnon, who is the president of the college. Admiral Gurnon gave the students an overview of the college and also a life lesson. Admiral Gurnon asked the students if they knew where their sneakers were made. The students were amazed when they realized that their sneakers were made overseas and shipped to the U.S. by boat. More amazing was that it only cost a nickel to ship a pair of shoes to the U.S. from China.
PCIS students were given tours by Mass Maritime students. During the tour the PCIS students were able to see several classrooms and labs. One of the classrooms was a simulator that simulated the bridge of a ship. Students were allowed to go into the radar simulation class and observe. The tour of the campus included a tour of the Athletic facility and turf field. Students also were taken to the wind turbine which generates 33% of all of the electricity used on campus. Several of the classrooms in the engineering building that the students toured were devoted to engine repair.
Overall the students stated that they had a great time exploring this college and that by attending this field trip they have begun to think about their own future education. Also included in the tour was an introduction into the blog at sea during the Sea Term. Several teachers will be participating in this program. These teachers will be following the ship at sea and PCIS students will read the Blog and Blog back to the ship. |
Read to a Dog at the Plymouth Public Library!
Children are invited to practice their reading skills by reading aloud to Sophie, a Sussex Spaniel, or Crosby, a Golden Retriever. Both are certified therapy dogs with Dog B.O.N.E.S., a volunteer organization based in Scituate, MA. Children will have fifteen minutes to greet and read to the dog. This program is free and requires registration, which can be done by phone or in person. Registration begins two weeks before the first program each month.
For more information on this great program click here!
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JUST A REMINDER:
"TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ALL THAT'S AVAILABLE"
October 21, 2010 2:00pm - 5:00pm Plymouth North HS
Pizza, soda, and cookies will be served*
* and if that's not enough there will be raffles too!
Are you getting the most for your money? Join us and find out how your benefits can work for you!
Take a minute for you! Enjoying some fresh baked pizza, a soda, and/or even a massage!
Are you a full-time employee? Be sure you are taking advantage of all that is available.
Sign up for your 2011 FLEX SPENDING ACCOUNT (an easy way to save between 28% - 34% on your taxes). The deadline to sign up is November 30, 2010. Please see details on the attachment.
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Gary E. Maestas, Ed.D Superintendent
Plymouth Public Schools
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