Correction from last week:  The pictures of the students from Read Across America Week were from Plymouth South High School, not Plymouth North High School as was stated previously.  Many thanks go out to the Plymouth South High School students who were part of that great week! 

Manomet Elementary School 4^th graders in Mrs. Marie Jackson's class were given an assignment in social studies to choose a European country to research and write about.  The students were to create a tri-fold display about the country they chose and have it exhibited at Manomet's Elementary School's Annual International Night.

 Jeremy Whiting did his project on Scotland

David Grastorf enjoyed doing his project on Germany.

Kelsey Craig enjoyed researching Poland.

 Rebecca Holmes chose Ireland as her topic.

 Michaela Kelly chose Kazakhstan to research.

Joshua Metta researched his ancestor's country of origin, England.

Sean Odoms chose the country of Ireland for his project.

Cold Spring Elementary News

Citizenship Honor Roll

In order for students to be named to the honor roll, they must receive a "C," indicating consistency, in each of the categories of Personal and Social Behavior on their Term 2 report card.  These categories include respecting the rights and property of others; following rules and routines; demonstrating self control; working cooperatively with others; accepting responsibility for his/her own actions.  Congratulations to all of these students for their outstanding citizenship:

Grade 1

Cassidy Cardy

Amanda Cherry

Jenna Cook

Summer Hall

Sean Hales

Evan Hallissey

Ryan Hannon

Kylee Hefner

Lauren Joyce

Paige Joyce

Riley Keegan

John Mahan

Cassie McDonough

Riley McLaughlin

Cormac Minarovich

Dallas Murphy

Christian Pardue

Katrina Puccia

Riley Venezia

Grade 2

Tommy Ayson

Emma Battles

Chole Cronin

Amy Diodato

Hannah Frazier

Charlie Furtado

George Green

Caitlin Hales

Megan Hall

Wyatt Hampton

Jackie Holmes

James Keefe

Anthony Loranger

Andrew Melville

Helena Powers

Tayla Turner

Charlotte Woomer

Anthony Zahara

Grade 3

Maria Baker

Aryana Bertino Pyne

Hannah Cetner

James Forestiere

Bridget Hallahan

Collin Henderson

Sarah Lavigne

Jillian Snowdale

Brady Sorensen

Ryan Tassinari

Gracie Verdugo

Kaylee Vollano

Meiling Xiong

Grade 4

Harry Ayson

Will Furtado

Jack Holland

Caitrin MacMillan

Riley McDonough

Ruby Norris

Ariana O'Connell

Kate White

 Grade 5

Kaitlyn Balboni

Zac Connolly

Brandon Cook

Maddie Gallagher

John Hayes

Ryan McLoud

Alex Quirke

Jeremy Quirke

Kaley Smith

Emily Totman-Jarrett  

Nathaniel Morton Elementary News

The Veterans' Day Collection from Nathaniel Morton School should be reaching U.S. troops in Afghanistan sometime this week. The sixteen boxes, packed and mailed by V.F.W. Post 1822, took a circuitous route on their trip overseas. The NMES collection traditionally has gone to V.F.W. Post 40, but flooding of their building prevented them from receiving the collection this year. So the personal supplies for veterans, which have been collected from Nathaniel Morton students and staff annually for about twenty years, were held in the school until they could be packed and sent overseas by Bob Davidson and his helpers at the V.F.W. early this month.

Plymouth South Middle School News

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEE

Congratulations to Robert B. Manson, an 8^th grader who has qualified to represent PSMS at the State Level of the National Geographic Bee.  Robert is one of only 100 eligible students to qualify for this event.  He was the overall winner at the recent PSMS Geographic Bee and he qualified as a result of his performance on his standardized test score.  Robert will compete on Friday, April 1^st at Clark University in Worcester.  We are very proud of him and wish him well.

Robert Manson is pictured here with Geography teachers Steve Herbert (left) and Joe Murphy (right).

STUDENT COUNCIL

The Student Council is sponsoring the following activities during the months of March and April:

• Council on Aging Dinner: Tuesday, March 22^nd at 5:00 pm.  Senior citizens from the Council on Aging will be treated to an evening of dinner and music at PSMS in the cafeteria where students will serve a three-course dinner and spend time chatting with their guests.  Entertainment will be provided by the PSMS Jazz Band under the direction of Mr. Tracy.  Last year's event was well received and we anticipate another successful event.

• March Madness: Tuesday, March 29^th from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm.  A fun-filled afternoon will be the focus for this year's March Madness.  Students will participate in activities such as, "Minute to Win It", Dance Revolution, Dodgeball and Basketball.  A DJ will provide entertainment and refreshments will be available. The cost is $6.00 per person or $5.00 with a donation of a canned good for the local food pantry.

•  Red Sox Opening Day: Friday, April 8^th. In support of the Jimmy Fund, we are inviting students and staff to wear their favorite Red Sox shirt or hat to school on Opening Day.  A $2.00 donation is required and there will be a prize for the most enthusiastic Red Sox fan.

ARC TEACHER GRANT AWARD

Congratulations to Cynthia Firth and Ellen Groom, Grade 5 Moderate Special Needs teachers at Plymouth South Middle School.  They are recent 2011recipients of The ARC of Greater Plymouth Inspired Teacher Grant Program.  Cynthia and Ellen were rewarded for exemplifying a continued commitment to Inclusive Education in our schools and the community at large.  Representatives from The ARC of Greater Plymouth were on hand to present the award to Mrs. Firth and Mrs. Groom this past Wednesday, March 16^th.  It is an honor to have such dedicated professionals working on behalf of our children.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Vanessa Townsend, a ten year-old, grade 5 student, from Plymouth South Middle School, entertained the fifth and sixth grade lunches with a special St. Patrick's Day Irish Step Dance Performance. Vanessa has been taking dance and step lessons at the Proto-Casano Dance School since she was three and a half years old. She really enjoys dancing in front of large audiences and was happy to treat her classmates to two performances. She loves the Irish-Step and says that it helps her in her other sports, which include basketball, cheer leading, and soccer. Her friend Julia Keane assisted her as the DJ.  Please see her photo below.

Plymouth North High School News

North DECA Students to compete in Orlando   

Seven Plymouth North students are headed to Orlando, Florida next month having won their events at the State competition in Boston last week.  DECA students Tom Faucett, Jake Holmes and Brian Fasanello took first place in the Entrepreneurship Written event.

The Plymouth North Quiz Bowl team also took first place and will be representing Massachusetts DECA at the International Conference in Orlando.  The team was led by co-captains Michael Ahlstedt and Cam Groezinger and included Jake Prifti and Joe Cadorette.

Success at Skills USA  Congratulations to all those who competed at the Skills USA competition this past Friday. Congratulations to Brandon Ferrell who earned a Bronze award in the First Aid/CPR competition and also Diana Cavicchi who earned a Silver award in the Nursing Assistant competition.

MCAS Schedule   Due to MCAS testing the schedule for Monday, March 21, and Tuesday, March 22, will be switched due to the Advisory Period.
Monday, March 21 will be a Tuesday schedule
Tuesday, March 22 will be a Monday schedule due to MCAS testing.
Thursday, March 24, there will be no PNN broadcast due to students preparing for the Emmys.

North and South Robotics Program

On Saturday March 12^th, the Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School hosted the second of  8 bi-annual Eastern Massachusetts Combat Robot competition. The Plymouth School district fielded 5 robots at the March 5^th event.   

Plymouth South Robots: Phenomenal Luck 3rd Place Winner and qualified for national competition in Indy, Le Bot Ami and De Bot Cherry. Team members are George Ayers,  Coach, Pat Curren, Andrew Webster, Justin McNair, Alex Briggs, Dominick Colangell, Joe Westfield, Andrew Whittaker.  Plymouth North Robots: Anarchy: Derek Salvucci, Cam O'Dwyer and Dan O'Rourke   Screwed-Up: Jason Gardner, Nikolas Taormina,  Frank Aguiar, Sean Serrilla

The robot "Anarchy" was recently redesigned. This group of young engineers added improved structural members and an improved weapon system which consisted of a 5" diameter toothed steel drum spinning at over 3000 RPM. The second robot, "Screwed Up" was newly engineered by the team of three seniors and one junior.  Combat robot literati refer to "Screwed-Up" as a vertical spinner. In physics we would call it a gyro (a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of conservation of angular momentum) "Screwed up" was a particularly challenging design that demonstrates the application of significant science and engineering skills.

The emphasis of this program is less on winning the competition than on developing engineering and vocational skills and experience. These skill sets are both marketable and transferable whether the students choose to enter the world of work or continue on to further their education after graduating high school. The March 12^th event was an excellent "test" of the new robots and weapon systems. While the overall performance of the Plymouth North Machines was not good enough to land them in the top rankings, it was clear to them that their ideas where worth pursuing.

Both the North and South teams are now analyzing their robots performance and optimizing their electronic and mechanical systems in preparation for the National Robot League competition being held May 20^th in Indianapolis IN.  Information on this competition can be found at http://www.gonrl.org 

The Plymouth Schools shared robotics program is grateful for the generous support of Entergy Corporation and proud of the more than 200 students who have achieved success in engineering colleges and universities and in a wide variety of technical fields.

PN Boys Soccer Supports the Community

The North Boy's Soccer teams were very busy this fall and winter donating their time and efforts to five organizations in the community and abroad.  The boys helped the Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless with a coat drive, Jordan Hospitals "Kayla's Beat Goes On" with volunteer support, unloading Christmas Tress and making stands for Friends of the Cranberry Hospice and a food drive for the South Shore Community Action Council.  The team also worked with the boy's soccer team from South High School to collect soccer equipment which was sent to Haiti as part of a relief expedition.  Thanks so much to our student athletes that give so much both on and off the playing field.

Register for Summer Science Camp now!

Summer Science Camp is a great way for inquistive minds to be engaged during the summer months!  Discovery Camps 1 and 2 are for students entering grades 1, 2, or 3 and grades 4, 5, and 6 in the fall.  Daily activities include science experiments, investigations, excursions into nature, art, music, creative games, and the development of critical thinking and cooperative learning skills.  Art and Science is also offered for students entering grades 2, 3, or 4.  Different levels of robotics are offered for students entering grade 4 through those entering grade 9. 

 Unified Arts News

Youth Arts Month Exhibit

March 9 - March 20, 2011

You are invited to attend Plymouth Public Schools' Youth Arts Month Exhibit!  Come and view selected student works from twelve Plymouth schools.  

WHERE:  Plymouth Center for the Arts

              11 North Street, Plymouth

              508-746-7222

WHEN:  Grand Opening Reception  

            Free- and open to the public

          Wednesday, March 9th from 5-7 P.M.

        Welcome and guest speakers 6 P.M.

Additional viewing dates and free and open to the public March 10th - March 20th.

Monday through Thursday and Saturday  

10 A.M. to 4 P.M.

Friday, March 11th and 18th

10 A.M. to 6 P.M.

Sundays

12 P.M. to 4 P.M. 

South Shore Regional Science Fair

The following students from the Plymouth Public schools attended the South Shore Regional Science Fair held at Bridgewater State University on Saturday, March 12:

from Plymouth North High School:

Rachel Campbell & Tyler Green   

Will Waves One Day Power the Planet? (Part II)  

Jessica M. Morgan  

Power to the Coral, Astrangia poculata, and Their Symbionts, Symbiodinium!: How Light Intensities Affect Their Fluorescence and Their Photosynthetic Productivity  

Sean Hatch  

Ichthyosis: Relief From Fishy Skin

Hayley A. Reifeiss   

What's the Point ...Of Sail?  

Christopher J. Webb  

Household Chemicals vs. The Ecosystem

from Plymouth South High School:

Timothy M. Elrick  

Braking Wind  

Michael Bambrick  

Sound Controlled Motion  

Andrew Buley

Turning Up the Heat

Timothy J. Faucett

Scuffing Effects on Wiffle Balls

Caelon D. Smith

Fast and Furious:  Electric Motors

Winners were as follows:

Rachel Campbell & Tyler Green

Will Waves One Day Power the Planet (Part II)

PNHS   Second Place

United States Air Force Award

Jessica M. Morgan

Power to the Coral, Astrangia poculata, and Their Symbionts, Symbiodinium!: How Light Intensities Affect Their Fluorescence and Their Photosynthetic Productivity 

PNHS   Second Place

Naval Science Award

Timothy M. Elrick

Braking Wind

PSHS   Second Place

Naval Science Award

Congratulations to these outstanding students!

JFK Make A Difference Award

"President Kennedy believed that each of us can make a difference and all of us should try."  Based upon this premise, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library annually recognizes 100 middle school students in the state of Massachusetts for the differences they have made in their communities through service projects.  PCIS is proud to announce that three of their eighth grade students will be recipients at this year's award ceremony to be held at the Kennedy Library in Boston on Wednesday, March 23, 2011, at 4:00 PM.  Mercury House student Ana Alverez was nominated by Miss Kate Varney.  Mrs. Judy Maccaferri nominated two Apollo House students, Jenna Rose Catton and Maria D'Ambrosio.

        Adriana Alvarez was selected for this honor based upon her positive attitude in school and willingness to volunteer in the community. Adriana is an active member of the Girl Scouts of America. She personifies the courage, confidence, and character that the Girl Scouts focus on. Adriana also volunteers to teach ballet to young students at Open Space Studios in downtown Plymouth. She is a wonderful role model for these young dancers. Adriana attended the Walk for Veterans at Plymouth South High School in November and was even able to convince her family to come out to support our troops in the cold weather! She has also participated in Breakfast with Santa and Healthy Kids Day at the YMCA. She volunteers during the holidays at a local food pantry and has raised money for toiletries for women in need. The most impressive part about Adriana is that she never looks for recognition for her efforts. She is a quiet leader who leads by example and refuses to put herself first.
        Jenna Rose Catton was nominated based upon her extensive community service, most notably her work at the Radius Healthcare Center in Plymouth where she has been volunteering for the past four years three times a week.  Jenna has also participated in the Jordan Hospital Club's annual Polar Plunge to benefit the hospital's cancer center for the past four years with the Radius Healthcare Team.  In addition, Jenna has participated in the American Heart Walk and the Alzheimer's Memory Walk for the past thirteen years - initially in a stroller!  As a Girl Scout, Jenna helped to move the Vietnam Veterans Moving Wall Memorial in 2009 and has volunteered at the Greater Food Warehouse in Plymouth.

Maria D' Ambrosio was chosen because, as the co-secretary of PCIS's service club Falcon Pride, Maria  is involved in every activity that the club sponsors and is the club's chief organizer.  Maria has taken a leadership role since seventh grade and is currently the club's Team Chairperson for the annual American Cancer Society's Relay for Life held at PSHS each June.  She has created fundraising bracelets and is currently designing the t-shirts for the "Fighting Falcons" - as in cancer fighting, that is! Maria also participated in the Jordan Hospital Club's annual Polar Plunge with the "Frozen Falcons" and designed their team t-shirts as well.  Maria is a talented musician and plays the piano to accompany the youth singers at the Christ Church in Plymouth.

Congratulations, girls!  We are all very proud of your accomplishments and know that you will continue to "make a difference" in the world each day!