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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 regular meeting of the Plymouth School Committee will be Monday, November 7, 2011. School Committee meetings are held at
Plymouth Community Intermediate School in
the Little Theatre. Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.
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Weekly Quote: "Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand."
-Chinese proverb
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Manomet Elementary News
Mrs. Jeannine Hatch's 5th grade class recently read Frog Went a Courtin' by John Langstaff, to Mrs. Laurie Galop's 2nd grade class.
These 'Buddies' then created frog carvings using green apples, marshmallows, raisins and fruit rolls!
Fifth grader Hunter Clark shows his apple-frog creation.
 Fifth grader Lilly Ciaranca assists second grader Caleb White with his apple- frog carving.
Manomet Elementary fourth graders celebrated "Shark Week" last week. Students chose a specific species of shark to research. After learning as much as possible about their shark, the students designed a three-dimensional model to represent it in a medium of their choosing. The children presented their unique art along with their information which engaged the class and helped the children gain a better understanding of these magnificent creatures.
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Cold Spring School News
The second graders at Cold Spring have been working on counting up to 1,000. They shared their knowledge and skill with the rest of the school by displaying the numbers, and even making puzzles that students walking by can engage in!
Students display their counting as puzzles.
A close-up of two puzzles is depicted here.
This is just one page of a whole pad of paper going up to 1,000!
Cold Spring School celebrated "Twin Day" for their second school spirit day of the year. Teachers and students participated in a variety of activities including comparing & contrasting, symmetry, flips, slides and turns, poem using similes, writing about what it feels like/would feel like to be a twin, or what you would do, doubling a recipe for non-food items such as playdough, word work in synonyms & antonyms and multiplication and/or addition doubles. Everyone has fun on these special days that are planned for each of Cold Spring's early release days for professional development.
Brooke Finlay, Lucy Woomer and Juliana Andrews get into the twin spirit!
Miss Robbins, Mrs. Smith, Miss Rosen, Mrs. Williams and Miss Shaughnessy show off their "twins power!"
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Hedge School News
Mrs. Burkhead's fourth grade class recently completed a thematic unit about the lifestyle and history of pirates as well as the importance of rules in a society. After building background information through the reading of many picture books and examining factual information, students read and discussed Treasure Island.
Students reviewed pirate poetry and researched modern day pirates. To help children understand the true nature of pirates and dispel the myths about "Hollywood" pirates, students developed questions for Captain Shane Murphy, the second in command of the Maersk Alabama, which was the US-flagged ship hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. While visiting Hedge, he discussed his knowledge of the Somali pirates, motivations for attacks, his responsibilities on the ship, and general information about safety at sea.
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Indian Brook News
Arts & Culture at Indian Brook:
The Native American Perspectives program visited the kindergarten classes in the Outdoor Classroom at Indian Brook last week to present their education program about the land, the animals, and the people of North America. Each class was invited into a teepee to learn about Native American life. This annual presentation was a big hit as always. Native American Perspectives will return to Indian Brook in May to present to the third grade classes.
Open House:
Principal Dan Harold and Vice Principal Dan Sylvestre welcomed parents of Indian Brook students during Open House presentations that included a briefing about communication between the school and families, expectations for the school year, and an introduction to the exciting new technology and improvements coming to Indian Brook. Parents learned that each classroom at the school now has its own computers, flat screen televisions are beginning to be installed in each class, and smart board technology is available to every class. These tools and other technologies are being infused in the class rooms and will help to broaden students' learning experience.
Outdoor Classroom:
The Outdoor Classroom that was created last year will be expanded this year. The addition of a cranberry bog and grade level planting beds will teach students about agriculture and its importance to a local industry. There will also be an excavation pit installed that will provide students with a hands-on approach to volcanology, archeology and paleontology.
Get your shovel and join the staff and families of Indian Brook this Saturday, October 22 from noon until 5 pm as they work on the planting beds of the Outdoor Classroom.
Special Thanks to Mrs. Wendy Marshall for stepping up to the plate to submit this information for Friday Notes.
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Plymouth South Middle School News
PSMS Girl Recognized for Clowning Around Skye Swales, an 8th grade student at Plymouth South Middle School, has won the prestigious "Up 'N Coming Clown" award at the national Clownfest. To see more photos and a brief video of "Poka Dot" from Enterprise News, please use this link: http://www.enterprisenews.com/photos/x661609442/Plymouth-girl-recognized-for-clowning-around
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Plymouth North High School News
Battle of the Bands
North Student Council held a very successful and talented Battle of the Bands fundraiser on Thursday, October 20th. Winners for the event were freshman group Outlet Runner, lead guitar/singer Christian Hatfield, Rhythm Guitarist Bobby Dee, Drummer Adam Wilson and bassist George Barber. 2nd place was the band 14th Union. Pat Fey is the lead singer/guitarist, Brad Feeney is the lead guitarist, Ryan Kearney is the drummer.
3rd place was freshman soloist Shawn Westcott playing acoustic guitar. A great time was had by all.
the band Outlet Runner
Senior Information
Yearbook Bios are due to Ms. Schram by October 31, 2011.
Senior portraits are due to Mrs. Harkins by November 21, 2011.
Congratulations Ms. Dawson, Virtual High School Educator!
Nancy Dawson is receiving a Pathfinder award at next week's MASCUE conference:
Each year the Massachusetts Computer Using Educators present Pathfinder Awards to honor Massachusetts educators and leaders who have demonstrated leadership in their ability to find an effective pathway for planning and integrating the uses of technologies in education.
A candidate for this award may be one who has been a catalyst for advancing the educational technology environment and has had significant impact on people outside the local classroom or district by: facilitating a positive change in technological thinking in the classroom, school, or district; creating and establishing new paradigms in the educational technology environment; instituting specific new technologies in the classrooms of many educators; causing educators, on a global scale, to be more technologically efficient; influencing other educators to create technological innovations of their own; promoting innovative use of administrative technology; or demonstrating outstanding leadership of technology idea-sharing.
Best Buddies Events
Best Buddies is having a live concert on Friday, October 21st from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door. There will be prizes and a 50/50 raffle.
Best Buddies Halloween Movie Night will be Monday, October 24th in the PNHS Library from 6:00p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Reminders & Announcements
School Picture Make-up Day is Tuesday, November 1st. See Ms. Schram with any questions.
Connecting Activities is a job assistance program offered to all Plymouth North Students between the ages of 17 and 18 years of age. Any student interested in participating or learning more about this program should see Mr. Canavan in the guidance office.
North in the Old Colony Memorial News (Below are active links):
Internet Safety Message Hits Home at Plymouth North
Plymouth North Football Gets a Break in the Action
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Plymouth South High School News
All students who were eligible to apply for National Honor Society received their applications at a meeting after school on Friday, Oct. 21st. Please note that the deadline to submit the packets is 12:30 PM on Monday, October 31st. Packets will be reviewed and students will be notified about their acceptance shortly. The induction ceremony will be held on November 30th.
Plymouth South and Plymouth North High Schools staff attended a workshop on bullying prevention on Wednesday. The speaker was informative, engaging, and gave great insight on how staff can address bullying if it is encountered.
The Plymouth High School Lacrosse teams are hosting a Monster Dash on Sunday, Oct. 30th at Manoment Elementary School beginning at 10am. All proceeds will benefit the Plymouth South and Plymouth North High School Lacrosse Programs. You can register online for the 5 mile road race or 2 mile funwalk at www.plymouthhighschoollax.com
The National Honor Society is sponsoring the American Red Cross Blood Drive that is taking place in the Plymouth South gymnasium on Friday, Nov. 4th from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm. Students and staff can register to donate during lunch.
The Plymouth South volleyball challenge will take place on Oct. 26th at 6pm. It will be the Plymouth South girls volleyball team taking on parents and school faculty. The cost is $5 per ticket and there will be a 50/50 raffle and full snack bar at the event. It should be a good time.
Marketing students are looking forward to an exciting field trip to Patriot Place on Oct. 24th.
The Plymouth Marching Band is competing at Reading Memorial High School on Saturday, Oct. 22nd from 5pm to 12am. We wish them luck!
PSHS is supporting the troops! Bring items for the troops to the IMC. We are looking for non-perishable foods, playing cards, baby wipes, drink mix, tissues, etc. Every little bit counts.
On Wednesday, October 26th from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM the Plymouth South Tech. Department is having their Annual Advisory Committee Meeting Dinner. After a tour of the Tech Programs, they will have dinner in the cafeteria with a presentation.
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Join the Monster Dash!
The Monster Dash is a 5 mile road race and a 2 mile fun walk being held to benefit the Plymouth High Schools' Lacrosse Teams.
The event is being held Sunday, October 30th at 10 A.M. rain or shine.
The running and walking will be along scenic Manomet Point, Whitehorse Beach, and Priscilla Beach.
There will be many prizes and a family fun day after the event!
Click here to see the flyer for the Monster Dash!
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English Language Arts News
Recently the Elks Lodge #1476 on Long Pond Road in Plymouth generously donated dictionaries for all of the 3rd graders in the Plymouth Public School District! This wonderful donation was made possible through a program called the Dictionary Project.
The Dictionary Project began in 1992 in Savannah, Georgia. A woman named Annie Plummer gave 50 dictionaries to children who attended a school close to her home. Others began to pay attention as the years went by and Annie continued to donate. So many local teachers wanted to become a part of this project that an article explaining the project and requesting donations was put into the Charleston newspaper. As a result, a couple named Mary and Arno French started a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Association in 1995. From there The Dictionary Project was born.
The Dictionary Project's goal is to assist all students in becoming good writers, active readers, creative thinkers, and resourceful learners. This is done, in part, by providing them with their own personal dictionary. The dictionaries are a gift to be used by students at school and at home for years to come. Educators see third grade as the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn, so sponsors are encouraged to give dictionaries each year to children in the third grade.
Recently Lisa White, Plymouth Public School's ELA coordinator, wrote a letter thanking the Elk's Lodge for their donation. In the letter she states, "Your participation in this project over the past few years has allowed thousands of Plymouth students to increase their literacy and study skills and enhance the home-school connection....your generosity and thoughtfulness to the students of Plymouth is extremely meaningful and greatly appreciated."
Many thanks to the Elks Lodge #1476!
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Gary E. Maestas, Ed.D Superintendent
Plymouth Public Schools
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