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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, February 6th, 2012. 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:
"The three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for."
Addison
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District News and information for all k-12 teachers, administrators, and parents from the Elementary Library Media Specialists.
Have you heard of Ink Think Tank?
If you are interested in project based learning based on award winning nonfiction books, read this information directly from the site:
On this site, you can produce lists of books kids love to read about subjects you're required to teach, and they're tied directly to National Education Standards and your personal school curriculum to boot! You can also meet the authors individually or as part of a school-wide project, and we'll show you exactly how to do it.
What would happen to the learning curve in your school if everyone joined forces with an A-Team of award-winning, nationally-recognized nonfiction authors in a school-wide project that promotes the joy of learning? This is the passion of Authors on Call. Their enthusiasm is contagious.
And can reading these authors' amazing books, sharing their depth of knowledge, and including their innovative ideas help you raise your students' test scores? After all, it's often the authors' own books that are excerpted on the assessment tests.
Authors on Call can collaborate with your teachers and students via a series of live, interactive videoconferences so that together, everyone is fully immersed in the joy of learning.
Go to: inkthinktank.com for more information.
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Plymouth Public High School Science Fair
The Plymouth Public Schools High School Science Fair is being held on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at PNHS. Parents/guardians and the public are welcome to join us for the public viewing of projects beginning at 7:00 pm. The awards celebration follows at 7:30 pm in the PNHS Auditorium. We hope to see you there!
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Federal Furnace Elementary School News
Federal Furnace Peaceful Bus Meeting
Peaceful Bus Groups met Tuesday for our second meeting this year. Bus Leaders led the students in a 40 minute activity that included community
building, sharing the positives and negatives of riding the bus and strategies to create a Peaceful Bus. Some of our faithful bus drivers joined
the meeting and shared their need to have a Peaceful Bus in order for them to safely drive everyone to and from school each day.
Students identified what a Peaceful Bus looks and sounds like as well as a not so Peaceful Bus. Some groups also discussed what behaviors they wanted to keep on the bus and what behaviors should stay off the bus. By seeing bus drivers, teachers, other school staff members, and parents/guardians working together, students will know that adults care about what happens on the school bus. As a community we can create a fleet of Peaceful Buses!
Arnie Gray- a dedicated bus driver!
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Manomet Elementary School News
The second graders at Manomet recently celebrated Penguin Awareness Day. They wrote poetry, read both fiction and non fiction books about penguins, and even did some penguin math by comparing heights of different types of penguins. The students also dressed in black and white and shared some stuffed animals.
Manomet Elementary in the Scrabble Tournament!
Manomet Elementary was well represented at the Plymouth Elementary Schools' Scrabble tournament. Certificates for high scores were awarded to: Harry Lassige, Oliver Trask, Aidan Maloney, Cozette Johnson. The following 4th and 5th graders participated: Abby George, Alyssa St. Croix, David Clark, Jake Perotta, Nick Stec, Finn Lundy, Samantha White, Tessa Yorks, Audrey Lawrence, Meghan Duffy, Becca Holmes, Lilly Ciaranca, Gabby MacDonald, Anna Tamulionis, Peter House, Dylan Duffy, Mikalya Hurney, Ina Dombrowski, Julia Perryman, Eddie Perryman, Faith Duquette & Morgan Costa.
Producers and Consumers
The second graders at Manomet have been discussing wants and needs and have been learning about producers and consumers. As a result, the final project to the Economics unit was to create a piggy bank out of recycled materials and to write up a presentation to state how they made their bank, what it was that they were saving for and what the cost of that item was. The teachers found out that the children were saving for things like vacations, DS games and even for college!
American Sampler
Last Friday, the students at Manomet Elementary enjoyed a cultural arts program called "American Sampler". The program featured old american folktales as well as songs from long ago. Through the use of these stories and music, the children got a glimpse of the lives of early american families.
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South Elementary School News
Riding the Waves
Second graders are testing their sea legs as they participate in the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) "Follow the Voyage" program. From the comforts of the classroom, students are following the Captain's Blog about life with MMA cadets on the Training Ship Kennedy for the Sea Term that runs from January 1 to February 22.
"They give us great information about the places they visit," second grade teacher Mrs. Close says of the daily blog. "The kids are researching each of the four destinations - Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and St. Thomas. We even got to watch the ship sail through the Panama Canal on live webcam."
Teachers summarize the information and apply it to lessons in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The blog chronicles a range of events. One entry, for example, focused on how ships protect the ecosystems by following MARPOL (Maritime Pollution), which are the regulations regarding dumping waste overboard. Onboard the T.S. Kennedy, trash is sorted for recycling and everything that cannot be dumped is offloaded while in port.
"We also go online to the ship tracker to see exactly where the ship is so we can follow it on our world map in the classroom, and try to read the longitude and latitude lines to pinpoint their position," Mrs. Close says. "The kids will write a journal about information they thought was interesting, places that impressed them or things they wonder about."
Preschool Celebrations are a Touchdown!
Preschoolers in Miss Christine's class recently enjoyed a special "Snow Day" in which the children experienced many of the January vocabulary words they have been learning. The timing was right, as it was one of the few days this winter that had snow.
"The students dressed themselves in jackets, snow pants, boots, hats and mittens, and we headed outside," Miss Christine recalls. "They were able to sled and make snow angels and snowballs. We finished the day by sipping hot chocolate."
This week, they moved on to sports with "Countdown to the Super Bowl," which included a special reading of the book Let's Go Patriots, by Aimee Aryal. The children created pennants to show their support and made football players to decorate the bulletin board outside of their classroom.
In the motor area, the children played "football drop" to test their coordination.
"They enjoyed trying to drop clothespins decorated with footballs into green coffee cans and shouting "touchdown!" each time they got one in," Miss Christine says.
On Friday, students came to school in Patriots gear to show support for the home team, and voted for their favorite player.
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West Elementary News
Second Grade Biographies Project
'The students in Miss Kyller's and Miss Reid's second grade class read biographies about famous Americans. Students wrote detailed reports, created posters, dioramas, puppet theaters, and dressed in costume with props as they presented information they had learned during their research project. Some of the favorites were Tom Brady, Bruce Springstein, J.K Rowling, Dr. Seuss and Ben and Jerry from the famous ice cream company!"
West Community Service Learning Project classrooms are visited by Assistant Superintendent Christopher Campbell
On Friday, February 3rd, Assistant Superintendent of Plymouth Schools, Christopher Campbell visited and read stories to Mrs. Cormier's and Mrs. Routhier's second grade classes at West Elementary School. The students enjoyed listening to the stories Mr. Campbell read and discussing their Community Service Project with him. This is the second year that Mrs. Cormier's class and Mrs. Galop's second grade class from Manomet Elementary have been working on a Community Service Learning Project to help offer aid to Plymouth's Homeless population. Each month stories are read, journal entries are written and much needed items are donated. These needed items collected each month are graphed, charted, and counted during our math classes. Some of our special guest readers have included; Dr. Pamela Gould; Assistant Superintendent of Plymouth Schools, Kathy Babini; Social Studies Coordinator of Plymouth Schools who instrumented this project, and Constance Melahaures; Director of the Task force Coalition for Plymouth's Homeless. Some upcoming guest readers will be Dr. Lisa White; Plymouth's English Language Arts Coordinator, and Linda Coffey; Plymouth's Math Coordinator.
Prismatic Magic visits West Elementary
On Wednesday West students were treated to a double performance of a "Science Spectacular Laser Light show," courtesy of the West PTA Cultural Arts Program. Students were taught the general principles of light and how lasers work through a series of experiments and displays. The performance, which was set to a caveat of the students' favorite pop music, was quite impressive. Students and staff clapped, sang, and were simply amazed by the images created by the lasers on a 12 foot screen in the school gymnasium!
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Hedge Elementary School
Trumpet of the Swan - One Book, One School
Forty seven students and family members attended the Trumpet of the Swan book celebration, concluding Hedge School's first One Book, One School. Students and their families started the evening with pizza and salad for dinner. After dinner, students answered trivia questions with their families and participated in a book talk. During the book talk, the students and their families discussed what they liked about the book, what they did not like about the book, how Louis may have felt when he could not "talk", and many other questions. Students and their families then participated in one of four break-out workshops, including watercolor art, poetry, mobile making, and math in The Trumpet of the Swan.
We are planning on conducting a second One Book, One School family read aloud and book celebration in March.
Full Day Kindergarten - NOW ENROLLING!
Next year, Plymouth will continue to offer a tuition based full-day kindergarten option. There is a sliding scale and vouchers are accepted. The program is currently housed at Hedge and Cold Spring, but we are planning to expand the program next year depending on interest and committment. The priority is to first expand the program to South Plymouth. However, expansion cannot occur without a completed application submitted by February 28th. All completed applications must be submitted to Hedge or Cold Spring.
We are hoping that there is enough interest demonstrated throughout the town of Plymouth, so we can offer a full day Kindergarten program in other locations.
If you are interested in Full Day Kindergarten, please complete an application by February 28th. Applications are available at all schools in Plymouth, as well as at Central Office. A lottery will be held on March 1st if it is needed. YOUR DEPOSIT WILL BE RETURNED if you elect not to participate or you are not chosen in the lottery.
If you have questions, please call Laura Dolloff at Cold Spring or Adam Blaisdell at Hedge School. Please tell your neighbors if they have a child entering kindergarten next year. We are excited to offer a Full Day Kindergarten option again next year.
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PCIS News
PCIS Observes National "No Name Calling Week"
No name calling week is an annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name calling. This week also provides schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialog about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities. PCIS participated in a number of activities associated with the purpose of the week. Students participated in "Mix It Up Day" where students were asked to sit at different tables during their lunch and get to know someone they may not know. This helps break down social barriers and encourages kids to learn and accept differences in each other. Staff also joined in on the activities and joined the lunch tables in the cafeteria. This event is part of PCIS's ongoing mission to create a healthy and happy learning environment for our students.
PCIS "SouperBowl": Collecting Soup for the Plymouth Salvation Army
PCIS students are participating in a "SouperBowl" contest for the next two weeks. Cans of soup are being collected in Patriots and Giants Team Boxes throughout the school. Each can of soup is worth one point. At this point, the Patriots are winning. Next week a large football field poster will be posted in the cafeteria. This poster will track the teams as they move down the field accumulating points (cans). All the cans collected will be given to the Plymouth Salvation Army food bank.
PCIS Houses Decorate for No Name Calling Week:
All of the houses at PCIS participated in an event culminating "No Name Calling Week." Students from each house worked to decorate their houses with posters and signs depicting an end to bullying in the school. Some houses did live performances and freeze frame acts to support the school's effort in blocking out name calling and bullying. Each house participated in the contest that was judged by Dr. Maestas, Mr. Campbell, and Mr. Palladino. All houses did a great job in representing their theme. PCIS would like to thank teacher Jen Reis for all her efforts in organizing "No Name Calling Week" and all students and teachers for their participation and efforts to make PCIS a better place! Winners were:
Apollo for best house
Gemini Grade 6 for Best Team Theme
Ranger grade 6 for Creativity
Mr. Martin's homeroom for Best Doorway.
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Plymouth North High School News
Model United Nations Sixteen students from Plymouth North High School attended the Harvard Model United Nations conference held at the Sheraton Hotel in Boston from January 26th through January 29th. The conference consisted of nearly 3,000 students from around the nation and world. Plymouth represented Finland and students all debated and reached resolutions on a variety of international issues.  Cori Enos and Ryan Leahy
 Shane Indeglia and Erin Cappalucci
Math Meet North Math team hosted the final Math Meet of the year. The team placed 2nd and tied for first place for the year in division 6. The high scorer for the entire meet was Senior Emily Bott. Congratulations! 
Emily Bott Girls and Women in Sport Day Juniors Katrina Borofski and Kacey Dory will be representing PNHS at the Massachusetts Celebration of National Girls and Women in Sport Day on Friday Feb 3rd at Fanueil Hall in Boston. 
Katrina Borofski 
Science Fair Plymouth High School Science Fair will take place on Tuesday, February 7th from 3:15 pm - 8:30 pm at Plymouth North High School. The guest speaker for this year is Plymouth North Graduate Lauren Maloney. Event Schedule |
3:15 p.m - 4:00 p.m
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Participant registration
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PNHS Main Entrance/Foyer
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3:15 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.
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Participant project set - up
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Assigned classrooms
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4:00 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.
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Judging orientation
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PNHS Room 308
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4:30 p.m.- 6:30 p.m.
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Judging
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Assigned classrooms
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6:30 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.
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Participant dinner
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PNHS Cafeteria
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*7:00 p.m.- 7:30 p.m.
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Public viewing
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Assigned Classrooms
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*Parents/Guardians and the community are invited to come and stay for the rest of the evening.
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7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
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Awards celebration
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PNHS Auditorium
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** Project breakdown immediately following the awards celebration **
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Music Department Spaghetti Supper Friday, February 10, 6:30-8:30 pm South High School Cafeteria
Purchase tickets from a band or chorus student this week! There will be limited tickets available at the door, Adults $10 Students $5. Come and enjoy an evening out, student performances, great company, and silent auctions to benefit the Plymouth School Music Association's support of the high school music programs! Junior Prom Fashion Show Anyone interested in participating in or helping with this year's JUNIOR PROM FASHION SHOW should attend our initial meeting right after school on Thursday, February 9th room 207. It is very important that you make every effort to attend. We will have sign-ups and go over all procedures and rules. In addition, Domenico plans to be here to measure males participating in the fashion show and/or planning on renting a tux from him for this year's prom. Domenico gives a discount for any tux rented from him for the prom and additionally, he donates $5 back to the junior class as a way of saying thank you. You are encouraged to take advantage of this promotion on Thursday, February 9.th
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Plymouth South High School News Coach Recognition Last year, boys hockey coach, Micahel McCosh was selected as the MIAA coach of the year. He was then moved on to the next level by the MIAA and has been selected to receive the 2011 Coach of the Year award at the state level by the National Federation of State High School Associations. The NFHS recognizes coaches at the state, sectional and national levels. Congratulations on your state recognition!!!
The freshman students in the above photo were nominated as Freshman Students of the Month for January. They are from left to right: Miranda Barrett, Jared Rooney, Shawn Peckham and Ryan Harty. Students are nominated by their teachers for excellence in both academics and good citizenship. They are rewarded with a certificate and a coupon to be used in the Plymouth Southside Cafe.
Congratulations to our track team!! Last week we reported that our shuttle hurdle relay team won the state coaches meet and set a meet record. We were then notified that this relay team of Grant Solis, Nathan Moultan, Colin McHugh and Spencer Fitzgerald have run the fastest time in Massachusetts this year and will be competing at the New Balance High School Nationals on March 10, 2012 in Manhattan. Congratulations to these four athletes and their coaches!
Mrs. Fry's Spotlight: Mrs. Ryan Hall - PSHS Math Teacher
Mrs. Hall's math classes have recently been working with ipads in the classroom. Photos of the lessons are below.
 
PSHS STUDENT PART OF CCSO'S ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
As part of the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra's 50th Anniversary celebration, alumni from the Composing Teens program were asked to return and polish one of their special brass and percussion fanfare pieces for the orchestra to perform as "Fanfare for the 50th" George Scharr, Director of Education, and the Cape Cod Music Educators Association invited local students to perform the piece in two concerts on February 22, 2012. One of those lucky students was Nate Stowe, PSHS senior. Nate says of his first time performing with the CCSO, "I am extremely thankful for the opportunities the Symphony and Mr. Scharr have given me. It's a unique and valuable experience for someone my age. Working and playing with talented, professional musicians was not just a pleasure, but made me realize I need to follow my passion, music." Nate plans on majoring in music when he heads to college next fall.
Women and Sports Day at Faneuil Hall
Each year, two female student-athletes are selected and attend the MIAA sponsored Women and Sports Day. This year, juniors Serena Colbert and Becca Laudermilk are attending on behalf of PSHS. Great job ladies!
Upcoming PSHS Events:
February 10th - Valentine's Buffet at Southside Cafe
March 1st - Tech Expo from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
March 1st - 8th Grade Orientation for Parents 7:00 PM
Random Acts of Kindness
The list of students and staff below have been recognized for a "random act of kindness" during the first semester of the year. We will continue to encourage students and staff to complete these types of acts - great job to all!!
Adriana Alvarez, Alex Amat, Emma Andrews, Zachary Arnold, Olivia Ayre, Matthew Balboni, Rachel Baldrate, Alana Barnes, Jacqueline Benotti, Kelsey Bernard, Emily Besegai, Jessica Blakeman, Haley Blasser, John Blegan, Jesse Boncek, Richard Brennan, Austin Buckley, AJ Butters, William Callahan, Halie Cannucci, Sam Cheung, Katherine Cicchetti, Dylan Close, Chelsea Cohen, Melissa Connolly, Samuel Cook, Gregory Costello, Jordan Coulstring, Melissa Coulstring, Barry Dargie, Pia DeFrancesco, Charles Delisle, Julia Delisle, Helsom Dias, Amanda Dinger, Kara Doherty, Amber Donnell, Madisyn Doonan, Theresa Dorr, Amy Drazek, Nicole Dzengeleski, Kenny Fantasia, Adam Ferguson, Emaleigh Ferguson, Brendan Flattery, Meredith Flynn, Mackenzie Fogarty, Mark Fornaciari, Amanda Fragata, Taylor Francis, Austin Freeman, Christian Fusco, Brianna Gallagher, Maxwell Gay, Michael George, Ashley Glennan, Peter Gomes, Christen Gorman, Debra Greene, Gabriel Gunning, Brandon Hagan, Ryan Hanley, Bridget Harrington, Diane Hartley, Brittany Healey, David Hiltz, Samantha James, Jonathan Jaros, Timothy Jennings, Gregory Kulowiec, Jason Lamb, Adam Lambert, Danielle Landquist, Eric Lee, Matthew Lima, Christopher Lizotte, Christine Lopes, Alyssa Lutz, Nicholas Lydon, Joseph MacEachern, Amy Maurice, Jacob Mazzilli, Joshua McCassie, Tracy McCormack, Jamie McLaren, Seth McNicholas, Colleen Mersereau, Michael Metts, Desiree Mollica, Liz Mollo-Christensen, Michael Morris, Tyler Murphy, Shannon Murphy, Kenzie Murray, Michaela Murren, Bob North, Ashley O'Rourke, Samantha Ottino, Meg Pare, Marissa Persichini, Paige Peterson, Zachary Peterson, Sebastian Pina, Miranda Pizza, James Pravati, Erica Randall, Scott Rapose, Joshua Raymond, Brittany Reed, Nick Romanovicz, Paige Rossi, Patrick Roy, Alexandra Rusconi, Xavier Santiago, Paul Schaller, Salvatore Sciascia, Joseph Shaw, Thomas Slayter, Ryan Small, Jacob Smith, Elizabeth Smithers, Joshua Snell, Gregory Sorensen, Kristen Starr, Dakota Stockwell, Roberta Sullivan, Madison Teets, Dustin Thomas, Nathaniel Thompson, Jeffrey Tocco, Eli Travers, Matthew Travis, Madison Utz, Victoria Vento, Alec Vozzella, Lauren Washburn, Morgan Wentzell, Tyler Wheeler, Tiara Willis, Michael Winterson, Ann Wolf, Arnold Zachary and Hannah Zion.
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Unified Arts News
The Plymouth Schools Music Association is hosting a Spaghetti supper at Plymouth South High School on Friday February 10th from 6:30-8:30pm. There will be salad, pasta with or without sauce, meatballs, bread and butter, desserts, beverages and coffee. Entertainment will be provided by the Band and Chorus in small ensembles and a there will be a silent auction. All proceeds will benefit the music program and the scholarship fund. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for students and children under 5 are free. You may purchase tickets by calling Marcia at 508-746-1845 or email psma.inc@gmail.com .
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Gary E. Maestas, Ed.D Superintendent
Plymouth Public Schools
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