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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, April 23rd, 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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District news and information for all k-12 teachers, administrators, and parents from the Elementary Library Media Specialists.
Are you trying to keep up with new web tools? Take a look at this wiki which was created for k-12 Library Media Specialists but is useful to all educators who want to stay informed about what is new. The address is: http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/Keeping+Up+with+New+Tools Did you know that there are seven services for sending group texts to parents and students? Teachers can use any of these to easily send and manage group text messages. Check them out along with some incredible resources that educators love (i.e., Sound Maps From the British Library) at: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/
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Weekly Quote:
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
Aesop, The Lion and the Mouse
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Spotlight on a Teacher!
The Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies has awarded Walt Fust, social studies teacher at Plymouth South High School, The William Spratt
Award for Excellence in Teaching Secondary Social Studies.
This award is presented to a secondary teacher who has demonstrated exceptional ability in the social studies to incorporate innovative curriculum, use effective instructional strategies, and foster the
development of democratic beliefs and values needed for active, informed citizen participation.
The award was presented at the Northeast Regional
Conference for the Social Studies in early April on April 3rd.
Congratulations to Walt for being recognized with this honor!
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Nathaniel Morton Elementary News
Nathaniel Morton celebrated Family Book Fair night on Wednesday, March 14th hosted by the PTA. Students returned in the evening with their families to select books to add to their reading collections. The theme for this book fair was a Hawaiian theme. Students, PTA members, and staff members wore tropical and Hawaiian clothing to celebrate the event. In addition to choosing books, there were many opportunities for students to play games. There was coconut bowling, a hula-hoop contest and a chance to practice limbo skills. It was a fun and exciting night to promote reading!
On March 23rd the Nathaniel Morton community enjoyed their third annual family trivia night. Staff members organized and hosted the annual event for the students and their families. In all, there were twenty-five teams who answered trivia questions and played minute to win it games between the rounds of trivia. A great time was had by all. A special thank you goes to teacher Ms. Lynn Munoz for organizing the event for families and staff members to join together in a night of laughter and fun!
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Cold Spring Elementary School News
Time Travel
The students in Ms. Rosen's class are reading historical fiction for their literature circles. Each student gets a turn to go back in time by entering the time machine. While in there, the students conjure vivid mental images taken from their books, and are transported back in time. History comes alive in this fourth grade class!
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West Elementary School News
It has been a busy week at West Elementary School. Throughout the week, we have had several visitors and programs work with our students. We have had visits from the Plymouth Garden Club as well as Mr. Paul Gross, a percussionist from the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra. We also had the Lego Robotics Challenge hosted by PSES. Take a look as some of our students in action!   The Garden Club visits West School.
 Lyndon's Robot Raises the Flag.
 The Imaginator
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South Elementary School News
Wax Museum Brings Native American Culture to Life
On April 11th, fourth graders depicted Native American life and culture at the annual Wax Museum, featuring costumed "wax" figures and settings created by students and narrated by teachers.
Classes researched and reported on the customs and culture of various tribes, including the Sioux, Inuit, Seminole, Iroquois, and Hopi. They dimmed the lights and transformed the gymnasium into a maze of tribes with students posing as Native Americans. The impressive program featured a daytime showing for students and an evening showing for families.
Rockin' and Rollin' at the Annual Robotics Rally
South Elementary School hosted the annual district-wide elementary Robotics Festival on April 12th. Third, fourth and fifth graders learned about teamwork and problem solving as they designed robots with specific challenges, based on the theme "imagine."
One challenge used gears and motors to create a vehicle that could move six feet, carry a balloon and pop bubble wrap. Students also needed to create a poster with their team's concept of imagine. The second challenge used a different Lego kit, NXT, to create a robot that could follow an "S" route. Teams wrote a computer program that was then downloaded onto the NXT.
"There was a lot of trial and error as students assembled their vehicles from the ground up and learned how to make separate components work together," says SES fourth grade teacher Mrs. Toni O'Neil. "They had to observe their vehicles and then make changes as needed. I was impressed by their creativity and determination."
Students Tap Their Toes to Percussionist Paul Gross
Paul Gross, Plymouth Philharmonic percussionist and former middle school music teacher, captivated students during a performance at the school on April 10th.
Gross entertained with everything from a drum to a xylophone to a pop gun, as kids joined in by playing instruments and conducting. Many children were inspired by the lively show, which was part of the school's music immersion program.
Third grader, Elizabeth Carlin listens attentively for the appropriate time to add the "pop" to Paul Gross' "Pop Goes the Weasel".
Screen Free Week
Students were encouraged to turn off the TV, computer, and video game systems for Screen Free Week April 8 to 14. Those who turned off electronic devices for the entire week will receive a special certificate of participation and a prize.
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Plymouth North High School News
ESL iPad Projects
Maria DaSilva's PNHS English as a second language students completed iPad projects focusing on tourism to their native countries. The iPad projects were facilitated by Julia Colby, Technology Integration Specialist. All ESL students from the earliest beginner to the most advanced created innovative multimedia book projects using text, voice recordings (in multiple languages), as well as images, Internet links, and Internet videos. Some created their own videos as well as their own movies using the iMovie app. All in all, this was a very successful project that enticed everyone to visit one another's countries. A special thanks to Dr. Maestas for taking the time to be interviewed by one of our students from China.
"The Last Lap" Celebration
Plymouth North High School is celebrating the end of an era. Join us for a few last days of fun in the old Plymouth North before it is gone forever. Several events are scheduled for the weekend of Saturday, May 19th:
Events begin on Saturday with the Last Lap Walk/Run which begins at 9:00 a.m.
A PNHS Open House is scheduled from 1:00 p.m. through 4:00 p.m. which will offer the public an opportunity for a stroll down memory lane, a chance to play basketball, visit the auditorium, take pictures in front of your locker, etc.
A dance for adults 21 years old or over is scheduled from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the North Gymnasium.
On Sunday, May 20th a Brunch will be served in the Cafeteria from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
North Students Enrich Nathaniel Morton Elementary
Below is an excerpt of a letter written to Principal Kathleen McSweeney from Mrs. Linda Brown, Volunteer Coordinator of NMES Enrichment Day:
"The PTA's 20th Annual Enrichment Day took place on Saturday morning, March 31st on the Nathaniel Morton Elementary School grounds. The day will surely be remembered by the 230 children who participated. Thanks to a team of volunteers, we offered 26 exciting workshops covering a variety of topics including sports, games, cooking, creative projects and arts and crafts. The children absolutely love this day!
The event would not be possible without the dedicated volunteers who lead our workshops; we had a team of 75 people volunteering that day. I am happy to tell you that 32 students from Plymouth North volunteered; nearly half of our workshop leaders! We also appreciate the student advisors and coaches who assisted with our recruitment efforts."
The 31 students who volunteered their time for this event are; Libby Brigida, Joycelyn Kerr, Holly Duddy, Shannon McDermott, Bobby Wallace, Rachel Post, Annika Lydon, Brendan McRae, Ashley Gallagher, John Patrick Hogan, Cody Holmes, Ssean Folan, Jake Holmes, Gemma Henderson, Emma Bowman, Emily Cleland, Hannah Conley, Kristi Goodman, Erin Cappellucci, Tyler Gravelle, Tyler Green, Vincent Tavernelli, Erin Studholme, Emily Bott, Emma Canducci , Nick Santos, Pat Hicks, Brad Feeney, Ryan Lahey, Brendan Sheehan, Billy Brunstrom, Leif Burgess and National Honor Society Advisor Mrs. Mary Humberd and Coach Dwayne Follette.
Many thanks to all!"
North in the News
Plymouth North Baseball off to a Good Start
Plymouth North Softball Notches First Win of the Season
Plymouth North High School: Making the World a Smaller Place
Quick Start for Improved Plymouth North Girls Track Squad
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Plymouth South High School News This week we were fortunate to host guest speaker, Chris Herren. Chris was an outstanding basketball player who played at Durfee High School in Fall River, MA. He continued his basketball career at Boston College and Fresno State. He was eventually drafted by the Boston Celtics and played basketball in Europe and Turkey. While these accolades are impressive, what he spoke to our students about were his battles with drug addiction.
Eight hundred students watched Chris Herren speak in our high school gymnasium. An additional six hundred students watched him through a live feed in their classrooms. The impact was nothing short of amazing. Chris addressed real issues such as drug addiction, family issues, and how he got started on drugs - to quote Chris Herren, "No one gets up in the morning and says I want to be a junkie - I got my start with beer and pot and then the yellow pills."
The message shared with our students and staff was extremely powerful and has left an amazing impact on our students. On April 24th we will be partnering with the "Herren Project" and wearing purple to support students who stand against substance abuse. As principal I am VERY concerned about destructive decisions that our students are making in regards to their own substance issues. I encourage parents to contact the school with questions that arise - we want to work together through these difficult issues.
In closing, I will never forget the silence that existed at PSHS on Wednesday, April 11th as the entire school focused on Chris Herren and his message. Yet more importantly the hundreds of students who waited to talk to Chris at the end of the presentation was remarkable. Chris Herren stayed to speak with each one! Thank you Mr. Herren for helping our students see that bad things happen and there is a way out!
Chris Herren tweeted the following message after leaving PSHS.. "Words can't describe what I just witnessed at Plymouth South High School...Emotional and powerful 2 hours with the kids!! THANK YOU forever grateful..."
PSHS has started a Facebook page - "LIKE" us - to learn more about PSHS happenings and events - we are hopeful that this will continue to enhance communication with students and parents - https://www.facebook.com/PSHSPanthers
Prom Tickets
Tickets were sold this past week at PSHS for the prom that is May 11th. Tickets will be sold after break until April 27th and the cost is $70.00 per ticket.
Congratulations to Michael Clark - Plymouth South High School Senior who is the recipient of the 2012 Hobey Baker High School Character Award!! The presentation was held on April 9th at the Sports Museum in the TD Garden in Boston.
The students in the above photos were voted Freshmen Students of the Month by their teachers for excellence in academics and behavior. They were awarded a certificate and a gift certificate to be used in the culinary restaurant. Great job to these students for their hard work!! They are from left to right - Stepheni MacLeod, Miles Crothers, Lizzie Gallagher. Monica Shields is in the separate photo.
Seven students from Plymouth South High School received awards on the 2012 National Latin Exam. They competed with over 148,000 students from the United States, as well as from thirteen foreign countries. This year's winners included students from Latin 1 through Latin IV. Magna cum laude award winners included Alexander Swiniarski (Gr. 10), Matthew Vecchi (Gr. 9) and Michael Morris (Gr. 11). Cum laude certificates were earned by Emily Richard (Gr. 12), Brianna Fragata (Gr. 10), Jacob Gibson (Gr. 9) and Thomas Giorgio (Gr. 10). Congratulations to all of the winners for their outstanding achievement on this year's exam.
On Friday evening, March 30th, Duxbury Youth Services sponsored a self-esteem workshop and fashion shoot where 12 students from Plymouth South High School's Cosmetology department volunteered to support "Girls Night Out". Bee Hive the Salon invited the students to assist them with the endeavor. Melissa Oloskey, former Plymouth South High School cosmetology student spearheaded the event. Seniors Aly Fleck, Sara Grande, Nicole Pelzer, Kayla Papasodero, and Jourdyn McFarland, Juniors Yvonne Hughes, Ashley Kuhn, Sam James and Deanna Johnston, Freshman Bree McFarland and Senior Aly Webb, a non-cosmetology student, willingly gave up their Friday night to help prepare over 35 "tweens" for their moment in the spotlight. The PSHS cosmetology students were responsible for giving the 35 girls complete hairstyles, and doing their nails to ready them for a runway show and a photo shoot. As always, the students from PSHS beautifully executed the skills they have been learning in the cosmetology program, showed outstanding professionalism and were great role models for their young clients!
Have a safe and restful April vacation!
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Gary E. Maestas, Ed.D Superintendent
Plymouth Public Schools
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