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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 19th, 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:
"My heroes are those who risk their lives every day to protect our world and make it a better place--police, firefighters, and members of our armed forces."
- Sidney Sheldon
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District news and information for all k-12 teachers, administrators, and parents from the Elementary Library Media Specialists.
Have you visited Professor Garfield?
Are you looking to engage kids in a safe online setting and provide 21st century learning opportunities? Professor Garfield provides an environment where children can safely create, interact, read, engage, and express themselves through a variety of innovative online tools including an e-book reader and comics lab.
In their own words:
Who We Are
The Professor Garfield Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational collaboration between Paws, Inc., the global headquarters for Garfield the Cat, and Ball State University, a nationally recognized leader in teacher training and digital education.
Our Mission
Our mission is to be a world leader in the direct, free delivery of innovative and motivational digital learning content with a primary emphasis on children's literacy.
Initially, we will accomplish this by creating fun and educationally sound interactive activities and games where kids like to play -- on the Internet -- supplemented with standards-based resources for teachers, parents and mentors.
Within ten years, we believe our edutainment site will be regarded as the leading free resource and authority in literacy as demonstrated by visitors, measurable outcomes, and global impact.
To learn more go to:
www.professorgarfield.com |
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Guidance Department News
Guidance Announcement:
College Financing Seminar
Thursday, December 6 from 6:30-8:30 PM in the Plymouth SOUTH High School Cafetorium (Please be aware that this event has been re-scheduled and will no longer be held on November 13)
Parents and guardians of all college-bound seniors (from both of our high schools) are invited to attend this timely informational presentation which will cover all of the important aspects of college financing including different types of financial aid and how to apply.
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Indian Brook Elementary NewsCoonamessett Farm
Indian Brook's first graders visited Coonamessett Farm in Falmouth to learn about local agriculture and, for some of the students, to take a first look at a working farm. The students toured the gardens and greenhouses and visited with the farm animals, including the chickens, goats, turkeys, and alpacas, learning that each has an important role on the farm. The visit ended with each student harvesting a pumpkin to bring home with them.   Manomet Bird Observatory
The third graders of Indian Brook enjoyed a fantastic trip to the Manomet Center for Environmental Studies. The Center specializes in tagging and studying migrating birds. The students saw a brown creeper in one of the nets on the property and watched as the scientist carefully took the bird from the net and bagged it for tagging and release back at the center. The scientists explained the tagging process, showing the importance of identifying trends in bird migration and populations, and brought out several birds to release in front of the students.   Jelly Bean Campaigns
First graders in Mrs. Lavin's and Mrs. Schmidt's classes have been learning a great deal in their unit on the history of the voting process using Jelly Belly jelly beans as candidates. Students in the two classes learned how to cast a ballot, tally the votes, narrow the field to two finalists and, ultimately, declare a winner!
The children also made a nearly 30 minute video illustrating their knowledge of the voting process, why it is important that all people have the right to vote regardless of gender or ethnicity, and what each child would promote if he or she were elected president. The video "premiered" on Monday evening at a reception for the students and their families.
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Manomet Elementary School News
On Friday, November 2nd, Grade 5 students received an important message from a special guest. School Committee Member, Mary Waltuch, spoke at an assembly about the importance of making your voice heard through the voting process. She spoke to the boys and girls about how they have an opportunity to do so in a very authentic way through Plymouth's KidsVote program.
On this past Wednesday, Manomet School conducted an assembly to highlight the meaning of Veterans' Day, as well as to learn about why our country is such a special place. In addition, we connected this assembly to recognizing the freedom to vote, and how students were able to exercise their right to vote recently through the KidsVote program. Thanks so much to our special guests: School Committee Member Mary Waltuch, Social Studies Coordinator Kathy Babini, and Massachusetts Army National Guard Member Christopher Rush.
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South Elementary School NewsFuture Voters Learn about the Election Process South Elementary third graders got a special visit from Mrs. Babini, K-12 social studies coordinator for Plymouth Public Schools. She read Eileen Christelow's book, VOTE!, an upbeat and informative introduction to help young readers understand the process of voting. Students played a vocabulary game using words from the story, and Mrs. Babini introduced them to the KIDS VOTE ballot and answered questions they had about the election process. The students were ready to vote on November 6, and the lesson ended with the students writing a letter to mail to the new president elect at the White House.  
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Hedge Elementary School News
Hedge Kids Vote
Students all over Plymouth voted on election day alongside their parents, guardians or relatives. The fifth grade students from Hedge School made signs to encourage residents to vote on Election Day and stood outside Hedge School. Students were very excited to have this opportunity and almost 50% of the fifth grade volunteered to encourage people to vote outside Hedge School on election day. Miss McCarthy discussed voting with her Social Studies classes and students clearly understood the United States citizens have a privilege and responsibility to vote.
 
On Friday, November 9, 2012, Toto the Tornado Kitten came to Hedge School. Toto was found on June 2, 2011, about 24 hours into the tornado recovery efforts in Brimfield, Massachusetts. Toto only weighed 6 ounces, and he was only 2 or 3 weeks old. Jonathan, who works on the Brimfield Ambulance, helped to care for Toto before veterinary care could be obtained, and he then adopted Toto. Jonathon and Toto visited Hedge School to tell Toto's story and discuss the importance of giving back to the community. Jonathon wrote a book to tell about Toto's adventures, which he read to the students of Hedge School.
Students brought in different items to benefit an animal shelter near Toto's house and the Plymouth Animal Shelter. The pet supply drive continues through next week. Students and staff members have been asked to donate: paper towels, small paper plates and bowls, dish washing soap, all purpose-green cleaners and sponges, dry and canned dog food, dry and canned cat food, cat litter, and cat toys.
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Plymouth South Middle School News
Peer Leaders Clean Up Peer Leaders from Plymouth South Middle as well as some staff participated in the Home Town Clean Up Day this past weekend. Students and staff spent the day cleaning up the PSMS and PSHS campuses. Staff members Michael Canavan and Patrica Zittel worked collaboratively with the town planning department to coordinate this important endeavor for our student body and community.
Students that participated included:
Peter Rivera-Concannon
Benjamin Rivera-Concannon
Alexandra Burch
Briana Johnson
Ayala Dayan
Ava Rose 
PSMS Geography Fair The following Grade 7 students have been recognized by Mr. Murphy and Mr. Herbert for their excellence in Geography. These students showed exceptional ability and depth of knowledge through their learning and presentation of their Geography Fair projects. These students will now go on to compete at the regional geography fair at Bridgewater State University on Saturday, November 10th. The theme of this year's fair is Global Interdependence; how are we connected to the rest of the world through culture, economics, and politics? Good luck to this year's representatives!
Individual Entrants
Maeve Maloney- Doctors Without Borders
Pairs
Sarah Mahon, Taylor DeNicola- Dunkin Donuts
Small Group
Megan Trombly, Michelle Sylvestre, Miranda Murphy- McDonald's
Stephanie Morrow, Kaylee O'Connell, Melissa McCarthy- Wrigley's Gum
Sam Parker, Max Parker, Bobby Simpson- Coca Cola
Jess Holland, Kelsey Green, Meg Gallerani- 2012 Summer Olympics
"Best Book" at PSMS
Two weeks prior to the presidential election, students at Plymouth South Middle School participated in a library election to vote for the highly coveted title of best book in the school. Our two candidates, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney were chosen because they were the most circulated books of the 2011-2012 school year. Students were encouraged to vote for the book that they felt was most deserving of this title, with the option of choosing a write-in candidate, a title of their choice. We had an enthusiastic voter turnout and some very opinionated voters.
After only one recount, The Hunger Games was declared the winner.
Here is a breakdown of the election results.
Here is a breakdown of our election results:
The Hunger Games: 115 votes
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: 52
Write-In Titles: 19 votes
Thank you to all who voted!
Kids Voting
Plymouth South Middle School students enthusiastically participated in Kids Voting on Election Day at different polling places around south Plymouth. Like other teachers in the building, Social Studies teacher Chris Nieminski estimated that more than three-quarters of his students went to the polls with parents or friends and cast their votes for President and Senator. Those who participated were given stickers, which entitled them to wear a hat in school all day on Wednesday. Judging by the number of hats and stickers, the entire building had an impressive Kids Voting turnout.
The students were well prepared to cast their votes, having learned about the election process, the candidates, and the issues over the past month. "I went in planning to vote for Obama, and I did," said eighth grader Ian Blanchard. In a show of hands, Ian's classmates agreed overwhelmingly that they will vote in the first election for which they are eligible. For many, that will be the very next Presidential election.
Kids Voting was actually the second time PSMS students voted. On Monday, the school held a mock election, electing Mitt Romney President of the United States by a slim margin. The students also gave Senator Scott Brown a decisive victory.
Sixth graders Chloe Graves, Jake Gates, Jake Sherman and Josh Rankin discussed why they thought the student elections were important.
"We did it because we need to learn how to vote, "Jake said.
Classmate Josh added, "And you need to vote to show you support your country, your school and your community."
 Adam Montanari
 Alex Burch and her younger sister Julia
 Alexis, Tyler, and Peter Duncan
 Cam Ackley
CANDY FOR THE TROOPS Thank you to grade 7 students, Kelsey Green, Jessica Holland and Meghan Gallerani, who recently organized a candy collection for U.S. troops overseas. The girls wanted the troops to know that we are thinking of them. This is the second consecutive year that the girls have initiated this thoughtful gesture. The PSMS student body responded well by sending in their Halloween candy and hopefully reducing a great number of cavities! As Veterans Day approaches, we at PSMS want to acknowledge all of those individuals who have served and are currently serving in the military and thank them and their families for their sacrifice and service to our country.
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Plymouth North High School News
Veteran's Day Assembly
Last year it was expressed that it would be nice to have a veteran's assembly for the students to learn and to show gratitude. The student council took on the challenge with the help of Mrs. McCann. They contacted local VFWs and invited veterans to come to the assembly. A few veterans were asked to speak, and with the help of Mrs. Holmes, Mr. Grossman and the band and chorus we were able to create the assembly.
The student council members provided lunch for the veterans who were here from D period through F. The veterans all seemed very grateful and many expressed how much this meant to them. The Plymouth North students were a wonderful audience and showed great respect.
The program included 2 performances by the band and chorus, a welcome and poem read by the E-board president and 3 veteran speakers all from different wars.
Project Growth
For part of October and November, Miss. Belmonte's students from Project Growth have been studying information about the voting process, the candidates, the issues and the proposed MA laws. I am happy to report that out of 11 students; 6 students became registered first time voters and a total of 7 students voted in the 11/6/12 election.
They all worked so hard and made efforts to vote. I am so proud of all of them and believe they are role models for other students at PNHS and for the community.
Plymouth North High School Drama Presents:
The SeussOdyssey
By Don Zolidis
Not in the mood for homework? Let Narrator 1 and Narrator 2 take you on a theatrical journey and watch as Homer's Odyssey is transformed into the style of Dr. Seuss.
Show times:
November 16th at 7:00 P.M.
November 17th at 7:00 P.M
November 18th at 2:00 P.M.
in the PNHS Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are $5.00 in advance (sold at school lunches) and $7.00 at the door.
Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.
www.playscripts.com
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Plymouth South High School NewsGO PANTHERS!!! Good Luck to our Panther Football team who plays at 7:00 p.m. tonight (Friday) at PSHS for the ACL league title. This is the first time in school history that our football team is playing at home for this title. Good luck to all players and coaches.  College Focus: If you visit Plymouth South this year you will notice a focus on reinforcing a "college going culture" with our student body. We feel that there is a college for everyone. In fact, there is a "college kiosk" that is staffed by our guidance counselors during lunches. Counselors are available at all times to discuss college options with students. In addition, our televisions throughout the school are displaying photos of our staff and the college they attended. As college acceptances for students begin we will be displaying their acceptances on the TVs. Above is one of our technical studies teacher, Mr. Gellar.   Thanks to Mrs. Hartley and the students in her senior poetry elective. They participated in the "Draw me a Poem / Write me a Picture" event at the Plymouth Center for the Arts. Plymouth South student Kathleen Bell's poem was selected to be featured in the Plymouth Arts Center's Visual Inverse 2013 Exhibit.  Election Extravaganza: The students and staff of PSHS were very excited about the recent presidential election. On Monday, November 5th, patriotic music was playing in the halls, teachers wore red/white/blue, and Mr. Fust, Ms. Shaver, and Mrs. Stevens hosted a "Name that President" contest at all the lunches. The day closed with the band and chorus performing patriotic tunes as students were let out at dismissal. A mock election was also conducted for all students to vote for their choices. The opportunity to register to vote was also made available to both students and parents at other events throughout the fall. The High School Quiz Bowl team of seniors competed last Sunday, November 4th. They scored very well and we hope to be selected for the High School Quiz show competition.   TAKE THE CHALLENGE!! Watch the photos every week on the gallery wall as shown above. Our goal is to change our BLACK wall to RED in just one week. Hurricane Sandy, one of the largest storms to hit America's East Coast, has left devastation in its path. Many people are still in need of food, water, medical care and shelter. You can help!! Help by meeting our one week challenge between Wednesday, November 7th to Wednesday, November 14th. Buy a PSHS Red Cross symbol for $1.00 at lunch. Sign your name on the Red Cross symbol. Hang it on our gallery wall as a show of your support. Thank you for taking the challenge!!
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News from the Visual and Performing Arts Department
November 9, 2012
- The Plymouth High Schools Marching Band competed in the New England Scholastic Band Association (NESBA) Marching Band Championships on Saturday, October 27, in Lawrence, MA. The band was competing in Division IV of Nesba, which includes marching bands with 71-90 performing members. The band performed the 2012 Field Show "Waves." The music, movement, and flags all help to convey this concept throughout the performance. Plymouth scored a gold medal rating, with a score of 86.7, which placed fifth in their division. This was a great performance, and culminated a strong season for this competitive marching band. You can see the Marching Band perform at all home football games for both North and South High Schools, and at upcoming Plymouth parades including Veteran's Day and America's Hometown Thanksgiving Parade. Great job Band!
- The PNHS and PSHS Music Programs will be traveling to New York, NY on April 11-13, 2013 for a Performance and Cultural Tour. There will be a very important Parent Information Meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 13th at 7PM in the Band Room of PNHS. Please join us there to learn all about the trip!
- The VPA Coffee House will be held this Saturday, November 10 at Kendall Hall in Plymouth. Come see Plymouth North and South High School students perform selections of their choice. Admission is free and all are welcome!
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Gary E. Maestas, Ed.D Superintendent
Plymouth Public Schools
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