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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, December 3rd, 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 best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. Wishing you happiness."
- Helen Keller
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News from the Visual and Performing Arts Department
November 30, 2012
- The Visual and Performing Arts Department is pleased to announce that senior Zachary West has been selected for the NAfME All-Eastern Honors Band in the first clarinet section. To be selected, Zac had to compete with all the other clarinetists north from Maryland and east from Pennsylvania, marking him as one of the top high school clarinetists in the North-East. This distinction is earned through stellar musicianship and dedicated practice and is a testament to all of the hard work that Zac has put forth. Congratulations are extended to him as he represents himself and the community at the highest professional level afforded high school musicians!
- On Tuesday, November 27 the High School Marching Band was in attendance to support the South High School football team in the Semifinal Playoff Game. Great job by all!
- Thursday November 29, 2012 the Marching Band Awards were held. Congratulations to all on a great season!
Upcoming Events from the Visual and Performing Arts Department
-Tuesday December 4-7pm PSHS Winter Concert
-Wednesday December 5-7pm PNHS School Winter Concert
-Thursday December 6-7pm PCIS Choral Concert
-Saturday December 8th, 8pm FFES Treble Chorus singing at Holiday Pops with the Plymouth Philharmonic
-Tuesday December 11th, 6:30pm SES Winter Concert
-Thursday December 13th, 7pm PSMS Holiday Concert
7pm PCIS Holiday Band Concert
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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 Kahn Academy?
According to the "About" section this amazing, well-reviewed site has been created by an organization on a mission. They are a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education for anyone anywhere.
All of the site's resources are available to anyone. It doesn't matter if you are a student, teacher, home schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology. The Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge.
Take a look at what they have to offer at: khanacademy.org.
Want to have some fun with Geography?
Geocube calls itself the world of Geography at your fingertips. Geocube is based on the principle of the Rubiks Cube with six faces and 54 topics. Move the Geocube around with your mouse and explore the faces and topics. Learning about Geography has rarely been more fun.
Go to: geo-cube.eu/ for more information.
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Plymouth Public High Schools' Science Fair
The 2013 Plymouth Public Schools High School Science Fair is being held on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at Plymouth South High School. As in the past, this year's science fair will showcase the talent of high school students in science and technology/engineering from both Plymouth North and Plymouth South High Schools.
Volunteers play a critical component in the success of this annual event. If you are interested in volunteering (e.g., judges, hallway assistance) please click here.
If the link does not work, please copy and paste this into a web browser
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEVEaDJsUW14NllEUTVZdHMtUE1sWVE6MQ#gid=0
Please note that most volunteers are needed between the hours of 4:00 pm and 6:30 pm. Volunteers are also invited to the awards celebration following judging.
Thank you for your time in considering this outstanding opportunity to support our district's science program.
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Guidance Department News
Guidance Announcement:
College Financing Seminar will be held Thursday, December 6th 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 NewsIndian Brook held their second annual Casino Night fundraiser at the Bournedale Function Facility in Cedarville. There was a great turnout of Indian Brook parents, staff, and friends to take part in a little gaming, raffles, and dancing to tunes spun by DJ Scottie Dog. There are so many people to thank for helping to make this such a fun and successful night, including the volunteers that helped plan the event, Darin Fabrizio of the Bournedale Function Facility, and the many local businesses who supported the event with donations. Special thanks to the wonderful Indian Brook staff who donated their evening by acting as our dealers! Thank you to Dan Harold, Dan Sylvestre, Judi Keding; Chris Mazzola; Mary McKeon; Michelle Mazzola; Nancy Franks; Tracy Riordan; Ann Nadler; Maria Dyson, Peg Varrasso, Missy Mason, Darin Fabrizio and Steve Chiruna. The PTA sponsored October's Haunted Hallway event which was a huge success. Students and parents dressed up in their costumes, walked the haunted halls and danced up a storm. It was a spooktacular event. Many thanks to all of the older student volunteers and adults that made this event so much fun. One of our third grade students, Gianna Candelerio, organized a BOO BOO Band Aid drive for Children's Hospital. We collected 133 boxes of decorative band aids which should make about 2666 children feel a little better after getting a shot. Great Job Gianna!! 
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Cold Spring Elementary School News
Students and staff at Cold Spring School celebrate Thanksgiving family style each year. Tables are rearranged in a family friendly U-Shape, students create table decorations such as place mats or simple costumes that make the event more festive. This annual event is a favorite among students and staff alike!
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South Elementary School NewsA Learning Harvest Fall is in the air in Mrs. Trina Harrington and Mrs. Linda Shay's second grade classes. "We have been working very hard to complete various Thanksgiving-related projects," says Mrs. Harrington. The students are learning about the Pilgrims and how they lived, particularly the similarities and differences between their own lives and the life of a pilgrim child. They are also exploring the Mayflower voyage and the pilgrimage the original pilgrims took. Classes also had a special visit from Plymouth South football players and cheerleaders. "The high school students read a Thanksgiving book aloud to each of the second grade classes," Mrs. Shay says. "They answered various questions about football and talked about their big upcoming Thanksgiving game. We thank them for spending time with us; the second graders were so happy to see the players!" After their Thanksgiving study concluded, students earned a pajama day for their hard work. They wore pajamas and slippers to school, and shared their favorite furry stuffed friends. "Everyone had a great time!" Mrs. Harrington says.  
WHO is Studying Owls? Mrs. Gail Kershaw's third grade class enjoyed a lesson on owls that began with a reading of Jan Yolen's "Owl Moon," followed by other books such as "All About Owls" by Jim Arnosky, and "Animal Lives: Barn Owl" by Bert Kitchen. They learned about owl species and their habitats, and the importance of owls in the ecosystem. "Children really enjoyed putting on their gloves and dissecting an owl pellet," Mrs. Kershaw says. "It was great for them to see the indigestible bones, feathers and fur that owls regurgitate in pellet form." The lesson concluded as students researched various types of owls and compiled a nonfiction book. Check out a video showcasing students' owl artwork on the South Elementary School website. Jorgensen is Journaling! South Elementary is pleased to announce that library media specialist, Anna Jorgensen, is published! Her article, "Not Your Mom's Graphic Novels: Giving Girls a Choice Beyond Wonder Woman", was co-written with a colleague and will be published in a journal called Technical Services Quarterly. The article deals with collection development for graphic novels and comics that has a healthier and more positive portrayal of women in graphic novels and comics. It also gives a historical look at female characters in comics from the 1930s to the present as well as suggestions for different books. The article is the accumulation of two years work and two poster sessions at the American Library Association's annual conference. She and her colleague were actually approached by the editor of the journal after presenting in Anaheim. We are very of Ms. Jorgensen and this wonderful accomplishment!
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Manomet Elementary School News
It has been a big couple of weeks for our theater workshop here at Manomet School. Last Tuesday, three casts of Grade 2 students performed the culmination of their workshop, A Traditional Thanksgiving, and did a fantastic job as they took these first steps in performing in front of a live audience.
In addition, our Grade 4 and 5 performers are busy at work to prepare for their performances of Beauty and The Beast. Since this is a musical, there is a tremendous amount of time and energy being put forth not only on acting, but also with the music associated with this classic. It's important to note a scheduling change to our performances. On Thursday, December 13th, there will both 1:45 and 7:00 performances. On Friday, December 14th, there will be only an evening performance at 7:00pm. Please join us for this event, as it promises to be our best yet!
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PCIS News
Thanksgiving Baskets
Each year students and their families, along with the PCIS staff, organize Thanksgiving baskets for PCIS families in need. Thanks to everyone's generosity we were able to provide baskets to 40 families this year. The baskets were stocked with turkeys and all the fixings. Many non-perishable items that families can enjoy well after Thanksgiving were also included. The food drive was run by students from Falcon Pride, a service-learning club at PCIS, who spent many hours collecting, organizing, and packing the baskets.
 loading baskets
 baskets in progress
 Thanksgiving baskets!
Limo to Lunch
Winners from the PCIS PTA annual magazine drive were treated to a limo ride and lunch at Cabbyshack today. Names of students who sold enough to qualify for the prize were entered into a drawing. Selected students were then allowed to invite one friend. Mr. Palladino accompanied the students and former PCIS housemaster, Jake Collins, was the limousine chauffeur. A great time was had by all. Thank you to the PCIS PTA for continuing this age-old tradition at PCIS.
Turkey Bowl
The fourth annual PCIS "Turkey Bowl" took place on Wednesday, November 21, 2012. Throughout the month of November, students were involved in a flag football activity unit in physical education class and learned the basic fundamentals of the game. To culminate the activity in a special way, a girls flag football tournament, called the Turkey Bowl, was held before Thanksgiving break. Eight teams, comprised of girls in the seventh and eighth grades from each house, were selected. Male students were chosen to coach and referee the games. The eight team bracket guaranteed each team two games with the two undefeated teams (Apollo 8th grade & Gemini 8th grade) squaring off in the championship game. The Apollo 8th grade team of Lillian Backlund, Mallory Cloran, Joie Grassi, Isabel Kierstead, Adrianna McNeely, Abigail Salvucci, Hannah Stroschneider, and Savannah Tiexeira was ultimately victorious. Congratulations to all who participated.
champs
falcon
 falcon news
 game play
Toys for Tots
6th grade PCIS students participating in the Ambassadors Program have kicked off their annual Toys for Tots toy drive! Students participating in the Ambassadors Program are working hard to advertise the toy drive and motivate their classmates to contribute as they are able. Students and families are asked to send in a new, unwrapped toy by December 14th. We would be especially appreciative of toys and games suitable for middle-school aged children. All toys collected are redistributed to local families. Historically, the students and families at PCIS have donated several hundred toys each year in support of the Marine's Toys for Tots Program. Please help us fulfill this meaningful holiday tradition!
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Plymouth South Middle School News
Patriot Place Field Trip
On Thursday, November 15th, the third floor 8th grade team from PSMS went on a field trip to Patriot Place at Gillette Stadium. This math-based field trip was funded by Raytheon Corp. Students were surprised by a walk through the tunnel and up to the press box, where they conducted a mock-draft for five person teams with a fixed amount of money.
Students based their choices on the most current statistics available and the amount of money each team was given to spend. Each team had to choose representatives to fill jobs, such as the team's owner, general manager and financial adviser. The event was concluded by each franchise choosing a team name and mascot, and presenting their decisions to the group at a podium used by Bob Kraft! Our thanks to Raytheon for providing our students with an awesome experience!
PSMS Helps Long Island School With the help of students and parents, over the Thanksgiving weekend Mrs. Benotti was able to bring the first load of clothing to Lawrence Middle School on Long Island. This clothing will be distributed to students and their families who have lost everything due to Hurricane Sandy. We are proud to announce that we filled 46 large bags with clothing of all sizes and types; shirts, pants, socks, shoes, coats, hats, scarves, baby clothes, etc. The drive will be continuing until December 5th, so let's continue to clean out our closets or buy new items to help those who are in need. Thank you.    WASHINGTON DC TRIP PARENT INFORMATION MEETING Plymouth's 8th Grade is planning an exciting three-day Washington DC trip in May!!!
An important organizational meeting for all interested 7th and 8th
grade parents will be held in the PCIS cafeteria
117 Long Pond Road, Plymouth
Wednesday Dec. 5 at 7:30PM Please email Mrs. Meg Peterson at mpeterson@plymouth.k12.ma.us with any questions. Trip Dates: May 21-23, 2013 PLYMOUTH 8TH GRADE
WASHINGTON TRIP Click here to see the flyer for this event!
Festival of Trees A tree named "The Spirit of Santa- a Tribute to Dr. Michael Pincelli" marks the 13th consecutive year that PSMS is participating in the Cranberry Area Hospice Festival of Trees with a community service student after school club. The Festival is held at the Plimoth Plantation Visitors' Center from 10:00 am today Nov. 30th, until 9:00pm, Sat. 10:00-5:00, and Sun. 10:00-5:00. See our tree before it runs away! If you see it you will know what we mean! Our 13 student decorators LOVED the t-shirts generously provided by our PTA. Our "red shirted" crew should be proud as adults commented that they were polite and well-behaved!
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Gary E. Maestas, Ed.D Superintendent
Plymouth Public Schools
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