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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 17, 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:
"Always remember to slow down in life; live, breathe, and learn; take a look around you whenever you have time and never forget everything and every person that has the least place within your heart."
-Anonymous
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District news and information for all k-12 teachers, administrators, and parents from the Elementary Library Media Specialists.
Wondering what to give that special person of any age on your holiday list? Check the American Library Association's Recommended Reading page. Books are wonderful gifts.
Go to: http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet23 or see below/
List of links to ALA's literature award winners and various notable reading lists for all ages, sorted by age group.
General Lists | For Children | For Young Adults/Teens | For Adults | Reference Books (for children, teens, and adults) | For Librarians | Reading Events, Programs, and Tips
Massachusetts Children's Book Award 2012-2013
Many students in grades 4-6 in the District are participating in the Massachusetts Children's Book Award Program. If you are interested in seeing the list of MBCA titles go to:
http://www.salemstate.edu/academics/schools/3698.php
or see your school Library Media Specialist.
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Indian Brook Elementary NewsKids Vote: Students at all Plymouth schools were encouraged to participate in the voting process this past Election Day. At Indian Brook, students made posters reminding folks to vote, to be hung in the gym on Election Day and a student voting booth was manned for each precinct with the following results: - 42% of Indian Brook students took part in the vote - Over 3400 students in the Plymouth School disctrict voted - Plymouth students voted to re-elect President Obama, who beat Mitt Romney by a vote of 1845 to 1455. Please see the graph for more results. Thanks to all students who participated, and to the parents who brought their children along to the polls to get them involved in the process!  A Good Sport for a Good Cause: Indian Brook recently held a Food Drive to benefit the St. Bonaventure Food Bank. As an incentive to help the school meet its goal of donating 2,000 pounds of food, Vice Principal Dan Sylvestre promised to dress as a turkey IF the goal was met...The students did a great job collecting non-perishable items for the Food Bank and won their reward of seeing Mr. Sylvestre dressed in his turkey costume the day before Thanksgiving! 
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Nathaniel Morton Elementary NewsThe students of Nathaniel Morton participated in the Kids Voting program on Election Day. Leading up to the event, students participated in various activities to gain awareness of the importance of voting. In the spirit of the voting experience, all of the students voted on their favorite genre in their classrooms. Leading up to the school wide vote, the students in grade five wrote campaign speeches for each of the genres, explaining what each genre entailed and why the students should vote for it as their favorite type of genre to read. Each morning during announcements, students read their campaign speeches. In Art, all students made posters to advertise for their favorite type of genre. These posters were displayed in the hallways and lunch room of the school for all to see. Some classrooms also made buttons in support of their favorite pick. The day before the National Election Day, students cast their ballots for their favorite genre. At the end of the day on Monday, there was a whole school assembly where student read campaign speeches to encourage students to get out and vote. Students in K-Five sang songs about voting and the results of the school wide vote on the favorite reading genre was revealed. The results were that Fantasy was the favorite!   Mystery Skype Several fifth grade classes at Nathaniel Morton recently participated in Mystery Skype sessions with classrooms across the country. Technology integration specialist Karen Winsper organized the Skype calls with teachers she connected with via Twitter. A Mystery Skype connects two classrooms and the students are unaware of the location of the buddy class. Students take turns asking a series of yes and no questions to assist in determining the location of their partner class. By applying their research and geography skills using atlases, maps, Google Earth and other electronic resources, students were able to figure out the Skype calls were from Iowa and Wisconsin. To get started with your own Mystery Skype, visit https://education.skype.com/projects/2832-mystery-skype to learn more.    Jazz Band Performance This jazzy performance was a "Jazzariffic Blast." On Monday, November 5th, 2012, the Jazz Band brought spirit to Nathaniel Morton students in grades K-5 and their teachers. It really encouraged us to sing and play jazz. We also learned a lot about music! They were excellent musicians and taught us about different kinds of jazz, like Latin, swing, be-bop, and jazz-fusion (rock music). It was extremely fun and it was enjoyable for all of us! The students and teachers got somewhat jazzy with their song "Salt Peanut." We all enjoyed the performance and hope they come back soon!
By: Nicholas, Madison, Kailey and Chelsea 
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Cold Spring Elementary School News
Fifth graders at Cold Spring are learning about the Native American groups who originally inhabited North America, and many explorers who
traveled all around the Eastern and Western Hemispheres in search of wealth, prestige, and knowledge. Students read multiple accounts (CCSS
5RI6) of their topic and integrated research from several resources (CCSS 5RI9) to create a Message in a Bottle.
The bottles display illustrations of items of importance to their Native American or
explorer, such as Nampeyo's pottery or a map of Marco Polo's voyages. Inside the bottle, you will find an informative essay explaining their
individual's contribution to North America.
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South Elementary School NewsCreative Cooks Kindergartners in Mrs. Cathy Kuechle's class made cornbread as part of a lesson about Plymouth history. "The early settlers in Plymouth were grateful for learning to plant and grow corn," Mrs. Kuechle says. "After being dried and ground, the cornmeal could be used for baking." Students first learned about volume using measuring cups and sand at the sand table. They also studied picture books to learn where all of the ingredients come from. "It took many hands to grind dried corn using a mortar and pestle," she recalls. "We followed a recipe step by step, mixed our ingredients, and popped the pan into the toaster oven." They ate the fresh-baked cornbread warm with maple syrup; a very "yummy" seasonal lesson!  
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PCIS News
PCIS kicked off the Holiday Season by participating in the annual Joyal Capital Management $100 for 100 on Saturday, 12/1/12. Forty PCIS students were chosen to participate in this event. Students received a $100 shopping spree at Dick's Sporting Goods in Plymouth, MA. Over 18 PCIS teachers and staff volunteered their time to help out with the event. A fun time was had by all participants. PCIS sends a special thank you to Joyal Capital Management for their generosity to our students.
The grade six Ambassadors, along with Falcon Pride members, have started their annual Toys for Tots drive. In a joint effort, these student groups are working with the United States Marine Corps (USMC) to collect toys for this wonderful charity. Students have been working hard decorating collection boxes, crafting and hanging signs, and encouraging all students to participate in this drive. One Falcon Pride member, Max Tripp, along with his family, raised $700.00 to shop for toys to donate. The students will continue to collect toys through December 13, 2012. Anyone wishing to drop off toys should do so by that date. On December 14th, students will organize the donated toys for pick-up by the Marine Corps.
Max Tripp
On Thursday, 12/6/12, one-hundred and forty-five PCIS choristers performed in front of a full house in the gymnasium. A variety of holiday songs were directed by Mrs. Jessica Fuller with accompaniment on the piano by former PCIS music teacher, Sharon Francer. A special thank you goes out to all of the choristers and their families, along with the PCIS staff, for their dedication to the music program.
 Grade 6 chorus concert
 Grades 7 and 8 chorus concert
Over the past week, 558 students from all grades were honored at the Term 1 Honors Breakfasts. Proud parents joined their sons and daughters at the breakfasts which were sponsored by the Parent Teacher Association. Former PCIS students from Plymouth North High School were called upon to deliver motivating speeches. Congratulations to all of our students who attained honor roll status for the first term. Keep up the good work!
The winter athletic program is off to a great start. The boys and girls basketball teams and the wrestling team have begun their tryouts and practices. Over 50 students are participating in these sports. Students and coaches are hard at work preparing for a great winter season.
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North High News
PNHS National Honor Society Inductees
Congratulations to the following students for their induction into the NHS. We are very proud of their accomplishments and the dedication that they demonstrate in their community.
Class of 2013
Erica Burke
Sam Ciaranca
Victoria Gilmore
Molly LeGrow
Class of 2014
Ian Allen
Michael Bambrick
Colby Bott
Joshua Bowen
Tara Brennan
Alexander Brisbois
Mackenzie Corrigan
Patrick Danner
Nicole Day
Kristen DeCoste
Thomas Duddy
Bradford Feeney
Kelsey Frahlich
Emily Freeman
Brandon Green
Christian Hatch
Nicolas Hovey
Emily Hufnagle
Evalina Lawson
Ian Maguire
Isabel Mallon
Brianna Maloney
Matthew Moore
Moorea Moylan
Haley Nicklas
Jamie Nickerson
Meaghan O'Rourke
Paige Post
Laura Pothier
Hayley Reifeiss
Casey Reilly
Emily Ricardo
Ashley Robichaud
Jessica Roth
Hannah Schulze
Caroline Sheehan
Hugh Sims
Allison Sinewick
Taylor Stefano Elizabeth Tosi Grace VanBuskirk Dawna Vella Alexa Weathers Chelsea Willis  PNHS Chris Herron Assembly AS A SCHOOL COMMUNITY WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON MAKING GOOD CHOICES - WE ALSO PRIDE OURSELVES ON HELPING THOSE AMONG US WHO PERHAPS DO NOT MAKE THE BEST OF CHOICES, TO TURN THEIR LIVES AROUND AND BEGIN MAKING BETTER ONES. WE FURTHER PRIDE OURSELVES ON BEING REAL AND BEING AUTHENTIC............WE TRUST YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THAT IN OUR HALLWAYS AND WITHIN OUR CLASSROOMS - WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON OUR SCHOOL CULTURE AND WORK HARD AT MAINTAINING A POSITIVE REPUTATION OF WHAT PLYMOUTH NORTH HIGH SCHOOL IS ALL ABOUT. THE PRESENTATION HERE THIS MORNING, PURPOSELY HELD ON OUR BASKETBALL COURTS, IS A RESULT OF A VERY GENEROUS SPONSORSHIP BY THE KIWANIS CLUB OF PLYMOUTH...........AS A SCHOOL COMMUNITY PLEASE JOIN ME IN THANKING THE KIWANIS CLUB OF PLYMOUTH FOR THEIR PARTNERSHIP IN EDUCATION. THE PRESENTATION THIS MORNING WILL ADDRESS THE TOPICS OR MAKING CHOICES AND BEING AUTHENTIC ............ OUR GUEST SPEAKER IS a basketball legend from Fall River, Massachusetts, MR. CHRIS HERREN attended Durfee High School in Fall River, MA from 1990-1994. His family's history at Durfee includes his father, grandfather, older brother, and multiple uncles playing basketball there. Chris finished his career at Durfee High with a total of 2,073 points. Chris turned down offers from schools such as The University of Kentucky and Duke University to play at Boston College[2]. In his senior year, Chris was named the Boston Globe and Gatorade Player of the year. He also was named to the McDonald's All-America Team[3]. Herren was the central figure in a book about Durfee High basketball entitled Fall River Dreams.[4] Mr. Chris Herren realized his dreams by playing for the Celtics in the NBA, only to lose it all to addiction. Drug-free and alcohol-free since August 1, 2008, Chris has refocused his life to put sobriety and family above all else. Off the court Chris continues to share his story with audiences in the hopes of reaching just one person and making a difference in their life. With the release of his memoir, Basketball Junkie, in May of 2011, Chris was approached by hundreds of people and their families looking for assistance in their road to recovery. Inspired by their stories, Chris formed The Herren Project to educate at-risk populations on addiction and help others in taking the first steps toward recovery and a life of sobriety. It is my privilege to WELCOME Mr. Herren to NORTH and present him with a PNHS "Good Choices" T-Shirt. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Herren to the "Home of the Eagles." (Speech given by: Principal McSweeney) 
Plymouth Public Schools US FIRST Robotics Competition Students AND Parents interested in participating on the Plymouth Public Schools US FIRST Robotics Team are invited to the 2012-2013 season "kick-off" event. What: Learn about this year's first US National Robotics Season. www.usfirst.org and www.pnta.org How: A nationally web cast weekend event during which the Mission of FIRST and this year's game and Rules will be announced andexplained. When: Saturday, January 5th and 6th from 8:30AM until 12:30PM both days. Where: Plymouth North High School Auditorium and Engineering Labs Why: To begin the six week root design and Who: All students and parents interested in helping to make this Robotics season the best one evah! This is a great time...and remember, every participating student must bring one or more adult of their choice to this opening meeting.... Thanks to Mr. Bastoni, PPS Robotics and Engineering Lead Mentor. |
Plymouth South High School News
The week before Thanksgiving was a busy week at PSHS... the following photos are from Spirit Week with hallway decorations by each individual class:
 
Left to right: Mr. Woodard, Mr. Westfield and Ms. Denn in the spirit of "Pajama Day"
The student council students worked very hard putting together Turkey Baskets for approximately 60 needy families to enjoy with food donated by students and staff. Madison Braz is outside with the "cold storage" items, while Kyle Richard, Marisa Kanter, Allison Daley and Julia Daly work on packing items inside.
To end that week, congratulations to Plymouth South for beating Plymouth North 40 to 2 0 at the Thanksgiving Day Football game bringing the "Rock" trophy back to South.
Winter sports started November 26th - check the website www.southpanthers.com for more information.
Congratulations to the Plymouth South High School football team for the tremendous game on November 27th against Natick, losing by a slim margin of 33-38. The players and their coaching staff should be very proud of this great accomplishment and an awesome season.
The music department of Plymouth Public Schools 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!
PSHS Technology in the Classroom:
Technology is all around us and there are so many great tools to utilize! The beauty of using it in the classroom is not to replace how teachers educate our students but how teachers enhance their lessons and engage the students. And that is exactly what our teachers are doing here at Plymouth South High School!
Mrs. Spinale - US History: America at the turn of the 20th Century Prezi Presentation
Mrs. Spinale's US History classes were asked to prepare a brief presentation on a 20th Century topic of their choice, from a given list. Mrs. Spinale and tech specialist Jacqui Frongello coached the students through the set up and learning process of Prezi to get the students comfortable with the tool in order to create their presentations. Students did research on their topics to gather the information as well as pictures and videos to put in to their presentations. The students did a great job with the setup of their Prezi and the creation of their presentations and will be sharing with one another in class.
Mr. Sheridan - Freshman Health: iMovie trailer/skits on the hazards of smoking to your body
Mr. Sheridan has been working with his freshman health classes on the dangers of smoking and the negative effects it can have on the body. Mr. Sheridan wanted the students to show that they had a solid understanding of the effects and to put together a skit/commercial on how smoking is not good for one's health. Mr. Sheridan had the students work in groups and create a storyboard of their story they will be telling through the use of iMovie trailers. In each of the classes mentioned above students are learning how to embrace technology in to the classroom and use it for educational purposes. Students are also practicing their reading, writing and collaborative skills while creating amazing works of art! Great job to all the students and teachers!
Plymouth South Student Speaks in Front of 5000 at ACTE Conference in Georgia
On Wednesday November 18, 2012 Kaila O'Farrell, Plymouth South Student and SkillsUSA National Region 1 Vice President, traveled to Atlanta, Georgia for the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Conference. During her three day trip Kaila spoke in front of the 5000 career and technical students, teachers, state directors, business partners and administration. She shared what differences teachers, advisors, and administration have made in her life and how they are important to career and technical education. In addition to her speaking commitments she ran a SkillsUSA informational booth in which she answered questions regarding SkillsUSA and the experiences she has gained through her time as a SkillsUSA Massachusetts State Officer and SkillsUSA National Officer. Kaila was one of two students chosen to represent SkillsUSA in the country.
On November 18-20, 2012 seventeen SkillsUSA officers and members from Plymouth South High School attended the SkillsUSA Fall Leadership Conference in Marlborough, MA. The Fall State Leadership Conference is designed for Chapter Advisors and Officers to build strong chapters back at their schools. Participants at the conference undergo intensive leadership training in areas such as communication skills, group dynamics and employability skills, while having opportunities to become involved in SkillsUSA Professional Development Program, and earn a SkillsUSA Massachusetts Leader Award. The following students received medals at the conference:
Tricia Backlund - 1st Place Time Quality Management & 3rd Place Overal l Team Quality ; Kate Parker - 4th Place Overall Team Quality; Kate Galbreath - 2nd Place Community Construction & 3rd Place Overall Team Quality; Julie Blethan - 3rd Time Quality Management; Yanni Riggas - 1st Place Robotics Competition & 2nd Place Overall Team Quality; Jared Bonneau - 1st Place Robotics Competition; George Barber - 1st Place Team Profile; Jake Dunn - 3rd Place Overall Team Quality; Alexis Laforest - 1st Place Overall Team Quality & 3rd Place Reduce Reuse Recycle; Jenna Catton - 1st Place Overall Team Quality & 3rd Place Reduce Reuse Recycle and Amber Rose - 3rd Place Community Construction.
Graphic Design and Visual Communications students competed in several Graphic Design and Computer Art contests. Two GDVC students won awards, a Silver Key and an Honorable Mention, in the 2012 Regional Boston Globe Scholastic Art Competition. Three students won awards in the Congressman Bill Keating's 2012 Congressional Art Competition. In the SkillsUSA District Competition, two students won Gold Medal Awards as well as a Bronze Medal in the Leadership Competition. In the Stellwagon Bank Marine Art Poster Contest, ten students won awards. GDVC students also competed in video production contests. Two students won third place in the 26th Annual Video Contest, M.O.V.E. We also had two Bronze Medal award winners in the SkillsUSA video product development contest.
Congratulations to the following students who received the Cabby Shack "TERM 1 - STUDENTS OF THE TERM". They have received a gift certificate from Cabby Shack. Great job!!! FRESHMAN ACADEMY TERM 1: OUTSTANDING STUDENT: Red Team/Shannon Colbert; Yellow Team/Veronica Holmes; Blue Team/Jacob Jobe. FRESHMAN ACADEMY TERM 2 - MOST IMPROVED STUDENT: Red Team/Michael Mahoney; Blue Team/Colin Savage; Yellow Team/Morgan Sacco.
On Tuesday, December 4th the Plymouth South High School Winter Concert was held showcasing our Band and Chorus students. A very large crowd of parents and staff enjoyed the wide selection of music performed by a variety of band ensembles, high school chorus, as well as the newly formed 9th grade chorus. Mr. Coon and Mr. Gruschow should be commended for doing a great job.
Diversity at PSHS!! Ashmita Tan don, a senior at PSHS, displays the interactive word wall she created under the guidance of ELA MCAS tutor, Joanne Axon. Languages on this word wall are English and Hindi, Ashmita's native language. She and other students use the wall to play a variety of vocabulary games, which exposes them to a wealth of new words. Ashmita and other students often find words in books they are reading for pleasure to add to the wall. Among the comments from students viewing the wall are "WOW!!!", "Who wrote them?", and "Totally aesthetic!"
Congratulations to the students in the photo show above for the following amazing accomplishments. Left to right: Jason Lamb for football and Serena Colbert in field hockey were named Patriot Ledger All Scholastic athletes. On the right: Dylan Oxsen was also named Patriot Ledger All Scholastic, as well as Boston Globe and Boston Herald All Scholastic and ESPN All State Football Team Member.
The PSHS Social Studies Department arranged for 278 U.S. History 1 students on Thursday and 307 U.S. History II students on Friday to travel to the Independence Mall Cinema for private screenings of Steven Spielberg 's latest film "Lincoln". The film covers the last four months of the Civil War when President Lincoln was struggling to persuade Congress and the Union states to approve the 13th Amendment before the end of the war, thereby abolishing slavery throughout the United States. This subject matter is part of the 10th grade U.S. 1 curriculum and also relates to civil rights as they evolved in the 20th century (U.S. II curriculum). In addition to the actual subject matter, the film illustrates Lincoln's role - and the role of all Presidents - as Commander-in Chief, as politician, and as advocate for all Americans. Follow-up discussions and writing assignments will focus on Lincoln's character, on the defining characteristics of presidential leadership, and on the qualities of leadership in general.
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News from the Visual and Performing Arts Department
December 7, 2012
- Zachary West, who was selected for the NAfME All-Eastern Honors Band in the first clarinet section, has been featured in the local news.
http://plymouth.m.wickedlocal.com/wkdPlymouth/db_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=TBIypJT5&full=true#display
- When at PNHS be sure to view the wonderful self-portraits from Sherie Harkins' class on display in the PNHS Performing Arts lobby.
- This past week PSHS and PNHS both presented their Winter Concerts and PCIS presented its Winter Choral Concert. All of the concerts were wonderful! Congratulations to all involved. Please view these clips from the concerts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Slf1VrruOtU&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XeRAZpzjYU&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t943ctx961A&feature=youtu.be
Upcoming Events from the Visual and Performing Arts Department
Friday December 7 5:30pm Plymouth High School Marching Band playing in
Christmas in Historic Plymouth parade
Saturday December 8 8pm FFES Treble Chorus singing at Holiday Pops with the
Plymouth Philharmonic
Tuesday December 11 6:30pm SES Winter Concert
Thursday December 13 7pm PSMS Holiday Concert
7pm PCIS Holiday Band Concert
Tuesday December 18 7pm WES Holiday Concert
Friday December 21 10am
PSMS Jazz Band and 8th Grade Chorus performing at Newfield House
1:30pm
PSMS Jazz Band and 8th Grade Chorus performing at the Plymouth Council on Aging
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Gary E. Maestas, Ed.D Superintendent
Plymouth Public Schools
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