Friday Notes: From the Plymouth Public Schools

Plymouth Public Schools School Committee Meetings:
The next regular meeting of the Plymouth School Committee will be Monday, March 18, 2013. School Committee meetings are held at Plymouth Community Intermediate School in the Little Theatre. Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.

Weekly quote:

"I'm a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it."

-Thomas Jefferson

News from the Visual and Performing Arts Department

Don't miss this!

Science Department News

On Saturday, March 9, 2013, Plymouth students competed at the South Shore Regional Science Fair held at Bridgewater State University. The following students participated in the fair:

PNHS
Sophia Auduong
Ashley Gilligan
Karen Marquis
Jessica Morgan
Rachel Pereira
Diana Riordan
Sydney Silva
Hunter Simard
Emily Whynott

PSHS
Kelsey Doyle
Jacob Jobe
Julietta Mascitelli
Cullen Murphy
Nick Paul

The following students received awards:

Julietta Mascitelli PSHS Honorable Mention

Cullen Murphy PSHS 3rd Place

Sophia Auduong PNHS 3rd Place

Karen Marquis PNHS 2nd Place and South Shore Natural Science Center Award

Jessica Morgan PNHS 1st Place and South Shore Regional Science Fair Top Scoring Project

Also, Jessica Morgan was selected to attend this year's International Science Fair in Phoenix, AZ from May 12-17. As the top scoring project in Region V Jessica will represent the region and the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair organizations.

However, the next event to be held is the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair. This fair will be held May 2-4 at MIT. Participants to the state fair will include:
Sophia Auduong PNHS
Veronica Holmes PSHS
Karen Marquis PNHS
Julietta Mascitelli PSHS
Jessica Morgan PNHS
Cullen Murphy PSHS

As mentioned above, the International Fair will be held the week after the state fair. Jessica Morgan will be attending.

District news and information for all k-12 teachers, administrators, and parents from the Elementary Library Media Specialists.

Have you seen these resources brought to you by the NEA?

EEKOWORLD (Environmental Education for Kids Online) " informs k-4 students about the role they play in taking care of Earth using colorful, engaging interactive lessons and offers teacher guides and lesson plans."

Go to: nea.org/tools/lessons/53180.htm

The 10 BEST STEM RESOURCES online for teachers of grades prek-12 according to the editors of the NEA Today

can be found at:

nea.org/tools/lessons/stem-resources.html

ELL TAPESTRY "is a resource center for preK-12 teachers and administrators who work with English language learners."

See what it has to offer at:

nea.org/tools/lessons/50582.htm

Indian Brook Elementary School News

The Indian Brook fifth grade Theatre Club was accompanied by several first graders in the production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They put on two shows last week. The performances were initially cancelled due to school cancellation and there have been some challenges to get this show up and running.

Mrs. Duggan and Mrs. Reddington were the teachers that organized the Theatre Club. We would like to thank them for their time and commitment to this great program. We would also like to thank all of the parents and staff that helped to make this production possible. The costumes were imaginative and very effective. The back drops, settings and the props were created by students and parents and they added great detail to the performance. The stage crew did a great job setting up and keeping the show running.

The first grade students almost stole the show with their part as the trained walnut opening squirrels. But, Johnny Kenny as Willy Wonka and Skylie Shore as Charlie led the performance and the rest of the cast followed their lead. The cast did a wonderful job memorizing their lines and acting out their parts.This was a community effort and everyone's hard work paid off with a very entertaining Performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. BRAVO!!!

cast and crew

Johnny Kenny as Willy Wonka

Skylie Shore as Charlie

Yard Sale a Great Success!

To:

Kathy Babini, Cindy Toomey, Mike Martin, Nancy Horwood, Jim Gavin, Jon T. Hall & Chris Nieminski

Thank you so much for all you did to make the fair a success! Everyone worked together Friday & Saturday as a team to get things done. From lugging tables & soda from BJs, cooking hotdogs, supervising the yard sale tables, collecting money, cleaning up and keeping the kids busy it all worked out well. We will certainly enjoy the trip with the kids because of everyone's hard work and efforts throughout this entire process this year. We could not have made this idea a reality without the commitment of such dedicated staff and administrators.

-Meg Peterson

West Elementary School News

The "Last Great Race" has officially begun in Mr. Young's first grade class. Over the past two weeks his first grade students have been learning all about the Iditarod sled dog race, a 1,049-mile race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Some of the cross-curriculum lessons taught have included: learning about Arctic habitats, studying map features in locating Alaska and tracking their own Iditarod mushers using GPS, becoming sled dogs, writing letters to mushers, comparing daily weather conditions in Plymouth and Nome, learning all about, and then building, their own dog sleds using Legos, comparing common pet dogs and sled dogs, and completing daily Iditarod-themed math problems.

In addition to reading and watching videos about Alaska and the Iditarod, students also had the opportunity to Skype with a teacher that is in Alaska covering the race as well as a race veterinarian that cares for the sled dogs. During this call the first graders asked meaningful questions and gained valuable insight into the conditions on the trail and the mushers they have researched. Happily for the students (and their teacher) both the race and the learning will continue next week.

South Elementary School News

Celebrating Sensational Students

"Although South Elementary School is a large school, housing approximately 700 students, we strive to create a safe and inviting community," says Assistant Principal Jill Dore-Cotreau. "We believe that one way to do this is by focusing on promoting positive behavior."

In that light, the school has many programs to motivate children to aspire to be kind and courteous citizens:

The Bucket Filler program is designed to "catch students being good." When a teacher or staff member notices a student doing a random act of kindness that makes someone else feel good or happy, the student is named a "Bucket Filler." Bucket Fillers are given a certificate and a free kid's meal at T.G.I. Friday's restaurant. Their name is also placed on the Bucket Filler bulletin board. For the past three years, SES has had more than 400 students recognized as Bucket Fillers each school year.
Each month, third and fourth graders are recognized as Citizens of the Month. These students are children who consistently follow directions, help others, and are kind to all. Students are selected by both their teachers and peers for this honor. Citizens of the Month are rewarded with a lunch with the Assistant Principal, a small prize, and a "Good Citizen" ribbon.
To promote good table manners and appropriate play, SES has the Fine Diners Club. Each month, students who display excellent manners and play appropriately at recess are invited to sit at specially decorated tables in the front of the cafeteria and eat on special plates. Students work very hard toward this goal as our Fine Diners Club is quite a prestigious honor.

Cold Spring Elementary School News

Grade 4 Respect Assembly

The fourth grade students at Cold Spring Elementary School put on a Respect Assembly. They sang "With My Own Two Hands" by Jack Johnson. The students wrote what they could do with their own two hands. Joe Norris wrote, "With my own two hands I can change the world by helping out after a natural disaster." Anthony Loranger wrote, "With my own two hands I can change the world by stopping bullying." Other fourth graders wrote how they could change the world by picking up litter, comforting people in their time of need and donating food and clothes to charities. A handful of students also wrote poems about respect which they read out loud. The students had fun, and realized that everyone can change the world.

Mrs. Bramhall's kindergarten and Mr. Walt's 3rd grade classes had a great time reading together last Wednesday. The students each brought in their favorite picture books from home, then practiced their fluency and expression before the two classes got together and were paired off. This was a great opportunity for both the older and younger students. The older students had to take responsibility for keeping their audience captivated by breathing life into the words, and the younger students had some wonderful modeling. A day hasn't passed since when at least one student hasn't asked to do it again!

PCIS News

PCIS Sixth Grade Student Jacob Grant Invited to Compete in the State Geography Bee!!!

Jacob Grant, a sixth grade student at PCIS, has qualified to compete in the National Geography Bee at the state level. Jacob was notified by the National Geographic Society that he is one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2013 Massachusetts National Geographic Bee.

Local Bees were held in schools, with fourth through eighth grade students, throughout the state to determine each school's Bee winner. School-level winners then took a qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. In each of the 50 states, students with the top 100 scores were invited to compete at the state level. Jacob will travel to Worcester Academy on Friday, April 5, 2013 to compete in the state Bee. The state winner will receive $100, National Geographic on DVD and a trip to Washington, D.C. where they will represent Massachusetts in the National finals. We are very proud of Jacob and his accomplishments and wish him the best in the upcoming state competition.

Director of the Lung Cancer Program at Jordan Hospital Visits PCIS!

Dr. Francis J. Podbielski , Director of Lung Cancer Program Jordan Hospital, spent the day with the sixth grade students of PCIS. Dr. Podbielski's presentation was centered on how smoking can affect our lungs and the difficulties that smoking can present for our health. Students were educated on the facts surrounding smoking. Statistics show that most people who smoke started smoking when they were 12-14 years old.

Dr. Podbielski showed students that if they are able to stay away from smoking until the age of 18, there is a great likelihood that they will never pick up the habit. Students were focused and engaged in the presentation and had great questions for Dr. Podbielski. We thank Dr. Podbielski for his presentation and for spending time with our students.

Plymouth Public Schools Student Ellie Guiliani has been nominated for the 2012 National Oticon Focus on People Award!

Eglia (Ellie) Guiliani

"Speaking up" has always been important to Ellie's life success. The tenacious seventh grader has been learning to do just that for as long as she can remember. Now that she has found her own voice, she enjoys advocating for others, too.

As one of the first students with hearing loss mainstreamed at a large elementary school, Ellie is proud of her bright purple hearing instruments and is always happy to educate anyone who asks about her hearing loss and the benefits of her hearing instruments and FM system.

Beginning in first grade, Ellie has started each school year with a presentation about her hearing loss. A true trailblazer, she has often been the first student with hearing loss to experience and report on new learning techniques and approaches. Her experiences have helped to educate the educators about working with students with hearing loss.

A student ambassador, straight A scholar and an exemplary "role model for her peers," Ellie also finds time to play for her school, town and travel basketball and softball teams. Even on the playing field, she never hesitates to advocate and educate. At a basketball game, a referee asked Ellie to remove her hearing aids for 'safety.' A few minutes later a much enlightened referee blew the whistle to start the game and Ellie, with her hearing devices, and teammates played on to victory.

In May 2011, Ellie traveled to the State House in Boston to testify in support of a state bill to provide hearing aids for children. The session ran long and Ellie never got her chance to speak. Undaunted, she marched to the Senate President's office to voice her opinion and later, seized an opportunity on opening day to again approach the Senate President. Her testimony contributed to the successful passage of the bill and a new law that requires that private insurers in the state cover up to $2000 of the cost for each hearing instrument needed by a child every three years.

Her parents, audiologists and teachers predict more "speaking up" by Ellie on behalf of many important causes. And she's getting ready. This fall, Ellie was co-captain of a top fundraising team for the New England Walk 4 Hearing and in November, she earned a certificate of excellence for "best oral presentation" from the Southwestern Massachusetts Geography Network.

Ellie has been nominated for this award as a result of her willingness to educate others and speak up about for a cause. We ask that you please join the PCIS community in an internet campaign to help Ellie win this honor. This is a national award and she is up against two 17 year olds, one from Maryland and one from South Dakota so we are extra proud to be representing Massachusetts. By clicking the link below and casting your vote for Ellie, we can help to recognize her for great accomplishments.

Please take a few minutes and vote for Ellie!!!

http://oticonusa.com/Oticon/Consumers/FocusOnPeople/Student.html

PCIS - Falcon Pride takes the Plunge for the Jordan Hospital Club Cancer Center!!

On Saturday, March 2nd, PCIS's Falcon Pride Polar Plunge Team named Falcon POWAH joined hundreds of other brave swimmers at Plymouth Beach to take place in the Jordan Hospital Club's 11th annual Polar Plunge. Appropriately dressed as superheroes complete with purple capes and a superhero logo, thanks to the artwork of eighth grade teacher Rebecca Sykes and the assistance of IMC lab aide Marjie Cote, this team of forty students raised $7,500.00 to benefit the Jordan Hospital Club Cancer Center and took the prize for the most money raised in the middle school category!

One of the highlights of the day was undoubtedly doing the Harlem Shake in/on/around/behind/in front of Mr. Stande's Jeep...the plungers only wished the judges had been around to award their enthusiasm!!! Another highlight was accepting their trophy at the Plymouth Yacht Club afterwards.

While Falcon Pride advisors Joanne Keizer, Judy Maccaferri, and Kim Sims organized the team on the beach, advisors Mark Kelleher and Shane Stande actually accompanied them into the water. PCIS sixth grade teacher Kellianne Campbell also plunged with the Falcons..brrr!

Whether dressed as Batman, Captain America, Spiderman, Superman, the Green Lantern, or a Ninja Turtle, the following eighth graders truly are PCIS's heroes: James Addison, Andrew Armenio, Joe Aveni, Lillian Backlund, Emily Burke, Shannon Burns, Charlotte Clark, Brooke Coleman, Mary Delos-Reyes, Jared Downie, Sophia Fosdick, Leanne Galaneck, Camryn Gilmore, Jeremy Harold, Matt Hickey, Isabel Kierstead, Anna Kiley, Maddy Lapsley, Emily Lee, Emily Mayer, Sarah McAskill, Molly McKenna, Adrianna McNeely, Bianca Pagnini, Ariana Panzer, Natalie Paul, Bridgette Ruuska, Samantha Salvas, Abigail Salvucci, Alexxia Shortall, Hannah Strohschneider, Grace Sullivan, Savannah Texiera-Silva, Allyson Tolles, Maxwell Tripp, Heather Ward, Savannah Winship-Cody, and Schae Wilson. (Bobby Colbert and Melissa Burke also contributed to the fundraising but were unable to attend Saturday's Polar Plunge.)

Falcon POWAH Team Photo

Team Captains: Isabel Kierstead and Max Tripp with PCIS Principal Brian Palladino

Plymouth South High School News

Honors Week at PSHS

It was a busy week at Plymouth South in recognizing students for academic excellence. Our honors breakfasts were on Wednesday and Thursday. Thanks to seniors Marie Cronin and Ally Messina who were presenters at the events. The week closed with our second annual Advanced Placement breakfast. All students enrolled in an AP class were invited and they received a t-shirt designed by senior Kyle Richard. Please see the photo of all AP students below and also a photo of some of the students with the plaque.

PSHS Technology in the Classroom
by Jacqui Frongello, Technology Integration Specialist, PSHS

French 1 CP: Mrs. Kelly's French 1 class took a virtual trip to French speaking countries and studied their weather climates. Mrs. Kelly assigned each student a location around the world that spoke French and had the students research the weather climate and put together a weather forecast for a week all in French.

After the students had researched and put together their forecast Mrs. Kelly invited me in to the class to go over creating a short movie using the iPads and the app iMovie with her students. I brought the students through all the features of creating and editing their short movie as well as using the theme feature to give their forecast more of an authentic news feel. Once the students saw the potential and creative tools they could use in their forecasts it brought the excitement to a different level and they all did a fantastic job working with the iPads and iMovie to create their weather forecast. To see the finished products of these videos please visit the following link:

Click here for Mrs. Kelly's blogspot!

Last week, students from all of the Vocational Programs at both Plymouth South and Plymouth North set up presentations to showcase what is available in the high school programs. Students from PCIS and PSMS grades 7 & 8 were bussed over to check out all the options that will be available to them ....

Friday morning in the halls of South High staff greeted students as they arrived off the buses with some festive St. Patrick's day music!!

Pi-Day - Pi day was Thursday, March 14th. Plymouth South math teachers celebrated in their classes. Ms. Quinn's art students created this beautiful print.

The following students from Plymouth South High School spoke at the PCIS and PSMS honors breakfasts last week. Melissa Connelly, Alexa LaForest, Bethany Rogers, Gloria Rinkus, Dylan Oxsen, Cam Harold, Kristina Babcock and Patricia Backlund. The high school students shared words of wisdom, discussed their high school experiences, talked about how middle school prepared them for high school and discussed the importance of continuing to reach for high academic goals.

Next Saturday, March 23rd is the annual South booster Club parent dance at the Manomet Moose Lodge. Please see www.southboosters.com for more information.

Follow Plymouth South on Twitter at pic.twitter.com/2dVbk08eHc

Mr. Plymouth South competition has been rescheduled to Tuesday, March 19th.

SENIORS!!!! Scholarship deadlines are approaching!! Local scholarships are due by March 25th and April 1st for Nye scholarships. NO EXCEPTIONS!!

Spring sports begin on Monday.....make sure all paperwork has been submitted to your coach!

Gary E. Maestas, Ed.D Superintendent
Plymouth Public Schools

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