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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 special meeting of the Plymouth School Committee will be Monday, April 22, 2013. 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:
"What is a big shot except a little shot that kept on shooting."
-Proverb
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Community Survey
The Plymouth Public Schools developed a strategic plan in 2011. As part of this plan, the district formed teams to monitor each goal. As a component of this progress monitoring, we have developed a survey to seek input for the community at large. Please take a moment and complete the survey by following the link below.
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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 do with the kids over the vacation week? Interested in articles about education written for parents, including such topics as: child development; nutrition; behavior; and many more? Visit the Boston Parents Paper at: http://boston.parenthood.com/ Also, don't forget to check MASS INSIDER at: http://www.massvacation.com/blog/tag/mass-insider/ and the Plymouth Public Library Calendar of Events under the Information heading on the homepage at: http://www.plymouthpubliclibrary.org/for additional fun and educational activities.
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Health News
Staff Walking Works Program 4/28 to June 8, 2013
School Health Services in conjunction with Blue Cross Blue Shield (BC/BS) is once again coordinating the Walking Works Program for Plymouth Public Schools staff. Walking Works is a multi-week walking program with online tracking of steps and distance walked. Staff members form teams and take part in friendly competition to determine who can walk the farthest. Individual participants are also welcome! BC/BS is providing pedometers free of charge to each walker. There will be weekly prizes for the team who logs the farthest distance, and a coveted trophy for the overall team winner at the end of the program. Last year's trophy went to South Elementary School's team and is proudly displayed in their main lobby.
Online registration for the Walking Works Program will take place April 22 through April 26, and the program will begin on April 28th. Jennifer Bolle, Health Aide at Nathaniel Morton Elementary School will be the district facilitator for the program. An email will go out to all staff on April 22 with registration instructions.
It has been a long winter, but spring is finally here - so get out those walking shoes, form a team, and walk your way to better health!
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Science Program News
Register Now for Summer Science Fun!
Students with academic talent deserve the same opportunity to develop their skills to the highest possible levels, just like individuals with talents in athletics or the arts. Our summer programs offer students opportunities to engage in challenging academic work in the company of their peers who share their exceptional abilities and love of learning.
For Students Entering Grades 1-9
The purpose of the Plymouth Public Schools Summer Science Camp is to develop creative, logical thinkers and to introduce youth to today's emerging technologies and scientific/engineering discoveries. The program is designed for independent children with inquisitive minds who are looking for explorations and investigations into diverse topics that extend school-year learning. Programs include Discovery Camps 1 and 2, Art and Science, Robotics 1, 2, and 3, and Web 2.0 Tools. Use this link to download the registration brochure:
http://bit.ly/109Gd0I
For Students Entering Grades 6-8
The Summer Science Experience provides students entering 6th through 8th grade an engaging and hands-on science and math experience. Participating students use creativity and teamwork to solve interesting design challenges. In a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere, students interact with college professors who are committed to making learning science and math both rewarding and fun. Programs include Your Human Machine, Robotic Adventure, and Explore the World Around You. Use this link to download the registration brochure:
http://bit.ly/1017ly2
For Students Entering Grades 9-12
We are looking for a few good scientists to work in our crime lab. Qualifications include an interest in science, math and engineering and a willingness to work as a member of a team to solve challenging problems. Our real lab is fully stocked and we will use it to solve real life problems and to design and build real solutions. This week long course will give you an opportunity to explore what it's like to be a member of the college community and even earn college credit. A maximum of 24 students will be accepted into this program, so apply early. This course is designed for students entering grades 10 to 12 in the fall 2013. $199 course fee includes supplies. Students will need to bring a snack and lunch. Use this link to download the registration brochure:
http://bit.ly/Y5Gt3G
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Federal Furnace Elementary School News
Federal Furnace Clean Up Project
Approximately 50 FFES students in Cub Scouts Pack 40, Girl Scout Troops 80041, 80284 and 75433 teamed together for a huge clean up of the school grounds. These hard-working students armed with gloves, rakes, shovels and wheel barrows worked non-stop for over two hours to clear all the debris and trash left by our harsh winter. Outside FFES has never looked so good!!
Federal Furnace Rocks Robotics Rally!
The Federal Furnace Teams who participated in the Robotics Rally on Thursday, April 11th demonstrated outstanding skill in engineering, research and teamwork. All fourth and fifth graders who contributed should be commended on their hard work; we are so proud of our students!
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Visual and Performing Arts Department News
- Congratulations to Plymouth North High juniors Elizabeth Tosi and Stayshia Cody for being selected to participate in the 2013 Art All State at the Worcester Art Museum. Each school in Massachusetts can only nominate two students for this honor and both nominations from Plymouth North High were selected. 140 high school juniors from around the state will work collaboratively with each other and practicing artists for two days this May. This is an amazing accomplishment and the VPA Department is very proud of Elizabeth and Stayshia.
- Save the date for the All Town Music Festival! The Visual and Performing Arts Department is looking forward to another All Town Festival this year. The Choral concert is Tuesday, April 23, 2013 and the Instrumental concert is Thursday April 25, 2013. Both concerts are at the Performing Arts Center at Plymouth North High School.
- Music Ensemble Trip to NYC: 120 students from both high schools' music ensembles left Thursday, April 11 for a 3 day study tour of New York City. The itinerary includes a clinic with jazz legend Bill Saxton, attending Cinderella on Broadway, performing on the USS Intrepid, attending a New York Pops performance, and many other fabulous sights and sounds for the students to take in. The VPA Department is very excited to facilitate this trip for students.
Clinic with Bill Saxton
- Congratulations to Winter Percussion and Winter Colorguard for great performances in their finals last weekend. Winter Colorguard placed third at their finals April 6 in Reading.
- Congratulations to Zach West for an awesome performance at the NAfME All-Eastern Honors Band on April 7!
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Cold Spring Elementary School News
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PSMS News
Freedom Trail Scholars Visit
The Freedom Trail Scholars brought the events of the American Revolution in Boston to life for the fifth graders of Plymouth South Middle School. This one-hour traveling class consisted of two actors who took on roles in the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and Paul Revere's Ride. Students participated in each performance by interacting with the performers, reading selections of important documents, and reacting to the historic events. Thanks to the Massachusetts Teachers Association the students experienced a fun and effective way to learn about a period of history in the Massachusetts' curriculum standards.
Marine Art Contest Students in the visual art dept. at PSMS are observing a native chic lobster as they prepare to begin their scientific illustrations for the 2013 Marine Art Contest sponsored by the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Association.
Bronze at MICCA Congratulations to the PSMS 7th and 8th grade band for earning a bronze medal at the 2013 MICCA (Massachusetts Instrumental & Choral Conductors Association) Festival held on Saturday, April 6th at Bellingham High School. Under the direction of Mr. Greg Tracy, the band received ratings from three different judges. This is not a competition against other middle school bands; rather it is a juried performance based on the technical aspects of a selected piece of music and the quality of performance. The total points combined from the three judges resulted in a bronze medal designation, which is no small feat as many of the entrants do not earn medals, instead earning "merit" or "participant" status. Well done to all the bronze medal winners!
PSMS Gets an A+ Again Once again, Plymouth South Middle School earned top honors of all Plymouth schools in the 2013 Stop & Shop A+ Rewards Program.Thanks to everyone who registered their Stop & Shop cards and designating PSMS as their recipient. As a result, Stop & Shop is donating a total of $2,335.61!!! This money will go to the PTA who will use the funds to subsidize field trips and other valuable school programs. Thank you to Stop & Shop for sponsoring this wonderful incentive program and for their continued generosity.
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PCIS News
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Congratulations to Isabel Kierstead from Apollo House and Maxwell Tripp from Mercury House who each received a John F. Kennedy Make A Difference Award at a beautiful ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston yesterday.
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Massachusetts Maritime Academy Visits PCIS
A visit from Mass Maritime Cadets brought science and the maritime experience to life for PCIS students. A number of classes participated in following the MMA SeaTerm Voyage this winter. During the time the cadets were at sea, the PCIS students followed the voyage and located the T.S. Kennedy's visits to ports using Google Earth and the Captain's Blog www.maritime.edu/seaterm.
During their visit on April 10th to PCIS, 3rd Class Cadets John Albani and Kelsey Sullivan, as well as, Meredith Emery, MMA FTV Outreach Coordinator, challenged the students with a hands on activity using inflatable globes. They had the students work in teams to collect data from the number of fingertips on the ocean versus on the land. This was used to demonstrate estimating the coverage of the Earth's surface with water.
PCIS 7th Grade classes and two 6th Grade Science Classes enjoyed a PowerPoint presentation by Mrs. Emery and the MMA Cadets. The PCIS students had lots of thoughtful questions for the cadets and were quick to participate in answering questions. Afterwards, the students said their favorite part was to meet the cadets in person after following the MMA Sea Term in class!
PCIS holds it's 4th Annual Basketball Bonanza!!!!
Over 400 parents and students filled the stands as the PCIS Men's and Women's Elite Basketball Teams took to the court in a game against the PCIS Boys and Girls Basketball Teams. The event was a combined score game staff verses students. The staff team pulled with in three points in the final seconds but a few well-placed three pointers from the boy's team sealed the deal. The Boys and Girls teams were able to retain the Basketball Bonanza Trophy for one more year! A half time show by the PCIS Dance Team and a half court shot competition kept the audience entertained and gave the staff team much needed rest. As well, the PCIS Falcon Band played during the event. It was a great evening of fun and some friendly competition. The PCIS Athletic Department and the PCIS PTA organized the event. The proceeds of the event will benefit the PCIS PTA and PCIS Athletics. Thank you to all who participated and attended, the staff will be practicing to take back the trophy next year!!
PCIS Falcon Pride Visit Local Nursing Homes....
Twenty Falcon Pride students recently participated in a field trip to several local nursing homes yesterday. These twenty students were AMAZING! Whether they sang, played an instrument, juggled, told some jokes, did a card trick, painted nails, interviewed residents, or made puzzles, they did a GREAT job and the residents loved having them there! Students who went to Plymouth Rehab and Healthcare Center were the following: Jared Downie, Michael Lee, Isabel Kierstead, Michelle Litchfield, Adrianna McNeely, Natalie Paul, Bridget Ruuska, Alexxia Shortall, and Hannah Strohschneider.Students who went to the Golden Living Center were Bobby Colbert, Brooke Coleman, Sarah Donlan, Matt Hicks, Maddy Lapsley, Emily Lee, Sarah McAskill, Arianna Panzer, Jessica Spinnetti, Grace Sullivan and Max Tripp. A great time was had by all!!
PCIS Stars Shine in Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr.
On Friday, April 5th and Saturday, April 6th the PCIS Stars were out at PNHS Performing Arts Center. Many students from PCIS under the direction of Performing Arts and Chorus teacher Jessica Fuller dazzled audiences with their presentation of Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr.
Over 60 PCIS Actors and Crew were involved in the production. Since January the students were hard at work singing and dancing in the PCIS Little Theater and Cafeteria. They then moved their rehearsals to the PAC to fine tune the production. Students worked very hard on this production and it showed on opening night as over 500 people attended and Saturday's audiences were just as big. It was evident on the faces of these actors that they were excited and proud of their accomplishment. Many attendees commented on how great the production was and many young attendees asked the student/actors for autographs as they greeted them in costume after the show.
A heartfelt congratulations to all involved in the production! The students were amazing, job well done!
Most Improved PCIS Students have a Chance to win a Mountain Bike!!!
On Thursday of this week over 60 students were awarded with certificates for the most improved students for Term III. All students names were entered into a drawing to receive a mountain bike donated by Horace Mann. All students received a certificate of achievement and an chance at winning the bike. One male and one female student were the recipients of the mountain bike. Raven Gomes from Apollo and a grade seven Ranger student. Congratulations to all students and keep up the good work. A special thank you to the Horace Mann company for their donation.
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Plymouth North High School News
April Vacation and the Gatra Bus
During spring break the Gatra Bus will be available free of charge to all students, with unlimited travel. You must show your student I.D. to use the transportation.
21st Annual Enrichment Day
The Nathaniel Morton Elementary School Parent Teacher Association wrote a letter of gratitude to the PNHS Principal for the student involvement with their annual event.
Teacher Mary Humberd and Coach Dwayne Follette traveled with 33 Plymouth North High School student volunteers to the PTA's 21 Annual Enrichment Day held on March 23rd. The group traveled to Nathaniel Morton Elementary School to participate in a variety of workshops inside and outside including baseball, horse grooming, Gaga, dance and a variety of arts and crafts. The Plymouth North students made up almost half of the workshop leaders. The children love this day, especially when they interact with the PNHS teens.
Mr. Plymouth North
On April 11th, Plymouth North had their annual Mr. PNHS competition. Brian Farrell, Sawyer Damiano, Matt Audette, Anthony Fernandes, Owen Murphy, Louie Clark, and Nate Kierstead showed off their talents and dance skills at the exciting event. Contestants were judged on their grand entrance, opening number, answers to questions, ability to remember song lyrics, and special talents. Brian Farrell placed third, Owen Murphy second, and Louie Clark won the title of Mr. PNHS.
Mr. PNHS calendars will also be on sale April 22-26 at lunches.
2013/2014 Bus Applications
Along with report cards, students were given a bus form for next year. If the completed form and payment is returned before the 2nd Friday in June, the family can take advantage of the discount. If received after the 2nd Friday in June, regular pricing will apply.
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Plymouth South High School News
PSHS ANNOUNCES OUTSTANDING AND MOST IMPROVED FRESHMEN
L-R: Dominique Finlay, Shannon Colbert, Hannah Bailey, Quinn Carey, Michael Mahoney, Cullen Murphy
Plymouth South High School is pleased to announce the following students of the term. Three winners are chosen from each team in two categories: Most Outstanding and Most Improved. Students chosen receive a gift certificate from Cabby Shack.
Freshman Academy Term 3 - Outstanding Students: Hannah Bailey (Blue Team), Shannon Colbert (Red Team), Cullen Murphy (Yellow Team)
Freshman Academy Term 3 - Most Improved Students: Quinn Carey (Blue Team), Dominique Finlay (Yellow Team), Michael Mahoney (Red Team)
Congratulations and great job to these six freshmen!
"On April 5th, Junior, Bethanne Keane, attended Student Government Day at the State House in Boston. There, Bethanne, unexpectedly, played the role of Senate President Theresa Murray. She was responsible for leading the mock Senate as they debated and worked to pass two bills. This was a wonderful opportunity for Bethanne and she did an amazing job in her role. She made PSHS and Plymouth very proud! Great job, Bethanne!"
PLYMOUTH SOUTH'S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
The G & G/PSHS Female Athlete of the week is senior Captain Kara Hurley. Hurley leads the Girls' Lacrosse Team with 15 goals in their first game. She is on pace to destroy her team record of 33 goals set last year. Hurley scored 5 goals against Plymouth North, 6 against Abington, and 4 against Weymouth. Her goals are impressive, and she is a really talented player; but her leadership, work ethic, and character are what set her apart. Terrific work, Kara! Congratulations!
The G & G/PSHS Male Athlete of the week is William Freeland. Freeland, a junior and a goalie on the Boy's Lacrosse Team, made 16 saves during the season's first game. Although this did not win them the game, it was nevertheless an awesome accomplishment for any goalie to have this many saves. Great job and congratulations, Willie!
PSHS Athletic Home Games April 15th - April 20th
Monday 4/15 - Baseball/Sharon 10:00
Tuesday 4/16 - Lacrosse (G)/Bourne 10:30 and Tennis (B) /Nauset 11:00
Wednesday 4/17 - Tennis (G)/Falmouth 11:00, Softball/Falmouth 11:00, Baseball (FR) 11:00
Thursday 4/18 - Lax (B) /DY 10:00, Lax (G) / Marshfield 10:00
Friday 4/19 - Baseball/Nauset 12:00, Softball/Nauset 11:00
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Guidance Announcement
PROVIDENCE NATIONAL (NACAC) COLLEGE FAIR
When: Saturday, April 27 - 12:00pm-3:00pm
Where: Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, RI
If you have any questions about the fair, please check the website below, and if you still have further questions, feel free to email Janet Ferrari at jferrari@metmail.org.
Complete information about the Providence National College Fair can be found at: http://www.nacacnet.org/college-fairs/SpringNCF/Pages/Providence.aspx
BOSTON NATIONAL (NACAC) COLLEGE FAIR
When: Tuesday, April 30 (9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.) and Wednesday, May 1 (9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)
Where: Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
If you have any questions about the fair, please check the website below, and if you still have further questions, feel free to email Jeanne Aversa at javersa@suffolk.edu.
Complete information about the Boston National College Fair can be found at: http://www.nacacnet.org/college-fairs/SpringNCF/Pages/Boston.aspx
REGISTRATION: Registration will be available on-site but to avoid long lines students are encouraged to register before arriving. Please direct your students to the following website to register in advance for the fair: http://www.gotomyncf.com. Students who register and bring their bar code printout to the Fair will not have to fill out information cards on site; college admissions representatives will be able to scan in students' contact information.
Sponsored by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and hosted by NEACAC, these events are free and open to the public. Over 350 colleges (domestic and international) have registered to attend this fair.
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Gary E. Maestas, Ed.D Superintendent
Plymouth Public Schools
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