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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, May 6, 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:
"Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well."
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Plymouth Hometown Cleanup Saturday, May 4th
All across Plymouth volunteers and the town are getting ready to pick up litter. Please join us as we give back to our community and beautify the landscape. To find a group, or to register your own group, contact Patrick Farah at Town Hall: 508 746-1620, ext. 204; pfarah@townhall.plymouth.ma.us.
Or just go out on your own or with your family and spend ten minutes or so picking up trash in your neighborhood or in a place you love. (Please note: the DPW will pick up only the purple bags supplied by Town Hall).
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District news and information for all k-12 teachers, administrators, and parents from the Elementary Library Media Specialists. PBS Teachers Is Moving: June 1 Come See Our New Home! On June 1, 2013, the resources you know and love in PBS Teacherswill transition over to PBS LearningMedia - THE go-to destination for tens of thousands of digital resources. Just as with PBS Teachers, you can instantly access resources for FREE - wherever you are, whenever you need them. PBS LearningMedia now offers over 30,000 resources from 130 content producers including WGBH, the Jim Henson Company, NASA, and Annenberg Learner. Remember to search, save, and share your favorite resources, create an account now! Fast Facts
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PBS LearningMedia (www.pbslearningmedia.org) offers access to 30,000+ digital resources from 130+ trusted media partners.
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More than 850,000 educators have registered access to PBS LearningMedia content.
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In the past year, more than 3.2 million pages were viewed by visitors to PBS LearningMedia.
To learn more visit the Learning Media site, and sign-up for the PBS in-service offered by the District on May 22.
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Alumni News 2012 Plymouth South Graduate and Valedictorian Casey Senechel recently received the Eastern Nazarene College Outstanding Freshman Chemistry award. Click on the link below to see Eastern Nazarene College's news about this award: Congratulations Casey! |
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
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 will design and build robotic machines, dissect frogs, and build their own lava lamp. In a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere, students interact with staff 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
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. ----- State Science Fair This Weekend The Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair is being held Friday and Saturday at MIT. Six students from Plymouth will be attending the fair based on their exceptional performances at the district and regional fairs held previously. Those students and their project titles are: Sophia Auduong, PNHS GR 9 - Mother Nature vs. Father Medicine Veronica Holmes, PSHS GR 9 - The Composition of Sound Karen Marquis, PNHS GR 9 - Shut the Truck Up! Julietta Mascitelli, PSHS GR 9 - How Do Fears Change with Age? Jessica Morgan, PNHS GR 12 - Antibubbles Cullen Murphy, PSHS GR 9 - Unseen Machines
Please wish them the best of luck and better yet, feel free to come see them at the fair. The public exhibition is on Saturday (5/4) from 12:30-3:00 pm. This is held at the MIT Johnson Athletics Center in Cambridge. This is open to the public and is followed by the awards ceremony at 3:30 pm. Cindy Fitzgibbon, well-known Boston Meteorologist, will emcee the event. Over $500,000 worth of scholarships and prizes will be awarded. We wish our Plymouth students the best of luck!
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Visual and Performing Arts Department News
Save the
Date for these upcoming May VPA Events!
- May 8- 7:00pm PNHS Small Ensemble Concert
- May 9- 6:00pm MES Art Show
- May 10
- 6:30pm HES production of Snow White
- 7:00pm NMES Spring Concert
- May 15- 7:00pm PNHS Spring Concert
- May 16- 7:00pm PSHS Senior Art Show
- May 17- 7:00pm PSHS Spring Concert
- May 23- 6:00pm CSES All School Art and Music Spring Show
- May 29
- 7:00pm MES Spring Concert
- 7:30pm PSMS Spring Musical, Beauty and the Beast
- May 30
- 5:00pm WES Art Show
- 7:00pm PCIS Spring Choral Concert
- 7:30pm PSMS Spring Musical, Beauty and the Beast
An art program in Roxbury has transformed a failing school. Check out the video below to see the impact art and music can have on students and a school.
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/51739754#51739754
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South Elementary School News
Plants and Animals Spring to Life
Spring is here, and it's time for plants to bloom and chicks to hatch. First graders in Mrs. Hoagland, Ms. Carter and Mrs. MacCune's classes began a month-long integrated ELA/Science unit on life cycles to explore how plants, chickens and butterflies grow and develop.
Students are planting flower seeds to learn what plants need for healthy growth: sunlight, water, soil (not dirt) and space. This lesson is also integrated with a Writers Workshop task to write and illustrate "How-To" books that will feature step-by-step directions for planting and growing.
"They enjoyed the role of the "teacher" rather than "learner" in this writing activity," says Mrs. Hoagland. "The children are also trying their hand at poetry as they design plant pots for their flowers."
Students are also getting ready for some furry friends, as they monitor chicken eggs in an incubator for 21 days, gently turning the eggs each day. They will also feed and care for butterfly larva due to arrive soon.
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Federal Furnace Elementary News On Thursday, April 11, 2013 Federal Furnace Elementary School held their annual Health Fair. Twenty volunteer guest speakers from a variety of community organizations interacted with students and staff. These guests helped teach and promote the importance of staying active, healthy, and safe. In addition students watched a performance about anti-bullying sponsored by the school's PTA. Overall, it was a fun and educational day. 
During the month of April, Mrs. Magnarelli's kindergarten classroom turned into a campsite!! Tents, sleeping bags, and luminated 'camp fires' filled the classroom. The kindergarteners made all kinds of decorations to bring the outside in, including adorable owls and leafy trees. This week, students showed off their 'Camp Kindergarten' by inviting their families to join them at camp. Dressed in their handmade fishing vests, the students read camp stories they wrote in class and used their carefully crafted binoculars while singing a few camping songs. Mrs. Magnarelli sure knows how to make camping fun!!
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PCIS News
PCIS Principal Brian Palladino visits with incoming 5th graders!
Mr. Palladino is making the rounds to all of the elementary schools that will be sending their fifth grade students to PCIS. The visits have included performances from the PCIS School Chorus and PCIS Band. Mr. Palladino visits with each group to talk about PCIS, the first day of school, busses and expectations for the students at PCIS. These visits are filled with information for the students and give them the opportunity to ask any questions they have of the PCIS Principal. The Principal's visit will be followed by the fifth grade students and their teachers taking a trip to PCIS before the end of this year to tour the building and ask any other questions they may have about the school. PCIS Hosts a Spaghetti Dinner for the families of incoming fifth graders!
On Wednesday, April 24, 2013 over 140 people attended the annual PCIS Spaghetti Supper. This event is held to introduce any parents of incoming fifth grade students to PCIS. An evening filled with food, conversation, information and building tours was held to give parents the opportunity to find out about PCIS, ask any questions about the school and see the building. Parents attended a dinner, which was served by PCIS teachers and staff and were able to sit, socialize with other incoming parents and ask current PCIS students about their experience. Principal Brian Palladino then presented an informational PowerPoint and video about PCIS. Once the presentation ended, parents were given a tour of the building by the PCIS Assistant Principal(s) and current students. PCIS Spring Students Night Out!
On Friday, April 26th, PCIS held a Student's Night Out to benefit the grade seven trip to Camp Wing. The event was held at PCIS and was an opportunity for students to come and hang out with friends and enjoy a variety of activities. The hit of the night was the "Dunk Tank!" Students were excited by the opportunity of dunking Mr. Duprey, Mr. Palladino, Mr. Stande, Mrs. Tamulionis and Mr. Ross. Students lined up in droves when Mr. Palladino made his way to the tank. As you can imagine during an early spring evening, the water was very, very COLD! Students cheered as everyone involved in being dunked hit the frigid water! Students had a great evening at the school with friends and their teachers. Thank you to all who made this a special event.
PCIS Teachers and Staff Support Boston Strong! At a Friday breakfast hosted by Apollo house, PCIS Teachers and Staff came together to raise funds for Martin Richard's and his younger sister's school, the Neighborhood House Charter School, in Dorchester. Teachers Becky Sykes and Patty Weiler made blue and yellow ribbons for all PCIS staff to wear, and donations were generously given from "our school to their school."In the words of geography teacher Larry Palagi, it was a "cosmic coincidence" that the amount of money collected Friday for the Neighborhood House Charter School in Dorchester was $212.00. One of Apollo House's themes has been, 212°....it means going the extra degree and striving for excellence. Staff also made donations to the One Fund Boston and, at last count, the total was $260.00. PCIS Falcon Pride Walks for Cancer! PCIS's eighth grade service learning organization, Falcon Pride, has organized a team to participate in the American Cancer Society's Greater Plymouth Relay for Life at PSHS on June 21 and 22. This year the team is walking in support of Mrs. Becky Hoey of Ranger House and in memory of Mrs. Mary Mather of Mercury House. Students have named their team "Team Sparkle" in honor of Mrs. Hoey who is known for liking a lot of glitz. The students are selling "TEAM SPARKLE...BETTER TOGETHER" bracelets for $5.00. Each bracelet is gray with teal blue sparkle letters. Thanks to the generosity of sixth grade parents at this week's Honors Breakfasts, over eighty bracelets have already been sold and the team has raised over $400.00! Bracelet order forms are available on the PCIS website, and we are most grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Hoey for donating them to our team. TOGETHER we can make a difference in the fight against cancer! Order Forms should be turned into PCIS Team Sparkle ATTN: Mrs. Marjie Cote IMC Lab #3  Mr. Duprey, Mr. Ross and Mrs. Tamulionis warm up after time in the Dunk Tank!
 PCIS band and Mr. Palladino visit elementary schools 
PCIS chorus and principal Palladino visit elementary schools  Students enjoy their time at the photo booth.
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Plymouth North High School News
2013 NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing
Juniors Hannah Schulze and Michael Bambrick received certificates for superior writing in the 2013 NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing. Only eight awards were given to students in Massachusetts and only 155 were given in the country. Congratulations to both students!
A Visit from China!
Plymouth North was host to students from Beijing, China and Ningbo, China this week. They shadowed students during each of their classes to learn about a typical American student's day. The Visual Arts teachers also gave them the opportunity to paint some of the places they visited during their stay. The completed artwork will accompany them back to China and be displayed at their school.
Girl's Track and Field
Senior Nicole Borofski, Senior Claire O'Donnell, Senior Micaela Fraccalossi, and
Freshman Jacklyn Sullivan became Plymouth North's First State Championship Relay Team. The finishing time for the group was 4.20.3 at the Division 3 State Relay Champions in the
"Sprint Medley" event on April 27th.
PNHS Goes to Metropolitan Museum in New York City
PNHS students traveled to New York City where they visited the Metrop
olitan Museum. Their visit solidified their exposure to many of the artists that they have been learning about. The way the artist uses scale, texture hue, and saturation. They also visited Central Park and New York City.
DECA International Career Development Conference
Fourteen PNHS students attended the DECA Nationals in Anaheim, California.
At the conference, students practiced presentation and role play skills and competed against 7,800 teams comprised of 16,000 students.
Congratulations to Leif Burgess, Frank Gomes and Calvin Ellis for placing first in the "Virtual Restaurant Simulation Game".
Also, congratulations to William DiGravio, Shawn Westcott, and Ben Pieroni for placing in the top ten in their category of "Entrepreneurship Innovation Plan". Both teams excelled in their divisions and demonstrated a tireless work effort.
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Plymouth South High School News
Thirteen Plymouth South High School Marketing students representing 7 different projects recently returned from the DECA International Career Development Conference in Anaheim, California where over 16,000 students from across the globe participated in competitive events and training academies. The team of Carley Fernandes, Sara Schlecht, and Max Stephens in the above photo were finalists finishing in the top 18 out of 153 teams with their Gold Medal Certification School Based Enterprise presentation. Other Plymouth South High School students who competed at the International Conference were Shannon Anzuoni, Michael Flohr, Jameson Giamo, Kristen Eckman, Amanda Ward, Shelby Arnold, Rachel LaFountain, Alex Hunt, Liam McKee, and Devin Messenger. Congratulations to all the students on their accomplishments.
At Sunday's Division 1 State Relays at Andover High School the Plymouth South Girls Track Team had 5 teams earn medals. The discus team of Madison Braz, Cassandra Stout, and Sam Bazarewsky placed 3rd. The javelin team of Cassandra Stout, Madison Braz, and Lily Perryclear placed 3rd. The high jump team of Kelli Wagner, Holly Sessler, and Aly Messina place 5th. The 4x400 team of Aly Messina, Holly Sessler, Alyssa Richard, and Jayci Andrews placed 5th. Lastly the 4x100 shuttle hurdle team of Aly Messina, Sammi Ryan, Kelli Wagner, and Jayci Andrews placed 6th. The girls finished in 11th place overall, their best showing in years.
Ann Wolf was recently selected by the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society who in 1985 established an Honor Society for high school chemistry teachers who teach or taught in the Section's region, namely Eastern Massachusetts (to Worchester County) and New Hampshire. Each Spring since then four to five outstanding high school teachers have been selected by a committee of their peers to membership in AULA LAUDIS. Ann is a recipient of this award after receiving similar recognition last year. Congrats Again!! to Ann Wolf!
PLYMOUTH SOUTH 2013 SKILLS USA STATE RESULTS: Bronze Medal - Promotional Bulletin Board - Team of Julie Blethen and Jen Weatherhead. Silver Medal - Restaurant Service - Julia Daly. Gold Medal - Outstanding Chapter - Team of Kate Parker, Kate Galbreath and Angel Willis-Conners. Skills USA Massachusetts State Officer - Patricia Backlund and Aiden Mulligan. In addition to the State Medalist, Plymouth South had 2 Presidential Volunteer Service Awards. This is a nationally recognized award and all students will be receiving a certificate from President Obama. Gold Level Individual Award - Amber Rose - Had 440 hours of Community Service. Silver Level Team Award - Team of Shannon Murphy, Patricia Backlund, Aidan Mulligan, Maureen Wright, Katelyn Parker, Kaitlin Galbreath, Yanni Riggas, Julie Blethen, Amber Rose and George Barber. Together the team had 690 hours of community service. Amber Rose and two members of the team will receive travel scholarships to represent Plymouth at the SkillsUSA National Conference in Kansas City, Missouri June 24-29, 2013. The gold medal team and 2 State Officers will also be going to Nationals totaling 8 Plymouth South High School Students at the SkillsUSA National Conference.
PLYMOUTH SOUTH'S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
The G & G/PSHS Female Athletes of the week are senior captains Danielle Finlay and Kara Hurley. Last week Finlay scored 5 goals against Plymouth North and had 2 goals and 2 assists against Nauset. Hurley scored 3 goals and had 2 assists against North and scored 5 goals and had 2 assists against Nauset. For the first time in the team's 4 years, South tied with North (10-10) and enjoyed a defeat over Nauset (10-8) - the first ACL win for South. Girls' Lacrosse is at the season's halfway point with 10 games remaining - right on pace to reach their goal which is qualifying for the state tournament. Thanks to Finlay's and Hurley's leadership; the team is currently 4-4-2. Congratulations! The G & G/PSHS Male Athlete of the Week is senior Matthew Kotce. Kotce has been the leader of defense, picking up slack where the Boys' Lacrosse Team has been shorthanded due to injuries. In his best play of the year, Kotce picked off a pass from one of North's players in the final 2 minutes securing the game! Had he not done so, the opposing player would more than likely have had a clear, fast break leading to a tied score. Thanks to Kotce, South's team retained the ball and won the game. Outstanding job, Matt! Congratulations!
PSHS Hosted an Authentic Assessment Showcase week where teachers planned lessons and invited other staff in to see their classes. It was a fantastic showcase of the many talented staff that work hard each and every day. It was also wonderful to see the professional collaboration by all members of the South community. Thanks to the following teachers who were the key ingredients in the planning of the showcase: Mr. Sorensen, Mrs. Hall, Ms. Kennett, Ms. Shaver, Mrs. Degelder, Ms. Spinale, Mr. Walker, Dr. Hartley, Mr. Lippa, and Mrs. Hughes!
Marketing Education promoted a Hula Hooping Contest during all lunches Thursday, May 2. Participants included students of all grades and even some staff. Fun was had by all. It was a $1.00 to enter and each winner received a gift certificate to culinary. While Marketing broken even with this promotion, we are confident next year we will have more participants and be able to use any profits to help defray the cost of attending DECA competitions. To see a video of the "Hula for Mula" contest, go to Plymouth South High School's Facebook page and click on the link.
The Annual New York City Art Field Trip
Plymouth South and North High School art teachers and their students participated in our annual art field trip to New York City. This year students visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art to observe and investigate paintings, sculpture, craft, and historical works of art from Contemporary, Pop, and Impressionistic periods. They also viewed the arts of the Americas, Oceanic regions and the 15th c. BC, Egyptian Temple of Dendur. Students were able to observed artists working in the museum, painting from inspiring and notable master works. Given the beautiful spring day, Ms. Quinn and Mrs. White walked with students along Central Park, stopping to view Rockefeller Center and on to the technically visual Times Square for dinner at Planet Hollywood, all the time immersed in the public art, culture, and energy of New York City before returning to Plymouth.
Congratulations to the students in Panther TV who participated in today's Movie Celebration at PNHS. The photo above shows the opening ceremonies in the beautiful Performing Arts Center at Plymouth North High School this morning.
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Gary E. Maestas, Ed.D Superintendent
Plymouth Public Schools
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