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District Events
| If you would like to see a calendar of all our district events, please click on the link below.
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Voyager Magazine
| If you would like to download the Voyager Magazine's Spring/ Summer 2013 edition,
click on the link below.
If you would like a hard copy of the magazine, please stop by my office at 253 South Meadow Road.
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High Schools
Middle Schools
Elementary Schools
Pre-School
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Please enjoy our latest edition of Voyager Express. |
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Happy Holidays from the Plymouth Public Schools!
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News from the Elementary Library Media Specialists
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Looking for fun activities for children or adults this season?
And don't forget to check your local public library for holiday activities and much more!!!
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Science News
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Club Invention
Club Invention is coming to Plymouth this summer! This program will run for just one action-packed week only. Each day, children will work in teams as they rotate between four fun thematic modules. Each module brings new challenges to build upon what was learned the previous day. Your child will:
-collaborate to build prototypes, following the example of National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees;
-upcycle and re-engineer with gears and gadgets, developing critical-thinking skills and creativity; and
-explore STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) enrichment, motivating a group to develop solutions to real-world problems.
The program will run for one week only at PCIS, July 7-11, 2014, from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm each day. Students entering grades 1-6 are eligible. The cost of this program is $245.
To register, follow this link: http://bit.ly/1a4SucU.Contact Alison Riordan, Science Curriculum Coordinator with questions.
High School Science Fair
The 2014 Plymouth Public Schools High School Science Fair is being held on
Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at Plymouth North 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
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.
At PCIS Ms. Shaw's 6th grade class took part in an exciting collaboration with the Blake Planetarium and Insight Observatory. Using grant money awarded by iTelescope, the students in Ms. Shaw's class took images of objects found in the visible arm of the Milky Way. The telescopes, which are located in Australia and New Mexico, were accessed and programmed remotely through iPads at the planetarium.
The images of nebulae and star clusters that returned were not only breathtaking, but also informative, as they showed us what else lies within our galaxy. Since we do not have a picture of our entire galaxy, most of our understanding of the Milky Way comes from the clues we see in our own sky. When we look up at the stars on a clear night, we can see the band across our sky made up of densely packed stars and dark space dust created by the spiral arms of our own galaxy.
Our eyes are not sensitive enough to pick up details of objects that lie within or beyond those distant arms, but the high-powered telescopes at iTelescope gave us a clear view of the star nurseries, dying stars, supernova remnants, open clusters and globular clusters that share our galaxy with us. Included are some of the students' images, reminding us that nature is not only awe inspiring, but the perfect intersection of art and science. Special thanks to Ms. Arés and Mr. Petrasko for making this project happen.
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Visual and Performing Arts News | 
Congratulations to all the student musicians who have performed in their Winter Concerts this week. The performances by Manomet Elementary, West Elementary, Cold Spring Elementary, and PCIS were wonderful! Congratulations to the Federal Furnace Treble Chorus who performed with the Plymouth Philharmonic this past weekend. The performances were great!
PNHS Ceramics 2 course, taught by Ms. Jezierski participated in day 1 of a 2 day Pinch pot Workshop with the Plymouth Senior Center. To prepare for the field trip students were organized into 3 groups- Demo (create demo pieces), Instruction (prepare to demonstrate techniques), and Supply (organize supplies necessary).
There were 9 participants from the Senior Center in the workshop. Some had experience with clay, and others did not. The students did a great job going through the instructions clearly and working side by side offering help when necessary. They made connections with the Seniors- asking questions and making conversation. Overall it was a great experience!
Today returned with the work fired and students demonstrated the glazing process. Work will get glazed, fired, and go on display sometime in mid-January.
The VPA Department is very excited for the international collaboration of Plymouth chorus students with the African Children's Choir. Rehearsal began this past week. The performance will be held Saturday, Februayry 8, 2014 at 7pm at PNHS. Tickets are $10 and all proceeds will go to the African Children's Choir, http://africanchildrenschoir.com/.
Save the Date! Ithacapella is coming back to Plymouth!
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Plymouth School's Music Association Fundraiser
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Don't forget the
Plymouth Schools Music Association's
Fruit Fundraiser to benefit the music program!
What could be better than fresh Florida citrus in January?
Orders are being taken now. Check with your high school or middle school band and chorus students for the flyer and ordering information.
Please return completed order forms and money to school no later than January 6th or 7th. (Late orders cannot be processed.) Checks should be made payable to PSMA.
Fruit will arrive at PNHS on or around January 18th, and will need to be picked up at that time. Look for an email reminder or check back in the Voyager Express for exact delivery dates and times.
Remember: Fruit will last in your refrigerator for about a month, and makes a great holiday gift! Have any questions or need an order form? Email PSMA.inc@gmail.com. Let us know!
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Mount Pleasant Preschool News
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Mt. Pleasant Preschool
Miss. Merry's class collected pajamas for the pajama program. It is a great program linked with scholastic books. Pajamas go to local children in foster care that need pajamas and new books. Miss. Merry's little kids made a difference to 38 little children! Santa even came to take the pajamas. One four year old was so proud he told Santa that he brought warm pajamas for a little kid that didn't have any...... lesson learned during this special time of year.
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Indian Brook Elementary News
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Indian Brook
All first grade classes participated in a Holiday Card Exchange. The students made cards in art class with Mrs. Norton-Ryan and Mrs. Hanby. The cards were then mailed out to 60 different schools as nearby as Peabody, MA and as far away as Nairobi, Kenya. We're receiving our cards back from these schools and displaying them on a bulletin board with a map, marking where the cards have come from. This project was coordinated by Mrs. Nicolas, Tech Integration Specialist.
Mrs. Barker's students making cards.
Mrs. Chase's students making cards.
Bulletin board with cards and map.
This week, students in Mrs. Corbin's fifth grade class participated in a Mystery Skype. They were matched up with another class and had to find out where that class was, by asking "yes and no" questions. They did know that the other class was in the U.S. So the students worked together, used their critical thinking skills and discovered that their Mystery Skype partners were located in Evanston, IL. Mrs. Nicolas, Tech Integration Specialist and Mrs. Corbin co-taught this lesson.
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Manomet Elementary School News
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"A Christmas Carol" was performed by third, fourth and fifth graders at Manomet Elementary School to kick off the holiday season. Priscilla Beach Theater's, Geronimo Sands, directed the children's performance. This was the sixth production in which Manomet Elementary has partnered with Priscilla Beach Theater. The performance can be enjoyed throughout the holiday season on our public tv channel.
 Tiny Tim (Ben Yaeger) wishes each and every one of us well in the upcoming year!
The cast and stage crew, along with Geronimo Sands from PBT, take a final bow.
 The Cratchit family mourns Tiny Tim. (From left: Nathan Matthews, Jameson Stec, Riley Robertson, Reilly Hall, Amanda Donohue, Lillian Robertson and Aidan Rooney).
The ghost of Christmas Past (Gwen Enos) appears before Scrooge (Liam Wright).
The Fezziwigs (Eliza Mayo and Ryan Furman) host their Annual Christmas Ball.
Marley's ghost (Sky Nickerson ) frightens Scrooge (Liam Wright).
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Federal Furnace Elementary School News
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Grade Electricity Project
On December 19th, the fifth grade students at Federal Furnace Elementary presented their electricity projects. This project offered students an opportunity to demonstrate their creativity while learning and building an electric circuit. The project requirements included being able to successfully wire an electric circuit that will light a single light bulb. The light bulb was incorporated into a winter scene and students wrote a written report, as well as, presented their projects to family and Federal Furnace Students. The classrooms were glowing and students learning shined. Congratulations for a job well done.
Federal Furnace Treble Choir Sings with Plymouth Philharmonic at Holiday Pops
The Federal Furnace Treble Choir continued the Holiday tradition of singing at the Holiday Pops with the Plymouth Philharmonic this past weekend. They did so under the direction of our talented 'director' and music teacher, Kathy McMinn. Kudos for a spectacular performance have been sent from around town, and beyond. Thanks to all those who made this experience possible for our students and the viewing public! We also thank Denise Maccaferri for the beautiful photos.
Photo courtesy of Denise A. Maccaferri
Photo courtesy of Denise A. Maccaferri
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Nathaniel Morton Elementary School News
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#HourofCode Week at NMES!
December 9th-13th was Computer Science Education week and students at Nathaniel Morton participated in the weeklong Hour of Code event. The premise behind the event was to introduce computer programming or "coding" to as many students as possible noting that anybody can learn to code. From the Code.org website: Computer science develops students' computational and critical thinking skills and shows them how to create, not simply use, new technologies. This fundamental knowledge is needed to prepare students for the 21st century, regardless of their ultimate field of study or occupation.
Students and teachers met in the computer lab with technology specialist Mrs. Winsper who introduced a variety of programming applications. Students explored Blockly, Botlogic, Espresso Coding, Scratch and Kodable using both the desktop computers and iPads. Students worked independently and collaboratively to solve problems and challenges. Students will continue their coding investigations during technology lab lessons in the spring.
 
Holiday Card Exchange
Second grade students at Nathaniel Morton Elementary participated in the annual holiday card exchange project to celebrate the December holidays. Each classroom was teamed up with 28 other classrooms around the world to exchange cards. An additional card was sent toProject Amigo for students in Mexico. Classrooms created original cards and mailed them out at the beginning of December. When the classrooms began to receive cards, students were very excited to learn about similarities and differences between themselves and their partner classes. This year's theme was hats, mittens and scarves.All of the cards received were collected for a display which included a map with stickers showing the senders' locations. Cards have been received from twenty-nine states and three Canadian Provinces! It was a memorable project for all involved.
  
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West Elementary School News
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THE GREAT PAJAMA DRIVE STORY NIGHT TRADITION OF WEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
The Pajama Program was established in 2001 as a means to "deliver warm sleepwear and nurturing books to children in need." Since 2001, The Pajama Program has donated one million pajamas and books to children nationwide. The Pajama Program has hundreds of locations across the U.S. and Hawaii. West Elementary School works with Liz Cannistraro, of the Boston Chapter. The Pajama Project in Boston has over 60 receiving shelters, group homes and transitional housing.
Scholastic Books has also been a part of the endeavor since 2009 and has contributed 250,000 pajamas and books. Ms. Reid read about Scholastic Book Club's involvement with the Pajama Program and brought the idea of establishing a West School Tradition to the School Committee. With overwhelming approval the West Elementary School Great Pajama Drive Story Night Tradition began in 2010.
In 2010; one woman had gotten permission to set up a basement apartment as a safe haven for the children in a low income housing project in Boston with 191 units. This was a safe place to go after school with homework areas, a library space and a reading area. She has a party 2 days before Christmas and was able to give each child a pair of pajamas and books (even the older children thanks to us!!)
In 2011; pajamas and books went to local shelters and group homes in both the South Shore and Plymouth area.
Because of the generosity of the WEST School students, families and staff, our collection total since 2010 is 826 pairs of pajamas; matched with age appropriate books from Scholastic Book Clubs and distributed through the Pajama Program.
Collection totals by year: 2010: 261 2011: 220 2012: 165 2013: 180 Grand Total: 826
Over 2/3 of West Families have attended our Great Pajama Story Night coming for 2 bedtime stories, hot cocoa and a cookie.
   
Mrs. Haynes and Mrs. Learning's classes gathered together to share their published writing pieces this week. The second grade students shared a fictional writing piece in which they were asked to include story elements such as plot, characters, and setting. The students were encouraged to use strong adjectives and include onomatopoeia in their writing. Third grade students shared their nonfiction, expert writing pieces. They included elements of nonfiction such as table of contents, headings, glossaries, indexes, and pictures with captions. Both classes took part in celebrating their writing through the final step of the writing process: publishing!
Westies and the Sing-a-long
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PCIS News |
During Computer Science Education week in December, students and faculty at PCIS joined together to participate in a worldwide event called
The Hour of Code. The event was sponsored by Code.org and was develop to provide students around the world with an opportunity to learn computer science. President Barack Obama kicked of The Hour of Code initiative by video saying "Don't just buy a new video game - make one, don't just download the latest app - help design it, don't just play on your phone - program it!" Over 820 students and faculty participated and collectively PCIS wrote over 69,700 lines of computer code. For more information on The Hour of Code, check outhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKIu9yen5nc and Code.org.
The Hour of Code
Little Buddies at PCIS
Twenty seventh grade students from Gemini house volunteered to take part in our annual
Little Buddies program. Throughout the year, the seventh graders exchange letters with second grade students from Nathanial Morton. The letter writing allows the second graders to practice writing for a real audience and encourages the seventh graders to be positive role models. On Wednesday, December 18th, Mrs. Hughes brought her second grade class to PCIS for the buddies to finally meet. All of the students had a great time taking part in winter-themed reading, writing, and craft activities. We look forward to continuing this wonderful tradition!
Holiday Food Baskets
PCIS staff and anonymous donations were made and provided 20 families in need with food baskets that included breakfast, lunch and staple food items Mrs. Rush, Mrs. Tamulonis and Mr.Cobban delivered the basket to these very appreciative families yesterday. Thank you to all who donated to PCIS and provided their efforts to provide our families with food over school vacation week. We hope to be able to support these efforts for years to come. Happy Holidays!
Mrs. Fuller and the talented cast of Annie Jr. have been working hard over the last month putting the final touches on what will be a very impressive production of Annie Jr. Please save the date January 30, 2013 at 7:30 pm and Saturday February 1, 2014 at 2pm in the PNHS Performing Arts Center. Hope to see you there!!
Ranger grade 6 students created a Stone Age Museum for students and their families to visit. This event was enjoyed by all who attended. While people visited each individual display, the student presented the information that he/she had learned from creating the display. The feedback from the families that attended was very positive. Some of the comments were, "It's amazing to hear the knowledge these guys have about their projects", "They really know what they're talking about", "They learned a lot with this project", "The students were so excited to share their projects; it was so nice to see the excitement for learning". Good job Ranger grade 6 students.
PCIS Mercury House Stands Up for Danny.
The Mercury Gold Team at PCIS stood up against bullying and for Danny Keefe, the kindergarten student in Bridgewater who was bullied, but had his football team stand up for him. Danny's cousin Anthony is a 7th grader on the Mercury Gold Team. He shared Danny's story with our classes and asked his teammates to don ties in support of Danny and against bullying. Danny's amazing story has appeared on
Ellen, Fox News, WCVB and has spread nationally. Anthony's message at PCIS spread to teachers, to the 6th and 8th graders in Mercury, and to other houses at PCIS. We all stand in support of Danny and against bullying.
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PSMS News
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Holiday Auction
The sixth graders of Mrs. Adelmann, Mrs. Borsari, Mrs. Brandt, and Mrs. Jones' classes have been busy helping out Santa this year. They brought in good, but unneeded items that were auctioned off by Mrs. Duff to other sixth graders resulting in $1,000 cash. This money will be sent to our own first floor families that need a little assistance over the holidays. Good job sixth graders!
Extravaganza
The 5th and 6th grade Extravaganza was a great success last week with 250 students enjoying music and dancing in the cafeteria and games in the gym. Fun was had by all! This event was sponsored by the Student Council.
 Winter Scene Circuit Projects On Friday, December 13th, the 5th grade students at Plymouth South Middle School displayed their Winter Scene Circuit Projects for parents, classmates, teachers, and administrators. As part of their science curriculum, the students learned about insulators, conductors, series, and parallel circuits. They had the opportunity to build and connect series and parallel circuits during science class. Their assignment was to create a lighted Winter Scene using series and parallel circuits. The rooms were aglow as circuits filled the air! 
 Reindeer Relays On December 19th, the students of Ms. Ann Motyka's Adapted Physical Education class completed 'Reindeer Relays' and finished playing a holiday basketball game. These activities were a perfect way to lead into the holiday break while working on teamwork, coordination, and endurance. With the help from eager paraprofessional staff, a good time was had by all!!
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PNHS News
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Plymouth North High School
Voyager News
Friday, December 20, 2013
The Spirit of Giving
As I write this I am overwhelmed and so very grateful for the amazing staff at Plymouth North. Because of their kindness and generosity we were able to help over 40 of our students enjoy a brighter holiday with generous gift cards to Target. There were many other assorted gift cards distributed as well. You have brought joy to the students you care so much about.
"Tis better to give than to receive" is definitely the climate at North!
Thank you, and enjoy your holiday break.
Kim Latosek, Library Assistant and Giving Tree Coordinator
The Interact Club raised $446 for the Plymouth North Giving Tree. The students conducted a silent paper auction fundraiser last week during lunches, and they had great success!
Other contributors were the Senior Class, The Sunshine Fund, and several very generous anonymous staff donations.
The National Honor Society and the Student Council adopted three children from DCF, went shopping and bought Christmas presents for them.
Mrs. Humberd's And Mrs. Glynn's freshmen advisory wrapped the presents.
Plymouth North High School Girls Soccer
Congratulations to freshman Natalie Paul, sophomore Jordan Brocklesby and senior Emily Hufnagle. Coach Dennis Azevedo presented the athletes with the 2013 ACL Sportsmanship Award.
"A.P.E. Angels" Phys. Ed Department On Tuesday, December 17th, Ms. Ann Motyka's Adapted Physical Education class collected over 35 canned goods and non-perishables from various locations across all three floors of Plymouth North High School. These 'A.P.E. Angels', along with assistance from their paraprofessional staff, needed to navigate to locations using a map of the school. While getting lots of physical activity the students used teamwork to complete the task. It then concluded with a discussion about helping those who are hungry not just during the holiday season, but all year round.
 
Mrs. Goggins Spanish Class re-enacting a "Posada" Mrs. Goggin's class re-enacted a "Posada". A "Posada" is a Spanish holiday gathering. A group of people go to a house and sing (similar to caroling) but the difference is when they are finished at that house they move on to the next house but include the people in the house where they just sang. Eventually the party becomes so large and is a celebration of its own.
PNHS Holiday Festivities Principal McSweeney staged two student pianists at the building entrance foyers to play holiday music as students arrived for their final day before the break. Juniors Maria D'Ambrosio and Casey Quinn entertained students with their beautiful playing. Also, many students and staff were vying for the ugliest sweater. There were many designs that were potential winners.
 
Admissions Day for U Mass Dartmouth
PNHS held an onsite Admissions Day for U Mass Dartmouth on Monday, December 16, 2013. Mr. Mike Lynch, Director of Admissions, interviewed sixteen PNHS students and accepted 10 of them on the spot. There were 4 students who applied for the nursing program who were given an informational interview by Mr. Lynch, but need to continue the process with the Dean of Nursing. Mr. Lynch also gave information sessions with students who are applying to special programs and for students interested in U Mass Dartmouth, but haven't applied yet.
It was a great day and a wonderful opportunity for our students.
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PSHS News
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Mr. Coon and students entertained staff and students by caroling through the halls today at Plymouth South High School. We were all able to enjoy treats donated by staff and students to raise money for our Community Fund to purchase gift cards for needy families in our school family.
On Wednesday SADD put on a presentation for all Juniors and Seniors entitled "Pledge to Drive Focused & Sober". District Attorney Tim Cruz spoke about the impact of texting and driving court cases; Plymouth Police Captain Rogers put on a presentation using special goggles to simulate impaired driving, Joe Shannon from AT & T presented the video "It Can Wait" on texting and driving, Jake Collins of the National Safety Council and former PCIS administrator spoke about safety on the roads. Special guest speaker Ryan Murphy talked to students about how driving under the influence impacted his life.
Junior cosmetology students competed in their Avant Guard Competition. In the photo above are: Bottom row L-R: Bree MacFarland, Stepheni MacLeod, Madisyn Doonan, Ariana Buckley, Kayla Collier and Paige Peterson. Top row models are: L-R: Marisa Graneau, Kayla Darsch, Heidi McGilvray, Haleigh Zion, Deb Boutchia and Riley Lyons. First place winner was: Madisyn Doonan, Second Place winner was: Paige Peterson and Third Place winner was Bree MacFarland.
Plymouth South Marketing students enjoying the spirit of the holiday season at Fanuel Hall, Boston field trip this past week.
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Guidance Announcements
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Sophomore Planning Night: Know Your Pathway to Success!
Tuesday, January 21 from 6:30-8:30 PM in the Plymouth NORTH High School Performing Arts Center
The Guidance Department at Plymouth North and South High Schools welcomes all parents and guardians to attend our Sophomore Planning Night (students are also invited). The topics for the evening will be:
The High School Transcript
Graduation Requirements
Career & College Planning
PSATs & SATs
College Requirements
Early Financial Planning for College
This panel presentation will include college admissions counselors from Bridgewater State University and Brown University, a former college financial aid director and members of the school counseling department from both Plymouth North and South High Schools.
We look forward to your participation in this important information session!
Would you like your child to engage in an intellectually enriching, socially stimulating, affordable six week residential summer program at the campus of Stonehill College this summer? The Project Contemporary Competitiveness (PCC) Advanced Studies Program, in partnership with Stonehill College, will do just that. The Mission Statement of PCC is: "
To provide a learning environment in conjunction with a balance of freedom and responsibility for mature incoming ninth and tenth grade high ability students who are open to the excitement of learning, meeting peers from surrounding communities, and are ready for a challenge."
Each student selects two one hour and forty minute classes which will take place each morning, Monday through Friday. In the afternoons students are actively engaged in the following activities:
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Formal productions by Music and Movement, I'm with the Band, Improve with Improv, Theatre, and exhibits by Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, and Digital Photography the final week of the program
Students get dropped on Monday mornings and stay on campus Monday night through Thursday night and return home on Friday afternoons. In addition to a Program Director, there is a Resident Director, Male and Female Resident Directors, Floor Leaders and Intern/Proctors, and an Instructional Staff of thirty-six from the ranks of college professors, public, and private school teachers. College students serve as interns in the classrooms and proctors in the residence hall.
There will be informational meetings with current eighth grade students on Tuesday, December 10th. Ninth grade students are being presented with this information during their Advisory session. We will also conduct an informational night for parents and students on:
Wednesday, December 18th at 6:30 PM at PCIS
If you are interested in hearing about this program, please plan to attend.
To earn more about the program, please visit their website at: http://pccasp.org/. To see a video created by the PCC staff please visit: https://vimeo.com/79823928.
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Plymouth Public Schools partner with Bay State Textiles
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Ring in the new by recycling the old!
The holidays are upon us, which is a time of gift-giving. The old saying comes to mind, "in with the new and out with the old." What then do you do with your old sweaters, jeans or bathroom towels? The answer is RECYCLE!
The Plymouth Public Schools has partnered with Bay State Textiles in an ongoing fundraiser and solution to the problem of textile waste. More than 520 MILLION pounds of usable textiles - including clothing, footwear, towels, bedding and other fabric-based products - are sent to landfills and incinerators in Massachusetts each year-of which 95% could be recycled. Bay State Textiles has placed a donation box outside of each school in Plymouth.
The focus of the program is to spread awareness to the problem of textile waste, educate about items acceptable for textile recycling while generating revenue for the schools. Bay State Textiles pays a rebate of $100 per ton for the textiles collected. Not only do the schools and PTA's generate needed revenue, the program also helps to keep the trash tipping fees down in town. Textile recycling needs to become as familiar and as easy to perform as bottle, can, and paper recycling. Having the boxes outside of the schools allows for 24/7 access to the community.
Bay State Textiles will take it all: the good, the bad and the ugly, clothing, shoes, pocketbooks, household linens, stuffed animals and accessories. They only ask that items be dry and reasonably clean. Place your unwanted items in a plastic bag to keep the textiles clean and dry on their journey to a new life.
Give your throw-outs a second life. 85% of reclaimed textiles will be reused, and what can't be will be broken down into wiping rags or fibers for insulation, carpet padding, etc. Your unwanted clothes, shoes and household linens are too good for the trash! For more information visit: baystatetextiles.com. Happy Holidays to all and remember to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
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Sincerely,
Dr. Gary E. Maestas, Superintendent
Plymouth Public Schools |
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