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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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Weekly Quote
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Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
~ Leo Buscaglia
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Ring in the New Year by recycling the old!
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The holidays are behind us-a time of enjoying family and sharing in gift-giving traditions. 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, especially if you've replaced them with new? 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. Remember to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
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News from the Elementary Library Media Specialists
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Did you know that February is Digital Learning Month in Massachusetts?
"Massachusetts's Digital Learning Month was planned to coincide with the national Digital Learning Day organized by the Alliance for Excellent Education. This nationwide campaign aims to build momentum for wide-scale adoption of promising digital learning practices." To find out more visit:
And there is till time to sign-up for Digital Learning Day (2/5/14).
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Early Childhood Fair
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17th Annual Early Childhood Fair SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 10:00AM - 1:00PM PLYMOUTH NORTH HIGH SCHOOL 41 Obery Street, Plymouth Featuring: Free Admission Toe Jam Puppet Band School Bus Rides Instrument Petting Zoo EducationalActivities&Crafts Community Resources Plymouth Public Schools Preschool and Kindergarten programs Local preschool and childcare programs Come have fun and learn about the Early Childhood Education and Community Support Programs available to Plymouth families. For more information call 508-830-4444 Check the Plymouth Public Schools website for weather related cancellation. |
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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.
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Visual and Performing Arts News | 
Don't miss the VPA Coffee House this Friday, January 24 at Kendall Hall! Admission is
free!
The Visual and Performing Arts Department is proud to announce the following students will be participating in the Emerging Young Artists 2014 Invitational Exhibition at UMass Dartmouth.
1. Elizabeth Sheldon, Plymouth North High School, "Onions", Conte Crayon
2. Elizabeth Tosi, Plymouth North High School, "Glass Study", Oil on Canvas
3. Megan Thomas, Plymouth North High School, "Holiday", Acrylic on Board
4. Scott Ceurvels, Plymouth North High School, "Fast Shutter Dribble", Photograph
5. Tracey Pettinato, Plymouth North High School, "Still Life", Pastel,  
The Visual and Performing Arts Department at PCIS is excited to present Annie Jr. Friday, January 31 at 7:30pm and Saturday, February 1 at 2:00pm. Tickets are available for purchase at
PCIS.
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/.
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West Elementary News
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The students in Miss Learning's third grade class went back in time this week as they explored artifacts from the past. The students have been learning about the Puritans and exploring their journey to the New World. One of the topics studied was the schooling for Puritan children. The students learned about hornbooks and the first text book used,
The New England Primer. Students explored a reprint of the earliest known edition of the primer. The students got to explore what some of the pages actually looked like, and read some of the actual quotes found in the text.
  
 
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Indian Brook Elementary News
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Indian Brook Science Night
Last Thursday Indian Brook had its first Science Night attended by over 150 students and parents representing all grade levels. It was not only informative, but fun!
The Indian Brook PTA hosted the event. Cara Gizzi and Wendy Marshal chaired the event with help from teachers Nancy Canducci, IBES, and Sharon Cumiskey, SMS. Mrs. Cumiskey added to the night with ideas, materials and many fine students from South Middle School to help. Parents, teachers, and many members of South High's National Honor Society came to inform and assist all of the students from Indian Brook who attended the event.
During the course of the night our families had the opportunity to predict and experiment with a variety of science topics ranging from simple machines to how germs transmit. At each station students, working with their parents, completed a host of fun activities that brought science to life!
I want to thank the large number of Indian Brook teachers and families that came out to support this awesome event.
 
I look forward to our next family night -Pi Night on March 14th.
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Cold Spring Elementary School News
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The students in Mrs. Williams' class are working on a recycling project and invited Greg Smith, Manager of Plymouth's Solid Waste, to Cold Spring to talk to the 5th graders
about recycling and the solid waste process.
They were really surprised to find out that Plymouth currently generates 44,600 tons of trash every year, enough to fill Gillette Stadium with 28 feet in garbage! They also learned that Plymouth currently recycles 40% of its trash and that the more the town recycles the more money it will save. Plus it's good for the environment!
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PSMS News | |
Geography Bee Winner
Congratulations to William O'Dwyer on his winning performance at the PSMS Geography Bee! William outlasted 34 other qualifiers to win the school level of the 26th
National Geographic Geography Bee. He will now take a written exam in hopes of qualifying for the state bee this spring.
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PNHS News
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UMass Dartmouth's Emerging Young Artists 2014 Invitational Exhibition Plymouth North has been selected to participate in UMass Dartmouth's Emerging Young Artists 2014 Invitational Exhibition. Five students; Eric Ceurvels, Tracy Pettinato, Elizabeth Sheldon, Megan Thomas, and Elizabeth Sheldon will be showing work in the College of Visual and Performing Arts Campus Gallery beginning Monday January 27. A closing reception will take place on Saturday, February 1st from 2 - 5 PM. and all are welcome. The reception is open to the public and is a great opportunity to meet, mingle, and celebrate.
   
MMEA All State Conference Congratulations to PNHS junior Maria D'Ambrosio for her submitted composition for the 2014 MMEA All-State Conference. She has been chosen as one of the student composers to present her composition at a workshop at the Music Educators Conference in March. Maria will have the opportunity to present her work at a Young Composer's master class at this year's All-State conference, where she will meet other student composers and work with Berklee faculty member Dr. Marti Epstein. North Students use IdeaStorm to create a blizzard of novel business ideas! Entrepreneurship is an important area of study in all Plymouth's Career and Technical Education programs. Inventing new solutions to problems and designing business plans to bring new products to market are integral to the Marketing and Engineering program's 11th grade curriculum. One of the latest methods for rapid development of a business plan is called the Business Model Canvas, The Canvas is a strategic management tool that helps team build a business model - all on one page. Guest speaker Stacey Sharer, Program Director for the Young Entrepreneur Challenge, moderated a team event for 36 engineering and marketing students from Ms. Schram and Mr. Bastoni's classes. Teams of six brainstormed business ideas, and built a model using the Canvas. At the end of high energy event, presentations were made and students voted on the best ideas. The three top ideas were a New way to organize TV watching, presented by Andrew Parker, Jake Crociati and Ethan Hatfield, Organize me, a new app to keep track of social media, presented here by WIll DiGravio and Mikayla McDonald, Avalanch Elite, products for ski and snowboarders presented here by Ryan Boudreau, Ryan Krueger and Rob Yule. The other ideas were also great: Homework Pass, an exchange for students to help each other learn and study, Kid's View, a movie theatre for children and a vending machine company stocking healthy snacks for schools.      PNHS Physical Education The PNHS Physical Education staff is proud to report that our students at North have endured yet another round of PE Olympics. Last week we commenced the 3rd PNHS Olympiad in which teams of students (complete with uniforms and team names) competed for the gold, silver, and bronze awards. Each day our Olympians competed in various adventure games and team sports including relay races, floor hockey, and battleball. For each team in each class, daily points were awarded and running scores were kept; points were not only for their wins but also for sportsmanship and team spirit. Over the course of our 8 day "Games" we saw a substantial increase in not only the participation of the student body, but also an increase in leadership, teamwork, and enthusiasm. To top off the excitement, students entered the gym to the tune of the Olympic theme song, as if our announcement of the daily challenge wasn't enough to cause goosebumps! Overall, we had a tremendous 2 weeks of fun and games, congratulations to all of our Olympians! 
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PSHS News
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PLYMOUTH SOUTH'S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
The G & G Male Athlete of the Week is senior Dylan O'Connell. O'Connell continues to be an outstanding goalie. This year he has led our team to the best start in Plymouth South High School's history. To date, he has 3 shutouts and is averaging under 2 goals per game. O'Connell's hard work enhances his team's chance for victory in every game. Congratulations Dylan!
The G & G Female Athlete of the Week is senior Christina Jaros. Jaros has been solid for the girls' basketball team all season. As a team captain, she has been a great leader and motivator. This past week Jaros averaged 16.5 points per game and 15 rebounds. In a game against Dennis-Yarmouth she also earned a triple double with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 steals. Deservedly so, Jaros is the Atlantic Coast League leading rebounder on the season. Terrific work! Congratulations Christina!
Erik Walker Goes to Washington!
Plymouth South's English Department Head, Erik Walker has received an invitation to attend the State of the Union White House Social in Washington DC. President Obama will be delivering the speech from the U.S. Capitol, but will be broadcast live to the social. This gives a unique opportunity to watch the President's address live with other White House social media followers and also attend a panel with White House officials after the speech. Mr. Walker will be tweeting from the White House!
Second semester schedules will be handed out on Monday. Deadlines for add/drop classes is 1/31/14.
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Guidance Announcements
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Three Important Grade 8 Parent Nights for All Incoming 9th Graders:
Wednesday, February 5th - Plymouth Community Intermediate School
7:00pm - "Scheduling for the High Schools"
For all grade 8 parents in the district. Information includes the high school scheduling process for North and South High Schools as well as the Vocational Technical Studies application process.
(Snow Date: February 10th)
Thursday, February 13th - Plymouth North High School
6:30pm - "Academic Program Orientation"
Learn about Freshman Academy and the Course of Study for your student will take at Plymouth North High School.
Tuesday, March 4th - Plymouth South High School
6:00pm - "Tech Expo"
Tour the Vocational Technical Shops and Learn about our programs by visiting exhibits in the gymnasium.
7:00pm - "Academic Program Orientation"
Learn about Freshman Academy and the course of study your student will take at Plymouth South High School.
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Sincerely,
Dr. Gary E. Maestas, Superintendent
Plymouth Public Schools |
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