Plymouth Public Schools

Educational Tour of Peru: Land of the Inca

There will be an Informational Parent Meeting on Monday, January 27th, at 6:30 in the Little Theater at PCIS for those interested in traveling to Peru in April 2021. This trip is open to all students attending PNHS or PSHS during the 2020-2021 school year. There will be many fundraising and scholarship opportunities. PLEASE RSVP at https://rsvp.eftours.com/tzjppmt. We hope to see you there!

5th Annual Anthology Celebration

Another year of celebrating talented students who have produced remarkable work for the 5th edition of "Reflections: Plymouth Anthology of Young People’s Writing." 80 students from across the district were honored at this year's celebration for their outstanding poems, stories, and artwork. This edition marks the fifth book published in collaboration with our sister city in the UK. What makes this edition even more unique are the additional entries from students in Leiden, the Netherlands.

In her forward of the book, Dr. White, English Language Arts Curriculum Coordinator, explains the collaboration with Plymouth, UK and Leiden, the Netherlands:

"Since its inception, this project has represented a partnership with the Plymouth UK schools as we move towards the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim’s landing. This year, we welcome additional entries from students in Leiden, the Netherlands. Leiden was where the Pilgrims initially settled in search of religious freedom, and they brought traditions from their time there to their final destination in America. We are thrilled that this year’s edition includes the work of current students from both of these places that are so important to the history of our town - and ultimately, the country."

Congratulations to our published writers and artists! We are so proud of the work that is shared each year through "Reflections."

Biomedical Applications Now Available

The Biomedical Program is an outstanding opportunity for high school students in Plymouth. It is a 4-year pathway that includes one course each year for four years. Students in this pathway take the following courses: Grade 9 - Principles of Biomedical Science, Grade 10 - Human Body Systems, Grade 11 - Medical Interventions, and Grade 12 - Biomedical Innovations.

The program connects students to courses and experiences that promote career exploration and readiness. Biomedical Science Staff work collaboratively to create an instructional program that is rooted in project based learning and that which fosters partnerships with professionals that expand on the opportunities for Plymouth students.

In order to be considered for acceptance into this program, interested students must complete an online application (bit.ly/biomedapp). Applications are due on Tuesday, February 4, 2020. For more information, check out these links (bit.ly/biomedinfo and bit.ly/pltwbiomed). Note that only current 8th grade students are eligible to apply.

Video Gaming at Hedge School

Students were selected to participate in a Video Game Making experience with Mrs. Unroe, LITS Teacher. They worked together in partners to build their own scene for a video game, which they could then play on the iPad using the program Bloxels. Students earned this experience through our own Hedge Kid ticket drawing held monthly.

One Book, One School

West students were surprised today when they entered the gym for our kickoff of our One Book, One School James and the Giant Peach event. Every student received their own copy of the book to bring home and read. Teachers kicked off the event by reading the first two chapters in class. We hope families enjoy reading with their child and sharing in this special event.

Active Reading Strategies

Students in Gemini 7’s Strategic Reading class have been learning about Notice and Note Signposts. This comprehension strategy was introduced by Kylene Beers and Bob Probst. Students are explicitly taught to recognize certain “signposts” when reading, which serve as cues to the reader to stop and think about the text in a comprehensive way.

Contact Forces

Do objects change shape or motion in a collision? 7th-graders have been investigating this and other questions related to contact forces. Last week they discovered that objects do change shape when hitting another object - think of a slow-motion video of a baseball hitting a bat. This week they explored whether or not the force on an object remains the same if there is an independent variable such as mass or speed.

Now that the year is half over, students had some opinions on the units they studied so far. Lily enjoyed the unit on the insulated cups because she got to manipulate lots of material. The slime and glacier unit was Shea's favorite because he got to make something. Grady appreciates the hands-on nature of all the units!

NHS Induction

The Massasoit Chapter of the National Honor Society inducted fifty five new members on Tuesday, January 21st. Thanks to Principal Peter J. Parcellin who was our guest speaker.

NHS members participated in the ceremony: Robert Murray was the Master of Ceremonies, Jeffrey Rodden gave the Presidents Greeting, Diana Holmes spoke on the National Honor Society Colors, Caleb Kerr spoke on Scholarship, Keegan Johnson spoke on Community Service, John Alves spoke on Leadership and Julia Cheesman spoke on Character and lead the inductees in the NHS pledge.

Assistant Principal AJ Butters, Assistant Principal Shannon McGuire and Assistant Principal Benjamin Janulewicz also assisted in the induction. A special part of the evening was the recognition of 42 teachers who have had a profound impact on the inductees and were invited to the induction by the students.

VPA Concert, Reflections and Critique Discussions

Plymouth North held the Winter A Cappella Concert last Friday evening. Menergy, Spectrum, Girl Treble, and Northern Lights all had excellent performances to packed audience. Your hard work really shows!

During Tuesday nights Reflections Anthology reception Jenna Abraham spoke to the crowd about how she illustrated her artwork for the poem “birth.”

Also, critique in AP Art. Students are discussing their concentration with other students offering suggestions and thoughts.

Panther TV Awards

We are happy to announce that four of our Panther TV students have been recognized with "Achievement Awards" in the New England Scholastic Press Association's Special Contest on Localizing. This contest is focused on stories that localize regional, national, and international issues for students' own school communities in 2019.

Here are our winners (all are seniors): Kaitlyn Bonnetti - Story on EEE (Episode 1), Cait Mazzolla - Story on Sharks (Episode 1), Mila Manic - Story on the Immigrant Experience (Episode 3), Abigail White - Story on the Scallop Roll (new decorative shells downtown) (Episode 1).