Beacon Bulletin
December 2018
Recap & Forecast
The Beacon & Founders food drive was a fruitful demonstration of our student artists' steadfast efforts to give back to the community. Between both schools, we were able to donate 26 Thanksgiving food baskets for families in need in the Woonsocket community, along with gift cards for the families to purchase a turkey and fresh produce. A special thanks of Mrs. Jarvis for leading this effort. We're so glad we could help make this Thanksgiving special for everyone.
December will bring our student artists opportunities for enrichment outside of the classroom, and to enrich the lives of others with our giving spirit. Stay tuned!
Founders First Hunger Banquet
On November 19th, Founders Geography teacher, Mr. Mahmud, hosted a Hunger Banquet to spread awareness of world hunger and poverty. The banquet included an interactive meal and presentation to teach students and families about the effects of hunger and how it impacts people around the world. Students and families were split into three groups and each group received a meal that represented food access and availability for people of low, average, and high socio-economic status. The event was informative and impactful. Thank you to all the families who attended! See photos from the Hunger Banquet below...
JavaJam!
A very special thanks to Mr. Boland for keeping this Beacon tradition alive.
Special Education Transition Services Event
Beacon's Transition Coordinator, Ellen Clark, will be hosting an event at Beacon to introduce families to State Services on Wednesday, Dec. 5th @1pm.
Representatives from the Office of Rehabilitation Services (ORS) and the State of Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Health Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH) will be present to talk about the services that they can offer our students. ORS focuses on supporting the person in regards to employment. BHDDH is responsible for planning, funding, and overseeing a community system of services for people with developmental disabilities, on the autism spectrum, and with emotional and behavioral needs. Both of these agencies are great resources who partner with students with IEPs as they transition out of high school and into the adult services world. The Special Education Department at Beacon highly recommends that parents attend.
Junior College Night
Beacon’s College and Career Counselor, Ms. Boulay, is hosting a Junior College Night on Monday, December 10th at 6pm to have an in-depth discussion and Q&A session about the college admissions process, and to provide information about programs students can access in their Senior year to prepare for college.
Family Fun Evening Classes with Mrs. Go
Tuesday, Dec. 4th @ 6pm: Family Cookie Decoration
Monday, Dec. 10th @ 6pm: Metal Stamping Jewelry Class
Senior Arts Night
More information in the flyer below...
Warm Their Soles: Founders Academy's 3rd Annual Shelter Drive
Share your winter warmth and generous spirit by donating items to help those in need in our community. At Founders, we like to make giving a competition. Our "Warm Their Soles" Collection Competition is an effort to provide new socks and hygiene products to local shelters. We will be accepting donations through Dec. 19th. The grade to bring in the most items will be rewarded with a special surprise!
We are looking for the following donations: new socks, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, tissue, face cloths, hand sanitizer, lip balm, razors, body wash, and shaving cream.
Travel size toiletries preferred!
Questions? Contact Danielle Placido: dplacido@beaconart.org
Hat & Mitten Collection
Beacon is getting into the spirit of giving by collecting hats and mittens to support families in need in the Woonsocket community. Donations can be dropped off at Beacon's main office during normal business hours, through Dec. 19th.
Questions? Contact Deb Jarvis: djarvis@beaconart.org
Beacon to World Premiere a Play on School Shootings and Nationwide Initiative to Support March For Our Lives
A play titled Declaration by California playwright, Jonathan Dorf, will be world premiered at the Beacon Theatre Workshop at Beacon Charter High School for the Arts on Jan. 10, 2019.
Beacon’s theatre students and theatre director, Jason Robert LeClair, will be given credit as the original cast, crew, and theater space in the publications of the play. Dorf will fly in from the west coast to be in attendance for the premiere. Beacon will be donating all ticket sale profits from the Declaration performances to the March For Our Lives organization.
Declaration explores the befores, durings and afters of a group of students whose school is faced with a mass shooting. Through a series of connected scenes and monologues, the students try to piece together what happened in the frantic moments after. The play questions what the founding fathers had in mind when they penned the Declaration of Independence's famous phrase about the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
This distinguished opportunity will certainly give Beacon’s theatre program well deserved notoriety, which LeClair saw as an opportunity to spearhead a nationwide demonstration against gun violence in schools, in collaboration with Dorf. LeClair and Dorf are using the premiere of the play as a platform to unify students across the nation to be active participants in fighting for social and political change to ensure that all schools are safe.
The Declaration Initiative invites schools across the nation to take part in the premiere weekend by putting on their own performances or stage readings of the play. Schools from coast to coast have signed on to take part, putting on performances on the premiere weekend, and on the anniversary of the Parkland shooting. All schools who are a part of this prolific initiative have agreed to donate the proceeds of the performances to March For Our Lives, as well. The Declaration Initiative is a student driven theatrical revolution and demonstration that encourages change, hope, and spreads awareness of the effects of gun violence in schools.
Founders 8th Grade Culinary Arts Night!
Chef Park would like to invite all Founders Families to come and enjoy a showcase of delectable culinary creations made by our 8th grade students. All students and families are welcome and encouraged to attend.
When: Tuesday, December 11th from 4-6pm
Where: Millrace Kitchen & Event Center, 40 South Main Street, Woonsocket
We hope to see you all there!
If you have any questions, please contact Chef Park: hpark@beaconart.org
A Glimpse into Our Classrooms
Mock Trial in Ms. Miller's ELA Class
All 8th grade students are practicing presenting cases as Defense Attorneys and Prosecution Lawyers in their ELA classes. In December and January, they will present their cases in the Mock Trial based on Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart.” The students pictured below are from Ms. Miller's class! We can't wait to hear them argue their cases.
Mr. Boland's Propoganda Project
Support our schools while you shop!
Don't forget to support Beacon Charter Schools while you're shopping online this holiday season! Follow this link to shop all of Amazon's awesome deals, and a portion of the sales will go to support our schools: smile.amazon.com/ch/58-2672578
New school swag, coming soon!
School Closing and Delay Alerts & Transportation Clarification
Based on the transportation confusion that occurred on November 16th, due to the delay and Woonsocket schools closure, Dr. Skeldon reached out to the Statewide Transportation Office to receive clarification about the protocol in those situations. Here is a summary of the information he received:
If a school is closed because of a non-weather related issue, that school district must communicate the specific reason to the Statewide Transportation Office. Doing so will ensure that transportation under the statewide program is available for: · resident students attending schools outside of the district; and · non-resident students attending schools within the district that are not part of the closure announcement.
Upcoming Dates:
Tuesday, Dec. 4th @5pm: New Family Involvement Meeting
Tuesday, Dec. 4th @ 6pm: Family Fun Evening Class-- Cookie Decoration
Wednesday, Dec. 5th: 8th Grade Junior Achievement Trip
Wednesday, Dec. 5th @6pm: Beacon Board Meeting
Thursday, Dec. 6th 5:30-8:30pm: Senior Arts Night
Thursday, Dec. 6th: Founders Trinity Rep Field Trip
Monday, Dec. 10th @ 6pm: Junior College Night
Monday, Dec. 10th @ 6pm: Family Fun Class-- Metal Stamping Jewelry
Tuesday, Dec. 11th 4-6pm: Founders Culinary Arts Night
Thursday, Dec. 13th: Beacon Trip to see Hamilton Performance in Hartford, CT
Wednesday, Dec. 19th: Beacon Music Program Winter Concert, more details to follow