Ponaganset News
NOVEMBER
Congratuations Mrs.Colabella!
Golden Apple
We are excited to announce that Shannon Colabella our Alternative Learning Program Teacher was a recipient of the Golden Apple Award. Nominated by Karlene Murray, Social Worker at PHS.
Mrs. Colabella comes to school with a smile on her face ready to help her ALP students suceed and reach their goals. She is caring and compassionate and is always trying to think of ways to encourage the students to believe in themselves and motivate them. She has demonstrated that she understands the importance of relationship building with our students. She listens and offers structure and positive feedback to our students and team members. Shannon takes the time to get to know each students' strengths and areas for growth. She becomes familiar with their interests and incorporates her knowledge of each student when creating behavior plans and incentives. Recently a student who turned 18 lost her health insurance, Mrs. Colabella sat with her, reached out to health source RI and completed the application for health insurance with her. Shannon has the "Remind" App on her phone and will reach out to students daily to help ensure their attendance, to see if they are doing okay. She always encourages their engagement and work completion. Shannon is very dedicated to her students, her co-workers and the school district.
She volunteers to join various initiatives and teams. In the 2019-2020 school year she and I attended a restorative justice training and she has been working to incorporate what we learned into the ALP routine with students. She helped me with the holiday gift giving program and food drive this school year and then organized the first spring food drive that our school has done that I can remember. She is a great team member. Shannon is always in communication with the school psychologist and I.
Veterans Day Performance
Homecoming Spirit Week
Monday 10/18: Sports Jersey Day
Tuesday 10/19: Country vs. Country Club
(you can either wear cowgirl/cowboy attire or you can wear country club/golfing attire)
Wednesday 10/20: Decades day
(Senior - 80s, Juniors - 70s, Sophomores - 60s, Freshmen 50s)
Thursday 10/21: Class Color day
(Freshmen - yellow Sophomore - orange Junior - red Senior - blue)
Friday 10/22: School Colors
Ms.Gattinella's class uses the new Promethean Boards to learn life skills..
Mrs Bovenzi's Foundations in 3D design class.
Anchored in Literacy
Anchored in Literacy
Deirdre Norden and Elizabeth Reichardt, Ponaganset High School Literacy Specialists
This newsletter will provide easy-to-use strategies and information that support literacy development in all content-areas.
The focus for this newsletter is developing active reading routines in the classroom. These routines can be used for long and/or dense pieces of texts to promote better student engagement and comprehension with content.
What reading research tells us about comprehension routines:
Comprehension routines encourage the use of “an integrated set of practices that could be applied regularly to one text after another, and in the process, provide students with two benefits: (1) Better understanding of the texts to which the routines are applied, and (2) the development of an infrastructure of processes that will benefit encounters with future texts, especially texts that students must negotiate on their own” (Duke & Pearson 2002)
Routines that work:
Marginalia-marks made in the margins of a book or other document. They may be comments, annotations, critiques, or illuminations.
Chunking- from a linguistic analysis point of view, grouping together connected items or words so that they can be stored or processed as related concepts.
Two Column Notes: encourages students to identify and respond to important information in a reading, video, or infographic. This prepares students to participate in discussion or begin a writing activity.
How to use these routines:
Marginalia-- Provide students with specific and focused goals for marginal notes (i.e., central idea and supporting details or 1 piece of text evidence, 1 personal connection, 1 unknown vocabulary word)
Chunking Guide-- Central Idea & Supporting Details
RI DECA Fall Leadership Conference @ JWU
Key Note Speaker is Elizabeth Beisel
Student Advisory Board Voting Day
Coventry vs Ponaganset Unified Game
Congratulations!
The Chieftain Corner
Looking for a cool gift idea??
The Chieftain Corner is where you can purchase official Ponaganset merchandise. Our clothing merchandise options that are available at our store include multiple different styles and colored sweatshirts and shirts ranging from long sleeve, short sleeve, and v-necks also in multiple colors, flannel pants, sweatpants, and sherpa sweatshirts. Our smaller clothing merchandise include face masks, pom pom beanies, baseball hats, and sherpa blankets. Our non-clothing apparel includes chieftain key chains, drawstring bags, lanyards, pop sockets, reusable bags, and stainless steel tumblers. We sell all of our merchandise online through My School Bucks and in our school store located near the library. Every order over $25 comes with a free chieftain reusable bag. Our store has inclusive sizing ranging from XXS to XXXL. The merchandise is high quality at good affordable prices. Some of our merchandise is made from Champion brand materials.
We are also now able to personalize your merchandise with name, number, year of graduation, etc. Stop by our website www.bit.ly/TheChieftainCorner to check out everything we sell or call the main office to set up a time to visit us in person during one of the four school lunches on green days (Tuesday and Thursdays).
You can order online 24/7 at www.bit.ly/TheChieftainCornerMSB and you can pick them up in the office.
Our items make for great holiday gifts!
Congratulations to the Class of 2022 National Honor Society Inductees
Bousquet, Abigail
Buckley, Richard
Crawley, Emma (Alex)
Dandeneau, Grace
Goncalves, Antonella
Greene, Jenna
Hannah, Maya
Healey, Shannon
Kohanski, Skyla
Krupa, Kayla
McFee, Samantha
Parker, Hannah
Pelicano, Hailey
Perretta, Alyssa
Realejo, Myles
Realejo, Spencer
Schiavone, Maya
Sharp, Caitlyn
Thomson, Cassie
Tondreau, Katelyn
Handmade Cards for all Occasions
Students and staff at Ponaganset High School are planning to continue making handmade cards for members of our community. Last year, over 400 handmade seasonal themed cards were delivered. We really enjoy bringing cheer to our community members.
The students and staff are very creative and passionate about this project. Like the students, each card is unique and carries messages of kindness and inclusion. We take pride in using recycled materials to make the cards and would love to continue to provide this community service for every holiday throughout the year.
We are currently accepting donations of materials such as; used greeting cards, card stock, scrapbook material, washable paint, gift bags, tissue paper, stickers etc. We love working with recycled materials and would make use of any craft items you have sitting on shelves and in drawers.
Please feel free to drop off any of these items to the main office at Ponaganset High School.
Rhode Island Department of Health Updated Playbook
Latest correspondence from Superintendent Dr. Michael Barnes -- October 23, 2021
Dear Parents / Guardians of Ponaganset Middle School and Ponaganset High School Students,
This communication contains information on the following topics for the 2021-2022 school year:
- Update on positive COVID cases in our schools;
- Reminder - COVID Vaccination Clinics Offered at Ponaganset High School – 1st Dose or Booster Dose October 23rd
- Continuing to Proactively notify your child’s school of a possible or actual COVID case; and
Notification of Positive COVID Cases
Over the past two weeks we have received the following notifications of positive COVID-19 cases.
- Two positive cases were reported at Ponaganset Middle School. Both cases were students who were present in school during their infectious period. Potential close contacts of the positive cases were identified and asked to quarantine.
- Three positive cases were reported at Ponaganset High School. Three of the cases were students and one of the cases was an adult. One of the positive cases was not in school during his/her infectious period. Potential close contacts of the positive cases were identified and asked to quarantine.
Please assist us in reducing the number of students who must quarantine as a potential close contact. If a household member tests positive for COVID-19 your child/children must remain home and learn asynchronously. Moreover, if your child or a household member had a COVID-19 test and you are waiting or result, please have your child/children remain home until you have received the test results and verified that they are negative.
Reminder New COVID Vaccination Clinics Offered at Ponaganset High School – 1st Dose or Booster Dose October 23rd
The Emergency Management Agency of the Town of Glocester will be hosting a vaccination clinic (Pfizer vaccine) in the Ponaganset High School cafeteria. These clinics are open to anyone 12 years old or older who wants to receive a 1st and 2nd dose of the COVID vaccine. This clinic is also for people who are fully vaccinated with Pfizer and are 65 years old or older or are 18 years old or older WITH underlying medical conditions or are at increased risk of COVID-19 due to occupational or institutional setting. The dates of the clinics are:
- 1st dose or booster, Saturday, October 23rd from 9:00am – 1:00pm in the PHS Cafeteria
- 2nd dose or booster, to be determined date in November in the PHS Cafeteria
To register, go to the Health Department registration link below. The link will not work with Microsoft Explorer; please use another browser. Choose an available appointment time and continue. Answer all the health questions and continue to the next page. Upon completing your registration, you should receive a confirmation email.
Minors under 16 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Click on this link to register:
https://www.vaccinateri.org/appointment/en/reg/1560020975
It is not mandatory that students or staff receive the vaccination. We are sharing this opportunity as a convenience for families who want to obtain a vaccine.
Please Continue to Proactively Notify the School of a Possible or Actual COVID
During the 2021-2022 school year please continue to notify your child’s school if your child is a symptomatic case, probable case, confirmed case, or a close contact of a case and have your child remain home and learn virtually. If a household member tests positive for COVID-19 your child/children must remain home and learn asynchronously. Moreover, if your child or a household member had a COVID-19 test and you are waiting or result, please have your child/children remain home until you have received the test results and verified that they are negative.
This could eliminate the need for other students / staff to quarantine if your child ultimately tests positive. Please notify your child’s school of his/her status using the following email addresses so we may plan and respond accordingly:
Captain Isaac Paine Elementary School Families please email - cipcovidereporting@paineschool.org
Ponaganset Middle School Families please email - pmscovidreporting@fgschools.com
Ponaganset High School Families please email – phscovidreporting@fgschools.com
Again, thank you for your partnership last year and this year.
Sincerely,
Dr. Michael S. Barnes
Proud Superintendent Foster and Foster-Glocester Regional Schools
Parent Resource Center
Parent Portal
To Parent Guardians:
An email was sent out inviting you to log in to the Aspen Family Portal. The email contained a security code that you will use to set up your account, just follow the directions!
The reason only some of you will receive this is because we try to limit access to the portal to one login per family. If you have a family situation which requires an additional login, please contact your child’s school.
Once you login to Aspen, we are asking you to verify that you are seeing each of your children, and that other information is accurate as well. If there are issues with any of the information, pleased contact your child’s school to let us know!
Going forward we will be asking you to upgrade emergency contacts, update medical information, and parent phone numbers/email addresses. The portal will also be used to give you digital report cards, see student transcripts, as well as other information that is stored in Aspen.
Helpline 710-7500 ext 4357 (HELP)
Please review the links below for information and instructions.
Canvas & Aspen Parent Instructions for Viewing Grades
Link for instructions.
2021 Yearbook Order
Now is the time to order your 2021-22 yearbook for your child!
How to order a yearbook and/or and ad:
Go to: www.ybpay.lifetouch.com
Enter this code: 13539322
From there you will choose which of the above items you would like to order.
You may also create a student recognition ad for your child and/or purchase an ad for your business! Follow the same instructions given above to order an ad.
We need all orders in by May 31, 2022.
Healthy in body & mind means better learning, habits & relationships
New Ways November
This month, we're encouraging you to try something new!
Learning something new or getting involved in an activity that really absorbs and interests us is great for our wellbeing. Keeping our brains active is not only good for us physically but it can help you feel you are flourishing as you see yourself make progress with a new skill, or just make you smile as you make a mess and decide to start again. :) Being playful and trying new things is important, as is remembering that it's OK not to get it right first time - change "I can't do it", into "I can't do it...yet!" This month's calendar is full of ideas to help you decide what to try next.
Do Good December
This has been another difficult year of uncertainty and ups and downs for many of us. Kindness is contagious, and helping others has been proven to make us feel better too! Let's try to focus on being generous with our time and attention rather than money - it's free and better for everyone, as well as our planet!
Family Literacy Corner
Family literacy is a type of literacy education that emphasizes bringing reading and writing into the home and making it a family activity. According to a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, students with a “richer home literacy environment displayed higher levels of reading knowledge and skills than did their counterparts with less rich home literacy environments.”
Below you will find a resource that will provide current event articles and some discussion starters related to the articles. Reading an article a week as a family and having discussions over dinner will provide benefits that include: increasing literacy skills, engaging in family conversations, and enhancing knowledge of current events.
Link to Newsela: https://newsela.com/
(This resource offers a free basic version. There is a caregiver/parent sign up option)
Conversation starters:
Create and discuss your own headline for this article and explain why yours is better than the original.
Discuss the visuals given in the article and how they relate to the topic.
If a friend asked you, “what was that article about?”, how would you summarize it?
Ask the following questions to prompt meaningful connections between what was read and what is relevant to the student’s life:
What does this article remind you of?
Are there any elements of this article that are especially important to you and why?
What information from this article cleared up any confusion you may have had about this topic?
Fundraising Corner
Holiday Food Drive
Please bring in non-perishable food for the Ponaganset Holiday Food drive. All
donations will support our local food pantries. There will be drop boxes
throughout the school and we are collecting through December 10th,
Please drop to the main office.
Month of December: "Angel Bins" fundraiser
Pajama Drive Benefiting Foster Forward
Please drop all Pajama Donations to the main office by Monday, November 29th.
2021-22 Foster-Glocester Regional School District Calendar
Bus Information
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your students bus situation, below are the bus yard numbers:
Glocester Bus Coordinator
Kim Hopkins/Jackie Dussault 568-6206 X239
Bus Companies
Glocester: Jacques 568-8433
Glocester: Hopkins 568-5096
Foster: Ocean State 397-7415
Statewide Bus, Heather Hargis 304-9136Ponaganset High School Community Calendar
School Breakfast and Lunch Information
FREE Breakfast and FREE Lunch for ALL Students
Technology Corner
PHS Athletics: Twitter
PHS Athletics: Facebook
PHS Athletics: Instagram
Ponaganset High School
Email: rpalazzo@fgschools.com
Website: http://www.fg.k12.ri.us/
Location: 137 Anan Wade Road, Glocester, RI, USA
Phone: 401 710-7500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=ponaganset%20high%20school%20chieftains&epa=SEARCH_BOX
Twitter: @reneepalazzo