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Petersham Center School Newsletter January/February 2022

“The aim of education is the knowledge, not of facts, but of values.” —William S. Burroughs

News From the Principal's Office!!

Hello Petersham Center School Families. I did not send out a newsletter last month as we ended up with a very short month and I felt I may not have enough news to share. Luckily, it has been very busy over the past month here at PCS with some added specials, changes in some of our specialist teachers as well as a few other new additions, so there is no shortage of news to share. We feel we are starting to finally see a shift in our students here where they are getting back into the real rhythm of school. Not having to send home classes as often has really been great to create the consistency that our students and teachers really need. We are waiting for the weather to begin to turn into spring in the next few months and can't wait to begin utilizing our outdoor spaces again.

Important Dates:

  • 3/1-PCS Town Budget Presentation
  • 3/9- PCS School Committee Meeting
  • 3/10- Petersham Board of Health Meeting
  • 3/11- Windows on Wildlife Show (Real birds of prey in the gym)
  • 3/16-Chainsaws, Cheeseburgers, and Rock and Roll (Motivational speaker focused on perseverance, https://chainsawscheeseburgersandrocknroll.com/
  • 3/23-1/2 day for staff PD
  • 3/29- MCAS Begins, see schedule below

New Staff:

  • Mary Carfagna has joined us as our Friday music teacher. The students are responding very well and are learning a lot about music and music history.
  • John Porcino: Performing Arts
  • Jen Howes: STEM
  • Sara Lake: Specialized Paraprofessional
  • Angelo Garofalo: Specialized Paraprofessional

MCAS

Please help us in reminding your 3-6 graders as we approach testing season that MCAS is a small moment in time and in NO WAY represents who they are as students or people. We look at every aspect of your student when we think about them, not just a two-day test that is taken once per year. Assure them they are much more than a score, and all we can ever ask is that they try their best. If they have done that, they have done all they can, the rest doesn't define them.

Please remember that as we transition into this "new normal" there will be many mixed emotions. If you feel safe to do so, your student can remove their mask, if not they are more than welcome to keep them on. What we cannot expect though, is that each teacher knows the individual wishes of each family in regards to masking or not. It will not be the classroom teacher's responsibility to remind your students to mask up if that is your family's choice. Take time to work with your student so that they know your wishes. Please click on the link below to view all of the newest updated protocols.

Winter Wonderland!!

Before Mrs. Garrett left to pursue her other passions in life we were able to finally get in the long postponed Winter Wonderland. All of the students had an absolute blast. Also, seeing all of the hard work and coordination that 6th graders put in was inspiring.
"What makes a child gifted and talented may not always be good grades in school, but a different way of looking at the world and learning." —Chuck Grassley

John Porcino and Performing Arts

We are lucky enough to have John Porcino sign on to be our permanent Performing Arts teacher for the remainder of the year. He has been a familiar face around the building for many years now and everyone is thrilled to have him back. He is a singer, storyteller, musician and magician. He brings a level of excitement to all of his classes that is infectious. His plan for the year is to work with folktales from all over the world and have students recreate them to incorporate their own personality. If any parents have any interest in volunteering during these classes please let me know and we can help facilitate that. John will be here Mondays for the remainder of the year, with the exception of Monday 3/14 where he was already scheduled.

STEM

Our first STEM week kicked off great with a collaborative engineering challenge. Mrs. Howes has a lot of fun in store for the students for the rest of the year including some 3D printing, introduction to coding, etc. Students will be having STEM every other week opposite Mrs. Costello's SEL class.
“The content of a book holds the power of education and it is with this power that we can shape our future and change lives.” —Malala Yousafzai

Title One Program

Students at PCS were given a wonderful opportunity. Anyone that completed a book bingo card over Winter break earned a book of their choice for their home library. Seen above are Lilah and Carly Paluk and the books they chose.

Playground Update

As a group, the Playgroup Committee is narrowing down on a design for our new playground. We have landed on this for the general design and will be working towards finalizing it in the next few weeks to begin the ordering process.

Drop-off and Pick-up

Please remember to fill up all open parking spots in our lot during drop-off and pick-up first. This should keep all cars safely contained in our parking lot and not spilling onto Spring St. When you are picking up please DO NOT stop in front of the school, instead pull all the way around the U until you are up to the car in front of you. We have freed up many spots in front by having staff park in our back lot. If you plan to stay to have students play, please use these parking spots instead of parking along the curb.

Aaron O'Connor

Principal, Petersham Center School

aaron.oconnor@petershamcenterschool.org

978-724-3363