Scituate High School
Scituate Public Schools
November 2009
The Mission of Scituate High School The Scituate High School strives to provide an environment conducive to the fullest possible development of each student. Our programs endeavor to meet the needs of students with diverse learning styles and a wide range of abilities and goals. The ongoing renewal of those programs is sustained by the belief that enabling students in the present is helping them build lives as contributing adults. Our graduation requirements encourage students to participate in a program where they are exposed to a variety of courses, activities, and instructional approaches. Student Expectations In accordance with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, the members of the faculty of Scituate High School offer to every student the opportunity to demonstrate by graduation each of the following: · To be an effective reader · To be an effective writer · To be an effective speaker/presenter/performer · To be an effective problem solver · To be an effective information seeker/organizer · To contribute to the community at large
Donna M. Nuzzo-Mueller, Principal John Mills, Assistant Principal Elizabeth Grindle, Assistant Principal
Message from Principal Nuzzo-Mueller
Dear Parents and Community Members, We are anxiously awaiting the start date for Ms. Elizabeth Grindle, assistant principal. Ms. Grindle will be with us on December 4, 2009. She will have many responsibilities including the responsibility for the freshmen and junior classes. Ms. Grindle brings an excellent background preparation in administration and a dedication to student success in the academic experience. She has been an excellent teacher and coach for several years and has a well grounded understanding for the many professional roles in education. First quarter grades have been distributed. This is a perfect time to discuss a few very important details with your student. Graduation requirements include accumulating credits in specific subject areas and also accruing the 96 credits required over four years. Credits are denied for failing grades and for poor attendance in school classes. With this stated, this means a student needs to earn credits in 6 full year subjects each year in order to graduate in four years. So, if a student loses credit due to lack of attendance or failing grades, graduation will be postponed. If your student needs to renew academic or attendance commitments, please contact your student’s guidance counselor. The counselor will be able to streamline communication with teachers and provide you with information regarding academic support. This is also a good time of year to review the Chemical Health Policy and remind students that poor decisions regarding alcohol and drugs will result in serious school consequences that will have both academic and social ramifications. Students risk being denied privileges, including participation in athletic programs and attending social events such as the Junior Prom, Senior Dinner Dance and graduation ceremonies. We hope everyone had a restful Thanksgiving and is ready to meet the continued challenges of second quarter. Sincerely, Ms. Nuzzo-Mueller Principal
IMPORTANT DATES
12/3 12/4 12/10
Early Release Dismissal at 11:20AM Academic Advisory 8th Grade Curr Night
12/11 12/14 12/16 12/2412/1 1/12
1/15, 1/20- 22
Progress Reports Open Mic Night SHS Winter Concert Winter Recess High School Council, 6:30 Mid Year Exams Martin Luther King Day No School Professional Dev Day
1/18 1/19
irritability, difficulty sleeping and nausea. Caffeine is We would like to thank parents and students for their also a diuretic and can cause dehydration. generous donations of hand sanitizer and tissues. These items will be placed in all classrooms in effort to SHS students consume these before school or during keep the staff and students healthy in the upcoming lunch believing that they will stay alert and focused in months. We are still in need of further donations – if you class. According to SHS School Nurse MaryAnn would like to contribute bottles of hand sanitizer or Bernard this is not always the case. “I see many boxes of tissues, please drop them off at the Main students come into the health office with caffeine headaches after they’ve had one of these drinks for Office. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. lunch. I also see an alarming number with a racing pulse after they’ve had one of these drinks. These For Safety Sake Our children’s safety is the most important and drinks really should be discouraged and should be sometimes complex responsibility of a parent. There is avoided by kids altogether.” no question that our world has changed and we are painfully aware of this fact. Mobility, transportation and Please encourage your student to make healthier communications have altered our community as well as choices to improve their performance in school. A Red the exposure our children have to information, activities Bull cannot replace 8 hours of sleep—make sure your student gets lots of rest. A healthy, balanced breakfast and strangers that were not typical years ago. and staying hydrated with water is a better way to stay All of our school buildings and athletic fields are used by alert and focused in school than drinking a 20 ounce many organizations. In one afternoon or evening, the Monster energy drink before homeroom! high school, and other school buildings, may have two or three activities running that are not necessarily all Science News school related. With this in mind, please do not drop your elementary or middle school aged children off at school buildings or fields unless they are supervised. Building Project for a Good Cause Please remember that unsupervised, and in groups of two or more, children will behave in ways and will make Students from Architectural and Engineering decisions they might not make in the presence of a Design classes have been busy putting the finishing supervising adult. Also, if school staff, youth coaches or touches on a 16’x10’ storage shed which will be other sponsors do not know your child personally or do delivered to the Scituate Animal Shelter this fall. It is not have pertinent emergency information, it is the biggest structure that the classes have built, and the impossible to provide adequate safety. first to incorporate some new building materials. Plastic composite was used instead of pine for all the trim, and Donna M. Nuzzo-Mueller, principal fiber-cement clapboards were installed for the siding. It Scituate High School creates a neat, clean look which is virtually maintenance-free. Mr. Sullivan would again like to acknowledge the continued support of Officer Dom Beware the Monster! D’Archangelo and Scituate Concrete Pipe for assisting Energy Drinks Not Safe for Students the Building program at Scituate High School.
Hand Sanitizer Donations
Even though they claim to improve performance, SHS students risk academic performance and their health by drinking “energy drinks”. Popularity of energy drinks have skyrocketed among students recently. These drinks claim to increase concentration and provide energy. Names like Monster, Red Bull, Amp and Rockstar reflect marketing strategies geared toward kids. However, these drinks are not safe for our children. Energy drinks are loaded with high levels of caffeine making them unsuitable for children. A high intake of caffeine can boost heart rate and blood pressure. If these drinks are mixed with alcohol (a common practice among youth) the risk of heart rhythm problems is increased. Caffeine can cause palpitations, anxiety,
Science Department Donation
Special Thank You to Ed and Anne Marcin for their donations of the following items to the Science Department: beakers, test tubes, graduated cylinders, microscope slides and dye. These materials will surely help enhance our student’s experiences in the lab.
engage younger students in our community in our “Go Green” campaign later on in the year. By sharing strategies and activities that promote an environmentally friendly lifestyle we hope that students can go home and share ideas with their families in order to help protect our environment. We will also continue to support teachers at the high school in their efforts to recycle by emptying bins on a monthly basis.
Vernal Pools with Cushing Elementary
SHS Students make a SPLASH at MIT
November 21st and 22nd MIT held its annual SPLASH weekend program. Every year, MIT gives students from grades 7 -12 an opportunity to visit and take classes on the MIT campus. The students are encouraged to choose classes that interest them and that they would enjoy. A combination of undergraduate and graduate students currently attending MIT create and teach the classes. This year classes ranged from Zombie Defense to Diplomacy of War and Trade Simulation. Students can experience anything from a cooking class, to interpretive dance, to the Wizardry of Harry Potter. MIT’s SPLASH is an opportunity for students to experience a slice of college life.
On Friday, October 30, the sounds of young children could be heard as they made their way from Cushing Elementary over to the Scituate High School. Waiting to greet Mrs. Read and her 5th grade students, were members of Mrs. Loughnane’s college preparatory Biology classes. Mrs. Read is introducing Vernal Pool ecosystems to her classes in hopes that come spring, they will be able to collect and submit data to the state in an attempt to receive vernal pool designation for another location here in Scituate. Her students partnered with high school students to investigate the vernal pool here on our campus, to discuss the importance of these unique ecosystems and to practice collecting data. Students shared their findings with each other, collaborated to take temperature measurements and pH readings and used their keen observation skills to identify numerous plant species, frogs, grasshoppers, dragonfly nymphs, water scorpions and a multitude of other insectae. The outing was a huge success for all. We look forward to another beautiful day in the spring when our students can meet up, get out of the classrooms and do science in their community.
Some of this year’s attendees included Keara Berkeley, William Zambo, Katie McMahon, Denzel Silva, Conor Geary, Evan Geary, Shalyn O’Malley, John Arnold, John Miller, Ben Lappen, John McGuinness, and Pat Noenickx. When asked about the weekend one student, John Arnold, said, “I learned to be successful at everything. It was the best class I ever took. I give the weekend 11 out of 10.” News from the Foreign Language Department Since last spring the Foreign Language department has collaborated with the Art Department on a very exciting project. Students from both departments created a design for a wall mosaic which would reflect the acceptance of diversity. The inspiration for this theme comes from a quote of Cicero—“Socrates thought he was a citizen of the entire world.” With the help of a grant from SHORE, artistic advice from Scituate resident, Serena Green, and tile donations from parent Richard Carroll, many students have been able to participate in the construction of this beautiful mosaic. In addition to class time being devoted to the effort, a small group of students has worked tirelessly through the summer and after school to complete what many other students began or continued in their allotted class time. Thousands of tile pieces, broken and cut by our students are now in place and the project is almost finished. We have still to grout the enormous mosaic (4’ X 8’) and paint words of welcome in various languages on white tiles surrounding the design.
Environmental Club
The Scituate High School Environmental Club has begun meeting for the 2009-2010 school year. We are currently nine strong but encourage others to stop on by and check us out. We always have room for anyone who has an appreciation for nature and concern for the environment! You need not attend all meetings to take part in our club! Currently, we are painting bird houses to place throughout the high school campus. Next week we will be hiking through the Ellis estate. We hope to
Edline
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Activation codes for students and parents were distributed to students in their homeroom. Students and The inspiration for this theme comes from a quote of Ciceroparents that have already established an account will “Socrates thought he was a citizen of the entire world.” not need new activation codes. If you have any please contact Meg Juliano, This has been a very rewarding endeavor involving the questions, mjuliano@scit.org. cooperation, inspiration and advice of so many enthusiastic, talented students. We encourage you to come any time to the Foreign Language Wing of the High School to view our masterpiece. When the entire Authorization to project is completed there will be a dedication Video/Photograph/Publish/Broadcast ceremony. At times during the school year members of the local press and cable television station visit SHS. They often National Honor Society request permission to write articles about various activities that occur at the school or video activities in The SHS National Honor Society offers common areas as well as classrooms. Students' tutoring to all SHS students on Tuesdays pictures frequently accompany newspaper articles. We through Thursdays from 2:00-3:00PM in the ask that you let us know if you would prefer that your SHS library. Tutors are available to assist child's picture NOT be included in any newspaper students in all subjects. This is a great opportunity for photos, video productions or on the SPS website. those students who need a little help in a specific area, to review for a test or need help starting a project. If you do not want your child to be photographed, Please contact Ms. Shanley for more information, included in any video footage or on the school website kshanley@scit.org. for any reason, it is imperative that you notify the SHS office at 617-8750, x364 or email mjuliano@scit.org with your child's name and grade.
Drama Club News
The SHS Drama Club recently put on their production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Students from all grades participated in this endeavor in various roles: actors, tech crew, pit orchestra members, and costume designers. The Drama Club would like to thank the community for their continued support of our program. Stay tuned for our next play, a piece that we will produce and use in the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild’s Annual Festival in March of 2010. Any students interested in getting involved should listen to the announcements for meeting dates, or speak to Mr. Beattie or Ms. Fanelli.
Congratulations to our Journalism Students
The following Honors Journalism students, Nicole Buckley, Brooke Eckstrom, Emily Hoffman, Katie Jacobsen, Will McDonald, Joe Mullin, Kate O’Connor, Alyssa Rothstein, Krissy Reimels and Taryn Sacchitella attended the Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association conference in Washington, D.C. November 11-14th. Over 6,500 students attended making this the largest JEA/NSPA conference ever held and SHS students took in everything they could, participating in Media Swaps with other schools, breaking with a professional in the field and attending numerous sessions on high school journalism. All Scituation staffers entered the National Write-Off Competition where they were up against hundreds of the best high school journalists in the country in each category. Half of our students took home awards, the highest number for any school in New England. A
special congratulation goes to following winners at the National Write-off Competition: • Katie Jacobsen earned an Honorable Mention in Editorial Writing • Taryn Sacchitella earned an Honorable Mention in Sports Writing • Emily Hoffman earned an Honorable Mention in Advertising • Krissy Reimels earned an Excellent in Commentary Writing • Brooke Eckstrom earned a Superior in Review Writing
eyeglass cases and small purses, etc. This year we also hope to have a table with calendars, note cards and gift items from the Scituate Historical Society. We also have been entertained with holiday music performed by John Sullivan, Sean McLaughlin, Peter Mundt and Bill Richter. Please contact Mrs. Feeney in the SHS library if you would like to have a table to offer your crafts. A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the charity of each crafter’s choice.
Art News
The Scituate High School Art Department is looking for photography equipment for their Photo I and Photo II classes. Do you have an old 35mm SLR camera collecting dust? Do you have darkroom equipment, expired film or photo paper? Consider making a donation to the school. Please email Brian Carroll at bcarroll@scit.org.
News from Nurse Bernard
H1N1 Clinic Update Thank you to all who responded to our Connect-Ed survey regarding the upcoming school based flu clinic at Scituate High School. Across the State of Massachusetts the distribution of vaccine has been inconsistent. You may have noted that some towns have offered clinics while others have not. When the town of Scituate receives adequate vaccine, the High Yearbooks School clinic will be scheduled and you will be notified. If you did not respond to the Connect–Ed phone Yearbooks Now On Sale … The 2010 yearbook team is currently working hard to message and you would like your student to receive the capture the major moments and memories of our school vaccine please contact Maryann Bernard RN, 781-545year. Yearbooks can be purchased online at 8750, X380. www.jostensyearbooks.com for $85 or $90 via check in school. Parents, if ordering a yearbook for your child Please refer to the H1N1 web page for the required forms. It will be necessary for you to complete the via the web, please order using your child’s name. consent forms and return them to the school prior to the By ordering via the web, you can personalize your day of the clinic. yearbook with text inscription and/or a distinctive icon. Online ordering also provides you the opportunity to H1N1 Recommendations include a protective cover, an autograph section and many other options with your order. As usual, the book As we approach the holiday season it is important to will be entirely in color and new this year, the book will keep the following information in mind. include an additional 16-page Year in Review section at no additional charge. It will surely be a book you are Flu spreads easily from person to person. If you think your child is getting the flu: proud! Every student is included in the yearbook so do not miss out! If you have any questions regarding the purchase of your yearbook, please contact Mr. Ranieri at 545-8750 ext. 401. • Keep your child home. It is very important that your child does not go to school or other places where they could spread the flu virus to other people, such as group childcare, afterschool programs, the mall, or sporting events.
• Call your doctor’s office and let them know your child’s symptoms and history. Your doctor will advise you SHS faculty will be holding their third annual whether you should come to the office. It is best to call SHS Artisans Holiday Fair at the SHS library ahead so that you help prevent spreading illness to others. on December 15th and 16th from 2:30-4:30PM. In past years we have had handmade card and cookies, • Call your child’s school to notify them that they are maple walking sticks, photographic note cards, hand sick, and tell the school nurse if your child has flu-like knitted and silk screened scarves, knitted and felted symptoms. Artisan’s Holiday Fair
• Keep your school nurse updated on your child’s medical condition. • Do not give your child or teenager (18 years of age or younger) aspirin or aspirin-containing products due to the rare but serious illness called Reye syndrome. •All individuals with flu-like symptoms should stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, without using fever-reducing medicines. These medicines include, Motrin or Advil (ibuprofen), Tylenol (acetaminophen) or a store brand. Keeping children with a fever at home will keep them from getting other people sick. For most people, this will be about 4 days. Through March 25, 2010, Scituate High School will have the opportunity to earn cash through Stop & Shop’s A+ Bonus Bucks Program. To register, go to stopandshop.com/aplus or call 877275-2758 to register a card over the phone. Be sure to register a card to benefit SHS using identification number 07726. After people register their cards, each shopping trip using the Stop & Shop card automatically earns cash for the school. Cushing will receive a check at the end of the program, and the money can be used for any of the school’s educational needs. Anyone with a Stop & Shop card can register.
News from SHORE
SHORE has recently mailed out its annual fundraising drive brochure. Our goal is to raise $5,000 this year, which will allow us to make a difference in our young adults’ education experience at Scituate High School. Your donation now equals less fundraising later. Please consider making a donation to benefit our students. In addition to our Polar Express fundraiser on December 6, we are currently working on our spring fundraiser which is our 2nd Annual SHORE Run/Walk. This will be held on May 29. In order for this event to be a success, we need additional parents to volunteer. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Mike Versace at versace@comcast.net. In addition to these fundraisers, we invite you to join us at our next monthly meeting to find out what SHORE is all about. Our next meeting is Wednesday, December 16 at 7 pm in the Scituate High School library. Please join us!
Scituate Public School Mailing List
If you are not receiving important email announcements from the school please sign up for the SPS web mail. Visit the SPS website (www.scituate.k12.ma.us) and click on the “SIGN UP FOR SCHOOL MAILING LIST” button!