panther pride f-12 final - Marlborough Public Schools

Panther Pride
Volume 7 Number 1
Fall 2015
ROUSING SCHOOL YEAR KICKOFF
Guest speaker inspired teachers to adopt a new philosophy
INSIDE
Kane School shows
its community spirit.
•
By Maureen Greulich
Executive Director
Secondary Education
p. 21
“Ahoy, matey,” is the preferred salutation
in the Marlborough Public Schools of late as
staff have adopted a fun and engaging
PIRATE teaching system and philosophy.
The inspiration and leader of this charge is
Dave Burgess, author of the increasingly
popular educational text “Teach Like a
Pirate,” which challenges teachers to, “captivate your class, create outrageously engaging lessons, and rediscover your passion for
teaching.”
In an all-district assembly on staff
Opening Day of the 2015-2016 school year,
Marlborough staff had the rare opportunity
to meet and listen to Dave Burgess himself
in what many claim was the best opening
kickoff and professional development they
have seen in a long time. Burgess asked participants to consider their answers to the following two questions. Question One: If your
students didn’t have to be there, would you
be teaching to an empty room? Question
Two: Do you have any lessons you could
sell tickets for? In his inspirational manifesto, Burgess laid out a practical road map
for helping staff create an inviting, engaging
and empowering classroom climate.
According to Burgess, educational pirates
are daring, adventurous and willing to set
forth into unchartered territories with no
guarantee of success. The heart of the philosophy is found in its acronym, PIRATE
(Passion, Immersion, Rapport, Ask and
Analyze, Transformation, and Enthusiasm).
Passion challenges all to reconnect with
their content passion, professional passion,
Continued on page 4
GOALS ESTABLISHED
District adopts five objectives
By Mary Murphy
Executive Director
Primary and Elementary Education
Every summer the Superintendent of
Schools meets with district administrators
and teacher leaders to discuss areas of
focus for the upcoming school year. This
year the district team met on August 20th
and 21st, and during that time the team
identified the following district goals for
the 2015-16 school year.
1. Continue to build a strong Tier 1
level of academic and behavioral support
PK-12 - Over the last two years the district has been implementing MTSS
(Multi-Tiered System of Support). MTSS
is focused on the academic and behavioral
instruction for all students (the core at Tier
Continued on page 5
New teaching model has
Whitcomb kids “hooked.” p. 23
Students mixing
musical creations.
p. 25
From the superintendent ..... 3
New sculpture unveiled - A 2014-15 collaborative effort between sculpture artist Dale Rogers and Marlborough High School
faculty and students resulted in a twenty-foot long metal sculpture representing Marlborough’s Panther Pride. Located near
the front entrance to the school, the Panther greeted students as they arrived for the 2015-16 school year. See story on page-6.
News from Mar lborough Public Schools
Page 2
Panther Pride
Fall 2015
LOOKING TO EXPAND SPACE
MARLBOROUGH IS A LEADER
Panther Pride
Fall 2015
Anticipating renovation of Richer School or new construction
Special Message
From the School Committee
In early April 2015, the Marlborough
Public School District, with the formal
approval of the Marlborough School
Committee and the City Council, submitted a Statement of Interest (SOI) to the
Massachusetts School Building Authority
(MSBA), requesting the organization’s
involvement in, evaluation of, and recommendation for renovations to Richer
Elementary and/or construction of a new
elementary school. The SOI is the first,
formal step the school district and the city
took to request the MSBA partner with us
on a school construction project.
The second significant step occurred in
late October, when the MSBA performed a
“senior study” site visit to examine both
facility and programmatic issues detailed
in our SOI. The team of MSBA staff and
architects as well as Marlborough district
administrators, Mayor Arthur Vigeant and
city facilities staff looked at such factors as
the facility’s physical condition, capacity,
use of space for educational programming,
and the like.
Again, the senior study site visit is not a
confirmation of invitation into the MSBA
program, and it does not commit either
party to participation; however, it is the
second step of a process that hopefully will
lead to such an invitation.
The building project is significant for
many reasons. As detailed in the SOI, we
are in dire need of additional elementary
school classroom and flex spaces, particularly because our district is out of compliance with state and federal laws in the
areas of English language learners (ELL)
and special education, which constitute
civil rights violations. Richer is crowded,
and Kane and Jaworek elementaries are
confronted with similar challenges due to
space and programming, and they can
offer limited or no outlet.
Other issues as identified in the SOI
include lack of adequate parking at Richer;
six modular classrooms at the end of their
life cycle; outdated mechanical and electrical systems; inadequate storage for
instructional materials and supplies; and
lack of classroom space for art, music and
computer instruction.
A new elementary school and/or renovations to Richer also would allow for the
district’s fifth grade to potentially move to
the elementary schools, which is more
appropriate from a developmental and
instructional point of view. Moving the
fifth grade out of Whitcomb also will permit Whitcomb to become a true “middle
school” conceptually.
The MSBA is expected to announce in
January the projects that have been chosen
to move to the feasibility study phase. This
phase pairs the district with MSBA-specific procurement processes and procedures
for establishing a team of professionals to
work with the district through the MSBA
grant process.
Only after this is completed can the district move forward with the multi-year
renovation/new construction as determined by the MSBA grant application
process.
We appreciate your ongoing support as
we navigate this process to provide appropriate learning environments for all
Marlborough Public School students.
Panther Pride
Panther Pride is a publication of the Main Street Journal produced in
partnership with the Marlborough Public Schools. Distribution includes
home delivery to all Sunday Globe, Saturday Telegram and Gazette, and
Main Street Journal subscribers in Marlborough, plus numerous retail
outlets and businesses throughout the city, and city schools.
Editions of Panther Pride are typically published twice a year
between March-April and October-November
For advertising or distribution information, call 508-460-1166.
Page 3
Highly qualified staff, advanced technology, ongoing innovation
By Richard Langlois
Superintendent of Schools
Dear Marlborough community, I hope
you are having a wonderful school year; it’s
so hard to believe it’s November already!
It’s a very exciting time to be part of the
Marlborough Public School District. Our
school year kicked off with a dedication of
two large sculptures at the high school, and
to me they epitomize what Marlborough
schools are all about: school spirit and loyalty, and our commitment to providing all
students with an education that prepares
them for college, career, and success in our
21st century global society. Please see the
feature on these sculptures on page-5.
The administrative team is currently
working on a project that requires that we
identify what makes Marlborough schools
stand out as leaders in education innovation. Certainly our STEM/Early College
High School program serves as an outstanding example of programmatic
advances, but it is not the only way
Marlborough is transforming education.
We have identified several areas in which
Marlborough is redefining teaching and
learning, including innovation and design,
creative expression, global connectedness,
blended learning opportunities, and promoting college and career readiness.
Marlborough is a city that is committed to
high academic standards and educating the
whole child. Marlborough prides itself on the
diverse student population that represents
cultural distinctions from the forty-four languages spoken by families in our schools. At
the heart of this diversity is the school system’s ability to build a learning environment
with a group dynamic built on multi-cultural-
ism, the teaching of real-world experience,
and the results that come from the dynamic of
different minds coming together to solve
problems and create tangible and meaningful
outcomes.
We are a leader in transitioning education
into the 21st century, focusing on meeting
the needs of industry, a desirable workforce,
and the expectations of higher education.
Through partnerships with industry and
higher education, Marlborough is offering
an early college credit program, blended
learning with community colleges, cultural
exchange programs, project-based learning,
and a nationally recognized STEM program.
An advanced digital learning ecosystem
provides students with 1:1 devices grades 512 and classroom devices in the elementary
grades as well as access to curriculum that
includes video conferencing, robotics, interactive computer labs, 3-D printers, artistic
music recordings, and Smart Boards.
Educators are committed to their work
and to professional improvement, and they
frequently serve as speakers at local, state
and national conferences for STEM,
Advanced Placement, mathematics and science, and technologies. Administrators are
trained in educational leadership through the
National Institute of School Leadership
(NISL), as other educators pursue doctorate
and advanced degrees in an array of educator content and licensure areas.
Marlborough boasts that 100% of its educators are highly qualified and possess
advanced degrees. The school environment
is such that educator initiatives, risk-taking,
and persistence are supported. It is this
learning environment that attracts others to
explore and become part of the
Marlborough school community.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Rousing school year kickoff ......................... 1
Richer School marks fifty years ................. 17
New sculptures will leave lasting legacy ...... 5
Special training for Jaworek teachers ........ 19
District adopts five objectives ....................... 1
Managing student lunch accounts online ...... 5
Development opportunities for teachers ...... 7
New Early College High School options ...... 7
Early Childhood Center update ..................... 8
District social media presence increases ....... 8
Update from Hildreth school ........................ 9
Update from Richer School ....................... 16
Update from Jaworek School .................... 18
Update from Kane School .......................... 20
Kane shows its community spirit ................ 21
Update from Whitcomb School ................ 22
Teaching like a "PIRATE" ......................... 23
Update from Marlborough High ................. 24
Students making great music ....................... 25
Panthers fall sports review .......................... 26
Panther Pride
Page 4
Fall 2015
Superintendent Richard Langlois is shown above discussing the elements of “PIRATE” teaching.
Rousing start to
the school year
Continued from front page
We’ve moved!
Now serving breakfast and lunch
577 Main Street, Hudson
Monday-Friday 8AM-4PM
Breakfast Sandwiches • Omelettes
Subs/Wraps • Seafood
Steak & Cheese • Pulled Pork & Chicken
Grilled Pizza • “Mad Mac-N-Cheese”
Burritos • Soups • Salads
... and lots more!!!
Visit us at: www.stevieseatery.com
www.facebook.com/steviesbbq
978-310-7051
and personal passion; immersion
calls teachers out to “swim” with
their students rather than to shout
directions from the safety of the
sidelines; rapport with students is
the foundation of creating a safe,
supportive, and positive classroom
environment in which to teach
them; asking and analyzing is the
best way to develop creative ideas
by asking the right questions and
being open to feedback; transformation speaks to the power of
teachers to take their subjects and,
with passion, enthusiasm, powerful presentations, and creativity,
turn them into pirate treasure;
enthusiasm is the ability to be
“on” so that the last class of the
day receives the same high-impact
lesson as the first class.
Perhaps the greatest strength of
both the book and the presentation
is the demonstration of a series of
presentational “hooks” to engage
and draw students into the content
of a class. From the Lunar Landing
Lesson, in which every trace of
light is removed from the classroom, to the dark and creepy feel of
the room for the Salem Witchcraft
Trials Lesson, to the recreation of a
Prohibition-era speakeasy, Burgess
shows how life can be infused in
creative and engaging ways into
almost any lesson.
Prior to the Opening Day presentation,
Superintendent
Langlois began to pull together his
crew to commit to this district
voyage. In mid-August, a two-day
Pirate Retreat was held for central
office administration, principals,
assistant principals, and other
instructional leaders. Piratethemed decorations, tri-cornered
hats, bandanas, and hidden treasure, revealed through a series of
questions about the pre-read book,
“Teach Like a Pirate,” set the stage
for the serious work ahead.
Much of this work centered on
looking globally at preliminary
2015 MCAS data and at the
strengths and areas of opportunity in each school. Building principals assumed the role of captains of their crews as they dissected the data and set the compass for a plan of action. The
resultant development of the
2015-2016 district goals reflects
the willingness of the team to
live by this new PIRATE code as
one of the resolute goals reads:
Create an engaging PIRATE
learning environment for all students and staff.
When Opening Day arrived,
enthusiasm already was high
among the leadership team as they
once again donned their pirate
regalia, and the group was even
joined by some student pirates.
The presentation by Burgess gave
way to further delineation of the
PIRATE code by Superintendent
Langlois, who urged staff to commit to the journey by outlining the
PIRATE system and forming a
connection between it and the
newly crafted district goals.
Several hundred copies of “Teach
Like a Pirate” were made available in school buildings, along
with a copy of the picture book, “P
is for Pirate,” in the hands of every
elementary teacher.
“Teach Like a Pirate” book
studies have sprung up throughout
Marlborough Public Schools, and
several staff members can be seen
proudly wearing their pirate tshirts, awarded by acclaim of their
peers and leaders as those exemplifying the PIRATE code. Two
middle school teachers are hosting
a professional development session called “A PIRATE’s Life for
Me.” Twenty-four teachers are
reading “Teach Like a Pirate” as
one of the mentor texts in their
New Teacher Course, and weekly
principal messages often start with
a “Pirate Tip.” In these and other
ways the message of Burgess continues to chart the course for the
school year.
Superintendent Langlois challenged each staff member to
answer his question: “If it’s treasure we seek, where should our
voyage take us?” The direction
seems clear as the staff of the district is working to ensure the best
teaching and learning experience
for all students in the Marlborough
Public Schools.
PROJECT COMPLETION CELEBRATED
Panther Pride
Fall 2015
New sculptures will leave a lasting legacy at Marlborough High School
By Maureen Greulich
Executive Director
Secondary Education
Many travelers on the northern
section of Route 495 South are
familiar with the landmark sixteen-foot-tall dog installed near
the highway. This iconic public
display, American Dog, is perhaps
the best known work of large
scale metal sculptor, Dale Rogers,
the founder and owner of Dale
Rogers Studio in Haverhill, MA.
Marlborough Public Schools
had the rare opportunity to partner with Dale Rogers as part of a
high school artist-in-residence
project during the 2014-2015
school year. Under the stewardship of Visual Arts Coordinator
Julie Baker, the preliminary
stages of this project began in
October 2014 when Rogers presented to a group of students the
story of his journey as an artist
and designer. A sculpture project
sprang to life as students played a
role in the design process that
culminated in the installation of
two sculptures on the campus of
Marlborough High School.
Drawing on the insistence of
the students to honor the school
mascot, the Panther, a twentyfoot-long panther silhouette, was
installed in the natural landscape
along a pathway leading to the
school. Its arrival caused quite a
stir.
In addition, the entrance to the
high school is now graced by a
second sculpture, a whimsical
“Retro Trees” group complete
with a yellow bird perched in its
branches. Along the vertical
trunk of one tree is a saying,
voted on by the staff to symbolize their educational ideals:
There are two lasting gifts we
can give our children – one is
roots, the other is wings.
A September 10th ceremony
was a true collaboration of the
dedicated staff who came together to make this sculpture project
a reality. Principal Charles Caliri
unveiled the sculptures and
extended the gratitude of the
Marlborough community to
Aramark, the district’s food service provider, whose gift funds
underwrote this project, as well
to Superintendent Richard
Langlois, whose vision and generous donation made this project
possible.
Dale Rogers continues to
invest his time in the design of
Panther keychains to accompany
this project. Pewter Panthers
soon will adorn staff and student
key rings, while plans are also
underway by Marlborough High
engineering students to customize these keychain models by
sport and to use a 3D printer for
their manufacture.
Talks already have begun for
the installation of a second panther at Whitcomb School later
this year.
By partnering with this wellknown local artist, students experienced a real-world educational
experience that blurred the lines
between art, design, technology,
and engineering and produced a
lasting legacy on the high school
campus.
Page 5
NEWS
BRIEFS
BRIEFS
Registration ongoing
for winter sports
Marlborough High School
winter sports sign-ups are
available online via a link on
the Marlborough High athletics
webpage. All student-athletes
interested in participating must
sign up online ASAP and have
a valid physical as of
November 30th, the first day of
winter sports. Try-out schedare
posted
at
ules
www.mwlma.org.
Whitcomb sign-ups for middle school basketball are now
open on the Whitcomb athletics
webpage. Any sixth-, seventhor eighth-grader interested in
trying out must sign up ASAP
online and have a valid physical as of November 30th, the
first day of winter sports. Also,
any eighth-grader interested in
playing high school junior varsity hockey must sign up online
ASAP and have a valid physical. Try-out schedules are posted at www.mwlma.org.
For questions or additional
information, contact Athletic
Director Jeff Rudzinsky at
[email protected] or at
508-460-3500, ext. 7410.
Managing student
lunch accounts online
All parents of Marlborough
Public Schools (MPS) students can now manage student
lunch accounts and add
money online. New this
school year is a partnership
between MPS and Send
MoneyToSchool.com to provide Marlborough Public
Schools families with the convenience of online food service account management.
The partnership is in
response to frequent requests
from parents for a system that
would enable them to check
their child’s lunch accounts,
monitor their purchases, and
Continued on page 7
Page 6
District adopts
five objectives
Continued from front page
1) with increasing levels of interventions for students that require
supports. The focus will continue
to be on creating a strong foundations for all students.
2. Own the achievement of
ALL students through responsibility and accountability Students in Marlborough Public
Schools are fortunate to have
specialized staff to support their
varied needs. In reviewing
achievement data, the administration continues to be concerned
about the achievement gap.
Students need to be able to
depend on all support staff,
teachers and administrators, and
the entire staff must work together to address this gap.
3. Engage all students and
their families in culturally proficient ways - In order to work as a
team to support students, staff
must work with all families.
Over the last few years, teachers
have relied on SchoolMessenger,
e-mails and the Aspen Parent
Portal to increase parent communication. This goal adds a “cul-
tural” aspect to working with
families. It communicates a commitment to increase translations
and access to translators during
school events. It also expresses a
commitment to planned outreach
to all families during the year.
4. Continue to cultivate a
strong digital learning ecosystem
- Superintendent Langlois has
been working to increase the district’s digital capacity over the
last three years. This goal focuses
on continuing that work. It began
with the transition to Aspen as
that student data management
system two years ago. During the
first year, student schedules,
grades and the student and parent
portals were implemented. In
year two, the system will be
expanded for curriculum, 504
accommodations, and IEPs. The
district has also continued its oneto-one initiative with Chromebook distribution expanding to
grades three and four. With this
expansion, all K-4 students were
able to participate in a quick
online universal screening assessment in the beginning of the year,
which allowed the teachers to
identify students in need of interventions (this digital initiative
supports the MTSS.) The district
Panther Pride
Fall 2015
A presentation slide detailing the five district goals for the 2015-2016 school year.
has also begun to integrate the
digital learning ecosystem into
professional development structures. Staff are now signing up
and tracking their professional
development digitally, and new
online resources have been introduced to support the needs of
support staff.
5. Create a PIRATE learning
environment for all students and
staff. Every new school year
begins for staff with a day of professional development. This year
our key note speaker was Dave
Burgess, author of “Teach Like A
Pirate:
Increase
Student
Engagement,
Boost
Your
Creativity, and Transform Your
Life.” Throughout the year all
staff members are being encouraged to take risks and grow by
implementing PIRATE principals
(Passion,
Immersion,
Rapport, Ask and Analyze,
Transformation,
and
Enthusiasm).
CAN AUTO COLLISION REPAIR BENEFIT YOUR SCHOOL?
It can when you get your car repaired at Waldron’s Carstar
CARSTAR is dedicated to high-quality auto collision repair and excellent
customer service, but above all, we are dedicated to benefiting our
community and its future.
So when you, your principal, other teachers, faculty members, coaches,
parents or anyone else associated with your school gets their car repaired at
CARSTAR, we’ll donate $25 to your school’s PTO/PTA for each car repaired.
At CARSTAR, we care about customer satisfaction and getting you back on
the road. We also care about our community and its educational institutions.
CARSTAR
®
★
Quality Collision Service
Relax, We’ll Take It From Here®.
Waldron’s AB Carstar
Marlborough • Lancaster • Clinton • Worcester
508-485-9426 ★ 1-800-CARSTAR ★ CARSTAR.com
Please clip this coupon and bring it to our shop, and when
your auto body work is completed we will make the donation.
★
DONATE TO EDUCATE
★
Panther Pride
Fall 2015
Page 7
ONGOING GROWTH
Development opportunities for teachers
By Mary Murphy
Executive Director
Primary and
Elementary Education
New SMART Table for Early Childhood Center
Last month, Early Childhood Center faculty and staff members spent a morning learning the ins and
outs of the school's new SMART Table, an educational tool that encourages collaboration and socialization using hands-on, age-appropriate technology. Through numerous applications, the table's horizontal
surface accommodates all types of learners, helping them to express their creativity and hone skills that
will help them succeed.
Managing student
lunch accounts online
Continued from page 5
be able to add money to those
accounts as needed online.
Parents and guardians of
Marlborough students can create
an online account and link it to
the food service information for
each of their children. Using
their SendMoneyToSchool.com
account, parents and guardians
can see their child’s balances and
activities – current and past – as
well as add money to their food
service accounts using Visa,
MasterCard or Discover credit
cards or debit cards.
The online payment system is
not mandatory; if preferable, students may continue to use cash or
checks at their cafeteria terminals.
Creating an account and monitoring student lunch activity is
free, and there is no charge for students to use cash or checks in their
cafeterias to purchase food or add
money to their food service
accounts. To add money to student
accounts online, SendMoney
ToSchool assesses a $2 handling
fee per transaction to cover the
cost of administering the online
system and providing this oftenrequested convenience to our families. Marlborough Public Schools
does not benefit from this transaction fee.
Currently, the SendMoney
ToSchool.com online payment
system can only be used for food
services. No other fees or accounts
can be managed via this service at
this time.
For step-by-step instructions
about setting up an account, parents and guardians should log onto
www.mps-edu.org and visit the
“Lunch Menus/Food Services”
link under the “Students and
Family” tab.
New Early College
High School options
The Marlborough Public
Schools District recently signed
an agreement with Quinsigamond
Community College (QCC) that
outlines a partnership to enable
Marlborough High juniors and
seniors to enroll in either online or
face-to-face courses by QCC for
no cost. Additionally, the agreement allows for Marlborough
High students upon graduation
who matriculate to QCC to attend
the college at reduced cost.
The district and QCC are working on defining the course offerings, and it is hoped that classes
will be determined and logistics
completed by the second semester.
The agreement is part of the district’s efforts toward furthering the
Marlborough High Early College
High School concept.
Safety update:
radios and ALICE
Marlborough Public Schools
(MPS) is dedicated to implementing the best safety practices and
emergency response protocols
available to ensure the safest possible environment for all and to be
able to respond to any emergency
efficiently and effectively. The
district has a comprehensive
Safety/Crisis Management Plan
that has been developed in collaboration with Marlborough police,
fire and emergency response officials.
To further enhance its safety
and crisis management capabiliContinued on next page
Every school year, professional development days are a priority when establishing the school
year calendar. During professional development days, staff
may attend trainings that support
long-term district goals or state
mandates.
For
example,
throughout the school year, all
staff members will participate in
a training titled Creating a Safe
and Supportive School Environment: Non-discrimination on the
Basis of Gender Identity. This
training aligns with the goal of
creating a safe and supportive
school environment for all of
students. This is also just one of
the trainings that are available
during the year that support district goal number two: Own the
achievement of ALL students
through responsibility and
accountability.
Over the last few years, the
district has transitioned many
instructional and operational
systems while moving towards a
digital learning ecosystem (district goal number four). The way
in which professional development has been planned, communicated and offered is another
example of this transition.
Professional staff now log on to
their TeachPoint accounts and
register for their desired workshops. Professional development for many staff has focused
on using classroom technology
and accessing additional targeted
trainings online. Teachers have
been offered trainings on using
Chromebooks, Aspen, iPads and
PowerPoint in new ways in their
classrooms. Webinars that focus
on looking at data from universal
screenings and new instructional
materials have also been offered.
Many of the district’s new
professional development offerings have focused on supporting
teachers in core classroom
instruction – in other words,
strengthening curriculum and
instruction for all students. In
addition to content-specific
workshops, offerings such as
The DBQ Project, Go Math,
Interactive
and
Effective
Instructional Activities, Writing
Workshop and Writing with
Colors all support district goal
number one: Continue to build a
strong Tier 1 level of academic
and behavioral support PK-12.
Whitcomb School spent a professional development day
attending Effective Strategies for
Students with Anxiety and
Oppositional Defiance Disorder.
This training supported their
continued focus on PBIS
(Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports).
Over the next few years, all
teachers will be required to
demonstrate that they have successfully completed fifteen hours
of trainings on how to meet the
needs of students with special
needs and those who are English
language learners. Teachers are
being offered a variety of trainings that will meet these requirements. These workshops focus on
assessments, instruction and
sometimes legal responsibilities.
Workshops that focus on
Teaching Children of Poverty,
Cultural Understanding, and The
Legal
and
Historical
Development
of
Special
Education have been developed.
These offerings also support district goals two and three: Own the
achievement of ALL students
through responsibility and
accountability; and Engage all
students and their families in culturally proficient ways.
Every year the Marlborough
Public Schools staff’s first day of
school is one of professional
development. This year, the
theme of that day supported district goal number five: Create a
PIRATE learning environment
for all students and staff (see
page one for more details). A few
offerings such as Best PIRATE
Practices (with a focus on dayto-day formative assessment
strategies) and The Pirate’s Life
for Me, celebrate this goal – but
all of the Marlborough staff and
outside providers who have provided professional development
through the year have modeled
the PIRATE mentality (Passion,
Immersion, Rapport, Ask and
Analyze, Transformation, and
Enthusiasm).
Page 8
Safety update:
radios and ALICE
Continued from previous page
ties, the district is in the process
of implementing two initiatives. Starting with the high
school, MPS will be implementing the ALICE (AlertLockdown-Inform-CounterEvacuate) protocol for lockdown practices. The purpose of
ALICE is to allow for
improved survivability during
an armed intruder or other lifethreatening event. Once the
high school is ALICE-enabled,
Whitcomb will follow. All district families received a letter
from the superintendent regarding ALICE earlier this year.
Key to district safety in general and to the application of
the ALICE protocol is a
dependable and updated internal radio communication system. A new digital radio system
is being phased in, beginning
with the high school,
Whitcomb and the District
Education Center/Early Childhood Center. Administrators
will be able to communicate
with each other, building to
building, and each building will
have an enhanced internal radio
system so building staff can
communicate well with each
other as needed.
The Hildreth and elementary
schools also will receive new
radios as funding becomes
available.
District social media
presence increases
Although the district website
remains a significant source for
district and school information,
Marlborough Public Schools
(MPS) recently took one more
step in getting information into
the hands of its families and
community. In addition to the
start of the district’s Facebook
page last year, MPS now has a
district
Twitter
account:
@MarlboroPubSch. Both the
Facebook and Twitter accounts
are accessible on the district’s
website
homepage
at
Continued on next page
EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER UPDATE
Panther Pride
Fall 2015
Full day PK-1 and change to the weekly schedule have worked out well
By Andrew Bernabei, Director
Early Childhood Center
School is in full swing at the
Marlborough Early Childhood
Center. I have settled into the
role as director, and I am happy
and honored to serve the children, families and staff at the
MECC.
At the end of last year we saw
one teacher, one physical therapist, one secretary, and three
paraprofessionals retire. We were
sad to see them all leave, and we
wish them well in this next stage
of their lives.
On the plus side for this year,
we have added two new paraprofessionals, a physical therapist, a
secretary, and a new teacher.
These new staff bring a wealth of
skills and experience with them,
and we have adjusted to this
change very positively.
Also new this year, we added a
full-day Preschool 1 (PK-1)
classroom. The PK-1 students in
this classroom are one year away
from kindergarten. They start
their day at 9:00 AM and they are
here until 3:00 PM, just like
kindergartners are at the elementary schools. The students
seemed to have settled in and are
enjoying their day.
This new classroom is piloting
Behavioral
InterPositive
ventions and Supports (PBIS), a
systematic
framework
for
improving valued social, emotional, behavioral and learning
outcomes for young children in
early childhood education programs.
PBIS uses a broad set of evidence-based systemic and individualized strategies to effectively prevent and respond to challenging problem behavior. The
progress we have seen already in
the classroom has been impressive.
Also changed this year is the
schedule of the other preschool
classrooms. Gone are the
Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday morning or afternoon rotations. Now, all
preschool students in the morn-
ing or afternoon sessions attend
school four days a week,
Monday through Thursday. This
new schedule provides better
continuity of experience and an
opportunity for all preschoolers
to be better prepared for learning
in kindergarten and beyond. We
have received very positive feedback from our parents about this
change.
Going along with the theme of
change at the Marlborough Early
Childhood Center, we have a
new mascot and slogan. We are
now known as the Marlborough
Early Childhood Center Cubs,
creating caring, cooperative, safe
Panthers of the future. The staff
and I felt that the Cubs mascot
goes along with the Panthers
mascot for the middle and high
school. We plan to have shirts
and hats made to go along with
our new slogan and mascot!
We have a lot going on at the
Marlborough Early Childhood
Center. I am looking forward to
the rest of the year!
Panther Pride
Fall 2015
Page 9
UPDATE FROM HILDRETH SCHOOL
Implementing new initiatives to improve student-teacher relationships
By Toby Peterson
Director, Hildreth School
I am very excited about the new
school year and about the positive
changes the Phoenix and ACTT
Programs have undergone as we
head into the year.
The Hildreth School began this
school year with minimal staff
turnover. The team continues to
work together to provide structure, support and consistency for
our students.
Hildreth staff continue to provide opportunities to build strong
relationships with our students.
We surveyed students, asking
how
we
could
improve
student/teacher relationships. We
have identified some activities we
will be undertaking to achieve
this.
First, we will offer a monthly
staff/student game, such as volleyball, dodgeball, soccer, capture
the flag, basketball, kickball, and
floor hockey.
In addition, Hildreth staff have
committed to contacting at least
four families a month to report
positive student progress.
Third, we will host a
Thanksgiving luncheon on
November 24th. Hildreth staff
will be making a traditional
Thanksgiving lunch for students
and their families. Staff members
will serve students and then will
join them for lunch.
District social media
presence increases
Continued from previous page
www.mps-edu.org. Those who
follow MPS on social media will
be among the first to learn about
the good things going on in the
district.
New grade-level
teacher leaders
The Whitcomb School has new
leadership staff to help their peers
and the administration build support and instructional strength
across the district. The following
grades 6-8 leaders join the content
Fourth, Hildreth staff will be
hosting an International Day luncheon in March to celebrate cultural diversity. Students and staff
will prepare food that represents
their culture and educate each
other about their dishes and heritage at the luncheon.
Finally, I will be meeting with
the student government throughout the year to discuss other relationship-building opportunities.
On another front, we are working to implement PBIS (Positive
Behavioral Interventions and
Supports). A committee has been
developed to identify and analyze
academic, social, emotional, and
behavioral trends. We will implement targeted interventions based
upon specific data points. The
committee will meet each month
to monitor progress.
School adjustment counselors
Jen Zannoni and Erik Gans are
offering groups to students to
assist them in learning practical
life skills they will utilize in and
out of school. The topics include,
but are not limited to, conflict resolution, healthy choices, relaxation, exploring social norms,
teen pregnancy, teen parenting,
cultural competency, respect,
trust, and bullying.
The Hildreth School Interact
Club is stronger than ever. Nicole
Olsen will be leading nine students in various communitybased opportunities. Interact Club
leaders at the fifth-grade level, and
they will help support their respective content areas as well as provide both horizontal and vertical
continuity from grade to grade and
subject to subject - Rupel Patel,
Alison Hathaway, Hannah Tolla,
Rebecca Murphy, Elton Thomas
and Jocelyn Demuth.
One City, One Book
literacy initiative ends
After weeks of free book distributions, book discussions and
book clubs, owl shows, owl crafts,
and more, the Marlborough
Reads: One City, One Book literacy initiative wrapped up its activities with some hands-on crafts, a
members will be volunteering at
the local food pantry, working
with the Rotary Club to prepare
for the annual Turkey Shoot, participating in a school food drive,
and participating in various cleanup opportunities at the school and
around the city.
A point-and-level system also
has been enhanced to help support
and motivate students. Teachers
enter points based upon classroom behavioral, social, emotional, and academic objectives each
period for each student. At the end
of each week, points are calculated and students are recognized for
their efforts. A school store has
been created to further enhance
this system. Instructional support
teams meet regularly to identify
trends and to collaborate to develop targeted interventions. We are
consulting with a board-certified
behavioral analyst to maximize
the success of these efforts.
We have a lot of work ahead of
us and I believe the Hildreth
School staff is stronger than ever.
We will continue to collaborate to
refine and adjust program options
to meet the diverse needs of our
students. I look forward to the
work ahead and am thrilled to be
part of the dedicated team at
Hildreth School.
The school can be contacted
during office hours, 7:30 AM to
4:00 PM. The school also has a
web page at www.mps-edu.org.
raffle and the showing of the
movie “Hoot” based on the “one
book” everyone was encouraged
to read.
A collaborative effort between
the Marlborough Public Schools
and the Marlborough Public
Library, Marlborough Reads: One
City, One Book was designed to
foster literacy through the sharing
of a single book and activities
related to it. Organizers will
debrief about the initiative within
the next few weeks and discuss
future
possibilities
for
Marlborough Reads: One City,
One Book.
The district staff is particularly
grateful to the Marlborough
Brigham Family Trust for its 2014
grant to fund the initiative.
Our mission is to promote
and advocate for our members’
business and civic interests
and to collaborate with the
communities for the overall
economic benefit
of the region.
Great Networking Opportunities
Valuable Referral Services
Low-Cost Ways to
Promote Your Business
Group Purchasing Discounts
Discounts on Products and Services
from other Members
Research and Resources
Effective Representation
Employer and Employee Education
508-485-7746
11 Florence Street
Marlborough, MA
www.marlboroughchamber.org
Page 10
Panther Pride
Fall 2015
Special guest reader - State Senator Jamie Eldridge stopped by Jaworek
Elementary in October to read “Can I Play Too” to Nancy Tucker’s kindergartners
for the school’s annual Community Reader Day.
Dunk him! - The Kane PTO hosted a family fun day in September featuring games,
food, prizes and a chance for students to see some of their favorite adults fall into a
tub of water, including wellness/physical education teacher Dan Rudzinsky.
Writing seminar - Award-winning author Michael Patrick MacDonald visited
Marlborough High English students to talk about his life and being a writer. He
also engaged AP English students in a five-minute writing exercise.
New landmark - Whimsical “Retro Trees” now grace the entrance to the high
school thanks to an “Artist in Residence” project. Shown are Superintendent Richard
Langlois, Mayor Arthur Vigeant, and Principal Charles Caliri. See page-5 for more.
Panther Pride
Fall 2015
No ordinary class picture
On October 9th, the senior class of Marlborough High School
converged on Vital Field for a one-of-a-kind photo shoot of the
class. Forming a giant 2016 in the field, the students posed for
some aerial shots of their class taken by parent Paul Wager.
Page 11
Page 12
Panther Pride
Fall 2015
STEM Summit
Eighteen district administrators, School Committee
members, teachers and business partners attended the
annual STEM Summit at the
DCU Center in Worcester
earlier this month. Marlborough High ninth-grade
STEM teachers Heather
Kohn, Scott Brown and
Sheldon Vigeant presented
their hands-on “Accepting the
Challenge: Design Meaningful Projects” to a standing
room-only crowd in the center's Central Ballroom.
Writing memoirs
Students on Whitcomb
Schools Team-7B have been
diligently working on creating memoirs during Writer’s
Workshop.
Recently, the students each
wrote about a meaningful
memory they had, then shared
their writings with their family and friends in a showcase
event on November 10th.
For example, Brooke
Bishop wrote about meeting
Property Brothers, Drew and
Jonathan Scott, who played a
bit of a prank on her.
Shown are Sarah Barroso,
Brooke Bishop, Joseph
VanBuskirk and Chanson
Nesbitt during the showcase.
Fall 2015
High tech driving
Marlborough High School
senior Teo Manuel takes a
turn at the wheel of the
Distractology driving simulator to experience the perils of
distracted driving. The simulator visited Marlborough
High School in September
courtesy of Marlborough’s
L&S Boule Insurance Agency
and Arbella Insurance.
Free computer classes
The Marlborough High
School Business Professionals of America Club
offered computer classes for
the community on Wednesday evenings in October.
Course options included
Microsoft Windows, Word,
Excel, Publisher, Access and
PowerPoint as well as
Internet and e-mail skills.
The classes were free to
anyone in the community.
However, donations were
welcomed to help students
attend the 2015-2016 BPA
State and National Leadership conferences in March
and May.
Shown is Marlborough resident John Sahagian working
with BPA student Ivana
Awada.
Panther Pride
Page 13
Page 14
Panther Pride
Fall 2015
Marlborough musicians shine
The MA Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education held its annual Fall Convening in October, where
schools from around the state send teams of administrators
and educators to showcase programs and initiatives, share
and collaborate on best practices, and network to strengthen
the state’s educational system.
This year, Marlborough Public Schools was asked to be a
part of this key educational conference by providing opening ceremony music and creating an art display for the more
than 1,000 attendees to enjoy. The high school Chamber
Players took the stage both mornings to open the conference
with a playlist of classic chamber music. Marlborough student artwork adorned the hallway and display kiosk and
drew both attention and admiration from attendees.
As one conference attendee said, “What a perfect way to
set the tone for the conference!” Additionally, the Chamber
Players and district music coordinator Jonathan Rosenthal
received personal congratulations from Commissioner of
Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell Chester.
The Marlborough Chamber Players are Violin I: Ashley
Antonellis, Olivia Tobin; Violin II: Annie Loris, Sarah
Naim; Viola: Michelle Gordon, Leeor Harel; Cello: Meghan
Taylor, Kylee Lewis; and Bass: Ashley Levy. They are pictured with Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary
Education Mitchell Chester, Jonathan Rosenthal, and
Superintendent Richard Langlois.
Fall 2015
Welcome, friends!
In late August, Marlborough High School welcomed seven students from
China for the school year. The
students are visiting as part of
Marlborough’s participation
in the Cambridge Institute of
Education’s
International
exchange program. Shown in
front (l-r) are Youjing Yang,
Ming Yan, and Nan Zhou; and
in back, Zixi Shi, Daiyou Yue,
Guofu Qin, and Shengyue
Ouyang.
Youth jobs program
More
than
twenty
Marlborough High juniors
and seniors participated in the
city’s Youth Employment
Program this past summer,
working a six-week job with
city departments, Embassy
Suites, New Horizons, Stone
Hill Farms, St. Mary’s Credit
Union, the Boys and Girls
Club, and Geisel Software.
Shown (l-r) in front are,
Doug Bushman (Housing),
Melissa Pierre, Caleigh
Sable, Victoria Petrie, James
Walsh, and Ethan Cox; and in
back, Gary Hibyan (New
Horizons), Mike Brodeur
(Housing), Michael Gould,
Ivan Tashchuk, Mayor Arthur
Vigeant, Kelley French
(PSW), Margaret Cardello
(Library), Mark Gibbs (IT),
Diana Boudreau (PSW and
MHS), and Cassandra Pierre.
Panther Pride
Page 15
Panther Pride
Page 16
Fall 2015
UPDATE FROM RICHER
Busy with activity and grateful for PTO support
By Alyssa Tully, Principal
Richer Elementary School
Proud member of the BBB, Marlborough Chamber of Commerce,
Marlborough Rotary Club, and the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers
Proud supporter of
Marlborough Public Schools
• All Nighter sponsor
• MHS Drama Club sponsor
• MHS Music Association sponsor
Plus ...Support through the
programs offered by the
Marlborough Rotary Club
See what our customers are saying about us at ...
www.albrodeur.com
508.485.1082
412 South Street, Marlborough, MA 01752
Licensed Appraiser
Lic.# 5459
Fully bonded and insured
Mass Registration
#RS347
The leaves are falling and there is a
chill in the air. There is no doubt that
November has arrived. I have been at
Richer now for a few months and it is
starting to feel like my new home. The
staff, students and families of the Richer
School community have supported my
transition with big smiles and often a
helping hand. For this I am grateful.
Walking through classrooms the last
couple of months I have been most
impressed to see small group, targeted
instruction happening in all of the classrooms. In kindergarten I noticed students
have been working hard with Tens
Frames in an effort to gain a solid number
sense of 5s and 10s.
As fall edged its way in, our first grade
turned the Richer School courtyard into a
pumpkin patch! The students went out
and were able to pick a pumpkin of their
own. This fun was followed by science
activities and experiments where students
were making hypothesis and documenting observations.
Second-graders recently brought a
piece of their writing to publishing. Both
second- and third-graders have been
focusing on writing about “small
moments” to further develop details in
writing that will enhance the quality and
interest level of their work.
In fourth-grade math, many classrooms
have been working to reinforce place
value to the hundred thousand.
One of my biggest take-aways from
being in all the rooms is how each grade
level is really building upon the skills
from the grade level previous. There is
such a connectedness, not only between
classrooms in the grades, but an obvious
connection between the grades.
In addition to the students learning, it
has been a fall filled with professional
learning for the Richer School staff.
Professional development opportunities
have included a wide variety of choices
and content areas. Go Math training, gender identity training by the Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education’s
Safe Schools Program, Writing With
Colors to Enhance Open Response, How
to Explicitly Teach Vocabulary, ELL and
special education offerings, and Reading
Fluency Strategies are just some of the
wide array of professional development
the district has been able to offer. Most
impressive is that the district has been
able to offer teachers multiple choices in
selecting the PD offerings that can best
help them in their classrooms.
In addition to the staff and students
working so hard, Richer School and the
Richer PTO have many events for the students! The school staff hosted Richer
School’s 50th Anniversary which had
more than 1,000 staff, students and families attend. The Richer PTO has already
hosted some fun and exciting family
events. Bingo Night and Science Night
brought out families and allowed parents
to engage in learning and fun.
In addition to the PTO’s evening
events, the PTO has begun to bring in cultural arts experiences to the grade levels.
The fourth-graders have had a visit from
author Julie Berry. Additionally, they
were able to experience the Planetarium
that recreated the solar system in our
gymnasium. Third-graders had a visit
from the Pilgrims who arrived in traditional garb and shared stories of their
lives. First-graders had a visit from the
Science Bug, and kindergarten had Mr.
Kim the music man. By the end of the
year, all grades will have had the benefit
of a couple of these types of experiences
that support and enhance the grade-level
curriculums. All of these cultural arts
events are funded by the Richer PTO and
family fund-raising events. This is so
important and greatly appreciated, noting
many of our students would not otherwise
have these experiences without the PTO’s
support and generosity.
One last item of note. As our families
know, we are bursting at the seams here,
as well as at the district’s two other elementary schools. The districts has filed a
“statement of interest” with the state to
request a partnership to help significantly
renovate our school and/or build a new
elementary school in our district. Details
about this process can be found in this
edition of Panther Pride.
It has been a pleasure settling in here at
the Richer. I have received a warm welcome and am looking to the rest of the
year with high hopes for staff and students alike. I would love to meet with or
speak with any family that have questions
or would just like to sit down for a talk. I
can be reached in the Richer School office
and my e-mail contact information is on
the Richer website. Thank you for allowing me the distinct honor of caring for and
serving your children.
Richer School
Profile
Grades - K thru 4
Student Population
555
Telephone
508-460-3504
CAUSE TO CELEBRATE
Fall 2015
Panther Pride
Page 17
Richer School marks fifty-year milestone
By Jim Ash
Publisher
The staff of Richer School
hosted a day of special events
and activities on Wednesday,
October 28th to celebrate the
fiftieth birthday of the school.
Highlighting the day were two
major events, a ceremony held in
the courtyard at 1:00 PM with a
collection of invited guests in
attendance, followed by a big
birthday bash at 5:00 PM for students and family.
The building opened as the
West Elementary School in 1965,
with 704 students, twenty-three
classrooms and a cafeteria. It was
later named for Raymond C.
Richer
who
served
as
Marlborough superintendent for
twenty-one years (1953-1974),
during which time Jaworek,
Kane and the current Whitcomb
Schools were built.
Commenting on the day-long
festivities, Principal Alyssa Tully
stated, “It took many people and
many hours to plan, but it proved
to be more than worth it.”
The celebration actually began
at the start of school with students and staff circling the entire
building. Everyone sang Happy
Birthday, then fifty balloons
were released to the sky.
There was a threat of rain for
the early afternoon ceremony but
the weather held out long enough
to complete the planned festivities. Tully was joined by Mayor
Arthur
Vigeant
and
Superintendent of Schools
Richard Langlois in offering
brief remarks.
“We are so fortunate to have so
many distinguished guests joining us to honor the fifty years of
high quality education that has
taken place inside these walls,”
commented Tully.
Both Langlois and Vigeant followed, with each expressing a
desire to see either major renovations to Richer or a new building
constructed to expand classroom
space in Marlborough for elementary students.
“The building has been well
maintained and people still feel
that same sense of pride being
part of the Richer family,” said
Langlois, “but Richer faces challenges to keep pace with the
future.” Vigeant said he hoped to
celebrate a groundbreaking in the
not too distant future.
Next came the official burial
of two time capsules with selected students (Danniel DeSousa,
Violet Ren, Emily O’Mara,
Katelyn
Massey,
Zachary
Barton, and Ash Gontarz) shov-
Richer Principal Alyssa Tully speaking at the afternoon ceremony held in the Richer courtyard,
with Mayor Arthur Vigeant (center) and Superintendent of Schools Richard Langlois (right).
eling in the first loads of dirt.
Elsewhere in the courtyard a new
tree was planted, with the same
students shoveling in dirt there as
well.
After the ceremony, special
guests were invited to participate
in a community reading exercise
that covered all classes.
Next came the big event of the
day, the birthday bash. Close to
one thousand students and family
members were greeted at the
Zachary Barton dumps a shovel load of dirt onto a time capsule that will
be opened in twenty-five years, as Assistant Principal R.J. Skaza looks on.
door by staff and administrators
who created an immediate festive atmosphere with boisterous
cheering at the front door.
From that spot, all guests were
sent in a clockwise direction
around the school to various stations until they had gone near full
circle to the cafeteria were pizza,
cake and cupcakes were served.
Along the way, there was free
cotton candy; a place for students
to write or draw their favorite
thing about Richer; a free backpack, stocked with supplies, for
every student; and a Book Fair to
browse.
Tully commended School
Adjustment Counselor Karen
Rivera for taking the lead in planning the day. In her monthly
newsletter, Tully wrote, “First, I
want to extend a huge thank you to
the planning committee members
led by Karen Rivera. Without all
of your research and manpower
none of the festivities would have
been possible. Your creativity and
commitment were impressive.”
Tully continued, “Second, I
want to thank all staff for their
flexibility and support of the
event. There were many late
game changes with different
activities and it was evident that
all challenges were met by positive attitudes. Lastly, I want to
say thank you to the entire Richer
School community. Students,
families, retired teachers and
administrators, staff and their
families, all came out to honor
our school. The sound of laughter and the sea of smiles truly
touched my heart as we celebrated our school and really strengthened our school community.”
Also part of the fiftieth celebration was the crafting of a special quilt made possible by
Richer Paraeducator Marilee
Alexander. The quilt included a
square from every class signed
by everyone in that class, with
each grade represented by its
own color. Alexander was
thanked for her hard work with a
bouquet of flowers.
Numerous local businesses
made generous contributions to
support the special day, including
Price Chopper (balloons), Shrubs
and Trees (tree), Grand Rental
Station (cotton candy machine),
Classic Pizza 1 (one hundred
fifty pizzas), McDonalds (drinks)
and SanDisk (six hundred
stocked backpacks), and Pub 99
Restaurant (popcorn).
Of particular note, Ana Cabral
and Martha Priest baked a cake
and cupcakes to feed all the
guests.
In addition, the following businesses donated gift certificates
and/or services - Sky Zone,
Claytime, Taqueria La Tapatilla,
Wegman’s Supermarket, GPS
Financial, Ecotarium, Boost
Fitness,
Roller
Kingdom,
Hannaford’s, Printing Depot, and
Worcester Bravehearts.
Panther Pride
Page 18
Fall 2015
UPDATE FROM JAWOREK
Striving to maximize attendance and reduce tardiness
By Ronald Sanborn, Principal
Jaworek Elementary School
*Account transactions and activities may take one or more days to post and settle to the account and all must do
so during the Monthly Qualification Cycle in order to qualify for the account’s rewards. “Monthly Qualification
Cycle” means a period beginning one (1) day prior to the first day of the current statement cycle through one
(1) day prior to the close of the current statement cycle. When your Kasasa Cash account qualifications are met
during a Monthly Qualification Cycle, (1) Balances up to $10,000 receive APY of 2.00%; and balances over
$10,000 earn 0.20% interest rate on the portion of balance over $10,000, resulting in a range from 0.20% to 0.36%
APY depending on the account’s balance. When Kasasa Cash qualifications are not met, all balances in the
account earn 0.05% APY. Interest will be credited to your Kasasa Cash account on the last day of statement cycle.
APY = Annual Percentage Yield. Account approval, conditions, qualifications, limits, timeframes, enrollments,
log-ons and other requirements apply. Monthly log-on to online banking and receipt of electronic statements are
conditions of this accounts. Enrollment in electronic services (e.g. online banking, electronic statements) and
log-ons may be required to meet some of the account’s qualifications. Limit 1 account(s) per social security number or individual taxpayer identification number. There are no recurring monthly service charges or fees to open
or close this account. Contact a Marlborough Savings Bank personal banker for additional information, details,
restrictions, processing limitations and enrollment instructions.
Member FDIC / Member DIF
We are bursting with
Panther Pride!
JOIN US AT WAYSIDE RACQUET & SWIM CLUB
Tennis, Fitness, Racquetball,
Swimming & More.
Want results? Work with a trainer. Small group,
partner and one-on-one packages available.
Stop working out and start training! Call today!
Wayside Racquet & Swim Club
80 Broadmeadow St., Marlborough, MA
508-481-1797
www.wayside.net
Prior to the first day of school,
Kalliope Pantazopoulos (Jaworek’s new
assistant principal) and I were wondering who would be more excited for the
first day - the students or us? The entire
school community, students, staff and
parents were extremely warm and inviting, making us both feel at home. This is
my seventeenth year in education and
my seventh school district, starting as a
classroom teacher for eight years then
moving to curriculum positions, and
finally becoming an administrator,
where I can say I feel like I have found
my new home.
Each year, one of the activities I ask
of my staff is to take part in conducting
a 3-2-1 questionnaire. I asked them to
list three things they like about the way
the school is functioning, two things
they feel should be revisited, and one
thing they are most proud of. The
responses show that the staff enjoy how
eager the students are to learn, and the
subtle changes to the main lobby and
office. The one thing the staff is most
proud of, however, was the dedication
of the entire staff. Noted as an item that
need to be revisited was the issue of
excessive absenteeism and tardiness. I
then researched the levels of absences
and tardies for the two years prior to my
joining the city, and the information varied. But, it averaged to about eight percent absent and close to the same being
tardy during certain times.
This year, the Marlborough School
Department increased the learning day
for students by fifteen minutes, which
worried me as I was concerned this positive change might compound the issues
of attendance at Jaworek. My team and
I began to brainstorm ways to emphasize the importance of children starting
their school day on time every day.
According to the Urban Research
Project, “Absenteeism is a problem,
even in the very early grades. More than
one in four students were absent more
than ten percent of the days in the 201314 school year (Dubay and Holland
2015) ... These rates mean that children
could miss the equivalent of a month of
learning opportunities ... says Katz,
Adams
and
Johnson
(2015).”
Regarding tardiness, researcher Stacy
Zeiger, eHow Contributor Schools: The
Impact of Tardiness on School Success,
noted, “Problems with tardiness during
the most crucial learning hours of the
school day are the morning hours,
because they are when students are most
attentive. Students who are tardy miss
the beginning of their morning classes,
and they also cause a distraction when
they arrive late to class.”
Responding to the research, we decided to use the new school start time as an
opportunity to support our efforts to
decrease student absenteeism and tardiness beginning on the first day of school
by making several changes.
Morning announcements now take
place in the main office where anyone
coming in tardy can see and hear that
school has officially begun. Each morning, at 8:50 AM, four students join Mrs.
Seay (administrative assistant) to begin
the day by saying the announcements
over the loud speaker. Also at this time,
our main doors are closed and Mrs. Rudd
(administrative assistant) gathers folks
who are late in the main lobby to wait
while the announcements are occurring.
Once a moment of silence and the
Pledge of Allegiance end, the students
recite the Jaworek School Pledge, which
is as follows: As a Jaworek School
Student, I pledge to do my best in reading math and all the rest. I promise to
obey the rules in my class and in our
school. I’ll respect myself and others
too, I’ll respect the best in all I do. I’m
here to learn all I can, to try my best and
be all that I am.
Once the announcements are over,
late-arrival parents are invited to sign
their children in for the day at the office.
During this time, parents are reminded
of the start time and a reminder slip is
given to each parent, translated in three
languages, to reinforce the start time. I
also am available to meet with parents
and to devise an action plan if necessary.
Beginning in November, we will celebrate the children who earned perfect
attendance for the trimester during our
all-school meeting.
The efforts mentioned above have
already made a tremendous impact on our
school culture. Children want to come to
Jaworek each day to learn. Ensuring that
our almost eight hundred students are on
time safely and ready to learn is certainly
a team effort and follows our school
motto: “We are all in this together!”
Jaworek School
Profile
Grades - K thru 4
Student Population
781
Telephone
508-460-3506
Panther Pride
Fall 2015
SPECIAL TRAINING
Page 19
New approach for teachers
By Virgina Gehrig
Contributing Writer
This past summer, math teachers from
five school districts spent five days in an
immersive math training course conducted
by Dr. Andrew Chen and Dr. Richard Bisk.
Representing Jaworek Elementary School,
fourth-grade teacher Rebecca Kaija, firstgrade teacher Jaclyn Plank, and math specialist Jennifer Young, participated in the
unique program.
Course participants spent five days
doing math rather than listening to lectures.
For Kaija and Plank, this meant doing
eighth grade-level math problems. By
strengthening their own understanding of
math, the teachers gained renewed confidence in teaching their students.
One key component of the training, which
all of the teachers took to heart, was a concept map - a ladder of math facts, with basics
at the bottom, scaling all the way to eighthgrade mathematical topics. Everyone knows
that math builds on concepts, but by creating
a map, the teachers had a visual understanding that what they were teaching had a direct
impact on what the students would learn
later in their academic careers.
Brought to the practical level, this means
math teachers will no longer utter the
phrase, “you can’t do that,” when a first
grader tries to subtract seven from three.
Instead, that student would be told, “You
can do that later,” when they advance to the
point of learning about math equations that
produce negative numbers.
Recently, Dr. Chen contacted all of the
course participants to see if the ideas
learned in the course were helping the
teachers. He offered to observe classes if
anyone wanted some personal evaluation.
Kaija, Plank and Young all took advantage
of the opportunity. Fourth-grade teacher
Jaime Miller did not attend the summer
sessions but she also jumped at the chance
to receive guidance from Dr. Chen.
Overall he praised the teachers and validated their teaching choices. He also
Jennifer Young, Jaworek School's Math Specialist, records Felipe Monteiro's math thinking
while he explains his problem solving strategy, which is projected on the board.
empowered them to make changes in the
way they organized their lessons. Kaija
explained, “We have license to move the
details around.” This allows for tailormade classes to better meet the students’
needs.
Dr. Chen also engaged directly with students in the classes and his involvement
had a positive effect on the kids. Chen told
Miller that, although her lesson plan called
for several more classes before attempting
multi-digit multiplication, he thought the
kids were ready. When Miller decided to
Dora Naves
& Associates
The Real Estate Specialists
Best of luck to all Panther athletes!
REALTOR
skip ahead, she told her students, “Dr.
Chen knows you can do this!” Students
jumped in with enthusiasm.
Reflecting back on Dr. Chen’s visit to
her class, Plank noted that when Chen
asked one of her first-graders what he was
doing, the student was fully able to explain
his work. “I was so happy he understood it
enough to explain it,” said Plank.
One overall objective is to provide students with a framework for what math
does. Plank commented, “Unless the firstgrader understands why 18 and 81 are very
different, they won’t be ready for secondgrade math.”
In addition, another critical goal is to
eliminate the notion that some people can’t
do math. Plank explained, “You would
never say, ‘I’m not literate.’ Why is it okay
to say, ‘I don’t do math?’”
The teachers hope that by becoming
more comfortable with math themselves,
by being more thoughtful about how they
teach math, and by framing math concepts
in a big picture, math will not only make
sense, but become exciting.
Celebrating twenty-five years serving
Marlborough and the surrounding towns
Ray Giglio
Phil Carroll
Joanne Lodi
Donna Long
Jeff Long
Joe Navin
Al Rio
Marsha St. Jean
David Clark
Marisa Mahon
Victoria Dehesa
Betty Peltekis
508-624-4858
www.doranaves.com
Sandhya Sathyaraj
Michael Scoppa
Stefanie Naves Ferrecchia
Dora Naves
32 Hosmer St.
Marlboro, MA 01725
UPDATE FROM KANE SCHOOL
Page 20
Panther Pride
Applying positive behavioral interventions and supports
By Wendy Stanley, Principal
Kane Elementary School
The Francis J. Kane Elementary School
has had a busy and exciting start to the
2015-2016 school year.
Kane Elementary, in conjunction with
the Marlborough Public Schools, has been
excited to rollout schoolwide Positive
Behavioral Interventions and Supports
(PBIS) over the course of the 2015-2016
school year. The underlying theme is
teaching behavioral expectations in the
same manner as any core curriculum subject. The goal of PBIS is to create an
atmosphere of positivity. All PBIS practices are founded on the assumption and
belief that all children can exhibit appropriate behavior.
PBIS was successfully rolled out at the
Whitcomb School during the 2014-2015
school year, and in the 2015-2016 school
year, the elementary schools in
Marlborough are bringing forth this initiative as well. Kane Elementary School has
formed a PBIS team and will be working
throughout the year to establish schoolwide
goals and consistent practices for our students, staff and families. Students and staff
continue to promote “The Big 3,” bringing
safety, respect and responsibility to the forefront of each day. Students and staff have
embraced the new hallway procedures,
which use arrows and stop signs to assist
with the flow of hallway traffic. Kane students have truly embraced the new hallway
procedures and enjoy reminding staff members that they are walking on the wrong side
of the hallway!
To further support and promote PBIS
practices, nationally acclaimed and awardwinning musician and teacher John
Kelleher will bring his wonderfully interactive, energizing, and powerful message
to Kane School on November 23rd when
he will be focusing on character building
and healthy decision-making. This musical
program will have a morning and an afternoon performance so that all Kane students have an opportunity to view the
quality enrichment performance aligned
with the PBIS goals of safety, responsibility and respect. “Johnny the K” will bring
his twelve-string guitar along with his
unique collection of costumed hats, masks
and disguises to educate and inspire students through his spirited and interactive
style of music. Johnny the K has been
noted for his exciting and unique method
of teaching and empowering children with
overwhelming approval for the past twenty-six years!
Students at Kane are in their second full
year of full implementation of Writer’s
Workshop. Throughout grades kindergarten through four, Kane students continue to build on the previous year’s instruction and refine the quality and quantity of
their writing. All classrooms continue to
follow the Writer’s Workshop model and
receive daily “mini lessons” around a specific teaching point with modeling and student practice. A dramatic increase in the
quality and quantity and stamina of student writing continues to be seen throughout the school. More and more Kane students are displaying an enthusiasm for
writing and look forward to the Writer’s
Workshop block in their day. Teachers
continue to receive professional development on a monthly basis to strengthen their
knowledge and practice of the Writer’s
Workshop. Parents and staff at Kane
School have remarked about the continued
growth and progress in student writing
since bringing the Writing Workshop initiative to all K-4 students.
As always, the PTO continues to be an
active support at Kane School. PTO fundraising helps reinforce school initiatives
and provides cultural events to enrich
instruction for all students. Bingo Night is
planned for November 20th. This family
event is an enjoyable evening full of
Fall 2015
excitement and prizes for many Kane students. Other upcoming PTO events
include the Winter Festival on Friday,
January 29th, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM as
well as an International Night scheduled
for March 18th, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.
Kane PTO also sponsors a monthly spirit
day coupled with a donation to the
Marlborough Food Pantry. The PTO will
hold its meetings at Kane School on
December 12th, January 13th, March 9th
and May 11th at 7:00 PM.
As the school year progresses, we look
forward to seeing our Kane families continue to enrich the culture that exists within the building. Parent involvement and
the excitement of our young students is
essential in building a foundation for motivated learners. Working together as a team
helps to ensure success for our students.
We look forward to an exciting and successful school year at Kane School.
No Appointment Needed
X-Ray & Lab Services
Occupational Medicine
Kane School
Profile
Grades - K thru 4
Student Population
638
Telephone
508-460-3507
Vaccinations & Physicals
including immigration
Most Insurance Accepted
including Medicare
Fall 2015
Panther Pride
Page 21
KANE SHOWS ITS COMMUNITY SPIRIT
Monthly food collection meets a need and teaches a lesson
By Lloyd Stenquist
Contributing Writer
In an effort to connect the 638 students
of Kane Elementary School to their community, members of the Kane PTO have
established a monthly food drive to support
the Marlborough Community Cupboard.
Donations are collected at the school once
each month and members of the PTO load
the donations into cars for delivery to the
food pantry at 255 Main Street.
Kane Principal Wendy Stanley noted,
“The members of the PTO do most of the
work. We are just the conduit for getting the
donations to the school.” Stanley has promoted the program to all students, from
kindergarten through fourth grade, to broaden their horizons and awareness about the
need to partner their school and their community. To that end, the food drive is being
tied into the school’s monthly “Spirit Days,”
celebrated the first Thursday of each month.
Students are learning an important lesson
while participating in a worthwhile exercise.
“By donating food to the community, you’re
being a good citizen because you are doing a
good deed and helping other people who are
less fortunate than you,” commented fourthgrader Dhaniel Perozin, a student in Brittany
Spearin’s class.
Teachers are working to tie the donations into their daily lessons. The level of
involvement is tailored to each grade to
provide age appropriate messages that the
students are capable of comprehending.
If Thursday, October 1st, “Crazy
Hat/Hair Day,” was any indication, the
joint effort was a success. As the students
made their way into the building, fourthgraders stood at the ready, supervising the
distribution of donations into waiting
boxes.
There were a total of 522 donated items,
including 355 canned goods (soup, tomato sauce, vegetables), 86 boxed items
(pasta and cereal), and 81 miscellaneous
items (peanut butter, jelly, ketchup, mustard, rice, toothpaste).
Members of the five fourth-grade classes are taking turns monitoring the donations each month, counting, sorting and
graphing the donated items, which links
into their math curriculum. The tallies are
reported during morning announcements
the next day, so that the student body
understands the impact of their combined
efforts.
The program has proved successful in
creating an atmosphere of community
awareness and increasing contributions.
“If I donate nonperishable food to my
community, it could change someone’s
life, or even a family’s life,” commented
fourth-grader Edmee McCarthy from
Samantha Marcin’s class.
Nicholas Collett shows some of the food collected during Crazy Hat/Hair Day.
The fourth grade is currently studying a
unit on citizenship for social studies and the
food drive provides a unique tie-in by
engaging students with their home and the
community, recognizing that not all who are
hungry are homeless or jobless.
Fourth-grader Jack
Cassetta, also from
Marcin’s class, commented, “Donating a
nonperishable item can
help families get the
nutrition they need. It
also shows kids how to
be good citizens.”
The food collection
matches well with one of
the school’s goals Family and Community
Engagement. Specifically, the aim is to develop opportunities for
improving
family
engagement by offering
programs and initiatives
that build trusting relationships among staff,
families and community
members.
The food pantry’s
mission is to provide
hunger relief, improve
the quality of life, and
connect families and
neighbors in need to
essential services. The
Shown (l-r) during Kane School’s October School Spirit Day, designated as Crazy Hat/Hair Day,
goal is to reduce levels
students Andre Jimenez, Carolina Burgos, Brooke Ryan, with paraeducator Linda Chupinski.
of food insecurity, while
strengthening the con-
nections between people and available
resources. Barbara LaGrenade of the United
Way, the organization that oversees the
Marlborough Community Cupboard,
expressed gratitude for the monthly drives
held by Kane School.
According to LaGrenade, the pantry
serves between 400 and 450 families every
month. There tends to be an increase in
donations in the fall, in anticipation of
Thanksgiving and Christmas, but in reality,
there is a need year round. The pantry staff
counts on the pre-holiday donations to help
stock shelves until springtime.
The collection at Kane will continue
throughout the school year. Additional Spirit
Day themes on the Kane calendar include
Pajama Day, held November 5th, followed
by Crazy Sweater Day (December 3rd),
Favorite Team Day (January 7th), Purple
and Gold Day (February 4th), Green Day
(March 3rd), Crazy Sock Day (April 7th),
Fiesta/Tie-Dye Day (May 5th); and School
Spirit Day on June 2nd.
For those interested in contributing, the
pantry is in need of canned goods such as
tuna fish, corn, potatoes, peaches, pears, and
fruit cocktail; prepared meals like raviolis,
Spaghettios, and Dinty Moore’s Beef Stew;
instant mashed potatoes; applesauce; juices;
and some holiday themed items like stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce.
There is also a need for personal hygiene
items like bar soap, deodorant, shampoo,
disposable razors, shaving cream, toothpaste, toothbrushes, diapers and baby wipes.
No offering is too small.
For more information visit www.
uwotc.org/food/marlborough.
Panther Pride
Page 22
Attractions
Business Features
Church Life
City Meetings
Commentary
Commmunity Events
Dining Guide
Inspiring Stories
Links
Local News
Pictorials
School News
Snapshots
Special Features
Sports
Check out
our Facebook
albums!!!
Your one stop for the best
news and information online
ms jnews.com
Hundreds
of pages
of news and
information ...
Now just one click away!
Trusted source for responsible local news coverage
Fall 2015
UPDATE FROM WHITCOMB
A “R.O.A.R.ing” time for our middle-grade students
By Brian Daniels, Principal
Whitcomb School
Whitcomb “R.O.A.R.ed” to life
September 1st as grade five students were
the first off of the twenty-seven buses that
unload each morning. Our newest students
were greeted by their teachers who accompanied them to the cafeterias where they
settled in. They are now part of the school’s
R.O.A.R (respect, opportunities, academics and responsibility) culture.
The day before, I had the pleasure of
welcoming the faculty back, sharing with
them my deeply held belief that all
Whitcomb adults are teachers and that we
all share a part in the education, and thus
the future, of every student. Whitcomb
teachers rose to the challenge from day
one, flooding the corridors during transitions, filling the first hours with activities
designed to build relationships, calming
fears, and setting positive goals for the year
ahead. The R.O.A.R. that the faculty introduced and established in the closing
months of the 2014-15 school year
appeared to be a well-tuned deep purr. As
the new Whitcomb principal, I watched in
awe as this small city of 1,500 people
opened for business.
R.O.A.R. is the program name for the
Positive Behavior Interventions and
Supports program that focuses on creating
and sustaining a safe and positive focused
learning environment where we are dedicated to what we can do, rather than to a
list of don’ts. The Massachusetts
Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education (DESE) calls this school philosophy and management approach a MultiTiered System of Support (MTSS).
The Whitcomb Tier II program –
BOOST – will go live on December 1st.
The program will provide individual outreach to more than a hundred students
daily who need an extra help to assure that
they have the most productive day possible
each morning and afternoon. This program
is available to all students who are identified by their instructional teams. The
details of R.O.A.R. and BOOST are
explained on our school website. R.O.A.R.
is deeply rooted in our school mission
statement and embodies values all parents
and teachers can embrace.
Whitcomb classrooms have been awash
in “Pirate” instruction as inspired by our
district opening speaker, David Burgess,
the author of the book. Here are some
examples: Students have better understood
archeology by examining a collection of
artifacts and explaining their meaning.
Expectations and engagement grew as students awaited the unwrapping of packages
delivered very publicly to a science classroom over a couple of days. There was a
visit from an aging aunt to bring a class to
life, advertised in advance and featuring
full costume. Chromebooks have been
tuned to instant feedback. A gallery walk
of student-inspired full-size front pages
involved an entire grade six team, and a
slice of writing across grade five featured
stories written on pizza slice-shaped paper
where each story fanned out into a full pie
as the details were revealed.
Whitcomb is appropriately focused first
on core academics and building skills for a
lifetime of success, but there is life after the
last bell. Each day, many students take
advantage of after-school activities, including our full offering of competitive sports,
complimented by an intramural program
that welcomes all students. The robotics
club is in full gear, and a parent-sponsored
Minecraft club is filled beyond capacity.
Student government is coming to life, with
elections being held on all teams.
Homework club meets in the library and
many teachers offer extra help each day.
The Junior National Honor Society will be
inviting new members in the second
semester, the musical is in rehearsal, and
the corridors are full of students carrying
instruments to lessons before and after
school. Coming soon is an astronomy club
plus a group bringing students with special
needs together with general education
peers for social interactions.
As I write, we have eight students and
three teachers in our sister city, Akiruno,
Japan. All members of the eighth-grade
class will have the opportunity to spend a
couple of days in Washington, D.C. in
June. There is an approved trip to the
Worcester Art Museum, another to the
Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and students in Latin class will soon be making
the long walk to a Roman wedding at
Marlborough High.
Each day as I visit classes, walk the corridors, and meet with teachers who freely
give their time and talent to committees
hoping to improve what we do for and with
students, I fall in love anew with school,
with teachers, with learning, and with the
promise of a better tomorrow that lives in
every student. Whitcomb is proving every
day that the “Middle Matters.” It’s where
it’s all happening.
Whitcomb School
Profile
Grades - 5 thru 8
Student Population
1,300
Telephone
508-460-3502
Fall 2015
STUDENTS “HOOKED”
Panther Pride
Page 23
Teaching model is reaping positive results
By Virgina Gehrig
Contributing Writer
The Marlborough Public
School District has begun a new
initiative called, “Teach Like a
Pirate.” Based on Dave Burgess’s
book of the same name, it gives
teachers ideas and tools to take
their teaching to a new level. The
ultimate goal is to create renewed
enthusiasm among students to
engage in the process of learning.
On the first professional development day of the 2015-2016
school year, Burgess presented his
methods for getting kids excited
about school using the acronym
“Pirate” that stands for Passion,
Immersion, Rapport, Ask and
Analyze, Transformation, and
Enthusiasm.
“Pirate-like” teachers use
“hooks” to engage their students
in learning. These hooks come in
the form of hands-on activities,
role-playing by teachers, kinetic
learning activities, and suspense
building events.
Eliza Giroux, sixth-grade science teacher, used a story and a
cooler filled with soda to illustrate
density. She told her kids that she
brought in leftovers from a weekend party and placed a cooler on
the floor. Inside the cooler, the ice
had melted, leaving cans of Diet
Coke and regular Coke in the
water, revealing a puzzle about
density.
When allowed to peek into the
cooler, students saw the cans of
Diet Coke floating, while the regular Coke was at the bottom. They
learned the sugar in regular Coke
gives it more mass than the artificial sweetener in Diet Coke.
By making the cooler contents a
secret, telling one class not to spill
the secret to the other classes,
Giroux built anticipation. By the
last period, kids were rushing into
her classroom, asking about the
cooler.
By using everyday illustrations,
hooks bring the ideas and concepts
to kids’ everyday life. Teachers
use items and situations that connect to what the kids know and
relate to. Not only does the everyday application make the concepts
easier to understand, but the illustrations help teachers to build rapport with their students.
Classes are more fun for everyone. The teachers form bonds with
the students and the students have
fun learning.
Sixth-grade social studies
teacher Caroline Cadel used this
approach to teach a unit about
maps and globes. She built antici-
Mia Sargent and Kaylani Figueroa look over stats from their daily online warm-up activity.
pation by quartering her classroom floor with blue tape and
being mysteriously vague when
the students questioned her.
As they progressed through the
unit, Cadel put up other geographic items in her room, like signs for
North, South, East, and West.
Finally it was revealed that the
taped lines represented the
Equator and the Prime Meridian.
Desks were arranged in tables rep-
Teacher Kelly Hall is shown role playing as “Aunt Sally” to help students Josh Tobar
and Caylee Goulet learn about the proper order of mathmatical operations.
resenting continents. Students
lined up on the Equator or stood
parallel with outstretched arms to
represent lines of latitude.
Activities that get the students
moving around help kinesthetic
learners who experience realization through doing, rather than
through listening. Teachers, however, are sensitive to the fact that
not all students are comfortable
engaging in activities. Hooks to
learning can also be at-desk activities. Continuing with the maps
and globes activity, Cadel used
beach balls to illustrate how a rectangular map has to be distorted to
represent a spherical object, like
the globe or the earth.
Science and social studies are
more easily adapted to hooks
because of their hands-on nature.
Fifth-grade science and math
teacher Kelly Hall used a role-playing hook to teach her students the
order of operations. (Order of operations is the mathematical term for
defining which procedures to perform first in a mathematical
expression.) The order of operations is represented by the acronym
PEMDAS (Parenthesis, Exponents, Division, Multiplication,
Addition, Subtraction) which is
turned into the phrase, “Please
Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.”
Hall began her lesson with a
story about her “Aunt Sally” and
how she is always forgetting
things and being clumsy. Hall
punctuated her story with “please
excuse my dear Aunt Sally” several times. Then, Hall excused herself, and returned later dressed as
Aunt Sally.
Hall then proceeded to charm
the students in her new character
and attempt to teach the lesson.
The session concluded with a
game of hopscotch with the letters
P-E-M-D-A-S on each of the
squares.
After Aunt Sally left and Hall
returned, she proceeded with the
order of operations. Hall says that
when she got to “Parenthesis,
Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition, and Subtraction”
the kids eyes lit up. She could see
the concept clicking in their minds.
Teaching like a “Pirate” changes
student behavior and attitudes.
Cadel uses Google classroom and
Chromebooks extensively. Each
day classes do warm-ups online,
using Google classroom. The next
day Cadel shows them pie charts
and graphs of the responses to the
warm ups.
Recently a student was absent,
but remained so engaged that she
took her warm up at the time her
class normally met, so that her statistics would be represented in the
next day’s charts.
All of this “Pirate-like” teaching takes a lot of energy on the
part of the teachers, but as Giroux
says, “When the students respond,
it’s exciting.” Hall added, “It’s not
easy. I’m always thinking how can
I twist it to make it more exciting.”
Panther Pride
Page 24
All-Sports
Boosters Club
Join and Receive a
Panther Pride Car Magnet
T
he Marlborough High School All-Sports Boosters Club is
the perfect way to show other towns what it means to
have Panther Pride. Last year the Boosters
supported graduation scholarships, end of season banquets,
league championship plaques, an update of the weight room,
and entry fees and other costs for athletes competing in
championship competitions. The first step to doing more
this year is a strong membership. Athletics are important for
the whole community. Whether you’re a parent, a grand
parent, an athlete, or a Panthers fan, we would love to have
you as a member of the 201-2016 Booster Club. Sign-up and
receive a FREE magnet to put on your car!!!!!
Thank You
All-Sports Boosters Club
detach and send in your information
Name
Membership
Address
Phone
Email
Additional magnets
x $5
Total
= $20
=
=
Please make checks payable to MHS All-Sports Boosters Club
Mail to: Marlborough High School, c/o Athletic Director,
431 Bolton Street, Marlborough, MA 01752
Fall 2015
HIGH SCHOOL UPDATE
Happy to report several accomplishments
By Charles Caliri, Principal
Marlborough High
It is hard to believe that we are already
one-quarter of the way through the school
year. I’m wondering where the time has
gone. As part of my transition to this role
and this school district, I have tried to do
everything I can to acclimate myself to the
district. I’ve met with a variety of representatives from the school, the district and
the city to best understand those things that
make Marlborough High a special place.
In addition, I’ve been able to gain an initial
understanding of those things that need
additional attention to support us in reaching our goal of continuous improvement.
I’ve read through and analyzed numerous
documents, protocols and procedures. I
also have observed numerous classes; met
with administrators, students and members
of our business community; and completed
more than fifty individual interviews with
members of our professional staff.
These meetings have provided an
opportunity for me to learn about MHS
through the eyes of the school’s stakeholders. It has been a tremendous learning
experience, and it has helped me to see all
of the things that make MHS special – the
diversity, the pride, the respect, the offerings, the students, the staff, and the unwavering community support. I look forward
to opportunities throughout the year to
keep the public updated. For now, here are
some of our accomplishments of which we
are particularly proud.
If you haven’t seen them already, take a
peek at the two new sculptures in front of
the school. Through generous donations
from Aramark and Superintendent
Langlois, the district was able to partner
with famous international artist Dale
Rodgers. Dale worked with students and
staff last year to develop creative ideas that
would adorn our school for years to come.
Our students felt that a great symbol of
our “pride” would be the panther. So, at the
end of the horseshoe nearest the tennis
courts, you will see a twenty-foot long
metal sculpture of a panther. In addition,
our staff adapted a retro tree sculpture from
Dale’s collection, which is now referred to
as the Tree of Knowledge to symbolize the
power of education, knowledge and learning. The yellow bird symbolizes optimism,
creativity and intellectual development.
This is prominently displayed at the
entrance to the building, and I’m sure will
be a popular backdrop for pictures.
We are also grateful for a new partnership between Arbella Insurance and L&S
Boule Insurance, and with strong support
from Mayor Vigeant and Superintendent
Langlois, that has allowed us to offer
“Distractology” to our students. This simu-
lator teaches newly permitted and licensed
drivers the hazards of distracted driving.
We have had more than one hundred students participate so far.
MHS hosted its annual spirit week following the Columbus Day holiday. The
spirit was infectious at the school, with all
students participating in events and competitions. Spirit Day was a wonderful
opportunity for our clubs to garner members. The day wouldn’t have been complete without a dunk tank, where many
teachers and administrators graciously
offered themselves to support the student
body. Our first-ever whole-school
Homecoming dance was a terrific celebration, with more than four hundred students
attending. Special thanks to our Student
Council for keeping this tradition alive.
We are continuing our partnership with
the Cambridge Institute to develop a
Chinese exchange program for our school.
This year we are hosting seven students
from China. In addition to enriching our
Mandarin program and providing students
with a real-world context for language
acquisition, this opportunity also supports
the principles of global education and
global competency.
We continue to provide numerous
opportunities for our students to participate
in upper-level, college coursework. Our
Advanced Placement program continues
to thrive, offering 21 AP courses. During
the 2014-15 school year, 250 students participated in 473 tests; with approximately
fifty percent of these students earning passing scores. We also have been exploring
new partnerships with Quinsigamond
Community College and Framingham
State University to offer more opportunities for students to participate in collegelevel courses and earn college credit while
still in high school.
Finally, a huge welcome to our new faculty: Sheldon Bishov (computer science);
Steven Bredberg and Julie Jenks (social
studies); Steven Sousa and Patrick McColl
(science, technology, engineering); Jaimie
Allain, Corey Spellman and Sherry Burke
(special education); Sean Padden (guidance); Megan Norton (mathematics); and
Andre Pare (world languages).
High School
Profile
Grades - 9 thru 12
Student Population
1.033
Telephone
508-460-3500
Fall 2015
MAKING GREAT MUSIC
Panther Pride
Page 25
High school students mixing studio creations
By Virgina Gehrig
Contributing Writer
Students at Marlborough High
School are engaged in making
music the digital way. Shannon
McNulty’s music production
classes focus on learning how to
manipulate sound using digital
technology.
Each term, a class does a cover
of a popular song using only
voice with lyrics, beatbox, or
simply vocal sounds. Then the
students use modern software
applications to manipulate and
layer those sounds to create
music.
The studio classroom houses a
sound-proof booth, sound system, and the necessary computer
technology to create digital
manipulations. The students get a
taste of what an actual music studio is like, as well as what the
professionals do to create their
“sound.”
McNulty encourages her students to think about what they
are trying to say with the music
they are creating. Once they have
the tracks recorded, the fun starts
by manipulating the sound in a
thousand different ways.
The computer applications
available to students can change
the pitch of a note (similar to the
Auto-Tune processor by Antares
Audio Technologies). But the
class goes much further in
manipulating the sound.
There are layers that can make
a voice sound as though it is
singing in an empty locker room
or a full cathedral. There are
ways to speed up or slow down
the song. Students learn how to
compress the sound by softening
the highest and lowest notes. The
software is so advanced, it can
even correct small mistakes in
timing and pitch.
Each phrase of the song is edited, resulting in a finished piece
that may have hundreds of different layers and filters. Throughout
the process, McNulty discusses
with her students how each
manipulation impacts what listeners hear.
It is this technical manipulation
that sets music production apart
Samantha DiMatteo is shown above inside Marlborough High School’s sound booth.
from performance music. In addition, it is a process that opens up
the creative world of music to
those who are not comfortable in a
performance environment.
Shown above Cameron Fanelli is working at the computer
while Zachary Schwartz records vocals in the sound booth.
By learning music production,
anyone who loves music can
have a voice. “We create (music)
to pass on an idea or to inspire
others to create,” said McNulty.
“This class gives the students the
skills to continue participating in
music.” With just a laptop and
software, students have the
means to pursue music in a way
that’s right for them.
The first semester of the class
focuses on the more technical
aspects of music production and
the second semester folds in the
creativity as the students get
more comfortable. By trying new
things and getting excited about
what they are creating, McNulty
reports that kids are doing things
they didn’t know they were capable of.
“We are the only high school
that I know of that’s doing this,”
noted McNulty proudly. Other
schools have a capella groups
that record, but she doesn’t know
of any high school where students come together in a classroom setting and create music on
a professional level.
McNulty said the software
applications used in the class are
the equivalent of any being used
in a professional recording studio
in North America or Europe.
Students who wish to pursue a
career in the music industry will
be able to use the same software
used in the class. They will also
be familiar with the creative
process used to turn an idea into
a song.
Additionally, students get a
taste of selling their music. The
final song of each class is released
on iTunes for purchase. Not only
does this allow McNulty to teach
them the logistical aspects of selling music, but it opens up a dialog
about music piracy. By becoming
creators of music, the students
experience a different perspective
on what it means to pay, or not to
pay, for music.
As part of the iTunes publication, the music production class
often partners with other
Marlborough High students. Art
students often provide the artwork
for the song, and occasionally the
marketing class will get involved
and promote an iTunes release.
Songs are available on the
iTunes store for $.99 (for the
older songs) or $1.29 (for the
newer songs). Money earned by
the sale of the songs will be used
to renovate the studio and provide some equipment repair.
To download a song produced
by the Marlborough High music
production class, search the
iTunes
store
for
“mhs
musicprod.”
Panther Pride
Page 26
Fall 2015
Marlborough freshman Conner Bogle and sophomore Matt Allen received the MIAA Educational Athletics Award for Sportsmanship and Leadership.
Shown are Athletic Director Jeff Rudzinsky, Matt Allen, Golf Coach Pete Hulbert, Conner Bogle, and MIAA’s Richard Riley, who presented the award.
PANTHERS ATHLETES EARN AWARDS, BATTLE IN POSTSEASON
Topping the list of achievements, Conner Bogle and Matt Allen recognized for sportsmanship and leadership
By Jeff Rudzinsky
Athletic Director
As the fall season comes to a close and
focus turns to Thanksgiving football and
winter athletics, I wanted to recognize our
fall teams and the many notable accomplishments from the fall.
The Panthers golf team once again qualified for postseason play with a 10-6 overall
record and a second place finish in MidWach B at 9-3. The Panthers were led by
senior captain John Leatham.
More important than the team’s wins and
losses this season was the show of sportsmanship by a pair of JV golfers.
Marlborough freshman Conner Bogle and
sophomore Matt Allen received the MIAA
Educational
Athletics
Award
for
Sportsmanship and Leadership. This award
mirrors the pillars of “Educational Athletics”
– sportsmanship, coaches education, wellness, community service and leadership – in
which the MIAA sets its framework. Matt
and Conner exemplified this and thus
received this honor. Congratulations to them
both.
The Lady Panthers soccer team had an
outstanding year as they qualified for the
postseason with a 10-7-1 record and second place in the Mid-Wach B division. The
Panthers received solid leadership from
senior captains Rachel McCormack, Abby
Chrisafideis and Hannah MacKay.
Offensively, the locals were led by freshman Halle McCabe and Maddie Farrell,
and juniors Molly Farrell and Casey
Sibole. The defense was anchored by
juniors Megan Saari and Victoria
Breitenfeld.
On the boys side of the pitch, the young
Panthers, with only four seniors on the
squad, had a memorable win over
Westborough as the season came to a close,
and they were led by league all-stars senior
Paulo Silva and junior Victor De Oliveira.
The field hockey team had one of its best
seasons in Marlborough High history, finishing the regular season with a 14-3-1
record and the number four seed in Central
Mass Division 1 tournament. The Panthers
were led by senior goalie Meghan
McDonough who had eleven shutouts and a
0.31 goals against average. Junior Jill Petrie
led the team in scoring with three goals and
twenty assists, while classmate Katie
Glennon led the team in goals with seventeen.
The Panthers field hockey all-stars were
McDonough, Petrie, Glennon and senior
captain Samantha Vaccaro. Senior captain
Megan Mayfield was a force all year on
defense for the Panthers. The Panthers hosted Algonquin in the district quarterfinals and
lost a tough 1-0 game. The future looks
bright as the Panthers only graduate four
from this year’s squad.
The girls volleyball team finished 8-10 on
the season, with junior Kim Konar representing the Panthers on the all-star team.
Senior captains Sydney Rainer, Cora Allard
and Aryana Kubiak led the Panthers.
The boys cross country team finished 4-2
in the league and were led by sophomore
Brian Oram and junior Yossef Naim.
The Lady Panthers cross country team
was led by junior Erin Giugno. The highlight of the season for both teams was bringing the Ghiloni Cup back to Marlborough
High. The Ghiloni Cup is the “Battle of
Marlborough” where the Panthers run
against Assabet and AMSA for local bragging rights.
The Panthers football team captured the
Mid Wach B League championship once
again, going undefeated in the league so,
with the annual Thanksgiving Day game
against Hudson still to play. The Panthers
earned the number four seed in the
Division 2 playoffs and lost a tough game
to 9-0 Nashoba. The Panthers have been
led by senior captains Brian Short (QB/S),
Liam Shanahan (T, DT) and Joe Tirpak
(TE, LB).
Marlborough’s gridiron squad suffered a
tough loss early in the season when senior
captain (RB, LB) Andrew Rumney broke
his ankle and was lost for the season.
Rumney was the Panthers leading tackler
and has been sorely missed. Juniors Owen
Cappadona and Luke Goulet have handled
the ball carrying for the Panthers, with
Cappadona running for close to 700 yards
and ten touchdowns to date. Senior QB
Brian Shorts’s favorite target has been classmate Sam Dias, who leads the team in
receptions and receiving touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, sophomore Ryan Mechler has done a great job filling in for Rumney as the ‘Mike’ linebacker.
Senior Mike Phillips has also been solid for
the Panthers as has Shanahan. The Panthers
will head into their Turkey Day battle on a
positive note after a 26-6 victory over formerly top rated Leominster.
The Marlborough cheerleaders finished
second at the Mid-Wach B League championships. The Panthers were led by senior
captains Alexis Barrile, Fatima Awada and
Katrina Kasaras.
The MHS All-Sports Booster Club is continuing to seek new members; see ad on
page-24. Also, the Booster Club Golf
Tournament is scheduled for Saturday May
7th at Butternut Farm Golf Club in Stow.
Reserve your spot now by emailing
Boosters President Peter Keenan at:
[email protected].
Fall 2015
Panther Pride
Page 27
Page 28
Panther Pride
Fall 2015
We are pleased to be a supporter of the Greater Marlborough Community
and a member of the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce