Monday, March 21, 2011

THIS WEEK IN BROCKTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

MONDAY, MARCH 21
Angelo: School Improvement Council Meeting. Café 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, MARCH 22
MCAS ELA Testing: Grades 3 - 8 students, runs through 4/4
West: School Improvement Council Meeting. Room 110. 6 p.m.
West: P.A.C. Meeting Room 110. 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23
MCAS ELA Testing: Grade 10 Students
Baker: School Store Open During Lunches
Gilmore: Toe Jam Puppet Band. During school
Gilmore: Family Health Night. Café 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Huntington: Title One ~ Family Literacy Night 6 p.m.

THURSDAY, MARCH 24
MCAS ELA Testing: Grade 10 Students
Parents’ Academy Health Resource Fair, Arnone School 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
SPED: Family Support Workshop – Self Help & Daily Living Skills. Angelo 6 p.m.

FRIDAY, MARCH 25
Baker: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 5 Mr. Moore 1:15 p.m.
Hancock: March Madness Dance for Gr. 2 & 3 Gym 6 to 8 p.m.
Huntington: Casual Dress Day – 25 cents. During School
Huntington: Family Pasta Supper. Café 6 p.m.
Kennedy: Family Pizza Supper Café 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Creepy Creatures Thrill During Harry Potter Night

By Lisa E. Crowley
BrocktonPost
BROCKTON—Arnone School student Shania Tarver couldn’t wait to get a chance to feel the smooth brown and beige diamond skin of a 10-foot, 150-pound Burmese python that was one of the many creepy creatures, modified Quidditch matches, snacks and pencil-wand making during the school’s “Harry Potter Family Night.”
Traver, 10, was mesmerized by the assortment of insects, rats, giant cockroaches, lizards, birds, cockroaches and spiders presented by Curious Creatures’ handler Lenny Smart, whose collection included a spiky African pygmy hedgehog, a California king snake, green iguana, rose-haired tarantula, and the gargantuan python.
“My favorite is the big ole snake,” Tarver said as she joined the hordes--including Arnone Principal Colleen Proudler (Pictured above in wizard wardrobe), who crowded around the python to touch the massive creature that would be twice the size when fully grown.
Hundreds of students and their parents roamed the halls of the school going from one activity to another Wednesday night, March 16.
In the cafeteria a video of Harry Potter movies played on a large screen while youngsters ate cookies as they made pencils into magic wands with bright and sparkly decorations.
Jessira Semedo, 9, (Pictured at right with Harry Potter book) attended the event with her mom Victoria Pagan and friend Krissena England. The pair of girls waved their pencil-wands and talked about their favorite book and favorite character: the precocious and daring girl, Hermione Granger.
“I love, love, love, Harry Potter. It’s my favorite book,” Semedo said.
Some students had their faces painted and others signed up for the numerous modified Quidditch games—no flying children--that were held in shifts in the gym.
Although all the activities were fun, parents and kids said the creepy creatures were “awesome.”
It was hard to tell if the shrieks that filled the auditorium during the display were loudest for the giant cockroaches, the huge tarantula, or the California king snake.
It was perfectly clear the Burmese python was the reptile with the biggest wow factor when parents and children shrieked, squelled and stood up to get a better glimpse or pictures of the sleek snake.
Audience members were allowed to touch the snake and others had the monster placed around their necks.
Handler Lenny Smart said pythons don’t normally eat humans because people are usually too big and swallowing them takes too much effort and could cause the snake to choke to death.
“If they can’t swallow it they’re not going to waste the energy trying,” Smart said.
However, if anyone runs into a Burmese python in the wild, Smart said they can see only about 3 or 4 feet in front of them and recent research shows when the python flits its tongue it is actually helping it to see.
Ten-year-old DeMario Thompson whose little sister, 18-month old Malia was a handful for her father Mark, (Pictured above), said he liked the African pygmy hedgehog (Pictured above) the best.
"It's cool how it can curl up and not hurt itself with its quills," Thompson said.

Smart dispelled many common myths about the creatures, including that tarantulas, like the rose-haired tarantula visiting the Arnone, are not dangerous to humankind.
“Let me start off my saying the only people who have been killed by tarantulas were in the movies,” Smart said.
In fact, Smart said, it is quite the opposite.
“A lot of people eat them,” Smart said. “I’ve never had it, but they say it tastes like crab,” he said.

Monday, March 14, 2011

THIS WEEK IN BROCKTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

MONDAY, MARCH 14
Baker: Fire Safety Presentation for Kindergarten Students. During School
Brookfield: Fire Safety Presentation for Kindergarten Students. During School
Davis: P.T.A. sponsored Yankee Candle Fundraiser runs through 3/28
Gilmore: P.T.A. Meeting. Conference Room, 6 p.m.
Huntington: P.T.O. Meeting - Babysitting provided Café 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, MARCH 15
B.P.S. School Committee Meeting. B.H.S. Little Theater 7 p.m.
Parents’ Academy: "Make Your Child a Better Writer Workshop," Arnone School, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
B.B. Russell: All Star 3-Point Shot Contest. Gym 2:30 p.m.
B. H. S.: School Improvement Council Meeting. Principal’s Office. 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16
Arnone: Title One ~ Family Harry Potter Literacy Night. 6 p.m.
Davis: Family Health Night. Huntington Café 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Huntington: Family Health Night. Café 5:30 – 7 p.m.
SEPAC: Educational Testing. Brockton Main Library 9:30 a.m.

THURSDAY, MARCH 17
B.H.S. Parent Teacher Conferences ~ 6 p.m.
Angelo: Safe Program for Grade 3. During School
Huntington: Title One ~ Family Book Bag. Ms. O’Brien 8 a.m., 10 a.m. & 1:15 p.m.

FRIDAY, MARCH 18
B.B. Russell: Ice Cream Party for students on white & blue card level. During School
Baker: Family Pasta Night. Café 6 p.m.
George: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 4 ESL Class T.B.A.
Huntington: Family Swim Night at B.H.S. Pool. 6 p.m.
SPED: Family Support Workshop – Self Help & Daily Living Skills Gilmore 9 a.m.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Dr. Seuss B-Day Party Celebrates Reading At Gilmore

By Lisa E. Crowley
BrocktonPost
BROCKTON—Marilyn Kelly and her 3-year-old grandson Timothy Donaruma made a special visit to the Gilmore School Early Childhood Center to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ 107th birthday by huddling together on a big green bean bag reading one of grandma’s favorites, “The Cat in the Hat”
“Every Friday we go on a mystery ride to do something fun because he doesn’t have school and today we’re here to celebrate Dr. Seuss,” said Kelly, a Pembroke resident who joined the Gilmore School’s Dr. Seuss birthday party Friday, March 4—an event in conjunction with the National Education Association’s Read Across America.. (Kelly and Timothy pictured above)
Timothy, who turns 4 in three weeks, was happy to listen to his grandmother read the catchy, song-like rhymes and look at the brightly colored cartoon characters in the book—at least most of the time.
“I can read with my eyes shut,” Timothy quipped holding his hands over his eyes as his grandmother read the book aloud.
Kelly and about 30 parents and 40 children, including Michelle Conrad and her 4-year-old daughter Ava, (Pictured at right) enjoyed reading beloved Dr. Seuss books such as “Green Eggs and Ham,” “Fox In Sox,” “Horton Hears A Who,” and old faithful, “The Cat In The Hat.”
Kelly said Dr. Seuss is a great way for youngsters to learn a love of reading and for adults to recall their love of timeless classics like “Cat In The Hat.”
“He’s ageless,” Kelly said. “He brings out the child in us,” she said.
When children became fidgety, adults moved to the next activity in other classrooms, including bingo games, and arts and crafts where children like 2-year-old Cate and 5-year-old Lydia (Pictured below from left to right) colored and glued to their hearts content.
Youngsters also had their pictures taken with "the" Cat In The Hat, a costumed and face-painted Ann Hennessey—a teacher at the Gilmore.
In the cafeteria, parents and youngsters ate snacks, sipped drinks and made tall, paper hats that were worn around their heads as birthday hats.
Phuong Nguyen brought her 2-year-old boy Vincent and daughter Britney, 4, to enjoy the morning's party. (Pictured below with Cat In The Hat)
"We liked making the hats best," Nguyen said.
Each participant received a brown paper “literacy” bag full of activity sheets, crayons, and books for students to take home with them.
Jane Feroli, Brockton Public School Specialist for Parent Engagement, and one of the events' many organizers, said Friday’s program is part of the Gilmore School’s Morning Parents’ Academy Workshops--a new program launched in September.
Every first Friday of the month from 9 to 10:30 a.m. the early childhood center—hosts a workshop for parents focusing on preschool and early childhood literacy, language acquisition, social skills, nutrition and parenting techniques.
Parents of children of all ages and learning levels are invited to attend.
The new monthly Friday morning sessions at the Gilmore are an extension of the highly successful evening Parents’ Academy held weekly on Tuesday or Thursday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Arnone Elementary School.
Evening workshops not only include topics like drug prevention, sibling harmony, and teaching children to be better writers, but also special programs like family night, Thursday, March 10 when “Bonnie The Snake Lady” will entertain participants with lizards, snakes and turtles and tell how people can learn to love things they might fear like people in wheelchairs or with disabilities.
“The Parents’ Academy is a wonderful program,” Feroli said. “It’s really centered around the idea that parents are children’s first teachers,” she said.
Click here for a schedule of morning and evening Parents’ Academy Workshops…

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Youth Leaders To Be Honored

BrocktonPost
BROCKTON--Two of Brockton's Community Schools directors are among the Brockton Youth Foundation’s honorees for the 3rd Annual Breakfast of Champions--the foundation's yearly ceremony honoring youth leaders in the city.
Harry Allen, the first director of the Community Schools program and current Director Kathleen Smith join a slate of well-known and much-beloved community boosters who are being feted at the breakfast at the Shaw’s Center.
“While most families and businesses are struggling with a difficult economy, our youth need the community support more than ever,” said Bill McGauley, president of the fledgling foundation.
“It is our hope that the community can find a way to support us and help continue the work of the past generation to champion and fund programs like the Brockton Community Schools and the Mayor’s Youth Fund,” he said.
The breakfast will be held at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, March 20, 2011 at the Shaw’s Center.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 students. Call 508-584-2506 for more information or visit the foundation's website at http://www.brocktonfoundation.org
Allen and Smith are among a list of notable Brockton residents and organizations that have helped shape the community in a positive way.
Brockton Youth Soccer Association, now in its 30th year, serves more than 1,000 youth between 4 to 19 each year and is operated entirely by a volunteer Executive Board that includes Rick and Anne Savignano, Greg Joyce and Michael Khang.
Also among the honorees are teenagers Elizabeth Chauppetta and John Fontes of Brockton and Kristin Schilling of Hanover, who biked across the country last summer to raise awareness and money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Rounding out the list art Tony DeGrace of the Brockton Fire Department, who is a youth coach and adjustment counselor at the YMCA and long-time West Bridgewater youth basketball coach George Sylvester.
The non-profit Brockton Youth Foundation was formed by involved parents and civic leaders to provide funding, leadership and programs to support out-of-school activities as well as increased access and lower fees for all programs serving Brockton youth.
The Foundation is using this year’s event to build support and community partnerships that recognize the value of Brockton’s youth as the city’s next generation of champions and leaders.
Previous honorees include Brockton High School Principal Dr. Susan Szachowicz (pictured above); Dave Gorman, organizer of the D.W. Field Park Kids Road Races; Kenneth “Sonny” Hewitt, a Community Schools basketball official; and Nancy Leedberg, who works at the Brockton Police Department.