Brockton Sports Supporters Watch Out For Scam

BrocktonPost<br />
BROCKTON--Brockton school officials are warning residents and businesses not to fall for a scam where an Illinois company is allegedly sending bills and advertising brochures for a fictional Brockton High School sports calendar. <br />
“We are working with the Attorneys General in Illinois and Massachusetts to get this company to cease and desist,” said Superintendent of Schools Matthew H. Malone in a prepared statement. “It’s offensive that they are trying to capitalize on good businesses who support student athletes,” he said. <br />
<br />
Officials said many businesses and high school sports boosters have received bills from a company called GCQ purportedly for their “business sponsoring an advertisement” in a fictional Brockton High School Sports Calendar.<br />
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The Brockton Public Schools and Brockton High School Athletic Department are not running any advertising campaigns or seeking donations for a calendar of any type, officials said. <br />
Those who receive the bills from GCQ, which ask for a $129 payment, should ignore them.

THIS WEEK IN BROCKTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24

Davis: P.T.A. Meeting, Café 6 p.m.

George: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 2 Mrs. Holmes 9 a.m.

South: School Improvement Council Meeting Principal’s Office 5:30 p.m.

South: P.A.C. Meeting Café 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25

Parents’ Academy Family Night at the Fuller Craft Museum

455 Oak Street Brockton ~ 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Baker: School Stores Open During Lunches

Downey: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 1 Ms. Williamson 1:15 p.m.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26

Baker: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 1 Mrs. Aveni 1:30 p.m.

Gilmore: Chinese New Year Celebration During School

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27

Registration for Grade 6 September 2012 Assignments end

Kennedy: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 1 Mrs. Skinner 8:50 a.m.

Kennedy: Title One ~ Family Book Talk – Gr. 2 Mrs. Skinner 1:30 p.m.

MONDAY, JANUARY 30

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31

Early Release Day ~ Pre –K- 8 In-Service

Gilmore: NO P.M. Session ~ ½ Day Schedule

Recovery High School Celebrates Brockton Opening

By Lisa E. Crowley

BrocktonPost

BROCKTON—When Independence Academy celebrated its grand opening and an alternative path of education for high school students suffering from alcohol and drug addiction, among those in the crowd was 21-year-old West Bridgewater resident Ashley McDonnell whose battle with addiction began at Taunton High School when she was 14.  

“I think it’s a great idea. I wish I had this option. I never knew there was a way out,” McDonnell said Thursday night during the grand opening at the recover high school’s location at 460 Belmont St. in Brockton.  “I never would have been able to become sober surrounded by all of the same people doing the same things,” she said.

Young adults like Ashley McDonnell are exactly why officials at North River Collaborative and Brockton Public Schools got together almost 2 years ago to gain support for the idea of opening the state’s fourth so-called “recovery high school” for teenagers suffering from drug and alcohol addiction.

The other specialized high schools are located in Boston, Beverly and Springfield, and until Independence Academy opened its doors in Brockton in December, there was no such option for high school-aged students to continue high school separated from the friends who had been a part of their addictive behavior and lifestyle in the first place.

Independence Academy will serve students in Southeastern Massachusetts from Quincy to Provincetown to Dighton-Rehobeth.

The school has been awarded a $2.5 million grant from the Department of Public Health to operate for the next 5 years.

The school opened its doors with one student in early December and has since grown to three students and Principal Richard Melillo expects that number to be 10 in February. 
The school has a capacity of 50 students.

“We are getting a steady stream of prospective students and we are going through the referral process, but we expect more to come on soon,” said Melillo.

 Melillo, who cut his teeth working with troubled youth as a counselor, program specialist and supervisor of two mult-service residential facilities in greater Los Angeles, knows too well that teenagers are fighting a losing battle with addiction when they return to high school and the friends they began their addictions with.

“In more than 20 years of education this is the best thing that I have done,” said Melillo.

The grand opening was held Thursday, Jan. 19 to celebrate the school’s nearly two months of operation and to host an open house to celebrate the work by a coalition of educational and service organizations from the surrounding area to bring such a high school to the South Shore.

Joanne Haley-Sullivan, executive director of North River Collaborative, which will oversee the new high school, said the school will give teenagers who want to be a sober a much better shot at success.

“When they come out of treatment—where do they go? Back to where it all began,” she said while more than 75 school and city officials, parents, and others who attended the 5 to 7 p.m. open house looked through the brightly painted classrooms boasting state-of-the-art computer equipment.

During the morning open house nearly 200 state and local officials attended, including Mayor Linda Balzotti, Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, and Congressman Stephen F. Lynch.

The school has numerous admission requirements, including students have verifiable proof they have been sober for at least 30 days or a commitment to attend sobriety counseling. Students can be between the ages of 14 and 21.

Each student who attends the school receives an individual recovery plan, and along with studying English, math, science, history and all of the other MCAS required core subjects, students receive addiction counseling and health and wellness training that goes above and beyond the average high school student experience.

Math teacher Janet Braggs, a veteran of the financial services industry, said the goal of the school is to end one cycle of drug and alcohol abuse and offer young addicts in their teens a chance to get straight and graduate.

“Try being an addict at 35 years old without a high school education…what’s that person going to do? What’s their future? I’m excited to help these kids reach their potential,” Braggs said.

THIS WEEK IN BROCKTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

MONDAY, JANUARY 9
Registration for Grade 6 September 2012 Assignments begin
Brookfield: P.T.O. Meeting. Café, 6:30 p.m.
Hancock: P.T.A. Meeting. Library, 6:30 p.m.
Gilmore: P.T.A. Meeting. Café, 6 p.m.
North: Blue Dog Shelter Blanket Collection runs through 1/13. Main Office.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10
Angelo: P.T.A. Meeting. Café, 6 p.m.
Arnone: P.A.C. Meeting. Teachers Lounge, 6 p.m.
Davis: Title One ~ Book Talk Pizza – Gr. 4 - Ms. Amber, 10:30 a.m.
George: P.T.A. Meeting. Café, 6:30 p.m.
Huntington: Citizen of the Month Awards. During School

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11
Community Schools Advisory Board Meeting. B.H.S. Green IRC, 7 p.m.
Angelo: P.T.A. Meeting. Café, 9:15 p.m.
Baker: School Stores Open During Lunches
Downey: Title One ~ Bingo for Books. Café, 6:15 p.m.
George: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 3 Ms. Lange 1:15 p.m.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12
B.P.S. 6th Grade Registration Informational Meeting
South Middle School 10:30 – 11:15 a.m. or 6:30 – 7:15 p.m.
Baker: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 1 Mrs. Fischer 1:30 p.m.
Baker: P.T.A. Meeting. Community Room, 7 p.m.
Downey: Anti-Bullying Magic Show Small Gym During School

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13
George: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 2, 2-Way 9 a.m.
George: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 1, 2-Way 1:15 p.m.
George: P.T.A. sponsored Family Zumba Night. Café, 5:30 p.m.
Raymond: Student of the Month Assembly. During School
MONDAY, JANUARY 16
NO SCHOOL ~ Martin Luther King Day

Kennedy School Wins New Playground

BrocktonPost
BROCKTON--Miracle Playground Equipment Company has announced the Kennedy School is the winner of its first-ever Miracle Playground Giveaway Contest and because of an overwhelming show of support, the Kennedy Elementary School will receive a brand-new $25,000 play structure that boasts monkey bars, three slides and a rock-climbing wall.
The Kennedy PTA is still raising funds to install a rubber surface to go underneath the play structure.
The school’s current playground consists of rusted swings and other equipment installed when the building opened in 1965 – equipment that is so unsafe and out-of-date that the children are not allowed to use it.
The Kennedy and more than 150 schools nationwide entered the Miracle Playground Equipment Company’s online contest. Playground Committee Chairs Jennifer Giannaros and Joanna Silverman submitted a picture of the current playground and a narrative of why the Kennedy is deserving of a new playground.
From November 1st to 21st, Kennedy parents and supporters encouraged all of their friends, family and coworkers to vote for the school as part of Miracle’s online voting process on Facebook.
Kennedy came in first in the online voting.
The second phase of the contest required the top 10 vote getters to submit a 3-10 minute video detailing their need and desire for a new playground. That’s when Kennedy 4th Grade Teacher Lauren Roche teamed up with Noube Rateau, Brockton Community Access’s Coordinator of Educational Access Programming, and set to work on the video, which featured the Kennedy Chorus, interviews with Rogan, teachers and parents, and vignettes from students explaining why they wanted a playground.
On December 1st, the school was notified it had won.
To watch the video that helped win the playground, please click on the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmYVEDGU2Zg

THIS WEEK IN BROCKTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12
Superintendents’ PAC Meeting, West Middle School, 6:30 p.m.
Brookfield: Holiday Shop, During School
Gilmore: P.T.A. Meeting Café 6:00 p.m.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13
Parents’ Academy, NotMyKid Presentation, Arnone School 6:30 to 8 p.m.
B.H.S. Holiday Concert, B.H.S. Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. $4.00 per ticket
Angelo: R.I.F. Book Distribution, During School
Angelo: P.T.A. Meeting, Café 6:15 p.m.
Baker: Title One ~ Bingo for Books, Café 6:15 p.m.
Brookfield: Holiday Shop, During School
Downey: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 1, 1:15 p.m.
Huntington: Holiday Workshop for K – Grade 1, Library 1–2:30 pm.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14
Community Schools Advisory Board Meeting B.H.S., Green IRC 7 p.m.
B.H.S. Holiday Concert, B.H.S. Auditorium ~ 7:30 p.m. $4.00 per ticket
Parents’ Academy,Moms & Daughters Yoga Night, George School 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, continued
Angelo: R.I.F. Book Distribution During School
Angelo: Holiday Craft Night Café 5:30 p.m.
Baker: Holiday Shop for Kindergarten and Grade 1 During School
Downey: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 1 1:15 p.m.
Huntington: Holiday Workshop for Grades 2 & 4 Library, 1:00 – 2:30 pm.
Raymond: Title One ~ Bingo for Books, Café, 6:15 p.m.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15
SNOWDATE: B.H.S. Holiday Concert, B.H.S. Auditorium ~ 7:30 p.m. $4.00 per ticket
Angelo: R.I.F. Book Distribution, During School
Angelo: Title One ~ Book Talk – Gr. 3, 1:30 p.m.
Baker: Holiday Shop for Grades 2 & 3, During School
Baker: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 3 – Mrs. Crossman, 8:50 a.m.
Downey: School Store, Small Gym, During School
Huntington: Holiday Workshop for Grades 5 & 6, Library 1–-2:30 pm.
Kennedy: Chorus & Band Holiday Performance, Café, During School

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16
Parents’ Academy--Parent and Child Literacy Activity Workshop, Gilmore Early Childhood Center 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Baker: Holiday Shop for Grades 4 & 5, During School
Baker: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 1, 1:30 p.m.
Huntington: Grade 5 Field Trip, Peabody Museum, During School
Huntington: School Improvement Council Meeting, Principal’s Office, 1 p.m.
North: Student vs. Faculty Volleyball Game, Gym, 2:30 p.m.
Raymond: Student of the Month Assemblies, During School

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17
Raymond: Pancake Breakfast 10 to 11:30 a.m.

THIS WEEK IN BROCKTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29
Parents’ Academy,Family Night – ZUMBA Fitness Program, Arnone School ~ 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Arnone: Grade 3 Field Trip Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton. During School
Davis: Title One ~ Family Book Talk Pizza – Mr. Ferrari 10:30 a.m.
Davis: P.T.A. Meeting Café 6 p.m.
South: School Improvement Council Meeting. Prinicpal’s Office, 5:30 p.m.
South: P.A.C. Meeting. Café 6 p.m.
West: Book Fair During School

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30
MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENT CONFERENCES ~ EARLY RELEASE DAY
Baker: Title One ~ Family Book Bag –Gr. 3 - Ms. Prendergast 1:30 p.m.
Davis: Title One ~ Bingo for Books, Café 6:15 p.m.
Huntington: November Citizen of the Month Awards Assembly. During School
Kennedy: School Picture Day, Gym During School
West: Book Fair. During Conferences

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1
Parents’ Academy, Bullies, Targets and Bystanders - Families First, Arnone School 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
East: Food Drive runs until 12/20 During School
East: School Improvement Council Meeting, Room 130 5 p.m.
East: P.A.C. Meeting, Room 130, 6 p.m.
Huntington: Grade 3 Field Trip Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton. During School
Kennedy: Title One ~ Book Talk Pizza – Gr. 4 - Ms. Donaruma 11:30 a.m.
Kennedy: School Improvement Council Meeting. Conference Room 6 p.m.
Kennedy: P.A.C. Meeting. Café 7 p.m.
North: School Improvement Council Meeting Café 5 p.m.
North: P.A.C. Meeting Café 6:00 p.m.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2
Parents’ Academy--Raising a Reader Parent Training – Expanding on a Child’s Answer--Gilmore Early Childhood Center 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Angelo: Citizen of the Month, Breakfast Café 9:15 a.m.
Kennedy: Grade 3 Field Trip Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton. During School

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4
Baker: Polar Express Breakfast Café 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.