1994-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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Annual special events that were again successfully of formal and informal instruction to a mastery level presented were Grandparents and Special Friends Day, of reading abilities in all facets of print. Handicap Awareness Week, a safety program from ComElectric, and a historical perspective of colonial Reading and writing skills are taught in tandem. life from Plimoth Plantation's period characters. The The reading-writing connection is an integral compo- second graders maintained an on-going penpal rela- nent of any solid reading program. The process and tionship with the Walpole school system, culminatingmethods of reading instruction are a focus of a ver g Y in a school visit. Another productive and "ache-y" active curriculum review team consisting of profes- ACES Day highlighted the importance of appropriate sionals across the grades. This body is charged with physical activity and good nutrition. Students enjoyed the ongoing task of curriculum review and revision. an excellent performance of"Rip Van Winkel" by the National Marionette Theatre. The music teacher The enrollment at the Mashpee Middle School con- arranged for a string quartet from the Gape to entertain tinues to increase at a rapid pace. Additionally, grade students and provide a background about stringed 4 classes have returned to the Middle School. The instruments, and an orthopedist from Boston visited teachers in grades 4-8 are very pleased with the con- third graders with an insight about bones of the body. cept of common planning time. This concept has gone Leisure Services put on a K-4 dance that was a terrif- a long way to make M.M.S. a true "Middle School." is family event, and a grant from the Academy of The staff has used this time to meet witharents, stu- P Performing Arts brought into the Coombs School a dents and administration, as well as curriculum devel- program called "Dancers and Artists and Athletes." opment. Mrs.Carol Lang and Mr.Melvin Coombs visited all of our classrooms with a Wampanoag cultural presenta- The highly successful athletic program continued. tion; local author, Ann Harmon, ave students a Mashpee students competed with other Cape Cod mid- glimpse of the Cape in the 1930's and 1940's. Emma- dle schools in a variety of games and events. The Jo Mills Brennan conducted an educational outreach DARE program continued in a positive manner as did program on chronic disease prevention. Classes our Peer Leadership group. our students participated received DARE instruction through the health teacher in the Southeast Music Festival at Silver Lake High and officer Doris, and Peace Week was celebrated at School, the All Cape Band Workshop at the Nauset Coombs with conflict resolution concepts, a series of Middle School at the Nauset Middle School, and the musical activities, and a visit from two old friends, Chamber Singers and Stage Band performed at r artist Valerie Stephens and author Yoko Watkins. Berklee College of Music in Boston. Chamber Singers 15th Anniversary Alumni Concert was held in June. In the fall, with support from a Massachusetts our Marching Band,involving students from grades 6, Cultural Council grant and financial assistance from 7, and 8 performed in Falmouth and Mashpee parades the Mashpee Arts Council and Willowbend Children's during the year. The Music Honor Award recipient for Charities, mural artist, David Fichter, third grade stu- the year was Thomas Bankert, Dennis Gorczyca and dents and a number of local volunteer artists (Deborah Latoya Green were the Champions of the Annual 5/6 Handy, Karen Fitzgerald and Jan Bexley) painted an Grade Spelling Bee. Breda McKay and Adam Perry ambitious and beautiful series of murals reflecting life were named recipients of the Frederick H. Pocknett on Cape Cod. They are located in the front entrance to Sportsmanship Award for Athletics and our our building and one of the wings on the second floor Citizenship Scholarship Award winner was Erin and signify an important link between our social stud- Keene. our Memorial Award winners for the year ` ies curriculum and the visual arts. were: Mark Bronas for the Joseph E. Malone Award, Breda McKay for the Leigh--Ann Horne Award, Reading is an integral part of student life in grades Kristen Johnson for the Lee Greer Award, and Adam K-8 in the Mashpee Public School System.The citizen Perry received the Daniel Casey Memorial Award. of tomorrow must be a knowledgeable reader in order g � to best process information from the vast body of In the area of Special Education, a total of 209 stu- printed matter that is in our world. The reader must be dents from ages three through twenty-one are current- brought far beyond basic literacy in order to survive in ly being serviced within our system. Special today's as well as tomorrow's society. Toward this Education programs range from monitoring of a stu- goal of achieving literacy and beyond, the Mashpee dent's progress to more substantially separate pro- School System strives to present a consistent program grams. Mashpee continues to expand programs for the j of instruction throughout the grades. inclusion of students with special needs. This is the g first year that inclusion programs are available at all In everyP hase of learning the student is immersed grade levels. Substantial numbers of students now in a print-rich environment. The student begins with receive services in the regular classroom. this exposure level and progresses through a process 97