1996-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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School.Common areas such as the library,gym and cafe- Christopher Lawrence won a poster contest sponsored teria are also shared.Otherwise,school classes and activ- by the Upper Cape Homeless Council,and several pupils ides are separate and Mashpee Elementary has begun to were recognized in the Law Day Poster and Essay Con- have its own identity. test. The Mashpee Elementary School Council was also With the presence of older students in the K. C. formed shortly after school began and it is working on a Coombs School,the chorus and band did a marvelous job school improvement plan. Among its goals are: to during several concerts and the third and fourth graders increase academic proficiency, to examine discipline, to again made our Spring Craft Show a terrific showcase for promote a separate identity from the other elementary the art program. schools,and to enhance the home/school connection uti- lizing various means of communication. The physical education department focused on skill development and fitness concerns with a Fall Fitness The 1995-1996 year at the Coombs School was the Walk, Turkey Trot, ACES Days, Girls and Women and first one under the new reorganization structure.The tran- Boys and Men in Sports Nights, Field Day, and sition to this organization was exciting and successful Jumprope for Heart. from many standpoints. Several teachers formerly assigned to the K. C. Once again,students were provided special instruction Coombs School joined the Middle School staff and in computers,science,art,music,physical education and should be commended for the positive attitude they health. The inclusion program was implemented at all brought with them. grade levels. Best wishes to Mrs. Pat DeConto (1968-1996). We Our connection to the arts was sustained through wish her the very best in her retirement. grants that allowed us to attend the Boston Ballet"Nut- cracker" performance, the Alvin Ailey dance presenta- Middle School extra-curricular activities played an tion at the Zeiterion Theater, and artist-in-residence, important role in the educational process of our young- Valerie Stephens, doing her program on immigration. sters.A school-wide Olympic Reading program was con- Funding was made available through both the Mashpee ducted,with over 600 students participating.Gold,silver and Massachusetts Cultural Councils. Storyteller Sarah and bronze medals were awarded at their Olympic cere- Jacobsen did a program with kindergarten and first grade mony. that exposed our children to the link between storytelling and writing. Our athletic teams conducted themselves in an exem- plary manner on and off the playing fields.A special note Some of the science-related activities that occurred should be made of our field hockey team which went were visits and studies of the salt marsh for Grade 6,Pro- undefeated. ject Life for fourth and fifth grades and a comprehensive i study of whales provided to our fifth graders through the Our musically-inclined students also distinguished Hyannis Whale Watch group.In the spring,we had a suc- themselves in several concerts and parades including the t cessful spelling bee with sixth grader Channelle Houston Mashpee and Falmouth parades. emerging as the winner and fourth grade student,Halani Moore, as runner-up. Once again, our Career Day with The eighth grade graduation was held on June 24, the District Attorney's office and Police Department 1996. The Frederick H. Pocknett award for Sportsman- glowed for worthwhile Increase the Peace Week initia- ship in athletics was presented to Dennis Gorczyca and fives. Ryan Grady.Memorial awards were presented to Ashley Davis (Leigh-Ann Horne Award), Dennis Gorczyca t The outside presenters visited the K. C. Coombs (Daniel Casey Award), Patrick Riley (Joseph Malone School and provided enrichment programs were Plimoth Award),and the Harold P.Collins Citizenship Award was Plantation, ComElectric, and Curriculum Media, Inc. presented to Padraic O'Connor. 1 who dealt with problem solving and critical thinking skills using checker game strategies. Author Yoko This graduation of 8th grade students is the last to be Watkins visited fourth grade classes to speak with the stu- held at the Mashpee Middle School. A large crowd was C dents about her World War II experiences,the subject of in attendance to see this history-making event. Most of I her books, the graduates will go on to the new high school. A small number of students are attending the Cape Cod Tech or l An excellent year with the DARE program and "Fly private schools. I High with Reading"was experienced by students. During the course of the year, many new high school staff members were hired. This included the ninth grade 97