Medway Middle School

Medway Middle School Students Win Award for Designing Adaptive Children’s Toy

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Medway Public Schools
Armand Pires, Superintendent
45 Holliston St.
Medway, MA 02053

 

For Immediate Release

Friday, June 7, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Medway Middle School Students Win Award for Designing Adaptive Children’s Toy

MEDWAY –Superintendent Armand Pires is pleased to share that a group of Medway Middle School students won an award this Tuesday for an adaptive toy they designed for the annual Project Lead the Way Children’s Hospital Design Showcase.

Seventh grade students Kelsea Anderson, Lily Bariteau, Ellie Copeland, Caitlin MacNeil, Emma Reardon and Bella Vallieres were among 110 students from 16 Massachusetts schools that attended Mass STEM Hub’s second annual design showcase for Project Lead the Way on Tuesday, June 4, at the Merck Research Laboratories in Boston.

Student groups were challenged to design, test and build an adaptive toy for a child with cerebral palsy for the showcase using their knowledge of the engineering design process, critical measurement and mathematical modeling, computer-aided design and cerebral palsy. Students learned about these concepts in a Design and Modeling Project Lead the Way (PLTW) unit earlier this school year.

At the showcase, students presented their projects to doctors and patients of the cerebral palsy unit of Boston Children’s Hosptial. Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Children’s Hospital CEO Sandra Fenwick also attended the showcase and met with students in the competition.

“This showcase was such a wonderful opportunity for our students to challenge themselves,” Superintendent Pires said. “They created incredibly thoughtful, useful projects, and it’s so exciting to see them using the knowledge they gained this school year to create something meaningful.”

Anderson, Copeland, Reardon and Vallieres were awarded the Practitioners’ Pick award at the showcase, which is given to the project with the most real-world promise at the competition each year. The four students built a multi-functional fidget contraption for the competition, which they designed to support cognitive, sensory and physical therapy for children ages one through 12 with cerebral palsy. The toy features matching, spinning, listening and drawing games for patients to play independently or with an occupational therapist. These features of the toy were designed to engage the cerebral palsy patient’s imagination and senses while strengthening eye-hand coordination.

MacNeil and Bariteau partnered to build a “Toys for Kids Fruit Matcher” toy for the showcase as well, which tasks the patient with matching a soft, squishy “fruit” to a cup the same color as that fruit. MacNeil and Bariteau designed the toy to provide cognitive, physical and sensory therapy to children with cerebral palsy during occupational therapy, and to help patients stretch their finger and hand muscles.

“Project Lead the Way has done a wonderful job of engaging our students and making them excited to learn about STEM topics,” said Medway Middle School Principal Craig Juelis. “This showcase gave students an opportunity to see first-hand how the topics they’re learning about in class can be applied to help others and make an impact in the world, and that’s truly incredible. Congratulations to each of these students on a job well done.”

Project Lead The Way is an initiative of Mass STEM Hub, an organization providing access to and support for premier STEM programming. Project Lead The Way aims to make STEM part of students’ regular school day. The program offers K-12 curriculum in engineering, computer science, and biomedical science that engages students in problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration and communication.

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Medway Public Schools Invites Parents, Residents to Attend Series of Upcoming Arts and Music Festivals

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Medway Public Schools
Armand Pires, Superintendent
45 Holliston St.
Medway, MA 02053

 

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Medway Public Schools Invites Parents, Residents to Attend Series of Upcoming Arts and Music Festivals

MEDWAY –Superintendent Armand Pires is pleased to announce that Medway Public Schools has several arts and music festivals scheduled this May and June and is inviting all parents and residents to attend.

“These events are a perfect way for students to end the school year,” Superintendent Pires said. “Students have an opportunity to display their art, perform in front of friends and family, and showcase what they’ve learned both in class and in extracurricular activities. It’s a great celebration of student learning, talent and creativity.”

Upcoming events at Medway Public Schools include:

Pops Concert and Art Walk- Medway High School

On Wednesday, May 15, a Pops Concert and Art Walk will be held at Medway High School from 6-9 p.m. Starting at 6 p.m., student art will be displayed throughout the main lobby, and light refreshments will be available. Categories of artwork on display will include advanced fine art, foundation art, painting, drawing, ceramics, photography and graphic design.

A Pops Concert will begin at 7 p.m., which will include performances from the school’s Mixed Chorus, Treble Chorus and Concert Band.

McGovern Elementary School Art Show

On Tuesday, May 21, McGovern Elementary will hold an art show. Every student will have a piece of art they chose on display at the event. Parents, guardians and students will also be invited to take part in several activities, including spin art, taking a family photo at a teacher-run photo booth and mural painting. Students will also pick up their art portfolios during the art show, and parents and guardians will have the opportunity to write a letter to their student.

Student-made “Line monsters” will also be on display at the art show, showcasing “collage monsters” students created from lines, using paint, glue and scissors.

The art show will also serve as a school open house, and will include a scavenger hunt.

The art show will be open to preschool and kindergarten students and parents from 5:30-6:15 p.m., and from 6:30-7:15 p.m. for first grade students.

Chamber Concert and Honors Recital – Medway High School

On Wednesday, May 22, a Chambers Concert and Honors Recital will start at 6 p.m. in the high school auditorium. The concert will feature performances by the jazz band, flute ensemble and clarinet ensemble. Medway High School’s three a cappella groups, the Shirley Tempos, the Do Re Mi-gos and the Unaccompanied Minors will also perform.

Students in the Medway High Honors Music program will also perform solos and small group performances.

International Thespian Society Induction Ceremony and Performance- Medway High School

On Wednesday, May 28, an International Thespian Society Induction ceremony will be held in the Medway High School Auditorium at 6:00 p.m. A group of 23 students in grades 10-12 will be inducted into the school’s chapter of the society.

The International Thespian Society is an organization that recognizes and celebrates the achievements and dedication of high school students involved in all aspects of theater. All 23 students will also perform in a one-act play at the event.

Medway Middle School Band Concert

On Thursday, May 30, the Medway Middle School band concert will be held in the Medway High School auditorium. The grades five and six bands will perform from 6-7 p.m., and the grades seven and eight bands will perform between 7-8 p.m.

Arts Festival, Band and Chorus Concert – Burke-Memorial Elementary School

On Monday, June 3, an Arts Festival, Band and Chorus Concert will be held at Burke-Memorial Elementary School from 6-8 p.m.

Each student will have a piece of art displayed during the festival outside of his or her classroom. The art will reflect student’s individual voices and studies of basic art elements, such as color, line texture and shape.

The third and fourth grade chorus will also perform in the cafeteria at 6:30 p.m., and the fourth grade band will perform at 7:30 p.m.

Medway Middle School Spring Choral Concert

On Wednesday, June 5, Medway Middle School’s Spring Choral Concert will be held in the Medway High School auditorium. Students in chorus groups in grades five and six will perform from 6-7 p.m. and students in grades seven and eight will perform from 7-8 p.m.

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Medway Middle School STEM Students Present Projects at Pull Toy Showcase

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Medway Public Schools
Armand Pires, Superintendent
45 Holliston St.
Medway, MA 02053

 

For Immediate Release

Friday, May 10, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Medway Middle School STEM Students Present Projects at Pull Toy Showcase

MEDWAY – Principal Craig Juelis is pleased to share that Medway Middle School students from the Project Lead The Way Automation & Robotics class were featured at the Mass STEM Hub Pull Toy Showcase on, Friday, April 26.

Seven Medway Middle School STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students presented their projects at the Pull Toy Showcase, held at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.

Using what they have learned about simple machines and gear designs, Automation and Robotics student teams designed and built a 21st-century version of a vintage pull toy.

The teams presented their projects to museum staff and industry professionals and received feedback on their work.

“Initiatives like this empower our students to use their interest in STEM to solve real-world challenges,” Superintendent Pires said. “It’s great to see them work together to apply what they learn in the classroom to hands-on activities.”

Events like the Pull Toy Showcase connect the skills students develop throughout the year to work in STEM industries. Over 100 students from schools across Massachusetts showcased their STEM projects.  

Project Lead The Way is an initiative of Mass STEM Hub, an organization providing access to and support for premiere STEM programming. Project Lead The Way aims to make STEM part of students’ regular school day. The program offers K-12 curriculum in engineering, computer science, and biomedical science that engages students in problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration and communication.

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Medway Public Schools Develop Plans to Support Social-Emotional Learning

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Medway Public Schools
Armand Pires, Superintendent
45 Holliston St.
Medway, MA 02053

 

For Immediate Release

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Medway Public Schools Develop Plans to Support Social-Emotional Learning

MEDWAY –Superintendent Armand Pires is pleased to share that educators at Medway Middle and High Schools are developing plans to better support social-emotional learning in all subject areas starting this fall.

The district has partnered on the project with Teachers21, a nonprofit, and William James College, who have developed a partnership to offer social emotional consulting services to schools.

Volunteer groups of teachers and administrators at both schools met with a consultant from Teachers 21 for the first time early this April, and will meet with the consultants again before the end of the school year and during the 2019-20 school year.

During these meetings, educators are developing methods to incorporate into daily classroom life the five “core competencies” for social-emotional learning outlined by CASEL, an educational organization that offers resources to teachers looking to reinforce social emotional learning in their schools. These competencies include self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision making, relationship skills and social awareness.

Starting this fall, the schools will introduce teaching practices, procedures and routines to support the development of these skills. For example, a teacher might reinforce social awareness by asking students to reflect on their collaboration with others during a group project.

“Our goal is to come out of this planning with universal practices and structures the whole school can adopt to support social-emotional learning,” said Director of Wellness Ryan Sherman. “Making it routine to practice skills like self-awareness and self-management in the classroom will help students hone these competencies and become stronger learners.”

The district has also worked to support social-emotional learning at the elementary level. Medway elementary schools implemented Responsive Classroom learning this fall, an evidence-based approach to supporting the development of social-emotional skills. This approach empowers students through engagement and positive interactions with one another, their teachers and school staff throughout the day.

 

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