Pentucket

Pentucket Regional High School Organizes Anti-Bullying, Mental Health Programming for Students

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Pentucket Regional School District
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew
22 Main Street
West Newbury, MA 01985

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Pentucket Regional High School Organizes Anti-Bullying, Mental Health Programming for Students

Assistant Principal Frank Kowalski speaks to students during an anti-bullying assembly on Nov. 7. (Courtesy Photo Pentucket Regional School District)

WEST NEWBURY — Principal Jonathan Seymour is pleased to share that students at Pentucket Regional High School will participate in a series of events this school year about anti-bullying, mental health and positivity. 

“We organize events each year to promote kindness, acceptance and understanding among students, explain and define bullying and remind students of the various mental health resources available to them here at Pentucket,” Principal Seymour said. “In order to cultivate a positive, supportive community, it’s critical students understand these concepts and realize the power they have as individuals to make a positive difference among their peers.”

Students at Pentucket Regional High School took part in an educational anti-bullying assembly earlier this month, on Nov. 7. Organized by Assistant Principal Frank Kowalski and School Adjustment Counselor Shelby White, the assembly defined bullying in clear terms, highlighted the importance of fostering a safe school environment and positive school culture and identified resources available to students in need of support. The assembly also emphasized the role each individual plays in a making the school a supportive and positive place for everyone, and the importance of living by values like respect, kindness, gratitude and support. 

All students, including freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, took part in the assembly. 

An additional event will be held later this winter, which is being organized by the school’s guidance department. Titled “Why You Matter,” the event will seek to support mental health among students by fostering human connections.

A culminating assembly, being organized by an Anti-Bullying Committee, will be held at the end of the school year to review the anti-bullying and mental health lessons as well as to answer student questions. Throughout the school year, high school students will also spread messages of positivity and anti-bullying awareness while meeting with Pentucket Middle School students through the district’s Peer Mentor program.  

The district is also in the final stages of organizing this year’s parent, guardian and community workshops, which will be announced this December and will focus on anti-bullying and mental health.

 

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Pentucket’s Bagnall Elementary School Hosts 2019 STEM Week Activities

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Pentucket Regional School District
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew
22 Main Street
West Newbury, MA 01985

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Pentucket’s Bagnall Elementary School Hosts 2019 STEM Week Activities

GROVELAND — Principal Emily Puteri is pleased to announce that Bagnall Elementary School students are participating in a variety of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workshops this week as part of a statewide initiative to promote learning in each field. 

Bagnall Elementary School is participating in Massachusetts’ second annual STEM Week this week, an effort started by the Baker-Polito Administration to support students’ interest in STEM education. 

“STEM Week is a wonderful opportunity to spark excitement and curiosity among our students about the incredible array of fascinating, challenging STEM fields out there,” Principal Puteri said. “Our students are excited about the opportunities they’ll have this week to learn about a range of topics, many of which have to do with sustainability and the environment.”

STEM Week activities at Bagnall Elementary School were organized by Brooke Welch, Pentucket Regional School District’s Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) coordinator. The week’s activities are being funded by a STEM Week grant from the Merrimack College Northeast STEM Network, a group that helps connect educators and supports schools as they organize their annual STEM Week activities. 

“Each activity we’ve planned for this week encourages our students to hypothesize about possible solutions, test their ideas, learn more about these topics, use their creativity and discuss possible solutions,” Welch said. “Students will also collaborate and will gain an understanding of how these topics — from the importance of reducing trash waste to removing microplastics from water — have a tremendous impact on the world they live in.”

Leading up to this week, kindergarten through second grade students at the school have been learning about food waste, composting, recycling and reducing their “foodprint.” Third through fifth grade students have been learning about novel energy solutions, unintended consequences and prototyping a way for the school to use a cleaner energy source. Sixth grade students have been studying the impact of microplastics on the environment, animals and the human body.

Over the course of this week, the school will host five workshops to support student learning and interest in various STEM topics. On Tuesday, students in kindergarten through second grade learned about trash and waste, upcycling and sustainability through an interactive “Children’s Museum” operated by educators in the small gymnasium at the school. 

On Wednesday, third and fourth grade students took part in two workshops. In one program, students learned about the impacts of an oil spill and acted as environmental engineers to test different methods for effectively cleaning up an oil spill. In the second workshop, students visited the school’s makerspace and brainstorm how to make their school more sustainable and environmentally friendly. 

Fifth and sixth grade students will also take part in two workshops on Thursday. In one workshop, students will learn about the amount of plastic that has been disposed of in the ocean, and will design and build a filter to remove pieces of plastic from an ocean model. They will also discuss possible solutions to reduce and remove plastic from the ocean. In the second workshop, students will gather in the school’s makerspace to create a procedure to remove plastic microbeads from a provided commercial personal care product, such as a facial cleanser or body wash. 

The school’s STEM Week events will culminate in a school-wide presentation on revision energy on Friday by Elizabeth Rose, an advocate and Groveland resident who builds ecobrick structures in Guatemala for school children to show students alternative ways to build houses and structures from Plastic bottles and bags, known as ecobricks.

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Pentucket Regional School District Announces Interim Appointments

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Pentucket Regional School District
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew
22 Main Street
West Newbury, MA 01985

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Pentucket Regional School District Announces Interim Appointments

WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew announces that the district has selected an interim principal to serve at the Helen R. Donaghue and Dr. Frederick N. Sweetsir Elementary Schools, and has named another at Pentucket Regional Middle School.

Ken Kelley, the current middle school principal, has been chosen to serve as the interim principal of the Donaghue and Sweetsir Elementary Schools for the remainder of the school year, beginning on Friday, Nov. 1. Kelley has worked as an administrator at Pentucket Regional Middle for 13 years.

“Mr. Kelley’s ability to work with faculty, staff and community is one of the key factors that makes him a great fit,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “His leadership, experience and knowledge will be a tremendous asset to both schools, and I am also confident that he will form a seamless partnership with the administration and educators at each facility, ensuring students have an optimal learning experience and teachers have collaborative leadership.”

The district has selected the middle school’s current vice principal, Jim Carlson, to assume the role of interim principal in Kelley’s absence. The district will also begin seeking applicants for an interim assistant principal position at the school.

The district will also re-evaluate its long-term staffing needs in the spring.

This November, Kelley will hold a Meet and Greet event after school to provide an opportunity to introduce himself and get to know parents and guardians of students at the Donaghue and Sweetsir Elementary Schools. He will also hold a drop-in time for those who are able to meet during the school day. The date and time of each event will be announced when available.

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Pentucket’s Page School to Host Annual Harvest Dinner

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Pentucket Regional School District
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew
22 Main Street
West Newbury, MA 01985

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Pentucket’s Page School to Host Annual Harvest Dinner

WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew is pleased to share that the Dr. John C. Page School will host its annual Harvest Dinner this weekend.

WHEN:

Saturday, Oct. 19

Three separate seatings will be held at 4:30 p.m., 5:45 p.m. and 7 p.m.

WHERE: 

Laurel Grange

No. 161, 21 Garden St.

WHAT: 

Each year, Page Elementary School hosts a farm-to-table Harvest Dinner for local families featuring this autumn’s crop of potatoes, tomatoes, squash, peppers, beans, herbs and kale.

The harvest comes from the school’s garden, which is tended and supported by students in all grades at the school through various projects and classroom initiatives. Vegetables from the garden are also used for the school cafeteria’s Tasting Tuesdays.

Soups will be served at the dinner, made from the vegetables harvested from the garden. Families and students also have the opportunity to bake apple crisps for the event. The Page School staff and members of the Laurel Grange will also provide a variety of breads at the dinner, including corn bread.

“The annual Harvest Dinner is a wonderful event, because it brings our school community together and allows our students to see first-hand the incredible crop they helped produce,” Principal Dustin Gray said. “It also allows us to celebrate and strengthen our partnerships with the larger community, in particular the Laurel Grange.”

The Pentucket Jazz Combo will also perform during each session of the dinner, and proceeds from the event will support the sustainability of the Page School garden.

Tickets can be purchased for $7 per person by clicking here.

Various foods have also been donated by local businesses for the dinner, including apples from Long Hill Farm in West Newbury, foccacia from Annarosa’s in Salisbury, ice cream from Hodgies Too in Newburyport and rolls and cider from West Newbury Food Mart.

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