programming

SAU 16 Cooperative Middle School Students Place First in Robotic Programming at State LEGO Championship

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saulogo

New Hampshire SAU 16
Dr. David Ryan, Superintendent
30 Linden Street
Exeter, NH 03833

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019

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

SAU 16 Cooperative Middle School Students Place First in Robotic Programming at State LEGO Championship

Back row, from left: Seventh grade students Jack Pastore and Drew Jusseaume. Front row, from left: Eight grade students Olivia Wheeler, Harry Chabot and Aidan Buehrle, and seventh grade students Cedric St. Armand, and Charlie Sununu. (Courtesy Photo SAU 16)

EXETER — Principal Patricia Wons is pleased to share that the Cooperative Middle School’s Lego Team placed first in Robotic Programming at the New Hampshire State Lego League Championship Tournament this weekend.

Seven students on the school’s Lego Team attended the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Lego League (FLL) Championship Tournament for New Hampshire on Saturday, Dec. 7, at Windham High School in Windham.

The Cooperative Middle School team, named the “Determined Desserts,” was among 50 middle school aged teams from throughout the Granite State that qualified for the championship during qualifying tournaments on Nov. 16. At its qualifying event, the Cooperative Middle School team won the Robot Design award. This weekend, the group was awarded the first place Programming Award at the State Championship.

“It’s incredible to see our students applying the concepts they’re learning at school and through the Lego Club to design, build and program a robot of their own, and to see them succeed at a statewide championship using those skills is wonderful,” Principal Wons said. “A job well done to these students, and to the educators and team coaches who have supported them and helped them explore their passion for robotics and programming.”

The team is coached by community volunteers Jim Ropp and Heather Skelly.

At the competition, students were tasked with designing, building and programming a robot using Lego Technic components. The robots were sent through a challenge course where points were scored for completing different tasks. Teams then gave a “Robot Design Executive Summary” presentation explaining the details of how they built and programmed their robots.

Students also gave a technical project presentation addressing a real world problem and proposing an innovative solution that was either new or improved upon one that is already in practice. To prepare for this presentation, students researched prior to the competition and spoke with experts in the field.

Each year, the league has a different theme. This year, the theme was “City Shapers,” which focused on finding ways to build a better future. The Cooperative Middle School team chose a project to improve bridge inspection techniques by proposing a track-mounted camera that could be installed on bridges and allow for more frequent, less expensive and safer inspections.

The teams were judged on “Core Values” including teamwork, inclusion, gracious professionalism and fun.

Cooperative Middle School first organized its Lego Team six years ago.

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Greater Lawrence Technical School Receives $100,000 Grant to Grow Career and Technical Education Partnership Programs

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Greater Lawrence Technical School
Superintendent John Lavoie
57 River Rd, Andover,
MA 01810

For Immediate Release

Friday, Oct. 25, 2019

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

Greater Lawrence Technical School Receives $100,000 Grant to Grow Career and Technical Education Partnership Programs

LAWRENCE — Greater Lawrence Technical School was the first in the state to offer “after dark” programs to address the growing demand for Career and Technical Education (CTE) among students, and has just been awarded $100,000 from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to expand that initiative.

GLTS launched its “after dark” CTE partnership program with Lawrence High School during the 2018-2019 school year, allowing 21 juniors to take their core academic courses at Lawrence High from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. before traveling to GLTS to study Machine Tool/Technology/Advanced Manufacturing from 2:30-5:30. This school year, those students have continued their studies through the program, and GLTS launched a second, two year program in HVAC for Lawrence High students this fall as well.

The two-year “after dark” programs at GLTS allow students in their junior and senior years to earn a certificate in Advanced Manufacturing or HVAC.

“Unfortunately, every year we receive more applications than we have space for,” Superintendent John Lavoie said. “That’s a reality that technical and vocational schools throughout our state face. These career fields are booming and have a wealth of employment opportunities, and we’re thrilled to open up our programming to more students.”

Approximately 1,000 students apply to GLTS annually, with about 400 being accepted.

As a result of the success of GLTS’s program, DESE awarded $500,000 to six schools, including GLTS, throughout the Commonwealth this October to support the development and expansion of additional CTE Partnership programs. The $100,000 grant will support the new HVAC program at GLTS as well as the second cohort of students entering the Machine Tool/Technology/Advanced Manufacturing program.

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P.A.A.R.I. Receives $930,000 Grant from South Shore Health

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

P.A.A.R.I. Receives $930,000 Grant from South Shore Health

Funding will Support Access to Behavioral Health Services in Plymouth County

PLYMOUTH — Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) Executive Director Allie Hunter is pleased to announce that P.A.A.R.I. has been awarded a $930,000 Integrative Behavioral Health grant by South Shore Health.

South Shore Health awarded $2.4 million to nonprofit groups this spring to support behavioral healthcare in Plymouth and Norfolk counties. P.A.A.R.I. was one of two nonprofit groups selected to receive a five-year grant for $930,000 this cycle.

The grant will support a new partnership between P.A.A.R.I. and Plymouth County Outreach (PCO), a collaborative of 28 police departments throughout the region. Over the next five years, P.A.A.R.I. will work with PCO to implement a “hub model” throughout the county to expand the behavioral health services available to the community, and coordinate outreach visits for individuals identified as being at acutely elevated risk due to substance use and/or mental health issues.

“This first-of-its-kind grant program through South Shore Health reflects our organization’s deep commitment to promoting good health within the community and by removing barriers to accessing behavioral healthcare for the most vulnerable among us,” said Gene E. Green, president and CEO of South Shore Health. “Congratulations to P.A.A.R.I. for being named a grantee. We are excited to see the impact this initiative will have in our communities.”

“P.A.A.R.I. has had many successful partnerships with PCO, and we are thrilled to embark on this latest initiative to support our local law enforcement partners to address behavioral health needs in Plymouth County,” Hunter said. “We are incredibly thankful that South Shore Health has chosen to support our plan to improve access to behavioral health services on the South Shore.”

“Behavioral health issues are a huge concern, and not just in Plymouth county– these issues are affecting communities everywhere,” said Plymouth Police Chief Michael Botieri, a member of the P.A.A.R.I. Law Enforcement Council. “We’re fortunate that this grant has been awarded to support behavioral health programming locally to help those who are struggling.”

The “hub model” aims to assist those struggling before they reach a crisis point, and to connect the community to a variety of much needed behavioral health services.

“We’ve seen great success with the hub model in communities like Chelsea, Lawrence and Boston, and are looking forward to putting in place a system that will connect those in need to additional services and support,” Hunter said. “This grant will allow us to address a wide umbrella of behavioral health issues in addition to substance use, including mental health concerns.”

“This is monumental as it will allow for PCO to spearhead an innovative Public Health 3.0 initiative –a first in the U.S.,” said Dr. Nate Horwitz-Willis, director of public health for the town of Plymouth. “This grant will help us address complex substance use challenges seen across our law enforcement, healthcare, and public health communities. We collaboratively look forward to addressing these challenges with best practices and scholarly evidence from all three fields that use primary, secondary, and tertiary equitable prevention approaches with a dynamic team of experts and leaders.”

“The time has come where we need to closer examine the crossover between drug addiction and mental health,” said Scituate Police Chief Michael Stewart. “We are all concerned with the rise in mental health cases.”

The grant will fund the hiring of a full time P.A.A.R.I. hub coordinator who will be based in Plymouth County for the next five years, and will oversee the program.

“Plymouth County Outreach is so fortunate and appreciative to partner with P.A.A.R.I. on expanding our county collaboration, bringing an Integrated Behavioral Health approach to our existing model,” said East Bridgewater Police Chief Scott Allen, a member of the P.A.A.R.I. Law Enforcement Council. “We can’t address substance use and mental health disorders in separate silos.”

About P.A.A.R.I.

The Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help law enforcement agencies nationwide create non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery. Founded alongside the groundbreaking Gloucester Police Department Angel Initiative in June 2015, P.A.A.R.I. has been a driving force behind this rapidly expanding community policing movement. We provide technical assistance, coaching, grants, and other capacity-building resources to more than 465 police departments in 33 states.

We currently work with more than 120 law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts alone. P.A.A.R.I. and our law enforcement partners are working towards a collective vision where non-arrest diversion programs become a standard policing practice across the country, thereby reducing overdose deaths, expanding access to treatment, improving public safety, reducing crime, diverting people away from the criminal justice system, and increasing trust between law enforcement and their communities. Our programs and partners have saved thousands of lives, changed police culture, and reshaped the national conversation about the opioid epidemic. Learn more at www.paariusa.org.

 

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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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