Good Morning,
We hope that you have had a great spring break! Below is the link to our weekly Pathways Newsletter. This week, there are some amazing photos from our Arts Fest, Blue Ribbon Conference, A World of Difference Conference, the Massachusetts State Banking Competition and Visiting students from Ecuador. In addition, there are stories celebrating the many positive activities that are going on in our school district.
Have a great week!
This past week, the Reading Public Schools celebrated the Arts and celebrated learning with two major events; the annual Arts Fest on April 14/15, and the Blueprint for Excellence Educational Institute on April 16/17. Both events emulate what our school district is all about; supporting student learning and fostering an environment that allows innovation and creation. It was truly a week of celebration!
Arts Fest began seven years ago by Elementary Music Teacher Al Mosier and RMHS Director of Fine and Performing Arts William Endslow as a way to celebrate the visual and performing arts in our school district. Today, Arts Fest is alive and well with 1-12 student art work beautifully portrayed up and down “Main Street” of Reading Memorial High School and student performances of elementary, middle school, and high school band and chorus groups. Below are several photos from Arts Fest.
None of this would have been possible without the incredible talents and efforts of our art and music teachers. A special thanks goes out to all of them for putting together such a fantastic celebration of the Arts.
Grade 6 Combined Middle School Band under the Direction of Andrew Norton
Assistant Superintendent for Learning and Teaching Craig Martin kicks off Arts Fest with some opening remarks
Grade 6 Chorus under the Direction of Parker Music Teacher Jenny DiMuzio
Grade 3 Chorus
Grade 3 Chorus
Grade 4 and 5 Chorus under the Direction of Elementary Music Teacher Britney Bowman
Combined High School and Middle School Chorus under Director of Fine Arts Kristin Killian
Grade 7 and 8 Combined Middle School Band under the direction of Cheryl Webster
Grade 7 and 8 Band
Parker Music Teacher Andrew Norton
Over the next few days, there will be several blog posts on the amazing week that we just had in the Reading Public Schools with our Annual ArtsFest Event and the Blue Ribbon Conference. This post is dedicated to the Rob Surette portraits that were presented by the Human Relations Advisory Committee to the Town of Reading and the Reading Public Schools last week on the first night of ArtsFest.
The portraits were presented at 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14th after a beautiful series of songs played by our 6th grade middle school bands and choral groups. The original portraits were discussed at the Annual Martin Luther King Day, Jr. event that was held in January and would not have been possible without the generosity of Eastern Bank, the Reading and Massachusetts Cultural Councils, the Burlington Kohl’s associates-in-action program, Moynihan Lumber, and Capozzi Construction. In addition, thanks to the generous donation by John and Diana Halsey, additional portraits, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, and Mother Teresa have been masterfully created by Rob Surette. The first two will be displayed in the Selectman Room at Town Hall. The other two will reside at RMHS. The funders above also enabled the purchase of Rob Surette’s portraits of Martin Luther King, Jr., Leonard Zakim, Harvey Milk, and Malala Yousafzai. These portraits will be on display in the Patrick Schettini Library Media Center.
For more information on the portraits please go to this article in the Reading Chronicle. A special thanks goes out to the members of the Human Relations Advisory Committee for all of their work.
Malala Yousafzai Portrait
Harvey Milk
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Leonard Zakim Portrait with his family
Rob Surette delivering the portraits to Reading Memorial lHigh School
Members of the RMHS A World of Difference Club and Gay Straight Alliance Club
Albert Einstein
Mother Theresa
Portraits Being Presented at Arts Fest on Tuesday
Portraits Being Presented at Arts Fest on Tuesday
Good Morning,
We hope that you are enjoying this beautiful weekend. Below is the Pathways Newsletter for the week of April 12th. In this week’s edition, we have stories about Arts Fest, the upcoming Blue Ribbon Conference, an article from Dr. David Walsh on “Teen Tantrums”, and pictures from the Barrows Spell A Thon, the Parker Cribbage Tournament, and the check presentation by the Reading Education Foundation to the Reading School Committee.
Have a great weekend, a super week, and a fabulous spring break!
The Human Relations Advisory Committee thanks everyone who made this year’s Martin Luther King Day Celebration a powerful catalyst for discussion and reflection. This annual event is meant to celebrate the contributions of a great leader, but is also a charge for action. It reminds each us of our responsibility to make this world a better place: to “stand together for justice” wherever and whenever necessary.
This celebration continues this Tuesday, April 14th from 6:20-6:30 with the presentation of the Hero Art Posters painted by Rob Surette and funded by Eastern Bank, The Reading and Massachusetts Cultural Councils, The Burlington Kohl’s Associates-In-Action Program, Moynihan Lumber, and Capozzi Construction.
Please see a recent Reading Chronicle article that talks about the Martin Luther King celebration event and this Tuesday’s unveiling of the portraits.
Enjoy the District-wide Arts Festival and witness the unveiling of role models intended to keep the conversations going about ways we can “Stand Together for Justice.”
On April 10th, students from Reading Memorial High School attended the NE 1:1 Summit in Burlington. At the event, students ran two tables (see photos below).
Rockets Help Desk participants Julia Donohue and Megan Catalano talked about the growth of our Rockets Help Desk program. In addition, RMHS students Evan DiMambro, Moriah Greeno, Lizzie Schwartz, and Katie Squires showed their paperless projects and blog portfolios from RMHS History Teacher Kerry Gallagher’s class. Congratulations to these students on a job well done!
Julia Donohue and Megan Catalano present about Rockets Help Desk, a program to support teachers and students in the integration of technology at Reading Memorial High School.
RMHS students Evan DiMambro, Moriah Greeno, Lizzie Schwartz, and Katie Squires showed their paperless projects and blog portfolios.
OLYMPIAN MOLLY SULLIVAN SLINEY TO SPEAK IN READING – location change
Understanding Disabilities is proud to present two-time Olympian MOLLY SULLIVAN SLINEY to speak with the Reading community. Miss Sliney will talk with us about her challenges with dyslexia, and just as importantly about the universal issue of SELF ESTEEM. All are invited to hear Ms. Sliney’s powerful story including that of her first Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. THURSDAY APRIL 9 at 7:00 pm, at the Endslow Performing Arts Center. A Cookies & Punch Reception to celebrate UD’s 30 year Anniversary will follow.
Please note the location of this important presentation has been changed to the Endslow Performing Arts Center.
For more information, visit www.understandingdisabilities.org.
Next Tuesday and Wednesday, April 14 and 15, the Reading Public Schools proudly presents ArtsFest, a celebration of the Visual and Performing Arts at the William Endslow Performing Arts Center at Reading Memorial High School. This two day event features student performances and hundreds of pieces of art work proudly displayed along Main Street at Reading Memorial High School. All are welcome to attend!
Good Morning,
For those of you who celebrate Easter and/or Passover, happy holidays! Below is the latest edition of the Pathways Newsletter. This week, we have the Reading Education Foundation 2015 Grant Recipients, a story about the creative skills needed by our students, and photos and stories about three of our high school students who have received recognition in sportsmanship and photography.
Remember that our annual Arts Fest is coming up April 14 and 15 at Reading Memorial High School. More on that next week.
Have a great week!
The Reading Education Foundation is pleased to announce this year’s awards totaling $40,117.17 and impacting every school in the district. Please join us in congratulating this year’s recipients.
HIGH SCHOOL GRANTS
Rockets Help Desk: Provide hardware and software to expand the reach of this worthwhile student-run technology integration group. RHD provides support to both students and faculty across the district, solving real world problems in the school setting and creating media to teach the public. Grant proposed by Kerry Gallagher
MIDDLE SCHOOL GRANTS
Reading in the 21st Century: Through the purchase of additional iPads,7th and 8th Grade Coolidge students will have increased access to digital text and beneficial accompanying analysis software. Grant proposed by Laura Warren
Introducing…A Stage You can Actually See: By installing a pair of large-screen LCDs, approximately 200 seats in Parker’s auditorium balcony will now have visual access to the stage. This will afford a dramatically-improved experience during school and community events. This will allow students, parents and community members to actively participate in existing events and include enrichment programs and events that previously could not be held in the space. (Partial Funding) Grant proposed by Connie Quackenbush
Interactive Projector for Coolidge 6th Grade Special Education: Projector provides technology that will improve the learning environment by allowing students to work collaboratively, participate in kinesthetic and tactile learning, and be fully- engaged during lessons. Grant proposed by Margaret Guilbert
Parker on the GO: The use of GoPro Cameras will spark students’ natural curiosity, creativity and sense of fun. The program will promote collaborative learning and support home-school communication. Grant proposed by Meg Powers
Eating With a Social Conscience: Coolidge 8th grade students will expand their social awareness and develop a better understanding of where and how food makes it to there table through reading and related interdisciplinary projects about the plight of the migrant worker. Grant proposed by Team Polaris, Mary Anne Cuscuna
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRANTS
History Alive!: This extended pilot program of online enrichment resources for grades 3-5 will enhance the social studies experience district-wide. Through the use of technology, project-based learning, music and the arts (role-play and games), this common-core aligned program with its online interactive components and teacher resources makes learning truly “an experience”. Grant proposed by Jennifer Emmett-Conrad
Numeracy is the New Literacy: This program will provide professional development with a hands-on workshop for up to 30 math teachers across the district in effective strategies and approaches to instilling meaningful numeracy in young students. Grant proposed by Nancy Bentley
Outside the Classroom Walls: This grant provides initial funding towards a multi-year plan to create an outdoor learning and play space on the Barrows campus. Funding will include providing mobile planter beds that will support first and second grade curriculum areas. Grant proposed by Heather Leonard
We would like to thank the Reading Education Foundation for their continued support of our schools. This foundation has consistently supported innovative grants over the last several years. Congratulations to all of the staff who received this year’s awards!
The Journey-The Next Chapter 