TO: Secondary Students and Staff DATE: December 5th, 2016 FROM: Alexa Kontes and Pat McCall
Mon, Dec 5 8am SAT Testing AM - Bella, Robert, Cullen, loc TBD 10:10am CR for YL, 11W, led by Michele 10:10am CR for DP, Stephanie’s room, led by Stephanie - Invite only AEC Bryce
Tues, Dec 6 8am SAT Testing AM - Bella, Robert, Cullen, loc TBD 9:45am CR for IP, 11w, led by Steve 10am Audiology, KE, led by E. Branfman 10am Planning Meeting for DW led by Jodi, in Jodi’s room 10:10am Audiology, DH, led by E. Branfman 10:20am Audiology, CF led by E. Branfman 10:30am Audiology, RB led by E. Branfman 1:30pm-3:00pm Parent Training: Doreen Cummings from JCFS to discuss: Turning 18 issues for parents 7:30 PM Dwight Hall Holiday Concert #2 Chorus, chamber singers, handbells and orchestrate participate AEC Mike
Wed, Dec 7 9:15am - 10:15am Student Rights Committee mtg in IMC led by Justine Rines Break: Student Council Meeting 10:10am Audiology Screening, KH, led by E. Branfman 11:35am-12:25pm ILC, 11W 1:20pm Case Managers Meeting, 11W - Go over database and scheduling procedures. Go over class and student lists. 2:15pm Fisher mtg AEC Jessica
Thurs, Dec 8 10:40am-11:30am Pre-Evaluation mtg led by Justine and Chris, 11W 10:45 am Holiday Concert Chorus, chamber singers, handbells and orchestra participate. Dwight Hall 1:30pm KS mtg, Group 2 3:30pm MFA trip, depart from lobby AEC Chris
Fri, Dec 9 No meetings AEC Rachel
A message from Paige Nason: We are doing a Senior class bake sale on January 11th. If anyone would make some goodies we would love the help. Thank You! 2
Dr. Amy Bower, an oceanographer who is blind and who has collaborated with the Perkins for the past 10 years will be visiting on Monday December 12th. She will meet with students in Kate Fraser’s classes and Kate Katulak’s science classes. Many students have met Amy during trips to Woods Hole. If anyone not currently taking science would like to say hello to Amy when she visits please let Kate Fraser know.
For staff: Free training in how to use Talking data collection equipment and software used for teaching and learning science and math: We are providing a free of cost training on Saturday December 10th in room 242E in the Howe Building from 9 AM to 4 PM. Dr. Cary Supalo, a chemist who is blind, will be here to train staff in the use of the talking Lab Quest. The Secondary program owns 4 of these devices that enable students to collect, measure and graph data independently. If you are interested please contact Kate Fraser ([email protected] or ext. 7423 for more information.)
The exhibit by Artist Wendy Jacob, “Calm. Smoke rises vertically”, at the Johnson- Kulukundis Family Gallery, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University runs through Saturday, January 14, 2017. It features models from the Perkins Tactile Museum. Working with vibrating walls, a live-streaming weather report, and architectural models from schools for the blind, this exhibition explores sensory experience through different modes of perception. https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2016-wendy- jacob-exhibition.
Music Makers information re: Holiday concerts and assembly Students include: Nick Klayman, William Ramos, Daniel Weiner, Maggie Newell, Chloe Hennessey, Cammie Kromm, Michelle Leonard and Kaiden Benner
Sunday Dec 4th is the first of two Holiday Concerts – featuring Music Makers, Orchestra, Handbells, Chorus, Chamber Singers, and Soloists. Please plan to bring your student to the Howe Building at 2:15pm to room W127which is behind Dwight Hall. At that time, the groups warm-up their voices, put on the choir robes, and get ready for the performance. The concert begins at 3:00pm. There are usually some refreshments afterwards. Tuesday Dec 6th is the second of the two Holiday Concerts. On this day, students need to be in the Howe Building at 6:45pm and report to rom W127. The concert begins at 7:30pm
Thursday Dec 8th is the Holiday Assembly at 10:45am. Each of the groups will do a selection from the concert.
The members of Music Makers have been diligently working on two selections which show off their talents quite nicely. We look forward to seeing you there!
This message is from Aiden Stott: I am doing a community service project for Survivor Tails Animal Rescue, also known as STAR. You need money in order to save all the dogs and cats. I need all of the students and teachers to help the animals survive so they can have their own loving 3 homes. Please come to the museum area on Mondays during break to donate money. Thank you.
Show your holiday spirit and love for all things seasonal by joining in this year’s door decorating contest!! Whether you design an intricate masterpiece or simply throw a bow on your door, we hope everyone will participate!
This year we’re doing things a bit differently… Anyone in the Howe building is welcome to participate (all staff and students are encouraged to design a door!) Students and staff will have an opportunity to vote on the best decorated door Ballots will be placed in the Secondary Office from Mon 12/12th through Thurs 12/15 (doors should be decorated and ready to be judged by that Monday morning). Students and staff should visit the voting booth (Secondary Office) any time during those days to cast your vote! Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners. Winners will be announced on Fri 12/16. Everyone who participates will receive a goody bag! Decorations will be scored in the following categories: originality/creativity, overall appearance, craftsmanship, and multisensory design!
Rules for the contest: Decorations should relate to the season (the holidays, winter wonderland, winter activities, etc.) Doors must be decorated by Monday, December 12th Decorations should be limited to doors/door walls and windows The decorations should not get in the way of the door opening and closing; please be mindful of any potential safety hazards Please do not use materials that may be damaging to the door or surrounding area
*****To make sure we put your door on the voting ballot, please email your room number or office location and the names of everyone who contributed to [email protected] to sign up for the contest!***** 4
Pictures of last year’s top three winners are attached and descriptions follow: 1st place- the door is designed to look like a fireplace, Painted cardboard is attached at the bottom of the door that look like bricks surrounding colored construction paper as the flames. Battery-operated candlesticks appear to be resting on the mantle and give a dim glow to the rest of the door. Also on the mantle, stockings hang that are stuffed with pictures of common stocking stuffers (and each is labeled in braille). Above the mantle is a makeshift television using the glass of the window as the screen showing a scene from “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The top of the door features snowflakes that appear to be falling above the chimney.
2nd place- Hundreds of small white paper cups are pinned to the door to form a truly amazing 3-dimensional snowman! Frosty is fully equipped with black paper circles used as buttons, a bright red scarf is tied around his neck, tree branches hang as arms, a carrot nose sticks from his round face, and a black top hat sits atop his head!
3rd place- Two adjacent doors show stained glass representation with holiday themes. Black construction paper with colored cellophane panels (red, green, blue, yellow, etc.) is used to give the appearance of the stained glass.
Happy Decorating!
The Newton Lions Club is joining with Anton’s cleaners in the Coats for Kids program. Margie Carney is the President of the Newton Lions Club and you can drop of any sized child’s or adult’s coat in good shape to Howe building west room 114.
If you would like to submit something for the newsletter, please email it to Alexa Kontes by Wednesday at 4:00. Any students interested in reporting for the newsletter should contact Alexa. 5
Margie Carney has a bag on her door Howe West 114 for redeemable cans or bottles the money raised will go to different causes throughout the year.
The tradition of construction managers answering questions about the sights and sounds of construction projects on campus has returned with “Ask Bob”. Bob DiDonato of Shawmut Design and Construction welcomes all questions on the new Howe Classrooms and Hilton Elevator and Entrance. Students and staff may email [email protected]
We will be compiling essays and poems written by Secondary students for the 2016- 2017 Perkins Press spring edition. Teachers and students are encouraged to submit their edited writings to Jeanne Fleming by April 30 for review. Any questions about The Press please call Jeanne.
The word of the week is wane: to decrease in size, extent, or degree.
We are a NUT safe school. No nuts at all, not even in private staff offices, where students may be present.
Students who are interested in writing group or cello club should contact Alexa.
Please note: The library will close promptly at 4:00 on Thursdays from now through December. There will be no study hall or after school clubs in the library on Thursdays.
On Wednesdays, Aiden Stott, Michael Cote and Izzy Primeau prepare lunches 2nd-5th. On Thursdays, Alex Figueroa, Mikolai Friend and Zach Gousie are block-scheduled to prepare lunches. This is an on campus paid work experience. We plan in advance for it, and order and buy food ahead of time for class. Please do not schedule these students to participate in other activities during their food service class time without contacting Karen Keeler and discussing it two weeks ahead of time. This includes participation in assemblies, rehearsals, plays, meetings, sports activities, field trips, concerts etc. Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to a delicious year of serving you. Thank you, Karen Keeler.
Notes for Staff:
Secret Santa: Gift giving will begin Dec. 7. The Holiday Tea is Tuesday Dec.13. All Secondary staff are invited to attend the tea. We ask you all bring a delicious food to share….hot or cold appetizers, sweets, main dishes…… Coffee and Tea are provided. Any questions ???? call Rachael x7402. 6
Newsletter of special needs events throughout Massachusetts: http://www.spedchildmass.com/?wysija- page=1&controller=email&action=view&email_id=157&wysijap=subscriptions- 3&user_id=3286
2016 - 2017 Terms Please note that the dates in yellow are when reports are due.
End of Term 2 1/13/17 Reports Due 1/20/17 Reports from CM 1/27/17
End of Term 3 3/24/17 Reports Due 3/31/17 Reports from CM 4/7/17
End of Term 4 5/26/17 Reports Due 6/2/17 Reports from CM 6/9/17
The Independent Living Committee is looking for cottage staff who may be interested in being part of the committee. The ILC is committed to creating as many opportunities as possible for our students to learn how to live independently. Over the years, we have found the input of residential staff invaluable in helping us to understand how these skills are being taught in real life settings. If you are interested in being part of this work, please talk to your supervisor or Rachel Dubuque.
Want students to use your computer, but not have access to your files, etc? You can have them log onto your computer with this log-in: username: SecStudent password: S3condary
The brailler, embosser paper, and boldline paper is kept in 11w (w241). These papers are located on the bookshelves at the back of the room. The shelves have been labeled. Please try to only take what you need as you need it. The boxes have been labeled. If you need to open a box, please close it when done and try not to leave loose brailler and embosser paper on the shelves. Dust on the paper results in brailler and embosser damage.
The Advisory Committee is putting out the call for anyone interested in becoming a member. Specifically there are vacancies for Classroom-Based Teacher and Academic 7
Teacher, though not limited to those roles. Meetings are every-other Tuesday, 5th period. You do not need to currently have that period free, because schedule changes will likely need to be considered. We review submitted proposals from other Secondary staff and assist in the follow- through of approved proposals. Interested in joining? Submit your name to any member of the Advisory Committee (Terie Geary, Maggie Emberlin, Steve Fox, Marie Vollemans, Kathy Croy) or Stephanie Redmond. Have ideas for a proposal? Forms are in the Advisory Mailbox in the copy room, and on AskHowe.
App requests for Perkins iPads can be made by completing the app request form. Each request will be is reviewed by the program’s technology liaison or collectively by the school educational technology committee. Staff may be required to justify the purchase of an app request with additional details. Please submit only one app per request submission. Betsey will confirm your request with you. http://goo.gl/forms/87cM5T70YB
Reminder, please email the [email protected] for any assistance with your phone, computer, ink printer, internet, server, wifi, or standard software issues such as Outlook, Word, Excel. Call the Helpdesk at 7669 if it is an urgent/work stoppage issue. IT Dept would like you to utilize the Helpdesk lines rather than contacting individuals unless requested otherwise by them. Please contact Betsey Sennott, Secondary’s technology liaison for any issues you may have with any assistive technology, iPads, and for the installation of Assistive Technology/specialized softwares. She will help you determine if it’s an issue she can address and provide support for, or if it should be addressed by the Helpdesk/IT Dept.
If you would like to assign your students to 4:00pm study hall, please contact Alexa.
Reminder: Please do not re-assign students to the library during break unless you speak with Alexa first. Thank you.
December 9, 2016 from 6pm to 11pm At the Hibernian Hall For only $20 you not only get music, dancing, dinner, and raffles prizes BUT you get to enjoy the company of staff from all over the campus. Make new friends and meet old ones there. Your presence will make this year’s staff holiday party the best ever.
Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased from anyone on the Holiday Committee
Jim Denham X7472 8
Julie Delillo X7671 Kevin Hartigan X7628 Mike Cataruzolo X7224 Linda Oleson X 7233 Marianne Riggio X7264 Nesa Khalilidadoei X7431 Peter Avery X7313 Steve Fox X7627 Teri Turgeon X7331 Tom Hyde X7647 Tanja Milajevic X7643 Vincent Gookin X7417
December 4 – 1st Holiday Concert – Sunday, 3:00 PM Chorus, Chamber Singers, Music Makers, Handbells & Orchestra 6 – 2nd Holiday Concert – Tuesday, 7:30 PM Chorus, Chamber Singers, Music Makers, Handbells & Orchestra 8 – Holiday Assembly: 10:45 AM - all music groups perform 10 – Perkins Orchestra performs with the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Concert at the “Performing Arts at the Armory” 191 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA – 8:00 PM
January 16 – Martin Luther King Assembly (Chorus participates) – 10:45 AM 26 – Annual Collaboration with Emmanuel Music (Chorus participates) – 10:40 AM 26 – Monthly Concert – the Flo - Rock Band – 7:00 PM
February 6 – Monthly Concert – Greg Greenway – 7:00 PM
March 9 – Monthly Concert: Vocal Revolution Barbershop Chorus, (Chorus participates) - 7:00 PM 21 – Recital: Instrumental Students of Arnie Harris - 7:00 PM
April 4 – Senior Recital – Mikolai Friend & Omar Jomaa – 7:00 PM 12 – Spring Music Department Concert tech rehearsal – 1:30 – 4:00 Spring Music Department Concert - 7:00 PM Chorus, Chamber Singers, Music Makers, Handbells & Orchestra 13 - Spring Music Department Concert - In School – Break & 3rd Period Chorus, Chamber Singers, Music Makers, Handbells & Orchestra 9
May 4 – Gala 10 – Piano Students of Vera Dumova - 7:00 PM 24 – Rehearsal with Revels, (Chorus participates) - 6:15 PM 25 – Revels/Perkins collaborative performance, (Chorus participates) - 7:30 PM 31 – Voice Students of Jennie O’Brien - 7:00 PM
June 5 – Theater Arts Group Dress/Tech rehearsal – 1:30 PM Theater Arts Group performance – 7:00 PM 6 – Theater Arts Group in - school performance - Break & 3rd Period 13 – Talent Show - 1:30 – 4:00 PM 15 – Final Assembly - Chorus, Chamber Singers, Handbells & Orchestra – 10:45 AM 16 – Graduation: (Chorus/Chamber Singers participate) – 11:00 AM
JUST FOR ALL OF YOU WHAT: Treats for the entire Secondary Program Staff
WHEN: December 19 & 20 Starting at 9 AM December 19
WHERE: IMC Room
We, the Secondary Program Parents, can never find enough ways to let all of you know how very much we appreciate what you do for our children day in and day out, so we would like to invite you all to take a little break from your busy day to stop by the IMC room in the Howe Building to allow us to show you our thanks. We will have treats and cards to celebrate the holidays, VACATION and most of all YOU. Please stop by, grab a treat and take a few minutes to relax with your colleagues. 10
THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US!!!