West Newbury & Groveland Fire Respond to Pentucket Regional High School as Precaution Following Science Demonstration 

pentucketporta on October 16, 2020

WEST NEWBURY — West Newbury Fire Chief Michael Dwyer and Groveland Fire Chief Robert Valentine report that their respective fire departments responded to Pentucket Regional High School as a precaution after a science experiment did not perform exactly as expected.

At 8:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16, the two departments were dispatched to the high school, located at 24 Main St. in West Newbury, for an alarm activation. Upon arrival, firefighters were notified that a routine science experiment went wrong when a water vapor cloud caused by the experiment was sucked out the window of one classroom and into a nearby one.

Out of an abundance of caution, the building was evacuated. Firefighters working with a HazMat team member from the Amesbury Fire Department, determined that there was no danger as the cloud consisted only of water vapor.

The experiment involved sodium and water and is a routine part of the science curriculum. Fire crews cleared the area by 9:44 a.m., and classes resumed.

The Groveland Fire Department automatically responds as a mutual aid partner when alarms are activated at the high school. Groveland firefighters provided station coverage in West Newbury in addition to providing support on-scene. Atlantic Ambulance also responded to the high school and evaluated students and staff in the two classrooms as a precautionary measure.

 

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Pentucket Regional High School to Transition Back to Hybrid Learning This Week

pentucketporta on October 12, 2020

High School to be Reopened, Athletics to Resume Tuesday, Oct. 13

WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew is pleased to announce that the Pentucket Regional High School will transition back to a hybrid learning model tomorrow after going fully remote at the end of last week due to two positive student COVID-19 cases and approximately 25 identified close contacts among students.

Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 13, the high school will go back to hybrid learning and all athletics activities will be able to resume. Other schools in the district will continue with their current normal operating plans.

As of Monday afternoon, the overwhelming majority of test results were back for those close contacts, and the results were negative. There are still some students that are awaiting results, but thus far, there have been no additional positive cases.  All close contact students will continue to self-quarantine for the required 14 days.

Last week, the district was made aware of two students with positive COVID-19 cases. One student had last been in school on Friday, Oct. 2 and tested positive that night. The second positive student case had not been in school since Tuesday, Sept. 29 and tested positive last Monday, Oct. 5.

In an effort to allow the local health agents to get the most accurate data on those 25 students, the district made the decision to temporarily switch to a fully remote learning model on Thursday and Friday of last week and postpone all athletics activities.

All close contacts of those two students have been notified by local and/or state health officials of the need to self-quarantine. If you were not contacted by a local or state public health official, you are not considered a close contact.

The district is still urging students to practice social distancing and avoid gathering in large groups, even outdoors.

Out of an abundance of caution, the high school was thoroughly sanitized and disinfected last week. All schools will continue to be cleaned and disinfected daily.

“We want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we work through the many issues that are brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “We are glad to be able to re-open the high school tomorrow for hybrid learning and continue with our athletics programs. We will continue to keep families updated with the latest news and information as we progress through the school year.”

Students and staff are also urged to continue following state guidance to reduce the risk of COVID-19 including:

  • Stay home if you have a fever or are not feeling well. Students should stay home from school should any new or unexplained illness, no matter how mild, develop. This precaution is meant to keep all staff and students safe. To review COVID-19 symptoms, visit the CDC’s website by clicking here.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
  • Avoid close contact with others. When outside your home, please adhere to social distancing guidelines and keep a distance of at least 6 feet between yourself and others.
  • Wear a cloth face covering that covers your mouth and nose to protect others when in public areas.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

 Children may worry about themselves, their family and friends getting sick with COVID-19. Tips for talking to children about COVID-19 can be found here.

 

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Pentucket Art Department Hosts Virtual Art Exhibit for Middle and High School Students

pentucketporta on June 19, 2020

Superintendent Justin Bartholomew and Fine & Performing Arts Chair Marcia Nadeau are pleased to announce the virtual Pentucket Regional Middle and High School Art Festival is now live.

The virtual art gallery became available for viewing on Tuesday, June 16 and features over 280 pieces created by students in grades seven through 12. The art exhibited includes paintings, digital art, photography and 3D sculptures. To view the online gallery, click here.

Guided and self-guided virtual tours are available for those who wish to explore the student projects. The exhibit is organized by grade and class, and clicking on the art allows you to see which student the project belongs to.

“I started looking for a format to have a virtual exhibit once I realized that we would not be able to host our Annual Arts Festival at school due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Nadeau said. “It’s amazing to see what these students create and we love to be able to share their incredible work with community members.”

This is the second virtual art exhibit held this June by Pentucket students. On Thursday, June 4, the Virtual Senior Art Exhibit was published and continues to remain available online. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, community members and the media can access all of the exhibit through two viewing options: via slideshow or by visiting the Pentucket TV YouTube channel.

Each senior designed their own exhibit and chose meaningful pieces from art classes taken throughout their time at Pentucket Regional High School to display. Some seniors also chose to include a short biography, information on their inspiration and artistic process, and/or their plans for the fall. 

Graduating seniors featured in the virtual art exhibit include: Lydia Baldini, of Groveland; Samantha Bellville, of Groveland, Alexa Berkley, of West Newbury, Samuel Bissitt, of Merrimac, Madeline Conover, of West Newbury, Nathan Conway, of Groveland, Brooke Daniels, of Groveland, Sasha Davis, of Merrimac, Molly Forget, of Groveland, Kayla King, of Merrimac, Grace McIntyre, of Haverhill, Maggie Peterson, of Merrimac, Katherine Rosa, of Groveland, and Mikayla Tilden, of Groveland. 

“I’m blown away by the creativity of our students when looking at the art they’ve made and am grateful all the art teachers, including Marcia, were able to create this opportunity for students to showcase their work,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “While we unfortunately aren’t able to showcase students’ projects the way we normally do, I’m grateful for the work everyone did to allow this event to be held remotely.”

Pentucket Regional School District Announces Changes to History and Social Studies Curriculum

pentucketporta on June 18, 2020

WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew and Assistant Superintendent Brent Conway are pleased to provide an update on the development of a new, more culturally responsible and inclusive history and social studies curriculum for the entire Pentucket Regional School District.

Over the past year, members of the district have been working to update the curriculum in order to meet the new history and social studies standards set by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The new standards create an added emphasis on teaching students civic responsibility; focus on including more diverse materials and discussions to create a more accurate representation of different genders, races and cultures; and include more lessons on local history and indigenous groups. These changes by the state were the first revisions since 2003, though much of the content still reflected the original 1997 version even after the revision.

Using the new standards as a foundation, district officials and teachers from all Pentucket schools met to review the current curriculum to find the gaps and needs in order to align with the new guidelines. The group was co-chaired by Assistant Superintendent Conway and John Siegfried, History Department Chair for grades seven through 12. A survey was also completed by staff and families in the district.

“Our goal is to help shape students into ethical and morally responsible community members by focusing on teaching them civic responsibility and important historical periods that haven’t gotten the attention they deserve in the past, including ones that bear particular importance for people of color and women,” said Superintendent Bartholomew. “These updates to the curriculum for all of the district’s students will help us to achieve that goal and ensure they are receiving an in-depth and thorough education in world history.”

 Some of the key changes include:

  • Helping students from kindergarten to second grade develop a sense of self and their role in the local and global community by teaching them civics and promoting a global understanding of different cultures.
  • Updating the curriculum for third through fifth grade students and providing professional development opportunities for those teachers to present content and guidelines on how to discuss topics such as racism and the historical treatment of indigenous people.
  • Purchasing biographies and accessible texts for grades one through three on historical figures and world cultures that represent greater diversity and match content standards.
  • Performing an equity audit of texts and materials for grades three through 12 for content connections and diverse representations of factors such as race, gender and culture and to build broad content knowledge.
  • Ensuring that all high school classes use the practices of Social Studies, such as organizing and using information from primary and secondary sources, so that students have thorough exposure and expectations to those practices throughout their four years.
  • Creating cross-curricular connections to English language arts from kindergarten through grade 12 to help bolster students’ writing and research skills for both subjects, including the adoption of Modern Language Association (MLA) 8 format for all research projects and papers.
  • Training staff in restorative justice practices and circles to facilitate broader conversations around social justice, equity and other challenging topics in current events.

To view a full summary of the committee’s report, click here.

Over the next approximately 16 months, work will be done to implement the curriculum, starting with the purchasing of textbooks and e-editions of textbooks for students.

“These new materials will support a critical step forward for our district, and provide our students with the knowledge and support they will need to become informed and thoughtful citizens,” Assistant Superintendent Conway said. “It is vital for our children to know and understand the history of all people and cultures, and we’re especially proud to include more lessons about the indigenous groups of Massachusetts and the Pentucket region.

Assistant Superintendent Conway gave a presentation about the new curriculum to the Pentucket School Board on Tuesday, June 16. To view the presentation, click here.

Pentucket’s New Winter Pep Band Spreads Green and White Spirit

pentucketporta on March 11, 2020

WEST NEWBURY — A new music group at Pentucket Regional High School is spreading school spirit at winter sports games. For the first year, Pentucket has organized a Winter Pep Band, which performs at the school’s home girl’s and boy’s basketball games. The band is modeled after collegiate pep bands, and is made up of a group of four core students: Adam Cahalane, a senior of Merrimac who plays the drums; Ethan Paszko, a senior of Merrimac who plays bass; Quinn McCarron, a junior of West Newbury who plays saxophone; and Brandon Berube, a senior of Merrimac who plays trombone. A handful of other students also participate as their schedules allow. The band is open to all students in grades nine through 12, and includes bass and drum players, along with a combination of flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets and trombones. The group is guided by Pentucket Director of Jazz David Schumacher. Schumacher was inspired to organize the group after the district participated in Boston University’s Band Day last school year, during which students had an opportunity to play alongside the BU Pep Band at a BU men’s basketball game. “I’m always looking for new ways to provide valuable experiences for our students,” Schumacher said. “The students had a great time and I thought that energy would be a great show of support for our own basketball games.” The Winter Pep Band has performed songs this winter including “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes, “Chameleon” by Herbie Hancock and “We Will Rock You” by Queen.