New Report Card Format in the Works

School administration and teachers at Rochester Memorial School as well as the other elementary schools in Tri-Town are excited about the development of a new standards-based report card that will replace what educators believe is an outdated report card format.

On October 6, the Rochester School Committee was presented with a brief primer on what is to come in December when students will be bringing home a more comprehensive and specific report card that Assistant Superintendent Elise Frangos said will clearly demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses as well as the progress of Tri-Town school districts’ elementary school students.

Gone will be the traditional ‘A, B, C, D, F’ system of grading; it will be replaced by a new letter system of ‘M, P, E, and N’.

The traditional letter grades, said Frangos, “…really didn’t tell you a whole lot on what you were particularly good at. It’s kind of a global grade, it’s not quite clear.”

Frangos called the new report card a movement towards clarity and specificity, saying a committee of administrators and educators is excited about the potential unveiling of the new report card this December when first trimester report cards are released.

“We really want accurate and effective communication of student progress to parents and students,” Frangos said. “You’ll see the long view of all the standards your child is going to be taught for that whole year.”

Frangos said the standards-based report card better connects with what is actually being taught in the classroom, with specific observable grade-level skills that measure the student against the standards, making the grades more individualized.

The report card centers around two main categories, one being pro-social skills and approaches to language, the second being the specific academic standards for each area, such as in mathematics, with addition, subtraction, and fractions, for example.

‘M’ would be the highest mark, meaning ‘mastery’ of the standard, or being able to demonstrate the skill a total of five times. ‘P’ stands for ‘proficient,’ or demonstrating learned skill four times consistently. ‘E’ represents ‘emerging’ of skill attainment, and ‘N’ will mean that the student has not yet demonstrated the skill but is working towards proficiency.

“This letter system … is more growth-oriented and reflective of the philosophies we are currently embracing,” said Frangos, adding that Friday’s professional development would focus on training on the new report card.

As the report card is further developed, Frangos said teacher/parent forums would be held eventually, and also recorded and posted online for parents to view. Administration will also develop a handbook relative to the new grading system, and parent feedback would be collected and considered.

Rochester Memorial School Principal Derek Medeiros said the school plans to continue with regular teacher-parent communication, as with parent-teacher conferences, and teachers are enthusiastic about the new standards-based report card, including the larger text boxes which will allow for lengthier comments on student progress and performance in the classroom.

“[The report card] that we are using now is not aligned to what our teachers are teaching,” said Medeiros.

School Committee member Jennifer Kulak pointed out that, as a parent, changes such as this are challenging, but she was pleasantly surprised with the format and the potential that it brings in fostering understanding of student progress.

“What we want to be able to do is improve two-way communication between home and school and making sure that parents are aware of where their students are,” said Superintendent Doug White.

White thanked the committee for its ongoing efforts and said the school committee would receive up-to-date information on the new report card as it unfolds.

“Anything that opens communication among parents and teachers and students is really important,” said Chairman Tina Rood. “[Parents] are part of the conversation and should be part of the conversation with education.”

The next meeting of the Rochester School Committee is scheduled for November 17 at 4:30 pm in the ORRJHS media room.

By Jean Perry

 

ORRJHS Students of the Month

Kevin T. Brogioli, Principal of Old Rochester Regional Junior High School, announced the following Students of the Month for September, 2016:

Green Team: Carey McCollester & Isaiah Andrade

Orange Team: Emma Williamson & Evan O’Brien-Nichols

Blue Team: Maeve Egger & Ethan Perez-Dormitzer

Red Team: Alice DeCicco-Carey & August Ackerman

Purple Team: Emma Thorell & Maxwell Vivino

Special Areas: Anna Dube & Tucker Nugent

Mass Save Home Energy Assessments

On Sunday, October 23 at 2:00 pm, the Mattapoisett Historical Society will host a presentation about Mass Save home energy assessments at the museum, 5 Church Street, for community residents.

No-cost energy assessments by Mass Save energy specialists can give you a plan to help you save money and energy and live more comfortably by improving your home’s energy performance. Mr. William Stack, supervisor of residential energy & efficiency for Eversource Energy, will conduct the presentation.

Cold weather is coming. Is your home (whether historic or not) up to the worst winter can bring? It’s a great time to learn about no-cost home energy assessments, develop an energy savings plan, and benefit from various financial incentives, including equipment rebates and low-cost financing.

Learn:

– How to conserve energy in your home;

– How to improve your home’s comfort, safety, and value; and

– How to identify energy savings opportunities.

Everyone is welcome. Admission is always free for MHS members; non-members pay just $5.

MHS programs are supported in part by a grant from the Mattapoisett Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Associate Members Needed

Are you interested in protecting wetlands in Rochester? Have you ever thought about serving on a board and learning more about what’s going on in town? The Rochester Conservation Commission is looking for volunteers interested in serving as Associate Members to the Conservation Commission. Associates are non-voting members who help share the workload of the voting Conservation Commission members officially appointed by the Board of Selectmen. Associate members provide a pool of future members and allow more people to participate. Most of the full voting members of the Commission served as Associate Members prior to being appointed by the Board of Selectmen.

The Conservation Commission was established in Rochester in 1963 and is charged with protecting Rochester’s natural resources. The Conservation Commission also advises other municipal officials and boards on conservation issues that relate to their areas of responsibility. In 1972, the Commission was given the responsibility of administering the Wetlands Protection Act (MGL Ch. 131 40). The Conservation Commission serves the community in a regulatory as well as a conservation capacity.

Please feel free to contact Conservation Agent Laurell J. Farinon at 508-763-5421 ext. 206 or lfarinon@townofrochester.com with any questions about becoming an Associate Member, or send a letter of interest to the Rochester Conservation Commission, Rochester Town Hall Annex, 37 Marion Road, Rochester, MA 02770.

Old Rochester Football Stays Perfect

Here is a look at the fifth week of official scheduled games for Old Rochester Regional High School fall athletics.

            Football: The Bulldogs claimed their fifth straight win on Friday against Fairhaven, winning 48-6. Defenseman Mike Mcallister started off the scoring with a pick six and an 11-yard run in the first quarter to put the Bulldogs up 13-0. In the third quarter, Cam Hamilton connected with Patrick Saltmarsh who ran it into the end zone to add another seven points to the score. Hamilton also connected with Grant Reuter in the third, as well as Mike Mcallister with another pick six, to end the quarter with a score of 34-0. In the final quarter of the game, Hamilton threw to Saltmarsh again for another touchdown. Landon Goguen completed the kick for the extra point. Goguen also ran for 66 yards with another kick to complete the scoring for ORR with the final score of 48-6.

Field Hockey: The girls faced Fairhaven on Wednesday and came out with a 4-0 win. Arissa Francis had an outstanding game with two of the four goals scored. Sophie Hubbard and Hannah Ribeiro also each put one in the net. On Friday, the girls played Seekonk and unfortunately lost 1-0. The Bulldogs held their own against Seekonk considering the many injuries that occurred during the game.

Golf: The golf team defeated Wareham on Wednesday at the Bay Club (par 36), 127-26. Jake Yeomans led the Bulldogs by shooting a 38 for 33 points. Collin Fitzpatrick also contributed, shooting a 40 for 29 points, and Tyler Mourao shot a 43 for 24 points. The Bulldogs claimed another win on Thursday against GNB Voc-Tech with a 151-93 win. Russ Noonan was at the top of the leaderboard with 28 points. Sam Henrie and Alex Henrie each came close behind shooting a 40 for 27 points.

Boys’ Soccer: On Monday, despite their 1-0 loss to Bourne, the boys didn’t let up and put up a fight. They then redeemed themselves on Wednesday by winning 1-0 against Fairhaven. Alexander Le Gassick scored the lone goal assisted by Michael Barry. James Dwyer had an exceptional game in net with six saves to secure the Bulldog’s win. And on Friday, they lost to Seekonk at home, but held their heads high and are ready to face Case on Thursday.

Girls’ Soccer: The girls crushed Bourne on Monday with a 6-0 win. Jillian Kutash led the scoring with two goals and an assist. Katelyn Bindas, Maddie Demanche, Maddie Cooney and Ava Ciffolillo also each put one in the net. Goalkeepers Caitlyn Kutash and Kinsley Dickerson split the time in net and each earned herself a shutout. On Wednesday, the girls again won 6-0 against Fairhaven. Meg Hughes scored three of the six goals for the Bulldogs, while Kutash (2) and Demanche (1) scored the remaining three. Unfortunately, the Lady Bulldogs couldn’t keep their streak going and lost to Seekonk on Friday.

Girls Cross Country: The Lady Bulldogs ran in their meet on Tuesday against Apponequet and won 15-50. The top seven places were taken by ORR runners, showing how much depth the Bulldogs really have. Avery Nugent came in first place followed by Maddison Martin and Samantha Ball.

Boys’ Cross Country: The boys also won their meet against Apponequet 23-32.

Volleyball: The girls had a tough start to the week, losing three out of three sets against Bourne on Monday and against Fairhaven on Wednesday. But they redeemed themselves on Friday, winning three out of four sets to claim victory over Seekonk.

Below are the overall fall team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of October 9.

Volleyball: (5-8-0) (5-7-0); Field Hockey: (8-2-2) (6-2-0); Girls’ Soccer: (7-2-0) (4-2-1); Boys’ Soccer: (2-8-1) (2-6-1); Golf: (11-2-0) (11-2-0); Girls’ Cross Country: (5-0-0) (5-0-0); Boys’ Cross Country: (5-0-0) (5-0-0); Football: (5-0-0) (5-0-0).

By Kaitlin Kelley

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No First Time

Upper Cape Tech students will attend the Evan Foundation’s No First Time presentation on Tuesday, October 18 at 12:45 pm in the school’s gymnasium.

The presentation provides educational awareness to prevent drug abuse. Statistics show that children are trying drugs at the young age of 13. The consequences can be devastating considering the teen brain is not fully developed until their early 20s. This is especially true in regards to opioid addiction. The goal is to educate teenagers about this epidemic and the importance of making the right decision – to not pick up, ever – No First Time.

The No First Time presentation consists of a group of speakers whom have all been touched by drug abuse/addiction at some point in their lives: parents of a child who died from a heroin overdose; a detective, who brings an interesting mix of a personal story and stories about his grueling job as he investigates deaths of overdose victims; and a recovering addict, who shares an empowering story of hope and faith.

For more information about the Evan Foundation, please visit their website at evanfoundation.com. Upper Cape Tech is located at 220 Sandwich Road in Bourne.

Abutters’ Dispute Could Delay Planning Board Decision

Rochester Planning Board Chairman Arnold Johnson knew just by looking out at the room full of unfamiliar faces that the public hearing on October 11 for a modification for an approved definitive subdivision plan application submitted by Charlotte and James Spieldenner of 1 Happy Tails Road might turn out to be a contentious one.

Seeking the approval to pave an existing 12-foot recycled asphalt roadway and a waiver to keep utility lines above ground as opposed to the regulation mandating they be buried, the Spieldenners’ engineer Kevin Forgue explained that, due to some concerns by an abutter who has historically used an access roadway through the Spieldenners’ property as an unofficial easement of sorts to access their circular driveway, the couple was willing to adjust the plan that would have eliminated that access way and instead offered to pave the way for the abutters, Meredith and Mark Rousseau.

The Rousseaus’ attorney, John Gushue, presented the couple’s side of the story, mentioning specifically the Spieldenners’ utility lines that run across the Rousseaus’ back yard – a problem for the Rousseaus since Eversource informed them that they would no longer be maintaining the Speildenners’ utility lines.

Stormwater runoff at the bottom of the Spieldenners’ property the Rousseaus use as an access way was also discussed, with the Rousseaus’ engineer David Davignon weighing in on the need for proper stormwater control to be put in place, such as a culvert beneath the drive.

After some discussion about the lack of a proper easement, the stormwater, and the utility lines, Mr. Spieldenner wondered how it could result that the Rousseaus were asking for an easement for access to their property yet unwilling to tolerate the utility lines on their property.

After a lengthy discussion, Johnson pointed out that some matters were up to the Land Court and were outside the purview of the Planning Board. Having said that, though, he said regarding the stormwater, “We have our own peer review engineer to make sure that what they’re submitting is going to work.” He pointed out, however, that some of that stormwater could be coming from the Rousseaus’ property down onto the ‘easement’ area of the Spieldenners’ property.

“Utilities can be addressed by the board because they’re part of the rules and regulations of subdivisions and you asked for a waiver for that,” Johnson continued. The board decided on a site visit for the next week and continued the hearing until the next meeting.

Johnson pointed out that Land Court decisions, should this situation head in that direction, could go on for years, which could delay a Planning Board decision entirely.

“The decision of [a Land Court] might affect the decision the Planning Board would make,” cautioned Johnson. “…And the court would get upset if we ignored that.”

Also during the meeting, the board closed the public hearing for Laura Ann and Dale Briggs to build a 7,500 square-foot metal commercial building on Cranberry Highway. With most details addressed, the board said it would be set to take a vote at the next meeting.

In other matters, the board continued the public hearing for a modification of an approved definitive subdivision plan for Gary Mills for property on Hartley Road. The purpose is to reduce the total number of buildable lots from three to two.

The board chose to refrain from taking any action until the fire chief approves the applicant’s proposal to change the original 18-foot paved driveway to a 16-foot paved drive, which is different from the applicant’s proposal at the last meeting for a 16-foot gravel drive.

“Personally, I don’t have a problem with the roadway,” said Johnson, “but I always reserve my judgment for the public safety officials.”

The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for October 25 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

 

Mattapoisett Halloween Parade

It’s that time of year again. Thanks to the generosity of business owners, we have been able to continue presenting The Mattapoisett Police Halloween Parade for over 50 years. This year, the parade will be held at Center School on Monday, October 31 at 6:00 pm.

Your continued support enables us to provide a multitude of unique prizes for the most creative costumes. The winners range from pre-kindergarten to high school. Through your support, our officers also provide over 350 generous bags of candy for children to take home. We talk to the children about Halloween safety tips at their all-school meetings and provide them with glow sticks the night of the parade. With your partnership, we make Halloween a positive unique experience that only a community like Mattapoisett can provide.

If you would like to help us continue to provide this one-of-a-kind event, please feel free to mail your donation to the Mattapoisett Police Halloween Fund, P.O. Box 436, Mattapoisett, MA 02739.

Residents of all ages, feel free to come and join us on October 31. Thank you for your continued support of the Mattapoisett Police Department.

Early Voting Information for Tri-Town

This is the first time that Massachusetts voters will experience the convenience of casting their ballots ahead of Election Day, now that early voting will this year be allowed across the Commonwealth.

Early voting starts on October 24 and lasts until November 4.

Unlike absentee voting, all registered voters are eligible for early voting, and they can do so either by requesting that a ballot be delivered via mail or by visiting their local town clerk’s office.

To request an early voter ballot by mail, an application can be downloaded and printed from the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts website, www.sec.state.ma.us, and mailed to the town clerk’s office of your town, addresses provided below.

Here is the information for Tri-Town voters and their respective towns:

In Rochester, early voting can be done by mail or in person at the Rochester Town Hall, One Constitution Way, Rochester, MA 02770 during the following dates and times: Monday, October 24 through Friday, October 28 from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon; Monday evening, October 24, from 5:00 until 7:00 pm; Monday, October 31 through Friday, November 4 from 9:00 am until 12:00 noon; Monday evening, October 31, from 5:00 until 7:00 pm.

In Marion, early voting in person is at the Marion Town House at 2 Spring Street, Marion, MA 02738, Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am to 4:15 pm, and Friday 8:00 am to 3:25 pm.

Mattapoisett voters can cast their early voter ballot at Town Hall on October 24, 25, 27, 28, 31 and November 1, 3, 4 from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm; October 26 and November 2 from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, with weekend hours on October 29, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Mail requests can be sent to Town Clerk, P.O. Box 89, Mattapoisett, MA 02739.

By Jean Perry

 

Digging Into Local Archaeology

It might surprise you to learn that by merely digging down a depth of one foot, you are reaching thousands of years into the past. This was just one of several interesting facts unearthed on October 5 when Craig Chartier gave an archaeological presentation at the Mattapoisett Public Library.

Chartier, a New Bedford native, has been digging in the dirt for over 20 years. As director and principal archaeologist for the Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project, he has participated in archaeological digs throughout Southeastern Massachusetts, including an ongoing research project at the Taylor Bray Farm located in Yarmouthport. The property is 22 acres with lineage to the Taylor family dating back to the 17th century.

During Chartier’s 30-minute presentation, he explained that in 1987 the Town of Yarmouthport learned that the Taylor Bray Farm property was up for sale with the threat of possible sub-division. The town went into action to secure the acreage through Community Preservation Act funding and preserve the delicate and important site into perpetuity. After more than two decades of archaeological exploration, pre-historic as well as historic evidence of human activity has been found with new archaeological material being discovered during each digging season.

“You only have to go down about one foot to get to glacial soils,” Chartier said. According to Chartier, the shallow depth where precious artifacts may be found in New England makes them easy targets for destruction. But at the Cape Cod site, Chartier and fellow archaeologists along with local volunteers have unearthed 30,000 artifacts. Of those items, he said that 3,000 fell into the pre-historic category.

Using modern mapping tools such as Google Earth, Chartier’s team has found Native American activity pre-dating the farm in the form of storage pits, animal bones, and spearheads. One of the more interesting takeaways of the evening was learning that arrows are a relatively new invention.

“Arrow technology moved here from the south about a thousand years ago,” Chartier stated. He said that prior to the introduction of arrows, early humans used spears to hunt larger animals.

Before concluding his presentation and turning the floor over to the audience, Chartier invited anyone interested in becoming a volunteer archaeologist at the Taylor Bray Farm to do so. He said that because the farm site is protected, researchers have been able to “take their time,” ensuring that artifacts and early human activity can be thoroughly examined.

Audience members were then invited to share their “finds” with Chartier for identification. Several people brought in rocks that seemed to be something more than just interesting shapes. Chartier gently disabused them of that thought.

“Sometimes a rock is just a rock,” he chuckled along with the crowd. “A common phrase you’ll hear at Taylor Bray,” he said was, “That’s just a rock…”

Brad Hathaway of Aucoot Cove and his wife, Priscilla, brought an interesting rock which turned out to be “just a rock,” but they also brought arrows and spearheads Priscilla has found over years of walking the tideline along the Cove. “She found a stone bowl … that’s at the museum,” Hathaway said.

Carole Clifford of Mattapoisett brought along a glass bottle. Chartier detailed how to identify a 20th century bottle from earlier centuries. Clifford’s find was dated to about 1870.

But the winner of the evening in terms of antiquity was Susan Wainio’s spearhead. Chartier said it was a good example of a Susquehanna broad point projectile. The large spearhead was 3,000 years old and made of rhyolite, a volcanic rock most likely from the Blue Hills. Wainio’s artifact was part of her Grandmother Helen Doane’s possessions. Doane was a lifelong resident of Rochester. Wainio speculates that the spearhead was found on the Doane homestead by their grandmother.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities at the Taylor Bray Farm, visit www.taylorbrayfarm.org. To learn more about local archaeological explorations, contact Chartier at craig@plymoutharch.com.

By Marilou Newell