Chatham Elementary School

 Winter Clothing Exchange

The school's annual winter clothing exchange will take place Nov. 14 to 21 on the stage in the gymnasium. Items for the exchange are being collected now. Gently used, clean children's sweatshirts, coats, snow pants, outerwear, boots, sneakers, skates, gloves, mittens and hats for children of all ages are welcome. Items should be washed prior to donation. Items can be dropped off at the front office. It's important to know that you don't have to bring an item to take something. All members of the Monomoy community are welcome.

Monomoy High School

Monomoy High Accreditation Visit

Sixteen educators conducted an on-site accreditation visit of Monomoy Regional High School from Oct. 27 to 30. The accreditation visit was conducted under the direction of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). The visiting team was chaired by Amy Cetner, Principal, Bourne High School.

The purpose of the visit was to review and determine from an outside professional viewpoint the extent to which the school is aligning with the standards for accreditation, according to a press release. As part of the evaluation, the visiting team met with all school constituents, reviewed the school’s self-study, visited a number of classes, and examined examples of student work submitted by the school. During the comprehensive self-study, the faculty identified the school’s strengths and determined those areas in which changes would be beneficial.

The members of the visiting team are teachers and administrators from a variety of schools in the New England area. NEASC is a voluntary membership organization of more than 2,000 public schools, colleges and universities, independent schools, and vocation, technical, and career institutions. Of these, over 630 secondary schools have been accredited through the association’s Commission on Public Schools. The committee works with individual public schools to improve the quality of education through a continuous process of Accreditation and evaluation.

FAFSA Day

Upper Cape Tech is once again hosting the regional FAFSA Day Massachusetts on on Wednesday, Nov. 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. FAFSA Day Massachusetts, a non-profit, volunteer-driven program providing free assistance to students and families seeking to complete the free application for federal student aid. If your student plans to enroll in a college or technical school next fall and you would like direct assistance with completing the FAFSA, register to attend this event by visiting www.fafsaday.org. Select "register" and be sure to choose the Bourne site. (If you cannot make the Nov. 6 event, the event is also being held in Bridgewater and Fall River on other dates.) This event is free and open to the public.

Monomoy Teachers Complete Trauma And Learning Program

Twenty Monomoy Regional School District educators spent the last few years taking graduate-level classes to better prepare them to support students by offering trauma-sensitive practices. These teachers, counselors, and administrators from Harwich Elementary School, Monomoy Regional Middle School, Monomoy Regional High School, and Chatham Elementary School have successfully completed all four courses in Lesley University's graduate certificate program in trauma and learning, taught by Donna Desrosiers and Sal Terrasi. 

Participating in the program were Katherine Andrews (MRMS); Cheri Armstrong (MRMS); Nanci Barnett (HES); Leslie Botsford (MRMS); Erin Cronen (HES); Sally Davol (MRMS); Shana Grogan (MRHS); Kristen Hayden (MRMS); Mary Hemeon (MRHS); Beth Herbst (MRHS); Mary Levy (HES); Christy Lin (HES/MRHS); Jen McIlvin (HES); Mary Oldach (HES); Julia Randall (MRMS); Pam Reuss (MRMS); Amanda Rice (MRM); Joan Richardson (CES/MRMS); Susan Rusch (HES); and Laura Weatherup (CES/HES).

The 12-credit graduate certificate in trauma and learning, offered through Lesley's Center for Inclusive and Special Education, is designed for educators seeking to become knowledgeable about trauma and its impact on children's learning. The program focuses on examining the impact of traumatic experience on student learning, both academic and social/emotional; identifying and implementing classroom and school-wide approaches that remove trauma as a barrier to learning; and conducting action research projects designed to improve the trauma sensitivity of schools.

Additional Monomoy educators are currently participating in the program.