October 11

This week has been filled with exciting achievements and upcoming events! We were pleased to welcome representatives from Whittier High School, who spoke to our 8th graders about the exciting opportunities available at their vocational high school. The presentation highlighted the many career pathways and hands-on learning experiences that students can explore if they choose to pursue vocational education. It was a valuable chance for our students to consider their future options as they prepare for high school.

On the field, both our girls’ and boys’ soccer teams secured big wins this week, demonstrating their determination and teamwork. Their success reflects the dedication of our student-athletes and coaches, and we are all very proud. Looking ahead, we have more to be excited about. The drama department is preparing for their performances of Clue, which will be held in our Blackbox theater. These shows promise to be one of the highlights of the season! Also, a reminder that our NEASC accreditation visit will take place next Wednesday and Thursday. This is an important moment for our school community as we showcase all the great work happening here. Thank you for your continued support!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please be sure to see the information below regarding Parent-Teacher Conferences.

Have a great weekend!

Brenda Erhardt

Pentucket MHS Principal

Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for next week. Please use the attached link to find the teacher you wish to meet with. When you click their link, it will show the times available. If all times are booked, please reach out to the teacher directly. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you.

Conference schedule:

Tuesday, October 22nd from 5-8:00pm

Thursday, October 24th from 1-4:00pm

2024 Fall Parent Teacher Conference Links

The Pentucket Girl's Flag Football team has been invited to play at halftime of the New England Patriots/Jets game on October 22nd! So fun and what an opportunity for the team!

We had three 8th graders who tied for first place with perfect scores: Claire Champion, Mae Kesner, and Lily Truong. Elliott Born and Griffin Iarrobino tied for second and third places overall. The team scoring was Pentucket 164, Amesbury 160, Triton 124.

Claire Champion, Mae Kesner, Lily Truong - 1st place (18 pts)

Fallon Tully, Sally Shattuck - 2nd place (16 pts)

Elliot Borne, Evelyn Spaulding - 3rd place (14 pts)

Other scorers: Griffin Iarrobino - 10 points

Connor Stamos - 6 points (Donaghue 5th grader)

Cormac Hoisman - 6 points (Donaghue 5 grader)

We're off to a good start!

The Health Office will be conducting the annual state mandated vision, hearing and BMI screenings (7th and 10th grades only). Should your child not pass any of the screenings, your school nurse will reach out to you directly regarding the referral and follow up process. If you DO NOT wish your child to participate in these screenings, please complete this opt-out form (otherwise, your child will be screened).

Tickets are now on sale for Pentucket Theatre's performance of Clue, Oct 25 Thru Nov 2! Our fun take on this classic story is being performed in-the-round in our Black Box Theater, a unique opportunity for our drama students to perform in an intimate 90-seat setting that is sure to sure to result in an immersive experience for our audiences. Seating is limited. MHS students receive one discounted ticket by entering their discount code (your school login plus your lunch code, ex: 27JSmith8212) at checkout. prsd.ludus.com

• HFMD (Hand, foot, and mouth disease) has been on the rise in Massachusetts teens this month (it is very common in children 5 and under, but less common in teens). Please see this fact sheet for more information. Students may return to school once fever-free for at least 24hrs, feeling better, and able to cover any oozing blisters.

The middle school community service team is currently accepting donations for gently used and new art supplies for the folks at Sarah's Place in Haverhill. Items could include paints, stickers, glue sticks, card stock, construction paper, paint sponges, markers, and crayons. Anything will be greatly appreciated. There will be a bin outside of the Main Office to drop off donations. Thank you!

Barktoberfest

Join us at this year's Barktoberfest celebration! We need help before, during and after Sweet Paws Rescue's biggest fundraiser of the year! The event will be held Saturday, October 19th (Sunday rain date) at Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm in Newbury from 12-5. Please come help and enjoy this fun, kid- and dog-friendly event! Looking for help: Saturday, October 19th and Sunday, October 20th (pack up from the event)

CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER AT BARKTOBERFEST! All volunteers are required to complete this WAIVER (please have a parent complete it if you are under 18).

The Great Pumpkin Art Show - Merrimac 10/25

The Merrimac PTO is looking for volunteers during their Great Pumpkin Art Show. They need volunteers to help with parking, food service, games, monitors, set up, and clean up.

Time: 3 pm set up / Event 4 pm - 7 pm / 7 pm breakdown of the event (possibly an hour)
If you are interested, please contact Lindsay Ferlauto by emailing her at: lferlauto52@yahoo.com

The Governor's Office, in collaboration with EOE, DESE, and the Office of the Attorney General, is issuing an updated Guidance on Schools' Legal Obligations to Prevent and Address Hate and Bias Incidents.

Please review the documents for details

The middle school environmental club has just received 2 endangered baby Blanding’s turtles, Beaker and Bunsen, (officially named by students after the Muppet characters), through Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife! The program is funded by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program, the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, and EBSCO Information Systems. Their grant is distributed through the Parker River Clean Water Association, which funds the head-starting and nest protection programs for the Blanding's turtles. The environmental club, as well as 7th grade science classes, will be raising and learning about the turtles until they are released in June. Releasing the turtles after they've grown a bit gives them a better chance at reaching adulthood, since their small size leaves them extra vulnerable to threats and predation. The hope is that raising them at school will bring empathy and awareness to students and others in the community about local endangered species. Having the turtles at school also allows them to be integrated into our living science curriculum for 7th grade! Come visit Beaker and Bunsen in Miss Hughes’s room, 3017!

Pentucket has once again partnered with Cottage Gardens in Haverhill for some lovely Holiday Decor! This is a limited-time purchase starting now through 11/15/24. Pick up week of 11/25/24. Tax Exempt! Please consider purchasing.

Orders can be placed through this link. Or, download this form and either mail it to PPA, P.O. Box 801, West Newbury, MA 01985, email it to pentucketparentalliance@gmail.com, or submit it to the school.

Since 2003, the Pentucket Arts Foundation has awarded educational grants to enhance the Pre-K - 12 district arts programs or to Pre-K - 12 teachers in other disciplines who wish to find ways to integrate the arts into their curriculum.

Grants may only be submitted by staff from the six schools in our district: Elmer S. Bagnall School, John C. Page School, Frederick N. Sweetsir School, Helen R. Donaghue School, Pentucket Regional Middle School, and Pentucket Regional High School. These grants are available to any PRSD educator who uses the arts to teach their curriculum (i.e. an English teacher taking students to see a play, bringing in actors for a reenactment of an event taught in history/social studies, etc.).

Any teacher interested in applying for a grant must use the Pentucket Arts Foundation Grants request form attached here and at https://www.pentucketarts.org

The application deadline is November 1st. All requests will be presented to the Board of Directors at its meeting on November 13th. Awards will be announced shortly afterwards.

The total distribution for this cycle is $2,500.

Please share this with staff members at your school and reach out with any questions.

Pentucket Arts Foundation is very excited to host Berklee's Upper Structure, a premier A cappella group at Berklee College of Music, for our 22nd annual A cappella Night this year. They took 3rd place at the International Championship of Collegiate A cappella at Lincoln Center in April . We are also hosting A cappella groups from Pentucket, Amesbury and St. John's Prep. A cappella Night is Saturday, November 16.

Our Neighbors' Table Amesbury Market will be opening back up on September 30th! Once our Amesbury Market reopens, this will expand our guest's access to nutritious foods to six days per week! With this reopening comes NEW market schedules for BOTH the Amesbury and the Salisbury markets (please see 5 attached info flyers).

Please click here for more information.

Senior Celebration will be held on Saturday 6/7/25 - Registration is open now! Please click the link below to go to the information page: pentucketseniorcelebration.org

Upcoming School Committee Meetings:

November 12th

November 26th

December 17th

January 14th

February 4th

February 25th

March 4th

March 18th

April 15th

May 6th

June 3rd

*****All meetings begin at 6:00pm and are held in the middle/high school building

**A complete list of School Committee Meeting is available on the PRSD website**

Upcoming School Council Meetings: Meeting Time 6:45am-7:15am

The School Council Meets the second Thursday of each month. Please see the PRMHS website for agendas