Pembroke Community Middle School

SEPAC Parent & Caregiver Support Group Meetings for 2025 Announced

We’re excited to share the schedule for the SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) Parent & Caregiver Support Group Meetings for 2025. Thank you to all the families who provided feedback on preferred meeting times—your input helped shape this schedule.

All meetings will take place at the Pembroke Community Center

Here’s the schedule for the upcoming year:

We hope to see you at one or more of these meetings!

Dear Parent/Guardian of 7th & 8th Grade Students,

The annual postural screening will occur the last week in April.

According to Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 71, postural screening must be done in grades 5-9. The purpose of the postural screening is to identify early signs of spinal problems. Most scoliosis and other spinal issues can be easily treated upon early detection. Students will be screened by gender and privacy is respected at all times. Prior to the screening, some students may feel more comfortable wearing a halter top or a sports bra as this type of clothing facilitates better examination of the back. Any unusual findings are reported to parents/guardians. Please notify your child’s school nurse if they are already followed by a physician for a spinal problem.

If for any reason you do not wish for your child to participate in this screening, please let me know by 4/14 via email or written note.

If you have any questions, please contact me @ 781-293-8627 or via email: Valerie.Phillips@pembrokek12.org

Sincerely,

Valerie Phillips, RN,BSN

All schedules can be found on district website.

https://www.pembrokek12.org/departments/athletics/pcms-schedules

*Follow PHS Athletics on Twitter @PHS_Titans for any updates or changes*

PCMS track and field began on Tuesday April 1st. Practices take place at the high school on Tuesday and Thursdays, 2:30 to 3:30.

PCMS volleyball began on Tuesday April 8th. Practice will be in the gym at PCMS from 3:15 - 4:45

On Tuesday, Team 7-1 celebrated students for Term 3. Students were nominated for improvement, kindness, and good attitude. The students selected for Term 3 were:

Will B, Mason C, Nathan C, Siobhan D, Daire F, Olyvia G, Mabel H, Deaglan K, Izzy M, Lincoln M, Ari M, Erin M, Emma Nm Preston S, Joey S, & Madison T

Students had lots of fun at March Madness. Thank you to the PTO for running such a great event!

The winners of the Math March Madness Competition have been finalized!

The winners on each team will be invited to a pizza party! Pizza Party (Day 6)

Friday,May 1, 2025@ 1:21-2:10pm. The top ten winners from each team will be invited!

The top 3 winners on each team will be receiving gift cards!

Mrs. DeBellis wanted to showcase that one of our G8 students, Violet Carson, has been showcased in a recent blog on a global 3D printing website called Printlab.

You can see Violet’s process and final product by hitting on the link: View Violet’s Portfolio. We’re so proud of you Violet!

The music department is thrilled to share the news that 25 students have been accepted to the 2025 SEMSBA music festival based on their outstanding audition yesterday. PCMS students accepted to the Junior SEMSBA Festival are: Chorus Tenley Grey (alto), G8 Orchestra Declan Long (violin), G8 Violet Carson (violin) G8.

Please help us in congratulating the following Pembroke musicians who have been accepted to the 2025 Junior District Music Festival! The students were accepted based on their outstanding audition in a very competitive field.

Accepted to the Chorus: Violet Carson, soprano, G8 & Tenely Grey, alto, G8

Accepted to Jazz Band: Hunter Glass, drum set, (#1 Score!) G8

Accepted to Band: Ben Meehan, snare drum (#1 score!) G8, Beckett Hawkes, alto saxophone G8, & Landon Smith, Tuba (#1 score!) G9

Accepted to Orchestra: Luke Finch, violin, G9

PCMS is lucky to have several PHS seniors interning with various educators for term 4. We’re happy to have these students learn more about education as a career. They will be with us until May 16. It’s also wonderful for our students to have these students as models.

The Class of 2029 has been learning a great deal about the the transition to Pembroke High School and the Course Selection Process that will determine the courses that they take next year. To that end, all eighth graders have been meeting with Mrs. McLean and Pembroke High School guidance staff to review their 21st Century Skills class to review course selections.

The portal for students to make their final submissions for their classes closes this Friday, April 4. Students and parents are encouraged to review these course selections in PowerSchool so that parents can have meaningful input in the courses that their children are selecting. Even if students have already "submitted" their course selections, they can make changes and resubmit at any time up until April 4.

All of the important information about PHS Course Selection can also be found on our Guidance Department webpage. If you have any questions, you can contact Mrs. McLean at PCMS or your child's future high school guidance counselor based on the alpha-breakdown below:

• Mrs. Robin Conathan (Student last name A-F) - 781-293-9281 x2122
• Mr. Jim Shannon (G-O) - x2117
• Ms. Grace Heald (P-Z) - x2133
• Mr. Mike Devine, Coordinator of Counseling - x2134

Tuesday, April 15, 2025:

PCMS principal & school counselors visit the three elementary schools

The principal and school counselors will visit the 6th graders in each elementary school and provide an overview of the middle school, the course registration process and answer any questions the students may have.

Wednesday, April 16, 2025:

Parent Night: Transitioning to the Middle School

Administration and school counselors will meet with the parents of incoming 7th graders to review the process and timelines for students entering the middle school. The meeting will start at 6:00pm and be held in the PCMS auditorium. Students are also most welcome to attend. If you are unable to attend, the presentation will be shared publicly the next day and we are always available to answer questions.

Friday, May 2, 2025:

PowerSchool student registration

On May 2, PCMS staff will meet with 6th grade students in each elementary school to have them register for their courses in school. If parents prefer, they can register their child themselves, anytime from April 16 through May 1. Alternately, parents can review the courses their child selected, by logging into your child’s PowerSchool account, from May 5-9. Parents should email the middle school by May 9 if there are changes they want made to their child’s course requests.

Also, thank you to Bella and Mikayla for leading us in announcements the week before last-- another set of experienced public speakers who excel at leading morning announcements.

PCMS Clubs are free clubs that meet after school for an hour. See below for a list of clubs, their descriptions and start dates. More clubs may be added as teachers sign up to host them.

Students attending after school clubs may be picked up by parents/caregivers or if they have a bus pass, they could take the late bus home. See the details on how late buses work below the clubs.

Students in the drama club will participate in the school musical, which will meet after school in the auditorium from November until March. We will be performing Frozen Jr. this year. Students will learn to read music, sing, and dance on stage in full costume. Auditions will be held in November in the PCMS auditorium. During production week mid March, rehearsals and performances will be at PHS.

• Advisor Mr. Hovey
• Mondays & Thursdays (November-March). Audition Day- Thursday, November 21st
• Auditorium

GSA is a safe place for all students to talk about gender and sexual identity. The club will have fun activities twice a month and will serve as a space for communication and discussion. The GSA welcomes all students regardless of gender, sexual identity, or sexual orientation.

• Advisor Mrs. Larson
• Meets the 2nd & 4th Tuesday of the month
• Compass Room

Jazz Band is for instrumental music students who want to learn how to play jazz and rock music. Students will practice, improvise, and record songs that will be shared with the group. Each week, students will listen to famous artists of jazz and rock music.

• Advisor Mr. Hovey
• Tuesdays- starts September 17th
• Band room

This year the club will focus on introducing basic robotics using Hummingbird kits. This club will also allow students to have the opportunity to dive deeper into any of the materials used in class. Such as 3D printing, Microbit, Makey- Makey, Snap Circuits, and App Creator.

• Advisor Mrs. DeBellis
• Tuesdays- starts Tuesday, September 17
• Stem Lab 8 room

PHS/PCMS 2024-2025 ~ 3 Late Bus Routes ~ North, Center, South

Start Date: Monday, 9/16/24

Bus Passes are required and must be presented to driver upon boarding

Late Buses Run Monday,Tuesday, and Thursday only

Routes are general, stops depend on ridership, students should let the drivers know where they are on the route.

• North Late Bus route
• South Late Bus route
• Center Late Bus route

Please note all stops are group stops. There is no door-to-door service with late buses. Stops can be up to one mile from home. Parents/caregivers may want to make arrangements to meet their child at the designated group stop.

Please join us for the first PTO meeting of the year on Monday, September 9- 6pm in our library!

President: Karen Laffey

kballant1999@yahoo.com

Vice President Brandie Seavey

bseavey627@gmail.com

Hospitality Melissa Archambault

melanthoney2@gmail.com

Secretary Kathryn Jarrett

Kathrynilean@gmail.com

PCMS is continuing a focus on college and career planning, referred to as MyCAP (My Career and Academic Plan). MyCAP is designed to provide students with ongoing and school-wide opportunities to plan for their academic, personal/social and career success in high school and beyond. Through the MyCAP process, students will explore their individual interests and skills to help them discover careers that may be a good match. This will help students make connections between their current and future coursework and their postsecondary goals.

Throughout this school year, 21st century skills classes will utilize MyCAP to further support students in their journey to plan for academic, personal/social and career success in high school and beyond. There will be a strong focus on transportable skills such as problem solving, critical and creative thinking, collaboration, communication, and ethical reasoning and mindset, which are all important for future success regardless of a student’s chosen college and/or career path. In addition to the ongoing focus on college and career readiness in 21st century skills, each PCMS department is also planning a lesson with a focus on college and career readiness to help students understand how course material may align with their future career goals.

Griff Harvey, a PHS senior currently serving as a senior intern under the direction of Mr. Ben Auger (Spanish 8), presented on the career and academic opportunities available to PHS world language students. The presentation is in Spanish, as at this point in our two-year world language program, students have solid listening comprehension skills. Griff also completed a summary in English, which can be found below the link.

Presentation about AP classes, Spanish outside of school and in the future, and the cultural exchange program

PPT presentation: El programa del intercambio y AP Spanish

Starting with AP classes in high school, AP classes are college level courses that end with an exam in may that you will receive a score of 1-5. While there are many AP classes such as history, statistics, psychology, chemistry, etc. Spanish AP courses give the most credits if you score high on the exam. AP Spanish Language can give up to 12 credits and AP Spanish Literature can reward up to 16. In a college for example, if the class credit hours are 400 dollars, and you score a 5 on the language exam, you will get $6000 dollars off tuition. Additionally you will be placed higher to start college and progress faster and may even be done with the class early and have more time on your schedule.

In college, utilizing Spanish or any language can be a big advantage. The chances of having the opportunity to go overseas to study will be very high. Whether it be a semester at sea program or studying abroad in one location. When you go to these places you can use your language to function in society and it will improve immensely. Additionally, many students major in what they want to do and have a minor in a language. Bilingual workers in any social job have a higher chance of getting the job or even getting a higher salary.

For me, using Spanish outside of school has been huge, I have worked in many restaurants since my freshman year of high school. In many restaurants you can find Portuguese or Spanish speakers. I have used spanish to ask for a specific food item when I couldn;t find it and had to ask for help from a spanish speaker. At Towne Tavern in pembroke last year I was looking for sugar and tried different phrases in english to try and make the man I was asking understand me, I then just said only the word “azucar” and he understood and guided me to where it was in the storage container, Spanish is a little similar to Portuguese as well so if you say the Spanish word to them sometimes they can understand because it is similar to the word in their language.

I also touched on the level of the Spanish at the highschool and how the students learn new verb tenses and vocab until AP Spanish. The class actually gets easier because in AP you don’t learn new tenses, you just practice with all the information you have learned and prepare for the exam.

The cultural exchange program that is offered by the highschool is an amazing experience and opportunity to utilize your spanish in a foreign country. There is also a French exchange program that is done as well. You fill out surveys in class to be matched with a partner that has similar interests and hobbies as you. The students have the upperhand in the program because the Spanish students come to the United States first in September. Then, we have the pleasure of showing them our culture and things like food and activities that they may have never tried or seen before, like seeing an American football game at the highschool with a student section of many of the kids in the school cheering on their team. The Pembroke students go during February vacation, so they get 6 months to communicate over social media with their partners and grow closer. Then, when they go in February they will feel very comfortable and it will not be nerve racking at all. The English students all prepare a presentation about an aspect from the United States that is unique. In my case, me and Gabe Lamar made a presentation on English slang words and phrases. The students then used these phrases when we were with them in school and out and it was funny. Then, you get to explore Madrid, Segovia, and Toledo with your classmates and then any other place your partner may bring you. You can utilize your Spanish to communicate with your families, order and buy things in stores, and appreciate their culture and events. Also, all the families are amazing and happy to have the students, when you depart from the trip on the sad final day of your visit. The families will always offer you the opportunity to come back whenever you please. This connection is an amazing asset and bond to have and having a place to stay where you feel at home and welcome is an amazing thing that can only come from a program just like ours at Pembroke High School.

Small Business Graphing Inequalities Problem

Students looked at a small business that involved creating and selling water tumblers and sweatshirts.

Students worked on the transportable skills of problem solving, critical and creative thinking and collaboration by exploring a small business opportunity. It involved calculating costs and profits within given parameters. Students had to write algebraic inequalities and then create a graph to show the solutions for possible outcomes. They had to work together to find various profit amounts based on different combinations of products. Finally they had to try to calculate the maximum amount of money that they small business owner could make over the course of a month. Students looked at examples of small businesses and the importance of them to our community.

PCMS buses drop off/pick up students using the front parking lot. (green line) No cars should enter that area during arrival and dismissal times.

When dropping off/picking up seventh grade students, families should line up around the circular driveway. (blue line)

Eighth graders should be dropped off/picked up near the basketball courts/gym. Families should drive around back of the building on the fire road. (yellow line)

Thank you.

PowerSchool and Google Classroom are the two primary programs that are used at PCMS. Below are two brief descriptions of the differences between the two.

PowerSchool is our student information system. This program has increased functionality once a student enters 7th grade. Through this program, parents and students can access attendance information, schedule information, current grades and forecasted assignments. If you hit on the cumulative grade within a specific class, a different screen will open that will provide more detailed information on the grade breakdown. Parents can also set up their account preferences to receive automatic reports (e.g., daily/weekly/monthly) emailed to them. Here is the Parent PowerSchool login link: Technology / PowerSchool Login Instructions

Google Classroom: This software has more course-specific information. Assignments, instructions and other class-based announcements are posted here. There are no grades. Most parents are probably already very familiar with Google Classroom from the last few years. Most teachers will have already sent invites out to parents, using the primary email you have listed in PowerSchool. If you haven’t yet been invited to join your child’s classrooms, just send the teachers an email.

PCMS runs a 6-day, 7 period schedule. We start the year on a ‘Day 1’ and then the days move consecutively from there. Here is a link to the schedule of PCMS Days: 24.25 PCMS DAY SCHEDULE

Mrs. Alicia Clancy is our front office secretary. She can be reached at alicia.clancy@pembrokek12.org

Mrs. Tracey Smith is our special education/guidance secretary. She can be reached at tracey.smith@pembrokek12.org

Join MERGE Diverse Abilities Inclusion Consulting on Monday, April 28th, from 6-8 PM at Norwell Middle School.

Hosted by the Norwell Commission on Disability, this community event is designed for community members involved in recreation, culture, enrichment, faith-based organizations, municipal employees, and local businesses—anyone looking to foster a culture of inclusion. Don’t miss this valuable opportunity to learn and connect!

Here’s what you’ll gain from this engaging 2-hour presentation:

• Core Principles of Disability Inclusion: Understand the key values that community programs and businesses should adopt to foster authentic inclusion.

• Confident Communication: Learn empowering language, proper terminology, and etiquette to confidently welcome, engage, and support individuals with disabilities.

• Practical Inclusion Strategies: Discover top strategies to build a culture of inclusion where individuals with disabilities are valued members of your community.

• Networking & Resources: Connect with organizations, partnerships, and valuable resources to enhance your inclusion efforts.

• Actionable Takeaways: Leave with clear, practical steps you can implement immediately to create a more inclusive community.

Join us to strengthen your capacity to foster meaningful inclusion!

Email: donna.mcgarrigle@pembrokek12.org
Website: www.pembrokek12.org
Location: 559 School Street, Pembroke, MA, USA
Phone: 781-293-8627
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PembrokeCommunityMiddleSchool
Twitter: @PemSch_news