October 25

What a fantastic week we've had! I want to highlight the success of our second post-graduation fair for our juniors and seniors. It was wonderful to see so many students engaging with colleges, trade schools, and career options. We're also excited to announce that our fall play Clue is coming together beautifully, with the cast and crew putting on the final touches for what promises to be a spectacular performance. Our DECA club has been actively participating in competitions, showcasing their business and leadership skills. It's inspiring to see our students excelling across such diverse areas. Also we welcomed our GAPP students from Germany. The students will be part of our school community for the next week.

This week, we also wrapped up a successful NEASC accreditation visit. We will be sharing more information soon about their feedback, but I’m proud of the work and dedication shown by our staff and students throughout the process. A big thank you to all the parents and guardians who took the time to meet with teachers at our recent Parent-Teacher conferences. Your involvement is essential to our students' success and greatly appreciated.

To top it all off, tonight, our football team will be playing a home game against North Reading and field hockey will be playing under the lights agains Lynnfield. We also have several of our sports teams entering their end-of-season competitions, so be sure to keep an eye out and cheer them on!

Thank you for your continued support.

Brenda Erhardt

Pentucket MHS Principal

Pentucket student Colby Eckholt is traveling to North Carolina on November 2nd to assist with hurricane search, rescue, and recovery. Please consider donating to this important cause, as your support will directly impact those affected by the devastation.

"Hurricane Helene has destroyed many communities in North Carolina taking down roads, and houses, and impacting entire towns. My job will be providing food, water, and clothing to those in need, as well as repairing homes and structures. I will also be helping people stranded in their homes and helping to clear brush, trees, and whatever else is needed. Providing supplies to people in need can make a significant difference in their recovery. These items include new or gently used sweatshirts and blankets, new socks, and monetary donations. If our community is able to help with these items, I will be collecting donations up until Thursday, October 31st in a bin inside of the main office as well as monetary donations through Venmo @Aly-Eckholt ."

Project Cloud Nine is an initiative that provides hospitalized pediatric patients with activity bags that can be used throughout and even after the duration of their hospital stay. Our mission is to provide resources for patients that will make them feel like they are on Cloud Nine!

We developed Project Cloud Nine with the purpose of providing the hospitalized pediatric patients of Lawrence General Hospital and Anna Jaques Hospital with activities and toys that they can use during their stay. We believe that when these patients have access to more resources, such as those our initiative provides, they will have increased opportunities to reduce stress through play, thus resulting in a better overall hospital experience.

These bags will contain coloring books, crayons, puzzles, decks of cards, stress toys, and more, and will be created through donations made by members of our local community. Please consider donating through this link:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4BA4A929A7FDC07-51994392-donation

On Monday, November 11, 2024, the Pentucket Girls Varsity basketball team and Coach McNamara are hosting our second annual Veterans Day Clinic! The team is partnering with the Greater Lawrence Children and Families Organization to support foster kids. Last year we had an amazing turnout and hope that we can do even better this year! ALL of the money raised from this event will yet again be put towards purchasing essential items for kids when transitioning into a foster home. During this stressful time, many kids are only able to take the clothes they are wearing with them. The money would allow us to provide them with basic necessities like clothes and toiletries to help with the transition. We are planning a morning of skills, drills, and lots of fun! Players from all towns are welcome! No basketball experience is required. We are so grateful for the ongoing support from the community and are looking forward to this opportunity to give back for the second year in a row!

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

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).

• 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!

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

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.

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