February
– April, 2009
Pat's Update is a publication that comes out
periodically throughout the school year; usually we
mail it, but because we have the opportunity to
communicate electronically, we will try this
version. All you will need to do is to go on to the
Warwick School Department website-
www.warwickschools.org,
click into District Schools, click into Pilgrim High
School and then go into the links to the left-
Principal's Message and Newsletter. Shortly,
additional information will be posted about our
school community. I hope you find this informative.
Business Department
Pilgrim’s Business Department
is one of ten public high schools in Rhode Island
that has agreed to provide training and resources to
enhance the quality and quantity of Personal
Financial Education for our students. We feel that
it is important to provide our students with the
financial literacy skills that they will need to
succeed. The kickoff event for our Jump$tart
Program will take place this week.
The goal of Jump$tart is to
increase financial literacy through the National
Endowment for Financial Education. Jump$tart will
connect our Personal Finance classes with financial
experts in the community. This program is supported
by the U. S. Department of Education, Rhode Island
Higher Education Assistance Authority, United Way,
Rhode Island Student Loan Authority, and Senator
Jack Reed.
The executive director of this
Rhode Island Jump$tart Coalition, Mr. Jim Hedemark,
said, “With pounds of ‘cure’ being spent in reaction
to our nation’s economic crisis, it is high time we
added many more ounces of prevention.” All the
members of our department are looking forward to
implementing this program.
Several guest speakers have
visited Mr. Cooper’s Personal Finance classes this
month. They include Kristin Rojas of the Pawtucket
Credit Union who spoke to our students about how
Career Choices Influence Your Personal Finance.
Kristin also returned later in the month to speak on
the Importance and Types of Insurance. Also,
Special Agent Caroline O’Brien-Buster from the
United States Secret Service spoke to these classes
and warned our students about Identity Theft and
On-line Fraud.
On December 18, 2008 Ms. Janice
Hannaway, the Human Resource Manager of Shaw’s in
Cranston, came to school to speak to Mrs. Brennan’s
College and Career Planning class. She spoke to the
students about what she looks for in candidates that
she interviews, and she gave the class valuable tips
to help them in the hiring process. She also
brought them packets about Shaw’s. This information
will help them as they prepare for interviews by
business community members.
In January these students were
interviewed by Robert Nangle, CEO of Meridian
Printing in East Greenwich, and by James Bateman,
Branch Manager, and Christine Wilson, Assistant
Branch Manager, of Coastway Bank in Warwick. These
business community members were given a rubric to
grade each student along with their comments in
order for our students to learn what they did well,
and what they need to improve upon to better prepare
for future interviews. Each of these students met
one on one with the interviewer in an office. They
handed the interviewer a resume and a reference
sheet. This was part of their final examination.
The second part was to create a portfolio. The
students felt that this was a valuable experience,
and enjoyed the information that the interviewers
provided them.
On November 6, 2008 students
from Mrs. Brennan’s Career Exploration class
attended a field trip to Exchange City. They
brought Business Forms that they had worked on in
class to get their businesses up and running. Each
student had a job in the community, and each student
had a personal checkbook allowing them to go to the
bank and deposit wages. This money allowed our
students to purchase products from the various shops
where some of the student employees made the
products.
Pilgrim students also purchased
products during their breaks. This helped some of
the businesses pay off their loans, which was their
goal. However, not all the students were able to
accomplish this goal, and many learned why that
happened in such a poor economy. These students
ran the community from the Mayor of the City to the
meter reader. They participated in business
meetings, produced products and/or services, and had
breaks and lunch.
Upon returning from this field
trip, many of our students expressed that they
enjoyed this real world learning experience, and
they would like to see more Pilgrim students also
have this opportunity.
English Department
NECAP Testing:
Congratulations to our English
teachers and students whose hard work paid off in
recent state testing. Pilgrim students performed the
best in the district in language arts. Also, our
students exceeded the state average in both reading
and writing assessments. All students at Pilgrim who
met proficiency or exceeded proficiency are being
awarded certificates of achievement.
Student Teachers:
The Pilgrim English Department
proudly serves as a laboratory for teacher
preparation. Five student teachers have joined us
this semester. From Providence College, Maryann
Barrett is practice teaching with Mrs. Muto, Ian
Farrell with Mrs. Noble and Mr. Callahan, and
Pamela White with Mrs. Parente. From Rhode Island
College, Stephanie Bailey is practice teaching with
Mr. Denningham and Jennifer Cochran with Mr.
Carlson. From the University of Rhode Island, Maria
Cambio is practice teaching with Mrs. Costabile.
Also, in the area of teacher
preparation, several of our teachers are working
with Providence College practicum students, who will
be observing classes this spring and each presenting
one lesson. Pilgrim English teachers involved in
this program are Mrs. Dwyer, Mr. Huddon, Ms.
Beltrami, and Mrs. Merdink.
Holocaust:
Ms. Beltrami’s seniors read
Night by Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Elie
Wiesel. This book presents the horrors of the
Holocaust. Afterwards, the students studied modern
examples of genocide such as in Rwanda and Darfur.
Finally, Ms. Beltrami arranged for a Holocaust
survivor to visit her class. Alice Dreifuss
Goldstein described her family’s harrowing ordeal in
Nazi Germany and discussed ways to prevent genocide
from happening today.
Research Paper:
Most seniors completed their
research papers for the senior project on time, but
it is evident that some struggled with the process.
The English department wishes to emphasize the
importance of students completing prior research
paper assignments during grades 9 – 11, to help
prepare for the senior exhibition project.
Drama Club: The
Drama Club, under the direction of English
department member, Richard Denningham, is preparing
for its spring production of Noises Off
by Michael Frayn. A comedy, this play will be staged
April 3, 4, 5. Also, the Drama Club will host a
fundraising Murder Mystery Dinner on May 30th.
April Poetry Month:
April marks national poetry month as well as
Shakespeare’s birthday. The English department will
be sponsoring poetry readings and it also will host
a Shakespeare’s birthday cake contest on
Shakespeare’s birthday, Thursday, April 23rd.
Students, faculty, and staff are invited to design a
cake in the bard’s honor and bring it to the library
conference room that morning. Judging will take
place by lunch period, when awards will be given and
participants will enjoy the cake for dessert.
MS Awareness: Mr.
Callahan and Mr. Carlson will be conducting an MS
awareness week the week of March 9th.
Foreign Language Department
The
Foreign Language Department welcomes Bethanie Downes
and David Rollinson to our midst. Ms. Downes and
Mr. Rollinson are graduate students from Providence
College, and will be observing classes from late
February through early April. We are happy to have
them with us and hope that they have a pleasant
experience.
Students in our classes working on many different
projects. Students in all three languages are
preparing to take the National Contest Examinations
in March. The French Contest will be held at Bishop
Hendricken On March 7. On that same date, Italian
students will participate in their exam at Coventry
High. The Spanish exam will be given at Pilgrim
later in the month.
Students in Ms. Fontes’ classes are writing skits.
Some groups are creating their skits around a trip
to Spain, while others are working on writing about
Puerto Rico. Another of Ms. Fontes’ classes is
studying Mexico. In each case the students must
describe authentic places in the country of study,
and “shop” for authentic articles after having
investigated the prices.
Students in Ms. Bennett’s Spanish 5 Honors class are
busy creating the car of their dreams. They went on
an in-school “field trip” to the PHS auto shop for a
Show and Tell quiz. Spanish 2 are learning about
personal care and the parts of the body, and will
soon create “body maps”, using markers and shower
curtains. This is always a lot of fun for the
students! Spanish 3 students are writing stories
about their childhood, and Spanish 4 Honors are
planning an “asado”—an Argentine barbecue—having
just studied that country.
Miss
DeSousa’s students are beginning to work on their
portfolio projects. Spanish I classes are writing
about their families and their school schedules.
Spanish 2 Honors and 3 students are creating digital
stories about their childhoods. Spanish 4 and 5
students have just created videos about fashion and
shopping in a clothing store.
Mrs.
Griffith’s French 4-5 students have just begun to
view the French film Au revoir les enfants.
While studying the film they will discuss the themes
of isolation and alienation, and compare and
contrast the story of the film with the novel Le
petit prince. French 2 and 3 students are
beginning to work on their portfolio projects. They
are also studying a unit on francophone art. French
3 students are writing an original poem in the style
of a famous French poet. In the French 2 classes,
students are writing letters to their “exchange
students”, preparing them to spend a year in
Warwick.
There are also several trips being planned in our
department. Mrs. Fava’s Italian I & II students
will attend an Immersion Day in April. They will
spend the morning with other Italian students from
around the state speaking Italian and completing
various tasks in the language. Also, Mrs. Fava is
beginning to plan a trip to Italy for next year.
All Spanish students are encouraged to participate
in the trip to New York City on March 27. Students
will visit the Spanish Heritage Museum, the Tenement
Museum, and the United Nations. For more
information about the trips, please call the Foreign
Language office at extension. For details about the
Spanish trip to New York, contact Ms. Bennett at
bennetth@warwickschools.org To find out about
the trip to Italy, contact Mrs. Fava at
favo@warwickschools.org
GRADUATION BY PROFICIENCY
Class of 2009
What is past due?
|
Oct 1st |
Deadline: Topic
Proposal due to GBP Coordinator |
|
Nov. 26th |
Deadline:
Parent/Guardian Consent Form - Mentor
Commitment and Ethical Statement Forms due
to GBP Coordinator |
|
January 7, 2009 |
Deadline: Final
draft of research paper due to English
Teacher |
|
January 27, 2009 |
Deadline:
Academic Portfolio including English, Math
and Self-selected pieces. |
|
Feb 1st |
Deadline:
Senior Project Research Papers due to GBP
Coordinator |
What is due next?
|
March 17th |
Deadline:
Fieldwork Log Sheets and Mentor Evaluation
form due to GBP Coordinator |
|
April 21st |
Deadline: Senior
Project portfolios due to GBP Coordinator
A
Senior Exhibition portfolio is structured in
an organized manner, contains error-free
documents, and shows a level of attention to
detail can impress all who review it.
|
|
April 27th –
April 30th |
Faculty read of senior
project portfolios at faculty meeting |
|
May 4th –
May 8th |
Students notified of
portfolio approval and presentation status |
|
May 11th –
May 19th |
Presentation practice |
|
May 21, 2009 |
Senior Exhibition
Presentation Day |
|
May 28th |
“Not Yet” Senior
Project Presentations |
|
June 17th* |
Post-Graduation Senior
Project Presentations |
Classes of 2010 – 2012
Electronic portfolios:
Students will be required to upload a minimum of two
pieces of portfolio-worthy work from each of their
academic classes during the current academic year.
Students may also upload as many proficient,
self-selected pieces they wish into their electronic
portfolios. All portfolio work includes the teacher
assignment, assessed by a rubric or criteria sheet
and includes a student written reflection about
their work. All student instructions and guidelines
can be found in the ePortfolio folder located in the
Pilgrim Students area of FirstClass.
Marilyn Massey
Graduation by Proficiency Coordinator
masseym@warwickschools.org (401-
734-3273 ext. 117)
Health and Physical
Education Department
This winter the12th
grade physical education classes are taking a Red
Cross CPR/AED certification class. The fee for this
course is $6 which goes towards the purchase of the
Red Cross certification cards and materials. The
health and physical education teachers are Red Cross
certified instructors.
The 11th grade
health classes completed the Red Cross First Aid
certification class during the 2nd
quarter in their health classes. They were
certified by the Red Cross certified health and
physical education instructors.
During the 3rd
quarter the 11th and 12th
grade physical education classes are participating
in team and individual sports. The 10th
grade physical education classes are participating
in a fitness unit. The 9th grade
students are taking health classes.
Ms. Perfetto attended a teen
dating violence conference and shared the
information from that conference with the Mr.
Flanders and Mr. Batalon. In a collaborative
effort, they produced a DVD that is being used in
all of the health classes. Some of the 9th
grade health students entered the 2009 Teen Dating
Violence Awareness and Prevention Poster Contest for
Rhode Island high school students. This poster
contest was sponsored by the Lindsay Ann Burke
Memorial Fund. The state declared the week of
February 2-6, 2009 to be National Teen Dating
Violence Awareness and Prevention Week. The health
classes were studying and working on projects during
this time.
The Rhode Island Blood Center
spoke to the health classes about blood and organ
donation during the first quarter. The second blood
drive of the year will be held on March 6, 2009.
Lincoln Tech sent guest
speakers to the health classes. They gave a
presentation on “Careers”. Their purpose was to
motivate students to think about their career
choices.
The National Alliance on Mental
Illness of Rhode Island sent speakers to the junior
health classes. They did a presentation on mental
illnesses explaining the various illnesses and
treatments.
Library
Our Reference area has a new
SMARTBOARD. This will allow us to instruct using a
SMARTBOARD in the Tech Center and the Reference area
of our Library.
Janet Bowab and William
Guadagni participated in an Externship Program at
the Warwick Police Academy. They are planning to do
a research project on Law Enforcement and Officer
Steven Nelson has agreed to come in and speak with
the class on March 9th.
Ms. Bowab has also just
completed another Externship in Amman, Jordan over
the February school vacation. She collaborated with
the faculty in the library at the King’s Academy in
Madaba and plans to coordinate lessons on Islamic
art with our art department and lessons on Islamic
culture and history with the social studies
department.
Science Department
Pilgrim held
its Science Fair December 16 and 17. Mr. Michael
Lobdell served as Pilgrim’s intermediary with the
Amgen Rhode Island State Science and Engineering
Fair (ARISSEF) committee and organized this year’s
event. Members of the Pilgrim Science Department
judged all the projects during the day and after
school on the 16th. This narrowed the
field to those students who were selected to
represent Pilgrim at the ARISSEF which will be held
at CCRI March 22 & 23. Those from Pilgrim that were
selected to participate in this annual event are:
C.J. Beneduce for his
research into “DNA Annealing”;
Catie Carlson for looking
into “Do Over the Counter Medications Prolong the
Life of Cut Flowers?”;
Gregory Goins for his
inquiry into “How Does Wood Type Affect Strength?”;
Maria Guirguis who studied "The
Effect of OTC Medications on the Heart Rate of
Daphnia";
Christopher Minette and Fenn
Walsh-Seaman for their project, “Do Mentos React
with Sodas Besides Diet Coke?”;
Amanda Rode for coming up
with an answer to the question, “Does the Density
of a Liquid Affect its Surface Tension?”; and
Caren Welker, who’s project was entitled “Demonstrating
Adaptations in Bacteria.”
Congratulations to
all participants. You have brought great pride to
Pilgrim, your teachers, and your families.
Social Studies Department
Members: Andrea
Atturio, Arthur Bennett, John Brennan, Kathleen
Buckley, Nick DiFilippo, John McDonnell, Michael
O’Brien, Al Palazzo, Nisa SanGiovanni, Peter
SanGiovanni, Chad Tvenstrup, Alison Wallace, Michael
Xiarhos
The social studies department
is diligently working to provide opportunities for
students to meet the digital portfolio
requirements. All grade nine and ten students will
have two social studies assignments on the Richer
Picture software. For grade eleven, students taking
Western Civilization will be required to have one
this year. Grade twelve students are not
participating in the digital portfolio system but
will be required to submit a “paper” portfolio in
order to meet graduation requirements.
Professional development
opportunities abound despite budget constraints.
Mrs. Buckley participated in a Differentiated
Instruction conference and Mrs. Wallace has been
serving on a committee to roll out Rhode Island
Skills Commission Social Studies Tasks for the
district. Both teachers reported back to the
department at the February department meeting.
Teachers are also engaging in professional
development opportunities during the common planning
times as well.
For the past few years ELA,
Math, and Science have all issued Common Tasks to
their students. For the first time, social studies
will be doing so. Teachers are in the process of
selecting a Rhode Island Skills Commission task to
be administered, calibrated, and scored by the end
of this school year.
Many social studies classes
will be participating in National History Day. This
year’s theme is “Individuals in History.” On March
4th presentations, projects, Power
Points, and papers will be on display in the Pilgrim
Library.
Recognition for Community
Service takes place at Honor’s Night. Students
should hand in their completed forms as soon as
possible.
Congratulations to Mr. Xiarhos
and the Mock Trial team for their many successes
this year.
Special Education Department
The staff continues to work
with students and staff to provide the best
educational experience for each student. Portfolio
worthy assignments in each class have been uploaded
to First Class. As all students are working on GBP
requirements, we continue to provide support to our
students in their efforts. The Work Activities
Program is providing meaningful work site
experiences for some students along with community
involvement.
