Friday, November 4, 2022

Scary Story Skills: A Great Project

From English Language Arts Class

Student work from a creative summary writing assignment from teachers Kathryn Anderson and Gayle Paige's B-Block class is displayed.

Here are this week's updates from Minuteman High School Principal George Clement (pictured):

Everyday something noteworthy happens at Minuteman High School and we promote good news through our social media outlets and daily announcements. I also enjoy catching moments that we might take for granted but truly contain a bit of magic. One of those moments happened during one of my walks through the building as I passed by the English Language Arts class co-taught by Ms. Kathryn Anderson and Ms. Gayle Paige.

Ms. Paige, bursting with pride, beckoned me to come and see student work displayed on the wall. Ms. Anderson explained the challenge of the creative summary writing assignment: It was to generate a scary story using only six words. The students wrote their stories and had options about how they wished to display their work.

Some of my favorites include:

“Suddenly, he was in the window.”

“Pitch black misfortune, crosses your path.”

“They’re always watching your every move.” 

Their work was reminiscent of the elegant sentences Netflix or Comcast Cable use to describe a movie, and it is good to push students to reveal the essence of what they wish to communicate. Writing with economy requires great skill. “Minuteman teachers and students generate achievement!”

National School Psychology Week

Next week, November 7-11, is National School Psychology Week, providing us with an opportunity to thank the professionals who support our mental health. Minuteman is fortunate to boast a strong staff of guidance counselors, adjustment counselors, social workers, and school psychologists who provide excellent support to students, teachers, and parents. I hope folks will join me in saying, “Thank you for making a positive difference.”

Battlegreen Run/Walk Details

This Sunday, November 6, thanks to the Minuteman Parents’ Association, we will have a large team participating in this year’s Battlegreen Run/Walk in Lexington. Same-day registration is welcome and encouraged! The MPA will have our own table at check-in on Sunday. We will be in the Lexington High School fieldhouse on Worthen Road from 11:30 AM until around noon (the race starts at 12:15 PM). Look for the MPA sign to check in and get your race bib.

Once we have the team checked in and ready to go, we will take a group photo. If you are so inclined, you can wear any of your Minuteman gear and/or sport our colors of blue and yellow.

After the race, you are welcome to stay and enjoy food provided by local vendors, including vegetarian chili made and served by Minuteman's Culinary Arts students!

I will be walking the 5k and hope to see you there! Our team of 33 has already raised more than $1,100 which will fund a senior scholarships in the spring. The Battlegreen Run Foundation will also send us a check for our share of the amount in a few weeks, which will make that number much higher.

A Note About Late Busses

I would like to conclude with a note about the recent delays in school bus service from our contracted transportation provider, NRT Bus Inc. On behalf of the administration, I would like to express our thanks and gratitude for the patience and understanding displayed by students and parents/guardians who have experienced these delays. We share your concerns about on-time performance and agree that the number of delays in recent weeks has been challenging.

We have been frequently communicating with NRT to assist them with steps to alleviate delays that negatively impact our students and families. NRT has been adjusting bus drivers’ schedules to cover employee absences while incorporating our feedback. With Minuteman’s input, NRT recently developed a long-term solution for the Concord morning route to ensure students get to school on time.

Above all, Minuteman wants to assure families that we continue to communicate closely with NRT to ensure the fewest possible delays. This is an issue affecting school districts across the state and country. We will continue to communicate with families via robocall and emails when we learn of delays. We are doing what we can in an imperfect situation, and we appreciate the high level of understanding we have received from parents and students. 

Halloween Happenings!

Many of Minuteman High School's students and staff got in the spirit of Halloween on Monday, October 31.

The Engineering and Robotics students and teachers all dressed up as characters from the movie "Despicable Me."

The Girls' Volleyball Team used their last practice of the season to attempt to play volleyball with each other while dressed in full costumes.

The preschool students of the Colonial Children's Academy got dressed up for a Halloween Parade around the school. The youngsters trick-or-treated in the building while looking absolutely adorable.

Coming Up Soon!