Aggie Weekly
Good Afternoon Students, Parents, and Community Members:
This week our students had a short week due to Veteran’s Day on Saturday. During morning announcements, we did ask students to reflect on Veteran’s Day and to reach out to a neighbor, family friend, or relative who served in the military to thank them for their service. We would like to THANK all of our service men and women who everyday put their lives on the line to ensure that each of us are safe.
by Jordan Deschenes/Taunton Gazette
DIGHTON — Bristol County Agricultural High School’s new superintendent says she wants to learn as much as possible about the school in the coming weeks, especially from students.
“I need your help. When I come into your classes and programs to visit for the first time, don’t stop what you’re doing. I want you to tell me about the school and help me learn as much as possible,” Adele Sands told students at an assembly Monday morning to welcome her as Bristol Aggie’s new superintendent.
“Today, I feel the same way that you first felt when you got that letter of acceptance to Bristol Aggie.”
Having grown up on a farm in Wawa, Pennsylvania, Sands said that she has always considered a position in agricultural education over the course of her career. Her interest in agriculture was piqued while living and working in the Berkshires.
“I’ve always been a fan of agricultural education. I grew up on a farm and had horses and chickens myself,” said Sands, who lives in Upton.
After graduating from Connecticut College with a degree in theater, Sands eventually went on to obtain a master’s degree in education from the Columbia University Teacher’s College in 1990. Sands said that she plans on pursuing a doctoral degree in education, most likely at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
“I absolutely plan on continuing my higher education,” Sands said.
With regard to vocational education, Sands is no stranger to the field. Before accepting a position at Bristol Aggie, Sands worked for seven years at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School in Franklin as the director of student services. From 2008 to 2011, Sands worked as the director of curriculum and instruction at the Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham and also worked as director of student services for the Southern Berkshire Regional High School District.
Between Tri-County and Bristol Aggie, Sands said that the overall experience has so far been similar, although she has noticed that the agriculturally-centered curriculum gives students more incentive to get deeply involved with their work. During her first days visiting the school, Sands said that she was impressed to see the large number of students staying on campus to work after class during the evening.
“The thing that struck me about Bristol Aggie was the enthusiasm with which the students and faculty pursue the work here,” Sands said.
“You know, that feeling of purpose and love for what they do. It was very impressive to see.”
Although she is a newcomer to Dighton and the surrounding area, Sands said that she is already trying to get in touch with local businesses and other members of the community to learn more. By getting to know the community, Sands hopes to work with major “stakeholders” in the town to identify the biggest needs with regards to the local farming industry.
Eventually, Sands wants to be able to offer students an even greater means of coordinating and potentially working with local businesses to prepare for entering the workforce.
“I’m hoping that I can get to know this community in a way that allows me to know the needs of all the stakeholders in town, including parents, students, and even friends of residents,” said Sands.
“I also want to get to know all the local businesses.”
Bristol Aggie’s former superintendent, Stephen Dempsey, retired in July after more than 30 years at the school, which also has a new principal and assistant superintendent, Kevin Braga.
Braga, who started at Aggie in February, previously served as the principal at Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School. Former Aggie Principal Aaron Polansky left last November to become superintendent at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in Rochester.
Thank YOU for your Service:
Mr. James Costa-Technology Director
United States Army National Guard (1981-1990) Sergeant
United States Air Force National Guard (1990-1995) Staff Sergeant
Desert Shield/Desert Storm
Mr. Joseph Mendonsa -ELA/History Teacher
United States Navy - 1972-1995
Lieutenant Commander
Mr. Daniel Bence - Landscape Foreman
United States Marine Corps (1980-1984)
Lance Corporal
Mr. Kevin P. Braga- Assistant Superintendent/Principal
United States Navy (2000-2004)
Petty Officer 3rd Class
Thanksgiving Food Drive:
The Bristol Aggie Student Council has kicked off their annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. Any monetary donations or canned goods would be greatly appreciated. Please send donations in with your child by November 20th. Checks can be made payable to BCAHS. If you need additional information on this fundraiser, please visit our blog, or contact esavage@bcahs.com.
Student Council – Thanksgiving Food Drive – All Items Due Monday Nov. 20th
GOAL: Feed 75 Families this Thanksgiving!
Arbor - Goal: 75 boxes of pasta and 75 cans of sauce
Landscaping – Goal: 75 cans of gravy – canned, glass jars, or dry mixes
Small Animal – Goal: 300 cans of vegetables – corn, carrots, green beans, peas, etc.
Large Animal – Goal: 75 pie fillings and 75 pie crusts – all types
Mechanics – Goal: 75 cans of Cranberry Sauce
Flori – Goal: 75 boxes of stuffing – dry, all varieties
Natural Science – Goal: 75 boxes of Instant Mashed Potatoes
Freshmen – Goal: 75 jars of canned fruit or applesauce, 75 jars of condensed milk and 75 boxed bread mixes – banana, cranberry, date, etc.
Homecoming:
Student Council is hosting the Homecoming Dance on Friday November 17th from 6 pm to 10 pm in the gym. Tickets are $10 and are on sale in Mrs. Savage's room or at lunch until Wednesday, November 15th. The theme is masquerade and the attire is semi-formal. If students would like to bring a guest from outside of school, they need to fill out a permission form with the main office and submit it to Mrs. Savage by Wednesday, November 15th.
Field trip:
On Sunday, a part of the Ocean Bowl team competed in Super Sunday at WGBH Studios in Brighton, MA. This is part of a multi-state competition in which hundreds of teams answer questions across a broad range of topics- history, literature, science, spelling, pop culture, etc. The top 16 teams from Super Sunday compete on live television. Below are some pictures from the event- we had a good time and learned some new things! Participants- seniors Hannah Medeiros and Cavan Botelho and sophomores Abby Bruno and Hope Siddall
In the Classroom:
- Animal Science: In Ms. Gagne’s class, students learned about emergency equine rescue at the MSPCA Nevins Farm.
- Animal Science: On Wednesday and Thursday, Mr. Braga visited Mr. Flynn’s Large Animal Science class to conduct interviews for a potential job at Nivens Farm. He was extremely impressed the students’ skills in interviewing, knowledge, and passion about animals. You are ALL HIRED! Nice job everyone~
- Math: In Mrs. Ciolfi’s math class, students were working diligently solving systems of equations.
- Arbor: On Thursday, Mr. Cook and his sophomore class went to Teufelberger Fiber Rope Corp. (Formerly New England Ropes). It was a great experience for our students to get to see arbor ropes being made. At the end Garrett Krapf showed them how to splice rope and gave them some free stuff to take home!
Parents and Athletes- Please BE ADVISED:
In an effort to ensure the safety of our students, we wanted to pass along some critical information regarding a person trying to contact local athletes on Facebook and attempting to engage with them at high school sporting events. The person’s name is Robert Gordon Slye but has gone by the name of “Nicole Grace Smith” on Facebook. Please read the attached Intelligence Bulletin sent out by the Windham Police Department for further details and images of Mr. Slye. According to police, Mr. Slye has become more brazen and recently tried to lure a New Hampshire wrestler to the Topsfield Fair. It is important to note that investigators have found Massachusetts student-athletes among those who Mr. Slye may have attempted to contact through an alias Facebook account. This may not be exclusive to wrestling, so please inform ALL of your coaches, parents, and students. Please be proactive as Mr. Slye is described as a computer genius and while today he lurks under “Nicole Grace Smith”, tomorrow it could be another alias.
If you have any information regarding this advisory, please contact your local police department. If one is not available, contact the Windham Police Department, 603-434-5577. Below you will find the email that was sent by Detective Nicholas Eddy of the Windham Police Department.
-----Original Message-----
From: Nicholas Eddy
Subject: Robert Slye - Stalker in the New England Area
Good afternoon,
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Nick Eddy. I’m a coach at Salem, NH HS and a Detective for the Windham, NH Police Department. I’m working on an investigation involving Robert Slye of Danville, NH. Slye has a history of stalking area wrestlers dating back to at least 2000. He has multiple previous Stalking convictions. Slye is currently using social media posing as a 21 year old female, and luring area wrestlers to obtain pictures of them. Slye’s behavior has become increasingly alarming as of late. A few weeks ago, he attempted to lure a Windham, NH wrestler to meet him at the Topsfield Fair.
Slye has been formally trespassed from all schools in the Windham School District and has been banned from all sporting events. I will be working with Salem PD to have the same done in the Salem School District. The NHIAA, all NH wrestling coaches, Doughboy Wrestling Club, Smitty’s Wrestling Barn, and wrestlingNH.com have all been forwarded the WPD Intelligence Bulletin.
I have attached the WPD Intelligence Bulletin in this email, which went out to all area law enforcement this morning. I’ve already received inquiries from as far away as Maine. We are trying to make all wrestlers, coaches, parents, administrators, etc. aware so everyone is familiar with Slye. The information in the bulletin is NOT law enforcement sensitive, so please feel free to forward it to whomever you feel necessary.
- WPD business line: (603)-434-5577
- WPD email: neddy@windhampd.com
On Wednesday, November 8th, our online portal was activated at 8:00 am, which allowed parents and guardians to set up conferences with teachers. Parent Teacher Conferences will be held Monday, November 20th. The sign-ups for parent teacher conferences will work different this year, as you will need to register to see a teacher through this portal. All appointments are 8 minutes in duration. Please do not book appointments back to back since you need to leave time for you to travel from room to room. In addition, we will have Hidden in Plain Sight available for parents to walk through in RM 208. This workshop set up in RM 208 is an area to simulate a typical teen’s bedroom to look for signs for drug and alcohol abuse. Be sure to stop by and speak with Program Manager April Cabrera about what to look for.
Between their Dig Pink Rally and donations made by the staff of Bristol Aggie, the Volleyball team raised a grand total of $404 for The Side-Out Foundation. Funds raised will go towards late stage Breast Cancer Research. Thank you to all who made contributions. If you were unable to find an athlete to make a donation you can follow the link below and make a contribution:
https://giving.side-out.org/campaigns/13419
https://giving.side-out.org/campaigns/13419
Hidden in Plain Sight:
AAA Driver Training Classes:
A New Student Led Council at Roger Williams Park Zoo:
The Zoo is excited to announce a new volunteer program for ages 16-21, the Youth Advisory Council, and we are inviting your students to apply!
The Roger Williams Park Zoo Youth Advisory Council will inform future RWPZ initiatives by providing thoughtful feedback and a unique perspective. Members will serve as a voice for youth within the Zoo and community. Youth Advisory Council members will collaborate to lead, design, and execute various initiatives and projects that will positively impact the Zoo, community, animals, and the environment. After a year of being a member of the Youth Advisory Council, members can even be voted on to be part of the RWPZ board!
I have attached a flyer for the program, as well as the application to this email. More information on the RWPZ Youth Advisory Council can be found at: http://www.rwpzoo.org/membership-giving/get-involved/youthcouncil and http://www.rwpzoo.org/sites/default/files/zoo/Vol-Youth%20Advisory%20Council%20Application.pdf . The application deadline is November 27th.
This is a great opportunity for students that are interested in the environment, and want to have a voice in what Roger Williams Park Zoo does and can do! This could be a driven individual that is already involved in your school’s student council, or perhaps involved in clubs or groups that are science or environmental based.
Winter Sports Announcement
There is a winter sports registration night scheduled for next Wednesday 11/15 from 5:00-6:00 PM. This is for all parents and athlete that are planning on participating in Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, and Wrestling. The coaches will be covering team rules, team expectations, parent/athlete code of conduct, and practice/game schedules. If you have any questions you can email Keith Poloskey at kpoloskey@bcahs.com.
Week Ahead: A Week
- Friday, November 10
- NO SCHOOL
- Saturday, November 11
- Thank a VETERAN
- Mr. J. Costa, Mr. Mendonsa, and Mr. Bence
- Sunday, November 12
- Ocean Bowl Field Trip to the Microbe Fair at the Harvard Museum of Natural History 11:30am -5:00pm
- Monday, November 13
- Assembly-Gym Extends: 2:30-4:00 pm (Library)
- Mrs. Noel’s Field Trip to Dighton Elementary to assist 3rd graders with webquest
- Extends: 2:30-4:00 pm (Library)
- Tuesday, November 14
- School Building Committee Meeting: Keith Hall - 4:30 pm
- Board of Trustees Meeting: Keith Hall - 7:00 pm
- Wednesday, November 15
- ASVAB Testing: B3 (See Ms. Costa in Guidance for details)
- Guest Speaker-Dr. Johnson: Auditorium - 11:45 am
- Winter Sports Parent Meeting: Auditorium - 5:00 pm
- Ocean Bowl 3:00 -4:00 pm
- First Term Report Cards will be emailed -Check ParentPortals
- Thursday, November 16
- Extends: 2:30-4:00 pm (Library)
- Fall Advisory Meeting: Library 6:00 pm
- Boys/Girls Soccer Banquet- 6:00 pm in Auditorium
- Ocean Bowl 3:15-4:15pm
- Friday, November 17
- Homecoming: Gym - 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.