Magna Charter 11-08

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2 4 5LearningGoesOutdoors

What DoesStudentCouncil Do?

Meet Mrs.Mello, OurNew 5thGrade Teache

B Y K ATHYCORMIER

Each trimester at MCCPS cul-minates in a public exhibitionof student work that inte-grates important skills and contentfrom academic disciplines whileaddressing relevant global themes. Itis a wonderful evening where par-ents and community members fillevery nook and cranny of the schoolto see student projects, performanc-es, and artwork.

The global themes are organizedaround essential questions that are

imperative to understanding theworld, require serious thought andinvestigation, and generate furtherquestions. The theme of this yearsfirst exhibition is Communication.Students will understand differentways, forms, and means of commu-nication and how to communicateeffectively.

Exhibition is much more than agreat night out. It is a presentationthat students make to family, peers,

and community members todemonstrate what they know andwhat they have learned. This is an

authentic assessment and an alterntive to a traditional final exam.

While students acquire knowledgethrough lessons, exhibitions provida means for a real world application of that knowledge. And, whilestandardized tests endeavor to meaure how well a school is serving itstudentsshowing a slice of whstudents have learnedexhibitionoffer up the whole pie, providing a360 look at what students knowand what they can do. Ted Sizer,educator and a leading educationa

B Y DR. ARGENZIANO ANDNINACULLEN-H AMZEH

One of the most significant factors inattracting and retaining new teach-ers is the quality of a schools men-

toring and induction program. The current,enlightened approach to mentoring recog-nizes that new teachers are rarely preparedfor the demanding job of teaching in con-temporary schools. Over the next four yearsin Massachusetts, of the 74,000 educatorscurrently employed, it is estimated that16,650 will retire. Colleges and universitiesare graduating 5,000 licensed educatorsannually. Given these facts, the importanceof establishing a well-developed mentoringand induction program as a continuation of educator training cannot be understated.

At MCCPS we understand that it is criti-cally important that all new teachers receivethe support, advice, and direction necessaryto make their first year successful and mean-ingful. The faculty and staff invests greatenergy in collectively supporting them,because we are determined that all newteachers will be given every opportunity tosucceed. Approximately seven hours eachweek is dedicated to professional develop-ment for all teachers, and new employeesexperience even more. There are uniform

factors within the induction and mentoringprogram, but it is also vitally important that

November 2008 | Volume 1 , number 1

What Is Exhibition?

MCCPS TeacherInduction andMentoring Program

T HE O FFICIAL P UBLICATION OF THE M ARBLEHEAD C OMMUNITY C HARTER P UBLIC S CHOOL

Long hair, corn rows, purple stripes, who cares? Ms. Cullen-Hamzeh on self-expression, page 4.

See Mentoring , page 3 See Exhibition ,page

Preparing for Exhibition are:

(upper left) 4th grader,Alix;(upper middle) 5th graders Fiachraand Nick; (Upper right) 4th graders,Margaret and Alanna;and(lower left) 8th grader, Forrest.


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B Y K ATHY CORMIER

Students referred to the vacant overgrown lot behindour school as the jungle. That is no longer thecase, as the creation of the MCCPS outdoor classroomis underway.

The idea of an outdoor quiet space for students toread, study, and contemplate nature was a long-helddream of our school. Last year, the grant committeeapplied for funding for the project from a variety of sources. They were lucky to get some short moneyfrom a grant from Home Depot but otherwise came upempty handed. No one wanted to sponsor theunglamorous first steps of the projectclearing theland of rocks and debris with heavymachinery, hauling in and spreadingsoil, weeding, etc. Yet, we couldnt

move forward until this step was com-pleted.Parent Sue Ballou, an avid gardener

and volunteer at the school, pushedthe project forward. Sue runs a garden-ing enrichment on Monday afternoons.Her students enthusiasm helped getthe project moving.

The stars aligned when a largeamount of free soil appeared acrossthe street from the school. The Townof Marblehead is in the midst of con-structing a hockey rink, and the soil was

there for the taking. Facilities ManagerBob Erbettaclimbed aboard a Bobcat and that was that. More wwas done by a group of parents who dug, raked, anweeded on Columbus Day. Sue was able to procure

donation of 3 yards of mulch from Northeast Nurseand the Town of Marblehead.

The plans for the outdoor classroom are big. Tharea will eventually include tables and benches, a pformance space (think poetry caf), a butterfly gaden, and a science area. The possibilities are limitleas we continue to seek funds and donations in ordeto continue the evolution of this dream.

Thanks to all who have been so helpful thus far to all who will help in the future!

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N u t r i t i o n N e w s N u r s e N e w s

Our new Nutrition Director,LauraDeSantis, has been busy planningmenus,cooking,teaching a cook-ing enrichment, and getting toknow our students.With adegree in culinary arts fromJohnson and Wales,Chef Laurahas worked as a banquet andpastry chef. She also has donecatering for professional sportsteams including the Celtics. Chef Laura is enjoying her work atMCCPS. Our students are themost honest customers Ive everencountered and they lovepasta,she says while chuckling.The most rewarding part of her job is exposing students to newfoods.Welcome to MCCPS,Chef Laura!

The cold weather is here! SchoNurse,Kellie Keenan, is lookingfor donations of any outgrown oextra sweatpants and socks forour backup supply. Rememberthat students will be outsideonce or twice during the day,soplease remind them to bringwarm clothes including coats,hats,and gloves.

As the holidays are coming,this is a reminder that ourMCCPS community includes stdents and staff members withlife threatening food allergiesand that our community pro-motes healthy, nutritious eating.

Lastly, flu season is upon us.Please be sure to getplenty of rest and wash your hands often.

Outdoor Classroom:A Breathof Fresh Air

You dont need to have a green thumb to help o

Chef Laura DeSantis

M AGNA C H RTER

Magna Charter is the official newsletterof MCCPS.It is published bi-monthly.

Magna Charter Staff& Contributors

Dr. Albert Argenziano

Jeff BarryKathleen CormierNina Cullen-Hamzeh

Emil RonchiMike Ruth

Laura SmithNancy Marland Wolinski

MCCPS Board of Trustees

Emil Ronchi,Chair Cathy Vaucher,Vice Chair Dr. John Sullivan,Treasurer

John McEnaney,ClerkNina Cullen-Hamzeh

Cynthia CanavanMatt CroninChris Fauci

Kay O'DwyerBob Sousa

MCCPS School Staff

Dr. Albert ArgenzianoInterim Managing Director

Nina Cullen-HamzehInterim Academic Director

Eileen Perry Assistant to the Directors

Molly Wolverton

Student Services Coordinator Jed O'Connor

Director of Special Education

Jeffrey BarryBusiness Manager

M C C P S17 Lime Street

Marblehead, MA 01945Phone:781-631-0777Fax:781-631-0500

www.marbleheadcharter.org

Our Mission

MCCPS fosters a community that empowerschildren to become capable, self-determining, fullyengaged individuals who are critical and creative

thinkers committed to achieving their highestintellectual, artistic, social, emotional, and physical potential. We are dedicated to involving, learning

from, participating in, and serving our schoolcommunity and the community at large.

Volume 1,Number 1,November 2008


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Meet the Teacher: Sallie MelloBrings Her Wit to MCCPS

MENTORINGContinued from page 1

B Y L AURASMITH

Along with a really cool name for a teacher, SallieMello brings a genteel charm to MCCPS. TheMississippi native is known in her 5th-grade class-room for Southern sayings such as sit down on yourderriere. I said that one time, she revealed, and thechild wanted to know what a derriere was!

A Gamma Beta Phi honor student in high schooland college, Ms. Mello always had a way of verbaliz-ing math problems. She spends a lot of time talkingto the 5th graders about how to work math problemssuch as long division with decimals. Im not a strongbeliever in textbook definitions, because theyre writ-ten by college professors, she says. I try to find thewords that a fifth-grader can take notes on andunderstand. My favorite teaching momentif thereis only oneis when they go from I dont under-stand to I got it.

The youngest of seven children, Ms. Mellodescribes her upbringing as more akin to rural Mainethan Bostons North Shore, a place where life is astruggle. Now blessed with three daughters (andtwo 5th-grade classes), she struggles with the hecticschedule of a working parent. Each weekday morn-ing at 6:50, she brings Shea, age 9, and Kaycie 6, totheir grandparents house in Peabody, and Sarah, 2,to daycare. She leaves school at 3:30 for the back-wards pickup, except on Wednesdays, when teachers

stay until 5:00 for professional development, and herhusband, Randy, drives the girls.

With a degree in Elementary Education fromSouthern Mississippi University, Ms. Mello's experi-ence runs the gamut in every grade and school size,but she's never felt more at home right away than shedoes here in her first year at MCCPS. Its unlike anyother school Ive been in, she says. From day one, Ifelt a part of it, and my opinion was as valued as any-one elses.

aspects of the program are individualized to meet tunique needs of each teacher. Fundamental components of the program include: curriculum mappingclassroom management and discipline, co-teaching

addressing student needs, assessing student progregoal setting, and special education.New seventh grade humanities teacher, Karen

Girouard, touts the program, I feel very fortunate have the opportunity to learn from an incredibleteacher. I realized how much I have yet to learn anwhat a cohesive school this is. Sixth grade humanteacher, Ivy Connelly, agrees, Having a mentor teahas been a great experience. I feel more supported new school than I ever have.

Carefully orchestrated mentoring is also imperativthe childrens sake. Teacher quality is the essential ingent in student achievement. Those who are taught by

under-prepared or unsupported teachers do less well tchildren who have teachers with a strong backgroundcontent knowledge and a solid support system. Ongoreflection, evaluation, and revision enable us to continly improve the MCCPS induction and mentoring program. In this way, we serve our new teachers by offequality support, and we serve our students by givingthem the best teachers possible.

Teaching is intellectually complex and demandiwork, and no one can know everything there is toknow about teaching or ever will. Constant learninis the name of the game.

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P TO B o xS p o r t s N e w s

The PTO is off to a great start this year! Wehave been busy getting to know one anotherand exploring ways to best serve our studentsand staff. We are all members of our PTO byvirtue of our roles as parents or guardiansand involvement at our school is a privilege.Please plan on coming to a future event andgetting involved.

PTO Sponsored Film FestivalDecember 2-5 from 1:00 - 3:15PMHelp needed to staff and facilitate. PleasecontactNorma Ross ([email protected])if you can dedicate even an hour.

PTO Holiday Socialon Tuesday,December 16;location to be announced. Look for furtherdetails in an email and in the Wednesdaynotices.

Thanks to the dedication of Athletic DirectorMike Ruth,MCCPS students now competein soccer, track and basketball.The 5th-through-8th-gradecross-country team has won allsix of its meets.CaptainNateFowler, an 8th-grader,placedfirst in all the meets with anaverage mile time of 5:57,andwas first (outof 300 runners!)in the 1.7 mile at the NortheastConference Invitational Meet.

Our varsity and junior varsity soccer teams have also donewell.The varsity team,fielded by students in grades 6-8 andled by co-captainsFJMurphy and Andy Haley,has a 9-0record.The varsity finished the season by winning the CharterCup Classic. Our newly formed JV squad worked hard in afour-game series againstCohen-Hillel Academy.Specialthanks to our wonderful nurse (and parent) Kelly Keenanfortaking on the head coach position for the JV team.

Cross-country team

Nolan scores the winning goal.

Mrs.Mello holding Snickers the Guinea pig.


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B Y L AURASMITH

One of the many enrichmentsoffered at MCCPS, the StudentCouncil is a place where students canmake a direct impact in the school.Last year, for example, guided bythree 8th graders, the Student Councilconvinced Mr. Barry to put dividersbetween the urinals in the boys bath-room. This years Student Council isbeing led by interim academic direc-tor Nina Cullen-Hamzeh, and hergoals are a bit, well, loftier.

Weve had Student Councils onand off over the course of our 14years, and its had different functions,

said Ms. Cullen-Hamzeh. This year, thegroup began with Film Festival recom-mendations, and then did some work on the visionand mission of the school. When she asked them tothink of a procedure for students to bring an issue tothe schools attention, Ms. Cullen-Hamzeh was pleas-antly surprised. They werent talking about issues,but rather how they could note something good thatwas happeningor that a student did. It grew into adiscussion about commendation and making sureeveryone gets noticed, she said.

Its quite an evolution for a program that once

focused on the dress code, as it did when Ms. CullenHamzeh led it in the schools second year. The founding parents wanted a prep school look, she said, butby 2002, the students had identified that it was gen-der biasedharder for boysso it was changed tobe more equitable. Long hair, corn rows, purplestripes, who cares? Ms. Cullen-Hamzeh asked. Wsay No so often that its important to say Yes whewe can. As long as its neat and clean, its okay for stdents to express themselves.

MCCPS StudentCouncil A Popular EnrichmentTeaches Leadership Skills

EXHIBITIONContinued from page 1

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reformer in the United States, believes, The real goalis for kids to use resourcefully what they know,which requires a different kind of teachinga teach-ing that puts the student on center stage. Exhibitiondoes just that.

When a student assumes a rolesay of Albert

Einstein or Abigail Adamsthey actually live histo-ry, asserts Interim Academic Director, Nina Cullen-Hamzeh. There is a concrete application of skillsand a real retention of content. Exhibitions are notonly hands-on, but minds-on.

Seventh grade student Peter Wright feels thatexhibitions help him, learn in a different way. Ms.Cullen-Hamzeh notes, Exhibitions are truly authen-tic assessments and provide a unique opportunity forboth the most challenged and the most gifted stu-dents to shine. The rubrics we use to measure per-formance are designed so that everyone is supportedand nurtured.

Exhibitions also serve the school wellmakingschools externally accountable by providing mem-bers of the community an opportunity to view whatand how students are learning. Perhaps mostimportantly, exhibitions encourage students to movetoward deeper and more substantive understandingand, in so doing, ask teachers to shift their emphasisfrom transferring information to providing a usablebase of skills and knowledge. Exhibition projects aregeared toward enhancing academic success, encour-aging productive attitudes, and developing habits of lifelong learning. And yes, it is also a great night out.

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Students have createdbridge designs,purchasedmaterials from the ware-house, and built theirbridges. Each performedan important role in theproject as architect, carpen-ter, accountant,or con-struction manager. Theyhave also assumed the roleof an immigrant who cameto America. After choosinga country of origin, theyexplored the experience of immigration through read-ing and writing. They willconverse with a customsagent in French andSpanish!

Students have becomehistorians and curatorsas they researched andreproduced artifacts fromancient cultures. They havealso become authors, creat-ing stories inspired by folk-tales. Finally, they havebecome architects andbuilders. Employing theirmath and science skills toplan and construct scalemodels of ancient struc-tures.

Students have becomepoets,experimenting withrhymed quatrains,haikus,simile,metaphor, preposi-tion poems, and even an ICantWrite A Poem poem.They have also becometransportation engineersas they designed and builtbattery-operated cars andwrote songs about thecarssubsystems and theforces that act upon them.

Students have created anAncientMesopotamianPortfolio and a LivingScience/History Museumthat includes an ancientarticle or creation story, areplica of a scientific/his-torical artifact, a researchproject,a poetry sampler,artwork inspired byHammurabis Code, and agame demonstrating basicnumber sense and thefunctions of cells in thehuman body.

Students have becomeartists,anthropologists,and advertising experts asthey created family treesand calendars to be soldin La Petite LibrairieFrancaiseon ExhibitionNight. They have alsobecome historians whohave explored the conceptsof utopia and dystopiathrough literature,histori-cal events, and their ownwriting.

Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade

E x h i b i t i o n P r e vi e w G l o b a l T h e me : C o m mu n i c a ti o n

This years StudentCouncil is working on the vision and mission the school.


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B Y EMILRONCHI

You may be surprised to learn that the MCCPSEducational Foundation is developing the techni-cal expertise, management ability, and other resourcesto significantly increase the production of rocket fuel

at MCCPS. We are making substantial progress andare preparing for commercial production in the nearfuture.

Meanwhile, prototype facilities are in place andavailable for testing. We are all very excited aboutthis development and trust you will be, too.

O.K., you can put the phone down now. Therocket fuel and the engine are, of course, metaphorsfor cash and innovation. It is the engine of inno-vation that the Educational Foundation seeks to fuel.Our mission statement is a little more formal, I sup-pose, what with the need to dial back the octane:

The mission of the MCCPS Educational Foundation isto develop community partnerships that enhance theresource capacity of MCCPS to deliver according to its fullest potential as an innovative public charter school.

Maybe we should reword it to talk about rocketfuel, but in any case the MCCPS EducationalFoundation wants to help launch innovative practicesand support the mission of the school in a big way.To do that, we need to develop resource partnerships

both locally and globally. Would you like to be a partof that? Just let any of us know!

Three months into the school year, the EdFoundation is finding its legs again, sporting addi-tional trustees and grand ambitions. We welcomeLetty Kerai, Holly Sullivan and Ray Torto to thestanding team of trustees including Jeffrey Barry,Charles L. Newhall, Emil Ronchi, and Paul Taylor.

With two meetings since nearly doubling ourmembership, weve made good progress in tighteningup the nuts and bolts of what were going to do andhow were going to do it, with a good commonunderstanding of our purpose, strategy, and method-ology. Weve got more work to do, of course, but inthe interim weve got great news to share.

Soon, the Rosetta Stone language program willbecome available to our kids at MCCPS. TheFoundation is thrilled to provide the initial fundingfor this innovative approach to language education.Providing seed money for innovative practices is akey function of the Foundation. In future columns Ihope youll read more about the success were havingin establishing the resource partnerships to enablethat function, and more about how you can help inways great and small. The great news is just begin-ning!

RocketFuel Being Developed From the Deskof Mr.Barry

One of the com-mon questionswe're asked atthestart of the school year is,What do youdo with the dona-tions to the StudentActivities Fund?Ithink its importantthat you know thesemonies support access for every student toALEKS (the online math program), the NWtesting system we use at the school,the cosof the student planners,scholarships for fietrips throughout the year,free fruit thatisavailable to all students during the day,recess/playground equipment, the Enrich-ment program,and other school-wide activties.Please know thatwe understand thechallenges of the currenteconomy andappreciate your support.Additionally,sincethis is a donation,it may be tax deductible.

Of course,the school is not immune to overall increase in the cost of goods lately:from copy paper to utilities to the costof fowe've seen a steady rise in the prices we pfor almost everything. It's partof my respobility, along with every employee and theschool's FinCom, to find ways to minimizefinancial impact at the classroom level,whthe vastmajority of resources should be (aare) expended.For example,we avoided a nificant increase to the school's health insuance costs this year by joining a larger groand the staff has made a sincere effort toreduce consumables, turn off lights when t

rooms are empty,and to think of creative wto save valuable resources.We also keep ougas-fired,roof-top HVAC units well maintin order to control heating costs during thewinter.By now,you've seen several differefundraisers come home with your child(reThanks for helping to support the mission the school,and please let us know if you hany creative fundraising ideas.

Vo l u n t e e r O p p o r t u n i t i e s

Volunteers needed:

To help the kitchen staff. FUN environmentworking with great people to create healthyfood for our students. No experience neces-sary! Please contact Eileen Perry ([email protected]) if you can give a morningor two any day of the week.

To help teachers and staff with ongoing (andtime-consuming) copying needs. Please con-

tact Eileen Perry ([email protected]) if you can give as little as one hour perweek or month.

To help our art teacher, Dominique Dart,during class time on special projects. Noexperience necessary just patience! Pleasecontact Madame Dart (ddart@marblehead-charter. com) if you can help.

To help with food service at the annual WinterArtisans Crafts Fair on Saturday,December 6.People needed to help the kitchen staff servegood food and good cheer. Donate one hour

butplease help! Please contact Pam Haley([email protected]). Booths stillavailable to Crafters.

To run or help staff an enrichment. We arealways in need of people to share their talentsand/or time with our students. Parents andcommunity members have an opportunity toenhance the learning of our students. Can yousew or bake? Are you computer savvy? Are youa wood worker? Please contact Molly Wright([email protected]) if you canhelp.

MCCPS runs with the help of many volunteers. Thanks to everyone who is giving their time andenergy to help forward our mission of involving, learning from, participating in,and serving ourschool community and community at large. Please get involved!

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Elayne,Mike and Sallie helped paint the Gym.


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Magna Charter 11-08