Happy Holidays!
December 22, 2021
Happy Holidays!
My holiday wish for all our Clippers is to enjoy peace, comfort, and good cheer during the holiday season and throughout the new year! Our thoughts turn gratefully to you for your kindness in supporting our schools, and most importantly our staff and students, during these ongoing challenging times. Together, we will make 2022 a great year!
Music performances are Live in FPS. The Lawrence School and Falmouth High School concerts were music to our ears! Students in grades 7-12 performed live last week, which was the first time since the winter of 2019. Although our video productions were fabulous, there is nothing like being back on stage! Excitement filled both auditoriums with much awaited musical performances. The music selections were a mix of beauty and delight. Congratulations to our music teachers and especially to our wonderful students. You brought enjoyment to so many! More to come with Morse Pond’s winter performances in January!
Making Math Fun. This week Falmouth High School students enrolled in Pre-Calculus applied their learning about higher order polynomials to design roller coasters. Students began by preparing designs and then, in teams, they determined the best designs and advanced their work by collaboratively building prototypes of their coasters within a time limit and with a limited set of materials. Finally, ahead of the holiday break, all participating students came together in the small gym during Clipper Time to test their designs by running marbles through their coaster routes. This lesson was a fantastic exercise in teamwork, real world application of learning, and how learning math is fun.
Fall Partnership Forum. It was nice to resume an in-person meeting with our Woods Hole and Greater Falmouth Partnership. Our liaisons from each institution have continued to meet via zoom over the past year and half, but the in-person Fall Forum on December 6 was a much-welcomed change. The purpose of this meeting was to reorient members of the Woods Hole Partnership to the goals of the partnership and our collective vision for the partnership's future.
Falmouth Public Schools staff members also presented to the forum information about two district wide elementary afterschool programs. The first afterschool program is a cultural movement and arts program for students, offered in partnership with the Wampanoag Tribe, the Cape Verdean Museum and Cultural Center, and Turning Pointe Dance Studio. We are also offering a science and engineering program for students in grades three and four in partnership with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Biological Lab, Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, US Geological Survey, and NOAA Marine Fisheries. Elementary students will receive an informational flier at school, and more information will be available soon on the Falmouth Community Schools website at https://falmouth-community-school.myshopify.com/.
COVID Message. As the State and Town are seeing the number of COVID cases rise, we, too, are seeing an increase in positive staff and student cases inside and outside our school walls. Contact tracing has increased; however, our students are still able to attend school when they are not experiencing symptoms and have a negative test result during the Test and Stay program. It is expected we will continue to see an increase of positive cases in January. I ask that you do not send your child to school if they are experiencing COVID-like symptoms or have been exposed to someone who is COVID positive. It will be critically important for us to continue working together when we return to school after winter break. If we are all vigilant when it comes to our safety practices, we will be in a better position to keep everyone safe and in school.
FPS Integrated Preschool. Applications will be accepted for preschool beginning on January 3, 2022. The preschool program is located at East Falmouth Elementary. There are also a limited number of peer opportunities at Teaticket Elementary. A lottery will be held on February 16, 2022 for children who will be 3 years old on or before August 31, 2022. Please contact the Office of Student Services at www.falmouth.k12.ma.us or 508-548-0151 x143 for an application. Please share with friends and neighbors.
Preschool Screening. Through our preschool screening, children are identified who may need special education services to participate in the preschool curriculum. Preschool screenings will take place at the Falmouth Recreation Department on January 21 and March 25, 2022. Please call 508-548-0220 x191 for an appointment.
Upcoming Budget Discussions. ‘Tis the season to begin discussing the ‘FY23 budget. Every year Business Director Patrick Murphy and I schedule time with the School Councils and PTOs to discuss the upcoming budget. Please join us at one of our meetings.
FHS and Lawrence School, January 3, 2022 at 6:00 PM at the FHS Library
Elementary Schools, January 5, 2022 at 6:00 PM at the FHS Auditorium
Morse Pond School January 10, 2022 at 6:00 PM at the MP Library
Warmest wishes for a happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year!
With sincere appreciation,
Lori Duerr
Superintendent
Falmouth Public Schools