February 4, 2022

Good afternoon Clippers!

No Guff Week. We had a slow start to the week, but we’re happy students and staff were still able to celebrate No Guff. And here’s a No Guff story: The Sophomore Class theme is “Respect is one of the greatest expressions of Love.” The seniors' celebration day was Monday, but unfortunately, they missed it due to the snow day. The Sophomore Class “showed their love” by inviting the seniors to share their celebration day on Wednesday! Our students are so very kind and thoughtful! Way to go Sophomores!

A special recognition goes to Jaekwon Pires. Jaekwon is a freshman at FHS. His design was selected for this year’s No Guff T-shirt. Way to go Jaekwon!

Staff and students were recognized by their peers today for displaying No Guff qualities all year; qualities like showing kindness towards others, avoiding negative talk, and lending a helping hand.

In addition, VIPS recognizes a community member each year. This year’s winner is Richard Rogers. Richard volunteers for numerous youth sports programs and lends a hand to friends, strangers, committees, and community causes. Friends and fans described Richard as a good friend to many. He is someone who brings members of the community together, never needs a reason to step up and help, and brings positivity to all situations. Congratulations Richard. Thank you for all you do for our students and community!

Please enjoy our staff and students in this year’s No Guff video. Many thanks to Ryan Webber for a wonderful creation!

Black History Month. All year long, learning about diversity and history is a part of our curriculum; lessons offer students the chance to learn about a wide variety of people, cultures, and backgrounds. During February’s celebration of Black History Month, we will continue our work to bring forward voices that tell stories about their experiences. Our schools are highlighting black authors, exploring black artists and musicians, and accentuating black scientists. Students are researching and creating art, posters, poetry, and videos. And some schools are creating story walks. Through our sustained efforts, our students shine in how they demonstrate their creativity and effective communication and capture stories of resilience, the “C,” “E,” and “R” of CLIPPER.

Our students are welcome to share their learning by participating in the Wood Hole Diversity Committee’s Black History Month Student Contest, which focuses on the theme of Black Health and Wellness. For the Woods Hole Black History Month student contest, the committee is asking students to think about innovative ways to help alleviate healthcare disparities in the African American community. Please visit the contest site for more information.

Puzzles. Our elementary students embody the “L” and “I” in being a CLIPPER as they demonstrate their learning and test their inquisitive nature while they build math skills. To date, our elementary students have completed over 1 million ST Math puzzles! JiJi is so proud of our students. This is a landmark achievement that shows how focused they are on learning math. Throughout the school year, students advance on a personal learning journey, and ST Math offers them opportunities to practice and reinforce skills as well as to advance learning in areas of strength. Well done elementary students!

FHS Art Students. Our Clippers have created amazing combined art and history projects. This project engaged students in finding their own interpretations of human rights. The students have dedicated this art show as a tribute to Bill Mock, a former teacher and advisor to the Model UN. Please enjoy the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Art Show.

2022 Massachusetts State Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Five FHS art students were recognized in the Massachusetts competition. They are Ellery Wilson for Printmaking, Avery Johnson for Ceramics, Asa Gummow for Drawing, Madeline Sabens for Ceramics, and Casey McGowan also for Printmaking. Casey will move on to the national competition. Ella Ahern, Lee Jackson, and Fiona Trumbul received recognition for their poetry compositions. Congratulations to our students.

FPS Student and Teacher Art Show. The art show at the Falmouth Art Center begins today and runs through the month of February! Please visit the Art Center to see our amazing students’ and teachers' artwork.

Learning with our Partners. With the ongoing and focused support of our community partners, Clippers benefit from learning in a number of living classrooms. Pictured here are Morse Pond sixth graders on a trip to Penikese Island. Half of our grade six students visited the island this fall, and the other half will visit this spring. Their shoreline and on the water science investigations give them the unique opportunity to access the island and its natural treasures. To support our partnership, a team of instructional leaders also took a tour of our partners locations to see the wealth of opportunities that are available for our students. They had a special opportunity to step aboard the R/V Neil Armstrong. While it may have been a cold day, their ability to get an inside look kept them going. This partnership is essential to realizing our district’s mission to bring “world class learning opportunities” to our students. 

I end my letter today with a feeling of joy!

Sincerely,

Lori Duerr, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools