Many Thanks to the Mass Cultural Council
The Social Studies Department has recently earned $8400 in grant monies from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The STARS Residency grants will provide the funding necessary to bring Ms. Kimberely Connor-Hughes, a Harvard University trained archeologist, back to the Parker and McCarthy Middle Schools this winter. Ms. Connor-Hughes will run a 5 day workshop for the 7th grade students at both schools. Our Ancient Civilization students will learn more about the tools and techniques of archeology and interact with some rare historical artifacts dating back to the time of Tutankhamun (1300 B.C.E). After their own study of artifacts, art and culture of Mesopotamian, Sumerian and Egyptian life, students will construct their own artifacts. They will then participate in the deconstruction and reconstruction of these artifacts. The artifacts will be on display in the libraries at both middle schools following the conclusion of the workshop.
Check out the following link for the 5 minute video that CTV made about the program from last year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUJDKJoJ_k0&feature=youtu.be
| Parker School 7th Grade Archaeology Workshop |
Geography Bee Season
It's Geography Bee Season! During the week of November 23rd through November 25th, students at the Parker and McCarthy Middle Schools will be testing their knowledge of geography in the preliminary round of the National Geographic Geography Bee. Based on their scores from this first round, ten students will then be selected to participate in the school-wide championship on Friday, December 11th at 8:30 a.m. at both schools. The winner at each school will then take an online test before February 1st to determine their qualification for the state finals in early April. Students and parents are encouraged to check out the National Geographic Geography Bee website for more information, quizzes and study tips: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/
On May 1st, local attorneys visited with 8th grade students at Parker Middle School to discuss the Magna Carta for Law Day. Attorneys Lewin, Dantas, and Cutherbert reviewed the history of the Magna Carta and went through 7 of the most relevant concepts taken from the Magna Carta that can be found in the US Constitution. Attorneys Roark and Broderick joined the students as well. Students were given an opportunity to ask questions relative to current court cases to further develop their understanding of Due Process. For more information on National Law Day please check out
http://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/initiatives_awards/lawday_2015.html
