October 1, 2026

Follow PCMS on Facebook!

IMPORTANT DATES

October 6: Term 1 progress reports will be emailed home.

October 12: No School

October 19: PTO Meeting (6pm in school library)

October 28: PCMS Picture Retake Day (7:30am-8:30am)

October 28: Parent/Teacher Conferences (1-6pm)

PCMS Retake Day: Picture retakes will take place on Oct. 28th at 7:30am.

Picture Retake Day will be on Wednesday, October 28. Online orders for pictures can be placed at www.coffeepond.com.

Families can still order online with no handling fee until 09/16.

The student portrait packages will be mailed to the school within 3-5 weeks after picture day.

If families have questions regarding portraits, payments, or ordering, please direct them to our Custom Care department! They can contact them at Lifeguards@coffeepond.com or 508-907-6633 ext. 0.

TERM 1 Progress Reports

PCMS runs on a term (versus trimester) model, with four report cards a year. Mid-term, we also send home an electronic progress report so families can review how their child is doing in school. The term 1 progress report will be sent home on Tuesday, October 6. If needed, your child can get extra support through Titan Time (which runs daily from 12:01-12:36) or through the extra help sessions all teachers offer. The term 1 grades will close on November 6 and the term 1 report card will be emailed home on November 13.

Grading Deadlines

PCMS Website Calendar

WORLD LANGUAGE NEWS

G8: Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated nationally Sept 15- Oct 15. In Spanish class, all of the G8 Spanish students are creating books which highlight famous Hispanics. With this project, students are able to write brief descriptions in the target language and acknowledge contributions of Hispanic Americans. Here’s a picture of the period 7 Spanish class in front of some of their artwork.

G7: Mr. Sandberg’s Spanish 7 update

Hola,

It's hard to believe tomorrow is the last day of September. The year is off to a strong and quick start. We've just completed our first instructional unit on the Spanish alphabet. Students practiced with learning the letter names as well as the sounds made by each letter.

This unit sets them up for success throughout the rest of the year by teaching that nearly any Spanish word can accurately be sounded out. For example, while the English letters of "-ough" can have multiple sounds, "uff" in tough, "off" in cough, "ew" in through, "ow" in bough, etc, Spanish tends to be much more consistent and straightforward. Many students took pride in sharing that they were able to explain to their parents why there are now only 27 letters when a lot of us first learned a longer alphabet.

Unit 2: Greetings began today. Students were given their first official vocabulary list and tonight have a graphic organizer for homework, due tomorrow, Wednesday. Additionally, flashcards for all 40 words are due in class by Friday. The earlier they get them done, the better, but they will be checked at the end of the week. If anyone is having a tough time finding flashcards, please let me know by the end of day tomorrow and we can work out an alternate arrangement.

Unit 2 is a fully communicative unit where students will be learning to ask for and give basic information about themselves. Class participation is vital. They'll learn how to greet new friends and create two person conversations. Additionally, students will learn the concept of the familiar vs the formal as well as begin to get a sense of masculine/feminine adjective agreement.

All material has been posted to GoogleClassroom in a new Unit 2 section and that will be updated as students get new notes and materials. We practice with and reinforce the vocabulary in class but please be sure that your students are spending at least 15-20 minutes of focused vocabulary study at least 3 times a week.

Please let me know if there are any questions.

Best, Dan Sandberg

STRATEGIC PLAN

Strategic Plan

We’re proud to introduce the Pembroke Public Schools Strategic Plan, a roadmap that will guide our priorities and work in the years ahead.

Created with input from our students, families, educators, staff, community partners, and School Committee, the plan reflects what matters most to our community—and where we see opportunities to grow.

Our focus is simple: helping every student thrive. We’ll continue working to strengthen academic outcomes while fostering curiosity, creativity, resilience, belonging, and meaningful support for every learner.

This plan is a living framework that will grow and evolve with our schools and community.

We’re excited for what’s ahead and grateful to everyone who helped shape this vision for the future of Pembroke Public Schools.

Explore the Strategic Plan: https://www.pembrokek12.org/district/strategic-planning/strategic-plan

21st Century Skills

G7 & G8:

The first few meetings of the 21st Century Skills class will work on relationship and team building. Then 7th grade will focus on learning how to best use PowerSchool and writing appropriate emails. Eighth grade will shift into goal setting and vision boards.

G7 Counselor: Mrs. Erin Goitia (erin.goitia@pembrokek12.org)

G8 Counselor: Ms. Danielle McLean (danielle.mclean@pembrokek12.org)

RAISE THE STANDARD

PCMS is implementing a new program this year, called Raise the Standard, noting when students have made a positive difference in the lives of others or in our school culture.

Raise the Standard

"We Don't Meet Expectations... We Raise Them."

This program shifts the focus from simply following rules to exceeding them. Instead of asking, "Did I do what was expected?" students are encouraged to ask, "How can I make today better for someone else?"

Program Vision

At PCMS, students don't just meet expectations—they raise the standard through kindness, leadership, responsibility, and service. Every positive action helps create a stronger school community.

Mission Statement:

At PCMS, we challenge ourselves to go beyond what is expected. We choose kindness, lead by example, take responsibility, and inspire others to raise the standard every day.

Students can earn a ticket from a staff member for a variety of ideas (see possible ideas from our core values). Staff would give students a ticket and then send an email home letting the parents know that their child had “Raised the Standard at PCMS” and explain what they got the ticket for.

Students bring the ticket to the office for a chance to win a $10 GC. Each week a student's name will be drawn from all the students who were recognized for exceeding the standard and the “winner” of the GC will be announced. All of the tickets/names will be saved from the whole term for another chance to win a $20 GC.

Last week’s gift card winner was Ryan Marini, nominated by Ms. Haylon, his social studies teacher. Congratulations, Ryan!

Core Standards

Students can be recognized for demonstrating one or more of the following:

⭐ Lead

Takes initiative
Solves problems
Sets a positive example

⭐ Serve

Helps classmates
Assists staff
Volunteers without being asked

⭐ Respect

Treats everyone with kindness
Uses respectful language
Includes others

⭐ Grow

Shows perseverance
Learns from mistakes
Demonstrates a growth mindset

⭐ Inspire

Encourages others
Builds school pride
Makes PCMS a better place

PCMS STUDENT LEADERSHIP CLUB

Below is the email sent to all PCMS students about student leadership club:

Hello PCMS Students:

If you are interested in being part of the Student Leadership/Ambassador Club, please fill out this Google Form (PCMS Student Leadership Club sign up). Part of the short sign up process will be listing about any prior experience in leadership activities (although no prior experience is necessary) and some other brief questions. The Student Leadership Club meets about every 4 weeks during Titan Time. Because this club meets during the school day, there is no fee.

The Student Leadership Club works on building a positive culture within the building by students sharing ideas and creating initiatives on how to make PCMS, and our world, a better place. Our goal is to be as inclusionary as possible, always making sure to be kind, respectful and welcoming. The Student Leadership Club works closely with me-- with students' sharing their perspective and working collaboratively on various initiatives (e.g. creating the themes for spirit weeks; supporting fundraisers by creating and hanging posters; selling dance tickets during lunches, supporting school-based charity initiatives, training elementary students on disability awareness, etc.). In late October, we will be attending a leadership field trip to the Edward M. Kennedy Center in Boston to learn about how our government functions and we will mirror the Senatorial process for creating policies, specifically on artificial intelligence.

I am looking forward to meeting and working with our student leaders this year!

Best,

Dr. McGarrigle

PCMS AfterSchool Clubs

Over the next several weeks, PCMS will be sharing the after school clubs that will be offered this year. Clubs run after school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (2:15-3:15). There are late buses available on those days for students with bus passes.

There is a fee structure for clubs: the first club a student joins is free; the second club is $50; the third club is $100. There is a $100 family cap. Sign ups will be in the office and outside of lunches. More information to follow.

LUNCH MENU

Lunch & breakfast are free again this year. Snacks and bottled water are $1/each. This is a link to the school’s menu, nutritional information and how to add money

LATE BUSES

For students with bus passes, there are late buses that run on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Late buses began running on Monday, September 14. Late buses allow students to attend after school clubs, extra help, athletic practices, etc.

PCMS CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE

9/24 Pembroke at Plymouth South 3:30 PM

Location: Plymouth South Middle School 488 Long Pond Road, Plymouth

9/30 Pembroke vs Silver Lake 3:30 PM

10/7 Pembroke at Hanover 3:30 PM

Location: Hanover Middle School 45 Whiting Street, Hanover

10/14 Pembroke vs Duxbury/Marshfield 3:30 PM

10/20 Pembroke at Weymouth 3:30 PM

Location: Legion Field 880 Commercial Street, Weymouth

CELEBRATING COMMUNITY AT PCMS!

PCMS Morning Announcements

Each week, eighth grade students can volunteer to read morning announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance. Students can sign up via their 21st Century Skills Google Classroom.

Another great week for students leading us in morning announcements. Great job, Jenna and Amiyah!

MUSIC TRIVIA/ FUN FRIDAYs

Fun Fridays are a great way to wrap up the school week here at PCMS! Every Friday morning, a song is played over the intercom after announcements. Titan Time teachers and students work together to identify the song and the artist and it gets VERY competitive. The fifth caller wins a $5 DD gift card (and bragging rights!). Our thanks to our PTO for supplying the weekly DD gift cards.

Mrs. Balasco’s homeroom is on a streak- winning two weeks in a row! This week, Mrs. Balasco’s room was the fifth caller to correctly identify the correct song and artist (“Cha Cha Slide” by DJ Casper).

PCMS PTO NEWS

Our first meeting of the year will be September 28 at 6pm in the library of the middle school.

All are welcome to attend and learn more about PCMS and how to help our staff and students have a great year!

We hope to see you there!

PCMS Yearly Fundraiser

The *only* major fundraiser at the middle school is in process and the profits from this fundraiser helps us support the staff and students for the entire year, including the carnival days at the end of the school year.

We have a goal of $20,000 this year, and we need everyone’s help to get there.

All we ask is for each student to sell at least 10 calendars. For every 10 calendars sold students have the chance to earn gift cards and cash! Please check your child’s backpack for the calendars!

Sales will run until October 23.

Top 3 homerooms win a pizza party! The top 7th and 8th grade sellers each win $100. Every 10 calendars sold earns students a chance to win $30 and gift cards!!

The next gift card giveaway will be the week of September 27, so get those sold calendars and money into the office this week and you have a chance to win a Dairy Twist Gift Card which was donated by a pto member! Last week, Isaac H won a Dairy Twist Gift Card.

Thank you to all families and students for supporting this fundraiser! All profits go directly to student activities, including supporting the end of the year carnival and field days, as well as other student events throughout the year. This is the only fundraiser for the middle school so let’s make it count!!

Our calendar leaderboard as of 9/18!

1- Tarpey & Mulligan

2- Joyce

3- Fitzwilliam

PCMS PROGRAM OF STUDIES

Here is a link where you will find PCMS course descriptions:

PCMS Program of Studies 2026-2027

PCMS STUDENT HANDBOOK

Here is a link to the 2026-2027 PCMS Student Handbook.

Keeping Updated:

Almost all of our school communications will be managed electronically. You should already be signed up to automatically receive our E-News through the registration process. We also recommend you ‘like’ our Facebook page (Pembroke Community Middle School News).

PowerSchool and Google Classroom are the two primary programs that are used at PCMS. Below are two brief descriptions of the differences between the two.

PowerSchool is our student information system. This program has increased functionality once a student enters 7th grade. Through this program, parents and students can access attendance information, schedule information, current grades and forecasted assignments. If you hit on the cumulative grade within a specific class, a different screen will open that will provide more detailed information on the grade breakdown. Parents can also set up their account preferences to receive automatic reports (e.g., daily/weekly/monthly) emailed to them. Here is the Parent PowerSchool login link & tutorial

Google Classroom: This software has more course-specific information. Assignments, instructions and other class-based announcements are posted here. There are no grades. Most parents are probably already very familiar with Google Classroom from the last few years. Most teachers will have already sent invites out to parents, using the primary email you have listed in PowerSchool. If you haven’t yet been invited to join your child’s classrooms, just send the teachers an email.

PCMS Day Schedule

PCMS runs a 6-day, 7 period schedule. We start the year on a ‘Day 1’ and then the days move consecutively from there. Here is a link to the schedule of PCMS Days for the full year: 26.27 PCMS DAY SCHEDULE

PCMS FRONT OFFICE STAFF:

Mrs. Alicia Clancy is our front office secretary. She can be reached at alicia.clancy@pembrokek12.org

Mrs. Michelle Alfano is the front office clerical paraprofessional. She can be reached at michelle.alfano@pembrokek12.org

Community Flyers

Follow Us On Instagram!

Pembroke Community Middle School

Email: donna.mcgarrigle@pembrokek12.org
Website: www.pembrokek12.org
Location: 559 School Street, Pembroke, MA, USA
Phone: 781-293-8627
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PembrokeCommunityMiddleSchool
Twitter: @PemSch_news

Pembroke Community Middle School

Weekly Update

October 1, 2026

IMPORTANT DATES

PCMS Retake Day: Picture retakes will take place on Oct. 28th at 7:30am.

TERM 1 Progress Reports

Grading Deadlines

WORLD LANGUAGE NEWS

G8: Hispanic Heritage Month

G7: Mr. Sandberg’s Spanish 7 update

STRATEGIC PLAN

Strategic Plan

21st Century Skills

21st Century Skills

RAISE THE STANDARD

"We Don't Meet Expectations... We Raise Them."

Program Vision

Mission Statement:

Core Standards

PCMS STUDENT LEADERSHIP CLUB

Below is the email sent to all PCMS students about student leadership club:

PCMS AfterSchool Clubs

LUNCH MENU

MealViewer Schools

LATE BUSES

PCMS CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE

CELEBRATING COMMUNITY AT PCMS!

PCMS Morning Announcements

MUSIC TRIVIA/ FUN FRIDAYs

PCMS PTO NEWS

PCMS Yearly Fundraiser

PCMS PROGRAM OF STUDIES

PCMS STUDENT HANDBOOK

Keeping Updated:

PCMS Day Schedule

Community Flyers

Pembroke Community Middle School

October 1, 2026 October 1, 2026

IMPORTANT DATES IMPORTANT DATES

PCMS Retake Day: Picture retakes will take place on Oct. 28th at 7:30am.

TERM 1 Progress Reports

Grading Deadlines Grading Deadlines

WORLD LANGUAGE NEWS WORLD LANGUAGE NEWS

G8: Hispanic Heritage Month

G7: Mr. Sandberg’s Spanish 7 update

STRATEGIC PLAN STRATEGIC PLAN

Strategic Plan

21st Century Skills 21st Century Skills

21st Century Skills

RAISE THE STANDARD RAISE THE STANDARD

"We Don't Meet Expectations... We Raise Them."

Program Vision

Mission Statement:

Core Standards

PCMS STUDENT LEADERSHIP CLUB PCMS STUDENT LEADERSHIP CLUB

Below is the email sent to all PCMS students about student leadership club:

PCMS AfterSchool Clubs

LUNCH MENU

LATE BUSES

PCMS CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE

CELEBRATING COMMUNITY AT PCMS! CELEBRATING COMMUNITY AT PCMS!

PCMS Morning Announcements

MUSIC TRIVIA/ FUN FRIDAYs

PCMS PTO NEWS

PCMS Yearly Fundraiser

PCMS PROGRAM OF STUDIES

PCMS STUDENT HANDBOOK

Keeping Updated:

PCMS Day Schedule

Community Flyers Community Flyers

Pembroke Community Middle School

October 1, 2026

IMPORTANT DATES

Grading Deadlines

WORLD LANGUAGE NEWS

STRATEGIC PLAN

21st Century Skills

RAISE THE STANDARD

PCMS STUDENT LEADERSHIP CLUB

CELEBRATING COMMUNITY AT PCMS!

Community Flyers