September 06, 2024
Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! We are excited to see our PreK-12 scholars and can’t wait to see them develop and grow this year. We’ve spent much of our summer preparing for this week with a clear path—a district and campus plan(s) to excellence in teaching and learning that yields high student outcomes in all domains! In the coming weeks, we will share the specifics of these plans.
Last week, our faculty and staff worked hard to create positive, inviting and affirming learning spaces at each campus. This week, students have started developing their academic and social-emotional learning skills as they settle into our inclusive community, developing a sense of belonging and rekindling old and building new relationships with one another and faculty and staff. Additionally, our faculty and staff have begun to assess our students’ knowledge and design effective learning plans to move their learning forward continually.
As you might imagine, many of our students have set their own hopes and dreams for this new school year. As such, we invite you to lean in and partner with us to ensure that your child(ren)’s learning journey this school year is successful.
We THANK YOU in advance for supporting the teaching and learning of your child(ren) and look forward to partnering with you this year.
With gratitude,
Angela
Angela F. Allen Ph.D.
Head of School / CEO
- 9/13/2024: PreK-3 Back to School Breakfast 7:45-8:45am (Webster)
- 9/20/2024: PreK-3 PIcture Day (Webster)
- 10/10/2024: Picture Day for both Middle School and High School (Essex)
- 10/12/2024: Steam Saturday
- 10/14/2024: ALL PHA Schools Closed in observance of Indigenous Peoples Day
- 10/15/2024: ALL PHA Schools Closed for Professional Developement Day
- 10/19/2024: Steam Saturday
- 10/26/2024: Steam Saturday and Fall Fest 12-2pm (Webster)
New Faculty and Staff Spotlights
Please join us in welcoming Maielly Da Silva, our new PreK teacher! Maielly is a parent of two PHA students. She has a diploma in children’s services and previously worked in childcare in Sydney, Australia. Says Maielly, "I chose [PHA] for my kids; and it’s a dream to work there too."
Meet Alice Reh, our new Upper Elementary Special Education Teacher! Alice attended Saint Anselm College for undergrad and Boston College for graduate school. She previously worked for two years at South Boston Catholic Academy as a second grade and fifth grade teacher, then was a fourth grade teacher in Hanover, MA for two years. Alice is a skier, loves the beach, and reading historical fiction books.
Says Alice, "I chose PHA because I felt that my beliefs as a teacher aligned with the school’s mission."
Say hello to Abigail Jones, our new Speech Language Pathologist! Abigail has a Masters in Communication Sciences and Disorders and previously worked at Hill Elementary School in Revere. Abigail loves cooking, working out, watching sports, going to the beach, and spending time with her cat!
Says Abigail, at PHA "I recognized a strong sense of community between faculty/staff members and the families they work with. I love going to work knowing I am supported by other educators, as well as joining a team that demonstrates unwavering devotion to their students."
Message from Michelle Doyle, Meals Program Director
Welcome back to another great school year!
The Meals Team is excited to once again feed our students FREE breakfast and lunch. More information and menus can be found on our website: https://www.phacs.org/apps/pages/meals-program.
Additionally, we are starting to sell snacks (in accordance with the Massachusetts guidelines) at our Middle/High School campus. We will be completely cash free; students must have money in their SchoolCafe account to purchase. More information on this can be found here.
Feel free to reach me at any time at mdoyle@phacs.org
Happy Eating!
Michelle Doyle, MS MPH
Meals Director
Message from the Nursing Team
Welcome back PHA families!
We are all experiencing the excitement that comes with a new year. This also means attending to the many tasks that are necessary to make the transition back to school a smooth one for everybody.
The Nurse team has been working to maintain our medical records to meet the requirements of our state and district policies. Please make sure to submit all documents that have been requested of you.
All students new to PHA, as well as re-enrolling students entering grades 4,7, and 10, must have an updated physical exam, performed on or after 09/01/2023, submitted to the school nurse at the beginning of the year. Additionally, we must be able to verify that all mandated state immunizations are up-to-date.
Students who plan to participate in athletics must also provide the same documentation, regardless of grade.
If you have an upcoming appointment, please contact your school nurse and let them know the date of the appointment.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
The PHA Nurse Team
Gaby Mendez(MS/HS) 617.284.7908
Margaret Maurukas (UE) 617.684.8508
Ernsy Alabre(EC) 617.284.7808
Nurse fax: 857.575.1274
The Healey-Driscoll Administration recently launched the “Your Presence is Powerful” campaign as part of continued efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism.
The Department of Education is asking students, school staff, educators, and families in Massachusetts public pre-K-12 schools and adult learning classes to submit creative pieces of artwork, music, photography, videography, or writing to express what draws them to school.
- Call for Student Performing Artists: The U.S. Education Department is looking for student performing artists interested in showcasing their talent, virtually or in-person, at internal and external USED-hosted events. The Department is also seeking specific talent to support National Hispanic Heritage Month (September), National Disability Employment Awareness Month (October), National Native American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month (November), and the following observances:
- January: Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
- February: African American History Month
- March: Women's History Month
- April: Holocaust Remembrance Day
- May: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month & Jewish American Heritage Month
- June: LGBTQIA+ Pride Month
- July: Disability Pride Month
- August: Women's Equality Day
Anyone with questions is invited to email studentart@ed.gov.
Learning who your students are developmentally at the start of the school year is essential to establishing kind, caring, and respectful relationships.
Below you can explore the developmental characteristics of your students with these short articles (adapted from Yardsticks: Child and Adolescent Development Ages 4–14, by Chip Wood).
EnrichmentSpice up your fall days and join us for our annual Fall Falladays Festival in Watertown.
Spice up your fall days and join us for our annual Fall Falladays Festival on Wednesday, September 25th from 4:30 - 7:00pm!
This is a can't-miss evening of fall festivities that will kick off a month of pumpkins & gourds & hay bales (oh my!).
During the Fall Falladays Festival enjoy live music, carnival games, harvest treats, and complimentary family photos and have an unbe-leaf-ably good time!
All activities are FREE, however we will be collecting donations to the Watertown Food Pantry during the event.
This is a can't-miss evening of fall festivities that will kick off a month of pumpkins & gourds & hay bales (oh my!).
Saturday, September 21: Boston Landing's Annual Fall Crawl
Think fall crafts, apple cider, & timeless favorites, like local craft beer, lawn games and live music.
- Seasonal sips and pizza from American Flatbread
- Food & bev from additional Boston Landing restaurants & local spots
- Blackstone Valley String Quartet will be collaborating with a live DJ on a variety of Taylor Swift tunes
CONTESTS & GIVEAWAYS:
Pizza Slice Giveaway
- The first 150 guests will receive one free slice of pizza from American Flatbread
Monthly Raffle
92 Guest Street Boston, MA 02135