THIS WEEK AT CHS (JAN. 12-16)

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Term 2 ends on January 23. Please be sure your sons and daughters are communicating with their teachers about their academic progress. The library is open until 3:30 p.m. and it is staffed by two teachers for academic help. Also, classroom teachers are available for extra help. If you are interested in having your son and daughter matched with a National Honor Society tutor, please email blakek@cantonma.org

Calendar and Events

Monday, January 12

PCA Presentation for ALL CHS Freshmen Athletes

From the CHS Athletics Blog:
The CHS Athletic Department is happy to announce a Positive Coaching Alliance presentation for our freshmen athletes.  The presentation will take place on Monday, January 12th from 6:30-7:30 at CHS's Morse Auditorium. The presentation will focus on becoming a triple threat competitor- making myself better, making my teammates better and making the game better.

This valuable presentation is required of ALL CHS freshmen athletes: Fall, Winter and Spring Seasons. Attendance will be taken. 

Although it is an hour away from your family and homework, we believe that this will be well worth it.  

CHS Athletic Booster Meeting, 7:30 p.m. in Teacher's Dining Room

From CHS Athletic Blog:

As many of us approach the new year with a vision of trying new things, I'd like to throw out an idea to Bulldog parents- Join and get involved in the CHS Athletic Booster Club. This is an incredibly important group who works for our student athletes to help improve their athletic experiences.

This group can only be successful if we get many parents involved. Please consider joining us. We have a monthly meeting and no commitment is necessary!

Next meeting is Monday, January 12th at 7:30pm in the CHS Teachers' Dining room. We would love to have some new faces at this first meeting of the year! Let's make 2015 the best it possibly can be for our CHS student athletes! Come on down and bring a friend!

Wednesday, January 14

CPCASS meeting, 7-9 p.m. in the CHS Library

Special Education Attorneys: “Navigating the Special Education Process”

Attorneys Jeffrey Sankey and Alisa Hall will present “10 Traits of Special Education Effective Parents: Navigating the Special Education Process” on January 14, 2015. Topics to be discussed include: understanding key special education rules and regulations, the importance of maintaining accurate and complete education records, hiring qualified experts and preserving productive relationships with school staff. 

Attorneys Sankey and Hall have represented numerous families throughout all stages of the special education process, including at BSEA hearings. The presenters will open up the discussion for a Q & A session at the close of the presentation to address any remaining questions you may have about parental rights and special education laws.

The presenters will also discuss what happens when a parent rejects an IEP and provide an overview of the process involved in hearings before the Bureau of Special Education Appeals.

Thursday, January 15

• Galvin Middle School Winter Concert

Friday, January 16

• CHS Club Picture Day (throughout the day)...Chestnut Hill Studios will be at CHS to take club photos. Clubs will be called down to the main lobby throughout the day.

SAVE the DATE

1/19 -- Martin Luther King Day -- No School

1/20 -- Italy 2016 Meeting, 6:30-7:30

1/21 -- ASVAB Career Exploration Exam, 8-9:30 a.m.

1/21 -- CFED meeting, 7-8 p.m. in CHS Libary

1/22 -- School Committee Meeting, 7 p.m. in DLL

1/23 -- Term 2 ends

Congrats to Massachusetts Schools!

Education Week Ranks Massachusetts First in Nation:  

From the Commissioner's Update on 1/9/15: "Education Week has given Massachusetts the  highest overall state grade in the publication’s annual  Quality Counts report.  The grade takes into consideration a wide range of indicators, including family income, student achievement and education spending. In addition to being top overall, Massachusetts also ranked first in the report’s  “chance for success” index, which looks at everything from scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to the percent of residents with steady employment."

The 2014 Winter Concert: A Brilliant Performance

Bravo to the Performing Arts Department and our many talented musicians and singers. On December 16, the chorus, chorale, orchestra and band entertained the audience with an array of challenging pieces. American Landscape was especially moving and the performance of Sleigh Ride with all students involved (a first!) was a perfect finale.

Kudos to K-12 performing arts coordinator Ida Pappas, Band Director Brian Thomas and Choral Director Darrel Whidden. Thanks to Roni Polsgrove (Grade 10) for the photos below.

18th Annual Peckham Wrestling Tournament: A CHS tradition

From the CHS Athletic Blog:

If you visited the CHS Masciarelli Gymnasium today, you you would have found the place bursting at the seems with wrestling. That is because today marks the 18th annual James Peckham Invitational Tournament. You can set your calendar by this tournament as it always runs during the 2nd Saturday of the month. It has become a January tradition here and is one of the finest Bulldog athletic events of the entire school year.

This year's tournament features 9 teams- Canton, Xaverian, Southeastern Regional, Randolph, Norton, Norwood, Sharon, Mansfield and Somerset-Berkley.  It is a battle of some great wrestlers and a special tournament  for our Bulldogs. 

It was 18 years ago that Hall of Famer Tom Bartosek- founder and the first coach of the CHS Wrestling team- created the tournament in honor of James Peckham.  Peckham was a legend of Massachusetts Wrestling and is a member of the Wrestling Hall of Fame as well. The tournament has grown and evolved over the years and has also become a celebration of coach Bartosek- who is really the "father of wrestling" in Canton. 

Canton's wrestlers competed with heart and courage today. Senior Rob Dicalogero was the only Bulldog to earn the championship in his weight class, but many others performed very well including the following 3rd place finishers: Wavol Prentice, Brendan Lewisand Sean Murphy.

It's a great day of Wrestling and a great CHS tradition!