The New School Year

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(Left) Lower school students, Jehran R. and Karina R. arrive eager to start a new school year. (Middle) Sixth grader, Genesis M. receives a warm welcome from Middle School Principal Eric Charlesworth. (Right) 12th Grader Jaylene G. kicks a soccer goal on the new upper school “gym” floor.

Newly-waxed floors gleam, classrooms sport fresh paint, supplies have been ordered and stocked. All sure signs of back-to-school readiness. As school opened, 774 Paul Cuffee students poured through the doors of the three Cuffee campuses, eager to begin a new school year. Greeted by our Head of School, Christopher Haskins, and principals, Genevieve Schultz (Upper School), Eric Charlesworth (Middle School) and Becky Coustan (Lower School), the students were warmly welcomed and began settling in to their new environments and class schedules.

The faculty and staff returned in August to ready their classrooms, meet with their grade level colleagues on curriculum, conduct home visits, and for some, to transition into new roles.

New this year, Grades 4 and 5 students are already gearing up for Middle School by transitioning among their grade classrooms for specialized core subjects. Ms. Guzman-Polanco is teaching all three 5th grade advisories Math, Ms. Conley Science and Ms. Viveiros English Language Arts. In 4th grade, Ms. Barr and Ms. Lindley are team teaching Math, Ms. Gale is teaching Science and Non-fiction Literacy and Ms. Lindley is teaching Literacy as specialty subjects.

At the Upper School, phys ed is now being taught on campus, instead of at the local YMCA. The ever-busy cafetorium now also serves as a gym, as phys ed teacher Brandon Brown brings athletics, health, and fitness on site. “The variety of what we can offer in the curriculum is vast. I can have upperclassmen doing team and recreational sports like soccer and bowling and underclassmen doing health and fitness. We have even added literacy skills to the curriculum, in that students get material on the history of each sport, the rules, a demo lesson and then I follow up with a quiz. It’s a success for the students and the phys ed department.”

Archives
PCS BY THE NUMBERS

Average Class Size: 20
Current Enrollment: 820
Students of Color: 96%
Female Students: 51%
Male Students: 49%
Free/Reduced Price Lunch Eligibility: 82%
Multi-Language Learners: 19%
Students Receiving Special Education Services: 13%
Total Employees: 168
BIPOC: 45%
Female Employees: 75%
Male Employees: 25%