Only 3 more days of school and the summer break officially begins! Have a fun and safe summer, and please stay connected throughout the next few months. Summer reading lists are available on your schools’ home page. Take time to explore through reading, and join us for free summer meals starting July 6th. Thank you for another great year!

News & Notes

A Note of Thanks to the Somerville Community from Superintendent Pierantozzi
As I prepare to enter the next chapter in my life starting on July 6, 2015, I do so with gratitude for the opportunity to be part this outstanding community. It has been my immense honor and privilege to serve our City, a city that respects and supports our youth and education like few others, as Superintendent of the Somerville Public Schools for a decade. I am thankful to be finishing a rewarding career in public education in the best urban school district in the Commonwealth.

The District has flourished in many ways, thanks to the outstanding work of our staff, students, parents, guardians, and community partners. The collaboration, teamwork and unity of purpose during my tenure are the genesis of our work and emblematic of a City truly committed to helping every student maximize their potential. The children and youth of Somerville have been the beneficiaries of our work together, but the entire City has and will continue to be positively affected.

Looking ahead, I will sorely miss the students, faculty and staff, central office staff, parents and guardians, community, School Committee members, and the many champions of Somerville youth with whom I have had the privilege of serving in the past decade. I will always remember my service to the Somerville community with fondness and pride.

Thank you for the opportunity to work for you and with you in providing Somerville youth with a strong, balanced educational foundation. Together, we have made tremendous strides toward achieving that goal, and I am confident that this important work and progress will continue. I am also confident that the relationships developed during my tenure as Superintendent will endure and deepen after my departure. I leave with the knowledge that the work we have done together will continue to strengthen with your continued support and the able leadership of incoming Superintendent Mary Skipper.

Thank you, Somerville.

Tony Pierantozzi, Superintendent of Schools
Duhamel Education Initiative Grant Award Winners
The Duhamel Education Initiative (DEI) presented seven grant awards to Somerville Public Schools educators at the June 22nd School Committee meeting, to support innovative programs in 2015-2016. DEI sponsors grants of up to $1,000 to support at-risk students. Congratulations to the following grant awardees, and THANK YOU, Duhamel Education Initiative, for your commitment to Somerville youth! Learn more about DEI and ways in which you can support their work at http://www.duhameleducationinitiative.org.
· Kim Conley – Healey School – Raising a Reader
· Roxane Scrima – Kennedy School – Home/School Connection
· Betsey Reardon – East Somerville Community School – My Dream Bag
· Meghan Grosskopf – Somerville High School – Improvement Luncheon
· Alicia Kersten – Somerville High School – Living History Speakers
· Adda Santos – Somerville High School – Local History Club Outfits
· Michelle Crawford-Cranmore – Healey School – Literacy Goes Home

All-City Middle School Music Ensembles Strike Gold and Silver
Congratulations to the All-City Middle School Music Ensembles for outstanding performances during their annual adjudication. The All-City Middle School Chorus and Orchestra took home a Gold Medal, while the All-City Middle School Band earned a Silver Medal. The process provides music ensembles with an opportunity to perform in front of a group of judges and music educators who use a scoring rubric to provide each group with detailed comments on their performance. Awards are then given based on the group’s overall score.

FREE Summer Meals Starting July 6, 2015
Somerville youth ages 18 and under can enjoy a delicious free summer breakfast and/or lunch starting July 6, 2015. Download the Summer Meals schedule here: http://bit.ly/1CdG0uz, or visit the Summer Meals Program website at http://www.somerville.k12.ma.us/summer_meals.

Somerville PEP Wants You to Stay Healthy This Summer
The Somerville Physical Education Program (PEP) has been promoting a healthy culture throughout the year, working across the city with youth and community partners. Learn more about Somerville PEP and ways in which you and your family can stay healthy and active this summer. Visit http://www.somerville.k12.ma.us/pep for more information and a list of resources. Be sure to check out the Somerville PEP “Healthy Living in Somerville” map!

What’s Happening

Remaining 2014-2015 School-year Calendar
Only 3 days of school left before the close of the 2014-2015 school year. The last day of school is Tuesday, June 30.
· Friday, June 26, 2015 – School day for all students: Early Release for PreK to Grade 8 students at all schools EXCEPT Brown School; Full Day for Brown School students
· Monday, June 29, 2015 – School day for all students: Early Release for all PreK to Grade 8 students
· Tuesday, June 30, 2015 – LAST DAY OF SCHOOL; Early Release for ALL students

2015-2016 School-year Calendar
Click here for the Somerville Public Schools 2015-2016 School Year Calendar (amended on 3/16/15).

Kennedy Pool Summer News
Join the fun at the Kennedy Pool this summer. For details on this summer’s schedule and events, visit: http://www.somerville.k12.ma.us/pool.

Summer Music Camps – Somerville String Camp and Camp HONK
You still have time to enroll in two great summer music camps!
· Somerville String Camp will be held at the Kennedy School, July 13-24, from 9:00am to 12:10pm. String Camp is open to violin, viola, cello and bass players of all ages, including beginners aged 7 and older. Tuition for the 2-week camp is $110 for Somerville residents; $120 for non-residents. For enquiries, email joannesadler@rocketmail.com. Download an application at http://www.somerville.k12.ma.us/music_camps.
· Camp Honk will be held at the Kennedy School, July 13-24, from 9:00am to noon. Campers will learn to have fun the street band way, be playful and spontaneous in playing their instrument, basic street band musical forms, and the history and culture of street bands around the world. Cost for 2 weeks is $160 ($80/week); family discounts and some scholarships may be available. To register, visit http://www.schoolofhonk.org/camphonk.
Somerville Summer Kickoff Events – Family Fun Day, Fourth of July Celebration
Summer officially kicks off this weekend with the annual Family Fun Day in Somerville on Saturday, June 27, from noon to 4 p.m. at Trum Field. Summertime in Somerville from June to September will include annual favorite events and series as well as some new programs for residents of all ages. Following Family Fun Day, the City will host its annual Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration at Trum Field on Thursday, July 2.
· The 11th annual Family Fun Day at Trum Field will feature free, family-friendly programming including a community BBQ, pony rides, train rides, children’s activities, face painting, music, and more.
· On Thurs., July 2, live entertainment at Trum Field will include performances by the Somerville Sunsetters, local Disco-Funk band Booty Vortex, the USO Metropolitan New York Performers, the Boston Windjammers, and “Somerville Idol,” Tammy Rego, beginning at 6 p.m., all leading up to a 30-minute fireworks display at approximately 9:15 p.m.
For more information about these and other Somerville events this summer, visit http://www.somervillema.gov.

Upcoming School Events:
Visit your child’s school website, http://www.somerville.k12.ma.us/schools, and click on the “calendar of events” link at the top of the page for a complete list of all the activities happening at school this month.
Friday, June 26: Kennedy Field Day
Monday, June 29, 9:00-9:45am: ESCS Students visit next grade
Tuesday, June 30, 8:30am: ESCS 8th Grade Breakfast in the ESCS Cafeteria (50 Cross St.)
Tuesday, June 30, 9:00am: Kennedy 8th Grade Moving On Ceremony at the Kennedy School (5 Cherry St.)

Community News & Events
Summer Writing Adventures in the Middle School Writers’ Den, starting June 29th. Are you about to enter 5th through 9th grade? Do you love to write? If so, add to your fun and productivity this summer at the Middle School Writers’ Den. The Writers’ Den will meet Monday and Wednesday evenings throughout the summer starting June 29th at the Somerville Public Library (Central branch), from 6:00pm to approximately 7:15pm. Join these informal gatherings to share writing, workshop ideas, learn some tips, choose and hear reading for writers, and participate in publishing. Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, magazine features, school newspaper reporting – what’s your interest? Pack a pencil or a pen, a notebook or a pad, and a flashlight, and drop in whenever you can. Please bring a short completed piece of writing. Middle School Writers’ Den is free. Join the fun!
Run & Ride @ CambridgeSide – Sunday, July 26th. Hey kids! Ready, set, go! Do you love to ride your bike and run? Compete in the sixth annual, kids only FREE duathlon with biking and running in and around CambridgeSide. For kids ages 5-13 years old, with prizes, race t-shirts, giveaways, entertainment and more! For more information and to pre-register, visit http://www.cambridgesidegalleria.com/info/runandride_landing2015! Plus, Kayak Fun Race for ages 10-13. Run & Ride event is Sunday, July 26, 2015. Registration is at 8:30am. FREE family fun!
Somerville Recreation Spring & Summer Guide. Download the Somerville Recreational 2015 Spring & Summer Guide (http://www.flipgorilla.com/p/23837411469433680/show) to make plans for a fun summer season. For more information about Somerville Recreation, visit http://www.somervillerec.com/info.
Somerville Arts Discovery Camp. The Armory’s Arts Discovery Camp will run from August 3rd-7th from 9:00-4:00pm for children ages 5-10. Arts Discovery Camp is a sliding-scale arts education program that offers multi-disciplinary artistic workshops encouraging campers to investigate different art media through a wide variety of topics each day. To download a registration form, visit http://artsatthearmory.org/learn/summer-2015/. Email the completed form back to education@artsatthearmory.org or drop it off in person at the Armory.