Happy Thanksgiving

On Wednesday November 18th, our students helped serve meals to the clients of the Greater Boston Food Bank. In partnership with the American Red Cross, our students volunteered their day to serve more than 600 Thanksgiving Day meals to the less fortunate. This was a very moving and eye-opening experience for our students and staff. Many of our students have faced difficult challenges in their own lives, but working with the clients that frequent the Food Bank  really helps put things into
 perspective. We are all very proud of the service our students provided. I would also like to thank all of the parents for getting up early and dropping your son or daughter off. I understand that you all work and are very busy. Your efforts are very much appreciated.

Parents Night

A reminder to all parents that Thursday evening, September 19th, is parents night at the Academy. The meetings will begin at 6 pm and conclude at  8 pm. We hope that all parents are able to make it.

Read for the Record

As part of our community service goal, the Peabody Learning Academy shared the importance of literacy and learning when we participated in Read for the Record, a nation wide event on October 23rd, 2015. The event is considered to be the country’s largest single-day reading experience. The Academy provided copies of the book "Not Norman", the book selected for this year’s program, to each student of the Academy. The Academy students took their books into their former elementary schools and spent the afternoon reading to children. After reading "Not Norman", the Academy students donated the copy of the book to the school in which they visited. I believe that it is extremely important for out student to be role models for the younger children in the community. This was a great experience for them to spend time with children and give back to the community. It was an enjoyable day for the children as well as the students at the academy.

Student Health Center

Students at the Academy are now able to access the Student Health Center at Peabody High School. Established in 2014, the Student Health Center is a comprehensive adolescent focused health center located at Peabody High School. Academy students will be able to have the opportunity to receive specialized health care that they may need in order to make healthy choices in their lives. Services provided by the Health Center include:
Medical Care

• Chronic illness management (asthma & diabetes)
• Urgent care visits
• Immunization and physicals 
• Health Education
• Confidential Services

Behavioral Health

• Counseling services and individual therapy
• Group therapy
• Help with drug and alcohol use
• Stress management

Parents must sign a consent form for students under the age of 18. You can find the form HERE. Please feel free to contact Mr. Bedard with any questions. 

Monthly Newsletter

In addition to this blog, I will be sending out monthly newsletters to each students parents or guardians. You can access Septembers Newsletter HERE.  To recap, the first month of school was a great success. Hopefully this trend will continue.

Brooksby Farm Senior Day 2015

On Thursday, September 17th  from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m, High School Seniors at the Academy volunteered their time at Mayor Bettencourt's 3rd  annual “Senior Citizens Day” at Brooksby Farm. Academy students helped 450 of Peabody's senior citizens take part  in the festivities. Students helped seniors take tours of some of the Peabody Historical properties such as the old fire house, original Brooksby Barn as well as other historical houses. The event concluded with a cookout in which Academy students helped served seniors lunch. It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to meet and interact with the elderly community of Peabody. It was very rewarding for our students as well as the senior citizens. 

Parents Orientation Recap

Here is a recap of parent Orientation for parents that were unable to attend.

Ms. Sarah Murray teaches English, History, and Psychology at the Academy. Here class expectations can be found HERE. Ms. Murray is in her 6th year teaching at the Academy and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her classes. She can be reached via email at Murrays@peabody.k12.ma.us or via phone at (978) 536-5577. It is also important to note that Ms. Murray stays after school EVERY WEDNESDAY for extra help.

Mr. Kevin Tanglis teaches Math, Science, and Sociology at the Academy. His class expectations can be found HERE. Mr. Tanglis is in his 3rd year teaching at the Academy and his 7th year teaching overall. Mr. Tanglis began his career at Everett High School and also brings great experience and expertise to his classroom.  Mr Tanglis can be reached via email at Tanglisk@peabody.k12.ma.us or via phone at (978) 536-5576. Mr Tanglis stays after school EVERY TUESDAY for extra help.

Students at the Academy are extremely fortunate to have these teachers as educators. Ms. Murray and Mr. Tanglis are of great character and integrity. They are two of the best educators that I have had the pleasure working with in my 11 years in the Peabody Public School District.

If parents have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me, Mr. Bedard at Bedards@peabody.k12.ma.us or via phone at (978) 536-5575. I hope we continue to have a great school year!

Parent Orientation

The Academy will be conducting parent orientation on Thursday September 10th from 6-8 pm. Parents will have a chance to meet all of the Academy teachers and learn their class expectations. The Academy staff is looking forward to meeting you.

Important First Day Forms

On Monday, each student received paperwork that needed to be brought home and completed by their parents/guardians. The first form is the Free & Reduced Lunch application. Students MUST have this completed and turned into Mr. Bedard by Tuesday, September 8th in order to receive free lunch. The other form is the School Emergency /Consent Form which due Thursday, September 3rd. The Student Consent requires parents/guardians to provide all contact information in case of emergencies. I would also like to have parents e-mail addresses so we can communicate easily. Please contact Mr. Bedard with any questions.

Welcome Back!

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome back all of our students to the Peabody Learning Academy. I hope everyone had a very relaxing summer. Last year was very successful for many reasons. We had a grand total of 15 graduates from our program bringing our six year total to 81. A vast majority of these students have gone on to college, trade school, and beauty school. This year, I expect to see continued success for all of our students here at the Learning Academy. Throughout the year, we will be participating in many community service events. Our first event will be volunteering at Mayor Bettencourt's annual Senior Outing at Brooksby Farm on Thursday September 17th. Also, I have worked very hard with the teachers and will be closely monitoring the academic progress of each student. In situations in which students are falling behind on their studies, I will notify parents and expect students to stay after school in order to stay on track! I look forward to another great year and am excited to see even more students attend graduation this year!

Back to School

Summer is winding down and school begins in just over a week. Here are some tips as we prepare for that big day!

• Make sure to turn in all bus forms to the transportation department. You can find all forms HERE or call Eileen Bresnahan at (978) 536-6581.

• Start to develop a routine. Start going to bed earlier and wake up at the time you would for school. 

• When school shopping, be sure to purchase several notebooks, pencils, pens and highlighters.

Last and certainly not least, have a conversation about setting goals for the school year. Students that attend the Academy are fortunate enough to have a chance to get back on the right track. Students need to understand the Mr, Bedard does not accept excuses and expects everyone's BEST EFFORT. That includes coming to school on a regular basis. Mr Bedard WILL COME TO YOUR HOUSE IF YOU DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL!!! Its a really good idea to have conversations and set realistic goals for the upcoming year. The staff at the Academy is very excited to get underway.