School News

Murder, mystery, and intrigue are coming to Atlantis this spring courtesy of the ACS Drama Club. This May, students will take the stage in the club’s production of How to Host a Murder Mystery Dinner Party (in Fifteen Simple Steps). In the play, host Miss Penelope Chrysler-Michelin shares her best party tips, complete with a cast of suspicious characters. But things don’t go as planned when a mysterious stranger shows up on a dark and stormy night. It will be the club’s third production since forming early last year. The club has quickly gained popularity among students. It started with 20 [...]

Lower School Raises Awareness About Social-Emotional Learning  “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” That was one of several quotes read over the Lower School intercom by a school counselor on Friday, March 8 as the K-6 team participated in SEL Day 2024: Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Leaders. The quotes were intended to spark conversations in classrooms and help spread the word about the importance and impact of SEL—which stands for social-emotional learning. SEL Day is a global, grassroots campaign that began in 2020 to support children’s academic recovery, mental health and well-being.  SEL is [...]

8th Graders Create Word & Picture Books to Help Migrant Children Learn English “You guys did something amazing,” Wendy Garf-Lipp, Executive Director of United Neighbors of Fall River told 8th graders gathered on the risers at Atlantis Charter School. “You made something that is going to change the lives of children new to this country.” The students had just presented Garf-Lipp with a collection of word and picture books they created in their Social Studies classes to help migrant children learn English. Eighth graders are required to complete a civics community project as part of their Social Studies class this year. [...]

Atlantis students began the school year with new supplies thanks to a generous donation from the community. Kim Silva of Rose Home Real Estate/Laer Realty Partners, Tom Lambert of AccuTrust Mortgage and Sandra Letendre of BayCoast Bank stopped by campus before the start of school to drop off supplies and a check they had collected for Atlantis students. Silva and Lambert spearheaded the drive. “Kim and I knew exactly who we wanted not only to ‘give to,’ but also to ‘give back to,’ said Lambert. Silva and Lambert each have long histories with Atlantis. Silva was a paraprofessional at Atlantis for [...]

Atlantis Upper School implements Yondr to address cell phone usage during the school day “Students were constantly trying to go online during class. It was kids on Snapchat, kids on TikTok, kids texting each other. It was a big-time distraction,” said high school environmental science teacher David Roache. To combat the growing problem of cell phones in school, Atlantis instituted a new policy, making the Upper School a student phone-free space to improve teaching and learning. Now, each morning when students enter the building they place their cell phones, earbuds, and smart watches in a small silver pouch.  Students magnetically seal [...]

Atlantis summer program offers Leadership Academy for students in grades 6-8 Rising sixth grader Jenayra Tumax loves math, so when she was asked to come up with a math activity to do with first graders during Atlantis’s summer program she got right to work. She did some research and found an addition activity involving ladybugs. She helped the first graders make ladybugs, using pom poms for the spots, and then made math equations to add the pom poms. “Jenayra did that entire activity on her own with the students,” said Atlantis seventh-grade teacher Leah Pluto. “As a teacher, I love seeing [...]

Atlantis Summer Program Prepares Students for the Year Ahead “Kids are learning through play, and they're having so much fun they don't even realize they're learning,” said Brenda Simonis, the grade 3-6 STEM teacher and the Director of Atlantis’s summer program. This summer, Atlantis offered a summer learning experience with a camp-like vibe in place of its traditional summer enrichment classroom program. The half-day program for rising 1st through 8th graders put an emphasis on academics and social-emotional learning through play. Each day began with an opening ceremony, just like it would at a traditional summer camp. Students gathered in the [...]

Samantha Roman McKee Named 2023 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Semifinalist Kind, hard-working, creative, funny, and smart… are just a few of the adjectives students used to describe their 2nd grade teacher, Samantha Roman McKee. McKee was recently named a 2023 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Semifinalist. Each year, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education honors a licensed PreK-12 Massachusetts public school teacher who exemplifies excellent teaching in the Commonwealth. The Teacher of the Year program highlights student achievement, educators’ commitment to the profession, innovations in education, and teacher leadership. Lower School principal Corrie Marchand nominated McKee for the award, [...]

Atlantis 3rd Graders Made Cards and Posters to  Celebrate WWII Veteran’s 102nd Birthday Third graders cheered, waving American flags and holding up posters as a silver Toyota SUV drove slowly around the loop outside Atlantis’s Lower School. In the passenger seat, with a huge smile on his face, was soon-to-be-102-year-old WWII veteran Joe Bucko of Swansea. All Mr. Bucko wanted for his birthday this year was birthday cards, so his daughter posted about his wish on Facebook. Word quickly spread on social media and local news and Atlantis 3rd grade teacher Grace Nunes had an idea. “I was touched because he’s [...]