Week of 2/22/16

Good afternoon and happy Friday!

I hope that all who participated in Parent/Teacher Conferences had an enjoyable and informative experience.  The Course Selection process is going well. Administrators and guidance counselors spent the week going into the English classes to make sure all students understood the process.

As a reminder the iStudent window will close on Saturday evening.  The iParent window for parent approval of courses opens on Sunday. Please go in to check off your approval of each course your student is choosing for next year.

Please take a few moments to read the important announcements below, especially our new "Social/Emotional Corner" written by community members who work in field of mental health awareness and support.  We are so excited to bring this information to you in order to continue to build our partnership with families.  Please reach out to any of our counseling staff if you have any questions or concerns about your child's mental health.  We can assist you in finding resources.

Come see an amazing HYPNOTIST show!  The senior class is hosting an all-ages Hypnotist show on Thursday, March 10th in the AHS auditorium at 7:00pm.  Students - both seniors and underclassmen - are volunteering to be hypnotized and participate in the show!  Tickets are only $7 at the door.  It is a great evening with a lot of laughs!

Tickets are now on sale for the AHSTS production of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum!

Sondheim's joyous, musical romp through Rome has desperate lovers, scheming neighbors and secrets behind every toga.

Broadway's greatest farce is light, fast-paced, witty, irreverent and one of the funniest musicals ever written. A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum takes comedy back to its roots, combining situations from time-tested, 2000 year old comedies of Roman playwright Plautus with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville. 

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum is a non-stop laugh-fest in which Pseudolus, a crafty slave, struggles to win the hand of a beautiful but slow-witted courtesan named Philia, for his young master, Hero, in exchange for freedom. The plot twists and turns with cases of mistaken identity, slamming doors, and a showgirl or two.

Friday, March 4 and Saturday, March 5 at 7PM, Sunday, March 6 at 2PM.

Patrons may buy tickets in advance online. AHSTS offers discounted tickets purchased online. All seating is reserved. For more information or tickets, visit www.ahsts.com.

Spring Sports Meeting:

I am reaching out to everyone today in regards to the Spring Sports Meeting.  Unfortunately we had to move the meeting to Monday March 7th in the High School Auditorium at 6pm.  Anyone who plans on trying out for a Spring Sport at the High School should attend this informational meeting.  At the end of the general meeting we will break down into individual team meetings where you will have a chance to hear from the coaches regarding the upcoming season.  If you have any questions regarding the meeting please do not hesitate to reach out. We also will be opening the registration portal for High School Spring Sports on Monday February 22nd at noon.  You can register by clicking onto the following link... https://www.familyid.com/organizations/ashland-high-school-athletic-department  

PROM 2016
Prom tickets will go on sale for $75 each starting Monday, March 1st in the AHS cafeteria during lunch.  Class dues must be paid through junior year ($30 total) in order to purchase a prom ticket; payments may be made to class officers or to the class advisor, Ms. Twomey.  Checks should be made payable to AHS Student Activities.  Prom will be held on Friday, May 13th at the brand new Lakeview Pavilion in Foxboro from 6:00 - 11:00 (http://lakeviewpavilion.com).  Prom will be preceded by the Grand March in the AHS gym from 5:00 - 5:30, to which the public is welcome.  If you have questions or concerns regarding prom tickets and class dues, please contact Ms. Twomey at  jtwomey@ashland.k12.ma.us. 

If Prom is a financial challenge for you or your family, you are encouraged to contact Ms. Shilels at jpaviashiels@ashland.k12.ma.us.  Confidentially, Ms. Shiels may be able to assist you with resources available in the community.

ASHLAND RAISES HAPPY & HEALTHY KIDS

Welcome to a new addition to the principal’s weekly newsletters. We all want our children to be healthy and happy. This column will address a social-emotional health topic each week. We hope these will be a starting point for discussions, raise awareness, and/or be a reminder that kids can get stressed and need compassion and understanding. Since it is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, we chose eating disorders as our first topic.

• Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses.Early recognition, diagnosis, and treatment is vitally important.
• Eating disorder behaviors (restricting, bingeing, purging, over-exercising, abusing laxatives) are usually not about weight loss. They are a way of coping with depression, anxiety, trauma, abuse, or other emotional discomfort. Treating the emotional part is key to recovery, while also making sure your loved one becomes physically healthy.
• Preventing eating disorders includes promoting positive body image in our children as well as teaching them HEALTHY ways to cope with stress, failure, change, and disappointment. We will address these topics in future ‘Ashland Raises Happy Kids’ corners. In the meantime, for more information on the types of eating disorders and signs and symptoms to look for, please visit the National Eating Disorder Association website at: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
  
  
  
  

This coming weekend the Ashland Lions will be hosting a Chili Fest Fundraiser to raise money for local charities and scholarships throughout the Ashland community.   Please check out the Parent Flyers for more information.

The PTO has put together a brief survey for parents in the district.  Here is the link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CVXKX6X


Have a wonderful weekend!