Friday, March 18, 2016

Week of 3/13/16

Good afternoon-

I am excited to officially have the course recommendations from teachers, students, and parents in and we are ready to start building the schedule for the 2016-2017 school year.  Time is flying.  Today the seniors started preparing their countdown for graduation.  It will come quickly!  Senior week and prom tickets are both on sale daily in the cafeteria.

Course registration:
If you and your child have made the decision to override a course recommendation now is the time that you should reach out to the teacher to discuss the override.  If you decide to override after the discussion the teacher can provide you with the required form. We ask that all override paperwork be returned to the guidance counselor by April 12 so that we can plan thoughtfully for next year's courses.

MCAS:
MCAS testing begins next week for all sophomores.  The English exam will be administered on Tuesday, March 22 through Thursday, March 24.  We encourage all sophomores to get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast to be ready for the exam!

Family Reconnect Weekend is coming!
Our 2nd Reconnect Weekend of the year is March 25-27.  We hope that it will be an opportunity for families to spend some time together without the pressure of homework, athletics, and other school activities.


Special Olympics:
APS is hosting the 4th annual 5-Town Special Olympics on Friday, April 1.  Opening ceremonies are at 10am in the AHS gym.  Students from Ashland, Holliston, Medfield, Medway, and Millis will participate in a fun morning of drills and activities with a football theme.  All are welcome to come cheer on our athletes!



Chinese Exchange Students:
I am very excited to share that we will once again be hosting students from China this spring and are looking for host families.  Below I have shared information from the coordinating agency.  If you are interested in hosting please let me know by next Friday, March 25 if you are interested in hosting!  

Program Date
Sunday, May 1 -- Sunday, May 8: please be aware this is the first week of AP exams, we are happy to accommodate visiting students with shadowing another student if your son/daughter has an exam 

Participants
20 Students (10Male/10Female): students are all in the 10 grade but any AHS family is welcome to host

Host Family 
We have the student/chaperone profiles (Name, Gender, Interests/Hobbies, Allergy/Medical Condition) ready for you and the host families. We will share this information with host families once a match is made and will ask you to complete Host Family Information Sheets.

Thank you in advance for considering this great opportunity!  



Looking for something fun to do tonight while supporting a great cause?
The National Honor Society is presenting its annual Talent Show Friday March 18, 2016 at 6:30pm in the Ruthfield Theater.  Admission is $8 for students and $10 for adults Homebaked goodies will also be sold.  All proceeds benefit this year's designated charity, the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, which directs donations to the nearest local partner, in our case Children's Hospital in Boston.  Please support this worthy cause by attending the show and enjoying an evening of entertainment.  If you cannot attend, donations are welcome.  Checks should be made payable to "A.H.S. Student Activities - N.H.S."  Thank you!





Butterbraid products will be available for pick up next Tuesday, March 22nd from 4:00 - 5:00 in the AHS cafeteria.  If you are unable to pick your order up during this time, you may contact Ms. Twomey at jtwomey@ashland.k12.ma.us to make other arrangements.  Many thanks for supporting the Class of 2017!                 

The 1st Annual Clocker Classic Teacher Basketball game is sure to be one of the most entertaining nights of the year!  Join us on Thursday, March 24th at 6:30pm in the AHS gym to see the AHS/Mindess team take on AMS/Mindess.  


Please remember to check out our Parent Flyers link!



Seven Phrases To Calm an Anxious Child
It happens to every child (and adult) in one form or another – anxiety. We would like to shield our children from life’s anxious moments, but navigating anxiety is a valuable life skill.  In the heat of the moment, try these simple phrases to help your children identify, accept, and work through their anxious moments.


  1. “Can you draw it?” Drawing, painting or doodling about an anxiety provides kids with an outlet for their feelings when they can’t use their words.
  2. “I love you. You are safe.”
  3. “Let’s count _____.”  Counting the number of people wearing hats, the number of tiles on the floor, or the number of kids in the room requires observation and thought, both of which detract from the anxiety your child is feeling.
  4. “I get scared/nervous/anxious sometimes too. It’s no fun.”   
  5. “If you gave your­­ feeling a color, what would it be?” Asking your child to say how they feel with a color, gives them a chance to think about how they feel relative to something simple. Follow up by asking why their feeling is that color.
  6. “Let’s have a debate.”  Older children especially love this exercise because they have permission to debate their parent. Have a point, counter-point style debate about the reasons for their anxiety. You may learn a lot about their reasoning in the process.  
  7. “Let me hold you.”  Physical contact provides a chance for your child to relax and feel safe.

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