Friday, April 28, 2017

Week of 4/24/17

Good afternoon-

I hope everyone has had a chance to enjoy the beautiful sunshine and warm weather today.  It is certainly a signal that the end of the school year is coming quickly.

Adavanced Placement exams start at AHS on Monday and last for the next two weeks.  I wish all of the AHS students taking these exams the best!  

Monday also kicks off the last two full weeks of classes for the Class of 2017.  Exams are scheduled for the week of May 22.  The Senior Week exam schedule is attached here.  

On Friday, May 26 all members of the Class of 2017 will participate in our annual Community Service Day. They will start the day at AHS with a presentation from the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Program at 8am.  From there students will spread out around town to give back to the community!


A reminder from the Ashland Police department.  Please do not park in the fire lanes when you come into the school.  Thank you.


News from AHS Student Council:
This Saturday, April 29th, the Ashland High School Student Council is running a Fundraiser at Barnes and Noble in Framingham.
Throughout the day, members of the Student Council will be reading their favorite children's books.  Please come join us (and bring your kids) for story-time!

There's a flyer attached with the schedule of which students will be reading what books.  It's also available online at https://sites.google.com/site/stucoashland/home

For any purchases made at Barnes and Noble with the attached voucher (on the flyer), the AHS Student Council will receive a percent of the proceeds.  The voucher is good at any Barnes and Noble on Saturday, April 29th and is also good online at bn.com (and is valid online from April 29th - May 4th.)

In addition to story-time, local author and AHS guidance counselor Jenn McMahon will be joining us at 11am to read from her newly published book Bohermore.  She will also sign copies and lead a discussion on the author's craft.

Finally, Barnes and Noble will have a display of various books that we are hoping to add to the high school's library collection.  These will be on display in the store, and we're hoping that a few generous patrons will purchase some of these books for our library.



Senior Families!
Want something special and personalized to celebrate graduation? The junior class is selling personalized AHS graduation yard signs made by Jostens! See the attachment! The signs are designed to be personalized with the senior's name and you may elect to add the college or future plan of the graduate. See the attached order form or pick one up in the office. Orders can be turned into the office until May 5th and the yard signs will arrive at the beginning of senior week. Any questions, email Christine Graham (cgraham@ashland.k12.ma.us



On Tuesday, May 2nd at 7 pm at the Ashland Public Library, the Decisions at Every Turn Coalition and the Friends of the Ashland Public Library present "College...Next Stop".  In the rush and flurry of the college search process little to no time is spent focusing on how parents will handle the move to college and how this milestone will impact everyone in the family.  "College... Next Stop" helps parents think about how to cope with their student’s growing maturity and the new relationship that lies ahead.  From their unique vantage points as Dean of Students and college parent, the speakers will share their perspectives and engage parents.
How will you handle late night phone calls/texts?  How often should you be in touch?  How do you “parent” without interfering? How do you enhance your knowledge of today’s college scene?

Check out more detail on the presenters and register online from the link in the attached bulletin.  We hope you'll consider attending "College...Next Stop" on May 2nd at 7 pm at the Ashland Public Library!


As we head into Prom & Graduation season I wanted to share this worthy read  I came across this week and ask the you mark your calendar to attend the Summer Send-Off on May 9 at 7pm in the AHS auditorium.  We will have some great raffle prizes for all that attend!!!!
-Free prom ticket
-Free senior week ticket
-VIP graduation seating
-VIP graduation parking
- and more!!!!

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The evening will feature John Morello, actor and headlining comedian most known for creating the critically acclaimed one-man show "Dirt", will be performing for us at 7 pm on May 9th in the AHS auditorium. Dirt is a one-man show that explores the challenges and decisions that young people face every day. Dirt gets to the heart of issues related to drugs, bullying, and self esteem in a manner that resonates with audiences in a real and meaningful way.  Through the portrayal of relatable and memorable characters, John Morello gives voice to those who sometimes feel as though they are not heard and reassurance to those who sometimes feel as though they are not understood. John does not preach, teach, or lecture; instead, he takes students on a journey that challenges them to think about the choices they make and how those choices impact their own lives and the lives of those around them.  Prior to John's performance DA Marian Ryan and Ashland Chief of Police Craig Davis will speak about social host liability and other concerns related to prom and graduation season.  



WACA TV is conducting a Film and Acting Workshop for young teens between the ages of 13 and 15 this summer the week of July 31 to August 4. Please see the attached flyer for more information and the application!




Dear High-Schooler,

In its 7th year, Harvard's Youth Lead the Change program for high schoolers (rising 9th to 12th graders) will run for five days from August 21-25, 2017 and will be held on Harvard's campus. Youth Lead the Change is a leadership program led by a team of Harvard undergraduates that seeks to provide high school kids with tangible leadership skills and empower them to be leaders in their communities. The program features guest speakers who are foremost leaders in their fields as well as numerous projects and modules to hone strong leadership skills. More information about the program can be found at http://www.harvardylc.com/.

If you are interested, you can apply here! If you have previously attended a YLC conference and would like to become a Junior Counselor, please apply here.

The program costs $200 for the five days and this fee includes lunch every day as well as all other materials provided throughout the program. Financial aid is available and we are need blind in our application decisions.  The financial aid application can be found here


Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions! I can be reached over email at jenny_liu@college.harvard.edu.



Please be sure to check out all of the other important events happening around town in the Parent Flyers!
Ashland Raises Healthy & Happy Kids:
Questions to get your kids talking about school

  1. What made you smile today?
  2. Can you tell me an example of kindness you saw/showed?
  3. Was there an example of unkindness? How did you respond?
  4. Does everyone have a friend at recess?
  5. Did anyone do anything silly to make you laugh?
  6. What did you do that was creative?
  7. What is the most popular game at recess?
  8. What was the best thing that happened today?
  9. Did you help anyone today?
  10. Did you tell anyone “thank you?”
  11. Who did you sit with at lunch?
  12. What made you laugh?
  13. Did you learn something you didn’t understand?
  14. Who inspired you today?
  15. What was the peak and the pit of your day?
  16. What was your least favorite part of the day?
  17. Was anyone in your class absebt today?
  18. What is something you heard that surprised you?
  19. Who did you play with today?
  20. Tell me something you know today that you didn’t know yesterday.
  21. What is something that challenged you?
  22. How did someone fill your bucket today? Whose bucket did you fill?
  23. Did you like your lunch?
  24. Rate your day on a scale from 1-10.
  25. What questions did you ask at school today?
  26. Tell us your top two things from the day.
  27. What are you looking forward to tomorrow?
  28. What are you reading?
  29. What was the hardest rule to follow today?
  30. If you could change one thing about your day, what would it be?
  31. What made your teacher smile? What made her/him frown?What made you feel happy?
  32. What made you feel proud today?
  33. What do you hope to do before school is out for the year?
  34. If you could switch seats with anyone in class, who would it be? And why?
  35. If you switched places with your teacher tomorrow, what would you teach the class?

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Week of 4/10/17- Happy April vacation!!!

Good afternoon and happy vacation!

I can't believe we are here already.  At the beginning of March it always seems like April vacation is so far away and then it is suddenly upon us.  From here the rest of the year flies by.  

As a reminder, grades for Term 3 are now posted in iParent/iStudent.


The AHS office will be closed next week.  I am heading off to chaperone the student trip to the Mediterranean. Please feel free to follow our adventures on the AHS MedCoast blog which is linked to the AHS homepage.  


A reminder that students taking Advanced Placement tests are expected to be in school for the entire day of their AP test.  If they have a morning test, they are expected to be in class after the test in the afternoon.  If they have an afternoon test, they are expected to attend school in the morning at the normal time.  There are no exceptions to this expectation.

Senior Parents: Once we return from vacation we will start sharing out information on graduation!  Seniors are done with classes on Friday, May 19th.  Their exams start the following week and Friday, May 26 is a mandatory class community service day.  
As you start to plan remember that graduation is open to all, there is no guest limit.  Class Day, on Friday, June 2 at 9:30am is another wonderful event and families are encouraged to attend!


On Saturday, April 29th, the Student Council will be running a fundraiser at the Framingham Barnes and Noble.  For any purchase made with a voucher (click link to get voucher) the Student Council will get a percent of the sale.  If you've been planning on purchasing a few books and can wait until April 29th, come join us there!

Throughout the day, starting at 9am, members of the Students Council will be hosting "story time" for younger children, reading some of their favorite childhood books.  (Go Dog Go, Corduroy, The Giving Tree, and many others....)    Come join us and bring your children to enjoy!

In addition, at 11am local author and AHS guidance counselor Jenn McMahon will be reading selections from her recently published book Bohermore.  She'll also be signing copies and leading a discussion on the author's craft.  (This is in addition to her book signing on Sunday, April 23rd.)

You can also order books through the Barnes and Noble website (bn.com) from April 29th through May 2nd using the voucher code, and the same percentage off the purchase will go to the AHS Student Council.

Senior Families!
Want something special and personalized to celebrate graduation? The junior class is selling personalized AHS graduation yard signs made by Jostens! The signs are designed to be personalized with the senior's name and you may elect to add the college or future plan of the graduate. See the attached order form or pick one up in the office. Orders can be turned into the office until May 5th and the yard signs will arrive at the beginning of senior week. Any questions, email Christine Graham (cgraham@ashland.k12.ma.us

The Sophomore Class of 2019 is currently running an online Dutch Mill plant bulb fundraiser. If you are interested, check out our link below where you can purchase the plant bulbs and they will be shipped right to your home! Feel free to share the link with anyone you think might be interested in purchasing plant bulbs and supporting the class of 2019. 





All bus registrations are due by May 1st.  The fee will increase to $350 for individuals and $700 for families after the May 1st deadline.  Students registering after May 1st may be placed on a wait list and assigned a seat if and when one becomes available.

Please contact Diane Goudy at dgoudy@ashland.k12.ma.us or 508-532-4005 if you have any questions.

Check out the Parent Flyers to see what is going on around town. 

Have a wonderful week!

Friday, April 7, 2017

Week of 4/3/17

Good afternoon-

Term 3 officially came to a close this week and grades will be available through iParent/iStudent on Wednesday, April 12 after 2pm.  

The bus company has asked me to remind parents and students that glass is prohibited from the school buses.  It would be greatly appreciated if you could remind your students that only non-glass containers are allowed.


The Sophomore Class of 2019 is selling plant bulbs to raise money for class events. The bulbs can be ordered online through the link below and will be shipped directly to your house. The plant bulbs can be shipped anywhere in the US so please share the link with family and friends to help support the sophomore class! 
https://groups.dutchmillbulbs.com/shop/?affiliates=ahs2019




Senior Families!
Want something special and personalized to celebrate graduation? The junior class is selling personalized AHS graduation yard signs made by Jostens! The signs are designed to be personalized with the senior's name and you may elect to add the college or future plan of the graduate. See the attached order form or pick one up in the office. Orders can be turned into the office until May 5th and the yard signs will arrive at the beginning of senior week. Any questions, email Christine Graham (cgraham@ashland.k12.ma.us


Check out the Parent Flyers to see what is going on around town.
Ashland Raise Healthy & Happy Kids:
AUTONOMY-SUPPORTIVE PARENTING VERSUS CONTROLLING PARENTING
The book discussed this week at the community book read was ‘The Gift of Failure’ by Jessica Lahey. It discusses how children NEED to fail in order to learn, and to gain confidence and competence. Being a supportive parent (versus a controlling one) can help them gain both confidence and competence.

  • Controlling parents give lots of unsolicited advice and direction. Children see this as “nagging” and it interferes with their sense of autonomy and conveys a lack of faith in their competence to perform the task. Let them load the dishwasher the way they want to!
  • Controlling parents offer extrinsic motivators in exchange for behaviors. Kids do not need to be paid for basic household chores that contribute to the household. Or for A’s on their report cards.
  • Controlling parents provide solutions or the correct answer before the child has had a chance to really struggle with a problem. Give children time and silence to think through a challenging task. This shows that you value the process as much as the final result.
  • Controlling parents don’t let children make their own decisions. Let your child choose the sports or activities they want to try, or the game for family game night.
  • Autonomy-Supportive parents allow for mistakes and help children to understand the consequences of those mistakes. If we show our kids that mistakes are part of the process of learning, they will become more confident about their abilities and be better able to bounce back from future mistakes.
  • Autonomy-Supportive parents value the mistakes as much as the successes.  Find the lessons in the failures. Help them discover new ways to cope and rebound from their mistakes.
  • Autonomy-Supportive parents acknowledge children’s feelings of frustration and disappointment. Validate how they feel and even give an example of when you felt the same way.
  • Autonomy-Supportive parents give feedback. Effective feedback guides kids toward seeing their mistakes rather than jumping in and fixing them.