Friday, September 1, 2017

#1st2Days

We had a great first couple of days at AHS!  It has been fantastic having the energy of the students back in the building.  We started the year focusing on relationships and Ms. Carreiro, Ms. Lachapelle and I had a great time letting students know they were ready and we were glad they were back on Wednesday morning.  I am a firm believer in building relationships first and enjoyed seeing the many activities around the building where classes got to know each other while also learning (the variety of BINGO games were my favorites!) Teachers were creative, excited, and thoughtful.

At the beginning of August I welcomed the new AHS staff in our back to school letter.  I'd like to "reintroduce" them and welcome them to the Ashland High School family:
Erin Lachapelle joins us as the new Dean of Students.  She is the Dean for the 10th & 12th grades.
Shafiya Finger is our new School Psychologist.  She will work with students on IEP's who need social/emotional support but she is a resource for all.  We wish Heather Smith Canney the best as she moves on to a new position.
We are excited to welcome Terri Henry who has taught for APS for many years.  She is joining us as a computer science/technology teacher.
Stephen McKeon is taking over the reigns of the Academic Foundations classroom.  His predecessor, Erin Cameron, has moved to a new role in the special education department.
Mary Nemeth joins us as the music teacher.  She will teach Chorus, guitar, and new Musical Theater class.
Maureen Wiencek joins us as our new full-time nurse (she worked for us two days a week for the past couple of years) and Erin Gaiero will be the new part-time addition to the nursing team.
We also have two enthusiastic ESP's, Kathleen Siplas and Justin Ventola, joining the special education department.
We are thrilled to welcome all of these professionals to the Ashland community and know they share our passion for helping all kids succeed.

Next week we will continue establishing our expectations for all students.  Wednesday we will meet with all classes to review important information and updates.  We do ask that you spend time as a family reviewing the AHS Student Handbook then sign off.  Friday is our Convocation Day.  We will do a fun all school activity planned by the PBIS team and run by the Peer Leaders to review our core values and behavior expectations.  It is a fun day of building connections and kicking the year off in a positive manner which culminates in the Class of 2018 the key to the school.

We were surprised at the number of students in the building on Wednesday at 7am despite our new start time.  They were super excited to get back to learning!  As a reminder, students should plan to arrive at AHS no earlier than 7:45am. The building will not be accessible and students will remain in the back lobby/cafeteria until 8:10am unless they are there for a club/activity meeting.  Breakfast will be served at 7:45am.

Bus drop off & pick up has gone relatively well, with immense improvements over the two days.  A couple of buses were late Wednesday and Thursday, which happens every year as they work out the kinks, but students were assured they were not marked tardy,  Parent drop off is in the back of the building until 8:20am.  After the start of the school day ALL students and visitors must enter the building through the front doors and check in with the front office.

The late bus will pick up students wishing to stay after school at 3:45pm.  Students should be out front waiting for the bus.  The late bus runs Monday through Thursday.

Student parking is at the side of the building with the solar panels.  Students can not park in any of the other lots.  Buses for athletics will be pulling into the back lot each day at approximately 2:45pm so anyone parking there could be blocked in.  Students must have their parking pass purchased by Friday, September 15.  Forms can be found in the main office and students should bring a copy of their license & registration with the application and payment.  The front office can not make copies but there is a copier in the library.

After school help is available on a daily basis.  Teachers are available by appointment and each department has a designated day each week when teachers will be available for drop-in assistance. Teachers will share information about their individual availability with their classes.


Auditions for the AHSTS fall production of Museum are Tuesday, September 5th at 3PM in the theater. Callbacks are Wednesday, September 6th at 3PM. No preparation is required for auditions. Audition information and forms are located at ahsts.com.

Please take a moment to review the Parent Flyers to check out what is going on around town.

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