Friday, January 19, 2018

January 19, 2018

Good afternoon-

We have reached the halfway mark and mid-terms are here:  mid-term exam schedule .  Students only need to attend for their exams.  However, the building will be open regular hours and teachers are available outside of exam hours for students needing extra help.  The attached schedule shows regular class meeting times so students can plan when is the best time to me   The cafeteria will be open for sandwiches and salads for any students who will be at AHS for the day.  

 Mid-terms can be stressful for students so it is important to remind them that it is just a portion of their grade.  Here are some study tips for a successful exam week!  We encourage students to focus on understanding, not memorizing.  Get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast.  I hope everyone has a successful end to Semester 1!

Reminders for 2nd semester:
All AHS students are reminded to check their 2nd semester schedules in iStudent right away, and to make certain that 2nd semester half year classes are in order.  See your counselor immediately if you need to discuss a change.

The course selection process for 2018-2019 will be starting in a couple of weeks.  Make sure your iParent accounts are set up and ready to go so you can have a part in approving your students courses.

Course Selection information:
Teachers will begin making course recommendations for the 2018-2019 school year on Monday, January 22nd.  They will have two weeks to discuss recommendations with students and enter them in iPass.  The student course selection window will open on Monday, February 5.  We will hold class meetings with the 9th-11th grades on January 30th to make sure students understand the process and will share more specific information about the parent role in course selection in the coming weeks.  If you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out to your student's teacher, guidance counselor, or administrator. 
A message from the PBIS Team:
Dear Parents,

Each term, teachers at AHS nominate students who have embodied our school’s Core Values throughout the term.  Last term, we held our first Student of the Term Breakfast to celebrate these outstanding students.  Seeing the joy and pride in our stellar students was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in my 15 years of teaching.  However, we are not financially able to make this breakfast a continued success without the help of our community.  We are hoping that you will help us to make these breakfasts an ongoing reality.  Our next breakfast is scheduled for February 16th.  We have created a list of items that we need for the breakfast, and hope that you will help us by signing up to make donations for our breakfast.  If you would like to sign up to bring one or more items, please add your name and email to the list at the following link:

https://goo.gl/7bCRmt

Thank you for your continued support of our students!
Lisa Dunn & The PBIS Team


Tickets are now on sale for the AHSTS production of Pippin. The production runs Friday, March 2nd and Saturday, March 3rd at 7PM, and Sunday, March 4th at 2PM.

AHSTS offers online sales up to two hours before show time. AHSTS discounts tickets purchased online (Adults: $11.99, Students and AHSTS Alumni $8.99), Patrons may buy tickets at the door at full price. (Adults: $15, Students and AHSTS Alumni $10) Visit www.ahsts.com to purchase tickets.

AHSTS is offering a sale on adult tickets purchased online by 2/1/2018 using the code AHSTS. Sale price is $9.99. Enter the code: AHSTS to receive the option of purchasing sale tickets.

Please Note:

-Sale price cannot be applied to prepurchased tickets

-No exchanges or refunds.

For more information or tickets, visit www.ahsts.com.




A message from Decisions at Every Turn:
Dear Ashland Parents and Guardians,

This is a reminder that the Decisions at Every Turn (DAET) Coalition is still collecting information related to parent and guardian perceptions of youth substance use and prevention in the Ashland community through the DAET Coalition 2017 Parent Survey. This survey is part of DAET’s comprehensive Community Assessment necessary to apply for a $625,000 federal grant. The survey will be open until February 9th; if you have not had a chance to respond yet, your participation is greatly appreciated. 

The survey is anonymous, and though there are questions about demographic information, they will only be used to identify groups, not individuals. The survey should take you about 10-20 minutes to complete. Please only complete the survey once. The survey is distributed online via SurveyMonkey, and is available via the links below in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian. You may request a paper copy by contacting Saumya Sankhavaram, the DAET Coalition Coordinator, at s.sankhavaram@ashlanddecisions.org. You will also be given an opportunity to provide feedback to DAET at the end of the survey; your comments are very important to DAET’s prevention work.  


Please complete the survey by the end of the day on February 9th; as a reminder, please complete the survey one time only. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Saumya Sankhavaram at s.sankhavaram@ashlanddecisions.org or coalitioninfo@ashlanddecisions.org or by calling 508-881-0177 x8284.
Thank you for taking the time to assist the DAET Coalition by completing this survey!

Saumya Sankhavaram, MPH
DFC Project Coordinator
Decisions at Every Turn Coalition
Ashland, MA 01721
DAET Office: 508-881-0177 x8284
Ashland Raises Healthy & Happy Kids:
Ways to Reduce School Stress
Results of the Metrowest Adolescent Health Survey show that the number one source of stress for middle and high school students in Ashland is academics. Below are a few ways to help reduce school stress. Share with your children, especially the high school kids who have mid-term exams next week.

  1. Take time for self-care. Sleep (more than most kids think they need) and eating healthy are very important in reducing stress. Also, taking breaks to engage in a creative or active activity help digest what you have been learning and process bit.
  2. Learn to change your thinking. When thoughts turn to things such as, “I will never finish this paper/project”, or “I am going to fail this test”, come up with specific phrases to combat the negative thoughts.
  3. Take assignments one baby step at a time. Make a list of the steps needed to get an assignment or studying done. Breaking things down into chunks make them feel more manageable and less anxiety provoking.
  4. Lower your goals. This seems counter-intuitive and does not mean “become lazy”. But taking the pressure off to get a perfect grade can reduce stress and thus lead to better academic success. Instead of setting a goal to get a perfect score, set a goal to put in the effort and feel satisfied you did your best.
  5. Stay balanced during exam periods. No matter how hard you push yourself, nobody can maintain constant focus, and you will burn yourself out if you try. Take frequent, short breaks for fun activities so that you’ll be able to go back to your writing or studying refreshed. Do something you loved to do when you were six years old - play outside, do a puzzle, play a game, draw, color - to counter-balance stress and take a little break.
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