October 30, 2020

 

Good afternoon-

Please review the attached letter regarding a new tool for social-emotional learning we are piloting at AHS: MyLife parent letter. Teachers will be trained on Tuesday and students have been invited to class meetings on Wednesday to learn about the tool. Class meetings will be held via Zoom and students will receive the link on Tuesday.

    Seniors: 11:45     Juniors:12:00     Sophomores:12:15     Freshman: 12:30

As a reminder, there is no school for students on Tuesday, November 3. Teachers will be involved in Professional Development that day. Wednesday, November 4 students will resume the regular schedule.

The end of the term is quickly approaching. Term 1 (which is essentially Semester 1 for all classes except D block) ends on November 13. Students should be checking iStudent and connecting with teachers if they are concerned about their progress. Remote Only students should be checking in with their teachers and support personnel at Educere as well. As always, reach out to counselors or administration with any concerns or questions.

Health Emergency Forms: Please return the forms sent in the mail before school started and shared in the recent Superintendent newsletter. It is important we have updated student information on file in the event of an emergency. 

Picture day at AHS has been scheduled for November 10 & 12. All students have their picture taken for their ID.  Forms are now available in the front lobby for families wishing to order pictures. All students will have their picture taken for a student ID.

Have a safe, socially distant Halloween. 

BC Splash is a 1-day event held at Boston College each semester where students in grades 7-12 can take fun, interesting, and engaging classes that are taught and designed by our undergraduates! 

In response to COVID-19 our event will be virtual this semester, but we have put together a great day and fantastic lineup of classes over zoom for the students. They can take classes such as The Economics of Friendship, The Physics of Airplanes, The Power of Positive Affirmations, and many others! 

BC Splash will be held virtually on Sunday, November 8th from 10am - 3:15pm. 

Students can register at our website, bcsplash.learningu.org

Registration closes on Friday, November 6th at 11:59pm.

Our mission is to build a love of learning and curiosity in our students by exciting them about a diversity of topics and encouraging their passions, inside and outside of the classroom. It is also a great way for them to meet some older students, learn about the college experience, and see what Boston College has to offer!

Additionally, we offer a parent program simultaneously with our student program for parents to learn more about the college process. This includes a panel with our Student Admission Program, a presentation from our financial aid office, and their very own Splash class!

October 23, 2020

Happy Friday! 

Another week down. Thanks to all of the students who continue to work hard and follow the school expectations. They are helping to keep us attending AHS. 

If you missed the email for the Virtual Back to School Night email here it is again.

Students and families are reminded that there are three weeks left in Term 1. This term counts as 50% of the grade for the year. Please seek teacher assistance if you are struggling in a class. 

It's time to order your 2021 Yearbook! Yearbooks can be ordered at coffeepond.com. Use the password AHS01721. The price is $70 ($15 less than last year!!) until the end of January, and then increases to $100, so buy now to save money!  

Students are also setting a great example exiting the parking lot each afternoon in an orderly fashion through the front two rows. Parents, please do not cut through the student lot. We dismiss students in stages for the safety of all and parent pick-up students should not leave their classrooms until they are dismissed. Please help us out by encouraging your student to follow the rules. 

Check out our first edition of the The Union Journal- AHS student newspaper

Have a wonderful weekend.

Please sign up for FREE grab and go meals each week by clicking HERE.  I would suggest setting a reminder to fill it out each weekend, as that would be most helpful to us.  Meals are available for all children up to age 21 even if they are not enrolled in our schools.  If you have more than one child you will need to submit the form once for each child each week. This will allow us to have enough meals prepared and ready for you! 

All meals are to be picked up at Ashland High School in the rear of the building.  Park in the small parking lot just past the dumpsters.  There will be a sign next to the door you will enter to pick up meals.

Meal pick up will be on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the High School. If you have any questions please email lbeaudin@ashland.k12.ma.us  

October 16, 2020

Good afternoon-

I hope the week of remote learning went well. We look forward to getting back in the building on Monday with our cohort A students. I continue to be grateful for the students and parents who do the right thing in terms of following COVID guidelines. While following these guidelines may not always make us exempt from possible exposure, it makes a difference. It is our response to exposure that is just as important. Thank you for allowing us at AHS, with the amazing support of the nursing department and Board of Health, to work through that response, in the best way possible. As we get ready to resume in-person learning in Monday please have a conversation with your student(s) about respect and responsibility. Words matter and it is important that if your student has a question or a concern they bring it to you or someone else in authority. Hurtful and accusatory language towards each other gets us nowhere. Now, more than ever, we need to be kind and supportive. 

Please review the following two important documents from the Superintendent:

A Parent's Guide to COVID decision making and school 

Letter regarding the upcoming elections

Best of luck to all of the juniors participating in the PSAT's tomorrow. Please remember that all students are expected to follow the nursing protocols to check for symptoms. If you have symptoms, do not attend the PSAT's.

Our "Virtual Parent Night" will be posted on the AHS website and sent out through email next Thursday, October 22nd at 6pm. Each teacher will have a prepared presentation posted covering an introduction of who they are as well as the curriculum in their courses. You will be able to view this presentation at any time. If you have questions or concerns about you child you can always reach out directly to the teacher. Thank you.

The AHS Student Council is starting to plan Homecoming week, and it wouldn't be "Homecoming" without a Homecoming Pep Rally!  This year's rally is going to be a little different, though, and will be done completely "virtually" (with the help of WACA-TV).  But we need student help for this!  We need volunteers to participate in various "rally activities."  All of these activities would involve students doing something at home and filming it (or having a parent film it). 

If your child is willing to participate in the rally, please fill out the form online at https://forms.gle/Cry7qwyGoEWJerKh6.   (The Student Council will then select volunteers from the people who submit the form.)  If they are interested, please be sure they fill this out by Friday, October 23rd.  The Student Council will then get in touch with them after the 23rd with more details about the specifics of what they'll need to do.

Any questions?  Contact the Student Council at STUCO.ashland@ashland.k12.ma.us

IF your student is interested in a STEM career check out: “MassBay STEM Stories: Start Here. Go Anywhere.”, the first one of which is launching during Massachusetts STEM Week on 10/22.  Students/teachers/administrators will hear from MassBay STEM faculty, staff, students, graduates and industry professionals and learn about innovative STEM programs at MassBay, the resources and supports we offer MassBay STEM students and exciting career options in the STEM fields.  Registration is required.  Information is available on the attached flyer.  Students participating will be marked on a field trip for that time.

DAET is offering a Mindful Parenting webinar for caregivers on 10/26. Here are the links to register for the program. The flyer is attached. 

Monday, October 26, 9:30-10:30 AM

https://event.webinarjam.com/register/119/38zp9aq5

Monday, October 26, 6:30-7:30 PM

https://event.webinarjam.com/register/120/9pxyksox

AHS updates on remote learning week

Good evening-

As you know, AHS will be fully remote this week. We hope we can return to in person learning next week. We can do it by working together to follow the guidelines!

AHS students, both cohort A & B, will be expected to follow their schedule as normal and be "in class" every day. More teachers may choose to teach cohorts synchronously this week. I have included the AHS Hybrid/Remote Learning Expectations here. 

The highlighted bullet points relate directly to full remote learning and can be found here:

Fully Remote Learning Times (added 10/12/2020)
If at any point AHS goes fully remote both A and B cohorts will follow the same remote schedule each day. Teachers are encouraged to use this opportunity to teach both cohorts synchronously if possible. The time schedule for each block will be the same as the hybrid model Monday/Tuesday & Thursday/Friday:
8:35-10:05- C block
10:10-11:40- E block
11:45-12:15-Lunch break 
12:15-1:45- F block
1:50-2:55- D block 
 
Wednesday will continue to be the schedule we have been following:
9:30-10:00-C Block
10:05-10:35-E Block
10:40-11:10-F Block
11:15-11:45-D Block

Students are expected to complete additional work for each class during the afternoon.

Additional Expectations for Full Remote Days

• All classes should begin with a GoogleMeet check in for attendance and instruction. 
• Attendance will be tracked in iPass as Remote Present or Remote Absent. If a student is unable to attend the class remotely a parent should call the AHS attendance line at 508-881-0177 or email ahsmainoffice@ashland.k12.ma.us 
• Teachers do not need to keep students on a GoogleMeet for the entire block but are allowed to do so.  If teachers do not keep students on GoogleMeet for the entire block it is the expectation that they are providing assignments and work that will take the entire block to complete. Students should complete the assignment at that time. 
• Teachers should be accessible during the entire class block to answer questions or provide help if students need it via GoogleMeet or email.. 
• All classes should end with a GoogleMeet check in to ensure students have completed work, to answer questions, and to assign homework.   
• Students do not need to login to a GoogleMeet for study hall, but should be checking in for all other classes each day. 

 

All athletics are canceled this week and students are expected to remain off school grounds.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns. The office will be open Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday so you can call or email with any needs. 

October 9, 2020

Good afternoon-

I hope you are looking forward to a nice long weekend. We are thrilled to have made it through four weeks of school and I am proud of our students. 

As you know numbers throughout the state are going up and we are receiving reports of students socializing on a regular basis. I echo the Superintendent's sentiment in asking that you help your students understand the importance of not gathering in large groups and continuing to practice safety protocols like wearing a mask and maintaining distance. 

If your student needs to miss an in person or remote learning day please call or email (ahsmainoffice@ashland.k12.ma.us) the school with that information. Please err on the side of caution and keep your student home if they are experiencing symptoms. Students do not receive a negative consequence for being absent unless it is a habitual incidence impacting academic performance. 

If you have not returned the health emergency forms yet we ask that you complete them as soon as possible. Students can drop them in the box in front of the main office:

Health Emergency Forms- English

Formularios de emergencia de salud - Español

Formulários de Emergência de Saúde - Português

Student drivers are also reminded they must have a parking pass in order to park at AHS. We will begin ticketing next week.

Does your senior need a yearbook photo? Our very own English teacher, Mr. Moshkovitz, is also a photographer. He has volunteered to take senior photos of anyone who has been unable to get their picture done because of  lack of studio accessibility or financial need. Please complete the attached form to express interest and Mr. Mosh will reach out to arrange a time for the session.

Senior Yearbook photo information

Sophomores will receive their Class Ring packets next week. Remote students can pick one up at the school. More information will be shared with parents next week.

Best of luck to our fall athletes competing in their initial competitions this weekend. Thank you to Stephen Marks and the entire team for creating an environment that is safe and gets the kids back playing. Please review the attached spectator policy which will be in effect next weekend.

Updated Fall Athletics Spectator Policy

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend.

October 2, 2020

Good afternoon families-

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week.

Back to School Night! We will have a virtual Back to School Night starting on Thursday, October 22. We will send out links created by each teacher so that you can check out their video message and get information about their curriculum and class at your leisure. 

Elections for parent representatives to the AHS School Site Council are held at Back-to-School Night.  Please let me know if you are interested in joining the council.  We meet monthly on Wednesdays at 4pm, typically the 2nd Wednesday of the month, but the schedule is set at the first meeting. We will meet virtually for the foreseeable future. Positions are for two years terms.

The AHS School Council is a group mandated by the MA Department of Education to assist the principal in:

1. Adopting educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards.

2. Identifying the educational needs of students attending the school.

3. Reviewing the annual school building budget.

4. Formulating a school improvement plan.

For any school that contains grades nine to twelve, the council shall review the student handbook each spring to consider changes in disciplinary policy to take effect for the following school year. 

If you would like more information please let me know at kstcoeur@ashland.k12.ma.us. 

Students who are interested in serving are encouraged to email me or come to the office for more information.  

Health Emergency Forms: Please return the forms sent in the mail before school started and shared in the recent Superintendent newsletter. It is important we have updated student information on file in the event of an emergency. 

Picture day at AHS has been scheduled for November 10 & 12. All students have their picture taken for their ID. 

Grynn & Barrett is not able to offer Senior Picture sessions at high schools this year. They are offering in studio sessions on 10/17 at their Enfield, CT location if anyone would like to schedule an appointment.

Here is the link to schedule an appointment:

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=20082454&calendarID=4521930