Wednesday, December 23, 2020

December 23, 2020

Good morning and happy last day of classes for 2020! What a year it has been. I know how hard it has been for all of us. But despite that, every day I am impressed with our students and their incredible resilience, grit, and determination. Whether they are a full remote or hybrid (currently remote) they keep working and doing their best. That is all we can ask of students right now, to just keep trying. We will get through this together. I am so proud of them. I encouraged students to take time this morning to thank their teachers and then spend a restful break enjoying time with their household members. I hope we can be back to hybrid learning on January 4. Happy New Year to you all!

Please enjoy the Virtual Winter Concert from our choir. In these challenging times, the beautiful music and uplifting messages from these students are wonderful to see.

Here is the December issue of the Union Street Journal, Ashland High School's newspaper.

The following email was sent to all members of the Class of 2021. Please review and talk with your student about the opportunity to pursue the Seal of Biliteracy:

Seal of Biliteracy-

Ashland Public Schools is pleased to once again partner with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to offer the State Seal of Biliteracy as a means to recognize high school graduates who attain high functional and academic levels of proficiency in English and another world language. Specifically, proficiency means that students can function in both languages in authentic, real-life situations. The Seal of Biliteracy is a special state insignia that will be affixed to the graduate's diploma. We are inviting all members of the Class of 2021 to register their intent to test for the Seal by Friday, January 8, 2021. The test for language proficiency is computer based and will be administered beginning at the end of January (schedule TBD).


2021 Seal of Biliteracy letter (English)


2021 Seal of Biliteracy letter (Português)


2021 Seal of Biliteracy letter (Español)


2021 Seal of Biliteracy letter (русский)   

Finally, congratulations to Katie Machnik for her winning poster in the "Hopes and Passions for 2021" poster contest run by the Student Council! I hope we can spend 2021 focused on the positive.

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Friday, December 18, 2020

December 18, 2020


Good afternoon-

Please see the attached letter(s) from our nurses regarding the new Influenza Vaccine requirement.

Picture retakes have been rescheduled to February 4 & 9, 2021. We hope to be able to distribute photos in January but please email me if you hope to have them sooner. Thank you for your patience with this. 


The Student Council's Game Show Night will air this Friday night, December 18th at 5pm on WACA-TV.  It will also be live-streamed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/wacatvashland (and the recording will be available there, afterwards).  Tune in and watch the AHS Student Council's versions of Jeopardy and Family Feud!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday, December 11, 2020

December 11, 2020

Good afternoon-

A very Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate. 

It has been a whirlwind of a week and we hope students are settling into remote learning. We miss the students so much already and know how hard this is. Teachers will continue to reach out to students about times to pick up materials, books, etc. over the course of next week. Thank you for your words of encouragement and support for our teachers as well as your requests for reminders about screen fatigue and the pressures students are facing. 

In the midst of this crazy time AHS accreditation is scheduled for the coming week. A team of teachers volunteering through NEASC (New England Association of Schools & Colleges) will be observing classes virtually as well as meeting with teams of teachers and students on Monday and Tuesday. This visit typically happens every 10 years and the teachers spend a few days in the building observing teaching and learning. This new virtual experience will be one for the books and we look forward to what they have to share. 

We learned this week that the MCAS test scheduled for January, except for 12th grade students that need it for competency determination. We will determine the testing schedule for those students when we return.  All 11th grade/class of 2022 students will now test in May/June along with the 10th grade/class of 2023 students. 

Pictures have arrived and were due to be handed out this week. We will hold on to them until the we return in the new year. 

Please check out this newsletter from AREA, a group of people of color and their allies in Ashland working together to ensure that their voices are represented in local civic organizations, government, and the schools.

APL Library Drive By book sale

Stay safe and healthy weekend and don't hesitate to reach out with questions, comments or concerns.


Friday, December 4, 2020

December 4, 2020

Good afternoon-
I hope the first two of our full remote days went well for all. I understand there were some technical issues that are being addressed. As a reminder all students are expected to attend class, either synchronously or asynchronously, every day. Teachers will notify students of their expectations through the Google classroom. 
Have a wonderful weekend!

Student Council News:
Game Show Night
This winter, Student Council is hosting a virtual game show night! On December 18th, WACA-TV will be broadcasting a live program of Jeopardy and Family Feud. If students are interested in participating, they should fill out this form (open until December 11th): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-YlNQH4yLWebSVFOIt_ZNFvQCPtvEDNFMADOR8bnCsX57rA/viewform?usp=sf_link. We have 6 spots for Jeopardy, and 8 for Family Feud. This is a schoolwide event, meant for the whole community to enjoy. We even have some special teacher guests participating! Spread the word!

Poster Contest:
To celebrate school spirit and competition, the Student Council is hosting a poster designing competition this December! The theme for this contest is Hopes and Passions for 2021. The winning submission will be remade into large sized posters to be displayed throughout the school, and the winner will be awarded a $25 amazon gift card. Both computer graphic and hand drawn designs are encouraged! Submissions can be sent as a photo to stuco.ashland@ashland.k12.ma.us. Designs are due by Friday, Dec. 18, 11:59 PM, and voting will be open the following Monday and Tuesday.   


The AHS Yearbook is hosting a photo contest to get students to share 'What Ashland means to you' in a photo. The submission deadline is December 15th. To enter, students must submit a photo on the yearbook form provided, and explain what the photo means to them. The photo should capture the history, community, landscape, architecture, people, and/or essence of Ashland in a photo. It is not necessary for it to be school based. All entries, regardless of winning the contest, have an opportunity to be displayed prominently in the book along with a photo credit. Click here to submit an entry. One entry per form, no limit to the number of entries per person. Questions? Contact Chad McGowan @ cmcgowan@ashland.k12.ma.us

Parents: Don't forget to buy your 2021 yearbook! Go to coffeepond.com and use the password AHS01721. The price is $70 now but will go up to $100 at the end of January. Don't miss out on the savings!


Decisions at Every Turn Take a Break from Tech Week starts Sunday!  The planner to encourage families to step away from tech to focus on family connection.  The activities are appropriate for families with kids of all ages. 


See the message below from some AHS parents!
The Ashland community is hoping to celebrate our Class of '21 seniors in this unique and challenging year by delivering each student a little gift on the 21st of each month, January through May. If you would like your student to be included, please email the following to kerryluoma@gmail.com:

1. Your student's full name
2. Your student's home address
3. Where the gifts should be delivered. Mailbox is the preference but if you are in an apartment/condo, please indicate deck, front door etc.