February 12, 2021

Good afternoon

Happy February vacation! I know the COVID fatigue has been real for many of our students. The addition of increased live streaming expectations as well as internet connectivity issues has made the past couple of weeks a challenge. I am proud of our students and staff for continuing to be flexible and creative. Despite the technology challenges I continue to see students engaged and learning. I hope this week brings a much needed break for the screen.

AHS teachers have done a variety of activities and lessons to celebrate Black History Month, which we think of as a continuation of our ongoing equity work this year. We believe that learning about and celebrating the accomplishments of people of color should be woven into our curriculum throughout the year but teachers have done some more focused work this month. Our CARES (Clockers Against Racism & for Equity & Social Justice) team has been working on a slide presentation, Black Joy & Excellence, that we look forward to sharing with the AHS community at the end of the month. We are excited for the team to bring artwork and posters to the halls of AHS to help educate students about a variety of important people of color. 

In the classroom, English and reading classes have read and discussed works from black writers and articles on important people of color. Music classes are creating biographies of important black pianists. Some history classes have added exploration of lesser known black historical figures to their study of more well know 19th century history. Spanish students explored the accomplishments of famous Afrolatinos. In computer classes students have explored the dearth of black leadership in big tech and the impact of those who have had success. Our SADD club was excited to connect with AREA (Ashland Residents for Equity and Action). There is always so much more we can be doing but we are excited about the lessons and activities that have been happening so far this year and month.  

Due to the remote day earlier this week Picture retakes for A cohort is now February 23!

Students are reminded to log in ASAP to their iStudent account to approve their teacher recommendations and choose their electives for 2021-2022. The iParent portal to for course recommendations will open on Monday, February 22.

Travel Policies

A reminder that families who are planning to travel to high risk states as deemed by the State of Massachusetts are required to fill out the APS Travel Form. I have included the links for each building below.  

Ashland High School

Travel Policy

Important Town of Ashland Information on COVID-19

Town COVID-19 Website
Town COVID-19 Hotline 508-532-7900

Please read my AHS Family SEL Newsletter with a focus on the amazing counseling department we are so lucky to have at Ashland High School. 

The video replays of the February 8th POWER series webinar Surviving to Thriving: Supporting your Family's Stress, Sadness, and Loss through Mindfulness featuring Linda Price are now available.

In both sessions, Linda begins by discussing ambiguous loss, anticipatory anxiety, and the brain's role in stress & the stress response. Understanding these concepts is important to our own adult health, as well as the health of our children & teens. She then walks us through a series of simple body, visualization, art-based, and breathing strategies that we can use to reduce stress and anxiety through mindfulness. Both webinars cover the same material, with the evening session having a slightly longer focus on breathing strategies. We welcome you to share with others who may be interested.

Morning webinar: https://event.webinarjam.com/go/replay/230/09285cx7tmmc31c2
Evening webinar: https://event.webinarjam.com/go/replay/231/q7m5rs3zux0frzak