Friday, October 29, 2021

October 29, 2021

 Good afternoon-

With one week left in Term 1 we encourage all families to spend time looking at iParent/iStudent this weekend to get a sense of how each class is going. Reach out to teachers if you have questions or concerns. Students should schedule time after school or during x-block if they are missing assignments or need extra help.

The term ends Friday, November 5. Report cards for Term 1 will post to iParent/iStudent on Friday, November 12. 

There is no school on Thursday, November 4 in honor of Diwali. 

Congratulations to your new inductees to the Socios Chapter of the National Honor Society. They were inducted Thursday, October 28 based on their achievement, character, leadership and service.






The Class of 2022 had a fun Halloween parade this morning. It was great to see them enjoying this tradition. 


 
Red Cross Blood Drive:
AHS is excited to once again be hosting a blood drive. 
The drive is scheduled for Wednesday, November 3rd from 12-5pm in the AHS gym.
The link for donors to use to schedule an appointment is https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=AshlandHigh65
Community members are welcome to donate but slots during school hours are currently blocked for students. 
Any student aged 16.5-17 years old can donate but must obtain parent permission to do so. Sign-up's for students will take place at lunch next week and students should come with their signed consent form. 
The link for parental consent forms can be found here:


News from the Community: 

Donate Halloween candy

PTO Make Your Own Pizza

Friday, October 22, 2021

October 22, 2021

Good afternoon-

Today we wrapped up our in-school Homecoming Week activities with our first pep rally in almost two years. It was fun to bring the school together to hear about the accomplishments of our clubs, activities, and sports teams and to have some fun competition. We are so grateful for the opportunity to come together to celebrate our community!




The Homecoming Dance will take place tomorrow (Saturday, October 23rd) from 6pm to 9pm outdoors in the faculty parking lot and in the outdoor classroom area.  It is predicted to be about 45 degrees. Students should dress for the weather. 
  • Drop-Off / Parking: The road around the school will be closed off.  Cars will still be able to enter and leave the school, but not go around the building.  Students can be dropped off by the main entrance to the school.  Students driving to the dance and parking will enter the school, turn left in front of the main entrance, and then turn right into the student parking lot.  (This is not the usual direction of that road.)  Students must then walk around to the front of the school to enter the dance.
  • All students must arrive by 7pm.  No one will be admitted after this time.
  • Students may not leave prior to 8:30pm without parent permission. We will be calling you if your student wants to leave the dance early. 
  • Tickets cost $10 at the door.  Tickets must be paid for in cash or by check (made out to "AHS Student Activities" and please include your student's name in the "memo" section.)
  • Guests from other schools will not be allowed this year.
  • In addition to a DJ there will be a photo booth, baked goods, hot chocolate, and warm apple cider.  There will also be pizza available for purchase ($2/slice.)
  • Students do not need a mask while outdoors but must bring a mask go indoors to use the restroom.  The library will also be open as a place to warm-up and students will need to wear a mask in there. This space is limited and students will not be able to be inside for extended periods of time. 
Homecoming week is sponsored by the Student Council.  Any questions?  Contact the Student Council at STUCO.ashland@ashland.k12.ma.us

Picture retake day is Monday, October 25. 

AHS Safety plans: I have received a few questions regarding the message about the stay in place. Since it has been a year and a half since we have had to do some of these protocols I thought I would share a few slides from a previous safety presentation.

I have attached a few slides here to help explain the difference between a stay in place and a lockdown. School safety slides


We are in the process of holding class meetings during X-block to review several items with students. The term ends in two weeks so we are reminding students to check grades and make sure they are seeing their teachers for extra help if needed. Teachers are noticing students are struggling with work completion and deadlines. They are here to help any student who is having difficulty meeting timelines.

We also let students know that snacks no longer available at break time. Given that it is an hour before lunch the cafeteria staff has been unable to prepare for lunch when stopping to hand out snacks. Students are still welcome to get breakfast and/or a snack before school starts and save it for break time.


Just a reminder the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey will be administered on Tuesday, October 26. We will have a modified schedule and students will have approximately 1 hour to complete the survey. 

Local flyers:

Pepper's Ghost 10-23-21 (grades 6-12)

Robin Glasser Illustrator 10-26-21

Native Americans of New England

PTO Make Your Own Pizza


Friday, October 15, 2021

October 15, 2021

Good afternoon-
We have an exciting week coming up at AHS. I am very happy to share the following information for our student groups. We are so happy to have opportunities for our students to have fun and enjoy some of the typical fall events, even if they are in a slightly different arena.

News from Student Council:
Next week is Homecoming Week (October 18th - October 22nd).

Each of the day of the week is a "dress-up" day for students to participate in:
Monday, October 18th - Pajama Day 
Tuesday, October 19th - Tourist Day 
Wednesday, October 20th - Team Day (wear apparel from your favorite team)
Thursday, October 21st - Black Out Day (wear all black)
Friday, October 22nd - Class Color Day (freshmen wear green, sophomores wear red, juniors wear blue, and seniors wear white)

The Homecoming Rally is on Friday, October 22nd on the turf field.  (If it rains, the rally will be moved indoors to the gym; participants will be in the gym and all other students will watch this live-streamed into their classrooms.)

The Homecoming Football game is at 7pm against Norwood.  

The Homecoming Dance will take place on Saturday, October 23rd from 6pm to 9pm outdoors in the faculty parking lot and in the outdoor classroom area.  In case of rain, the dance will be moved to Saturday, October 30th.  
  • Drop-Off / Parking: The road around the school will be closed off.  Cars will still be able to enter and leave the school, but not go around the building.  Students can be dropped off by the main entrance to the school.  Students driving to the dance and parking will enter the school, turn left in front of the main entrance, and then turn right into the student parking lot.  (This is not the usual direction of that road.)  Students must then walk around to the front of the school to enter the dance.
  • All students must arrive by 7pm.  No one will be admitted after this time.
  • Students may not leave prior to 8:30pm without parent permission.
  • Tickets cost $8 if purchased ahead of time (sold during lunch throughout the whole week) and will cost $10 at the door.  Tickets must be paid for in cash or by check (made out to "AHS Student Activities" and please include your student's name in the "memo" section.)
  • Guests from other schools will not be allowed this year.
  • In addition to a DJ there will be a photo booth, baked goods, hot chocolate, and warm apple cider.  There will also be pizza available for purchase ($2/slice.)
  • Students do not need a mask while outdoors but should bring one if they need to go indoors to use the restroom.  The library will also be open as a place to warm-up and students will need to wear a mask in there.
Homecoming week is sponsored by the Student Council.  Any questions?  Contact the Student Council at STUCO.ashland@ashland.k12.ma.us


News from AHSTS:
Tickets are now on sale for the AHSTS fall production of: THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME. All performances are in the outside classroom/amphitheater across from the teacher's parking lot. Seating is limited to 75. These performances are expected to sell out. Tickets are available to purchase online for the 10/23 and 10/24 shows only. The 10/30 and 10/31 shows will be available to purchase online starting Monday, October 25th, weather permitting. Visit www.ahsts.com for more information and tickets.


Red Cross Blood Drive:
AHS is excited to once again be hosting a blood drive. 
The drive is scheduled for Wednesday, November 3rd from 12-5pm in the AHS gym.
The link for donors to use to schedule an appointment is https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=AshlandHigh65
Community members are welcome to donate but slots during school hours are currently blocked for students. 
Any student aged 16.5-17 years old can donate but must obtain parent permission to do so. Sign-up's for students will take place at lunch next week and students should come with their signed consent form. 
The link for parental consent forms can be found here:
Take a moment to review this important information from Decisions at Every Turn:


Community flyers:

APL October Teen Programs

ARC Ski Club 

ARC Babysitting training

ARC Early Release

Halloween flyer

Lions Pumpkin Decorating contest

Friday, October 8, 2021

October 8, 2021

Good afternoon-


MCAS reports are in and went out to parents in the mail today. Score reports for current 9th, 11th and 12th grade students who tested in Ashland Public Schools last year have been mailed. Please reach out to your child's counselor if you do not receive the report within a few days. We are proud of how our students did during this very trying time.  

The following message went out through Blackboard Connect to all parents regarding the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey which will be administered at AHS on Tuesday, October 26. 


Just a reminder there is no school on Monday, October 11. Enjoy the long weekend.







Friday, October 1, 2021

Back to School Night 2021

 You can find the Back to School Night presentation attached here:

Back to School Night presentation

October 1, 2021

Good afternoon-

Welcome to October. We are excited to have made it through September in a pretty typical fashion. We are about halfway through Term 1. I am seeing a lot of students seeking support and extra help during X-block. Please encourage your student to sign up to see a teacher during X-block times they are offering. This is a great opportunity to get questions answered within the school day.

Breakfast is available to any student and is available before school until 8:45am. The current break at the end of X-block is an additional time for a snack and the cafeteria is happy to sell snacks as long as students are respecting school expectations. Students must leave the cafeteria clean and should not be bringing their food to class. Please help reinforce this by reminding your student of their responsibility to clean up after themselves and arrive in class on time. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Tickets are now on sale for the AHSTS fall production of: THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME. All performances are in the outside classroom/amphitheater across from the teacher's parking lot. Seating is limited to 75. These performances are expected to sell out. Tickets are available to purchase online for the 10/23 and 10/24 shows only. The 10/30 and 10/31 shows will be available to purchase online starting Monday, October 25th, weather permitting. Visit www.ahsts.com for more information and tickets.