A short week

Good afternoon and happy Friday-

It seems the week just "started" and here we are at Friday again.  I hope that you all enjoyed the five days together as a family.  I am excited for the many fun events happening around Ashland this weekend.  Please check out the message below regarding parking at the high school Saturday night.  We will have a full house with A Capella Night and the football game.  We were thrilled to learn today that we can make use of the parking spaces within the fencing in the student parking lot.  Please consider car pooling or walking if you are close if you are headed to AHS Saturday night.  

Please be sure to check out the Parent Flyers for other event around town this weekend.  

A message from Mr. Grimes:

Tomorrow night, Saturday, October 15 at 7:00pm, Ashland football will be hosting Millis High School in a battle for the top of the TVL Small Division on the William Cunis Field and Track in Ashland!  Due to limited parking at Ashland High School because of the solar project, we will be providing a shuttle bus from Ashland Middle School on 87 W. Union St, Ashland to the high school.  The Shuttle bus will start at 6:30pm and continuously shuttle fans between the high school and middle school throughout the game.  Please note that there is no parking on East Union St.  If you do park on East Union St or within the adjacent neighborhoods you do run the risk of being ticketed by Ashland PD.  If you require further information please reach out to myself, Mr. Grimes, in the athletic department.  Thank you and go Clockers!

MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey

Ashland High School students in all grades are once again scheduled to participate in the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey regarding their attitudes and behaviors with regard to a variety of health issues.  We will be administering this survey to students on November 1st, 2016.

The survey is both anonymous and voluntary. The results of this survey provide valuable data for the school and local community to use when setting priorities for addressing the health needs of students and to improve upon the health education programs and prevention services provided for them.

For more detailed information about the test, sample viewing, and opting-out please click here: MWAHS Opt-out

As a partner and supporter of Decisions of Every Turn Coalition, PTO, ASHPAC, and the Friends of APL I am very excited for our upcoming day with Dr. Ken Ginsburg.  Resiliency is a critical skill for all of our children, one of the most important skills they can have for a successful life.  Our 9th & 10th grade students will hear Dr. Ginsburg speak in the morning and he will address our staff in the afternoon.  I wish that all of our students could hear his message but time and space is prohibitive.  I hope that many of our 11th and 12th grade students will consider attending his evening presentation.  We are thrilled to have him with us for the day!

Please Try to Attend: On Wednesday, October 19^th at 7pm in the Ashland High School Auditorium, Kenneth Ginsburg, M.D., M.S. Ed, Ph.D. will present a program titled “Resilience in Action: Raising Children and Adolescents Who Are Prepared to Thrive” to the Ashland community. Dr. Ginsburg is a nationally recognized resilience expert (http://www.fosteringresilience.com); his program will address resilience and how his 7Cs Model of Resilience gives parents practical strategies to foster resilience and raise children that are prepared to thrive. This program is being hosted by Ashland’s Decisions at Every Turn Coalition, The Friends of the Ashland Public Library, Ashland K-12 PTO, and ASHPAC.

Tickets are now on sale for the AHSTS production of The Arabian Nights. The production runs Friday, November 4th and Saturday, November 5th at 7PM, Sunday, November 6th at 2PM. Patrons may buy tickets in advance online at ahsts.com. AHSTS offers discounted tickets purchased online. All seating is reserved. For more information or tickets, visit ahsts.com.

ASHPAC news: 
Basic Rights Workshop-
The Federation for Children with Special Needs with Kathy Bach
Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 at 7:00 PM
Ashland Middle School Activity Room
This workshop provides a basic understanding of the complex special education laws and procedures. 

Ashland Raises Happy, Healthy Kids

Tips for helping your children develop a healthy relationship with food

1. Promote a healthy relationship with food.
1. Make nutritious food options readily available at home.
2. Be a good role model - eat a balanced variety and amount of nutritious foods and drinks, eat breakfast and do not skip meals.
3. Teach children about nutrition and that there are no “bad” foods, everything is ok in moderation and/or on special occasions.
4. Do not talk about dieting or losing weight in front of your children.
2. Prioritize family meals.
3. Don’t use food as a reward.
4. Teach your children to eat when they are hungry - avoid telling your children to eat everything on their plate and avoid strict rules around food.