February 15, 2019

Happy February vacation!

Over the course of the past month teachers entered their course recommendations for the 2019-2020 school year and students have approved these recommendations as well as chosen electives.  The window for parent approval of course recommendations will open on Monday, February 25 and will remain open for two weeks, until Friday, March 8.  We ask that all parents look at their child's recommendations and check off your approval.  The Quickguide below walks you through the process.

iParent Course Recommendation Quickguide

AHS Override Procedure

Teachers spend a considerable amount of time determining what’s best for students in their
subject for the next school year.  They evaluate students performance, test scores, higher
level thinking, math, reading, and writing aptitude, and a host of other variables. Parents
disagreeing with a core course recommendation and wishing a different course level
for their child must follow the attached procedures.

From our ELL teachers:
Free English classes will begin on March 7, 2019 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. We will meet in
the library of Ashland Middle School for 8 classes on Thursday nights. Everyone is welcome!

Las clases gratuitas de inglés comenzarán el 7 de marzo de 2019 de 7:00 PM a 8:30 PM. Nos reuniremos en la biblioteca de la Escuela Intermedia Ashland para 8 clases los jueves por la
noche. ¡Todos son bienvenidos!

As aulas de inglês gratuitas começarão em 7 de março de 2019 das 19:00 às 20:30. Nós nos encontraremos na biblioteca da Ashland Middle School para 8 aulas nas noites de quinta-feira.
Todos são bem vindos!

A message from the Director of Counseling & Social/Emotional Learning:

Hello, my name is Jen Cutler and I am the Director of K-12 Counseling & Social Emotional Learning for the district. I am interested in learning about your knowledge of and interest in the social and emotional learning (SEL) of your children so that I am able to tailor events to your needs and provide you with the opportunity to give feedback on the ways in which we are addressing SEL throughout the district. Please take a few minutes to complete this anonymous survey.

If you would like to speak further please feel free to email or call me to set up an appointment, jcutler@ashland.k12.ma.us or (508) 532-4015.

I greatly appreciate your time and feedback.

Courageous Conversations: Conversation Vs. Confrontation Join us on Monday, March 4
at Ashland High School from 7-9pm for a world cafe style evening of conversation.  In
light of the recent occurrence of antisemitism at AHS this is an opportunity to talk about
how we handle words and symbols of hate and make sure that all members of the community
feel safe and respected.

Support your Special Olympic Athletes!
This year Ashland Public School Special Olympians will again participate in the Annual
Five Town Special Olympics Games Day held at Holliston High School! Athletes from
Millis, Medfield, Medway, Holliston and Ashland will participate in a hockey themed day
of skill. This event, co-sponsored by Special Olympics of Massachusetts and the five
towns participating, is free for the student athletes and includes the opening ceremony,
8 skill stations, the medals for each participant, and the closing ceremony associated with
an Olympic event.  Last year, for those who were here, we had a memorable day of parades,
celebrities and good sportsmanship as student athletes supported by student volunteers
showed off their skills.

Special Olympics rely on the volunteers and donations to offer these and other athletic
events for students with disabilities. We are asking for donations to support the cost of running
it.  On Friday March 1st we invite all students and staff to donate $1.00 and in return wear
the hat of your choice to school. Wearing a hat will signal your support of Special Olympics
and specifically our own student athletes who will be participating. All money will be given
directly to Special Olympics.

Thank you!!!

Host families needed for exchange students! Ashland High School will once again host 
students from China for the coming school year.  We would love to have Ashland families 
host these young people. Please check out the attached information from the companies 
we are working with and considering opening your home for the year!
ASCP Host Family flyer
Cambridge Network Host Family flyer
Host Family Referral Bonus program


Check out the Parent Flyers  to see what is going on around the schools and town!

February 8, 2019

Good afternoon-

It was great to see so much love and support for Jake today when he visited! #SilverStrong

Next week the AHS nursing and counseling staff will be conducting the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) protocol, in compliance with state law and in order to help prevent students from starting to use substances, or to intervene with early use, We will be conducting interview-based screening with all ninth grade students about the use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. We will follow the protocol developed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and will utilize the most commonly used substance use screening tool for adolescents in Massachusetts, the CRAFFT. Please review the detailed letter from our nursing department below.  We have also included resources to talk to your student about SBIRT.

SBIRT letter- English

SBIRT letter- Spanish

SBIRT letter- Portuguese

SBIRT DAET Resources- English

SBIRT DAET Resources- Portuguese

SBIRT DAET Resources- Spanish

SBIRT DAET Resources- Russian



News from the Class of 2019:
Senior week tickets will go on sale during lunch the week after February vacation. Tickets are $125 and include transportation to and from the high school, lunch and admission to Canobie Lake Park, Kimball Farm, Spirit of Boston boat cruise (dinner), Banquet at the high school and a T-shirt! Senior week begins Friday, May 24th (community service day) and follows graduation rehearsal the week before graduation (May 28- 31). Students must have paid their class dues ($10 per year) in order to purchase a ticket. Tickets can be purchased in cash or check made out to AHS Student Activities. Please contact Ms. Kulik (ekulik@ashland.k12.ma.us) with any questions. 

Reality Fair

The Ashland High School Student Council will be working with the Framingham Rotary Club on creating a Reality Fair for members of the senior class. The fair will take place on Friday, May 24th, as part of the seniors’ final week of school. This will be the first ever Fair held at the high school.

The purpose of the Reality Fair is to teach students about finances, credit score, and other real world budgeting skills. Students will participate in a number of  activities that will help them develop and manage these financial skills. By choosing an occupation with a corresponding annual salary, students will make life choices pertaining to paying for their food, clothes, appliances, house, and other luxuries.

We need your help! Whether it be parent volunteers to run the “luxury” booth or professionals in the automobile industry helping students choose the best type of transportation, the Fair is a great way to support the community and teach students about everyday expenses. We are looking for: volunteers who have a background in housing and real estate, furniture, health and nutrition, clothing, transportation, charity and community service, career counseling, credit and lending, credit counseling, saving and investing, and insurance. Furthermore, we are looking for additional volunteers (who don’t necessarily have any experience in those fields) to assist in the booths and to help run other aspects of the Fair.

The Student Council is also looking for local businesses and organizations to make donations of $500 or more to go towards the funding of the Fair. For more information or to fill out the donation and volunteer forms, visit https://sites.google.com/site/stucoashland/reality-fair or email STUCO.ashland@gmail.com. The Student Council is excited to bring this Reality Fair to life and looks forward to engaging the entire community in this event.  

If you are interested in your student learning more about Financial Literacy please let us know by completing this survey.

Dear Clockers,

Registration for Spring Sports will open on Monday, February 11th.  Please CLICK HERE anytime after 7am on Monday to register via FamilyID.  

Spring Offerings:

High School - Baseball, Softball, Lacrosse, Tennis, Outdoor Track

Middle School - Baseball, Softball, Outdoor Track 

Registration Deadlines:

High School - Monday, March 11th @ 12PM

Middle School - Monday, March 18th @ 12PM

SPRING SPORTS INFORMATION NIGHT

Thank you and as always...GO CLOCKERS!

Check out the Parent Flyers  to see what is going on around the schools and town!

February 1, 2019

Report cards are available!  Grades have been published and are open in iParent/iStudent.  We have also updated the My Documents tab to include a PDF copy of the Report Card for your convenience.  Please note that for students with Senior or NHS privileges attendance numbers reflect Excused Tardies & Dismissals.

10-day add/drop: The new semester began on Monday and many students have new semester electives.  Students have 10 school days to request any changes to these courses with no penalty.  
The end of the 10 day add/drop period is Friday, February 8th.  If you have any questions, see your School Counselor.

Friday, February 8 will be Silver Strong Day at AHS!  Students are encouraged to wear their orange to show their support for Jake Silver, Class of 2018.  

Is your student's name spelled correctly?  Do we have the correct suffix?
We are asking that all parents, but especially parents of SENIORS, please check the spelling of your student's name for accuracy in iParent.  Diplomas are printed with the full legal name of each student.  If there is a misspelling, inaccuracy, etc. please let us know immediately by contacting the front office.  Seniors will be checking their names on a printed copy over the next couple of weeks as we get ready to order diplomas.  Thank you!  

The course selection process for 2019-2020 has started.  Teachers have made their recommendations and the window will open for students on Monday, February 4.  Students will have until February 15 to approve teacher recommendations and make their elective choices.

Parents will do the approval process from February 26- March 9 (more details to come on how to do this!)

For the past couple of years we have held a spring Parent/Teacher Conference Night and have asked that families who are looking to override a course make an appointment during that evening.

Tickets are now on sale for the AHSTS production of Little Shop of Horrors. The production runs Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2 at 7PM, and Sunday, November 3 at 2PM.

AHSTS offers online sales up to two hours before show time. AHSTS discounts tickets purchased online (Adults: $13.99, Students/AHSTS Alumni $8.99), Patrons may buy tickets at the door at full price. (Adults: $16, Students and AHSTS Alumni $10) Visit www.ahsts.com to purchase tickets.

Annual Boston Bruins PJ Drive

Dates:      Feb 1 - Mar 15

Location:  Collection Box Located at Each School Foyer

What:       New Pajamas (Size baby - High School | Male & Female)

How:        Donations are managed and distributed by Cradles to Crayons

Q's:          Contact Adam Kahn (adamrkahn@gmail.com)

Check out the Parent Flyers  to see what is going on around the schools and town!