Getting ready for 2021-2022

 August 4, 2021

Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians:

I hope you are having a wonderful summer. It has been great to have some downtime after the crazy year we experienced last year. This year will hopefully bring us back to some sense of normalcy. The schedule will function as it does in a normal year (7 periods- 5 drop 2). We are awaiting further guidance at this time regarding masks, etc. 

We hope to have schedules for 2021-2022 for all new students mailed sometime in the next week, hopefully by Thursday, August 12, 2021. If you do not receive a schedule by August 17, please call the AHS counseling office to request one.  

All current APS students, grades 9-12, will be able to view their schedules on iStudent and iParent the morning of Friday, August 13 after 9am.  

Any current AHS student who does not recall how to access iStudent can email the main office to have their account reset at ahsmainoffice@ashland.k12.ma.us

(Members of the Class of 2025 will receive their iStudent log-in information at New Student Orientation but can see their schedules through iParent if it is set up.)

It is important to note that the schedules are not 100% finalized and there will be some changes as we try to balance out class sizes and meet the needs of all students.  The counseling staff and administration have been working tirelessly this summer to produce the best schedule for the greatest amount of students. Any blank space in the schedule indicates a study hall. Study hall room assignments will be reflected on schedules by the first day of school. Counselors names may appear as a teacher until new teachers have been added to the system.

If you have not already done so, please visit our website  https://ipass.imgsoftware.com/school/ashland/pamregister.html and sign-up for iParent.

All summer work is posted at https://www.ashland.k12.ma.us/Page/2686. Please review the page to see if any of your classes require summer preparation. All students have to choose at least one book from the list compiled by the English department. I have read several of them and they are great.

Key Dates:

Student Leadership Summit- Tuesday, August 17 from 10am-2pm

Are you a club leader, a sport's team captain, class officer, etc.?  Are you someone who is interested in making an impact on our school? ALL students interested in having a voice at AHS are encouraged to attend this fun, interactive morning! -  (bring a sack lunch-drinks and snacks will be provided). 
This annual event is a chance for all students interested in helping to build a positive school culture to help set goals and expectations for a great school year.  
All captains and students in club and activity leadership positions are expected to attend. 

Class of 2024 Welcome Social/orientation- Wednesday, August 18 from 4-5pm

Students are invited to get together with classmates and administration for a modified orientation since we missed it last year! 

Freshman and New Student Orientation- Thursday, August 19 from 4-6pm

Join the AHS administration and counselors for fun activities that will help new students get to know the building as well as our culture and expectations.  This event is for students only but there will be a brief orientation and Q&A for interested parents at 5:30pm in the auditorium. 

As we are waiting for specific information regarding COVID protocols from our local authorities we do ask that all attendees follow current CDC guidance and recommendations around mask-wearing.

Students who are not able to attend are welcome to stop by and orient themselves to the building at other times between 8am-2:45pm any time after August 19. Stop by the office and introduce yourself!

June 16, 2021

Happy last day of school!!

Thank you to the amazing AHS students and Ashland community as a whole for making this a successful year for all. We are so glad we can look to a more normal future and are excited to see what the 2021-2022 school brings!

Grades will open in iStudent/iParent hopefully by the end of the week.  We are waiting on grades from our remote program and hope to have them in next couple of days. The final report card for the year will be shared in the reports section.  

Members of the Class of 2023 will be able to see their GPA and decile rank with this report card.  If you have any questions or concerns about your grades please reach out to your counselor.  They will be in the building through Tuesday, June 22.  

The main office will be open for summer hours starting Thursday, June 17.  Hours will be 8am- 2:45pm but it is recommended you call first to make sure someone is in. Ms. Chaney and I are often the only ones here in the summer, after next week, and we will both be taking some personal and professional time.

Please follow the link below for all summer assignments:
Summer Assignments

The Peer Leader application was e-mailed to all members of the Classes of 2022 and 2023.  Students should complete the application prior to August 1.  We welcome all students to apply to be a part of this program. The mission of the program is to create an inclusive, supportive environment for all students and to help our new students transition to AHS.

Schedules for the 2021-2022 school year will be available on or around August 9.  Stay tuned!  The counseling staff and Deans are working diligently to make sure we have a schedule that meets the needs of our students.

Here are some tentative dates for Start of the School Year activities/times are to be determined:

Student Leadership training - team, club and activity leaders are expected to attend (ALL students interested in having a voice at AHS are encouraged to attend!)- August 17

Peer Leader training- August 19
New Student Orientation- August 19 4-6pm (Club/activity Fair 3:45pm)

Class of 2024 Welcome- August 18 4-6pm

Math placement test for new students and AMS overrides- May 19 (prior to the orientation)

Many students have the ability to complete service hours over the summer.  

Here are the AHS guidelines for your information:
Community Service information
Students can start earning service hours the summer before their 9th grade year and must have their 25 hours completed before the start if senior year if they wish to earn senior privileges.

From the Director of Counseling & Social-Emotional Learning

Please enjoy the final Family SEL Newsletter of the school year! 

June 11, 2021

Good afternoon and happy last Friday of the school year! 

We are excited to be wrapping up a successful school year. Next week Monday and Tuesday will be regular school days. Wednesday, June 16 is an early release day. Student dismissal is at 11:20am.

Grades will be released on Thursday, June 17. 

All students must return books and other classroom materials as well as parking passes. Please drop parking passes at the front office. 

Chromebooks: Students will be allowed to keep their devices over the summer break, in order to provide opportunities to continue learning and remain engaged in educational activities, should they choose to do so. Students and parents can stay connected to email, and our district website to see information regarding announcements that provide fun, educational ideas, and resources for students. Students will still be responsible for any damage, loss, or theft of their device(s). If the student’s enrollment status with Ashland Public Schools changes over the summer, such that the student will not be returning in the fall, it is expected that the Chromebook, charger, and carry case will be returned to the district.   

June 4, 2021

Good afternoon and Congratulations to the Class of 2021-

We are very much looking forward to Graduation for the Class of 2021 this weekend.  The graduation ceremony starts at 10am and we anticipate the parade starting at approximately 11:45am from AHS. We hope many AHS students and families will line the parade route to cheer on the graduates as they make their last drive through APS.

All members of the Class of 2024 (grade 9) taking Biology this year will take the MCAS assessment on Tuesday, June 8. Their teachers have shared information and test room locations will be posted Monday.

The last day of school is quickly approaching. Wednesday, June 16 is an early release day with students done by 11:20am. The last days of school will be regular school days for students but we hope to have some fun and enrichment!

Chromebooks: Students will be allowed to keep their devices over the summer break, in order to provide opportunities to continue learning and remain engaged in educational activities, should they choose to do so. Students and parents can stay connected to email, and our district website to see information regarding announcements that provide fun, educational ideas, and resources for students. Students will still be responsible for any damage, loss, or theft of their device(s). If the student’s enrollment status with Ashland Public Schools changes over the summer, such that the student will not be returning in the fall, it is expected that the Chromebook, charger, and carry case will be returned to the district.   

A reminder to walkers to respect your community: Please be respectful to both property and others as you are walking home. There have been concerns about trash thrown on lawns and inappropriate language/actions around younger students. 

May 21, 2021

Good afternoon-

We are excited that MCAS is now complete. Thank you to the sophomores and juniors who worked hard and gave it their best. Members of the Class of 2024 who are currently enrolled in biology will take that test on June 8 (note date correction). 

Now we are ready to move on to celebrating the class of 2021! We hope the community will once again line the streets to cheer on our seniors as they follow a route past all APS schools. This year's car parade will happen immediately after graduation on Sunday, June 6. We anticipate the parade will start by 11:45am. The procession route is attached here. 

All guests at graduation must be pre-registered. Each graduate can have no more than 6 guests, who are members of their immediate household. Please register here.

Thank you to Decisions at Every Turn who put together an amazing folder of resources regarding health and safety around graduation:

DAET- Supporting Your Graduate resources

May 14, 2021

Good afternoon and happy Friday-

Thank you to all AHS students and families who helped us to successfully administer the ELA MCAS to the Classes of 2022 and 2023. We appreciate you patience and flexibility as we navigate assessing more than one class at a time while limiting the impact on all classes. We would not have had space to put all of our students were working hard past the allotted 3 hours had we had our other classes in the building.

We will follow a similar plan this coming week, May 20-21, while we administer the math MCAS. Please remember the sophomore and junior classes are occurring in person after the students complete testing and students are expected to be in the building for classes or they will be marked absent. Freshmen and senior classes will again be asynchronous and held remotely. 

Academic Awards Night! will be held virtually on Wednesday, May 19. WACA will broadcast the virtual awards at 7pm and students will receive their certificates in school over the course of the following week. 

Senior parents have received communication regarding graduation through Blackboard Mass Communications. Please look for registration information for graduation as well as other end of the year activities this weekend. All members of the community are invited to line the streets for the graduation parade on Sunday, June 6 beginning approximately at 11:30am. A map of the parade route will be shared in the coming week or two. 

 Class Officer Elections:

The election process for the 2021-2022 class officers has begun!  Any student interested in running for a class officer or elected Student Council representative position should read through all the information here.  All nominations and administrator endorsements are due to Mr. Wiczer by Friday, May 28th, at 3pm.

School Committee Advisory Council:

We need to elect a five-person "School Committee Advisory Council" that meets regularly with the School Committee to update them on what's going on at AHS.  In addition, one member of this group will be chosen to be the official "student representative" on the School Committee, attending all meetings and offering suggestions from the perspective of an AHS student.  To learn more and learn about the election process, please read through all of the information here.   All nominations and administrator endorsements are due to Mr. Wiczer by Friday, May 28th, at 3pm.

Any questions?  Contact Mr. Wiczer at jwiczer@ashland.k12.ma.us

May 7, 2021

Good afternoon-

We are through week one of AP testing and MCAS tests start next week. As a reminder, all 10th and 11th grade students are scheduled to take the ELA MCAS on May 12-13. The test is scheduled for the first two periods of each day. 

•     Students in grade 9 & 12 will have asynchronous work assigned during those periods.
•     Students in grade 10 & 11 will report to class for the last two periods of the day.
•     Classes will be synchronous or asynchronous for grades 9 & 12 for the last two periods.
•     Teachers will notify their classes of expectations.
•     Students in grade 11 who have opted out of MCAS are encouraged to attend in-person for the last two periods of the day.

Tuesday pool testing- Thanks to all of the students athletes and activity members who registered for pool testing. This week students waited in the lobby to test. This was solely because we were avoiding making announcements during AP testing. We do not have any more Tuesday morning tests so we will return to calling students down in small groups. This will limit missed class time to only a few minutes. Students are still able to come in right at 8:20am and do their pool test before going to class. 

Lunch: Thank you to those who have expressed concern about changes to lunch seating. As I am sure you can understand, keeping 175+ students socially distant at lunch was just not feasible when all students were outside. We found it has worked well to keep three grades inside and allow one class to go outside a day. Seniors will be allowed outside for two days and each other class will have one day. This is a necessity for management and safety of all students.

Senior Assassin: We have a received some parent concerns about the safety of this game. We share the concerns. This is NOT a school sponsored event. Students who are caught with any water gun, etc. at school have it confiscated. 

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there.