Week of 10/26/15-10/30/15

Class of 2016!

Happy Friday and Happy Halloween!  

Ghostbusters!

80's workout 

 The Class of 2016 had a great Halloween parade today.

Mr. Coakley

Orange is the New Black

This fun tradition where they parade around the school showing off their creativity really brings out the kid in all of us.


Term 1 closes on Tuesday, November 10 and report card grades will be available on November 17. Grades are posted through iParent/iStudent so sign up now if you don't have an account.  You can request a paper copy of a report card by emailing Linda Chaney at lchaney@ashland.l12.ma.us


We are very excited to be able to bring a group of AHS students to the Jostens Renaisance MikeSmithLive Student Leadership Conference  at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester MA on November 18th.  If your student is interested in attending please have him/her send me an email.   We will hold a lottery if we have more interest than available tickets.  This conference will focus on character and leadership.  Mike Smith is an engaging speaker with a powerful message.  I wish all of our students could hear him!  Check out his website for more information!

Tickets are now on sale for the AHSTS production of The Girl From Maxim's.

Summery: Enjoy all the frivolity, the gaiety, and the energy of Paris with the master of farce and a cavalcade of comic characters!

A normally sober doctor awakens to find that he brought two things home from Maxim's last night: a hangover and a woman. His wife is diverted from discovering the woman by one of her famous visitations from a popular saint. The doctor's uncle returns after a long army tour in Africa and promptly mistakes the lady from Maxim's for his nephew's wife. Uncle's immediate business is marrying off a niece to a young soldier who turns out to be the true lover of the lady from Maxim's. Everybody is invited to the ceremony at the uncle's chateau where all courses collide. The master of farce unravels the confusion happily and innocently!

The production runs Friday, November 6th and Saturday, November 7th at 7PM, Sunday, November 8th 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.

Week of 10/19/15-10/23/15

Good afternoon and happy Friday!  I hope to see many of you at tonight's Student Council barbecue from 5-7pm prior to the Field & Track Dedication and Homecoming football game.  Go Clockers!

Tomorrow is our Homecoming Dance from 7-10pm in the AHS cafeteria. Students must arrive by 8pm and all guests must have received prior approval from administration.  Parents will be notified of any students leaving the dance prior to 9pm.

Just a reminder- Picture Retakes are Monday, October 26th!

As always, take a moment to check out the flyers regarding the many great happenings around town!

The Ashland Robot Rodeo

Do you and your children enjoy playing with Legos? Would you like an opportunity to build and play with robots of various shapes and sizes? This amazing opportunity is being given to you on Nov 21st at the first annual Robot Rodeo being held at Ashland High School in the cafeteria. Bring your daughters, sons, nieces nephews and neighbors! All ages welcome. Running from 10:30am - 3pm, the high school robotics club will be holding this amazing event to teach kids cool STEM concepts while they play. Take a robot through an obstacle course, learn basic coding concepts even as young as 3 years old by programming our human 'robots'. Test your skills in our Sphero skills course. Build and play with a Lego Mindstorms robot. Be introduced to the Makey Makey and more! Entry is just $5. Lunch and snacks will also be available on site. Contact Chad McGowan cmcgowan@ashland.k12.ma.us with question or if you would like to donate or volunteer to the program.

The Leos Club will be collecting small, travel-sized toiletry items to donate to local family shelters. Items can be sent in to be placed in the donation box outside of the main office. Thank you in advance for your support!

Know what next Friday is? LUCKY TRAY DAY for the STAND campaign! Be sure to tell your child to get a disposable tray with their meal to see if they are a lucky winner! 

For more info on STAND go to www.ashlanddecisions.org or email questions to coalitioninfo@ashlanddecisions.org

Some of our second floor teachers are looking for used tennis balls on the feet of all student chairs and desks.  If you have any old tennis balls available to donate please drop them by the AHS office!

Tickets are now on sale for the AHSTS production of The Girl From Maxim's.

Summary: Enjoy all the frivolity, the gaiety, and the energy of Paris with the master of farce and a cavalcade of comic characters!

A normally sober doctor awakens to find that he brought two things home from Maxim's last night: a hangover and a woman. His wife is diverted from discovering the woman by one of her famous visitations from a popular saint. The doctor's uncle returns after a long army tour in Africa and promptly mistakes the lady from Maxim's for his nephew's wife. Uncle's immediate business is marrying off a niece to a young soldier who turns out to be the true lover of the lady from Maxim's. Everybody is invited to the ceremony at the uncle's chateau where all courses collide. The master of farce unravels the confusion happily and innocently!

The production runs Friday, November 6th and Saturday, November 7th at 7PM, Sunday, November 8th 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.

On Tuesday, October 27th at 7pm in the Ashland High School Library, the Decisions at Every Turn (DAET) Coalition and the Friends of the Ashland Public Library will be hosting a Community Discussion titled:  Social, Emotional, and Mental Health – How to Support your Child through the School Years.

Please join us for a short panel presentation featuring Ashland Police Department's mental health clinician and Ashland Public School administration and guidance staff. These presentations will be followed by a facilitated discussion about how best to support the social, emotional, and mental well-being of Ashland youth in Grades K-12. 

For additional information please see our flyer at: http://nebula.wsimg.com/7c905df623339060733da2287f71ee50?AccessKeyId=A263E0F7BD258287568C&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

Week of 10/13/15-10/16/15

Thank you all for a wonderful Back-to-School Night.   We appreciated the wonderful feedback about so many of our teachers. 

As always, please be sure to check out the updated information in the Parent Flyers section....

             Mr. Adams is planning a community book read...pick up the book and join the fun.

             If your student is interested in learning about how to start and carry through an initiative or creative idea there is a great student-led conference occurring at Harvard on October 24th.  Check it out under Sponsr.us in the flyers. 

Homecoming Week (October 18th - 24th)

We hope to see many of you at the community activities!

The Ashland High School Student Council is running "Homecoming Week" next week!  The week starts off with the community-wide Pancake Breakfast on Sunday morning, October 18th, from 9am - 11am in the high school cafeteria; $5/person for all-you-can-eat pancakes and sausage.

Every day of "spirit week" is a dress-up day, and students are encouraged to dress-up and participate!  (The class with the most participation will win a barbecue from the Student Council, to be held in the spring.)

Monday, October 19th: Pajama Day

Tuesday, October 20th: Flannel Day

Wednesday, October 21st: Tie-Dye / Neon Day

Thursday, October 22nd: USA Day

Friday, October 23rd: Class Color Day (freshmen: green, sophomores: red, juniors: blue, seniors: white.)

On Friday, October 23rd, join us for our Homecoming Barbecue in the small parking lot outside the stadium from 5pm - 7pm; $5 for a burger (veggie burgers available), chips, and water.  Then stick around for the Homecoming football game against Bellingham.

For more information, check out the Student Council website at: https://sites.google.com/site/stucoashland/ 

The Track and Field dedication to Bill Cunis will be held at this game.  We look forward to welcoming the Cunis family and friends for this big event!

The semi-formal Homecoming Dance will be held on Saturday, October 24th from 7pm - 10pm (please note the time change) in the high school cafeteria.  Tickets will be sold during lunch for $8 and at the door for $10.  Any student planning on bringing a guest from another school must fill out a guest-approval form (available in the office) and return it by Wednesday, October 21st.

For more information, check out the Student Council website at: https://sites.google.com/site/stucoashland/ 

We have a group of approximately 25 exchange students from France arriving on Friday, October 23rd.  Mdme. Medved has been organizing this exchange and we are excited to welcome these students to our community!  

Please save the date and join us at AHS on Tuesday, October 27th at 7pm for the Mental Health World Cafe.  

Thank you and enjoy the weekend!

10/5-10/9

FAMILY RECONNECT WEEKEND!  I hope your families have time to connect and relax this weekend.

Coming next week...

Tuesday, October 13 at 2:30-4:00pm- Decisions at Every Turn Student meeting

DAET is hosting their monthly meeting at 2:30pm and this meeting is focused on students.  Please consider attending and getting involved.  The meeting will be held at Ashland Middle School in Room 5.  

                                                    5pm- Josten's Ring Ordering 

Josten's will be in the back lobby of the school to meet with students and parents to order class rings. Sophomores and any juniors and seniors who have not ordered may drop by to get sized and place an order.

Wednesday, October 14-      PSAT's   7:30AM start time

AHS will be administering the PSAT's during the school day this year.  The test will take place in the AHS gym.  Please make sure your child is aware that he/she need to be in their seat in the gym, prepared to start the test at 7:30am.

Thursday, October 15 from 6-8pm- Back-to-School Night 

Elections for the 2015-2016 School/Site Council will be held during the evening.  Please stop by the PTO manned table near the library to vote.

Welcome in the auditorium at 6pm followed by following your student's schedule for a chance to meet teachers and hear about the curriculum.  Please remember to access your student's schedule using iParent or have your student share their schedule with you.

The Ashland High School Student Council is gearing up for our Homecoming week, October 18th - 24th, and we'd like to invite the entire Ashland community to two of our events.

On Sunday, October 18th, we are running a pancake breakfast in the high school cafeteria from 9am to 11am.  Come join us (and bring your family!) for all-you-can-eat pancakes and sausage for just $5/person.  

On Friday, October 23rd, we are running a barbecue prior to the Homecoming football game, in the small parking lot outside the stadium at the high school from 5pm to 7pm.  Come join us (and again, bring your family!) and grab a burger and chips for $5/person and then stick around for the Homecoming Football game against Bellingham.  

For more details, check out our website at: http://sites.google.com/site/stucoashland/

Hope to see some of you at these events!  

Week in Review: 9/28-10/2

We successfully completed our first full week of the school year!  It feels like things are really getting rolling.  

Please take a moment to review the flyers at the right for some exciting upcoming events in and around town.

We have a few big things coming up over the next few weeks:

Tuesday, October 6- Senior picture day w/Grynn & Barrett- Any Senior who needs a portrait for the yearbook can make an individual appointments and pictures will be       taken  here at AHS in B100 (English wing).

Wendesday, October 7- Sophomore class meeting w/Josten's  Our ring company will be here to begin the Class Ring ordering process

Friday, October 9- Early release day Teachers will be receiving Professional Development on Mindfulness and supporting students who are transgender. The AHS faculty and staff continually strives to make this school a safe place for all students and we look forward to hearing from experts on these important issues.

FAMILY RECONNECT WEEKEND!  October 10-12Enjoy time as a family without having to worry about school commitments.

Tuesday, October 13 at 5pm- Josten's Ring OrderingJosten's will be in the back lobby of the school to meet with students and parents to order class rings. Sophomores and any juniors and seniors who have not ordered may drop by to get sized and place an order.

Wednesday, October 14- PSAT's   AHS, along with all other high schools, will be administering the PSAT's during the school day this year.  

Thursday, October 15 from 6-8pm- Back-to-School Night Welcome in the auditorium at 6pm followed by following your student's schedule for a chance to meet teachers and hear about the curriculum.  Please access your student's schedule using iParent or have your student share their schedule with you.

Week in Review 9/21-9/25

This week we congratulated six students; John Almeida, Tiffany Brouwers, Joe Geres, Roger Gu, Mary McLoughlin, and Madeline Robertson as Commended in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program.  We are so proud of their accomplishments.

Several students submitted resumes for our new partnership with the Ashland Business Association and Ashland High School.  We are so excited for this opportunity, proposed by an AHS alumni.  Students will be helping local businesses use social media to their advantage.  There are still opportunities to join so feel free to encourage any students with an interest in business or helping their community and a knack for social media to pick up information in the main office.


Student safety is always one of our top priorities.  Teachers have been reviewing lockdown procedures with classes this week and we expect to work in collaboration with the Ashland Police Deparment to have a practice drill next week.


The School Start Times Committee invites you to review the attached "Frequently Asked Questions" document and to sign up for the the School Start Time Committee Newsletter.  This can be accessed at: http://www.ashlandhs.org/ECSC/newsletter.htmll 

The School Start Time Committee's LibGuide is available at:  http://ashlandhs.libguides.com/StartTimes.

Does your child need some help with that new math cumulative review? Do they have questions on the problems from last week's math quiz? Or do they just need a spot to do their math homework with someone who can lend a hand?

Free help sessions run by National Honors Society students are available every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in B243, Ms. Jost's room, from 2-3. No need for an appointment - just come on in and bring your homework, exam review, cumulative review or any other math problems. We can help!


Please check out the important flyers from many of the important community organizations in town under the Parent Flyers link!

Week of 9/15-9/18

Happy Friday!  

Even though it was another short week things seem to be settling into a routine.  

This is the time of year where we review safety protocols.  We had a fire drill this week and will practice lock-down procedures some time in the next two weeks.  

Seniors are gearing up for thinking about next steps.  We had a College Mini-Fair on Wednesday and a College Information Night hosted by the Guidance Department on Thursday.  You can find the link for the Information Night on the Guidance website as well as information on our next Mini-Fair scheduled for September 30th.  Parents are welcome to attend!

I am looking forward to the Make-A-Wish fundraiser at tonight's volleyball game as well as cheering on the football team.  Best of luck to all of the other teams competing this afternoon as well!

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Kelley St. Coeur

Speaking of athletics...please see the note below from Mr. Grimes, Athletic Director

Dear Parents/Guardians-

The Athletic Department is looking for 3 parent volunteers to serve on a committee to review and rewrite the Student Athletic Handbook.  As part of the committee you will work with others from within the community to align the Athletic Handbook with the School Committee Policy Manual as well as the High School and Middle School Handbooks.  

If you are interested please send me an email at mgrimes@ashland.k12.ma.us by Friday 9/25 at Noon.  If more than 3 parents are interested, I will hold a lottery.  Meeting times will be discussed once the committee is formed. 

Thanks and I look forward to working with you all.

Mike Grimes

AHS Faculty and Community News

The deadline for submitting an application for the Social Media Internship is Thursday, September 24th. Please drop your cover letter and resume off to the front office on or before Thursday.  This is a great opportunity to gain some business experience while also sharing your knowledge with a local business needing help to create their social media profile.  

Robotics

The Robotics Club will be holding its annual Used Legos sale at Ashland Day, this Saturday! Stop by our booth to see our demo bots, buy Legos, to meet our team members, and help us raise funds. Robotics club meets every Tuesday in room A219 from 2 until 3:25. All students are welcome to join. This year we are looking to enter two teams into the annual Botball competition. We are glad to have a growing number of female participants and hope to see more join this year's teams.

Yearbook

The yearbook officially goes on sale this week! Our book will once again (for the 7th straight year) be $85!!! Freshman, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors will all be represented in sports, clubs, school activities and more! Last year we sold a record number of books as more than 1/3 of the student body purchased the 2014-15 yearbook. This year we hope to top that! Visit https://www.yearbookordercenter.com and enter our school number 13046 to place your orders.

All students are welcome to come be part of our team. We have over 120 pages to complete and it requires a dedicated staff. Play sports, or belong to other clubs? No worries! Students can join us for a meeting and we will figure out how we can work together on this amazing project.

Yearbook - Ashland Day $pecial for $eniors!!

This September only... order a yearbook, nameplate, and 1/2 page add and save 25%! That is almost the full price of a book. Pick up one of our fliers at our booth at Ashland Day, or emailcscott@ashland.k12.ma.us for details.

Stop by the ASHPAC booth at Ashland day or at the AHS football game to get your Ashland fleece blanket.   

Ashland Day special price of $20,  price goes up

after Ashland Day!

The Ashland Clocker Club is currently looking for Concession Stand, Clocker Store and Fundraising Event Volunteers. If you are interested in donating some of your time in support of Ashland High School athletic programs please sign-up online using the following links:

Concession Stand Sign-up: http://vols.pt/wWaHhW

General Volunteer Sign-up: http://vols.pt/ZwtWkK

For more information on the Clocker Club please visit www.clockerclub.org, visit the Ashland Clocker Club Facebook page, follow us on twitter @clockerclub or follow us on instagram @clockerpride.  Have you purchased some of the new Clocker gear from our renovated Clocker Store?  If you have, show off your Clocker Pride by posting a pic to Facebook, twitter or instagram and tag it with #clockerpride!