June 17, 2019

Good afternoon and happy summer!

It is hard to believe the 2018-2019 school year has come to an end!  I hope you all have a restful summer.

Grades will open in iStudent/iParent tomorrow afternoon by 3pm.  The final report card for the year will be shared in the reports.  Members of the Class of 2021 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 Friday, June 21.  If you have a 0 listed in in the final exam column it signifies your student owes a book or other materials. Please call the front office for information if you are not sure what is missing or need to know the cost.

The main office will be open for summer hours starting Tuesday, June 18.  Hours will be 8am- 2:45pm but it is recommended you call first to make sure someone is in.  Ms. Chaney and I are the only ones here in the summer, after this week, and we will both be taking some personal and professional time.

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

Peer Leader applications are available on the website for members of the classes of 2020 and 2021.  Students should complete the application prior to August 15.  We welcome all students to apply to be a part of this program and help our new students transition to AHS.

Schedules for the 2019-2020 school year will be available on or around August 6.  Stay tuned!  The counseling staff and Deans are working diligently to make sure we have a schedule that meets the needs of the most students.

Here are some tentative dates for Start of the School Year activities/times are to be determined:
Peer Leader training- August 21
Student Leadership training (ALL students interested in having a voice at AHS are encouraged to attend!)- August 22
New Student Orientation- August 21, 2018 4-6pm


Many students have the ability to complete service hours over the summer.  Here are the AHS guidelines for your information:
Community Service guidelines
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.

Schedules are expected to be ready for parent and student viewing during the first full week of August. I will email an exact date once it is finalized.

Today we said good-bye to three retirees.  We are grateful for the service of Sue Bronstein (English), Terri Henry (STEM), and Len Rabinowitz (history).  Ms Henry will return in the fall to teach part-time so we aren't losing her entirely.  We wish Ms. Bronstein and Mr. Rabinowitz all the best in their next adventures.

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

Have you ever thought about hosting an exchange student? The Cambridge Network is in need of more families to host exchange students attending Ashland High School next year. 

Cambridge Network Host Family recruiting flyer

June 7, 2019

Good afternoon-

It has been a quiet week without our seniors. We wish the class of 2019 all the best in their future endeavors!

Mr. Moshkovitz took some great pictures of the graduation ceremony.  Enjoy!
Mr. Mosh's graduation album

June 11-17- Final Exams (grades 9-11)

If you are interested in purchasing a yearbook they are still available for $120.  Contact Sue Reap

to purchase one.

The Ashland Public Library and Friends of the Ashland Public Library are almost
ready tolaunch the 2019 Ashland Summer Reading Program. We need the half sheet
flyer translated into the following languages: Tuli, ASL, Japanese, Marathi, Kannada,
Persian/Farsi, Indonesian, Greek. Arabic, Korean, Gujarathi, Russian, Urdu, Mandarin,
Luganda, Telegu, Tagalog. It qualifies for an hour of community service. If you're able
to help please send an email to president@friendsoftheapl.com.

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

Have you ever thought about hosting an exchange student? The Cambridge Network is in need of more families to host exchange students attending Ashland High School next year. 

Cambridge Network Host Family recruiting flyer

Youth Lead the Change (YLC) is a global youth leadership development program developed by students and professors at Harvard College and Harvard Business School. 

YLC is now accepting applications for the 10th annual Boston conference (at Harvard University, August 26-30th), and we would love to have students from Ashland High School join!

If you know of any interested who might be interested in the program, please feel free to forward this email with the following links. Applications to YLC Boston will be due June 21st — please let us know if you have any questions!

Conference Application: http://bit.ly/HarvardYLC2019

Financial Aid Application: http://bit.ly/HaravrdYLC2019Aid

We look forward to reading your students' applications!

Warmly,

Ishaan, Vivian, and Aysha

YLC Boston 2019 Coordinators

June 1, 2019

My newsletter is a late this week given the Senior Week festivities.

It was a great week for the Class of 2019 and I look forward to celebrating their graduation with them tomorrow at 1pm.

Yesterday was a great day walking through the schools of APS.  What a send off for the seniors.
Pittaway visit- Congrats from the Class of 2032

Here is the link to the graduation ceremony.  WACA-TV uses Facebook Live.  It will also be live on  Comcast channel 11 and Verizon channel 45.

If you are interested in checking out the Class Day ceremony it can be found here.

Biology students will be testing on Tuesday, June 4 and Wednesday, June 5. All students in Honors Biology, CP2 Biology, and Application of Biology II will test this week.  Please help to make sure your student is well rested and has a good breakfast. 

Please check out the
APS Social Emotional Learning Newsletter 1, May 2019

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

May 27, 2019

Happy Memorial Day Weekend-


A request from the AHS Robotics Club for used Legos:

It is that time of year again, when we get ready for summer and consider what lies ahead in the fall. For the AHS Robotics club, that means planning for Ashland Day and the Robot Rodeo! One of our best fund raisers is through the generosity of Ashland families donating used Legos to our club. We then repackage them and sell them at a reasonable price in order to raise the funds needed to go to our annual competition. If you have any Legos to donate, please reach out to Chad McGowan, cmcgowan@ashland.k12.ma.us, or just drop them to the high school office labeled "Robotics" and we will get them. Thank you to all who continue to support STEAM education throughout Ashland.

Here is a list of upcoming important events at AHS:

May 28-31- Senior Week!  A reminder to seniors, permission slips must be in for attendance at senior week events.

June 2- Graduation 1pm- AHS gym

June 4-5- Science MCAS (Biology)

June 11-17- Final Exams (grades 9-11)

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

May 17, 2019

Good afternoon-
I am sitting here thinking it looks like the rain has finally stopped.  I hope it at least holds off for the next few hours as our junior prom go-er's are out taking pictures.  I am looking forward to seeing the students in their prom finery soon!  I hope they all have a fun evening filled with lots of laughs and good choices.

Today was the last full day of classes for the Class of 2019! Bittersweet but exciting. I heard a lot of "that was my last... class at AHS" in the halls this morning.
Here is a reminder of the senior exam and senior week schedules.  Seniors must have returned a permission slip in order to attend the senior week events.
They will receive their caps and gowns on Tuesday, May 28 at the conclusion of the first graduation rehearsal.  Please review the information carefully and remind your student to be present and on-time for all exam and senior week required activities!

I missed including the Math MCAS in my list of important dates.  All sophomores will be testing on Tuesday, May 21 and Wednesday, May 22.  This is once again a computer based test.  Encourage your student to get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast on those days!

Are you interested in attending a service and tourism trip to South Africa next February break? If so, there is an informational meeting for students and parents on Wednesday May 22 in Ms. Hogan's room at 7:00 PM. All are welcome!

Here is a list of upcoming important events at AHS:

May 17- Grand March 5:30pm- AHS gym

              Prom - Union Station, Worcester

May 20-24- Senior finals week

May 21-22- Math MCAS (all sophomores)

May 28-31- Senior Week!

June 2- Graduation 1pm- AHS gym

June 4-5- Science MCAS (Biology)

June 11-17- Final Exams (grades 9-11)

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

May 12, 2019

Good afternoon-
If you are a mom I hope you are enjoying a restful day!

A message from the Superintendent: As a District one of our goals is to become better communicators with parents/guardians and the community at-large.  In an effort to determine how successful we are and in what areas we need to improve upon, I have created a very short survey which I ask for your participation.  The survey should take no more than 3 minutes and your input will be very helpful.

Should you have any questions or problems with the survey please let me know. The link to the survey is below.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T55W2XD

Hello Ashland Families and Community!

American Culture Study Plan is looking for local home stay families to host international students coming from China for the 2019-2020 academic school year.

If you live in the Ashland area, with an open room or two, and would like to earn some money while learning about a foreign culture while sharing our American culture, then please contact American Culture Study Plan.

ACSP will be attending the following Ashland events to search for more host families. If you are thinking of attending these events, then please stop by a say hello or “nihao” to Brennan at the American Culture Study Plan banner.

May 23^rd Middle School Band @ Ashland High School 7PM

June 5^th Mindess Chorus @ Mindess Auditorium 6PM

June 6^th Mindess Chorus @ Middle School 7PM

June 12^th Middle School Band @ Ashland High School 7PM

Contact Brennan Benjamin with American Culture Study Plan if you are interested or have any questions

Phone: 619-609-9270

Email: info@usastudyplan.com

www.USAstudyplan.com

News from Student Council:

Class Officer Elections

Any student interested in running for a class officer position or Student Council rep position should pick up a nomination form from Mr. McGann, Ms. Dicken, Ms. Twomey, Mr. Wiczer, or the front office.  

School Committee Advisory Council:

Does your child want to have a voice on the Ashland School Committee, sharing with them what's going on at the high school and offering opinions on policies that will directly affect students?  They should consider running for one of five positions on the School Committee Advisory Council.  Interested students should pick up a blue nomination form from Mr. Wiczer in B251.  

Youth Advisory Council:

State Senator Karen Spilka is looking for one current sophomore from AHS to serve on her "Youth Advisory Council" (alongside a current junior from AHS who will continue on the council next year.)  This group, made up of 2 students from each town that she represents, will meet once every other month with her at the State House, in Boston, or locally in MetroWest to discuss matters related to teens.  Interested sophomores should pick up an orange nomination form from Mr. Wiczer in B251.

State Advisory Council:

Ashland High School is looking for students interested in running for the State Student Advisory Council for the 2018-2019 school year.  This group, made up of two students from every school in the Commonwealth, meets once a month to discuss issues related to education policy and the impacts on students.  For more information on this group, please see: http://www.doe.mass.edu/sac/  Interested students should pick up a green nomination form from Mr. Wiczer in B251.   

Nomination forms for all of these positions are due to Mr. Wiczer (in B251) or the Main Office by Thursday, May 23rd at 2:50pm.  Late nomination forms will not be accepted under any circumstances.  

Driver's Education:

Recently we have seen a significant rise in students leaving during the school day to do their driving hours.  While we realize the hours can be difficult to book outside of school hours we ask that you encourage your student to book the time after school and on weekends, or at least during their study halls.  Missing class for a driving hour is not an excused absence and we are hearing that students are missing valuable content.  Thank you.


Students interested in taking a College Essay class in June, July or August, registration forms are located in the main office & guidance. 

The next two months are super busy at AHS.  Here is a list of upcoming important events:
May 13-May 17- AP exams (see AHS calendar for schedule)
May 13- Academic Awards Night 7pm- AHS auditorium
May 17- Early ReleaseDay- students dismissed at 12:35pm/lunch is served
              Grand March 5:30pm- AHS gym
              Prom - Union Station, Worcester
May 20-24- Senior finals week
May 21-22- Math MCAS (all sophomores)
May 28-31- Senior Week!
June 2- Graduation 1pm- AHS gym
June 4-5- Science MCAS (Biology)
June 11-17- Final Exams (grades 9-11)


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

May 3, 2019

Good evening and happy May!

This morning I had the great privilege of attending the 2019 Leadership in Diversity Awards which honored one student from each high school in attendance who models and celebrates diversity and works to increase our understanding of the community we live in.  It was an honor to watch junior Natalia Ferraz receive the award.  She is a young woman who goes out of her way to create a welcoming and supportive environment at AHS.  

Students of the Term:

Each term the faculty nominates students who have exemplified the core values over the course of the term.  Our Positive Support team then tallies the results and chooses one student to earn recognition for each value. Their accomplishment was announced today and their picture will hang in our front lobby. We are so proud of these students and the example they set at AHS.

Respect - EJ Smither

Responsibility - Wilson Lin

Integrity - Jessica Rodrigues

Involvement - Allie Chrisafideis

Achievement - Aaron Greenstein

Parents and guardians of Seniors- 
The Senior Class Officers are putting together a slideshow to be displayed during the senior banquet and before graduation begins. In order to make the slideshow a success we need your help! Please send any pictures you may have (from high school or when students were younger) that we can include in the slideshow to this email Clockerseniorpictures2019@gmail.com. We are looking for group pictures and photos from school and community related events. Thank you!  


The next two months are super busy at AHS.  Here is a list of upcoming important events:
May 6-May 17- AP exams (see AHS calendar for schedule)
May 13- Academic Awards Night 7pm- AHS auditorium
May 17- Grand March 5:30pm- AHS gym
              Prom - Union Station, Worcester
May 20-24- Senior finals week
May 28-31- Senior Week!
June 2- Graduation 1pm- AHS gym
June 4-5- Science MCAS (Biology)
June 11-17- Final Exams (grades 9-11)

Is your student interested in Cyber Security, Advanced Cyber Security, Information Systems Technology & Management, Web Design, Web Developer, Technology Support, and/or Information Technology?  MassBay Community College and their STEM Starter Academy is offering a FREE Scripting course to AHS students next fall.  The course is a requirement for all of the above majors and you can complete these majors at MassBay!

The goal of the program is to reach under-represented, first-generation, and/or low-income students. This is a great opportunity to get you to experience a college class while still in high school.  Earn credit while exploring a potential career path.  MassBay will provide academic support and we will provide technology needs.  We are working on transportation for students that may need it.  We are encouraging current sophomores and juniors to apply but MassBay is flexible.  If you are interested let me know!   

Let me know if you have any questions. 

I am attaching the flyer about the class as well as some information about other great FREE summer programs that are available.

MBCC CompSci Scripting Course

STEM Starter Academy Summer Program 2019

STEM Summer Academy Sampler 2019

Make this a family fun event while helping clean up Ashland, our community, our home! 

Join Green Up Ashland on May 4 for this annual 'spring cleaning' event to help sustain our neighborhoods free of trash and beautify Ashland. 

This years event will take place on Saturday May4th 9am till noon - registration and bag pickup at the Stone Park Pavilion.

Feel free to sign up through the link provided.

https://www.greenupashland.org/participating-volunteering

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