November 24, 2021

 Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you are able to enjoy time with family and friends over the next few days. I am grateful for the AHS community and your support of Ashland High School. It has been wonderful to have all our students back together and to slowly be moving towards some normal school activities. There are still protocols to be followed and the students have been amazing overall. I truly feel blessed to work for such an amazing community of students.

As we look to move towards students who meet the School Committee policy guidelines removing masks if they wish I encourage you to have conversations about respect for each person's decision. Some students will choose to keep their masks on. Some will need to keep them on as they are not yet vaccinated. Every student and family has their right to their personal choice, within the parameters of the policy, and we will continue to encourage all students to live our core values, especially respecting the choice of others to wear or not wear a mask.

Please enjoy some pictures from our annual Hall Decorating contest. It was nice to see the kids back together and having fun. 

Juniors and seniors who drive are reminded they must have a paid parking pass in order to park at AHS. Students who have privileges will no longer be allowed to leave early starting on Monday, November 29 if they drive and do not have a parking pass. Students must have their tag displayed on their rear view mirror while parked. The Deans and Office Muri will be checking tags next week.

Enjoy the break!

November 19, 2021

Good afternoon-

Our Student Information System (iPass) is still looking into an issue with the GPA's. We hope to have GPA's available soon. 

Info from the Student Council:

Next week (November 22nd - November 24th) is our Thanksgiving Spirit Week.  The dress-up days are:

Monday, November 22nd - Pajama Day

Tuesday, November 23rd - Anything But a Backpack Day (find a unique and school-appropriate way to transport your "stuff" to and from school!)

Wednesday, November 24th - "Pink Out" Day (wear all pink)

The annual hall decorating competition will take place on Monday, November 22nd from 3pm - 7pm.  Each class will work together to decorate a hallway in their chosen theme.  All students are invited to join in!  Student Council will be providing pizza for all participants.

Congratulations to our 2021 Clocker Idol Participants: Daniella B, Anna C, Justin G, Noah G, Brady M, Haykuhi M, and Priscilla O.  Stay tuned for more details on Clocker Idol 2021, happening on Wednesday, December 22nd at 7pm.

Thank you to all the students who participated through a class or club in our "Thanksgiving Generosity Drive."  We donated 30 reusable grocery bags (and additional boxes) of essential items to the Ashland Food Pantry to help local families in need.

AHS will dismiss at 11:30am on Wednesday, November 24. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

November 12, 2021

Good afternoon-

Grades are now available in iStudent/iParent. We hope all of our students had a good first term of the 2021-2022 school year. Report cards as well as GPA/decile will be published early next week. The Report card can be found in My Documents. If you have a question about a grade please reach out to the teacher or your student's counselor.  AHS has a variety supports in place for students that struggled with the transition back to full time learning. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have concerns about your student.

Due to some technology issues we were unable to administer the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey last month. It will be administered this coming week on Wednesday, November 17. We will have a modified schedule and students will have approximately 1 hour to complete the survey. 

A Few Notes from the Student Council:

• The Thanksgiving Pancake Breakfast, scheduled for Sunday, November 21st, has been canceled.  We hope to bring back this tradition in the fall of 2022.
• The Hall Decorating Contest will take place on Monday, November 22nd from 3pm - 7pm.  Students should look for more information from their class officers regarding this event.  Free pizza will be provided by the Student Council!  Videos are photos from previous years are online at https://sites.google.com/ashland.k12.ma.us/stucoashland/events-2021-2022/hall-decorating
• The 8th annual "Clocker Idol" event will take place on Wednesday, December 22nd at 7pm.  (This is our version of American Idol).  Auditions will take place on Wednesday, November 17th starting at 3:15 pm in the chorus room.  Students interested in auditioning should see Ms. Nemeth to sign up and to get more information.  Videos and photos from previous years are online at https://sites.google.com/ashland.k12.ma.us/stucoashland/events-2021-2022/clocker-idol 

Wednesday, November 24 is an early release day for APS. Ashland High School will release at 11:20am and there will not be a late bus. 

Have you ever thought about in working in a school? AHS needs Education Support Professionals (Teaching Assistants):

Educational support personnel position at Ashland High School, providing direct educational and behavioral support to high school students identified with unique learning needs. Must have the ability to follow guidance/directions from special education teachers, general educators and related services professionals. The position is a full time position.

It's a great opportunity for someone looking for a school day/year schedule. E-mail kstcoeur@ashland.k12.ma.us if you want more information or check out the job posting on SchoolSpring.com.

November 5, 2021

Good afternoon- 

Term 1 ends today and we hope that all of our students had a great start to the school year. If you feel your student has been struggling with the transition back to full in-person learning I encourage you to reach out to teachers and their counselor. Your student can access teachers after school and during X-block. This  has been a great time for students to see their teachers for extra help, to make up missing work, or just ask a question here and there. Remind your student to take a look at FlexTime Manager and plan a week that gives them access to their teachers!

Report cards are scheduled to be released in iStudent/iParent next Friday, November 12 after 3pm. A copy of the report card will be available in the My Documents section of portal. 

Community news:

Decisions at Every Turn Parent Focus Group participants needed. 

APL ukulele program

ARC home Alone program

ARC Dining Etiquette program

Offer for Families – Scholarships Spots for Girls With Impact’s Business & Leadership Academy — 

Seen in The New York Times

Girls With Impact  is offering full scholarships to their 10-week mini-MBA program. Girls With Impact is the nation’s online live, online business and leadership academy for young women, 14-18. We are able to offer these scholarships courtesy of Eversource.

Winter classes start the weeks of January 10th and will fill up, so sign up today. 

Give your student a tremendous leg-up for college and career. 

Register here now. Use the code 'POWERUP' at checkout.

October 29, 2021

 Good afternoon-

With one week left in Term 1 we encourage all families to spend time looking at iParent/iStudent this weekend to get a sense of how each class is going. Reach out to teachers if you have questions or concerns. Students should schedule time after school or during x-block if they are missing assignments or need extra help.

The term ends Friday, November 5. Report cards for Term 1 will post to iParent/iStudent on Friday, November 12. 

There is no school on Thursday, November 4 in honor of Diwali. 

Congratulations to your new inductees to the Socios Chapter of the National Honor Society. They were inducted Thursday, October 28 based on their achievement, character, leadership and service.

The Class of 2022 had a fun Halloween parade this morning. It was great to see them enjoying this tradition. 

 

Red Cross Blood Drive:

AHS is excited to once again be hosting a blood drive. 

The drive is scheduled for Wednesday, November 3rd from 12-5pm in the AHS gym.

The link for donors to use to schedule an appointment is https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=AshlandHigh65

Community members are welcome to donate but slots during school hours are currently blocked for students. 

Any student aged 16.5-17 years old can donate but must obtain parent permission to do so. Sign-up's for students will take place at lunch next week and students should come with their signed consent form. 

The link for parental consent forms can be found here:

https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/info-for-student-donors.html

News from the Community: 

Donate Halloween candy

PTO Make Your Own Pizza

October 22, 2021

Good afternoon-

Today we wrapped up our in-school Homecoming Week activities with our first pep rally in almost two years. It was fun to bring the school together to hear about the accomplishments of our clubs, activities, and sports teams and to have some fun competition. We are so grateful for the opportunity to come together to celebrate our community!

The Homecoming Dance will take place tomorrow (Saturday, October 23rd) from 6pm to 9pm outdoors in the faculty parking lot and in the outdoor classroom area.  It is predicted to be about 45 degrees. Students should dress for the weather. 

• Drop-Off / Parking: The road around the school will be closed off.  Cars will still be able to enter and leave the school, but not go around the building.  Students can be dropped off by the main entrance to the school.  Students driving to the dance and parking will enter the school, turn left in front of the main entrance, and then turn right into the student parking lot.  (This is not the usual direction of that road.)  Students must then walk around to the front of the school to enter the dance.
• All students must arrive by 7pm.  No one will be admitted after this time.
• Students may not leave prior to 8:30pm without parent permission. We will be calling you if your student wants to leave the dance early. 
• Tickets cost $10 at the door.  Tickets must be paid for in cash or by check (made out to "AHS Student Activities" and please include your student's name in the "memo" section.)
• Guests from other schools will not be allowed this year.
• In addition to a DJ there will be a photo booth, baked goods, hot chocolate, and warm apple cider.  There will also be pizza available for purchase ($2/slice.)
• Students do not need a mask while outdoors but must bring a mask go indoors to use the restroom.  The library will also be open as a place to warm-up and students will need to wear a mask in there. This space is limited and students will not be able to be inside for extended periods of time. 

Homecoming week is sponsored by the Student Council.  Any questions?  Contact the Student Council at STUCO.ashland@ashland.k12.ma.us

Picture retake day is Monday, October 25. 

AHS Safety plans: I have received a few questions regarding the message about the stay in place. Since it has been a year and a half since we have had to do some of these protocols I thought I would share a few slides from a previous safety presentation.

I have attached a few slides here to help explain the difference between a stay in place and a lockdown. School safety slides

We are in the process of holding class meetings during X-block to review several items with students. The term ends in two weeks so we are reminding students to check grades and make sure they are seeing their teachers for extra help if needed. Teachers are noticing students are struggling with work completion and deadlines. They are here to help any student who is having difficulty meeting timelines.

We also let students know that snacks no longer available at break time. Given that it is an hour before lunch the cafeteria staff has been unable to prepare for lunch when stopping to hand out snacks. Students are still welcome to get breakfast and/or a snack before school starts and save it for break time.

Just a reminder the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey will be administered on Tuesday, October 26. We will have a modified schedule and students will have approximately 1 hour to complete the survey. 

Local flyers:

Pepper's Ghost 10-23-21 (grades 6-12)

Robin Glasser Illustrator 10-26-21

Native Americans of New England

PTO Make Your Own Pizza

October 15, 2021

Good afternoon-

We have an exciting week coming up at AHS. I am very happy to share the following information for our student groups. We are so happy to have opportunities for our students to have fun and enjoy some of the typical fall events, even if they are in a slightly different arena.

News from Student Council:

Next week is Homecoming Week (October 18th - October 22nd).

Each of the day of the week is a "dress-up" day for students to participate in:

Monday, October 18th - Pajama Day 

Tuesday, October 19th - Tourist Day 

Wednesday, October 20th - Team Day (wear apparel from your favorite team)

Thursday, October 21st - Black Out Day (wear all black)

Friday, October 22nd - Class Color Day (freshmen wear green, sophomores wear red, juniors wear blue, and seniors wear white)

The Homecoming Rally is on Friday, October 22nd on the turf field.  (If it rains, the rally will be moved indoors to the gym; participants will be in the gym and all other students will watch this live-streamed into their classrooms.)

The Homecoming Football game is at 7pm against Norwood.  

The Homecoming Dance will take place on Saturday, October 23rd from 6pm to 9pm outdoors in the faculty parking lot and in the outdoor classroom area.  In case of rain, the dance will be moved to Saturday, October 30th.  

• Drop-Off / Parking: The road around the school will be closed off.  Cars will still be able to enter and leave the school, but not go around the building.  Students can be dropped off by the main entrance to the school.  Students driving to the dance and parking will enter the school, turn left in front of the main entrance, and then turn right into the student parking lot.  (This is not the usual direction of that road.)  Students must then walk around to the front of the school to enter the dance.
• All students must arrive by 7pm.  No one will be admitted after this time.
• Students may not leave prior to 8:30pm without parent permission.
• Tickets cost $8 if purchased ahead of time (sold during lunch throughout the whole week) and will cost $10 at the door.  Tickets must be paid for in cash or by check (made out to "AHS Student Activities" and please include your student's name in the "memo" section.)
• Guests from other schools will not be allowed this year.
• In addition to a DJ there will be a photo booth, baked goods, hot chocolate, and warm apple cider.  There will also be pizza available for purchase ($2/slice.)
• Students do not need a mask while outdoors but should bring one if they need to go indoors to use the restroom.  The library will also be open as a place to warm-up and students will need to wear a mask in there.

Homecoming week is sponsored by the Student Council.  Any questions?  Contact the Student Council at STUCO.ashland@ashland.k12.ma.us

News from AHSTS:

Tickets are now on sale for the AHSTS fall production of: THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME. All performances are in the outside classroom/amphitheater across from the teacher's parking lot. Seating is limited to 75. These performances are expected to sell out. Tickets are available to purchase online for the 10/23 and 10/24 shows only. The 10/30 and 10/31 shows will be available to purchase online starting Monday, October 25th, weather permitting. Visit www.ahsts.com for more information and tickets.

Red Cross Blood Drive:

AHS is excited to once again be hosting a blood drive. 

The drive is scheduled for Wednesday, November 3rd from 12-5pm in the AHS gym.

The link for donors to use to schedule an appointment is https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=AshlandHigh65

Community members are welcome to donate but slots during school hours are currently blocked for students. 

Any student aged 16.5-17 years old can donate but must obtain parent permission to do so. Sign-up's for students will take place at lunch next week and students should come with their signed consent form. 

The link for parental consent forms can be found here:

https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/info-for-student-donors.html

Take a moment to review this important information from Decisions at Every Turn:

AHS STAND adult info page

Community flyers:

APL October Teen Programs

ARC Ski Club 

ARC Babysitting training

ARC Early Release

Halloween flyer

Lions Pumpkin Decorating contest