March 25, 2022

Good afternoon-

Sophomores did a wonderful job on English MCAS this week. We are proud of them and the work they put in. 

A reminder that the iParent window for course recommendation approvals will close this weekend. I will close it Sunday evening to give people a few more days.  Any students/parents who wish to meet with a teacher to discuss a course recommendation are asked to reach out to the teacher to schedule a time to meet. The Parent's Quick Start Guide to Course Recommendations is attached here. Parents should approve all recommended courses and can add elective choices if your student did not add any.

Next week students will participate in the Positive Community Norms survey during X-block on Wednesday, March 30. Please review the letter attached here for more information on the survey.  A copy of the survey will be available in the front office for anyone that wishes to review it.

The end of Term 3 is just two weeks away. Students are encouraged to check iPass and schedule themselves to meet with teachers if they need any additional support.

Report cards will be released Thursday, April 14 and spring vacation begins on Friday, April 15. 

March 18, 2022

Good evening-

I hope you've had the opportunity to enjoy this beautiful weather. March is an exciting time at AHS as we start to think about spring activities and events.

I am so grateful to the CARES team and Cultural Student Union for the amazing flag celebration on Thursday. It was the first time the entire school community came together in over two years and the student body was amazing. It was a true reflection of the values of the AHS community. I hope to have a link to the recording of the event to share soon.

Next week all members of the Class of 2024 will participate in English MCAS testing. Students will test the first three periods of the day on Tuesday, March 22 and Wednesday, March 23. They are reminded to get a good night's sleep, eat a good breakfast, and to bring something to read in case they finish early. All Apple watches, etc. will need to be turned in to the teacher so students are encouraged to leave them at home.

At the same time, many of our members of the Class of 2022 will be testing to earn their Seal of biliteracy. This seal, which will be affixed to their diploma and part of their permanent transcript, demonstrates their proficiency in more than one language. We have the largest number of students ever participating in the assessment this year and are proud of them for the effort they are putting in. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

APL Community Service opportunity

March 11, 2022

Good afternoon-

It was nice to see so many smiling faces this week. I hope students are enjoying the return to a level of pre-Covid normalcy while also feeling safe and mindful of others level of comfort. From what I saw, there was nothing but respect for individual choices in the halls this week.

The window for students to complete course registration will remain open through the weekend!!! The Student's Quick Start Guide to Course Recommendations and AHS Program of Studies are attached here. Students are reminded to choose 6 elective courses and rank order them.

Parent approval of courses will begin on Monday, March 14. Any students/parents who wish to meet with a teacher to discuss a course recommendation are asked to reach out to the teacher to schedule a time to meet. You are welcome to reach out now and meetings must occur before a course override. The Parent's Quick Start Guide to Course Recommendations is attached here. 

On Thursday, March 17 the CARES team and cultural student union are co-sponsoring a celebration of the diversity in our community with a flag ceremony. If you have been in our cafeteria you have seen the flags that represented our community when we moved into the high school in 2006. The clubs have spent the last several months updating the flags that currently represent the cultures we come from. We will celebrate coming together as a community and the reinstatement of our flags, old and new, as students and staff members share short statements about their culture, tradition, or connection they may have to our flags. 

Friday, March 18 is an Early Release day. Students will be dismissed at 12:45pm. Any student with 3rd lunch may leave at 12:15pm.

On Wednesday, March 30 we will once again administer the Positive Community Norms survey. Students will take the survey during X-block. Please review the letter attached here for more information on the survey.  A copy of the survey will be available in the front office for anyone that wishes to review it.

Please enjoy this month's edition of our student newspaper: Union Street Journal

March is Women's History Month. As we celebrate the contributions that women have made throughout history, Decisions at Every Turn welcomes Leah Marshquist as presenter & facilitator of two important conversations about issues unique to women & girls. Presentations are appropriate for adults and teens 16+.  March 10^th #MeToo at the MET from 7-8:30 PM and March 24^th You've Come a Long Way Baby from 7-8:30 PM. Both via Zoom. Learn more & register here: https://ashlanddecisions.org/calendar/

APL Game Night

APL Book Nook

March 4, 2022

Good afternoon-

I know that students are very much looking forward to the move to mask optional on Monday. This includes all areas of the high school with the exception of the nurse's office. Students were reminded this week in classes that it is important to respect the choices of students and staff around them. 

The window for students to approve their recommended courses and choose electives is open until March 11. The Student's Quick Start Guide to Course Recommendations and AHS Program of Studies are attached here. Students are reminded to choose 6 elective courses and rank order them.

Parent approval of courses will begin on Monday, March 14. Any students/parents who wish to meet with a teacher to discuss a course recommendation are asked to reach out to the teacher to schedule a time to meet. You are welcome to reach out now and meetings must occur before a course override. The Parent's Quick Start Guide to Course Recommendations is attached here. 

Each year the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) shares a report card for each district and school. You can find the APS and AHS Report Card here.

The National Honor Society is holding a public bowling event on Saturday, March 19 from 5 to 7 pm. The event will take place at Bowlero in Shrewsbury (405 Boston Turnpike, MA-9, Shrewsbury, MA 01545). All the proceeds of this event go towards NEADS, a charity dedicated to training and providing service dogs to people in need. This directly benefits veterans with PTSD, children with special needs, people with disabilities, and even the students at Ashland High School. Huxley, our school service dog, is from this charity.

The hourly cost per person for a group of 7 people is around $15. Groups must be no smaller than 4 people and the hourly cost per lane is $100 (split between all participants). Payments must be given to Ms. Gallant at the Ashland High School Library by Friday, March 16. If you are interested, please fill out this form. If you have any questions, please email nhs@ashland.k12.ma.us. 

Thank you for supporting NEADS and we hope to see you there!

Student Council News

Game Show Night

The Student Council is running "Game Show Night" on Wednesday, March 9th.  Come join us at 7pm in the auditorium to watch AHS students participate in Jeopardy and Family Feud.  Admission is $5/person.  This event will also be livestreamed by WACA-TV (and will be available here.)

Financial Reality Fair

The AHS Student Council is working to put together our third annual "Financial Reality Fair" for the graduating seniors.  This event will be held on Friday, May 27th in-person at the high school.

Each senior will receive a paycheck and credit score and will need to navigate various booths where they will have to make financial decisions (renting an apartment, getting a car, getting insurance, etc.)  The previous two times we ran this event, the overwhelming response of the students was that they found this fair very informative and that they learned using information that they will use in their lives.  

To run this event successfully we need help from the community.  We are looking for professionals who can work with the students to help them make financial decisions and help guide them along the way.  Specifically, we are looking for anyone with a background in housing (realtors), furniture, food, insurance (renter's insurance and auto insurance), clothing, transportation, charity/community service, education (paying for college), luxuries (vacation, entertainment, pets), utilities (internet / phone / cable / gas / electricity), personal savings, retirement savings, or budgeting.  In addition, we are also looking for anyone who is willing to help out as a "general volunteer."  These "general volunteers" will be trained by the professionals at their booth and will then be able to engage in financial conversations with students, helping them make decisions.

For more information (including videos from the previous events) and to sign0-up to volunteer, visit our website at: https://sites.google.com/ashland.k12.ma.us/stucoashland/events-2021-2022/reality-fair

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Nayonika Singh at SinghNay@ashland.k12.ma.us (Student Council President) or Josh Wiczer at jwiczer@ashland.k12.ma.us (Student Council Advisor).

News from the Ashland Public Library

Virtual: Jumpstart Your Financial Future: Tips and Tricks for Managing Your Credit *For Older Teens and Adults
Tuesday, March 1 @ 7pm

ARC Teen Interview prep

ARC Summer 2022

Boy Scouts pancake breakfast 

February 18, 2022

Good afternoon and happy February vacation!

Attached are the slides from this week's presentation on course selection. There are reminders on how to approve classes, the Program of Studies, as well as the timeline for completing selection in the presentation. Students will be approving their recommendations and choosing electives from Monday, February 28 through Friday, March 11.

Course registration timelines

Program of Studies

Information from our AHS nurse:

BMI letter

BMI carta en español

BMI carta em portugues

Ashland Library Virtual Programs offerings for next week

Virtual - What's on Your TBR pile? with YA author Maurene Goo 
Tuesday, February 22 @ 7pm

Virtual - Authors Joseph L. Graves Jr. and Alan Goodman Discuss "Racism, Not Race"
Wednesday, February 23 @ 7pm

Virtual - Sybrina Fulton, Mother of Trayvon Martin, Discusses Cultivating Justice toward Racial Equality
Thursday, February 24 @ 7pm

February 11, 2022

Good afternoon-

Report cards should now all be  uploaded to your My Documents page in iStudent/iParent. GPA and decile rank can be viewed for students in grades 11 & 12. GPA and decile is not shared with underclassmen until the close of sophomore year. Please reach out to your counselor if you have any questions or concerns about grades.

Class meetings will be held this week to share information about course registration. Students will begin the approval process and choose their electives after February vacation. I will share the Google Slides and the iStudent Guide for Course Selection with students at the meetings then post the slides and share them here next Friday.

Class of 2022 Seal of biliteracy information:

The class of 2022 received an email from me today regarding the Seal of biliteracy. Students are encouraged to sign up to take the AAPPL test in March if they feel they are biliterate and wish to receive the Seal on their diploma. More information can be found here: Seal of biliteracy- class of 2022

Class of 2024 information:

Counselors and wellness teachers will be delivering the Signs of Suicide (SOS) program in all Wellness II classes March 1-3. Parents are encouraged to read the attached SOS Parent letter for more information on the program and how you can support your child(ren).

Are you interested in mental health support and prevention? Would you like to have a voice in what AHS does to support mental health?

Recently, we received grant funding to join JED High School, a public health, systematic approach that helps schools to assess and strengthen their policies, programs, and systems to equitably support emotional well-being and suicide prevention for all students. 

The first part of the program is to develop an interdisciplinary team whose members represent the entire high school community. The team helps to establish our baseline data and is composed of faculty members, students, parents, and other interested community members.

If you are interested in being part of this team please sign up here: JED High School team

February 4, 2022

Good afternoon-

Grades are now available in iStudent/iParent. If you have any questions or concerns about a grade please reach out to the teacher or counselor. GPA's and decile will be posted next week. The day off has delayed our ability to run some of the reports necessary. 

Students who are participating in the at-home antigen testing will pick up their tests on Monday. 

The Student Council is running "Game Show Night" on Thursday, February 10th.  Come join us at 7pm in the auditorium to watch AHS students participate in Jeopardy and Family Feud.  Admission is $5/person.  This event will also be livestreamed by WACA-TV (and will be available here.)

Senior parents: Honor your senior by purchasing a parent ad in the yearbook. You can choose 1/8. 1/4, 1/2 or a full page. Instructions for how to purchase are on the flyer found here. Gather your favorite photos and the website will lead you through the design process. If you have any questions, reach out to Sue Reap (sreap@ashland.k12.ma.us).

From Jen Cutler, Director of Counseling & Social-Emotional Learning

Random Acts of Kindness Week is February 13-19 and this year the Ashland Public Schools, Decisions at Every Turn, Ashland Residents for Equity & Action, and the Town of Ashland are partnering to spread the important message of being kind to ourselves and others. We hope you will join us! Please click here to learn about what we have planned and access some great resources. 

Please take a few moments to complete the 2022 DAET Parent & Caregiver Survey. This survey is critical for our community's understanding of parent and caregiver needs with respect to supporting healthy decision-making among Ashland youth. More than 400 parents/caregivers participated in the 2017 survey, which helped inform strategies to promote positive youth health and prevent youth substance use. The 2022 survey has been updated to reflect the current environment and will be used for upcoming strategic planning. The survey will remain open until February 18^th and is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

2022 DAET Parent/Caregiver Survey English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PZ2DTMREnglish

2022 DAET Parent/Caregiver Survey Spanish: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PZ395F5Spanish

2022 DAET Parent/Caregiver Survey Portuguese: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/P58SJZGPortuguese

Ashland Public Library Teen activities:

Community Service opportunity

Teen Book Chat

Craft

Game Night

Anime Club

Minute to Win It