Newsletter
Issue 9| Volume 1 | April 2016
Uxbridge High School 300 Quaker Highway Uxbridge, MA 508-278-8633
The stretch run after April vacation is upon us! Typically, though the stretch from February to April seems arduous and challenging, this next sprint comes quickly, given the multitude (and magnitude) of events that populate our calendars until the end of the school year. We begin with our senior class events, which culminate with Commencement exercises on June 5. In the weeks leading up to graduation, the seniors will have a number of events, including the Prom, athletic banquets, and awards presentations. The senior trip occurs in late May, and we know that our class will enjoy their last weeks together as the Class of 2016. Before long, they will become alumni of UHS, and they will chart their courses to new challenges and endeavors. Until then, though, we want them to remember their obligations here - to finish their classes strong, take care of graduation requirements, and return any equipment, books, uniforms, lunch balances, etc. before graduation. Seniors will not be given their caps and gowns until all obligations are cleared up - questions can be directed to the main office! The full listing of senior class events, some of the costs, and the letter we sent to families earlier this month is included in this message. Please feel free to direct questions to the class advisor or the main office. We have made a final decision, accordingly, with respect to graduation attire, and are proud that the students and community are supporting the students wearing our school colors at graduation, as the students will be clad in a unified black-and-orange cap and gown ensemble. The look is quite regal, and we think the aesthetic and unified quality of the students as they appear at graduation will be something that inspires a great deal of pride and unity. The thoughts, opinions, and considerations of many people were weighed, and we would like to thank those that reached out, that spoke with class advisors, officers, and administrators, and who helped push the thinking - both pro and con- of the decision-making process. As we move to May, we will be identifying some new staff to join us next year, and we will have our first new hire joining us on May 2. Ms. Pamela DiBattista, longtime main office secretary, officially retired earlier this spring, which has enabled us to hire a new person on a permanent basis. We welcome Ms. Deb Durkin to the main office, who comes to us from Algonquin Regional High School, where she has spent the past five years as one of the high school's office secretaries. As she has a great deal of high school office experience, we are looking forward to her contributions and positive energy in the office, where we know she will be a fine addition. We also thank Ms. Elissa DeLibero for her assistance this year, as she filled in as a long-term substitute since September. As May and June get hectic, we appreciate your patience with us should you call to speak or meet with administration or counselors; please do not take any delay personally, but there are many time-consuming tasks assosciated with the end-of-year procedures for seniors, and, for me, a bit of a learning curve this first go-round at UHS. We appreciate your patience. Best, Mike Rubin, Principal
April
The home stretch
Dear Graduates and Parents/Guardians of the Class of 2016, How soon this day must have arrived; I am sure you will read this with the same butterflies in your stomachs as I have while writing it, though for very different reasons, I am sure. With the onset of spring, our preparations for the graduation of the Class of 2016 have begun in earnest. As our seniors count down their final days as UHS Spartans, we are sending this important reminder to parents and students to ensure that the next few weeks remain a safe and pleasurable experience for all. We know that each activity will provide students and families with a great many memories, and, as the anticipation and excitement builds, we certainly share in these sentiments and wish the very best to you, your families, and our entire community in the coming weeks. Academics: Our last day of classes for seniors will be Monday, May 23, with senior exams being administered May 24-26. Seniors will be responsible to attend only when they have a final exam, and the exams are administered in the morning, from 7:30-8:50 and 9:00-10:20. Frequently, the time after April vacation becomes difficult for many students in terms of their academics, as they look beyond UHS. It with guarded anticipation and some caution that we urge students to fulfill their responsibilities and pass all their classes, particularly since, for many, it could change their status with respect to graduation itself or even a college acceptance. Ipads: Each senior will have his or her iPad “reviewed” in early April during a directed study. Graduating seniors who wish to purchase the iPad may do so for $150.00. Students whose iPads have a crack or defect, no matter the type or size, are required to have the iPad repaired prior to May 26, 2016, which is when iPads and chargers will be collected from the seniors. Students who fail to repair the device and who do not plan on purchasing the iPad will need to provide payment for repair at that time. Only checks made payable to Uxbridge High School will be accepted; please, no cash or credit cards. The cost breakdown is as follows: Replace missing/broken charger: $30.00. Purchase iPad from UHS: $150.00. Those who have used iPad cases that they wish to donate to incoming students may also do so, which will be appreciated. Prom: The Prom is scheduled to be held at Imperial Ballroom in Mendon on Friday May 6. Our annual community event, Promenade 2016, includes a “red carpet” for students, with informal photo opportunities here on campus. We will take a group photo of the Classes of 2016 and 2017 at UHS at about 4:25 p.m. All students participating in the red carpet should be at UHS by 3:45 p.m. Check-in otherwise begins at 4:00 p.m. All students attending the prom will be provided transportation from UHS, as the bus will leave the high school at 4:45 p.m. Students will leave the Imperial Ballroom around 10:20 p.m. In an effort to provide a safe and affordable means of transportation, all students attending the prom are required to take the bus. If a student requires an alternative means of transportation, the only other acceptable means would be to be transported to and from the prom by a parent. Limousines, party buses, and students self-transporting is not permitted. For those who do not utilize the bus, students must be at the Imperial Ballroom by 5:00 p.m. As with any school event, particularly those held off campus, police will be notified in the event of alcohol or drugs, and we will have a portable Breathalyzer on site. Bags will be searched, and for those to be found in possession of or under the influence of any controlled substance or alcohol, appropriate consequences will be issued, in accordance with the Student-Parent Handbook. Senior Trip: The Senior Trip will be held May 20-22, 2016, as the seniors travel to Lake George, NY. Only seniors who have signed up to attend the trip are allowed to attend. Students who have not opted to participate are not allowed to travel to Lake George and have contact with classmates – we simply do not want UHS students traveling independently to upstate New York unsupervised. Any student who just shows up will jeopardize losing the privilege of participating in other senior activities up to and possibly including participation at graduation. Prior to departure, we will conduct searches of students bags, which may include the use of the Police K9 units and the cooperation of Uxbridge Police. We do not share this because we anticipate a problem, but rather so we can be proactive and prevent anything that could jeopardize student participation in the trip or other senior class events. If anything occurs while in New York involving controlled substances, alcohol, or other severe violations of our Code of Conduct, please be advised that police will be notified and parents will be contacted to pick up their child in New York. Athletic Awards Banquet: The Athletic Awards Banquet will be held on Thursday, May 26 at Wright’s Chicken Farm in Harrisville, Rhode Island. Tickets are $5 for student-athletes and $20 for families, parents, and guests. More information will be forthcoming from Mr. Calarese. Senior Awards Banquet: The Senior Awards Banquet will be held on Wednesday, June 1 at the Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton. Students are free, and guest tickets are $25.00. Proper dress (business or business casual, no shorts) is required. We share with all of you the excitement of graduation. Emotions range from sadness to euphoria and, of course, the perceived freedom from responsibilities. How quickly the spirit of emotions can change to reckless behavior. That is certainly our worst nightmare this time of year. Please keep communication open with your seniors and be aware of all planned and unplanned activities during this busy time. Our Class of 2016 has brought with it a sense of community, camaraderie, and caring, both for this school, town, and each other, throughout its time at Uxbridge High School and particularly throughout this senior year. It is both bittersweet and exciting to see them embark on this new chapter of their lives, and I am confident that they will maintain their own high standards in their last days as students. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly at mrubin@uxbridge.k12.ma.us or 508-278-8633 with any questions – if I do not have the answer, I most certainly will connect you with someone who does. We look forward to sharing this joyous time with all of you. Sincerely, Michael D. Rubin Principal Uxbridge High School
We need your
Senior Events
Letter to senior parents
Issue 9 | Volume 1 | April 2016
Senior Class Events
at UHS
Day
Date
Event
Time
Friday
5/6
Promenade Prom, Myraid Ballroom
4:00 UHS 5:00 pm departure
5/20
Senior Class Trip, Lake George, NY
6:00 a.m. departure
Thursday
5/26
Athletic Awards Banquet Wright's Farm
6:30 p.m.
Tuesday
5/31
Graduation Rehearsal
9:00-10:30 a.m.
Wednesday
6/1
9:00-11:00 a.m.
6/2
Baccalaureate Rehearsal St. Mary's Church
TBA (a.m.)
6/3
Sunday
6/5
Graduation, UHS Gymnasium
2:00 p.m.
Parents for Safe Graduation, Post-graduation event
6:00 p.m. meet
Prom and Promenade will be on May 6 Some important information for students and parents:
May 6 is a half-day of school. Any student planning on attending prom must be in school for the entirety of the day. If there is an emergency that could impact attendance, please reach out to Mr. DiMeglio for any exception to be considered. Promenade starts at 4:00 at UHS. Our annual red carpet event features music, opportunities for students and families to take pictures, and, of course, boarding for the prom by 5:00. We ask that parents and families park in the student lot! The senior prom will start at 5:30 at the GrandView Ballroom in Mendon. Students are transported via coach bus to and from UHS. Arrival back at UHS will be around 10:30-10:45 p.m. Each year, schools hear of horror stories of post-prom events that are not sanctioned by parents or the school that result in tragedy. Please do your part to be aware of all events at which your students may attend, since we certainly do not want the excitement of these weeks to turn tragic.
Prom & Promenade
a letter from our wellness department
UXBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT Dear Students and Parents: Over the past few weeks our PE department has observed some disruptive behaviors in the way students have been coming to class, participating in class, and either meeting at the end or while leaving class, all of which we would like to address before they escalate into further consequences. We have observed these behaviors on a daily or weekly basis both in the gym, locker rooms, and locker room hallways, and outside on the fields and tennis courts. We want the end of the year to go as smoothly as possible for all of the students that are enrolled in our classes. Listed below are some behaviors which have increased in frequency over the past couple of weeks, since the start of April. So we can be explicit with students and parents, we are making everyone aware of the specific behaviors we are seeing, to caution all students against continuing or involving themselves in these activities and to ask parents to support us in our efforts. To this point, the physical education staff has worked individually with students through verbal warning and individual conferences; we do not want any of these behaviors to escalate to the point where safety is compromised, trust is violated, and student privilege to participate in class or use certain facilities is revoked. Behaviors that are concerns and will be addressed with teacher detention and potential office referral: 1. We are requiring all students to stay in the locker room hallway until the bell rings at the end of class. There is plenty of room to accommodate all classes and students until the dismissal bell has rung. (The hallway does not include any stairs or stairwells). 2. We are requiring all students to report to the locker room hallway at the beginning of class, as all students should be reporting to the locker rooms to change because failure to change does negatively affect grades. 3. Whether class is held indoors or outdoors, students are not permitted to wander from class without permission and without a pass issued by a teacher, either during or prior to the class. 4. Students are required to be to class on time; by the time most students have changed, others should not be arriving to class without a pass. 5. While we appreciate competitiveness and encourage student activity, it is not necessary for students to do so with profane language or behave disrespectfully to teachers or peers. 6. Only those students who are enrolled in the physical education class should be at the gym or outdoors. A student who is enrolled in a VHS, internship, or other more independent class should not be coming to physical education classes without permission. 7. While we understand students may have a variety of academic responsibilities, stressors, or other challenges, we ask them to use the time in physical education class as a relief for that time and participate in the activity when asked to do so. Failure to participate after multiple reminders will result in lost credit and potential referral for insubordination. 8. As always, food and drink of any kind is not allowed in the gymnasium or on the turf/track. Finally, UHS has had more than its fair share of vandalism in the locker rooms this year, some of which has resulted in extensive and expensive damage. We have a facility of which we should all be proud and taking care to maintain for many years to come. Those who violate the facility violate the very trust the community put in us when the place was constructed. As such, we ask students to help by telling us when they notice a problem immediately after it happens, and that they take care to protect facilities that are not under constant supervision, like locker rooms. After all, character is defined, in many ways, by the way we act when others are not watching. We sincerely appreciate the support of students and parents of UHS and look forward to a productive end to the 2016-17 school year. Sincerely, Michael D. Rubin, Principal Michael DiMeglio, Assistant Principal Christine Ahern, Wellness/Physical Education Teacher Michael Catalano, Wellness/Physical Education Teacher Chris Hadfield, Wellness/Physical Education Teacher
Issue 1 | Volume 1 | 2015
Uxbridge High School
A letter from the wellness staff
Reminder for participants for 2016-17: Physical examinations are annually required!
The Annual Uxbridge High School Athletic Banquet will be held on Thursday, May 26 at Wright’s Farm Restaurant. Doors open at 6:00 PM and dinner will be served at 6:30pm. All fall, winter and spring athletes along with parents are welcome to attend. Tickets may be purchased at Uxbridge High School. Cost for tickets is $5.00 for student-athletes and $20.00 for parents and friends. Deadline for purchasing tickets is, Friday, May 20th.
Please remember that physical examinations are valid for 13 months, meaning that students who had an exam last summer are covered through this spring but will need an updated physical examination before the start of the fall season. In terms of injury: when student-athletes are seen by a physician, upon recommendation by a coach or trainer, that student-athlete requires a note by the physician clearing him or her to participate fully in athletics. In terms of illness, a student-athlete who misses school is obviously not able to compete on the day of illness. Should a student-athlete have an illness or non-athletic related medical issue, providing the trainer and/or coach with documentation supporting a return to activity is recommended and sometimes required. For example, we would not want a student recovering from pneumonia or mono returning too quickly to full physical activity! Please communicate with the nurse in those cases as well. Thank you for your cooperation.
Athletics
Annual athletics banquet - May 26
Spring Sports
Many thanks to Ms. Carla Jones for her photos of spring track. If parents have photos of athletes or clubs in action that they wish to submit, please email Mr. Rubin, as we would love to include images of all the great happenings at UHS, both in and out of the classroom!
Spring track off to a great start in 2016!
Math MCAS COMING! Our sophomores will be testing in math in just a couple of short weeks! The students worked quite hard on the ELA test in March, so we anticipate strong results. The May test will be administered on May 17-18 in mathematics - rest up and be ready to go! If a student is going to be absent for all days of the test, please note that a medical note from a physician is required in order to excuse a student from participation.
News and Notes
AP EXAMS AHEAD We wish many of our sophomores, juniors, and seniors luck as they prepare for AP exams, which begin next week. On the days of the test, students are obliged to be here only for the exam, but should be sure to check in with teachers for any missed work that day. The schedule is: May 4: English Literature & Composition May 5: AB Calculus May 6: United States History May 9: Biology May 10: United States Government May 11: English Language & Composition May 12: Statistics
Some Important
Updates from school council
The School Council is established as a decision-making body for schools in Massachusetts. Comprised of students, staff, community members, and parents, and chaired by building principals, the organization helps drive the school agenda, designing and approving the school improvement plan, and providing guidance to School Committee in matters such as budget and school critical needs. All School Council meetings are open to the community. Agendas for the monthly meetings will be posted on the school website.
Next year, we will have an opening for an additional parent and a student member on our School Council. If you are interested in serving on our School Council in any capacity for 2016-17, please email Mr. Rubin!
At our March meeting, the School Council started looking ahead to School Improvement planning for the coming year, with teacher, parent, community, and student members all offering ideas and feedback that will help drive the process. In terms of goals, our hope is to draft goals for the Superintendent and School Committee to review either in May or June, with several strategic plans for the next several years. We also have some clear ideas being set for us by the state, given the coming implementation of the "next generation" MCAS, commonly referred to as MCAS 2.0, which will be entirely technology-based. As we move forward, we certainly ask for your thoughts, support, and ideas. We are excited about the trajectory of UHS, but are also looking for people to provide us suggestions that will help us move the building forward!
School council set for 2015-16
Michael Rubin Principal mrubin@uxbridge.k12.ma.us Christine Marshall Teacher Representative cmarshall@uxbridge.k12.ma.us Amy Marshall Teacher Representative amarshall@uxbridge.k12.ma.us Michael Catalano Teacher Representative mcatalano@uxbridge.k12.ma.us Melissa Fischer Parent Representative fischnitz@gmail.com Mary Sherlock Community Representative literacy321@yahoo.com Susan Bromann Parent Representative susanbromann@yahoo.com Lynn Normandin Parent Representative normandy06@verizon.net Andy Kuros Student Representative andy.kuros@uxbridge.k12.ma.us Allison Cotter Student Representative allison.cotter@uxbridge.k12.ma.us Jack Schreiber Student Representative jack.schreiber@uxbridge.k12.ma.us Emily Fernandes Student Representative emily.fernandes@uxbridge.k12.ma.us Emily Luuri Community Representative emilyabbo@hotmail.com Jennifer Modica School Committee Liaison jmodica@uxbridge.k12.ma.us
Next year, we will have an opening for an additional community member and a student member on our School Council. If you are interested in serving on our School Council in any capacity for 2016-17, please email Mr. Rubin!