Spartan Podcast: October 30

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Weekly News and Notes, October 30

 Good morning,

We have a few updates this week, but if you choose to only read one of them, please focus on the first.

It is no secret to anyone who has been following the news of late that the fall surge of COVID-19 is upon us. Fortunately, because of advances in treatment, the fatality rate has dropped, but, as we all know, the virus has no borders, no limits, no discretion. Of late, many schools in Massachusetts have been forced into full remote learning environments because of either the number of quarantine cases among the faculty or students. Still more concerning are the number of schools who need to close because they cannot guarantee safety or adequately minimize risks. This is for several reasons, but, most significantly, it is because of an inability to sufficiently contact trace when students are gathering socially on weekends or at night, and with students not always being forthcoming with information.

For example, several weeks ago, there was a gathering in a Massachusetts town with about 40-50 people present. Because the police were called, those in attendance scattered, as is prone to happen. However, because the attendees could not be validated, once one positive case were identified from that gathering, contact tracing was not possible, and an entire community was potentially put at risk. Consequently, athletics in those schools were temporarily suspended, all students forced to learn remotely, and additional emotions for the students and staff identified, from anger to fear to disappointment.

To bring it closer to home, I will share my overt concern with our community. Over the summer, I was inundated with messages from families, coaches, and, most significantly, student-athletes, who were, in their words, "devastated" that we were delaying - not cancelling - an athletic season, out of abundance of caution and safety. This anger made its way all the way to the School Committee level, and I shared at a meeting in early September that my gravest concern was how our seasons were hanging on very much by a thread, given the possibility of a cluster to a school, team, opponent, etc. There were those in the community who did not share my concern, but now, here we are, in late October/early November, dealing with that very potential.

I understand that "kids will be kids," and that we all long for a return to normalcy. It saddens me that kids have lost so much in these times - as an educator and as a parent. I know firsthand how our students miss their regular routines, seeing the same complement of friends at school, and being here like it used to be. I also understand that these are challenging times that require us all to adjust and compromise. I share that desire for normalcy and frustration with the situation. That said, this recent surge and the subsequent potential impact for our school has been keeping me up nights - since the thread I described at the start of the school year is straining and very much on the verge of tearing. If those students are still as worried about their season(s), I would hope that they would put the impact to team, school, and family above a couple hours of social time, or that they would try to be safe during those times.

As we head toward the holiday season, when more families gather, when more travel happens, when there is more likelihood of being in close contact with a broader number of people, please remember that we are in this together, that our actions count, and that what we do can have far-reaching consequences.

Heart of the Arts Award

Congratulations again to Ms. Penza, who earlier this month was presented with the Massachusetts Heart of the Arts award. To watch a quick video of the presentation, click here.

School Photos

We will be taking school pictures next week. The schedule is listed below, as is a link to the order form.

Schedule: 

Cohort A: Tuesday, November 3

Cohort D: Wednesday, November 4

Grade 8: 7:30 a.m.

Grade 9: 8:00 a.m.

Grade 10: 8:20 a.m.

Grade 11: 8:45 a.m.

Grade 12: 9:00 a.m.Cohort B: Thursday, November 5

For Cohort D pictures, we will have an area set up either outside or right inside the gym. Parents who are dropping off can drop off the student just outside the gym and proceed to the student parking lot to wait. When the student is done, they will walk to the vehicle and leave.

We take photos of every student for both the yearbook and for Student ID's. We would like to do our best to get every student's photo taken, even if families do not plan on ordering.

Grade 8 Civics Projects

Our grade 8 social studies team has been organizing the students' civics projects, and some of those projects are starting to take shape. The students' enthusiasm for this work is really exciting to watch, and we are looking forward to seeing how they engage with community and each other over the course of the year. You may see some messages from the school coming from the different groups - they have to do with effecting some sort of positive change in the world, and we sometimes share their surveys or information in order to help them have a real-world experience. Feel free to participate if you'd like!

Finally, on a personal level, I was able to accept the 2020 Massachusetts High School Principal of the Year this week, at a ceremony that the Massachusetts School Administrators' Association hosted here at Uxbridge High School. While the pandemic cancelled the typical plan for the award, it meant so much to me to be able to accept the award here in Uxbridge, with our staff, administrative team, School Committee, and my family in the audience. As I shared that day in my remarks, I am truly grateful for the opportunity to work at this school and with this community, and while awards like this are validating, they hardly mean the end of the work. We look forward to continuing to keep our school moving forward, even in these challenging times!

Be safe and stay well.

Mike Rubin
Principal, Uxbridge High School

Weekly News and Notes, October 23

We have a couple of updates from UHS this week.

Board of Education Meeting

Earlier this week, Mr. Rubin and Dr. Tiano had the opportunity to attend the meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, in which the work of Uxbridge High School in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) was highlighted as part of Massachusetts STEM Week. The school has earned more than $2 million in competitive grants over the past couple of years, including in-kind donations, which has helped to augment technology deployment and teacher training at UHS.

If you would like to watch the presentations, they can be viewed at this link. The UHS presentation starts at about the 1:53 (one hour, 53 minute) mark of the first part video, and then continues at the start of the "part two" video.

World Language Clarification

Our World Language classes have moved to an entirely proficiency-based model this year, which has helped students and teachers see gains around actual skill development, rather than rote memorization. We acknowledge that the new grading system is complex if unfamiliar to students and parents, and so an additional video clarifying is linked below. (Something was shared at the start of the school year as well).

Clarification on COVID-19 Protocols

With the start of the athletic season, we appreciate the commitment to our teams that many student-athletes have. However, that commitment cannot come at the expense of procedures and protocols. If families leave the state, there is a required quarantine or proof of a negative PCR test is required to be shared with the school nurse before a student can return to school, much less start participating in sports. Also, symptomatic students will be sent home. We simply cannot take the chance of the illness being anything more than a common cold, and the symptoms are quite similar.

We appreciate everyone's cooperation. It has been a heavy lift to get athletics back on the field and to keep our work going strong here at UHS, so we are looking to continue that positive trajectory.

Eight Week Evaluation

We have been consistently enlisting the feedback of students as part of our weekly advisory units and using that feedback to drive conversation here, both administratively and within departments. We will be asking families for feedback within the next couple of weeks as well.

As we constantly examine and reexamine our practices, we intend to make adjustments, but to do so thoughtfully and with improvement in mind. We certainly will not make changes just for the sake of change. We certainly will do our best to clarify anything that we plan!

Upcoming Weeks

As an FYI, there is no school on November 4, due to a teacher workshop day. November 11 is a no-school day due to Veterans' Day, and we have a half-day on November 25 in advance of the Thanksgiving weekend. 

Here's a look at our "Week That Was" video, which we hope will provide some insight into the work happening in our building. We are starting to get back into the normalcy of school, to the best of our ability, and we see classrooms starting to regain some of the buzz we had before the pandemic.

Have a great week.

Weekly News and Notes, October 16

We have much to celebrate this week at UHS!

Student Achievements!

Congratulations are in order for a couple of our UHS students for their individual accomplishments this week! Carlee Veinotte competed in Oklahoma City at the Morgan Grand National and World Championship horse show Competition, and she earned the distinction of being a world champion in the Hunter Pleasure Youth class, including competitors aged 21 and under! 

On Thursday, Luke Esposito first hole in one in recent Uxbridge golf history, the achievement coming on the fifth hole at Blissful Meadows.

 

Heart of the Arts Award

On Thursday, longtime Uxbridge music educator Kathleen Penza was honored by the MIAA and National Federation of High Schools as the Massachusetts recipient of the Heart of the Arts award. The Award is given annually to one recipient who meets this criteria:

·         Seeks to recognize those individuals who exemplify the ideals of the positive hearts of the arts that represent the core mission of education-based activities.

·         May be given in recognition of a specific act or for an activity of longer duration.

·         Covers a plethora of performing arts disciplines: Music, Speech, Debate, Theatre, Visual Arts and other performing arts activities.

·         The recipient could be any student, adult or group associated with the school’s performing arts program.

We are so proud of the work Mrs. Penza does with our school and community - be on the lookout for video footage!

Class Elections!

Congratulations to the newly elected officers of our classes. We look forward to partnering with them in the coming weeks and months.

Class of 2025:

President: Jack Sullivan

Vice President: Thatcher Kling

Secretary: Elyse Bouchard

Treasurer: Ali Alomar

Historian: Landon Sweet 

Class of 2024:

President: Payson Roy

Vice President: Nathan Noyes

Secretary- Kellen Lachapelle

Treasurer- Luke Esposito 

Historian- Matthew DiLibero  

Class of 2023: 

President: Tyler Richardson

Vice President: Carl Gallawan

Secretary- Grace Orr

Treasurer- Abby Sanches

Historian- Morgan Ouellette  

Class of 2022: 

President: Grace Boisvert 

Vice President: Liam Sweeney

Secretary- Lexi Wojciechowski

Treasurer- Zoe Jones

Historian- Chloe Kaeller 

Class of 2021:

President: Anastasia Achiaa

Vice: Mikenna Manz

Secretary: Karen Hernandez

Treasurer: Johnny Fabian

Historian: Brendan Thompson 

School Council

Our School Council has a couple of open seats on it for parent members. We are looking for parent representation from the Classes of 2024 and 2025. Our School Council helps drive school improvement planning and provides a mechanism for us to share goals and opportunities with a collaborative group of students, parents, community members and educators.

If you are interested, please contact Mr. Rubin directly via mrubin@uxbridge.k12.ma.us.

Final Word

Much is being written and shared about the current surge in cases of COVID-19 across the state. We realize that we have many safety procedures in place here at UHS. We do, however, realize that the ongoing increases in numbers puts the school and our community in a precarious position. We ask that you please do your part and remind students to follow all safety guidelines, particularly when away from school. We certainly do not want to compromise any opportunities for the coming year.

Weekly News and Notes, October 9

Good morning,

We have a few updates from UHS. To hear this as a podcast, please click here:

Columbus Day Weekend

With the Columbus Day weekend upon us and many families planning trips, we wanted to send along a reminder that travel outside of Massachusetts to anyplace other than Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, or Maine requires a self-quarantine until a negative COVID test or 14 day quarantine upon return to MA. For more information:

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order

Questions about Attendance

Some families have asked a very fair question about what to do if a student is not well or facing some sort of scheduling conflict at home, particularly if that student can log in remotely and still participate in class. Here is our guidance, at this time.

If a student is supposed to be physically in the building for an in-person day, our teachers will be instructed to mark the student absent. This assists us from the perspective of contact tracing, as well as to flag any absences for our school nurse to check in, particularly if the student is home for symptomatic reasons. The term "absent" should not be seen as a mark against the student - it is done solely for the purpose of knowing who is physically present and who is not. We obviously encourage students to continue with their learning when they are able to do so. Of course, if a student is not well, and needs to the time at home to rest and recover, we support those decisions as well. Either way, keeping our school nurse informed is critical!

MCAS

The Commissioner's office released new guidance on MCAS this week. We are summarizing the details for our students below based on the grade-level expectations for MCAS. Some of our teachers may have shared information regarding this year's testing that, at the time, was accurate, and, as is common for 2020-21, information changed from DESE, so that we now have a clearer expectation from the state about MCAS for the coming year. Of course, this could change.

Grade 8: Students will take MCAS exams in science, English, and mathematics, as is the typical process. This will be the next-generation assessment, completed via computer.

Grade 9: Students in grade 9 will take the MCAS exam in physics. This will be the next-generation science assessment, and will be taken in June. The window for the assessment has not yet been released.

Grade 10: Students in grades 10 will take the English and math assessments in May. The tests are currently projected to be scheduled for May 18-27. This will be computer-based.

Students in grades 11-12 have an optional window for testing in English and mathematics. We will be reaching out to all students to see if they want to test in January for the opportunity to earn the Adams or Koplik scholarship and their graduation requirement. We will be reaching out to families regarding this option for the purpose of scheduling, as the window for that first test is January 14-February 5.

Masks and Athletics

As we started our fall athletic season this week, we are issuing a not-so-gentle reminder about the mask policy and sport-specific rules.

Our School Committee and district policy is that all individuals on school grounds or in school buildings must be wearing masks. This includes coaches, spectators, and student-athletes. The sport-specific guidance from the MIAA also requires coaches to be mindful of a number of protocols and guidelines, all of which require mask wearing, practices to occur in pod-like fashion, and for only momentary mask breaks to take place. We are also requiring a pre-screening for practice, which helps us with attendance. While it takes a couple of minutes to complete, it gives us a fast and accurate record to share with the school nurse, particularly if we have a positive case identified.

As we start hosting events in the coming weeks, spectators will also be required to wear masks, maintain distance, and follow any guidelines and procedures required by the Board of Health, Department of Public Health, and MIAA. Some districts and leagues have already gone to the length of not allowing spectators, and others have already made the change to the second fall season that will be played this spring. We do not want to take any of these draconian measures, but we have the impossible tasks of maintaining safety and fidelity to policy. 

We hope this provides some clarity.

Week That Was

 

Finally, we have our teachers and students communicating frequently for quick check-ins and to gain feedback on how lessons are going. We conduct these checks not only in our weekly advisory, but also within the context of individual classes. The ongoing feedback has helped give students the opportunity to have a voice in their learning, for our staff to make adjustments, and for our classes, as a whole, to make the appropriate adjustments. 

We hope everyone enjoys the long weekend.

UHS: Instructional Adjustments

Good afternoon,

As we continue to make gains and strides in the hybrid model, we wanted to let families and students know of some adjustments that students and families may see in some courses.

First, over the first three weeks of the year, our teachers have prioritized synchronous learning, for the most part. That means that the majority of our classes the teacher is teaching to a group of students live, and the students and teachers are on a similar schedule. Synchronous learning allowed our teachers and students to get into a routine, for teachers to introduce direct instruction, and for staff to become acquainted with the names and faces in their sections. There are many positives to this model, from enabling teachers and staff to be on same page as their students, to get the learning going, and to establish connections.

At the same time, some of the feedback we have been provided is that some courses have become a bit too homework-centric, and also that class time in the building is not necessarily being used for activities, as teachers are working hard to keep both in-person and remote students on a similar page, with the same assignments. We are working, as a result, to make some adjustments, as well as to get more differentiated assignments integrated into classes.

The term that is often used is "asynchronous" learning. Asynchronous learning is a general term used to describe forms of education, instruction, and learning that do not occur in the same place or at the same time. Asynchronous instruction can be in the form of pre-recorded slides, assignments in Google Classroom, a paper and pencil assignment, videos to watch, independent studio time, or a reading. In other words, the instruction by the teacher and the learning by the student do not necessarily occur at the same time, or the student can work on something at one time and consult with the teacher at a different time. For example, the teachers can assign a video with some questions or a written response to be done by the end of the week - the student can complete that assignment during the regular class time, or during a convenient time for the student. In the interim, the teachers will provide times that they are available, which may mean that there are not specific responsibilities during a class time.

The reality is that asynchronous learning is something that has always happened in class, with learning stations, differentiated instruction, purposeful grouping, and different assignments for different students, a hallmark of universal design principles. It now takes on more of a focus because that work may happen at home, where families can see it, but this is at the core of the practice standards and skills - and students will hardly be left to their own devices without (a) support or (b) accountability. What this will allow us to do is create different learning experiences for students, emphasize specific objectives and tasks, focus on skills through content, and give students a range of experiences - all of which have been part of our focus. 

For students who are fully remote, there will remain opportunities for students to connect with in-person classes and for teachers to balance direct instruction with independent learning, and to provide check-ins. Please do not interpret a shift to implementing asynchronous learning as a complete pivot away from synchronous instruction, but more of a thoughtful joining of the two, as, in some cases, the classes were already running in this manner.

We will continue to reflect on what we do, elicit feedback, and make adjustments as we see fit. To those ends, we expect you will continue to see changes and, ideally, improvements. We thank you for your continued patience, feedback, and support.

Weekly News and Notes, October 2

 Weekly Update from UHS

We have a few updates from UHS this week:

Updates from Health Office

Annual Health Information Form: Please fill out annual health information for each student you have at UHS, fully remote and in-person. 

 UHS Student Medical Information Form

New State Mandated Vaccine Requirements: Influenza (flu) vaccine for all UHS grade levels by December 31st. MenACWY (Meningococcal) vaccine for Grade 11 students, this is typically done at the 16 year physical. This applies to fully remote and in-person students. Documentation by your provider may be emailed to tschiller@uxbridge.k12.ma.us or faxed to 508-278-8647 or brought to the UHS main office. If you have a medical or religious exemption to either of these vaccines please submit documentation. 

Immunization info is linked here.

Athletics

Fall sports will start on Monday. We have very specific guidelines for each of our sports that we need to follow. Most importantly, for all spectators, participants, coaches, and support staff: mask wearing is required at all times when on campus. We have already had some issues with student-athletes after school, and, despite our protestations, this week had not only student-athletes without masks, but also some adults not willing to follow rules. 

We follow Board of Health, MIAA, and Department of Public Health guidance. At best, those who are not able to follow these rules could forfeit the privilege of participating or spectating. At worst, those who are not following the rules compromise the safety and health of us all.

We are already disappointed in how our precious seasons have been cut short, and there are those in the community who have harbored feelings of disappointment, frustration, and even anger about late starts and shorter seasons. We are doing everything in our power to make this season a possibility. Anything short of everyone's complete cooperation compromises so much more than one individual's comfort or opinion.

Also, some questions have been raised about whether or not athletics would continue should Uxbridge's community metrics trend toward red in terms of the number of cases. We would be dealing with those cases should they come up, as well as looking at patterns. Obviously, our biggest concern is a cluster at the high school, which would be extremely problematic, particularly if we were to have to be fully remote due to an outbreak, in particular one in our athletic program.

Feedback from Students and Parents

Each week, as part of advisory, our teachers survey our students to get feedback on things that are going well, and aspects of life at UHS that could be improved. We use that feedback to drive some of our teachers' collaborative time and to develop lessons that will thus meet more students' needs. In the coming weeks, we will be providing families with the opportunity to provide us feedback as well.

Please know that we are still very much in the early stages of this hybrid model - this was just our second full week of school. While we are still working out some kinks, the early reviews seem to be positive from the students' perspective, and we will be working to fine tune some of the challenges being reported in some classes. When we share that information, please be sure to offer us feedback based on what you are seeing, since it will help us grow and improve, as well as to validate what is being done well.

Student Voice and Current Climate

It goes without saying that there are many disparate points of view in the nation right now, and we have many different thoughts, opinions, and perspectives within our staff, our families, and our students. As school administration, we have a responsibility to ensure that our community is safe, and that students and staff are protected from speech and symbols that could cause a deleterious impact to the experience at school.

We follow guidance established by the most significant rulings possible, those of the United States Supreme Court, and we invoke those responsibilities based on the case law. For example, in Tinker v. Des Moines, the Court held that school officials may discipline a student for expressive conduct that is otherwise protected by the First Amendment if the conduct “materially and substantially interfere[s] with the requirements of appropriate discipline in the operation of the school,” or if school officials can reasonably forecast that the speech will cause a material and substantial disruption.

We respect the various viewpoints of our students, but please know that when those viewpoints disrupt the rights of others, are blatantly disrespectful or hateful, or intend to create a hostile environment at school, we work collaboratively with our public safety partners, counselors, and families to respond accordingly. We likewise have built conversations and lessons about implicit bias, structural racism, and prejudicial behaviors into our various curricula, particularly in grades 8 and 9, to help students understand the impact of their statements, comments, etc. Simply put, hate speech is not tolerated in any form, regardless of the platform by which individuals may seek to espouse or impose their views.