Good morning,
We hope this message finds everyone safe, warm, and well following the snowfall. As it turned out, the conditions on Wednesday with the surprise coating of ice were probably more troublesome than the snow on Friday, and we were able to squeeze in the day, for which we will be thankful come June.
We have a few updates from UHS this week.
School Budget
The Uxbridge School Committee voted on Tuesday to support a school budget that fell about halfway between the town manager’s recommended budget number and the needs-based number moved forward by the district administration. A needs-based budget takes into account all services and positions that the district would request, including any new positions, while maintaining existing services. Because the needs-based number was not supported in full, the school district will have to sustain some cuts and increase some fees to balance the budget number, and that is, of course, determined if the override amount supported by School Committee passes through both town meeting and a subsequent vote.
While specific positions have not necessarily been “cut” as of yet, there have been proposed lists of possible cuts shared with the public and with school committee.
The difference between the town manager’s recommended increased budget and the needs-based budget amounted to approximately $1.1 million, and the budget endorsed by the School Committee reduced that number by about $550,000. In the coming weeks, the district’s administration will determine how to make up that difference. If the override attempt were to fail, or added revenue not be found, the district would sustain cuts of the full $1.1 million. Some individuals have reached out or attended meetings with their thoughts and feedback, and those ideas are appreciated.
We will continue to keep families informed as best we can. Please know that every decision recommended for UHS will have our core values, a focus on students and academic integrity, and providing a high-quality program all in mind.
Scheduling for 2017-18
We will be holding a Scheduling Information night for parents and students on Monday, March 6, at 6:30 p.m. This will be an opportunity for parents/guardians of students in grades 9-11 to learn more about our scheduling process, course selection, and options for classes. Our students will be conferencing with teachers March 7-10 and making course choices within the first two full weeks of March, so the time to start thinking about classes for the coming year is now.
If you have questions about your child’s overall schedule, please reach out to Ms. Hampton or Mr. Barry, our guidance counselors. If you have questions about a specific course or a course sequence, contact either your child’s current teacher, a department leader, administration, or your child’s counselor. Finally, if you have questions about special education services, contact either your child’s liaison or the team chair, Ms. Tobin.
We hope to have the updated Program of Studies and presentations online following February 28, when revisions will be proposed to the School Committee. In advance of that, you can use last year’s documents as a guide.
Reaccreditation Process
Uxbridge High School is embarking on its year-long self-study in preparation for our decennial reaccreditation visit, which is scheduled to take place in December of 2018. Over the next few months, you can expect to receive some information about the process, particularly as we elicit parent feedback on a number of the standards. We are excited to have close to 20 parents involved with the process!
As part of reaccreditation, our school has examined core values, beliefs about student learning, and schoolwide learning expectations. As we have revised our learning expectations, we plan on assessing student progress toward these habits and sharing results with families as part of the report card.
Yearbook
We still have a few yearbooks left for sale - you can either order online at yearbookforever.com or in the library, but act soon!
Additionally, families and friends of seniors can purchase space in the yearbook to congratulate seniors on their achievements! See the attached newsletter for information about personal ads, which can include any photos and messages, or Spartan Shoutouts, which are brief messages to a senior!
Spring Sports Signup
Spring sports registration will begin on March 1 via FamilyID. Please make sure all documentation is complete and that registration for spring sports is finalized by March 17, as the season starts on March 17.
Junior Parent Letter
We sent a letter home to junior parents following our counselors’ meetings with students in the past couple of weeks. Remember - on March 23, we will be hosting a College/Financial Aid night for our juniors - sophomores are welcome to attend. The event is scheduled for 6:30-8:00 in the auditorium.
Congratulations
...to our boys basketball team on qualifying for the Clark Tournament and District tournament, both of which will take place in the coming weeks.
...to our girls basketball team, which finds itself in the hunt for a SWCL division championship entering the stretch run of the 2016-17 season.
Good luck…
...to both our boys and girls track teams on their record-setting championship seasons so far, as they embark on district and state championship season.
...to our cheerleading team, as it competes this weekend.
As always, feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, concerns, or feedback.
Sincerely,
Michael Rubin, Principal
Uxbridge High School
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