Higher Ed and McCloskey Campus Reuse

December 20, 2017

Dear Parents and Residents:

We are writing to provide you with an update regarding the McCloskey School building and our connected efforts to expand Early College* coursework and underrepresented programs for our high school students in Uxbridge and throughout the region. Uxbridge High School has solidified an engineering pathway over the past two years to better address higher education and workforce needs - and our sights are now set on the biomedical and agricultural industries, in addition to expanding early college opportunities, which would benefit students and families alike.

With the closure of the McCloskey Middle School, an opportunity has presented itself to establish college programming at the McCloskey campus through a potential partnership with Mount Wachusett Community College for high school students, post-secondary students, and adults to advance career training. The Uxbridge Public Schools administration feels strongly that joint partnerships between higher education and PreK-12 public school systems will form the basis of the next wave of reform initiatives in Massachusetts, since the last major reform of 1993.

On Tuesday, the School Committee voted to endorse the administration’s exploration and pursuit of state and federal grant funding, with the goal of establishing technical and higher education programming in the local Uxbridge Public Schools. There is an understanding that this pursuit will likely be a collaborative effort among Blackstone Valley and Worcester County schools. Likewise, discussions and decisions about the future plans of the McCloskey campus will occur in the upcoming months, as it is understood that early college programming to address higher education and workforce needs will likely require the use of the campus. In so doing, Uxbridge may very well be poised not only to lead new partnerships but also potentially fill the regional void in terms of higher education opportunities in the Blackstone Valley. With the state encouraging districts to collaborate, and given the demands identified by both higher education and the local workforce, the opportunities could be many, which is why additional study and exploration has been supported at this time.

We will be sure to inform the community in advance of informational forums to discuss these opportunities in greater depth. In the meantime, please see the attached Early College and McCloskey School Reuse Summary and the Higher Education Center PowerPoint that was presented to the School Committee on December 19, 2017. We hope this information will provide you with background details that will help you to understand our strategic efforts and lay the groundwork for meaningful and engaging discussions moving forward.

Sincerely,

Kevin M. Carney                                                                    Michael Rubin

Superintendent of Schools                                                      UHS Principal

Early College programming has been defined by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as an effort to provide high school students with college-level coursework while simultaneously providing exposure to a variety of career opportunities.

Fun Club/Best Buddies!

Thanks to everyone who participated in today's Best Buddies/Fun Club holiday gathering. A good time was had by all!

December Newsletter

Our December newsletter can be viewed below:

Weekly News and Notes

Good afternoon,

We hope that everyone is staying warm and looking forward to the upcoming holiday break. We have a few items of note this week, and, in a separate email, you'll be getting our December newsletter this afternoon as well. We are including grade 7 and 8 parents on our distribution, particularly given the decision for UHS to move to an 8-12 school next year and our desire to keep everyone informed with important communications from the high school.

WINTER SPORTS

Congratulations to both track teams on the successful starts to their seasons on Wednesday, with three victories for the boys and girls! Our girls basketball team earned a hard-fought win over Bartlett on Thursday for its first W of the season as well, and the boys have their home opener on Friday at 6:30 against Bartlett.

PSAT SCORES

Sophomores and juniors should be able to check PSAT scores via the College Board, and hard copies of reports were received at the building this morning. In the coming weeks, counselors will be meeting to discuss results. Overall, from a school standpoint, we have some researching of the information to do, but, at the onset, we are pleased with what we are seeing, recognizing that there are areas for growth.

REACCREDITATION UPDATE

Within a year, our reaccreditation visit will be complete. By the end of this year, our self-study will be done. Several parents have indicated a willingness to help with the process, and we will be no doubt looking for parent panelists throughout the year to weigh in on several of the standards that are "parent-centric." We thank everyone for helping us get well beyond the 20% participation threshold of the Endicott Survey, with nearly 40% of our families responding!

UPDATE FROM MENDON

We know that many of us in Uxbridge have connections to the the surrounding communities, be it through athletics, religious institutions, social networks, work, or civic involvement. As such, it is appropriate for us to share some outreach from our neighbors in Mendon. One of the families at Clough Elementary School, just down the road from us, lost everything in a house fire last night. They have three students attending Clough, and we have even received calls at UHS asking if people can help. It the beauty of living in such tight-knit communities where relationships extend across town lines and altruism is at our core.

An account has been set up at Charles River Bank for the Flanagan Family.  Monetary donations will be accepted at the Clough office, or individuals may go directly to the bank and have it deposited to the Flanagan Relief Fund. I do believe that donations of clothing may also be brought to the school. 

Please keep the Flanagan family in your thoughts, as they recover and rebuild from this terrible tragedy.

Have a great weekend,

Michael Rubin, Principal
Uxbridge High School

UHS: Water Issue and Building Closure

Good afternoon,

Unfortunately, there was a water main break in the center of town today that has compromised the water supply to Uxbridge High School. Without water in restrooms or facilities here we are unable to run our athletic practices or any extracurricular activities. Basketball practices for the afternoon are in the process of being rescheduled to another site, and other after-school practices, rehearsals, etc. have been canceled. We are closing the building as of 2:45 p.m.

We anticipate the problem being resolved soon and will be in touch with any details as they arise.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Google Classroom Hack

Good afternoon,

Earlier this afternoon, we became aware of a damaging, profane, and inappropriate text that was posted to Google Classroom. Working swiftly, Mr. DiMeglio, our assistant principal, was able to collaborate with our technology team to identify its origin and confirm that a student had, in fact, "hacked" Google Classroom and posted the message, which served to undermine the teacher, the community, and our core values as a whole. Indeed, beyond the violation of the acceptable use policy, actions like this underscore the need for us to be vigilant with student behaviors, as the post was then saved and shared on various social media platforms, causing an inappropriate chain reaction and disrupting school as a whole.

We assure you that we are aware of the situation, know that it was not, in fact, the work of a teacher, and was the unfortunate decision of a student with whom we will be working in terms of consequences. When situations like this violate our collective trust, they are dealt with swiftly and with an appropriate response. If there were to be a positive, it is that all those with whom we dealt regarding this situation were honest and frank in their admission of wrongdoing.

If you hear any scuttlebutt, please redirect and assure the students and colleagues that this was, in fact, the nefarious work of a single student and that the authorities are now involved. Your assistance in reminding students that they must follow appropriate guidelines and procedures, be it online or otherwise, is appreciated.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely yours,

Michael Rubin, Principal