February/March Newsletter

See below for the February/March newsletter:

Perceived Rumor at UHS Today

Good morning,

Earlier this morning, Mr. DiMeglio and I became aware of a rumor regarding a threat to violence and/or a weapon. We have since been in contact with the Uxbridge Police Department and our School Resource Officer, Officer Deveau, who have confirmed, in fact, that this was hearsay. If there were any direct concern or threat, please know that we would be investigating it fully and moving quickly to maintain the safety of everyone in this building. At this time, there is no cause for concern.

As an aside, we sent this message to students about an hour ago, and I, unfortunately, got pulled in another direction before clicking "send" on this message to parents. I apologize for any mixed messages or misinformation that got out there in the interim. As we know, news and information can frequently travel lightning-fast, which makes sometimes dispelling that information a challenge. We are typically proactive with information, but, again, we reiterate no cause for concern.

Thank you to those who brought some information forward.

Sincerely,

Michael Rubin, Principal
​Uxbridge High School

National School Walkout, March 14

February 28, 2018

Dear Parents, Families, and Extended Uxbridge Community:

Over the past two weeks, our school and our student body have been managing a number of emotions following the tragedy in Florida. Consequently, some students reached out to school administration, noting their intention to organize and participate in the National School Walkout on March 14 at 10:00 a.m.

As a school, we bear the collective responsibility to helping students understanding the balance between effective speech, assembly, and protest and what can be seen as civil disobedience or a disruption. The law is fairly clear on the subject, as outlined in the Supreme Court’s landmark Tinker v. Des Moines decision. In that decision, the Court held that, first, students have a constitutional right to freedom of speech while at school and on school grounds, and, second, that this freedom of speech right must be balanced against maintaining orderliness in the school environment. Employing these standards, the Court’s baseline provides schools with the latitude to regulate freedom of speech if it will likely result in a substantial disruption of the educational process; material interference with school activities; or invasion of the rights of others. (The Court famously states that students “do not shed their Constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate”).

In meeting with some student leaders, it has become clear that the goal of Uxbridge’s planned participation on March 14 is based on two singular goals and no other ulterior motives: (1) coming together as a community that will show its collective vigilance and support of each other; and (2) honoring the memory of the students who perished in the Parkland tragedy. We intend to have banners that students will sign, with a message to the effect of, “UHS stands with Marjory Stoneman Douglas” or “We stand together against hatred,” while keeping the political motivations of some out of the discussion. Those who have spoken with us have indicated a range of political views, and we have been impressed by the collective intentions of our students to stand with a singular purpose, regardless of their personal ideologies. We thus have an opportunity to have our students model effective communication, civic and civil responsibility, respect for others, the acceptance of disparate points of view, and the articulation of thoughts and ideas - all of which are part of our core values.

As we are planning a regular day of school, we will be permitting students who wish to participate to sign up in advance, and those who do not wish to participate will stay in class during that period, where teachers can continue with normal instruction. Those who choose to participate but do so inappropriately or in a way as to disrupt the planned activity - or who attempt to subvert the intentions of those organizing the event - will face consequences in accordance with the Student Handbook. Students who do not sign up in advance but leave classes without permission will also face consequences.

Finally, we will work with the Uxbridge Police Department to secure the driveway leading up to the building to ensure that visitors do not pose any security risk to our students. Visitors will be directed to the student parking lot and escorted to the building by administration or staff, should someone arrive during the 10:00-10:15 window, when we anticipate this planned event to occur.

We are impressed, so far, with the altruism and optimism with which our students are approaching this event. We are hopeful to share in a civil civic discourse with our students. We are confident that it will connect our students to a world much bigger than their own high school while focusing on our collective responsibility to the community in which we live. And we are appreciative of our community and families for supporting our students, our staff, and our administration as we tackle these particularly challenging times and provide safe learning opportunities for our Spartans.

Sincerely yours,

Michael Rubin

Principal
Uxbridge High School

UHS Guidance Newsletter

The UHS Guidance Newsletter for February 2018 is linked below as a pdf document. (Feel free to download and read it at your convenience, or just read as a linked document).

UHS Guidance Newsletter: February 2018

German Exchange Opportunity

We Need Your Help

As you may have heard, Uxbridge High will be hosting international students visiting from Germany.  We believe the international student exchange will enrich the educational experience at Uxbridge High School and provide a unique opportunity for our students to learn about the culture of another country and share the culture of the United States.

During the 3 weeks that the international students are here (March 22^nd – April 12^th), we need families willing to host them. The students do not need a private bedroom but do need their own bed.  This could be a pull-out couch or air mattress in your child’s room.  They have insurance and spending money; the host family is responsible for room and board.  In addition to host siblings earning 30 service hours, for host families, the benefits of an international exchange increase greatly due to their immersion in the program – friendships develop, bonds are created, and lives are changed.  As an added benefit, many American host siblings have visited their new friends in Germany over summer vacation.

It is no surprise that Uxbridge High families have responded generously to our initial request for host families.  However, there are still nine international students (7 girls and two boys) in need of a host family.  If you can open your heart and your home to a student from Germany, please contact Mr. Rubin or the group’s area coordinator Sonja Maccaline at ausm213@gmail.com or 508-902-8909.  With your help, we can make this exchange the experience of a life-time! 

Grade 7-8 Open House

Good morning,

We are excited to welcome our grade 7 students and parents to an Open House and Information Night on Thursday, March 1, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The night will be an opportunity for us to share some details about the transition to UHS for grade 8 next year, to give some guidance on the elective courses being offered to grade 8 students, and to provide some details about the school in general. In addition to this week, we are planning a separate "step-up" day with tours during the school day, likely in April or May.

We have already shared some FAQ's, which are linked here: http://uhsprincipal.blogspot.com/2018/01/faq-for-grades-7-8.html. We also have a great deal of information on course selection, as well as some presentations, linked on the high school webpage, under the "Academics" tab, by following the "Scheduling" link (click here: https://sites.google.com/a/uxbridge.k12.ma.us/the-uxbridge-high-school/scheduling).

We hope to see many of you there. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Best,

Michael Rubin, Principal
Uxbridge High School

Weekly News and Notes

Weekly News and Notes

As we prepared for the winter/February recess, our attention was definitely pulled in a number of directions this week. Fortunately, we had a five-day week devoid of weather issues, which allowed our teachers to build a little bit of momentum. The next stretch is a tough one - between February and April break - and we know that it will be a time for us to get most of our academics in line for the stretch run in the school year!

Course Selections

Guidance counselors have been working diligently with students on course selections. Our freshmen, sophomores, and juniors have all picked their courses for next year, including alternate electives, and in the couple of weeks after break, we hope to do the same with the rising 8th and 9th graders. In time, we will commence with analyzing conflicts and determining what courses, if any, do not run. For now, we are on schedule!

University of Michigan Study

Uxbridge High School has been selected to participate in a nationwide study of 12th graders, entitled Monitoring the Future. The survey is funded by the National INstitutes of Health and tracks changes in attitudes, opinions, and behaviors of 12th graders, and has been offered for 42 years. The results are widely reported and used by many organizations to develop better programs and policies that affect today’s youth. The survey only takes about 40 minutes, and responses and results are kept confidential. Our staff is not involved in the survey at all, and we receive access to the composite report for the next three years. Permission for seniors to participate will be on an opt-out basis, meaning we will send a notice home to families regarding survey administration, and students will return a slip only if they wish to not participate.

Clark Tournament

Our boys basketball team faces Maynard in the Clark Tournament on Sunday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Hope many of you can make it!

Engineering Featured

Mr. Smutok’s Principles of Engineering course was featured in this month’s Project Lead the Way monthly newsletter! The students built trusses that had to withstand certain weight-bearing loads! Very cool recognition for our program!

Basketball Senior Night

It was a bittersweet event on Thursday, as we honored senior basketball players Morgan McCarty, Scott Kaeller, Joey DuBois, and James Stark before their final regular season home games as Spartans. The senior members of the pep band and Spartones were also recognized for their support of the teams, including Jordan Washington, Riley Malone, Jenna Rosado, Russell Wise, Cassie Lobe, Alicia Nelson, Chloe Gardner, Olivia Burke, and Kayte Rooney. We thank them all for their contributions and commitment!

Have a great week!

x

Message/Direction for Students

We shared this with our students this morning via email.

Good morning,

As we indicated yesterday in our morning announcement, the recent events in Florida have brought up a number of emotions, from anger, to fear, to sadness - all of which are appropriate. We met yesterday as a school crisis team and then as a district crisis team, which involves police and fire. While we remain confident in the safety procedures we have in place at UHS, we know that there are some things that people are wondering.

1.      UHS is and will continue to be a safe place but we need students to play a major role in the security and safety of one another.

2.      Do not prop doors open or open them during the school day to let anyone in. Not even your peers, former students or staff.

3.      Be careful what you post on your social networks, group chats, etc. . “I didn’t know is no longer an excuse”. You should all know better.

4.      If you see something, say something. You can report any concern directly to a staff member, by sending an email or having a conversation. If you report something anonymously, I just ask that you be as detailed as possible. Not having a name makes it very difficult to follow up if there are many unknowns.

5.      Be kind to one another! Don’t allow a classmate to be isolated. Say hello!

6.      Each student should identify at least 1-2 adults in the building that they feel connected to that they can call upon if they have any concerns or need assistance.

7.      If you or a friend is having a tough time in or out of school, speak up. Access an Adjustment Counselor, Guidance Counselor or staff member. Asking for help is NOT a sign of weakness!

8.      If you have a conflict with another student, work it out with that student. Do not seek to involve others and do not let it play out on a social network. Conflict resolution is a life skill, we can help you to hone your skills to perfection. If you need help with a conflict, utilize the Adjustment Counselors, Guidance Counselors, or any other staff member.

9. For those who are still feeling like they are struggling, Family Continuity will be offering support services to students and parents next week. On Thursday, from 11-12, there is an event at Family Continuity, located at 76 Church Street in Whitinsville. Parent/guardian consent for participation and registration are both required; contact them at 508-234-4181.

10. Returning to normalcy and a sense of routine is important, so help each other toward that!

Just as you seek out the support of counselors, our network of administrators also lean on each other for guidance, so I thank the principals of Milton High School and Belmont High School for sharing their resources with us. 

Finally, Mr. Carney, the counselors, and I will be meeting with student leaders over the next several weeks to consider ways that we can help encourage ways for students to speak up and help us take care of this community.

I wish each of you a relaxing, enjoyable vacation week.

Sincerely,

Mr. Rubin (for the UHS Crisis Team: Mr. Barry, Ms. Ciccone, Officer Deveau, Mr. DiMeglio, Ms. Hampton, Ms. Lesperance, Ms. Mason, Ms. Schiller, Ms. Tobin, and Dr. Vandergrift)

Message from Superintendent Regarding Crisis Prevention

Dear Families and Staff:

As we reflect on yesterday's tragedy in Florida and as the news coverage of this horror may overwhelm us in the upcoming days and weeks, we need to all do our part to ensure the safety of our children, community members, and the people who serve Uxbridge. Our Crisis Prevention Team, made up of Uxbridge Police, Uxbridge Fire, and school officials are meeting today, as we do monthly, to review protocols and plan for crisis situations.

Please work with us to limit the chances of violent tragedies in our community. This is especially important for visitors to our schools. Most of us grew up during a time when holding the door open for someone was considered an act of kindness. This remains true in most situations. However, it is not an act of kindness when entering a school from the exterior doors. Visitors must ring the bell for the office at each school to seek entrance. Each visitor must do this. If you are granted entrance, please shut the door securely behind you. Even if you know the person following you to gain entrance, please express your need to close the door and their need to contact the office for entry. 

On behalf of the students, staff, administration, and School Committee, Thank you for your attention to this very important request. During our meeting today, if we identify protocols that need to be strengthened, we will certainly put them into effect.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and victims of Parkland, Florida.

Announcement to Students and Staff

We shared this announcement this morning with students and staff in light of what happened yesterday in Florida:

Good morning,

When news like what transpired in Broward County yesterday breaks, we have a natural tendency to experience a range of emotions. Anger, sadness, denial, fear all come to mind. We naturally look inward and think of those close to us, our own schools, and the families of the victims. We remind ourselves of our own safety procedures, which can be as simple as having only a single entry and exit place to our building, not propping open doors, and requiring all visitors to register at the main office.

We also think of ways we can prevent both horrific, mass tragedies on one hand and, on the polar opposite, the smaller, more run of the mill, and unfortunate mishaps that occur daily, between student and student and even teacher to teacher from happening. We think of how our individual actions and responses to others may have a domino or ripple effect of which we have no idea or context. We think of how we can stay together as a community by taking care of each other and acting with respect and empathy.

I would ask that we take an additional moment to pause in Silent reflection as we consider both the senseless tragedy of Florida and our own renewed commitment to keeping this High School a safe and considerate community for all.

UHS and Safety Procedures

I have been struggling tonight with the news of what transpired in Florida on Wednesday. As I have connected with colleagues and friends across Massachusetts and the nation, the Parkland tragedy brought to light, once again, some of our deepest fears. To paraphrase some of the conversations I had, "we spend so much time on response, but what about prevention?" "How prepared are we?" "What can we do to make sure that doesn't happen for us?"

Naturally, there will be people who may be inclined to discuss what happened. There will be some staff members, students, and parents who will need to vent and for whom safety in our own building is maybe a concern. There are procedures we have in place, steps we rehearse, and scenarios for which we are prepared, but it would only be natural for some to be concerned, tense, or shaken as we prepare for another school day, albeit 1800 miles away. Still, there will be others who will have no response whatsoever and for whom the disconnect is natural. 

I am sharing this resource from Harvard, which helps with both parenting and educating amidst times of trauma and crisis.

So you are aware of what we are redirecting and reminding from an administrative level:

1. All visitors are required to enter through the front entrance. Only the main office will permit someone to enter after identifying the purpose for needing access.

2. Visitors who have been granted access to the building will report to the main office to be signed into the building. They should shut the door behind them, not hold it open for the next visitor.

3. People waiting for pickup at the end of the day are not permitted "stand" or wait in vehicles in the staff parking lot or by the front of the building.

Staff, students, and parents who exit the building during the day for any reason: use the front entrance only. Upon arrival, make sure doors close behind you- we do not prop doors open. 

We have procedures and steps in place that keep and maintain UHS as a safe, vibrant community where we can support each other and maintain safety. We hope to never use them, and we keep the communities in Broward County in our thoughts and prayers.

UHS earns PLTW grant

The following press release was shared today. Dr. Drolet, Ms. DeMarco, and I have been working diligently on bringing new resources and programs to our community, and we are quite excited to acknowledge this opportunity!

This means that students coming to UHS will, over time, have greater exposure to engineering and technology programs at the intermediate school, and we will have the opportunity to expand our pathways at the high school. This is exciting news!

Mike Rubin, Principal

For Immediate Release                                                       

February 15, 2018

Media Contact:

Kevin Carney, Superintendent of Schools

508-278-8648

Uxbridge Public Schools Receive STEM Career Pathway Capacity Grant

Uxbridge, Mass. (2/14/18) – The Uxbridge Public Schools announced today that it has received a grant to offer high-quality science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs from Project Lead The Way (PLTW). PLTW is a nonprofit organization that provides a transformative learning experience for K-12 students and teachers through pathways in computer science, engineering and biomedical science. More than 10,500 schools across the country offer PLTW programs to millions of students.

“Our entire team has been committed to partnering and expanding our existing opportunities to ensure that students are prepared for the world that awaits them,” said Kevin Carney, Uxbridge Public Schools superintendent. “That we are able to grow a program to bring even more robust offerings to more students is very exciting.”

Uxbridge High School and McCloskey Middle School are just two of 73 schools across the commonwealth to receive the grant, which is supported by the Administration of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, the One8 Foundation, and Mass STEM Hub.

“It is essential that we engage our students throughout their K-12 school years with hands-on lessons in science, engineering, computer science, technology and math,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito.

Both schools will use grant funds to start and strengthen its PLTW program with PLTW Gateway Programs at the grade 6-7 and biomedical engineering programs at the 8-12 level, over the next three years. For Whitin Intermediate School, the school district will be able to expand technology education programs to build curriculum and offerings for students in Design and Modeling, as well as Automation and Robotics. The Project Lead the Way Gateway program will naturally expand the already established program in Engineering at Uxbridge High School, which includes a four-year engineering sequence that culminates in internship opportunities through partnerships with the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce. Funds from the grant will also support teacher professional development and the purchase of materials and equipment that will be used in the hands-on, activity-, project-, and problem-based courses.

Over the past three years, the Uxbridge Public Schools have earned more than $100,000 in grant money to support district goals and programming.

“We are proud to partner with the Uxbridge Public Schools to empower students to develop the in-demand knowledge and transportable skills to thrive in our evolving world,” said Vince Bertram, PLTW president and CEO. “Thank you to the Governor’s Office, the One8 Foundation, and Mass STEM Hub for making these grants possible and further investing in Massachusetts’s students.”

“These opportunities are relevant, real, and engaging for students across several grade levels, and the skills that students take from these classes will provide them with a strong foundation for the future, regardless of what they study,” Mr. Carney said. “We are grateful for our partners, and we thank them for believing in our programs, students, staff, and community.”

About PLTW

Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a nonprofit organization that provides a transformative learning experience for K-12 students and teachers across the U.S. PLTW empowers students to develop in-demand, transportable knowledge and skills through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. PLTW’s teacher training and resources support teachers as they engage their students in real-world learning. More than 10,500 elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer PLTW programs. For more information on Project Lead The Way, visit pltw.org.

Message for Rising Grade 9 Parents

Good morning,

We had the pleasure of meeting with the Grade 8 students yesterday at McCloskey Middle School. We found the group attentive, thoughtful, and enthusiastic, and, perhaps most importantly, they seemed ready to engage with us and with the decisions that they face in the coming weeks. They asked fabulous questions, the highlights of which we'll include in this email and take some time, hopefully, to post to the website in the coming weeks.

We made the conversation a bit more interactive, as we asked the students what sort of classes they liked - universally, they enjoy classes that help them get up and moving, that allow them to be creative, that allow them to work with their hands. They were curious about electives, and, for grade 9, there is no shortage of electives - 20+ in fact. They wondered about athletics and extracurricular activities, and we were able to assuage concerns and help them understand that we will work with any group of students who feels like they have a need that is not being met.

In terms of academics, students will work with their grade 8 teachers in the coming weeks to identify appropriate levels for grade 9 core courses. They will also consider electives, and, through this process, work with our guidance counselors after February break to input their course selections. We will do our best to ensure that students have the opportunity to take their top choices, understanding that there is always the possibility of courses filling for upperclassmen first, which is why we ask students to select multiple alternates.

Our athletic program will remain pretty consistent for grade 9 students, in that there are not many changes. We do hope to, with the integration of grade 8, have more opportunities to offer a third level in some sports which would prevent us from making cuts, while restoring junior varsity sports to some sports where JV has been unable to field a roster.

Finally, some questions were raised about Advanced Placement and advanced course offerings, which are typically not available in grade 9. We do offer close to a dozen AP courses at UHS, as well as courses that are articulated for credit with the state college system. We hope to expand these opportunities, particularly with our rising ninth graders in mind for their 11th and 12th grade years.

We will be hosting a coffee hour in the morning after February break; when we have that date finalized, we will share it, so that families who have individual questions or who wish to chat with us more following the evening event last week may do so. Please reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback!

Sincerely, 

Michael Rubin
Principal
Uxbridge High School

Non-emergency lockdown at UHS

Good afternoon,

We had a non-emergency lockdown at UHS this afternoon. The response was necessary due to a medical emergency. As always, it is important for us to protect the privacy of the person involved, be it staff or student, and maintain an orderly operation of our academic environment. The timely response of emergency personnel and our own school nurse enabled us to resume normal operation fairly quickly.

As an additional note, we are pleased that a student and staff member who noticed that there was a problem with a member of our community responded so empathetically and quickly. We are so fortunate to have caring people who look out for each other on a daily basis, which really is at the heart of our core values.

Have a good rest of your day.

Short-term Foreign Exchange Opportunity

Have an International Experience in Your Own Home!!!  We are looking for families to host a student from Germany for 3 weeks while they attend Uxbridge High School.  Students will arrive March 22^nd and depart April 12^th.  Since they are traveling on a Thursday, airport transportation will be by bus.  International students have their own spending money and insurance.  Host families provide room and board and a welcoming family experience.  If you can open your heart and your home to a student from Germany for three weeks or have any further questions, please contact Mr. Rubin or the group’s area coordinator Sonja Maccaline at ausm213@gmail.com or call 508-902-8909. 

International student exchanges provide enriching experiences for both the student and the host family and foster understanding between the US and other countries of the world.

Weekly News and Notes

Good morning,

A few bits of information from UHS this week!

Boys basketball: SWCL Champs!

Congrats to our boys basketball team on earning the SWCL B championship,
clinching the title with a 50-26 win at Auburn on Thursday night.
The boys have a couple of games left this season and have also qualified for the Clark Tournament,
which will be played at Clark University over February vacation.
We open on February 18 against Maynard at 7:45 p.m.

Spring Sports Registration

Our spring sports registration will open next week via FamilyID.
Please be on the lookout for the email and instructions.
Please note that, for a couple sports, we will need to make some decisions
on middle schooler participation and the opportunity to run a JV program,
so place make sure you sign up if student-athletes are interested in participating!

Schoolwide Learning Expectation Report

If you missed it, our schoolwide learning expectation report,
which shows our school’s progress in achieving our school-wide learning expectations,
can be viewed here.
Individual student progress was sent home as part of the comments on the second
quarter report card. The rubrics give great feedback on student habits of learning,
which reflect on our core values and learning expectations for students
beyond just mere grades, so make sure you take a look at them.

February Break

Please note that UHS will close on the afternoon of Friday, February 16
and will not reopen until Monday, February 26.
While some parts of the building may be open for practices, the school office will be closed.

As always, feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Have a great weekend!

Michael Rubin, Principal
Uxbridge High School

Grade 8-9 Open House

First, thank you to all the grade 8 families and students who attending the Open House we hosted. We hope the information was helpful and that you left UHS with a better understanding of our courses, activities, programs, and opportunities.

As promised, the presentation and resources that we shared are linked on the high school webpage. Under the "Academics" tab, click on "Scheduling" or follow this link: https://sites.google.com/a/uxbridge.k12.ma.us/the-uxbridge-high-school/scheduling

As for the rest of the process, on Monday we will be meeting with the grade 8 students at McCloskey Middle School and distributing course selection sheets. Students will then work with their teachers to identify classes, and the week after February vacation, we will take the course selection sheets and input courses, including electives. Our hope would be for our counselors and administration to also drop in periodically over the next few months at McCloskey to get to know the students better.

In April, we will host a "Step-Up Day" here at UHS, where the students will tour the building while classes are in session, hear from a student panel, and get a sense of what a "real" day at UHS is like. Before school starts, in August, we will have a more formal orientation, which will include iPad distribution and some insight into class schedules, the first weeks of school, etc.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. Thank you for entrusting your students to us, and, again, we appreciate the feedback and support!

Course Selection Information

As students begin considering course selections for next year, we are sharing some important links and guidelines for parents and families.

First, all information can be found on the Scheduling Website:

https://sites.google.com/a/uxbridge.k12.ma.us/the-uxbridge-high-school/scheduling


For students considering internships, we have put together a short video/presentation on the process. This is similar to what would have been shared at the Course Selection Night for grade 11, which unfortunately became a victim to the school cancellation on February 7. One point not referenced in the video is that some internships are actually paid, and some provide access to post-secondary opportunities as well.

In our course selection video, we explain our Early College work through Quinsigamond Community College. For juniors, we will be administering the Accuplacer examination in March to all grade 11 students. That test will help determine who is currently eligible for earning college credit for courses taken at UHS that are offered as college-level courses. (For students who do not pass Accuplacer, they can re-take the test before September).  When a student earns a grade in that Early College course, they earn three credits in that class and the grade, which are transferable to any Massachusetts state college and university, as well as any New England state college or university (for example, URI, UNH, etc.). So, a student who earns an A in our English class offered as Early College will get an A on a college transcript - and some of those credits transfer to private colleges as well. For students, this is a great way to get a head start on the college coursework.

There is a charge for the course - students will have to pay a registration fee and purchase any course books for the college course. The fee is $100 if we offer the class at UHS and $250 if we offer it "online" through a professor at QCC.  Either charge is significantly less than the cost of a course at college - for example, that same course is more than $1000 at UMass-Amherst.

Questions about Early College can be directed to Guidance Counselors. We will be running Early College English next year, and we also hope to add a humanities and mathematics class as well.

Finally, the full course selection video can be viewed here:

Let us know if we can be helpful.

Program of Studies Approval

Our 2018-19 Program of Studies was approved at the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 6.  The document presents a great deal of information, so we urge you to look through course descriptions with students. In a shorter version, we also have revisions for 2018-19 listed in this document.

Over the past couple of weeks, we have started meeting with students, directed teachers to start inputting course recommendations, and began our course selection "conversations," in which teachers and students will discuss our course recommendations in terms of core courses. We have met with students in assemblies and handed out course selection sheets, and we hope to have all the grade 9-11 course selections input next week. Consequently, if you have questions about course recommendations, discuss them with your student and his/her teachers.

Beyond the core academics, we hope that families consider electives in terms of both student interest and post-secondary plans. We have new classes and are continuously updating existing curricula to match our teacher and student interests with the demands of the world around us.

In terms of questions:

• For big-picture questions about the program as a whole, contact the guidance counselor;
• For questions about specific electives, contact the department leader, counselor, or administration;
• For questions about specific core course recommendations, contact your child's teacher.

Once we lock in course requests, we build schedules around those requests - so please remind students that those courses are their selections, not meant to be chosen and then later switched if students find that a friend is not in a course, an expected teacher is different, or that the course meets at an inconvenient time. Course requests are not made "just to see what happens!"

Finally, to see all the documents related to scheduling, check the "Academics" tab on the High School webpage and see the "Scheduling" sub-link. That can also be linked here: https://sites.google.com/a/uxbridge.k12.ma.us/the-uxbridge-high-school/scheduling or by copying that link into your browser.

We will be posting videos that explain our course selection presentations for those who could not make our course selection nights as well, and we will also link those on this blog.

Early Dismissal Today

Thanks, everyone, for the cooperation today with the early dismissal. We had a pipe break in a lavatory which then caused a significant water leak. We swiftly acted to evacuate the building, not knowing if there could be any electrical panels or lights that could be compromised, and then, upon clearance from our partners in Uxbridge fire and police, determined that students could be brought to the gymnasium.

The building was, at that point, without water. Not knowing how long it would take to restore water supply to the building, we made the decision to dismiss. Students who drove were permitted to return home, and many were proactive, indicating that they typically drove certain students home and thus wanted to know if they had permission to transport those same students. Other families quickly came to the building to dismiss their children, and still others waited the approximate 45 minutes it took to get the buses here.

In general, the decision-making was swift and efficient, and we were quite pleased with the reaction of most of the students, who knew we were dealing with a difficult and unforeseen set of circumstances. We also believe we have identified the cause of the damage and will be dealing with that situation consistently.

As we indicated in our message sent to families, we appreciate the support of our public safety and facilities partners, the work of our faculty and staff in organizing the students, and the flexibility of parents and students in ensuring a safe dismissal. We will try again on Tuesday!

Weekly News and Notes

Since we have had so many messages go out this week about various events and academic happenings, we only have a couple pieces of information for this week!

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD

Our Science Olympiad team competed in its first team-wide competition last Saturday at Harvard University. Under the direction of Coach Elliot Lui, our physics teacher, and joined by Ms. Tracy Larkin, Mr. Mike Smutok, and Mr. Dan Sabourin, the team had a great showing for a first-ever opportunity, and will compete again this weekend at Brown University!

Our results included:

Top 6 "Hardware"

Emily Philbrook and Lucas Lawrence got the 4th place ribbon for Astronomy

Chris Matkowski and Jack Streichert got the 4th place ribbon for Remote Sensing

Top 10 finishes

Dan Klos and Lucas Lawrence got 7th for Hovercraft

Hannah Smith and Ashley Greene got 9th for WIDI

Sam Arroyas, Carrie Kraich, and Jordan Washington got 9th for Experimental Design

Top Half finishes

Jocelyn Hinchcliffe and Owain Nelligan got 11th for Mousetrap Vehicle

Riley Malone and Sam Arroyas got 12th for Herpetology

Marissa Allegrezza, Kevin Alves, and Maddie Schleinitz got 12th for Experimental Design

Riley Malone and Kristen Bangma got 13th for WIDI

Maddie Schleinitz and Morgan McCarty got 16th in Ecology

Hannah Smith and Kevin Alves got 17th in Material Science

Emily Frick and Kevin Alves got 17th in Mousetrap Vehicle

Newsletters

Our Library and Yearbook newsletters are linked below:

February 2018 Library News

February 2018 Yearbook News

Class of 2021 Fundraiser

The Class of 2021 is sponsoring a Dairy Queen Fundraiser tonight, February 2, in Milford:

We hope everyone has a great weekend!