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