Weekly News and Notes

We have some updates from UHS after a great Spirit Week!

Spirit Week

First, many thanks to the Student Council for coordinating an incredible Homecoming and Spirit Week. With the number of athletic games tomorrow, and so many of our students involved in the themes of the days this week, we have been enjoying seeing our Spartans come together in good spirit. While pep rallies are loud and generally boisterous, the students all seemed to enjoy participating in the games, and all five classes were well represented. Our band was also fabulous as always, with senior conductor Dan Salzburg leading.

We especially thank seniors Harrison Mansfield and Kaylie Gonya, who coordinated all the events for Student Council. 

Our school photographer will have photographs of the event online by next week, and we hope to share some candids as well!

Ringworm and Impetigo

Some students may have been reporting that there is an outbreak of ringworm at the school. While isolated to a handful of students, ringworm and impetigo are both highly contagious and very common. We did send a letter home earlier this week to all students, and, following confirmation of these conditions, forwarded a separate letter, linked here, to some student-athletes, outlining precautions. Feel free to read if you have any concerns.

Half Day Next Friday

There is a half-day next Friday, October 5. Students will be dismissed from UHS at 10:30 a.m.

School Council Member Needed

Our School Council is in need of a grade 8 parent member. We currently have five parent members, all of whom are parents of students in grades 9-12. We thank Dawn McCarthy for stepping into the role of secretary, and we welcome Melissa Fischer, parent of a senior and first-year, to the role of co-chair.

If interested, please reach out to Mr. Rubin.

Athletic Trainer

We are pleased to welcome Kelsey Carpenter as our new athletic trainer. Kelsey comes to UHS after a two-year stint on Long Island, where she worked as a head athletic trainer and with an athletic training organization. She started at UHS on Friday, and we look forward to her working with our student-athletes and coaches. As she gets more settled, we will be sure to update websites and contact information with her details.

Homecoming Games

Games on Saturday include:
Boys soccer: 9:00 a.m. (no junior varsity)
Girls soccer: 11:00 a.m. (varsity and JV)
Field Hockey: 1:00 p.m. (varsity)
Field Hockey: 2:15 p.m. (junior varsity)
Football: 3:30 p.m.

Cross country will have some runners competing at an invitational meet on Saturday, having run their records to 6-0 for both the boys and girls earlier this week.

Hope to see many of you out to support our classes and the teams on Saturday!

Homecoming Dance

The Homecoming Dance is Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Be advised that students who leave are not permitted re-entry. Also, we sometimes notice that attendees sometimes like to take off their shoes when they get uncomfortable - particularly girls in heels. Students cannot enter common areas, particularly bathrooms, in bare feet, as this is a health code violation. Given the school's recent exposure to ringworm and impetigo, we would strongly recommend that students eschew fashion in favor of comfortable shoes that can be worn all night.

Thank you, as always, for your support and feedback.

Michael Rubin, Principal

Locker Room Hygiene Advisory

Dear Parents and Guardians:

On Wednesday, September 26, our school nurse and administration became aware of a student with an observable skin rash. In keeping with precautions, and in the interest of preventing any spreading of what could potentially be communicable, we are sending home this advisory so that families can be assured that we are taking proper measures to ensure the cleanliness of the campus, as well as to provide some steps families and student-athletes can take to prevent the spread.  Frequently fungal or bacterial infections occur amongst student-athletes because of frequent skin-to-skin contact, gear or uniforms being left unlaundered and re-worn, or students failing to practice good hygiene, so we are providing some direction below to support you and the student-athletes.

We have already ordered a deep cleaning of the boys locker room areas, which will take place in the next 24 hours. This includes cleaning all lockers, door handles, bathrooms, sinks, paper towel dispensers, and other areas of the locker room that can be shared. Also, any items that are currently in the locker room should be brought home and laundered in hot, soapy water.

Additionally, it is important for families to take proper precautions because some conditions can be difficult to contain or, in some cases, challenging to treat. Also, since adolescents tend to hesitate on reporting what may be perceived to be a minor skin imperfection, it is especially important for parents to ask.

To help prevent the spread of infection, athletes should:

• Wash hands often with soap and hot water for 15-20 seconds.

• Shower with soap after each practice or game.

• Never share personal hygiene items (like razors, towels, washcloths), clothing or uniforms.

• Cover open sores on the skin while participating in contact sports.

• Wash uniforms often.

• Wipe down non-washable gear (i.e. head protectors) with alcohol.

• Report any suspicious sores, pimples or open areas to parents, coach, or the school nurse.

You can help by reminding your child of the importance of the prevention methods listed above and by contacting your child’s doctor about any skin blemish that appears suspicious, itchy, or uncomfortable, as the symptoms will guide how doctors will diagnose and treat the variety of skin conditions that can occur.

Should your child be diagnosed with communicable skin condition, please notify the school nurse immediately. Please be advised that some conditions such as MRSA will result in a student being kept from participation until a medical note from a physician is provided clearing that student-athlete to return to play.

We thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Michael Rubin

Principal

Christopher Carbone

Athletic Director

Guidance Newsletter

Our Guidance Newsletter can be viewed here. Happy reading!

September Newsletter

The UHS September Newsletter is below:

Host Families Needed!

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 (October 14^th – November 4th), 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 nineinternational 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! 

Fire Alarm Today

Good morning,

We had a fire alarm triggered this morning at UHS, which prompted a brief evacuation that started about 15 minutes ago. Students and staff were outside for approximately 11 minutes while our public safety partners arrived and conducted a brief investigation. After assuring that there was no safety threat, students and staff were returned to class.

There was no sign of fire, nor were any fire alarms pulled, so we will investigate what may have triggered the smoke detector, which could have been any of a variety of factors. We appreciate the cooperation of the students and staff, as well as the prompt follow-up from our public safety partners.

Have a great rest of the day.

Weekly News and Notes

Good afternoon,

We have a few updates from UHS this week.

Parent/Student Surveys

As we reflect on our integration of grades 8 and 9 to UHS this fall, we know that there have been many successes, but we also acknowledge that there are some things we can all do better. As such, we have sent surveys electronically to parents and students so that they can provide us some feedback and insight. When we ask for feedback, we try to make these surveys short and concise, so that they can be answered quickly and without taking up too much time. We hope that you are able to assist us with improving as we move forward!

Open House Slides

We appreciate the presence of so many families at Meet the Teacher Night. While the night was approved on our district calendar last spring, and referenced at orientation and in our back-to-school newsletter, we understand that, for some, there were questions about access to the information or that there may not have been enough advance notice.

The presentation that we shared in the auditorium is linked here. For information from teachers, much can be asked through email, and if you specific questions about a course, its curriculum, the class expectations, or teacher communications, feel free to email your students' teachers. We assure you that they will get back to you with the answers.

Homecoming

Homecoming will be the week of September 24. The Spirit Days, coordinated by the Student Council, will be "Favorite Jersey Day," "Lazy Day," "Tourist Day," "Dynamic Duo Day," and "Spartan Spirit Day." We will host a pep rally on Friday in the afternoon periods, and we will be hosting signups for events - for all grades - next week and the week after. (The order of the days will be sent to the students next week). The Homecoming Dance will be Saturday night from 7-10 p.m. in the gymnasium; students who wish to bring a guest from outside UHS must have the appropriate guest contracts, which are available in the main office, signed.
If a student is bringing a guest who is 18 or 19, but is no longer enrolled in high school, that student must submit to a Criminal Background (CORI) check. Students who are not UHS-aged (under grade 8) are not permitted to attend.
Our dances tend to be pretty spread out around the gym, and, over the years, we have been pleased with the deportment of our students. We keep things very well supervised as well, so there is ample chaperone presence. Keep in mind that if students leave the dance, there is no re-entry, and we reserve the right to search or breathalyze students if there is a reasonable suspicion of any inappropriate activity.

Clubs and Activities

We had a new activity start this week, as our business/finance club is being organized by Mr. Sabourin. In the coming weeks, the students will get word about announcements to join Science Olympiad, which is only open to students 9-12 at present due to the competition rules, though we are considering a junior Science Olympiad option for grade 8. Specific advisors are listed below:

Yearbook: Ms. Charpentier
Anime Club: Ms. Charpentier
PRIDE Club: Mr. MacKenzie and Ms. Munley
Green Team: Ms. Struppa
Fishing Team: Mr. Balunas/Senior Nate Smith
Book Club: Ms. Charpentier
Student Council: Ms. Bernard
Jazz Band/Spartones/Drama: Ms. Penza
Finance: Mr. Sabourin
Science Olympiad: Mr. Lui
NHS: Ms. Bouchard

Class Advisors:
Class of 2019: Ms. Yakstis and Ms. Daverio
Class of 2020: Mr. Lui
Class of 2021: Ms. Prior
Class of 2022: TBA (will be appointed next week)
Class of 2023: Ms. Smith and Ms. Mason

Emergency Plans

Last week's search raised a couple of questions from families about classroom preparedness for potential crisis situations. In August, our staff held a refresher on crisis preparedness and response with the Uxbridge Police Department, and they reviewed exit strategies with respect to both fire drills and safety evacuations in class. (In one class, administration was present for teachers sharing a number of strategies, particularly if the door to the hallway became a bad option). For fire exits, we utilize multiple egresses around the building, and we have contingency plans built in, should we need to evacuate to the rear of the building. (For example, if there were a major or catastrophic accident on Quaker Highway that compromised building safety, we have a rear exit strategy).

In the event of off-site evacuation, we have a plan for that in place as well, given that our prior assembly point, McCloskey Middle School, may not be available.

We assure you that our plans and readiness capacity are organized and strong. We generally do not share too much in terms of specifics, but know that your students are in good hands.

Grade 8 Class Advisors

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Ashley Smith and Ms. Hillary Mason as co-advisors to the Class of 2023.

Athletic Director Appointed

We are also pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Chris Carbone to the position of Athletic Director. Mr. Carbone recently completed an administrative internship with the MIAA and worked as an assistant athletic director and coach at Milton Academy. He has been a football coach, strength and conditioning coach, and track and field coach in his career, and also has classroom experience. He also worked in the private sector prior to starting his career in education.
Mr. Carbone earned a masters degree in Athletic Administration from Endicott College, is a registered athletic administrator with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, a certified coach through the National Federation of State High School Associations, and a certified fitness trainer through the International Sports Science Association. He has jumped right into all aspects of the position, and we look forward to his partnership with us in support of our Spartans!

iParent Access

Please reach out to Mr. DiMeglio or your child's school counselor if you are having trouble getting your iParent access restored. We have had heard of some issues for people with getting passwords reset, but we are not sure if these are related to the system or operator error/spam filters. If you give us a call, we can try to help.

Have a great weekend!

Stocks and Finance Club

Good morning,

We have a new student organization - a club that will focus on stocks, financial literacy, investments, and entrepreneurship. Mr. Sabourin will be the advisor. The club will have its first meeting on Friday, September 14 during flex block in the fabrication lab (D155); interested students can also contact Mr. Sabourin for more information.

Thanks!

College Fair Friday

On Friday September 14^th, Uxbridge High School is hosting a College Fair for our students and students attending other surrounding high schools. Representatives from Colleges in the New England area will be in attendance. Some of the schools in attendance are: Assumption College, Keene State, Emerson, Worcester State, and UMass Amherst. All branches of the military will also be in attendance. Most of the college representatives attending will be the ones viewing your son’s/daughter’s college applications. Given this, we highly recommend your son/daughter dress nice for this occasion, act professionally, bring a resume, and come with a list of questions that they can ask. Some key questions are:

·      What qualities and experiences are you looking for in a student?

·      What were some of the social and cultural highlights on campus last year?

·      Are there research or internship opportunities for undergraduate students? What are they?

·      What percentage of students lives on campus?

·      What services are offered for tutoring or extra help?

·      What is the student to faculty ratio for lower division courses?

This is a great opportunity for your son/daughter. If you have any questions about this fair, please contact your son or daughter’s school counselor at 508-278-8633.

We look forward to working with you this year.

Best Wishes,

The School Counseling Office

PSG: Oktoberfest Volunteers

Hello Parents of the Class of 2019,

The PSG Committee has worked hard over the summer planning and participating in fundraising events to raise money to give our kids a wonderful post-graduation night!  As you know, one of our biggest fundraisers this year is our first annual Oktoberfest, being held on October 6 from 6:00-11:00 p.m. at the Progressive Club.  In order to make the evening run smoothly and ensure a successful event, we need your help.  Please consider volunteering in one of these areas.  All shifts are two hours, but that could decrease if we get more volunteers:

• 50/50 raffle sales (4 volunteers needed)

• Kitchen/cooking (6 volunteers needed; under the direction of Chef Paul Streichert)

• Table serving/replenishing (6 volunteers needed)

This effort is going to benefit ALL our seniors, and any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated!  Please email PSG2019UXBRIDGE@GMAIL.COM if you are willing to volunteer and which area you prefer.

Thank you! 

PSG 2019 Committee

Meet the Teacher Night

UHS will host Meet the Teacher/Back to School Night on Thursday, September 13. The evening will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium with a presentation from administration. Following the presentation, parents will be dismissed to A-block class, and then will follow student schedules. Each class will have about ten minutes to share with you some background on the course, the curriculum, course expectations, and parent-teacher communications, including the use of Google Classroom, which is a content management system that helps parents and students stay on top of course materials.

Several student activities will also have tables available to share information, and there will be students around the building to help guide parents. Parents should bring a copy of the student schedule with them, particularly since we may not run off close to 600 pieces of paper! If you need assistance, your students can share with you a screenshot from their iPads.

Parents will follow the Day 1 schedule, meeting blocks A-F, followed by the G block class last, which is the first period of day 2 on the schedule grid rotation.

Our anticipated times are listed:

A: 6:35-6:45

B: 6:50-7:00

C: 7:05-7:15

D: 7:20-7:30

E: 7:35-7:45

F: 7:50-8:00

G: 8:05-8:15

We look forward to seeing many of you here on Thursday!

9/11 Announcement

Good morning,

Earlier today, we made an announcement commemorating the 9/11 tragedy. Below is the text of what was read to our students and staff:

Good morning.

September 11, 2001 began for many like any other day. People rose, went to work, got on buses to school, and began their routines without the knowledge of an event that would change our world in ways that we still are struggling to understand.

At 8:46 a.m., the World Trade Center was struck by a commercial jetliner. Three more planes would crash before the day’s attacks would be over, and nearly 3000 people would lose their lives in New York City, at the Pentagon, and on a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The results of 9-11 are many - changes in the basic structure of government, economic challenges, and the important debate between individual rights and the desire to be safe. While most of the students in this building may not have even been born when 9/11 occurred, the events affect you deeply.

Today, we ask that you pause for a moment of silent reflection:

• for the innocent men, women and children who lost their lives on an airplane, at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, in Shanksville, PA, and on the streets of New York.
• For first responders, police, fire, and military personnel who dedicate and risk their lives to protect our opportunity to live our own;
• For the thousands of families and friends, some of whom are even in this building, who still grieve the loss of life from that momentous and tragic day.

Weekly News and Notes

We had a tremendously successful opening week with students at UHS. Walking the building this week, there have been so many different elements of exciting learning happening, and we hope that students have come home citing some innovative experiences, a new way of looking at school, and new relationships with teachers and peers alike.
In particular, kudos to our teaching staff and students for dealing with the variables that were handed the school this morning. While safety is always our utmost concern, we also strive to maintain a sense of normalcy and routine, and the students and staff are always our first line of defense against anything that is out of the ordinary.
Some updates this week:

End of School Traffic

Thank you to the parents and families who pick up students at the end of the day. For the most part, families are adhering to the pattern and staying in the large parking lot or the cross-street at the midpoint of the access road. It keeps patterns safe. We would love if people could yield to the buses to assist with town-wide transportation, but we realize urgency at the end of the day for many. Your cooperation, however, has been visibly notable, so thank you.

Music Fundraiser

Linked here is a flyer for the Friends of Music E-Recycling Fundraiser. If you have old televisions, laptops, monitors, appliances, etc. lying around the basement or garage, this is a cost-effective way to rid your homes of clutter and support our programs!

Athletics Underway

Congratulations to our cross country teams for defeating Grafton earlier this week, while our golf team earned its first win of the year, defeating Quabbin on Wednesday. We have a handful of games at home today (Friday), and our football team opens at home against Maynard on Saturday afternoon. We hope to see many of you out there supporting our Spartans!

Open House Next Week

Just a reminder that our Open House/Meet the Teacher Night is scheduled for Thursday, September 13. Parents can come to UHS and learn about our programs and hear directly from teachers about some of our goals for the year. We will begin with a presentation in the auditorium at 6:00, and parents will start to progress through classes around 6:30 p.m. The night concludes around 8:30 p.m. We hope to see many of you here!

For those who like to plan ahead, Parent-Teacher Conferences have been moved to November 15. More information on that will be released in advance of the event.

Follow Us on Social Media

For those of you who are Twitter users, many updates and pictures from UHS can be seen on an ongoing basis by following our administration and teachers. We are in the process of compiling a list of all our Twitter users - at present, some important resources and information are posted by @UxbHSPrincipal, @DrFrankTiano, @apdimeg, @UxyGuidance, and others. Check with teachers if they use Twitter to share classroom experiences!

Student Handbook and School Improvement Plan

Our revised Student Handbook has been approved by the School Committee. Additionally, our draft school improvement plan was discussed at this week's School Committee meeting. Feel free to check out those links to review both documents.

Again, our sincere thanks for everyone's support and understanding as we had a successful open and managed what could have been a difficult morning, but a day where business proceeded as usual. We likewise appreciate the hard work, patience, and vigilance of our staff and students. Often times, we discuss our core values and look for opportunities for the people in and around the building to model them - this week provided many different ways for us to see them in action!

Have a great weekend!

K9 Search at UHS

September 7, 2018

Dear Uxbridge Community:

This morning, it is likely that upon arrival families and students noticed an increased police presence at Uxbridge High School, including the presence of K9 units. In conjunction with the Uxbridge police and other local law enforcement partners, we took several precautions to ensure safety at the UHS campus, based on a threat discovered after school on Thursday. All items brought into the buildings, as well as all buses and several classroom areas, were searched by the police and K9 units.

Upon arrival, we asked students to follow this procedure:

1. Report to the gymnasium and leave all belongings, backpacks, pocketbooks/purses, etc.
2. Report from the gymnasium to first period class.
3. Await further instruction from administration, via PA, as to when belongings can be retrieved.

Students were permitted to bring their iPads and notebooks to class. Students’ belongings will be returned to them at the end of first block, and no students, nor their belongings, were left unsupervised at any time. Throughout the search, students and staff were respectful and patient, and we appreciate the cooperation. We are pleased to report that no contraband was found.

We want to emphasize that this precautionary measure was an effort taken to demonstrate how serious our district administration and public safety partners are about keeping our school safe. We are grateful for our collaboration with Uxbridge police, the diligence of our staff, and, most importantly, the cooperation of our students.

Finally, we remind students and parents alike that possession of weapons or drugs on school grounds is a violation of the Student-Parent Handbook, which may also carry with it criminal consequences. As such, when students are found to be in possession of either narcotics or weapons, the situations are handled to the fullest extent of the Handbook and Massachusetts General Laws.

As always, we appreciate your patience, understanding, vigilance, and cooperation.

Sincerely yours,

Michael D. Rubin, Principal

Uxbridge High School

Message to Families & Community

Dear Uxbridge School Community,

At approximately 2:55 PM, a student athlete at Uxbridge High School discovered a threat written on a bathroom stall.  The student immediately reported it to Mr. Rubin, the building principal. Per our Emergency Response Plan, Mr. Rubin contacted the Uxbridge Police School Resource Officer and me.  The scene was immediately investigated.

Though the threat was deemed to be a low-level one, we emphasize to the community that we take all threats seriously, and will continue to work collaboratively with our public safety partners to ensure that our students and staff are always safe. In that spirit, we are appreciative of the continued support and  collaboration of the Uxbridge Police Department.

At the same time, we are also grateful for the decision made by the student who immediately reported this discovery to school administration, demonstrating the core values we hope see in all of our Spartans.   

Sincerely,

Dr. Frank A. Tiano

Superintendent

Uxbridge Public Schools

First Day Update

Good afternoon,

We wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for a great first day! Our students, despite having some challenges with navigating the building, were polite, organized, and orderly, and their attention to the building, from busing tables after lunch, to getting from place to place, to asking questions when necessary, was completely appreciated.

There were a few concerns raised last year when we started the process of integrating and reconfiguring with grade 8 at UHS. One, primarily, was space in the building. With the exception of the start of the day, when there tends to be more people in the "common areas," passing time went very well and without much traffic. Lunch times were balanced, which we anticipate will continue, and it was hard to discern which grades were where without knowing the students. Secondly, some parents had raised the concern of how the upperclassmen would respond to the influx of new students; more often than not, we saw our juniors and seniors redirecting students, providing direction, and helping students along. 

While we realize this is but one day of school, the energy in the building was positive, palpable, and enthusiastic, with teachers organizing students, sharing expectations, and building relationships - in short, our core values were on display everywhere we turned. With all of the planning that went into bringing another grade to UHS, we are pleased with the outcome and organization at this point, and we look forward to the next year together!

Yours in black and orange,

Mike Rubin, Principal

Drop-off and Pickup at UHS

Good morning!

We are off and running at UHS! Despite a few minor hiccups, like some classrooms that were double-booked and a few students who could not open lockers, the day began quite well. For those who were concerned about students finding their way, our first couple of transitions have gone smoothly. Do not fret if you do not see many syllabi coming home today or tomorrow - we have emphasized with our teachers the need to build relationships and to get to know students at the onset of learning this year.

One detail that we mentioned at one orientation and certainly emphasized at the end of the year revolves around traffic patterns. At the start of the day, while it may be more convenient to drop all students who are not bused at the front of the building, please make use of the cut-through in the middle of the parking lot. Our traffic from 7:15-7:30 a.m. was backed up almost the entire length of the driveway. For every ten cars that dropped at the front of the building there would be one in the cut-through of the driveway. Making use of that road can only help with the traffic pattern.

At pickup time, parents and guardians are reminded to use the half-road and the student parking lot. Do not park and wait/idle in the two roads at the front of the building or the road adjacent to the turf field. It compromises safety and impacts departure for everyone.

We thank you, as always, for the cooperation.

Sincerely,

Michael Rubin, Principal
Uxbridge High School