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!