Weekly News and Notes

We do not have many updates from UHS after publishing our monthly newsletter. We would like to share an updated "Week That Was" video, which highlights so many of our awesome experiences happening in classes and with our students. We are grateful for the opportunities we have to share in their learning, to inspire students to aspire to greater outcomes, and to experience so many of their highs (and support during the lows) that come with their time at UHS.

As we turn the page to 2020, we will soon be at the end of the first semester, which means many teachers, when we return to class on January 2, will be pushing students to wrap up their grades. Likewise, we are starting to see more college acceptances roll in, and some of our seniors will start to make decisions for life beyond UHS. It is an exciting and busy time, indeed!

We do realize that winters can be challenging on some families, so if there are ways for us to support you, please reach out to administration or counselors.

We wish everyone a joyous holiday season, a restful week for those who have some time off, and happy, healthy 2020!

December Newsletter

Our December Newsletter is linked below:

Weekly News and Notes

Some updates from UHS this week:

Second Quarter Progress Reports...

...will be delayed a couple of days. They were originally due to be posted the end of next week and will be available the week of 12/16. The end of the first semester will be on January 24, with half-days for mid-year exams scheduled for January 21-24.

If we have additional inclement weather, the potential is there to change those dates.

Holiday Event on Friday

Be on the lookout for footage and pictures from our Holiday Party event, the annual toy drive that brings in literally hundreds of toys for the needy. Our students, staff, and partners have been working very hard on transforming UHS into a Winter Wonderland!

The event is held at UHS on Friday, December 6 (tonight) from 5:30-8:30. Donations of a new toy and/or food item for Adopt-an-Angel and the People First Food Pantry are appreciated. There will be food, games, prizes, crafts, and Santa!

Breakfast with Santa

Our Class of 2020 is hosting Breakfast with Santa next Saturday, December 14, from 8-11. All proceeds will benefit the Class of 2020.


Finally, in the next couple of months, we will be providing information about our Innovation Pathways, potential updates to the Program of Studies, and the return of the UHS Podcast, which we have not produced yet this year. Our hope continues to be to bring you as much information as possible, particularly as we shift toward some of the important dates and deadlines that come with the second half of the year!

Weekly News and Notes

Greetings! A few updates from UHS this week:

Vendor Fair

The PSG Vendor Fair is this Sunday in the High School cafeteria. Stop by throughout the day and get some holiday shopping done, and support the Class of 2020's PSG event!

Thanksgiving Football

The annual Turkey Day game with Northbridge will be played at home, with kickoff scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Please try to arrive early, and please follow the direction, particularly with departure. Access to the building will be limited, and dropoffs will be restricted to the cross-street by the press box area.

Winter Sports

Winter sports begin on Monday. If student-athletes have not registered by Friday through FamilyID, they will not be permitted to start practice. If anyone has questions about registration or the participation fee, please reach out to the Athletic Director.

Finally, in the spirit of the season, we want to take a moment and express our gratitude for the community, the families, the students, and the school we share. While we are not without our challenges or hiccups, we are especially thankful for all our collective efforts of individuals, entire groups, staff, students, and leaders for all they do. We wish everyone a fun, relaxing, and happy Thanksgiving!

Weekly News and Notes

A few updates from UHS:


Parent-Teacher Conferences

Thank you to everyone who participated in parent-teacher conferences. Of course, we understand that that the date, time, and length of conference can sometimes be limiting, so if you need some opportunities to meet with teachers or have questions, feel free to reach out to teachers directly to chat, or schedule a time through the counseling office.

Unified Sports!

Thank you to a number of our teachers and awesome students who participated in a Unified Basketball game at Douglas High School this week! We have some pictures of the event below as part of our Week That Was Video.

Fall Season Concluding

Congratulations to our boys cross country team for capturing the Central Massachusetts Division II championship last week at Gardner Country Club. The team was led by ninth grader Aidan Ross, who finished in the top five, as well as top-15 finishes from Stephen Sanches, Colin Caso, and Carl Gallawan. Thomas Burke placed 25th. The team's title was the first in school history!

Our girls soccer team bowed out at the district semifinal, dropping a heartbreaker in overtime to Millbury. Our cheer team has advanced to regionals following a third-place finish in the Southern Worcester County League.

Thanksgiving football tickets will be sold starting Wednesday, November 20. Advanced tickets are $5 or $10 at the gate. Please note that there is a limited supply of advanced tickets. The game will be played on Thanksgiving at 10:00 a.m.

Week That Was

See below for our Week That Was video:

Weekly News and Notes

Here are some updates from UHS:


First Term Grades/Parent Conferences 

In the next week or so, we will be sending information about parent-teacher conferences, which is scheduled for November 14. We use an online system for registration, and parents can sign up for five minute meetings. These are intended for us to have face time with as many parents as possible, and we are well aware that people feel constrained by the time limits.

If you find yourself needing more time, simply reach out to your child's counselor or the teacher for a follow up call, email, or conference.

First term grades are closing next week, so that will help provide some insight on conversations you may want to have come November 14. Do not feel obligated to wait, though, as teachers are in constant contact with many families and guardians beyond the formal night of conferences.

Our parent-teacher conferences can be accessed at: uxyhs.schoolappointments.com.

The portal for registering for appointments will open on November 7 at 12:00 p.m., and it will close at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 14.

If you wish to schedule an appointment with a teacher but there is no time, or you are unable to make it on the 14th, please select the "call back" option. We will attempt to make sure that all call-backs take place within a couple of weeks.

Even if you set up an account last year, you will have to set up a new account this year, unfortunately. It is easier to have everyone reset than to field calls for password resets, and we find that many of our users change from year to year. Sorry for any inconvenience.

School Appointments - Parent Instructions

1.     Go to our school appointments web site:  http://uxyhs.schoolappointments.com/
2.     Register for an account by clicking the "REGISTER" menu tab and filling in the on-line form.  Choose a user id and password for yourself and then click the "Register Now" button.
3.     Add your children into the system by clicking the "Add a Student" button.  Click "Insert New" button to add more children.
4.    Click the "date" icon beside each child's name to schedule appointments.  Select the staff you wish to book appointments with and the "View Calendars" button.  Use the "Ctrl" or "Command" key to select multiple staff to view at the same time.
5.     Click on available time slots to book your appointments and then click the "Book Appointments" button to save your bookings.
More detailed instructions can be viewed by clicking here.


Athletics in Postseason/Winter Registration

Our field hockey team plays Hopedale in the second round of the Division II tournament today (Friday) at 2:30, and our girls soccer and cross country teams will compete in the next week in their divisional tournaments. Football will play at Millbury on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. with playoff brackets released early next week.

Winter registration for athletics is currently open via FamilyID; please make sure that student-athletes are registered!

UHS to Present at National Conference

Uxbridge High School Principal Michael Rubin and Assistant Principal Michael DiMeglio will be presenting at the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools Professional Learning Conference next week, sharing the successes of UHS in designing High Quality Career Innovation Pathways through partnerships with community and industry. UHS became a member of the NCSSS last year through a rigorous application process.

The NCSSS defines STEM schools as those that prepare students to be leaders in global innovation by engaging them in rigorous, relevant, and integrated learning experiences, with a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics focus and specialization that include authentic research and/or project-based focus school-wide. Member schools fulfill these criteria:

• Have a science, technology, engineering and mathematics focus.
• Require students to take advanced course offerings in STEM areas.
• Include authentic research and/or project-based focus school-wide.
• Maintain affiliations with local colleges/universities/research facilities/etc.
• Students participate in external STEM related competitions.

Half-Day Next Friday

There will be a half day on Friday, November 8 and no school on Monday, November 11. There will be no Weekly News and Notes sent next Friday.

Week That Was

Here's a look back at the Week that Was:




Have a great weekend!

Sharing UHS With Governor Baker

A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to share the work of our Innovation Pathways with Governor Baker at an event hosted by Representative Michael Soter. Happy viewing!

Evacuation at UHS

Good morning,

We just got back into the building following a fire alarm evacuation at Uxbridge High School. We had a smoke detector trigger the alarm, after which we subsequently evacuated, got to a quick accountability, and worked efficiently with our partners from Uxbridge Fire and Police to discern the reason and reset the building's routine. While we were in the lunch block, this was an atypical evacuation compared to our earlier drill, but we are pleased with how the staff and students responded, particularly given the unforeseen and sudden nature of the alarm.

We appreciate the cooperation of our staff and students, and we now resume our regular schedule; we have made some adjustments to lunch, but no lunch time was compromised, even if it were delayed a bit.

Thank you!



Mike Rubin, Principal
Uxbridge High School

Weekly News and Notes

A few updates from UHS this week:

First Term Grades/Parent Conferences 

In the next week or so, we will be sending information about parent-teacher conferences, which is scheduled for November 14. We use an online system for registration, and parents can sign up for five minute meetings. These are intended for us to have facetime with as many parents as possible, and we are well aware that people feel constrained by the time limits.

If you find yourself needing more time, simply reach out to your child's counselor or the teacher for a follow up call, email, or conference.

First term grades are closing next week, so that will help provide some insight on conversations you may want to have come November 14. Do not feel obligated to wait, though, as teachers are in constant contact with many families and guardians beyond the formal night of conferences.

Our parent-teacher conferences can be accessed at: uxyhs.schoolappointments.com. Registration for the site is open, but parents will not be able to book appointments until notification next week.


Mr. Smutok, UHS honored


At the 2019 Project Lead the Way State Networking Conference, held at Worcester Polytechnic Institute on October 21, 2019, Uxbridge High School was recognized for having more than 25 students earn qualifying scores on PLTW End-of-Course assessments. UHS was one of only ten schools recognized and was the smallest school in the cohort. More than 70 total students at Uxbridge HIgh School earned “Distinguished” or “Accomplished” scholar records based on their EOC assessment, which likewise describes “skill clusters” and student competence based on their snapshot performance on the assessment.

Additionally, as a surprise award, engineering teacher and PLTW lead Michael Smutok was recognized for continuously adjusting his instruction and curriculum to meet the changing needs of his students, while supporting the endeavors of PLTW across the state. Mr. Smutok is a Community Lead for PLTW who serves on the Networking Conference Planning event, while working on continuous opportunities for growth of the PLTW program in Uxbridge and the Commonwealth as a whole.

We speak often of the intersection between curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Project Lead the Way courses, the training for our teachers, the instructional practices, and the research-based instruction prepare our students for life beyond high school, embed many critical skills, and offer our students connections to industry and higher education. These successes can be attributed to the excellent curriculum, instruction that challenges students, and commitment to authentic learning that engages students every day.


Winter sport registration 

Registration for winter sports is now open via FamilyID. For the winter, we offer several sports at UHS, including winter track, cheer, and basketball, while we offer cooperative hockey, alpine ski, and wrestling programs.
For the winter, we anticipate having two levels of girls basketball (varsity and JV) based on the anticipated registration numbers, while we will offer three levels of boys basketball (8-9, JV, varsity). Cheer is a competition season, and winter track is open to all student-athletes grades 8-12.
Winter sport registration is available at: https://www.familyid.com/organizations/uxbridge-public-schools


BVT Interest for Grade 8

If students are interested in visiting BVT, they should stop by the Guidance office to pick up and BVT Field Trip permission slip.  The field trip will be on Friday, November 8, which is a half day for UHS. Students who would like to attend and typically take the bus, will have to coordinate their own transportation. Permission slips must be returned by Tuesday, November 5.


Week That Was

We had an amazingly busy week at UHS these past seven days, with league champions (cross country, field hockey), state conferences, student learning conferences, field trips, in-depth learning in the classroom, competitions, and many student activities getting involved with civic responsibilities. To that end, this week’s Week That Was video has some amazing footage capturing the different elements of our week. We hope you enjoy!

The video can be seen here:

Weekly News and Notes

Some updates from UHS:

Winter Athletic Registration

Instructions regarding winter athletics registration are emailed home.

Picture Retakes

Picture retakes will take place on Wednesday, October 23. Students will be called down to the auditorium.

Yearbook Orders

Order the 2020 yearbook early for the best price!

The 2020 Spartan Yearbook is now on sale! Order by September 30 to get the best price of the year!

Cost:

• $75 from October 1 - January 31
• $100 from February 1 until we sell out

Two ways to order:

• Online: Go to yearbookforever.com and enter the school name to purchase with a credit card, debit card, or PayPal.
• In Person: Bring an order form and payment to the UHS library to purchase with cash or a check made out to Spartan Yearbook.

Week that Was

Best of luck to our football and cheer teams at Auburn tomorrow and our cross country teams competing at the Twilight meet. We hope many will be able to attend our Senior Day games next week, as soccer and field hockey will wrap up their regular seasons.

Weekly News and Notes

Greetings,

We have a few updates from UHS this week.

District Strategic Plan and School Goals

We shared as part of our October newsletter some of the details regarding the District Improvement Plan and Strategic Plan that form the basis of not only the School Improvement Plan, but also our administrative and teacher goals for the year surrounding our own practices and student learning. To that end, many students will see teachers piloting and experimenting different strategies in class, from different forms of text, to real-life application of skills and content, to different ways of assessing student learning. In particular, we are trying to use assessment for learning, not necessarily to just assessment of learning. In that way, teachers are working with students on gauging specific places to grow, and then working with them on showing progress and actual learning relative to those self-driven standards.

We are also working closely on the balance between skills and content in many areas. One of the terms we hear from all our post-secondary partners is "soft skills." We have recently learned that our school does a more thorough job of addressing soft skills than most, particularly as we challenge students to think about better ways to solve problems, communicate, and collaborate. Again, these are skills that we see as critical to student development and thus are assessed across the curriculum, not just in certain classes.

Our schoolwide learning expectations can be viewed on the school website. The October newsletter is also on the website.


Clarification on Concussion Procedures

Just to ensure that all student-athletes and families are clear on our concussion protocols: we have been using the same academic procedures for several years, which are coordinated through the school nurse. When we receive a confirmed diagnosis of a concussion, all documentation works through the school nurse, who will initiate the academic protocol in consultation with counselors, administration, teachers, and parents. As students gradually return to full academic schedules, the protocol is adjusted.

Once a student-athlete is cleared for participation for athletics by a physician, there is a graduated return to play process that takes, typically, at least five days. The only way that process can be bypassed is if we receive documentation from a physician that there was no head injury at all. We follow this same procedure for all students when a head injury is suspected or diagnosed.

Part of our coaches' certifications and training regarding concussions and head injuries involves immediately sitting out any student-athlete suspected of injury. We do utilize a testing method for clearance and diagnostic purposes with our athletic trainer, and we require these different steps in order to protect students' safety. For additional information for parents, consult this handout from the CDC.

October 16

On October 16, we offer the PSAT to all sophomores and juniors, while our 8th and 9th graders will be involved with programming sponsored by guidance. For seniors, we hold the day as an opportunity for students to visit schools or job sites in preparation for applications or next year. If students are not here but on a visit, they are still permitted to participate in athletics and activities. Reach out to counselors for any other information.

We use PSAT data to help students with college applications, course selection, and other planning at UHS, which is why we provide the opportunity for all students to sit for the test.


Week That Was Video

Our Weekly Video can be viewed below.

Have a great weekend!

October Newsletter

See below for our October newsletter!

Weekly News and Notes

Some updates from UHS:

School Pictures

School pictures and student ID's came in today; please direct students to the main office or stop by to pick them up on Monday. The retake day will be Wednesday, October 16, from 7:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. If you need picture packets, see someone in the office.

Progress Report Grades

Progress report grades for first quarter were posted this week. While we do not have Parent-Teacher conferences until November, feel free to reach out to counselors or teachers if you have any immediate concerns or questions. It is well worth the early intervention to sometimes get in touch with any challenges.

Next Week

Next week, we have a half-day on Friday, October 11. School is dismissed at 10:30 a.m. on a half day.

October 16

On October 16, we offer the PSAT to all sophomores and juniors, while our 8th and 9th graders will be involved with programming sponsored by guidance. For seniors, we hold the day as an opportunity for students to visit schools or job sites in preparation for applications or next year. If students are not here but on a visit, they are still permitted to participate in athletics and activities. Reach out to counselors for any other information.

We use PSAT data to help students with college applications, course selection, and other planning at UHS, which is why we provide the opportunity for all students to sit for the test.


Over the past few days, Mr. DiMeglio and I have been really impressed with the level of interactive academics happening in the building. From explorations, to debates, to labs, to learning stations, to employing new technology, we have been able to observe many great lessons that are keeping students engaged and helping us provide opportunities for students to learn content and build skills. One of our teachers, Mr. Sabourin, presented last week to a group of technology engineering educators, employers, and school administrators, and the general consensus was that our program and curriculum is emphasizing the balance between skills and content better than most. We trust that this will help us identify better outcomes for students as they grow and eventually graduate.

Thank you as always for the support.

Senior College Presentation

Our school counselors presented their post-secondary planning night for seniors on October 2. The presentation is below.

Reminder that Coffee with the Counselors is Friday, October 4 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at UHS.

Weekly News and Notes, 9/27

Some Updates from UHS this week:


Pep Rally and Spirit Week

We had a successful Spirit Week this week hosted and sponsored by our School Council. It was great to see so many of our Spartans decked out with the different themes of the week, and obviously the week culminated with our pep rally this week. As is typically the case, there was a lot of energy in the room, and we thank the student organizers, Ms. Bernard, and the rest of the Student Council for their effort this week.
Some of your students may have come home talking about a physical conflict that required intervention at the conclusion of the rally. As is sometimes the case with high school students, two students felt as though the best way to resolve their differences was a physical confrontation. While the number of these incidents at UHS are infrequent at best, - we have had barely four or five total fights over the past three years - the reality is that the sight of two students engaged in an altercation in such a public venue was unfortunate and preventable. That said, we are grateful for the quick actions of several teachers who sprung to immediate action to end the altercation in under a minute, and we simultaneously dismissed the gymnasium to prevent anyone else from getting involved.
As always, we have counselors, administrators, and other support staff available to help confront what is typical teenage challenges, including peer-to-peer conflict, bullying, or socially challenging behaviors. This week, our administration and counseling staff successfully mediated several of these situations and worked to support other students who were navigating some difficulties in their lives. In many cases, these come to us from parents or friends of the students involved, but in all cases, we are grateful for opportunities to be proactive. To that end, please keep an eye on students’ phone and social media use, and feel free to reach out whenever you think there could be something that could impact your children’s experience at school.

October 16 PSAT Day

The PSAT for 2019 will be administered to all members of the sophomore and junior class. Given the changes that the College Board made to the SAT, we wanted to position our students in the best place possible, not only for their post-secondary planning, but also for planning ahead to the SAT. In years past, the PSAT was administered to the sophomores and only to a certain number of juniors based on a first-come, first-serve basis. We changed that to allow all students in the junior and sophomore classes to have access to the examination and its opportunities.

Where our sophomores and juniors will be tied up with that administration for the better part of the start of the day,  our guidance counselors will be facilitating the first workshop of the year with the 8th and 9th graders, as they will begin the introduction to the guidance curriculum before attending classes in the latter half of the day. We also have a workshop being facilitated through the District Attorney’s office.

For our seniors, we are encouraging them to use the day for college and career visits. Most seniors will take a day to visit a college campus, and others have reported a need to spend some time working on college applications and exploring career options. Thus, while our sophomores and juniors are taking the PSAT and the freshmen working with counselors on learning styles, seniors may visit colleges, spend a day in a job shadow, or interview with a prospective college admissions representative. Seniors who do not come to UHS on October 19 and visit a college on that day will be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics and extracurricular activities on that day. Using this opportunity as a “College/Career Visit Day” will help them plan with counselors into November and be less disruptive, since the rest of the building is going to be busy with other endeavors.

Week That Was

Here’s our weekly Week That Was Video.

Weekly News and Notes

Here are a few updates from UHS this week:

Spirit Week Next Week

We applaud the effort of our students and Student Council to once again sponsor and support our Spirit Week. We have shared some guidelines with students in an effort to ensure that the days remain fairly structured, safe, and smart - in that we don’t want any students to do something that could compromise their own good standing, or to cause discomfort in others. To that end, we provided students with some guidelines for the dress-up days:

- Please be cognizant of school rules regarding length of shorts/shirts/dresses, types of shirts, and other basic dress code expectations (see the student handbook if you have any questions).

- Hats are allowed, provided they fit in with the theme of the day.    

- Face painting is allowed, but it must be done PRIOR to coming to school, not in the school bathrooms/locker rooms.  A student’s entire face can not be covered with paint.  

- Covering the entire face with any type of prop, mask, or dark glasses is not allowed.  

- Glasses/sunglasses are not allowed as props.  

- Student attire must be appropriate to the theme of the day.

Too frequently, the idea of “Spirit Week” gives way to “we can do whatever we want.” While we support our students in these days, we want to remain focused on the academic purpose of classes, respect the needs of teachers and staff, and share in the responsibility of ensuring these days do not compromise our core values, particularly of respect, responsibility, and integrity. So, as students start to costume themselves, remind them of these guidelines, remind them that school is still school, and remind them that we do not want to find ourselves in a position where we have to respond to something inappropriate - we are excited to see our students’ creativity and originality!

Monday: Lazy Day

Tuesday: Jersey Day

Wednesday: Red, White & Blue Day

Thursday: Occupation Day

Friday: Spirit Day - represent UHS by wearing Black and Orange

Homecoming Dance

Our Homecoming Dance is next Saturday, September 28th at 7pm in the gym and is open to all UHS students grades 8-12.  This is a semi-formal dance.

Tickets will be on sale next week, 9/23-9/27, during all lunches.  Tickets are $10 each. Cash and checks are accepted.  If you write a check, make it out to UHS Student Council.  

If you plan to bring a guest, you need to fill out a form in the main office. Forms need to be returned to Mrs. Wise in the office by Tuesday, 9/24.   

Week That Was

Here's a look at our Week That Was Video.



A little about curriculum and instruction

With all the conversations about yearbooks, sporting events, fundraisers, and clubs, we sometimes lose sight of the academics and the experience of the classroom, which, for me, is always at the forefront of the work we do every day. While we respect the efforts of the students, advisors, coaches, etc., we are also looking for balance with academics, as that, along with the extracurricular pursuits, is critical in pushing our students to be ready for life after high school. The skills we want to see in students upon graduation come from the playing field, the extracurricular experience, the coaches, and the classroom all working together.

Over the past couple of weeks, our department leadership has been facilitating dialogue with teachers (and each other) about ways to bolster performance. Some of this conversation has focused on what we teach - the curriculum in certain classes - while others have reflected on the rigor of courses. We had more than 20 students earn college credit last year through the work they completed in engineering classes, and more than 30 students are enrolled in college-credit bearing courses offered concurrently at UHS this semester alone. We had several successes on AP tests last year, and we continue to make strides with reducing dropout rates, improving five-year persistence rates beyond high school (students who are successful in their first year of college), and supporting students who have chronic attendance issues, particularly when related to health and wellness.

This year, our school will be focusing on a number of initiatives, including the continued revision of courses to better align with state frameworks in social studies, fine arts, next generation science standards, and mathematics. We likewise are focusing our effort on post-secondary planning with respect to both career and college, particularly the deployment of nearly $175000 in technology across all schools that will support authenticity and real-world problem-solving across the curriculum.

As we do so, please know that there will be some challenges - students will be stretched, and you may hear from some students about how "hard" school is and how they "don't get it," and some students may even throw their arms up to quit. Please know that encouraging perseverance and stretching students' capacity means that struggles will happen, but that we will also support students when things get challenging!

School Council Agenda for September 2019

Our School Council meeting for September 2019 will be held on September 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the UHS Library. All meetings are open to the public.

Weekly News and Notes

First, thank you to so many of our families for joining us at last night's Meet the Teacher night. It was great to see you interacting with our staff, and we look forward to partnering with you the rest of the year.

Key Dates for Fall 2019

Homecoming September 23-28

Progress Reports October 2

½ Day October 11

PSAT October 16

Financial Aid night TBD

First Quarter Ends November 5

Report Cards (1st Quarter) Week of Nov. 12 (11/14)

Parent Conferences November 14

German Exchange Program

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 (10/13-11/3) 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, Maria Rodriguez, at sunshine1811@outlook.com or 440-708-4759.

PSAT Day & College Visit Day: October 16

We wanted to reach out to parents, students, and families about the forthcoming PSAT administration at Uxbridge High School, which will take place on October 16, 2019. The PSAT for 2019 will be administered to all members of the sophomore and junior class. Given the changes that the College Board made to the SAT, we wanted to position our students in the best place possible, not only for their post-secondary planning, but also for planning ahead to the SAT. In years past, the PSAT was administered to the sophomores and only to a certain number of juniors based on a first-come, first-serve basis. We are changing that to allow all students in the junior and sophomore classes to have access to the examination and its opportunities. Where our sophomores and juniors will be tied up with that administration for the better part of the start of the day,  our guidance counselors will be facilitating the first workshop of the year with the freshmen and 8th graders, as they will begin the introduction to the guidance curriculum before attending classes in the latter half of the day. For our seniors, we are encouraging them to use the day for college and career visits. Most seniors will take a day to visit a college campus, and others have reported a need to spend some time working on college applications and exploring career options. Thus, while our sophomores and juniors are taking the PSAT and the freshmen working with counselors on learning styles, seniors may visit colleges, spend a day in a job shadow, or interview with a prospective college admissions representative. Seniors who do not come to UHS on October 16 and visit a college on that day will be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics and extracurricular activities on that day. Using this opportunity as a “College/Career Visit Day” will help them plan with counselors into November and be less disruptive, since the rest of the building is going to be busy with other endeavors. We will outline more details for this day when counselors meet with seniors at the end of September. Again, we look forward to the opportunity that the events of October 16 will provide our students. Feel free to reach out to your child’s counselor if you have any questions.

Destination Imagination

There will be an information session for all students and parents interested in Destination Imagination on Monday, September 30 at 6:30 p.m.

Science Olympiad

Our Science Olympiad team held signups this week with Mr. Lui. Interested students should contact him directly, and he is typically found in room B208.

Week That Was

Have a great weekend!

Announcement for 9/11

Good morning.

A few minutes ago our school had an announcement and moment of silence as we remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001. I am sharing our announcement below.

Mr. Rubin

Each year, making this announcement gets a little more challenging, as 9/11 becomes more of a history lesson than a day we personally endured. For our students, most were not yet born as the events unfolded on 9/11/2001, and so it exists through the lens of history, like the Challenger disaster for children of the 80s, Watergate in the 70s, or the assassinations of JFK and Dr. King in the 60s. That day’s images are burned in all of us forever, whether we lived them or relive them as part of history, tributes, or the way that it has changed the world in which we live. It is in that spirit that we will pause and reflect on the meaning not only of that day, 9/11, but the world it yielded in the immediate aftermath. On September 12, 2001, stores sold out of American flags, people were united in their resolve to rebuild, and people of all kinds and all parties put nation above self and ideology. It was a time where the return to our feet mattered more than the sucker punch, and when country meant more than party or personality.

It is in that spirit that today, we ask that you all pause in a moment of silent reflection with these thoughts in mind:

• To remember the nearly 3000 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;
• To be inspired and grateful for first responders, police, fire, and military personnel who dedicate and risk their lives to protect our opportunity to live our own;
• To acknowledge and think of 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;
• And, perhaps most importantly, to resolve to work together to bring us closer to the America of 9/12, with the compassion, strength, unity, and pride that will help keep this nation great.

Please join me in a moment of silence.

Thank you.

Meet the Teacher Night

UHS will host Meet the Teacher/Back to School Night on Thursday, September 12. 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!

Weekly News and Notes

A few updates from UHS this week:

Opening of School

We had a very positive week with our students this week! Overall, the hiccups with the schedule, getting around the building, and transitioning from class to class seemed to be minor at best. Our meetings with the students have been upbeat and positive, and we have enjoyed seeing our upperclassmen helping out the students who are newer to UHS. Generally speaking, we have challenged our upperclassmen to set a positive tone around the building, and we look forward to their setting that example for the balance of the year.

2019-20 Student Handbook

Our 2019-20 student handbook was approved at the School Committee meeting this week. Parents and students should be aware of the processes and procedures that are outlined in it, and the table of contents at the start of the document gives some quick links within the Handbook to key headers. If you have specific questions about any of the language, please reach out to the school and we will be happy to clarify.

The Handbook can be accessed through the Helpful Documents link on the website, and is also linked here.

Locker Room Cleanout

We directed all students to make sure that materials are taken from the locker room this afternoon for the weekend, as we have some cleaning crews coming in the next couple of days.

Grade 8 Information

Our grade 8 students met today with representatives from Student Council and will be coordinating class elections in the next couple of weeks. Students interested in running for an office (president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, historian) should see Ms. Bernard for nomination papers; elections for the Class of 2024 will take place on September 16-17.

Also, if a grade 8 parent is interested in serving on School Council, please reach out to Mr. Rubin.

Week that Was

Our "Week That Was" video is below:



Have a great weekend!

Student Assemblies and Handbook Review

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We have had a great couple of days with our Spartans back these past couple of days! There has been a positive energy as staff have emphasized connections before content, and we have students getting into the business of the curriculum as we build those relationships.

This morning, we began hosting assemblies with students to review some of the Handbook expectations and to discuss some changes that have occurred. In addition, we use the opportunity to set the tone for the year, for students to be reminded of guidance counselors, and to share what we anticipate being some of our goals for the individual grades.

Today, we began with grades 10 and 11, and, as part of the conversation, we reiterated two major points. First, we discussed that cell phone use is a privilege, not a right, and that some teachers may limit cell phone usage in class; we shared that the expectations from teachers may vary from room to room, but that, when made clear, students will respect those guidelines. We indicated that we believe it to be a strong tool, be it in playing music for some students who work best, for calculations, or even for research, when the iPad may not be best.

Our second point revolved around a school-wide challenge and expectation that we have regarding bullying and harassment. In a powerful moment, Mr. DiMeglio asked any student who felt like s/he had been bullied to stand up if they chose to do so. About a dozen brave students stood up, and others in the audience raised hands. The purpose was not to single out those who had been bullied, but to highlight that this is a shared experience, that we believe in the collective good of the students, and that we want to shift the mindset from walking away to standing up as an ally to those who maybe cannot stand up for themselves. The reality, as Mr. DiMeglio phrased it so well, is that bullying and targeting of some students at UHS is "an elephant in the room that we cannot ignore," so rather than starting with a Powerpoint, we did so with a discussion ,and an awareness. It was a powerful moment that many students have already expressed gratitude, as did the staff members in attendance.

Finally, while we did not explicitly share this in the meeting, we will be reviewing with the students some expectations regarding technology. Specifically, please check iPads and cell phones for the presence of virtual private networks (VPN's), which interfere with our school network and are explicitly forbidden on school-owned devices. Students will bypass our security protocols and processes by installing virtual private networks on their devices. Our own network detects the presence of VPN’s on devices, and, in turn, compromises bandwidth for school devices. This may include iPads we issue and cell phones that students bring to school, so we ask you to have students uninstall them; if found, consequences may be imposed, including the restriction of technology privileges.

We look forward to partnering with our students, staff, and community to make UHS better for all our students. We thank you for your insight, empathy, and support.

Michael Rubin, Principal

New Student Organization

The following message was shared with our students by three students who are coordinating a new student organization, the Bible Club:



This year we are proud to introduce a new club at UHS, Bible Club! We will study the words of the Text, encourage each other, and spend time fellowshipping with others. Please join us Tuesday, September 17th for an informational meeting after school in Mr. Lui’s room. There will be pizza! The following Tuesday we will have our first official Bible study! 

Please join us Tuesday September 17th to learn more. Our hope and prayer is that through this Bible club UHS will be filled with more positive, encouraging students. It is open to students of all faiths and backgrounds.

Thank you and God bless,

Emily Taylor
Xavier Hicks
Lexi Wojciechowski

Mosquito Threat

Greetings, parents and guardians.

Obviously, we are among the many who are concerned about the mosquito threat and the presence of EEE in our surrounding area. We've done some research:

1. According to Children's Hospital: "The easiest and most effective way to avoid mosquito bites is by using insect repellant. There are many products that are made to prevent mosquito bites. Experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)  recommend one that can be applied directly to the skin that is particularly effective: DEET (usually listed on labels as N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide).

The amount of DEET in insect repellents varies and may range from less than 10 percent to more than 30 percent. Products with higher concentrations of DEET tend to provide longer protection and need to be applied less frequently. According to the AAP, products that have around 10 percent DEET may keep away insects for nearly 2 hours, while products with about 24 percent DEET last an average of 5 hours."

While we do not supply bug spray, and while our staff cannot apply it to students, we are strongly recommending that student-athletes come to practice with their own repellant. This is consistent with our directions about sunscreen, particularly in the winter and spring seasons.

2. People are advised to stay indoors from dusk to dawn. Dusk is listed in Uxbridge for this week as roughly 8:10 p.m. (last light), with sunset around 7:40 p.m. We will do our best to have all practices end by 6:45 p.m. to avoid any concerns on that end. Sunrise is listed at 6:00 a.m., and no practices will start before sunrise.

3. Obviously, parents will exercise their best judgment. We're all parents too, so we share everyone's concern. As we are not out of the proverbial woods until the first frost, we will need to exercise collective caution and work together to mitigate threats. 

In the meantime, should Uxbridge be identified as a critical threat, we will be in touch with the state Board of Environmental Protection regarding aerial spraying, as well as considering options for the campuses.

Thank you,

Michael Rubin, Principal, Uxbridge High School
Leanne DeMarco, Principal, Whitin Intermediate School
Christopher Carbone, Athletic Director, Uxbridge Public Schools

Grade 8 FAQ's

We are updating this document based on questions shared by families as feedback on our Grade 8 orientation. Feel free to reference it, as we will update based on some of the questions offered by parents, guardians, and students.

The FAQ's have a number of links embedded in it as well, including the bell schedule, lunch schedule, and high school website links.

Grade 8 Orientation Feedback

Good afternoon,

We enjoyed seeing our Class of 2024 in the building this morning and throughout the day! Based on the immediate feedback from the students, it seemed like, while there was a bit of information overload, they enjoyed getting reacquainted with the building, exploring, and connecting with our upperclassmen and each other alike. We are truly looking forward to having them join us here at UHS!

We are looking, as always, for some feedback from you to help us improve and to assist with future planning around needs, wants, and expectations. If you could fill out this brief survey, it will help us a great deal - we assure you it only takes a few minutes!

We look forward to seeing you around campus and greeting all our students in a couple of short weeks. Until then, enjoy the end of the summer!

Best,

Michael Rubin
Principal