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
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Friday, October 25, 2019
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:
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:
Friday, October 18, 2019
Weekly News and Notes
Some updates from UHS:
Winter Athletic Registration
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.
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
Week that Was
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.
Friday, October 11, 2019
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!
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!
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Friday, October 4, 2019
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.
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.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
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.
Reminder that Coffee with the Counselors is Friday, October 4 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at UHS.
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