Weekly News and Notes

Good morning,

We only have a couple of updates this week, so we hope that everyone is able to enjoy the weekend.

Returns of Athletic Materials

Mr. Carbone scheduled time on Friday morning for students to return anything related to athletics - likely uniforms. If students were unable to get there, please reach out to him directly via email (ccarbone@uxbridge.k12.ma.us). We will be inventorying and reconditioning over the summer, so even underclassmen who intend on continuing with a sport who may have materials at home should return them.

Returns of Music Materials

Students in the music program who have instruments, uniforms, or gowns will be contacted directly by Mrs. Penza. Those materials can be brought to UHS on June 1 from 4-7 p.m.

Reopening of School

We hope to have the main office reopened within the next few weeks and back to a more normal routine over the summer. We do have some specific protocols that need to be followed and validated by our Board of Health, but we feel as though we have a good start. We will, toward those ends, be making sure that any student materials that are left behind can be arranged to be picked up.

We will be focusing our efforts on protocols for the reopening of 2020-21 in the coming weeks. The Commissioner anticipates releasing guidelines within the next two weeks, after which we will have some more specific direction. As a positive, we have a number of plans already under consideration and well underway, so we feel confident that we will be ready for whatever is suggested or directed at the state level.

Senior Parade

We will celebrating our seniors through the streets of Uxbridge on Sunday, beginning at the McCloskey Middle School at 2:00 p.m. A video on the route and the timing is posted below. We hope that many people are able to come out and (safely) celebrate and cheer on our seniors!

Have a great weekend,

Mike Rubin

Graduation Update: Podcast

An update for our plans for graduation:

Weekly News: Podcast

Our weekly news appears in Podcast form below:

Weekly News and Notes

We have a few updates from UHS this week:


Seniors' Last Day

May 22 was technically the last day of school for our seniors. Though this is a different scenario and different year, with unique circumstances, we do have some consistency with what the last day for seniors means. Here is what parents and seniors can expect over the next few days:

1. Teachers will finalize grades for the 2019-20 school year and input quarter 4 and year-long grades.
2. Counselors will audit all senior grades to make sure all graduation requirements are met (this has more to do with students in danger of not passing classes at this point).
3. Final transcripts will be compiled, and student records will be organized for pickup.

We did receive word from our manufacturer that caps and gowns will be ready for delivery on June 2 or 3. We are also finalizing awards and waiting to hear back from a number of scholarships. We hope to be able to distribute everything on June 5. We will communicate that day and time as soon as we have it for certain.

DPH Guidelines for Graduation

The Department of Public Health for the Commonwealth released information about graduation and assemblies for the summer, which means that our plan to host something in late July will hopefully be approved. It will be contingent on data supporting the continued reopening of the Commonwealth and reduced cases of COVID-19. We have been in touch with out local Board of Health on a regular basis, and we will be moving forward with plans that will, unfortunately, only be able to involve seniors and their immediate families, as well as some staff members. We know that many people in the community look forward to graduation, but, given the circumstances, we will not be able to host it as a public event.

Underclassmen and Fourth Quarter

We are approaching the end of the term as well for our underclassmen. We are looking at having students' last assignments being due on Monday, June 8. Our traditional exam period would have started on June 10; in place of traditional exams, our teachers will be focusing on those students who need to make up work from either the fourth quarter or past terms to ensure that they can pass classes for the year. We believe this practice is consistent with Commissioner Riley's guidance regarding "holding students harmless" and providing opportunities for students to pass for the year, even if past work were missed.
For students who have been on top of all their work and have actively participated in remote learning for the balance of the fourth quarter, it will be as if they are "exempt" from what would have been our traditional exam week. This likewise incentivizes the work being done right now and into the next 2-3 weeks.

Planning for Next Year

We have already had a number of questions come up about 2020-21, from staff, students, and families. The reality is that we are treading into significant uncertainty and that we do not have the ability to predict the future with any real accuracy. What we can do is prepare for a number of scenarios, many of which we will outline when we host another Town Hall meeting for our grade 8-11 students. We are hopeful that we will be back to school in some form of normalcy come fall, but we also realize that the new normal could mean some changes to what we do, how we teach, and our procedures. Please know that we have already outlines a great many of those procedures and are working to ensure that we can communicate them with clarity to everyone well in advance of September.

Pickup This Year

For those who have materials in the building, or believe they have materials in the building, we will be doing the following:

1. Teachers will be in the building the weeks of June 1 and June 8 to clean out their classrooms.
2. Any student materials that are found in classrooms will be brought to the cafeteria in a bag.
3. We will notify families and students if we have anything labeled for a student, and we will have a window of time for pickup, likely on June 11-12.
4. If students are still looking for things, we will have predetermined times on June 15-16 for students to come to the building to retrieve items. Students will be given the ability to enter the building to get to lockers. Classrooms will not be accessible.

We thank you for your continued cooperation. Enjoy the long weekend!

Class of 2020: Update for "Senior Week"

Good morning,

Senior week update and slide show is shared below:

Weekly News and Notes, May 15

We only have a couple of updates from UHS this week.

Last Day of Classes

Our plan is for our Seniors' last day to be next Friday, May 22. Though there are no formal assignments being given to seniors due next Friday, the next few days and even beyond May 22 will be an opportunity to catch up on any missed work and to ensure that progress has been made during the closure.
For the remainder of our students, the last day of school is June 17. As we have traditionally had a final exam period for the last few days of school, we will likely arrange a similar schedule, minus the exams, when the last week can be an opportunity for students to make up any assignments missed, both during the closure and prior, to ensure that all students have adequate opportunities to pass. This is also an incentivize doing work now for those who wish to earn credit or credit with distinction and "end" earlier. (This is consistent with some of our exam exemption procedures).
In lieu of final exams, many teachers will be providing final projects, which will be due that final Friday before June 17. We will be reaching out with a schedule of due dates and other details for those final weeks for underclassmen in the next few days.

Grade 7 Town Meeting

We are going to schedule a Grade 7 town hall for the students and parents for the week after next to answer any questions for incoming grade 8 students. Of course, this does not take the place of any orientations that we hope to hold come August.

Retrieval of Things from Building

We will be publishing a schedule in the next couple of weeks that will enable students to come to the building and retrieve items, or to return things that may be at home. We will have to do so in a very purposeful and strategic way, since we do not want to violate any social distancing guidelines.

Staff Departures

For those of you who may have noticed some of our postings, we are in the process of hiring two positions. Ms. Cassell, one of our English teachers, will be moving back to her home state of Oklahoma, and Mr. Barry, one of our guidance counselors, has accepted a position at his alma mater. We thank both of them for their service to UHS, and, while they will be missed, we wish them both luck in their new adventures.

Flying Squadron

Next Friday would have marked the return of the Flying Squadron to our schools for their annual visit to share stories of patriotism, sacrifice, and freedom. While they will not be with us at the school, we hope that, during Memorial Day Weekend, we take pause to remember those who gave their lives and sacrificed so that we could enjoy our freedoms. Particularly in times when we have some of those freedoms compromised - in this case, by an invisible enemy and virus - it is important to remember why we do not take this nation and our citizenship for granted. We will not have our usual Memorial Day assemblies, parades, and prayers, so, on behalf of UHS and our entire community, I thank those brave men and women who served our nation and bow my head in respect to those who gave their lives that we may be free.


Finally, on a personal (and professional) note, I would be remiss if I did not step away from the informational nature of this update to offer my sincere thanks to all those who have shared emails, tweets, comments, or messages of congratulations on being named the Massachusetts High School Principal of the Year. Truthfully, the whole process has been this combination of surreal and validating, and it has not really sunk in - and may not until the day when I actually receive the award and get to formalize my thoughts on what it means. I have been so very fortunate to have arrived at this school, with tremendous staff and students, great colleagues on an administrative team, and supportive community and families. I have been formulating more formal thoughts on what the award means for UHS and me, both professionally and personally, as well as to consider so many individuals and colleagues who helped make something like this possible. For now, it seems more appropriate to just succinctly say thank you and to likewise share that awards like this only motivate me to keep pushing forward!

Have a great weekend

Transcript Requests and Driver's Ed

We have had some requests for underclassmen in need of transcript requests. To process a transcript request during this period of closure, please follow this link: https://tinyurl.com/UHSTranscript2020. Please allow for at least one week and possibly up to two for processing, as we are not in the building on a daily basis.

Also, with respect to driving school, Brookside Driving, which is our partner at UHS, has been running online courses and will be starting another online course in June. We will also resume the in-person component of their driver's education courses once the building is again open to the public and it is safe to do so. Their information can be found at: https://www.brooksidedriving.com/index.html

UHS: Parent Town Hall, May 12

Below are the slides from our town hall meeting held on May 12, 2020. The recording is also linked here as well.

Weekly News and Notes

We have a few updates from UHS this week.


Grades for Quarter 4

After much deliberation and consideration, we have landed on what we think is a simple, fair way for students to earn grades for the work they are completing in the fourth quarter. At the same time, we acknowledge the variety of challenges that exist, and we want to be sensitive to those so that those students who cannot complete all of the assignments, or who may have difficulty with some of the deadlines, do not find the fourth quarter to be a significant impact.

While individual assignments will still be listed as "credit" or "no credit," all assignments are being assessed on a 1-4 scale, with 2 the minimum standard for earning credit or passing. As a result, our teachers, who are tracking that information, will compile a grade at the end of the term based on all assignments, using the following scale:

Category	Description	Pass/Fail	Report Card Grade for Term 4
Credit with Distinction (CWD)	Student makes an outstanding effort and completes all or almost all of the work assigned.	Pass: 90% - 100% of all assignments submitted by students are assessed as passed at a 3-4 level.	95
Credit	Student makes an effort, completes majority of the work.	Pass: 67% - 89% of all assignments submitted by students are assessed as passed (2 or higher).	80
No Credit	Student makes little or no effort and completes little to no work assigned.	Fail:  Less than 2/3 of all assignments submitted by students are assessed as passed.	59

Students will have the opportunity to resubmit work if graded at a 1 or 2 to earn a 3 or 4. Also, for students who struggle with completing written assignments but prioritize attendance in virtual class sessions, teachers will have the latitude to incentivize whatever work a student is doing. The goal will be for us to avoid penalties for those who are struggling during this time, be it because of home, academic, or emotional reasons.

We are sharing this now with the intention of moving forward with some sort of grading metric in the next week or so, and, as assignments are posted on Friday, this will help students prioritize.


WIC services available at home

The MA Department of Public Health's Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program is informing our health and community partners that WIC services are available by phone.  ALL WIC Programs are able to provide all services by phone to align with social distancing efforts. Our website will be kept up-to-date as well.  Contact local WIC programs with any questions about breastfeeding, nutrition or shopping.  Even if local program offices are not open, they are responding to phone calls and providing services from remote locations. WIC is committed to providing families with continued support now and in the days ahead.

WIC welcomes families at any time. Check out WIC's eligibility page to see how to families can apply online for WIC services. Parents, grandparents and foster parents may apply for children under the age of five years who are in their care.

Call WIC at 1-800-942-1007 or 617-721-6601weekdays, Monday through Friday 9am – 5pm.  If you hear a recording, please leave a message with your name and telephone number, and staff will respond the same business day or email a Local WIC Program directly with any questions.  Download the list: WIC Local Program Email Addresses.

Cancellation of Prom

We met with the senior class and families last night and informed them, as we do the rest of the community, that the prom in its traditional sense will be cancelled for 2020. We do so with a heavy heart and after much deliberation. While there still exists the possibility of an event being scheduled for the summer, the reality is that we do not anticipate being able to host an event with more than 300 students without any distancing guidelines whatsoever.

We share in the disappointment and sadness for what our students have lost. In the meantime, we will be working with both classes, including the Class of 2021, to try and find some celebratory events when it is safe to do so.

Time Management

I am sharing a link here that we are also sending to students about working from home during remote learning, particularly for students who need to evaluate the best way to accomplish the goals of schoolwork. It's a quick read and hopefully helpful to some.

Town Hall

We will be hosting another town hall-style meeting on Tuesday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. A link and password for the meeting will be sent on Tuesday. Please do not share that link or post on social media.

Teacher Appreciation Week

Finally, this past week was Teacher Appreciation Week. As many people have shared with countless memes, gifs, and social media posts, these past few weeks have given us a sense of the stability, function, and capacity of so many of our educators, from the content they teach to the relationships they forge. I will admit that five years ago, when I accepted the principalship of UHS, that I found the faculty to be welcoming and curious, but also unsure of what sort of change would be undertaken. From my perspective, they have done much heavy lifting as we have moved UHS in countless ways, from master schedules and course requirements, to expectations for collaboration, to the integration of new technologies and a willingness to partner with others around the nation.

UHS is a school that is absolutely still on the rise and has not yet hit its full potential, but the journey on which we have been and the commitment of everyone in the building toward realizing that potential has never once been in question. I know that you share your appreciation for the work of educators of our entire district, for all they do and all they bring. If you have a minute, send a quick note of appreciation to one (or all) of your student's teachers, celebrating teacher appreciation week. Even as we are apart, it is an easy way to stay connected for us to continue to be stronger together.

Senior Class Town Hall - Podcast

For those who are more inclined to listen to things as a podcast, below is the Senior Town Hall in podcast form.

Senior Class Town Hall

Our Class of 2020 Town Hall from May 7 is linked below as both a presentation and a video.

Weekly News and Notes

As we turn the calendar to May, we have some updates from UHS:

Class Participation

We are starting to see some declining interest from many students in completing assignments. For obvious reasons, we have concerns as a faculty, staff, and school. First, we are making the weekly assignments extremely manageable and flexible. Second, our faculty has made itself available to support students however possible. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, while we are planning to return to school for next year, we need to have a sense of where students are academically - so having large gaps could be very problematic as we plan to move forward.

We are awaiting guidance from the Commissioner's office on how to handle grading in this fourth quarter. In the meantime, any support we can get from home on having students complete assignments would be greatly appreciated, and any updates that could help understand why work is not being done will assist as we support students.

School Improvement Plan

At our School Council meeting this week, our School Improvement Plan for 2020-21 was approved unanimously. We look forward to sharing it with the community and School Committee at a future meeting, and we are confident that it not only helps us address some of the challenges we have because of this pandemic closure, but also moves us forward.

Locker Cleanout

We are working with the Board of Health on a plan to get students into the building to gather any belongings from lockers. Obviously, safety is tantamount.

Graduation Planning

We are formalizing some plans around graduation that we will be sharing in the coming week or so with the seniors and their families. Unfortunately, due to the current circumstances, the requirements regarding social distancing, and our inability to have a gathering of more than 10 people at a time, we are looking at a number of options, many of which are not mutually exclusive.
To those who have forwarded thoughts, ideas, and feedback, these are appreciated. Please know that we are, as a leadership team, in constant communication with our community leaders around what we may or may not be able to organize.

Have a great weekend!