Good afternoon,
For those who prefer an audio of the instructions, click below or follow this link:
As we finalize our details on the eve of our long-anticipated graduation, we wanted to share some final details with families.
Arrival times are staggered. Please do your best to arrive at the stipulated time. Coming earlier than the designated time will pose a problem, so please make sure you check. Times are on the ticket, which was emailed:
Section A: 6:00 p.m.
Section B: 6:15 p.m.
Section C: 6:30 p.m.
Gravel Lot: 6:30 p.m.
Section D: 6:45 p.m.
Section E: 7:00 p.m.
Faculty Lot: 7:00 p.m.
Right side: 7:20 p.m.
Section F: 7:20 p.m.
Back Row: 7:30 p.m.
Our parking lot is marked by row and number. Cars will be directed into the appropriate space. Families can sit together inside or outside the vehicles. Please maintain six feet distances between groups, and, if outside the vehicle, masks must be worn. Our spaces are all centered as nine feet apart to help accommodate this.
There is an area by the stage with the word "parents" painted on the asphalt. Should families want to approach the stage to take a picture, one family member should walk down the driveway and stand in that area. To return to the car, progress past the stage and back. There is plenty of room.
The audio will be streaming in the parking lot via FM station 89.1. The full ceremony is being simulcast live via Uxbridge TV and on their website, uxbridgetv.org. We also have a large screen that will provide additional viewing.
Cars engines should be turned off while in the parking lot to avoid exhaust. Also, out of respect for others, please do not blare horns or play audio loudly during the ceremony or when graduates' names are called. We know it is an exciting time, but we are trying to keep the event safe and enjoyable for everyone.
Refreshments are not available and are not being provided. Please plan accordingly.
Senior attire under the cap and gown should be professional - we usually ask gentlemen to wear shirts and ties and the girls to be dressed semiformally. Medals can be worn on the outside of the gown as well, and caps are permitted to be decorated but not 3D.
Finally, as we are keeping tomorrow's ceremony shorter in terms of speaking parts, we wanted to use this opportunity to thank so many individuals who have helped make this day possible. Our facilities crew, led today by Phil Vondras and three of our summer student workers, helped Mr. DiMeglio and I get the entire lot lined and prepared for tomorrow, while Ms. Wise and Ms. Durkin have helped us put together all the details for graduation and the ceremony itself. Our public safety partners have also been instrumental in helping us plan for the safe entrance and egress. And our technology team has helped us with getting all the streaming capacity for UCTV ready to go, along with Mr. Giles' tireless efforts.
Literally hundreds of hours of planning (and lost sleep) have gone into keeping our hope for an in-person ceremony alive. Be patient - this is our first attempt at an event like this, and we sure there will be hiccups and some snafus along the way. We never balked in our resolve to honor this class, and while late July is not optimal for any of us, it beats some of the alternatives the public health situation provided us back in May or June. To that end, we are so excited to finally hand over these diplomas and wish this amazing class the best as it heads to the next stage of their collective lives.
We look forward to celebrating with you tomorrow!
Friday, July 24, 2020
Friday, July 17, 2020
July: Update 1
Greetings, everyone.
I wanted to reach out with a few updates to give a sense on what we have been doing since school let out, as well as to provide some clarity on what we have heard on a variety of topics.
AP Results
Advanced Placement test results were available to students beginning on July 15. While the test changed and ultimately we do not, as of yet, have anything more than summary results, we are very pleased with the early returns. We hope to get more robust data back from the College Board in early August that will help guide planning for 2020-21, but, given the shifts in the testing this year, we will have to take some time to compare and analyze, given the monumental change.
Podcasts This Month
We will be releasing, starting next week, a podcast series that will enable our community to get to know our new teachers, as we welcome two new classroom teachers, a counselor, and a new paraprofessional to our team at UHS. We will also be releasing some podcasts and videos to help update the community, particularly as we get closer to the reopening of school and to help families understand the details and procedures being put in place for students, staff, and schedules.
Reentry Survey
Dr. Tiano sent out a reentry survey to parents, through which we hope to get a sense of what people are thinking with respect to school this fall. We have been disaggregating many of the responses and doing the best we can with respect to the situation of the pandemic. Fortunately, Massachusetts seems to be one of the states that is trending in the right direction. However, we know that those numbers can change instantaneously, and we still need to have precautions and plans in place for a number of scenarios.
Athletics This Fall
We are continuing to move forward with plans for athletics this fall as we await a final determination from the MIAA and the Governor. With the recent decision that sports like soccer and field hockey are in the third phase of athletic return-to-play, we are not sure where that will leave our fall season. The MIAA has a task force that has been meeting regularly and sharing updates, and there have been many solutions discussed. However, we have yet to get any formal update or decision made. Right now, athletics have been delayed until at least September 14, pending additional guidance.
Remote Learning vs. In-Person Learning
Some people have reached out with the question about what Remote Learning could look like as we move forward. Obviously, when we left school in March, this was not even something in our wildest dreams, and, comparatively, our students reported that the workload was manageable. However, our focus from the Department was only on what the state considered "essential standards," and, as we move into next year, we will have a far more robust set of guidelines and standards to follow, which means more robust forms of learning, be it remote or in-person.
Please know that there is no perfect solution. For those of us who strive for perfection and seek to ensure that everything rolls out with standards of excellence, this entire situation, starting in March and continuing through the summer, has been beyond difficult. For every student or family who felt that remote learning in the spring worked, there were those who wanted more, and differentiating between the two without any time to plan was, in a word, impossible. We will strive for something better this fall, should we have the need to go remote.
We will do our best to update parents, students, and families with the work of our reopening committees, which is comprised of students, staff, teachers, and administration. We know and acknowledge that everyone wants answers, but with data changing daily and the circumstances completely unique, there is no perfect playbook. Please keep in mind that the Commissioner has our preliminary plans due to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for July 31, with plans due for August 10. We have been directed not to release them to the public before given permission by the Department.
I am grateful to be part of a school and community that cares so much about each other. Now is when we must leverage that care with evidence-based public health practices to ensure that our campus reopens safely with respect to both academics and operations. We will do so in continuing our work and in meeting the goals of our School Improvement Plan, while maintaining relationships and the personal connections that we know are so important to our students and staff alike. In the meantime, we appreciate your patience, feedback, and understanding.
Spartan Podcast
Our Podcast channel has been updated with some "Meet the Teacher" introductions, as well as a July update. The full channel can be viewed at: https://anchor.fm/uxbridgehighschool
I wanted to reach out with a few updates to give a sense on what we have been doing since school let out, as well as to provide some clarity on what we have heard on a variety of topics.
AP Results
Advanced Placement test results were available to students beginning on July 15. While the test changed and ultimately we do not, as of yet, have anything more than summary results, we are very pleased with the early returns. We hope to get more robust data back from the College Board in early August that will help guide planning for 2020-21, but, given the shifts in the testing this year, we will have to take some time to compare and analyze, given the monumental change.
Podcasts This Month
We will be releasing, starting next week, a podcast series that will enable our community to get to know our new teachers, as we welcome two new classroom teachers, a counselor, and a new paraprofessional to our team at UHS. We will also be releasing some podcasts and videos to help update the community, particularly as we get closer to the reopening of school and to help families understand the details and procedures being put in place for students, staff, and schedules.
Reentry Survey
Dr. Tiano sent out a reentry survey to parents, through which we hope to get a sense of what people are thinking with respect to school this fall. We have been disaggregating many of the responses and doing the best we can with respect to the situation of the pandemic. Fortunately, Massachusetts seems to be one of the states that is trending in the right direction. However, we know that those numbers can change instantaneously, and we still need to have precautions and plans in place for a number of scenarios.
Athletics This Fall
We are continuing to move forward with plans for athletics this fall as we await a final determination from the MIAA and the Governor. With the recent decision that sports like soccer and field hockey are in the third phase of athletic return-to-play, we are not sure where that will leave our fall season. The MIAA has a task force that has been meeting regularly and sharing updates, and there have been many solutions discussed. However, we have yet to get any formal update or decision made. Right now, athletics have been delayed until at least September 14, pending additional guidance.
Remote Learning vs. In-Person Learning
Some people have reached out with the question about what Remote Learning could look like as we move forward. Obviously, when we left school in March, this was not even something in our wildest dreams, and, comparatively, our students reported that the workload was manageable. However, our focus from the Department was only on what the state considered "essential standards," and, as we move into next year, we will have a far more robust set of guidelines and standards to follow, which means more robust forms of learning, be it remote or in-person.
Please know that there is no perfect solution. For those of us who strive for perfection and seek to ensure that everything rolls out with standards of excellence, this entire situation, starting in March and continuing through the summer, has been beyond difficult. For every student or family who felt that remote learning in the spring worked, there were those who wanted more, and differentiating between the two without any time to plan was, in a word, impossible. We will strive for something better this fall, should we have the need to go remote.
We will do our best to update parents, students, and families with the work of our reopening committees, which is comprised of students, staff, teachers, and administration. We know and acknowledge that everyone wants answers, but with data changing daily and the circumstances completely unique, there is no perfect playbook. Please keep in mind that the Commissioner has our preliminary plans due to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for July 31, with plans due for August 10. We have been directed not to release them to the public before given permission by the Department.
I am grateful to be part of a school and community that cares so much about each other. Now is when we must leverage that care with evidence-based public health practices to ensure that our campus reopens safely with respect to both academics and operations. We will do so in continuing our work and in meeting the goals of our School Improvement Plan, while maintaining relationships and the personal connections that we know are so important to our students and staff alike. In the meantime, we appreciate your patience, feedback, and understanding.
Spartan Podcast
Our Podcast channel has been updated with some "Meet the Teacher" introductions, as well as a July update. The full channel can be viewed at: https://anchor.fm/uxbridgehighschool
Thursday, July 16, 2020
UHS: Class of 2020 Graduation Update
The below message was shared with seniors a few minutes ago, and we hope that you find it helpful as we ready for the Class of 2020 Graduation next Saturday.
Greetings, Class of 2020!
Some time has passed since we last were in touch, and the good news is that, at long last, graduation is upon us.
Weather permitting, we will be hosting our graduation on Saturday, July 25 at 8:00 p.m. When I say weather permitting, we will follow the forecast and decide if Sunday is better based solely on the chance of precipitation. Other than that, we anticipate being at UHS. That decision will be made by Saturday at noon if need be.
We have a few guidelines for graduates for that day.
Be in cap and gown. The tassel should be hanging to the right (it switches to the left).
We generally are okay with students decorating caps, but please - nothing that is “standing up” on top of it (must be flush with the cap) and please be appropriate for school.
Dress nicely under cap and gown. Gentlemen, we appreciate shirts and ties. For all students, in terms of footwear, don’t wear the flipflops you’d wear into the shower at the gym. There will be a lot of pictures taken, so look nice!
The correct order for anything you wear is the orange stole on the bottom, followed by any honor cords. Medals can be worn and pinned to the gown.
Upon arrival, please drive down the driveway on the exit side. At the top of the student parking lot, an attendant will scan the ticket, and the graduate will exit the vehicle and walk to the school. Seniors will assemble in front of the building, with class officers at the end closest to the tennis courts, and the end of the alphabet closest to the gym. Some teachers will be there to help get in order.
Please have a face mask on. We will be providing each graduate with one as well. Once we start the procession, and once seated, because graduates will be six feet apart, the mask can come off.
Each row of graduates will have about six graduates in it. As each name is called, the senior will step forward to the stage, go up the stairs, walk across, pick up the diploma, and step off the stage. There will be a photographer there to take your picture as you step off, diploma in hand. Each graduate will then walk behind the stage, back to his/her seat.
At the end of the ceremony, after caps have been thrown and the music starts, graduates will walk back to their family vehicles, and the exit process will begin. The rows closest to the school will depart first, driving past the front of the building and back up the driveway, exiting the building by the road that is the typical entrance to Quaker Highway.
Instructions for graduation are linked here in video form: https://youtu.be/9yGXs2aCcOk
Please let us know if you have any questions! We cannot wait to celebrate with you next week!
Mr. Rubin
Greetings, Class of 2020!
Some time has passed since we last were in touch, and the good news is that, at long last, graduation is upon us.
Weather permitting, we will be hosting our graduation on Saturday, July 25 at 8:00 p.m. When I say weather permitting, we will follow the forecast and decide if Sunday is better based solely on the chance of precipitation. Other than that, we anticipate being at UHS. That decision will be made by Saturday at noon if need be.
We have a few guidelines for graduates for that day.
Be in cap and gown. The tassel should be hanging to the right (it switches to the left).
We generally are okay with students decorating caps, but please - nothing that is “standing up” on top of it (must be flush with the cap) and please be appropriate for school.
Dress nicely under cap and gown. Gentlemen, we appreciate shirts and ties. For all students, in terms of footwear, don’t wear the flipflops you’d wear into the shower at the gym. There will be a lot of pictures taken, so look nice!
The correct order for anything you wear is the orange stole on the bottom, followed by any honor cords. Medals can be worn and pinned to the gown.
Upon arrival, please drive down the driveway on the exit side. At the top of the student parking lot, an attendant will scan the ticket, and the graduate will exit the vehicle and walk to the school. Seniors will assemble in front of the building, with class officers at the end closest to the tennis courts, and the end of the alphabet closest to the gym. Some teachers will be there to help get in order.
Please have a face mask on. We will be providing each graduate with one as well. Once we start the procession, and once seated, because graduates will be six feet apart, the mask can come off.
Each row of graduates will have about six graduates in it. As each name is called, the senior will step forward to the stage, go up the stairs, walk across, pick up the diploma, and step off the stage. There will be a photographer there to take your picture as you step off, diploma in hand. Each graduate will then walk behind the stage, back to his/her seat.
At the end of the ceremony, after caps have been thrown and the music starts, graduates will walk back to their family vehicles, and the exit process will begin. The rows closest to the school will depart first, driving past the front of the building and back up the driveway, exiting the building by the road that is the typical entrance to Quaker Highway.
Please let us know if you have any questions! We cannot wait to celebrate with you next week!
Mr. Rubin
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