Weekly News and Notes: January 28

We have a few updates from UHS this week.

Second Quarter Ending

The second quarter is just about over, and grades have closed. Some students may be handing in late work through next week. Any work that is assigned next week will count toward the third quarter. If students are still looking for extensions on grades, families and students can arrange individually with teachers or through counselors.

We are thrilled to note that it looks like our number of students who have been successful since the first quarter has grown - the number of failing grades has been significantly reduced, and that is a credit to the cooperation between families, students, and staff. In these challenging times, thank you for your continued assistance and support.

Fall-Two Announcement

On Friday, January 29, the MIAA Board of Directors have approved the sport-specific modifications for the Fall “II” sports which include Football, Indoor Track & Cheer. At this time, we ask for your patience as we begin to seek district, league and Board of Health approval, operationalize sports that we will offer and tailor our COVID-19 protocols accordingly. As soon as we have more information, we will make sure to communicate with our community.

We realize that many people are anxiously awaiting the decisions for the next season. Our league will be meeting next week to stat the conversation, and, as we prepare for the start of the season, we will be opening registration in the coming week or so. The intention is for the season to begin on February 22.

Our goal of having the season begin on time, and without delay, will be predicated by everyone's cooperation and adherence to safety guidelines, particularly with February break immediately before. We are not certain of the direction our league or District will take, nor are we certain of the number of programs who will be supporting these sports. We will also be sharing our intentions with the Uxbridge School Committee next week.

In the meantime, thank you for your patience, and stay safe.

Upcoming Dates

Next Wednesday is a half-day for teachers, so there will be no office hours in the afternoon, as teachers will be engaged in professional development.

February recess is February 15-19. The high school office will be closed that week.

Program of Studies Updates

At this week's School Council meeting, we approved unanimously changes to the Program of Studies. We are excited about some new electives that will be offered next year, pending approval of the School Committee with respect to both the courses themselves and new positions. We are planning on sharing all these details with the community in February and March, and the course selection process will be moving to a virtual method, to ensure that students are not missing class time for paperwork. If you have specific questions as the process evolves, please let us know.

Have a great weekend, and stay warm!

Class of 2021: Update

 

February 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians of the Class of 2021:

It goes without saying that this year has been fraught with challenges, from a number of different perspectives. To say that families and students have been patient with many variables, from the class schedules, to athletics, to student activities, is a complete understatement. However, we have turned the corner into 2021, are seeing the impact of vaccines in the community, and starting to plan for some of the events that culminate our school year.

It is in that spirit that this letter is being shared, because we know there is significant interest in the end of the year events that are being planned for the Class of 2021. This letter may be lengthy, but we want to be clear with some of our plans at this point. Please know that details can change, particularly as information and direction from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts come to us from the Governor and our Public Health partners.

A recording of this email is also linked on our podcast site:

Limitations from the State

We will be obliged to follow any limitations from the state in terms of attendance. The current number of individuals permitted to attend an outdoor event is only 25 individuals. We are hopeful the trends for the virus, which may have hit a peak in recent weeks, will descend, both as herd immunity and vaccinations become more prevalent. In addition, we are hopeful that the Commonwealth will ease some restrictions for outdoor and indoor gatherings. We will be monitoring this information closely and adjusting accordingly.

Prom

All Prom plans are contingent on our ability to host a social gathering of up to 200 individuals, with the class, guests, and chaperones all taken into account. Should state restrictions not allow that to occur, we obviously will be beholden to those requirements.

Our Prom is scheduled for early May, and we have tentatively reserved Pleasant Valley Country Club as our venue for the event. We will have to secure the event by early March, at which point we may not yet have direction from the state. As such, we may have to make arrangements to have our prom at a different location, with the flexibility of booking later into March or even April. Our senior class advisor, Mrs. Christine Prior,  and I have been in contact with the Class Officers and have been in frequent communication about providing some kind of prom-like event - even if that means limiting numbers, food/meal, and changing locations.

In addition, the Prom this year will be solely a Senior Prom, not a Junior-Senior prom. We do not believe that there will be the latitude to host an event with 300-plus individuals, which is typically the number of attendees for the junior-senior event.

With respect to any event, we anticipate having the attendees all complete a COVID-19 certification, consistent with what we use for a check-in for athletics. While unfortunate, a student who is symptomatic the day or week of the event - or who tests positive for the virus - could compromise the entire group should he or she attend, so we would obviously tell students who are symptomatic to stay home.

There is always the possibility that no event will be scheduled. Again, we will reflect on the guidelines from the Commonwealth as they are provided to us.

Awards Night

We are working on a few alternatives for awards night, specifically that would allow some family members and the seniors to attend something at UHS. Again, we will be monitoring the metrics and any requirements for attendance and adjusting accordingly.

Our seniors and staff enjoy this night as an opportunity to celebrate the class’ many accomplishments. As a result, we would like to make sure we reinstate this as an in-person event, but it may mean changing the venue from the auditorium, limiting time, and adjusting attendance requirements.

Graduation

Right now, we are working on several plans for graduation, most of which will be outdoors. We developed a model last year that used a “drive-in” model, which was, for the most part, fairly successful. It enabled us to keep with most of the program, and, being in the evening, it was a more reasonable temperature, even when compared to indoors.

We are also looking at the potential of using our turf field, but that has a number of logistical challenges that we are evaluating. We want to make sure that no plan that utilizes the turf field compromises the field itself, particularly should chairs be used on the field. Additionally, whenever we look at outdoor venues, particularly in early June, we have concerns about climate, weather, and temperature. In particular, we may be recommending a different day and/or time, to accommodate for any potential weather conditions. 

Historically, we have had the ability to offer families up to nine tickets for graduation. Using that number as a minimum, with 100-plus graduates, plus staff, it will not likely be feasible for us to provide nine tickets per family, even if we use the outdoor space of the turf field. We will likely be limiting the number of attendees to 5-6 per family, and using a more formal ticketing process, particularly should there be a need to contact trace. Again, we will be following up with more details when we have them, both in terms of time, place, and attendance restrictions. We will also do our best to be flexible around the specific needs of families and any necessary accommodations, as always.

The graduation ceremony and celebration of a graduating class remains one of the most important events of our entire school year, as it culminates so much for our school, community, families, and students. We promise to do our best to communicate with you as to any scheduling adjustments and requirements that are imposed, and to do our very best to provide ample time for families and our graduates to plan.

Thank you in advance for your continued support and patience.

Sincerely yours,

Michael D. Rubin

Principal

Uxbridge High School

Weekly News and Notes, January 22

We have a few updates this week from UHS:

Spartan Podcast

Our latest Podcast is released. Tune in by clicking below!

End of First Semester

We are nearing the end of the first semester. Please monitor Google Classroom and/or iParent to be able to support students, and reach out to teachers and counselors if you need assistance or notice anything that needs assistance. We have been actively doing so, but please know that most of our teachers have more than 100 students (and the counselors have caseloads of more than 200 students), so it is difficult to personalize messages with missing assignments. Your assistance and vigilance will be helpful for us, and we will respond to any messages that come our way.

You can also loop in school administration for support if you see fit. We are happy to step in and provide support however we can.

Global Finance and Logistics Pathway

We are in the process of finalizing a new career pathway for UHS in "Global Finance and Logistics." If approved, we would have the first logistics program in New England. We are actively partnering with some of our colleagues in the CAPS Network to build these courses and curricula and also attempting to marry these classes to the syllabi of our post-secondary partners, namely the Massachusetts college system.

If you have any interest in serving on our Career Advisory Board because you have a background in Finance, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Manufacturing, Information Science, Computer Science, or Media, please reach out! We would love your feedback to help drive our programs and curriculum development!

Next Week's Schedule

Weekly News and Notes, January 15

There are a couple of updates from UHS this week.

World Language Update

Many thanks to Sra. Gaudet, the Curriculum and Instruction leader of the World Language department, who has provided the below video to help color some of the incredibly hard work the teachers and students of Spanish have been completing this year. In normal circumstances, revamping assessment practices and instruction is a tall task. Doing so in the midst of a pandemic is nothing short of remarkable.

The commitment of our educators and students is quite impressive, so we hope you enjoy the video and samples of student work! 

Food Service Information

Free meals are available to all students through the rest of the school year.  Breakfast and lunch are served daily, for free, in all schools.  Bulk meals, which include 7 days of breakfast and lunch,  are available for pick up  from 7:00AM to 8:00AM at Taft Elementary School.  Please contact Kelly Haley, Food Service Director, at khaley@uxbridge.k12.ma.us or 508-278-8633, x2215 for more information. 

Guidance Update

Our counselors have been working through seminars with all grades, and will be meeting against with grade 11 toward the end of January to begin planning for next year. As of January, about 3/4 of our seniors have applied to four-year schools, and we have an instant admission day coming for Quinsigamond Community College at the end of the month. We are on pace to have 100% of our seniors having plans for next year, be it an employment plan or plan for post-secondary learning (or both, in some cases).

Considering the turnover in guidance, where two of our three members are new this year, and the challenges of the pandemic, this is good news! 

End of Semester 1

The end of the first semester is approaching at month's end - typically, the term ends around the week of Martin Luther King weekend. This year, with the delayed start to the school year, our semester will end in early February. As such, students still have a couple of weeks to close out the term strongly, make up work, retake assessments, or hustle to bring grades up.

A reminder that there is no school on Monday, January 18.

Have a great weekend!

Non-Emergency Lockdown

We just concluded a non-emergency lockdown at Uxbridge High School, ending at about 10:01 a.m. We called the lockdown in order to provide some confidentiality for an individual who needed to be transported via ambulance due to a medical emergency. Whether making the decision to transport via ambulance for a teacher, student, staff member, or parent, we take the responsibility of maintaining confidentiality extremely seriously, so clearing hallways and eliminating witnesses protects everyone involved.

As we expected, our students were incredibly compliant and respectful of direction. Once again, we had an opportunity to see how our community models so many of our core values!

We reiterate that there was no threat of any kind, which can sometimes be misconstrued when people hear the word "lockdown." Thank you, and enjoy the rest of the day. 

Weekly News and Notes, January 8

 We have several updates from UHS this week. With apologies, this week's message is more lengthy than usual, because there are many items to share with families.

Military Request for Information, Classes of 2022 and 2023

Each year, under the provision of the Solomon Amendment, which was passed by Congress in 1996, we are required to give access to military recruiters in the form of campus visits and lists with student information. This information actually overrides FERPA, and it gives military recruiters the right to receive data designated as student recruiting information. Denying that information can put the school at risk of losing federal funds.

Typically, we are able to provide access to the campus and thus not have to worry about sharing information. This year is obviously different. As a result, we have been asked to comply with the Solomon Amendment, including the release of parent emails to military recruiters for the Classes of 2022 and 2023 (current juniors and sophomores).

According to our School's Student-Parent Handbook (page 55): "According to the provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA Section 9528), schools are now required to provide students’ directory information upon request to military recruiters and/or institutions of higher learning. If parents/guardians do not want their children’s name, address, telephone number, and/or parent email to be released to third parties, they should notify the Principal in writing." An email to the principal will suffice.

Early College Course Availability

For our juniors and seniors, we have an entire catalog of courses available for this spring that can be taken virtually through our partners at Quinsigamond Community College. All of these classes will earn students three college credits at a significantly reduced cost. The credits transfer to all Massachusetts and New England public colleges and universities and most private institutions. More than 50 of our students earned credit this semester in English classes offered through the school; a full listing can be found here. The QCC classes do have a cost associated with them.

Courses start on January 21, so reach out to any of the school counselors if interested. This is a terrific opportunity!

SEPAC Information

There is an attached flyer for the next meeting of the Uxbridge Special Education Parent Advisory, scheduled for January 13 at 7:30 p.m. The meeting is virtual and will be held at: https://zoom.us/j/5427569255.

Food Service Manager

Congratulations are in order for Ms. Janice Ouellette, who will be serving our school as the new kitchen manager for Uxbridge High School food service. Ms. Ouellette has been on the staff for a few years and has been an active member of our school community. We wish her well in this new role!

MCAS Update

The Commissioner shared an update of a recommendation he is going to make to the Board of Education regarding MCAS, specifically looking at the Class of 2021 and testing requirements. There will still be a test for students in grades 3-8 this year, and for students who are seniors who may not have passed the test, we now have options with respect to determinations that will assist with earning a diploma. 

It woulda appear from the Commissioner's statement that the goal for grades 3-8 is to use the test diagnostically to determine what kinds of losses or gains students have made, individually and collectively, considering the challenges of the pandemic. There has yet to be a decision made on any relaxing of graduation requirement for students in the Classes of 2022, 2023, or 2024.

Basketball Practices & Athletics

Our girls basketball practices started this week. Having seen some other leagues start competition in basketball and hockey, we are hopeful that the start of our season will commence without many more hiccups. The boys' team should begin practice on Monday.

Again, we appreciate everyone's understanding. We continue to make decisions in the best interest of safety. As there are now just four schools in our league who are continuing with a winter season, we hope people understand the significance of our efforts to bring this season to fruition. 

That being said, we are equal parts grateful and concerned about ski club, which is not a school-sponsored club so does not have the same requirements as us in terms of athletics. There were many photographs circulated from the mountain and bus of our students who participate in ski club - which are awesome - but not following distancing guidelines, masking requirements, or other steps that we have put in place in school - which is not. We take no issue with the organization or these opportunities and truly are grateful for the amazing volunteers who are supporting this for our students, but we admittedly get nervous when we see multiple students, without masks, eating together and/or well within six feet.

We understand that kids will be kids - we expect it and appreciate normalcy, speaking as a parent myself. But we also hope families can reiterate the need for following recommended safety guidelines at all times, since these actions can impact us all, particularly with the trends of numbers in Massachusetts, so that all these opportunities do not end up compromised.

Follow-Up to the Capitol Incident

First, many thanks to those of you who offered feedback on our approach to the incident at the Capitol. We strive to provide our students learning opportunities that are grounded in authenticity, and to see our teachers jump headfirst into tackling difficult conversations that were spirited, compassionate, and respectful of various perspectives was particularly heartening this week.  Teachers also used this as an opportunity to weave in conversations about rhetoric, responsibility, art analysis, voting, and the proliferation of hate groups, to name a few topics - and not merely in history classes.

We appreciate greatly the effort of teachers and students to find a way to navigate the difficult conversations and engage our students in a way that was appropriate for the historical significance and respectful of the student perspectives, most significantly sharing with them our collective responsibility to each other, to our community, and to our nation. 

We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Events of January 6

Good evening,

First, I wish you all the best and that this finds you in good health as we start 2021. I am sharing this information with the hope of providing support to some individuals who may be wondering how or if we support students amidst moments of historical significance or that are particularly newsworthy.

There are some events that transcend our daily tidings. I remember sitting in my elementary school teachers room with my second grade class, eagerly watching the launch of the shuttle, when the Challenger exploded. I was waiting for the Bell to Ring to send me to my Spanish 4 class when we were ushered into a studio room to watch the delivery of the Simpson verdict. I was in my fifth day as a teacher on 9/11, and I have to call an emergency faculty meeting, with the principal out, after Sandy Hook.

Today is one of those moments, when a pro-forma and largely symbolic Congressional session gave way to the first breaching of the Capitol building since the War of 1812, when Britain was the enemy and not an ally. I'm not sure who watched the news, found something else to do with their time, tried to look away or couldn't, felt sad, or felt nothing. Some students may have likewise found themselves watching the events unfold in real time, with feelings that could be reconciled to either side of the political spectrum.

That said, there are a variety of challenges that can come up from moments of historical significance, including the emotions that could arise. As a school, we have many procedures and protocols in place for these sort of events, including training for our counseling staff and defined crisis protocols, particularly when events hit closer to home. Even events that occur without direct connections to Uxbridge or our students can elicit an emotional response.

We are sharing this attachment to help families who may be looking for tips in talking with students with respect to violence or other sort of events, shared by our colleagues at the National Association of School Psychologists. We have likewise shared some tips for staff if students decide to engage them in conversation or share their stress with respect to the political climate in the country. Admittedly, there are some for whom this is hardly on the proverbial radar, but we always want to share when we have some potential concerns - particularly where students have been separated from each other and may not have had the opportunity to process, share ideas and opinions, or open up about their thoughts outside of their homes or cell phones.

As always, we are at the ready to support our students, and we do so regardless of the tidings of Washington and the challenges that befall us. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback for us, or to let us know if your students are struggling.

Sincerely yours,

Michael D. Rubin
Principal
Uxbridge High School