Weekly News and Notes, April 30

 A few updates from UHS this week:

Vaccine Clinic

We sent out information last week regarding the vaccine clinic at UHS. The letter is also pasted below. If a student is turning 16 between now and next Wednesday, the parent can put an earlier date to register. A hard copy of the consent form is required, or a parent can sign the consent form, take a picture/scan, and email to Diane Legere at the Board of Health. 

We may have the opportunity to open clinic slots to parents as well. We will let you know on Monday if those times are available to parents. Please make sure that students are signed up by Monday!

Letter sent earlier this week:

When we first started dealing with many of the challenges of the pandemic, one of the statements that got many people through its more tumultuous days was that each day brought us close to an eventual end. Since then, there have been many changes and shifts, developments and setbacks, partnerships and collaborations. It is in that spirit that we are grateful for our colleagues at the Board of Health and Town of Uxbridge, with whom we have been in constant communication in looking at plans, ideas, and supports for our students and community over the past year-plus.

It is also in the spirit of that partnership that we have the unique opportunity to pilot a student vaccine clinic for students aged 16-plus. On Wednesday, May 5, the Board of Health, in partnership with our paramedics from Uxbridge Fire, will be hosting a vaccine clinic at Uxbridge High School dedicated to providing vaccines for any student who is of age and willing to participate. We will be providing the Pfizer vaccine, which means students will be scheduled into their second shot exactly three weeks away, on May 26. There is no requirement for students who participate in the clinic other than being 16 years of age and a student at UHS. Participation is entirely voluntary; for those seniors who plan on attending, this will satisfy the vaccine requirement for prom. For students who are not yet 18, the attached parental waiver must accompany the student to the clinic.

The link for signing up can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/4w7nzwnj.  

A student who does not feel well after the vaccine may seek to be dismissed from school. Any student under the age of 18, who has not reached the age of majority, must have parental permission for dismissal from school. We strongly encourage all students who may be dismissed from school to arrange for transportation. 

All protocols for public vaccine clinics will be maintained, including the presence of emergency personnel and the required waiting period to guard against any allergic reactions.

To sign up for a time, and to read the documentation from the Uxbridge Board of Health, please follow the links below. You can always contact us at UHS if you have any questions.

Senior Events and Graduation

We will be sharing out graduation and senior information next week. We appreciate your patience.

MCAS

According to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education there is no option for students to opt-out or opt-in to MCAS. While the Class of 2022 is exempted from MCAS this year, the rest of the school will be testing:

May 17-20: Grade 10 (ELA, Math)

May 25-27: Grade 8 (ELA, Math, Science)

June 1-2: Grade 9 (Science)

Have a great weekend.

Mask-wearing Guidance Clarification

Good morning,

We understand that there have been some questions raised about school and the recent mask-wearing guidance, particularly with respect to athletics. We are sharing below the message we received from the MIAA today. In addition, School Committee direction and our school procedures and rules for this year both indicate that masks must be worn at all times when on school grounds unless on designated mask breaks. There is no ambiguity or "grey" area on this determination, which includes students who may attend class outdoors or participate in a PE class that meets on one of our campus fields. There is no exception made for student-athletes who have been vaccinated. 

As members of the Sports Medicine Committee, Mr. Carbone and I will be privy to any updated guidance that comes from the EEA, which governs youth and interscholastic athletics. These guidelines will have to make their way through the regular channels of MIAA governance before we can make any adjustments on our level.

The message from the MIAA stated:

In light of Governor Baker’s announcement on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 regarding the upcoming relaxation of the Massachusetts outdoor mask mandate, this communication is a reminder to MIAA member schools that the approved sport modifications by your Board of Directors remain in place and are expected to be followed.  At this time, there are no changes or updates to sport modifications.  The established MIAA governance process, which includes communication with the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), will take place followed by timely communication to membership if any updates are made to the current modifications.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and patience.

Sincerely,

Michael Rubin, Principal

Weekly News and Notes, April 16

Greetings,

We have a few updates from UHS this week.

MCAS Dates

Our students in grades 8, 9, and 10 will be taking MCAS this year. Our 10th graders will test first, in English and math, on May 17-20. Grade 8 will test in English, mathematics, and science, with a single session dedicated to each test, May 25-27. Grade 9 students will test in science the first week of June.

We are told there could be information forthcoming for those who are testing remotely, in grade 8 only, but we are waiting on guidance. Students in grades 9 and 10 will be required to report to the school for testing. There is no opt-out provision for students in grades 9 and 10.

For students in grade 11 who have not taken MCAS, the state is going to determine if MCAS can be waived for the Class of 2022. However, any student who wishes to take the test for scholarship purposes - specifically, the John & Abigail Adams Scholarship or the Koplik Certificate of Mastery - may do so this year or early next fall. If you are a parent of an 11th grader who wishes to have your child sit for the test for this purpose, please contact our school administration directly by May 3, 2021.

Senior Class Assembly

We met with the senior class on Thursday, April 15 to discuss end-of-year protocols. Students with a grade of 70 of higher according to their composite average will be exempted from courses as of May 17. Many students will continue to be here to review for AP tests, some of which will be administered remotely and virtually, and others which will be paper-and-pencil, based on student choice. Students who are not passing classes, or who averages for the year fall below 70, will be obliged be in school through May 27, which will enable them to bring up their averages and ensure all graduation requirements are met.

Guidance counselors will be sharing information and notification with all seniors who are in danger of not passing classes and could risk eligibility for graduation. In almost of all of these cases, we have been in touch frequently with students, teachers, and parents, so there should be no surprises.

Summer Academy

We will be presenting options for summer school and enrichment options for students as we head toward the start of June. As we have in years past, students who do not pass classes will have the option of enrolling in our virtual summer school. Other opportunities for academic enrichment and skill development, particularly as students may have struggled this year, will be presented as well. Counselors will also be reaching out following the posting of third quarter report cards.

Report cards for Quarter 3 will be made available today, April 16.

Grade 7 Update

We are finalizing course selections for grade 7 and will be meeting with the class at Whitin in the weeks after April break. We will have some grade 8 students joining us as we work with students on transitions, questions, and other points of interest.

We are also holding a grade 7 parent coffee, virtually, on Thursday, April 29. The Zoom link will be shared after break.

For any family who still wishes to tour UHS, we will be making additional times available in the next couple of weeks.

Spring Athletics

There is an attached message regarding spring athletes from Mr. Carbone.

Travel Advisory

A travel advisory from Ms. Padula, our lead nurse, is attached.

Spring Has Sprung

Even though we are writing this message in the midst of an April snowstorm with plowable accumulation, we acknowledge that spring is upon us. With the typical spring, the weather gets warmer, student focus starts to drift toward summer, and sunny skies make schoolwork a bit less of a priority. Some students may start pushing the envelope with respect to attire, and we try to remind everyone that we expect clothing to be school appropriate at all times, even in the interest of comfort. Likewise, as student social lives become more of a priority, with good weather, it may be more difficult to maintain some safety procedures - indeed, we are seeing an uptick in activity from teenagers with respect to COVID-19. We do not want to see students compromise their academics, their health, or their integrity, and, in particular, some who are on the bubble of one grade to another, may slip in this last term.

We appreciate your support as we navigate these unusual times.

Have a great week.

Weekly News and Notes

 A few updates from UHS this week:

Business and Finance Pathway Approved

Earlier this week, UHS announced that its fourth career pathway, in business, finance, and logistics, was approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. UHS now has four career pathways: manufacturing, biomedical science, media/information science, and business. Beginning next year, students in grade 8 will take one quarter in each of the four pathways, and then will be able to "declare" a full pathway for grades 9-12.

The newest courses to our Program of Studies include classes called "Money Management," "Introduction to Business," and "Introduction to Logistics." We have enhanced already existing curricula in computer science and engineering, and we have also added new courses in manufacturing and materials processing. For students currently at UHS, and those who will join us next year, it is an exciting time to be a Spartan!

Football Senior Day

Our football team will host Worcester South on Saturday at 1 for senior day. We wish the team and thank the seniors for their efforts for this team - not only this year, but their entire time at UHS. We also congratulate the senior cheerleaders for their careers and thank Coach Knauer and the cheer squad for their hard work this season!

Mr. Carbone and our administration are working on a way to have general fans and students in attendance for our final game against BVT in a couple of weeks. It may be limited in terms of number, but we will try to see what is possible.

Spring Athletics

The spring athletics registration portal is open on FamilyID. The window for registration is short for 2021, so please make sure registration is complete by the end of next week.

Senior Events

There will be updates to prom and senior events coming after April vacation. We will be meeting with the seniors next Thursday to outline some of the next steps we are planning. With quarter 3 grades closing today, there will definitely be some students who will need to have strong fourth quarters to make sure they meet graduation requirements. We always tell students to guard against developing too many bad habits in their closing weeks at UHS.

Additionally, we are working on a number of options for graduation and awards night. We understand many have felt compelled to share their thoughts, feedback, and considerations about end-of-year. Please know that we continue to work on different scenarios around weather, space, and safety, none of which are particularly easy variables with which to work.

Finally, seniors have had scholarship information shared with them. For seniors who need letters of recommendation, they have been directed to contact teachers directly and not rely on downloads of previous letters used for college, as sometimes scholarships have specific criteria. Last year, the number of seniors who applied for scholarships dwindled significantly. Unfortunately, after giving them the applications and opportunities, there is little for us to do other than encourage, as the responsibility rests with the students.

Have a great weekend.

First Day Back

When we looked at the calendar last summer, we had no idea what random dates could come to specify. Some dates emerge as more important than others. For example, birthdays and wedding anniversaries tend to be pretty obvious recollections, but in school terms, there are still others. Personally, I remember June 12, the day I graduated from high school, and May 29, the day of my college graduation. I recall November 3, the day I played my last high school soccer game, and March 17, when, as a young sports broadcaster, I called an ECAC hockey championship game for my alma mater.

March 13, 2020 is one of those days. We walked out of the school last year, called to an uneasy and impromptu administrator meeting at central office, not sure what the days to come would bring. Days became weeks, weeks became months, and, then months even became a year. Words do not easily define the uncertainty of last spring, the sadness that came with the cancellation of so many things we hold dear, and the tension of not knowing if and when anything would return to normal. Words like "hybrid," "synchronous," and "contact tracing" became everyday parts of our vocabulary, and our administration exchanged iPads for observing classes with tape measures to determine desk spacing.

My hope is that April 5 will continue to stand out, perhaps for the opposite reason. True, it is one of my daughter's birthdays, so it already has significant personal meaning. From a professional standpoint, though, today marks a significant moment in time, for we welcomed back more than 500 students to UHS for the first time in about 390 days. It was different. It was certainly not the same vibe as March 2020, but it was also dissimilar from October of 2020 as well. There were more than a couple of students trying to navigate classrooms for the first time, having been remote all year, and there were still others who were trying to sort through procedures for lunch, buses, and corridors. Hot lunches came out of the oven, students went back and forth to classes, and everyone shared responsibility for keeping spaces clean.

For the millionth time (or so it seems), our teachers pivoted - sometimes quite literally - their teaching. Classroom spaces rearranged for what seemed like the umpteenth time since September. Some fought through vaccine side effects, and others reset their methods in the room to suit who was or was not in front of them. Some things stayed the same - once again our school nurse was on the phone and emails to clear students and communicate with families and staff dealing with health concerns. While the state set no deadline for returning secondary students to school, UHS did so efficiently and effectively, with the same professionalism that has been the hallmark of this staff since the day I arrived. 

We are hardly out of the woods. The virus has not yet been eradicated, and many in our community are in line for vaccinations. The school year will have many challenges still ahead of us - MCAS, planning a safe graduation, continuing to support some of students and families with the emergent emotional challenges, closing out the 2020-21 school year with some gusto. All of that considered, April 5 was a huge step in getting back to our "old" normal and in feeling like we could regain control and even win this long, arduous battle. We saw in the responsibility our students collectively shared behind their masked faces - and the way today, albeit briefly, seemed almost like the way things ought to be.

We thank you for your collective patience and support. As I shared with the staff at the end of the day, the fun part is getting to get up tomorrow and do it all over again! And, in time, experiences like April 5 may seem more typical, and days like last March 13 (and everything in between) will become stories that start with "remember when..."

Thank you, as always for the support.

Weekly News and Notes, April 1

We have a couple of updates this week.

Podcast

Our April 1 Podcast is linked here (or below): https://anchor.fm/uxbridgehighschool

Next Week's Schedule

We are excited to be back, fully in-person, with a number of students still fully remote. We are reverting back to our six-period, drop-one schedule. Mask breaks in the morning will take place during the second block of the day, which also incorporates flex block, and lunch is served during the fourth block of the day.

Daily Schedule

Our revised schedule is linked here. On our website, all information on schedules, both daily and scheduling, can be found in the schedule section, under "Academics" from our home page. 

Local Scholarships

Local scholarship information has been shared with all seniors. There is a video presentation as well that shows seniors exactly what has to be done. Any questions can be directed to guidance or Ms. Robertson in the guidance office.

Course Selections

Grades 8-11 course selections are just about wrapping up with our school counselors, and we are working to identifying some of our next steps for students as we consider the 2021-22 school year. One of the questions that typically comes up at this point is regarding changes, particularly if student interests change. We try to make sure that the courses students identify now are accurate, because we are not always able to honor changes.

In addition, some students may decide to take advantage of Early College or other extension courses that we offer through some of our partners, such as the Blackstone Valley Ed Hub. Should those opportunities or questions arise, reach out to individual school counselors.

Challenges and Needs

As we transition back to the fully in-person model, we are acutely aware of some of the challenges some families and students are (or will be) facing. We will be working to ease into the schedule, particularly as students may not be used to the longer day, seeing more people on a daily basis, or just having literally dozens more interactions per day. We also know that some students have been dealing with their own anxiety or other mental health challenges over the past several weeks or months, some of which may be exacerbated by the return to school for some.

We realize that there may not be ideal solutions for all of these challenges. We also know that we have a team of individuals who are able to make connections for families and help with referrals to additional services. Some of our typical agencies do not have opportunities for new patients, but we are constantly on the lookout and in touch with service providers around supporting student needs, and even working directly with student care teams.

Should there be something specific that would require a specialized intervention, please be in touch with our school administration or counseling team. We will do our best to ensure propers supports are in place.

Spring Athletics

The portal for spring athletics will be opening in the next week or so. As a reminder, we sponsor baseball, softball, tennis, and track and field in the spring. Right now, the MIAA has scheduled seasons to potentially continue until the conclusion of a state championship tournament, which would occur the weekend of July 1-3.

With the season set to begin on April 26, the registration at FamilyID will need to be completed in a timely and efficient manner, to allow us time to process for physical exams, eligibility, and other variables. Please do not wait until the last minute to sign up!