Principal Message:Dear Parents, Guardians and Students, These past two months have been filled with Holiday cheer and a time of thanks! We have a lot to celebrate and be grateful for. This season, we hosted our second annual "district of one, Thanksgiving Dinner." Everyone had a great time and I look forward to our next community celebration. Since the last time you read our newsletter we celebrated our honor roll students, a Thanksgiving Football game victory, individual musician accomplishments, a National Championship (BAND) and our first college acceptance letter. Our teachers have also been working diligently to engage students in exciting learning opportunities. Below you will find some images capturing these moments. Additionally, School Council dates and information are posted within the newsletter. Please take a look and see what else we have in store! Important! If there are snow delays or cancellations please check your local television stations. A OneCall message will also be issued by the Superintendent. Here’s to a productive end of 2019! CHARGER STRONG. Michael Dudek BMR MARCHING BAND = CHAMPSThe BMR Marching Band completed their most successful season on November 9th, by winning Division IV Open National Championships by more than one point. They also cleaned up all weighted captions, winning Best Music, Best Visual, and Best Overall Effect. Winning Nationals capped an undefeated season during which the band was also crowned New England States Champions. The Marching Band will be visiting the Massachusetts State House on January 8th, at the invitation of State Rep. Michael Soter, to be recognized for their accomplishments. After a quick two week rest, our winter activities are starting up, with our NESBA Champion Winter Guard looking to be highly competitive again this year. Other groups starting rehearsals are Winter Percussion, Brass Choir, Woodwind Choir, and High School Jazz Ensemble. 8th Graders Visit the High SchoolJohn and Abigail Adams Scholarship RecipientsThe John and Abigail Adams Scholarship is a merit-based program that provides a credit toward tuition for up to eight semesters of undergraduate education at a Massachusetts state college or university. For this scholarship, merit is based on student scores on the 10th grade Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test. Congratulations to the following students:
Congratulations to our students who made 1st quarter honor roll. Keep up the great work! Click Here for Student ListSCHOOL GOAL: 95% OVERALL Attendance Rate Monthly Numbers by Year of Graduation: Class of 2020: Sept (95.57%); Oct (95.24%); Nov (93.3%) Class of 2021: Sept (97.65%); Oct (96.27%); Nov (94.81%) Class of 2022: Sept (96.53%); Oct (94.53%); Nov (92.98%) Class of 2023: Sept (96.31%); Oct (96.20%); Nov (94.20%) Dear Parent/Guardian, Blackstone-Millville Regional High School is making a special effort to ensure that all students fully benefit from their education by attending school regularly. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Your student should start building this habit immediately so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Consistent attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work. DID YOU KNOW? · Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) increases the chance that your student will not read or master math at the same level as their peers. · Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks. · Being late to school may lead to poor attendance. · By being present at school, your child learns valuable social skills and has the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with other students and school staff. · By 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores. WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU We miss your student when they are gone and we value their contributions to our school. We would like you to help ensure that your student attends regularly and is successful in school. If your student is going to be absent or late, please contact the attendance line at 508-876-0114. OUR PROMISE TO YOU We know that there are a wide variety of reasons that students are absent from school, from health concerns to transportation challenges. We invite you to contact us if you are facing a personal challenge so that we might be able to assist you. We promise to track attendance daily, to notice when your student is missing from class, communicate with you to understand why they were absent, and to identify barriers and supports available to overcome challenges you may face in helping your student attend school. SCHOOL POLICIES AND STATE LAWS It is important that you understand our school policies and procedures. We, the school, are required to take daily attendance and notify you when your student has an unexcused absence. If your daughter/son has three unexcused absences in one quarter, we will send a letter of notification home to you. After four unexcused absences we will schedule a conference with you and your student to identify the barriers and supports available to ensure regular attendance. We are obligated to develop a plan that may require an assessment to determine how to best meet the needs of your student and reduce absenteeism. Students who have 10 excused absences within the school year will need to schedule a conference with administration to discuss how to best meet the educational needs of a student. Consultation with medical professions may be considered. At Blackstone-Millville Regional High School, we encourage students and families to commit to, and support students to meet a school expectation of a 95% attendance rate. WHAT PARENTS CAN DO · Set a regular bedtime and morning routine. · Prepare for school the night before, finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep. · Don’t let your student stay home unless they are truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home. · Avoid appointments and extended trips when school is in session. · Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent. · Keep track of your student’s attendance. · Talk to your student about the importance of attendance. · Talk to your students’ teachers if you notice sudden changes in behavior. These could be tied to something going on at school. · Encourage meaningful afterschool activities, including sports and clubs. COMMON PRACTICES TO AVOID Although excused absences do not count towards the “academic 50” policy, missing days/classes hinder academic progress. Students have commonly missed a school day for routine dentist and medical appointments that do not warrant missing an entire day of school. Please be aware that individual course attendance is taken. Missing school-sponsored community events also count towards a student’s absentee record. Students will not be excused for missing events that build on school culture and positive spirit. Many students/guardians are not aware that excused absences are recorded on school records and forms. Colleges and future employers may view attendance records: excused/unexcused absences, tardies and dismissals. If you have any questions please feel free to contact myself or anyone in our guidance office. Sincerely, Michael Dudek, Blackstone-Millville Regional High School Updates from the School Counseling Office: Freshmen: Students will be discussing the progress of their high school transition this school year. Freshmen will be reflecting on their strengths and challenges thus far, and will find opportunities for improvement. Students will gain knowledge of effective study and organization skills to assist their progress. When we begin second semester scheduling, Freshmen will also begin to take part in some career exploration. Sophomores: Students who took the PSAT exam in October will be going over their results with their school counselors in the coming weeks. Students will also link their Collegeboard account to Khan Academy, to get personalized assistance in preparing for the future SATs. Juniors: Juniors will be meeting individually with their school counselor to discuss their plans for after high school, SAT/ACT testing, and how to best prepare themselves to be successful when they graduate. Seniors: Seniors have been meeting with their school counselors to discuss post-secondary plans. Any students who plan to attend a program or college should have completed the FAFSA. Students can also apply to scholarships available to them through Naviance. All grades: Students were introduced to the first topic of our Choose Love Curriculum, Courage. Students chose courageous quotes to live by and set a courageous intention for themselves this year. Next, students will be introduced to the second topic of our Choose Love Curriculum, Forgiveness. Students will participate in an informational/interactive seminar on the Social and Emotional Learning benefits of practicing forgiveness not only with others, but with themselves. All teachers will be incorporating topics of Forgiveness into their curriculum as well. BMRHS IN THE KNOW - IMAGESFACEBOOK LIVE: Q and AAttention Parents: Are you Aware?Thursday, December 12th – Progress Reports Available on X2 Friday, December 13th – Drama Performance – Cinderella – 7:00 Saturday, December 14th – Drama Performance – Cinderella – 4:00 Monday, December 16th – High School Winter Concert – 7:00 - Auditorium Friday, December 20th – Pep Rally - ½ Day December 23rd – December 31st – Holiday Recess January 1st - No School - New Year's Day January 17th - Professional Development Day (No School for Students) January 20th - Martin Luther King Day - No School January 28th - 2nd Quarter Report Cards available on X2
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Michael DudekHigh School Principal Archives
May 2020
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