The Masconomet High School community believes that learning enables us all to achieve ambitious personal goals, develop fine minds, and build strong character. Therefore, we foster the acquisition of attitudes, skills, and knowledge necessary for life-long learners to think critically in order to participate in a global society.

Dear Masco Families --

I look forward to welcoming teachers and students back to the building this week. Moving into my second year, I will continue to try and know the community better while working towards a time when all students feel included and a sense of belonging at Masconomet. We kick off this week when our peer leaders will spend time with our new students, acclimating them to the high school. I see every year as an opportunity to reinvent yourself and I hope that this thought will resonate with students and adults alike.

The remainder of this Memo contains important information regarding the school year and ensuring we get off to a good start. Because of the circumstances of the last few years, we have modified or changed our approach to discipline, attendance, and school behaviors and we will be working collaboratively to re-establish consistency for students and families alike. Ms. Schatzel and Ms. Dinardo will be addressing the students during the first few days of school and I will speak directly to this at my introductory remarks at the Open House on Thursday, September 8th. You may notice the start time of the Open House has been pushed back to allow more families to attend. My remarks will begin at 6:30 PM with classroom visits beginning at 7:00 PM.

I am excited to get the school year started.

Dr. Carabatsos

• Mark your Calendar
• PowerSchool Portal Open
• New Student Orientation
• New Schedule -- Wednesday Early Release
• Masco Block
  
• Parent Alerts: Required Forms -- Absences and Dismissals -- Bus Routes -- School Drop-Off -- Picture Day

• Parent University Registration

• August 30, Ninth-Grade Orientation, 7:35 - 11 AM, busing provided
• August 30, New-student (10, 11, 12) Orientation, (11:00 am - 12:00 PM)
• September 2, NO SCHOOL
• September 5, NO SCHOOL
• September 8, Open House Parent Night, 6:30 PM Welcome Remarks
• September 14 and 16, Picture Day
• September 22, Senior Parent Counseling Program, (evening event)
• September 24, TTU/Masco Parent University, 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM, Save the date!

PowerSchool opened on Friday at 4:00 PM. Please take a moment to review the posted schedule for accuracy. All schedule changes should have been communicated to your school counselor by June 17, 2022, therefore at this time, no changes can be made. Additionally, we cannot honor schedule changes to accommodate lunch or teacher requests. However, if you are missing a class or would like to change from a study to an elective, please contact your school counselor.

Members of the Class of 2026 only, please remember that Visual/Performing Arts is now a graduation requirement (5 credits). If you do not have a Visual/Performing Arts class scheduled and would like to see what is available, please contact your school counselor. You can find your counselor assignment in PowerSchool.

The school year for ninth-grade students will kick off with Orientation on Tuesday, August 30th, from 7:35 - 11:00 AM. Bus transportation will be provided to and from school. Here is a welcome letter from Mr. Kelsen and the Peer Leaders with important information about the day. Also on August 30th, there will be a separate orientation program (buses are not provided) for new 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students from 11 AM - 12:00 PM. If your student is having difficulty accessing their schedule in PowerSchool there will be time during orientation to address any issues.

All students in grades 9 -12 will begin the school year on Wednesday, August 31st at 7:35 AM. On Wednesday, we will run a modified high school schedule (shorter classes) to ensure all classes are able to meet. The day will end at 1:10 PM as we begin the pilot year of our new schedule. Thursday, September 1st will be a normal school day (following the new schedule) and then the school will be closed on Friday (9/2) and Monday (9/5) for the Labor Day weekend.

On Wednesdays, any student unable to secure a ride back to school for practice or extra-curricular activities will be allowed to stay at the high school in the library or cafeteria. At this time, students will NOT be allowed to be in other areas of the school unsupervised.

We are excited to introduce Masco Block this year. Students will be assigned a Masco Block teacher who appears on their academic schedule. Students will attend Masco Block with this teacher, unless they or a teacher schedules them into one of the other sessions taking place that day. Until at least Monday, September 19th, students will be attending their home base Masco block without the option of moving. However, we will be using some of this time to engage in programming. We will also be training students on how to use the "scheduler" that will allow them to begin attending other sessions during this time. The session options are likely to grow as we become more familiar with our new schedule and we look forward to getting feedback on Masco Block in mid-October.

The following links were included in the Back-2-School letter. If you have it on your to-do list, I would appreciate your time and attention to the forms. If you have already completed the forms, thank you!

Required: Sign Off

Please click here to complete the sign off for the following

○ Handbook

○ Digital Acceptable Use Policy

Optional: Complete the form(s) below if you would like to Opt out of any of the following:

Media Release (If opting out, click here to complete the survey) Complete if you do not wish that Masconomet Regional High School use your child’s name, photo, video or any other student data, in publishing of honor rolls, awards lists, athletic contests, graduation programs, etc. during the 2022-2023 school year.

No Child Left Behind Military Recruiter Information (11th and 12th Graders only) (If opting out, click here to complete the survey) Due to the federal “No Child Left Behind” education reform law, high schools are required to provide lists of all juniors and seniors, including names, addresses and telephone numbers to military recruiters. Please complete the survey above, If you would prefer to have your child’s name removed from the list.

The safety and security of our students is most important and having accurate attendance is an important part of this process.

ABSENCES:If you are calling to report your child’s absence please call 978-887-2323 X11001 and leave a clear message including the child’s name and grade. If reporting an absence, please state the reason for the absence. Messages are screened periodically. You can also email the absence to ACurley@masconomet.org, our attendance administrative assistant.

If there is an emergency and/or you need to get a message to your child dial 978-887-2323 and select the extension for the appropriate house office.

9th and 10th Grade: House B ext. 12090

11th and 12th Grade: House D ext. 13090

DISMISSALS: Students can not leave the school campus without a note signed by a parent or guardian. Please send a note into the Main Office or email acurley@masconomet.org authorizing the school to dismiss your student. Students will be provided with a dismissal note to give to their teacher and will sign out of the building in the Main Office. This procedure is required for all student dismissals.

Bus route information is located on our website. We will be providing late buses on Tuesday and Thursday beginning on September 6th. A late bus is provided for each Town and departs from the front of the Middle School at 4:15 PM. The route is determined by the students who are using the bus service home.

We are delighted to welcome a new Director of Security and Crisis Response, Mr. Bob McCarthy. Mr. McCarthy and his team will be working to ensure a smooth drop off in the morning. Please see the image below for student drop-off and pick-up.

Parent Drop off and Pick up is in Parking Lot B ONLY! This lot is located on the Middle School side of the building. You will likely see an increased presence at the start of the school year to help ensure we keep all students safe by limiting Parking lot A to faculty, staff, and student parking and bus drop off only.

Geskus will be on campus to take School Photos on Wednesday, September 14 and Friday, September 16. Students will be assigned to a day based on their academic schedule. You can order photo packages online using the code below or order forms will be available in the House Offices.

The TriTown School Union/Masconomet Parent University is an opportunity for parents and

guardians in Boxford, Topsfield, and Middleton to come together and learn ways to support their children in their educational journey. Parent University is designed to support parents and

families across a variety of relevant topics including understanding the methods and practices of school curricula, exploring best supports for social emotional learning, creating a community of belonging and prioritizing parent wellness as a critical component. The conference is designed into a series of engaging presentations and discussions that will provide insight and perspective on topics ranging from academics, character education, and preparing students for the journey ahead. This year’s event will be highlighted by two keynote speakers. Rick Irving, who will talk about how as a community we can recover and regain confidence with a sense of joy in ourselves and our children. Katie Greer, who will share strategies to empower students, educators and parents to use technology in a healthy and safe way. We see this as a unique way to partner with parents to enrich themselves and to help their children thrive.

Childcare will be available.

Click HERE to register.