WHS Newsletter
Winter 1
A Message from Principal Callaghan
Best wishes for the Holidays, and for health and happiness during the Winter Vacation.
There has been much that has challenged us all, professionally and personally, almost the entire 2020 year. There have been bright spots, too, and we are so grateful for and must cherish them.
In spite of it all, my wish for you and yours this holiday season and Christmas is to experience more peace, hope and joy throughout 2021.
Warm Regards,
Mr. Brian Callaghan
Principal
Post Winter Vacation Remote Learning Update
After considering staff and student feedback and with consensus from the Department Heads/Leadership Team members, I am writing to give you an update on the schedule during the post Winter Vacation Remote Learning time.
Please see the visual below that shows changes in the daily schedule for the 2 weeks of Remote Learning after Winter Vacation.
The cycle of days will not change, and will pick up where we leave off next week. The rotation is in PowerSchool.
The changes are: a) lunch is now 45 minutes in length, b) the office hours/extra help are no longer built into the daily schedule.
From January 4th-15th, Monday through Thursday (Fridays will remain combined cohorts all 7 period half day) during the remote weeks we will follow the daily schedule below:
Important Information from the School Nurse
Greetings from the health office. It has truly been a unique time for us. We have been very busy assisting students, staff, and families who have been impacted by COVID-19. We have been evaluating students and staff with symptoms, assisting with contact tracing, identifying high risk students/families, providing medical advice, and assisting students and staff in adhering to mitigation strategies.
We are constantly re-educating ourselves as we learn more about this virus. We will continue to do the best we can to maintain the health and safety of the WHS community but cannot do this without your cooperation. Please do not send your children to school if they are having any symptoms of COVID. Feel free to contact us instead and we will advise you of the next steps.
On a different note, I do have 2 vaccine updates/reminders:
1) Starting this school year all students (except those with religious or medical exemptions) must receive the flu vaccine by December 31st. This is a new yearly requirement. If you have not done this yet, please do so and send a copy to us.
2) Attention to all 11th grade parents/guardians: all 16 year old students who are entering 11th grade this year must have a second meningitis vaccine. This is a new requirement for school entry. If your 11th grader has not done this, please arrange for it to be done as soon as possible.
Please feel free to contact us any time by phone or email.
Wishing all health and safety during this time,
Julie Kelland, RN, full time nurse, kellandj@westboroughk12.org
Sharon Connors, RN, part time nurse, connorss@westboroughk12.org
Health & Wellness Happenings
First, in Health class students have been developing social and emotional learning (SEL) skills on a daily basis. Through analyzing influences and most recently goal setting, students are developing these critical life skills and practicing them safely.
In Physical Education students have chosen their own fitness goals as well as participated in fun, safe and highly active games during their time with us. Bringing joy and movement to our students on a daily basis continues to be the center of our focus to help them be as healthy and well as possible.
World Language Department Highlights
There are several exciting things going on in the World Language Department at WHS as teachers and students continue on their path to proficiency.
- This summer several of our teachers attended a six-week professional development on how to best make language instruction meaningful and purposeful in a hybrid and remote classroom.
- This fall, world language teachers appreciate being able to meet in same-level teams every Friday to work collaboratively to adapt units and lessons to move our curriculum more online for students. Some highlights include curating e-books for our sustained silent reading libraries and creating digital notebooks to leverage student voice and agency in the remote learning environment.
- Finally, World Language teachers are formally and informally seeking feedback from students on a regular basis to inform and refine instruction and assessment to maximize student learning and engagement.
English Department Scoop
As students read fiction, their own experiences and identities are at times mirrored while other novels offer them windows into other perspectives and experiences. And it is through reading inclusive works that students best make sense of the world. Understanding the importance of this, several years ago the English department began the process of evaluating our curriculum offerings and selecting new titles that will bring more inclusivity to our current offerings. And while we’ve added new titles since beginning this process, we believe this is an on-going process and will continue to engage in exploring and adding new titles.
We also recognize that students can experience “windows and mirrors'' through the experiences we engage them in -- as a department, we look forward to being able to once again bring our students to live theater and invite guest speakers into our classrooms. During the pandemic, our teachers have been creative with replicating some of these experiences: As part of an ongoing speaker series in some of the journalism classes,
- WHS alumni James Coffey, Emma Grossman, Max Bloch, and Ashley Markson visited via Zoom to share their life experiences, high school advice, and how WHS Journalism/English classes prepared them for college.
- Psychology in Literature hosted two guests during remote learning: WHS alum Carolyn Bernieri who spoke about mental health and Jim Scott who shared about living with traumatic brain injury.
- Journalism II sophomores Emily Coffey and Shannon Clark utilized their journalism writing skills to work with the Westborough Veterans Advisory Board. They created a Veterans informational newsletter to mail out to almost 600 Westborough veterans.
We encourage you to check out WHS’s online school The Lobby Observer online at lobbyobserver.org and on Instagram @lobby_observer.
School Counseling Department Bulliten
Every fall, the college process demands our attention and this year was not any different with over 60% of our seniors applying to college at the Early Action deadline of November 1st. We have been adaptable with our curriculum: executing virtual Freshman Orientation, Senior Night, Junior Night, Individual Zoom meetings and Freshman Transition meetings.
Every year counselors are concerned about students mental health, but especially this year with weekly student check-ins regarding grades, attendance, and emotional health. Although this has been a challenging year we have supported parents, faculty, all while keeping "the students success" as our #1 focus.
Science Department Report
Remote students have had lab kits made up for them, and, taking advantage of the in-person days for the hybrid model, students are still dropping basketballs from the 3rd floor balcony, building and racing cars, analyzing chemical reactions, and dissecting specimens.
We are happy to say that we are able to continue with laboratory investigations because students have stepped up to the challenge of engaging with the curriculum while still meeting our safety protocols.
Special Education Department Information
The special education website has been updated and will reflect the happenings of each building each month. Our focus this year is to provide information about specific categories of disabilities, as well as access to resources that are available to the community. We wish all of our families a restful winter break and a Healthy, Happy New Year!
Please join us in celebrating December awareness month:
Dec. 3- International Day of Persons with Disabilities (UN)
INTERFACE Referral Service recently shared this new promotional video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3Avai_aiN8&t=11s It is about 2 minutes in length and reviews what the service has to offer.
Engineering, Computer Science & FASC Department Highlights
Engineering Design students are currently working on designing both an outdoor swing set which they will 3D print as well as designing a boat that can travel under its own steam.
Robotics is closing out the year doing coding and final builds of their robots.
Applied Engineering is currently testing student bridges and finishing up data analysis on those bridges and their trebuchets.
Materials Engineering students are finishing up their metals unit, which will test the properties of ten different bismuth/tin alloys. While they are remote they will work on making silly putty as well as work on their data analysis.
All of the Family and Consumer Science classes are working in the kitchens and making cool stuff! I hope your students have brought some home for you to sample!
All of the Computer Science Classes are moving along nicely and we're looking forward to seeing the website that the ECS students are producing!
Social Studies & Business Department News
Despite the difficulties presented, the Social Studies and Business curriculum has moved forward in meaningful ways this fall. Teachers have re-dedicated themselves to emphasizing skills and habits.
We have doubled down on ensuring that our content is digestible, meaningful, and enduring - stressing the skills of source analysis, writing and speaking persuasively with the use of evidence, and developing high level questions. We continue to engage with current events and while increasing students' historical and cultural literacy.
Math Department Data
The Math Department remains committed to ensuring that all students learn content, acquire skills, and develop a mindset which together will form a necessary foundation for success in subsequent math classes, on standardized exams, and in their lives outside of WHS.
While some enrichment explorations which have traditionally been part of each math class will need to be sacrificed in the current school year, the core of the curriculum will remain intact for the 2020-2021 school year. Teachers in both the hybrid model and the remote have been exploring and implementing new ways to connect with students, support students, and obtain feedback from students through videos, online platforms, and individual or small group break out rooms.
We are also pleased to report that the WHS Math Team is active this year, with students participating virtually in many math meets and competitions, all of which are offered online this year. Any student who is interested in participating in Worcester County Math League (WOCOMAL) meets, the American Mathematics Competition (AMC), or other upcoming competitions should contact Mrs. Mignini (migninic@westboroughk12.org).
A Note from the Fine Arts Department
The Fine Arts Department has been so excited to be reunited with students this year, but with that reunion brings a very different look to Fine Arts classes across the district. Each grade has its own unique challenges and each content area has its accommodations for students. Please refer to the Reopening Plan for Fine Arts to access specific information about Art, Music, and Drama classes at each grade level, as well as pertinent information regarding performances and after-school activities.
In order to accommodate our new hybrid and remote models, the WHS Fine Arts faculty has expanded to meet the needs of all of our students. Please join me in welcoming: Francis Blaschke who will be teaching Digital Arts, and Valerie Clemans who will be directing our Orchestras this year. These teachers are assisting us as some of our staff has transitioned to the Stand Alone Remote Program to ensure students in the remote model are having access to a quality arts education.
As we ease into 2021, it is important to note that some of our programming, once put on hold, will be starting sooner than anticipated. Our bands have moved to rehearsing indoors, and Jazz Band has already started practicing. String Ensemble will be begin rehearsals in January and the Contemporary A Cappella Program just completed auditions. We have decreased Activity Fees for Fine Arts this year across the district in order to provide greater access and flexibility for families, but please contact the Fine Arts Office with any questions.
The entire department looks forward to working with students and families for a successful 2021 filled with art, music, and community!
Update from School Mental Health & The Center for Student Success (CSS)
The Center for Student Success (CSS) and our WHS team of mental health clinicians have been working this semester to create and expand opportunities to offer services for students and families in a variety of formats, both in person and virtually.
We have worked to enhance our training opportunities for staff around student mental health and social emotional learning, small counseling groups, and individual supports. CSS and our clinician team have been working collaboratively with multiple departments to directly provide resources and support to classroom teachers around SEL and student mental health, as well as self-care for teachers and students.
Our mental health clinician team wants to remind everyone in order to care for others, we must also prioritize care for ourselves. Self-care is necessary and needed for all, especially during times of high stress. We encourage everyone to take time this winter break to actively and intentionally engage in self care, whether that is through finding safe and socially distant ways to connect with loved ones, going for a walk or getting in that workout, slowing down and simply taking an extended break, or enjoying a few extra episodes of that favorite TV series.
Westborough High School
Email: callaghanb@westboroughk12.org
Website: www.westboroughk12.org
Location: 90 West Main Street, Westborough, MA, USA
Phone: 508-836-7720
Twitter: @WboroPrincipal