DHS Community Update
October 9, 2020
Greetings DHS Community Members:
Building a culture of health and wellness is our number one priority as we prepare to transition to our Hybrid Learning Plan on Monday, October 19, 2020. In order to ensure all of our students, faculty and staff remain healthy and well during this pandemic, a series of safety protocol videos have been produced and will be shared in the DHS Community Update over the next two weeks.
The video series will include the following segments:
- The 4 Basics
Morning Arrival
- Classroom Protocols
- Lunch Time protocols
- Mask Breaks
- End of Day Dismissal
- Monitoring Symptoms
Protocols for Traveling in the Hallways
I appreciate everyone's efforts to review the safety protocols prior to October 19th and to our students' compliance with each safety protocol. Together, we can and we will provide a quality education for all while building a culture of health and wellness.
Sincerely,
Ross A. Thibault
Principal
Hybrid Safety Protocols Introductory Video
Hybrid Safety Protocols: The Four Basics
From the Desk of the Associate Principal
Advanced Placement Update
All AP students must join their AP classes using the Join Code their AP teachers provided them. This will ensure that an AP exam will be ordered for each AP class a student is enrolled in. Please visit this link to make a deposit by October 30.
Mass Insight Study Session
All AP Science students are invited to participate in Mass Insight’s Session #1 Study Session which will be held during the week of October 19- 25. More details to follow!
Clubs and Activities Sign-Ups
Students are in the process of signing up for our Clubs and Activities. Please follow this LINK to see all the wonderful offerings we have at DHS. If students have a particular club of interest, they should email the advisor using the contact information in the Get Plugged In newsletter.School Counseling & Support Services Department Updates
School Counseling Updates
Today's Future Fridays Topics included Job & Career Training Programs and Resume Workshop. Sign up in Enriching Students under Guidance.
Our next Future Fridays session will occur on October 23rd and will include: Common Application Q&A and Financial Aid/CSS Profile. Sign up in Enriching Students under Guidance.
On October 30th our Future Fridays session will focus on developing a Resume and Scholarship.
College Virtual Visits with Admission Representatives for Class of 2021 are listed on Naviance. Students should register through Naviance to attend the virtual visits. All College Virtual Visits are held during the PASE period.
October 13th - UMass Lowell
October 13th - Providence College
October 14th - UMASS/Amherst
October 15th - Assumption
SAT test on December 5th - registration deadline is November 5th
ACT test on December 12th - registration deadline is November 6th
MEFA will host a live College Financing webinar daily every Monday through Thursday, through November 5th with daytime and evening hours. The webinar will provide a comprehensive overview of the full financial aid application process. To register for a live webinar click this link.
Students can schedule an appointment to see their School Counselor using the links below:
A-Da Mr. McGrath Appointment Slots
Db-L Ms. Fitzgerald Appointment Slots
M-Ra Ms. Heath Appointment Slots
Rb-Z Mr. Wright Appointment Slots
School Social Workers Update
Students can schedule an appointment to see their School Social Worker.
A-H - Mrs. Kristianna Fontes Callahan - Appointment Time Slots
I-P - Mrs. Cathy Thomas - Appointment Time Slots
Q-Z - Mrs. Stephanie Nocon - Appointment Time Slots
New resources added to Padlet. Padlet link
Six Ways to Practice Mindfulness article
FACE COVID - How to respond effectively to the Corona crisis
Social workers are available during the school day for students and families. Students can sign up in Enriching Students to see a School Social Worker during the PASE period.
Updates from the DHS Virtual Learning Academy
The Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) is currently servicing the educational needs of 60 students on a full-time basis.
The VLA Test Center is operating 4 hours per week (Tuesdays and Fridays 9:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.) to monitor students during assessments. DHS staff members monitor student progress and proactively reach out to connect with students weekly. Content-specific support is available through the DHS Lead Teachers during PASE and upon request and the DHS Homework Hangout is also available. Details about the testing center and content-specific support can be found in the VLA Google Classroom.
Parents of VLA students should be receiving weekly progress reports directly from Edgenuity. Also available is the Edgenuity Family Portal which provides parents and guardians with additional progress monitoring tools. If your child is in the VLA and you’re not getting reports - or if you would like a code to access the Family Portal, please e-mail: richardgill@dartmouthschools.org.
From the DHS Health Office
If your child is exhibiting cold-like symptoms or any other symptoms that mimic or include symptoms of COVID-19, please keep your child home and call your PCP for advice. If your child comes into school with symptoms of COVID-19, they will be isolated and parents will be called to pick up their child and to have their child evaluated by his/her PCP. If the PCP feels the symptoms are related to an illness other than COVID-19, a medical note must be written to the school indicating the diagnosis and when the child may return to school. In EVERY case, the child must have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication before returning to school. Resources to support parents in monitoring symptoms is included below:
Student Screening Symptom Checklist
DHS Student Photos with Mare Studios
Photographers from Mare Studios will be at Dartmouth High School on October 21, 2020 (Cohort A) and October 22, 2020 (Cohort B) to take students photos. Students will report outside and will remain social distant in order to ensure photographs are taken safely. More details to follow in subsequent Community Updates.
Announcing DHS Student Council Elections!
Student Council elections for all grades will take place on 10/23. Campaigning will take place the week of October 19th. Typically upperclassmen elections take place in the spring, but due to the school closure, we are running the elections in the fall this year.
Homework Hangout has started virtually and will run after school from 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. This fantastic support is supervised by DHS Teacher Mrs. True and provides students an opportunity to receive support from peer tutors. In order to take advantage of this opportunity, students should utilize the following link: Homework Hangout Meet Link.
Remote Learning Reminders
Reporting Student Absences, Tardiness & Dismissals
Attendance and academic success go hand-in-hand. We ask that parents continue to report known absences or tardiness to Dartmouth High School using the attendance line (508-961-2700 ext.1). In addition, parents are encouraged to submit medical notes and/or discuss illness related absences with Nurse Wildrick in order to ensure we are able to support your child's health and wellness. Nurse Wildrick can be reached at 508-961-2700 ext. 7420.
If your child needs to be dismissed we ask that you please email DHSdismissals@dartmouthschools.org as early as possible. This will allow us to maintain accurate attendance records.
Remote Learning Safety Nets
The faculty and staff at Dartmouth High School are aware students and families are anxious about remote learning, including how students will be graded. Please be aware that we have several safety nets in place.
One safety net is the design of the Grading Policy itself. Students were made aware during the opening advisory session and by teachers throughout the opening week, that formative assessments as well as summative assessments are able to be revisited, resubmitted or retaken by doing the following:
- Within 1 week of receiving the results of their formative/summative assessment, students should request the opportunity to revisit the assessment by speaking directly with their teacher either during a Google Meet or by sending an email.
- The teacher will consult with the student to make them aware of what they need to do in order to prepare for the 2nd attempt. In some cases this may include completing an assignment they had not yet turned in, in other cases it might simply be to correct mistakes made on the first attempt, or to verbally conference with the teacher to discuss the upcoming 2nd attempt.
- Schedule a mutually convenient time to sit for and complete the 2nd attempt.
Students and families should be aware that whatever score they receive on the 2nd attempt--better or worse--is the grade that will remain in calculating the student's term grade.
Students are also encouraged to take advantage of the availability of members of our Student Support Team. The breakdown, by alphabet is included below. Additionally, students are always able to reach out to their advisor should they have any questions.
NHS Virtual Induction Ceremony
The link to view the NHS Virtual Induction ceremony will be emailed to the community the morning of October 15th.
Thursday, Oct 15, 2020, 07:00 PM
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Transition to Hybrid Learning Model
Hybrid Learning will begin on Monday, October 19, 2020 students in the A cohort will report to Dartmouth High School and will follow a Day 3 schedule.
Monday, Oct 19, 2020, 07:30 AM
Dartmouth High School
Dartmouth High School
Email: rossthibault@dartmouthschools.org
Website: dartmouth.school/domain/8
Location: 555 Bakerville Road, Dartmouth, MA, USA
Phone: 508-961-2700
Twitter: @DartmouthHS