The Panther Press
Official Newsletter of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School
Welcome!
November 11, 2019 - Volume 2 - ISSUE 11
Welcome to the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School Newsletter! It is designed to keep everyone (parents, students, staff, and community members) informed of the many events that are happening in and around the school. It contains links, pictures, and videos so that you have a more interactive experience and the ability to learn more about various topics.
Communication is incredibly important to understanding so we ask that you share our news as much as possible. We also welcome feedback! It is the only way to continuously improve. So, please interact, get involved, and let us know what you think by contacting us and sharing our news!
Important Dates to Plan
November 13-14 – MCAS Math Retest
November 14 – Early Release – Parent-Teacher Conferences
November 15 – WHRHS Red Cross Blood Drive
November 21 – Delayed Opening
November 26 – Rally
November 27-29 – Thanksgiving Break
December 2 – Winter Sports Start
December 6 – Early Release – District Professional Development
December 12 – Delayed Opening
December 23 – Alumni Day
December 23-January 1 – Holiday Recess
January 2 – Students Return from Holiday Recess
2019-2020 SEPAC meetings
All meetings held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 6-8pm
in the Whitman Hanson Regional High School library
Please check out our website for more information
November 12th – ExSel Presentation (ExSel – Excellence through Social Emotional Learning)
Focus: self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision making, relationship skills, and social awareness
January 14th –Anxiety Presentation Part 1 - Students (7-8pm Middle & High School)
February 11th – Anxiety Presentation Part 2 - Parents (7-8pm Middle & High School)
March 10th – BCBA Presentation (focus topic TBD) (7-8pm Middle & High School)
April 14th – Occupational Therapy Presentation
May 12th – Speech and Language Presentations on Language Pragmatics (meeting will be held in WHRHS Courtyard Café due to Arts in Bloom being held in the WHRHS library) (7-8pm Middle & High School)
Dr. Christopher Jones
Face Your Fear
One often overlooked fear is that of success. Being successful requires change and that is unsettling for most people. Whether it is the increased responsibility, the unknown future, or what we need to leave behind; there are many reasons we fear our own success. That is when we let the impostor syndrome take over or even worse; let others hold us back.
In the video below I talk about this and urge you to not be afraid and take a chance on you. You don't always need to know every step of the journey before starting. You just need to know where you want to be at the end and get moving in that direction. Don't be afraid. Take that step. You will be better for it in the long run.
Have a listen. Let me know what you think, are afraid of, and going to do to move forward by commenting on the video or reaching out on social media.
Our Story...
Take a look and feel free to comment...this is our story...and everyone is part of it.
Mrs. Ruth Carrigan
Career Connections Fair – Sign Up Today!
Has your student started to think about what they want to do when the graduate high school? Do they have a potential career in mind? Are they unsure and just want to know what is out there? We can help! Students in grade 9 – 12 are invited to attend our Career Connections Fair on Friday, November 22, during D block. We have a variety of professions, colleges, and other post-secondary opportunities attending including careers in: Healthcare, Public Service, Human Services, Cosmetology, Business, Politics, Trades/Unions, and more! We are also excited to share that South Shore Hospital will be bringing their simulation lab for students to interact with and there will be other great learning opportunities for our students! This is an opportunity for students to talk to professionals in careers they may be interested in. To sign-up for the career fair students should click on this link: Career Fair Sign Up Link
Attention Grade 10 Students - Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Foundation (MAHOBY) – Deadline - November 30, 2019
The Massachusetts Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership Foundation (MAHOBY) is once again sponsoring a leadership conference the weekend of June 12 – June 14th at Bentley University in Waltham, MA. Participating in this program is a great opportunity for grade 10 students to grow as leaders and bring those skills back to Whitman-Hanson. Sophomores interested in representing WHRHS as our candidate at this state-wide leadership program, should submit a brief written statement (no more than 200 words) to their counselor by November 30, 2019. The statement should include the student’s reasons for hoping to participate in the MA HOBY leadership program. If you'd like more information about the MAHOBY program, please visit the website at https://www.hoby.org/programs/state-leadership-seminars/ or contact your counselor.
Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship Exam
All graduating seniors are eligible to compete for the ALF-CIO scholarship. To qualify, students must register on-line by December 20, 2019 at: www.massaflcio.org/scholarships . The exam will be administered at Whitman-Hanson on Wednesday, February 10, 2020. In order to be eligible for a scholarship, students must take the Labor History Exam. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO publishes a Labor History Study Guide, which covers a broad range of the history of working people organizing for justice in the United States. New for 2020, an interactive study website will be available, featuring supplemental materials and quizzes to test your knowledge.
Dual Enrollment - Bridgewater State University– Spring 2020
Information is now available for Spring 2020 Dual Enrollment classes at Bridgewater State University. At BSU Dual Enrollment gives high school students (grades 11 and 12) an opportunity to take college classes and receive both high school and college credit. This program is open to qualified students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students with a GPA of 2.50 – 2.99 will be considered on a case by case basis. Instructions and application materials were sent to grade 11 and 12 student email accounts this week. After reading these documents, interested students should contact their counselors with any questions. The deadline to apply for the Bridgewater State Dual Enrollment Program is December 2, 2019.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to your school counselor.
Dylan Salmon and Sean O'Neil
Mr. Mark Stephansky
SNHS Clears the Way!
Members of the Whitman-Hanson Science National Honor Society (SNHS) completed some trail maintenance work at Ames Nowell State Park in Abington this past weekend. Braving the cold morning temperature were Caitlin Veneto, SNHS President, Timothy Long, Vice President and members Abigail Pulling and Jordan Pelissier. The work crew clipped and cleared brush on many hiking trails during a few hours on Saturday morning.
Mrs. Cathy Brunelle
Mrs. Margaret Baker & Mrs. Kathleen Joyce
~Panther Health Clinic~
Absences:
Please call the sick line when your child is going to be absent. Send in any physician notes when your child is seen by his/her MD. If your child is out for 5 consecutive days, they must return with a physician note clearing them to return to school.
Assistive Devices:
In the school setting assistive devices are casts, crutches, orthopedic related boot and braces, wheelchairs, etc. Any student needing to utilize an assistive devise must have supporting physician documentation for such.
Dental:
Any student returning to school after a dentist or orthodontic appointment where a local anesthesia, numbing medication is used must have physician documentation to return to school.
Medication Administration:
Any student requiring medication to be administered at school by the school nurse must have written physician documentation and signed parent consent. Please note that students are not permitted to transport medication to/from school per the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District Policy, therefore an adult must deliver the medication to the school nurse. Please deliver the medication to the school nurse in a pharmacy or manufacturer labeled container, bottle or box. Please ask your pharmacy to provide a separate container/bottle/inhaler/epi-pen/diastat for school and home. No more than a thirty day supply of the medication should be delivered to the school.
If you are called to pick up your child because of illness, he/she must be picked up swiftly. Please be sure that Infinite Campus has the most recent up-to-date emergency contact information, so that we have someone who can act on your behalf, if we are unable to reach you. This person should live locally.
Thank you in advance for helping us ALL stay healthy!
WHRHS School Nurses:
Margaret and Kathy
Athletics - Coach Bob Rodgers
Our student athletes are more than just kids who play games. All of our teams learn the importance of community service through various project throughout the year. From the promotion of good decision making as it relates to drugs and alcohol to the prioritization of academic, being part of a team (regardless of ability level) can truly help shape the growth of our students. This is why we spend a lot of time trying to encourage new students to join a team. It is why we reach out to parents to ask them to talk to their child about participating. It is why we want our current student athletes to bring along a friend when the winter season starts in a couple of weeks. To learn more about the sports we offer this winter check outwww.whathletics.com and click on coaching directory.
By the way, on Veterans Day close to 300 student athletes spent the day honoring our veterans at the parade and then visiting several of these heroes at their homes and performing yard work for them. We couldn’t be more proud of these terrific young people.
Speaking of being proud, that’s how we all feel about our girls soccer team. Fresh off their Patriot League championship season, the girls advanced to the sectional quarterfinals with a convincing 4-0 win over Braintree. Unfortunately the season came to an end last night (Sunday) with a 3-2 loss to Natick. Olivia Borgen had two phenomenal goals and the entire team played their hearts out for all 80 minutes.
The Whitman-Hanson Boys and Girls Cross Country teams participated in Saturday’s Eastern Massachusetts Division 3 Championship in Wrentham.
In the Boys race Theo Kamperides qualified for a berth at the All-State Championship with a 16th place finish over the tough 5K terrain in a time of 16:40. Also scoring for the boys were Nathan Tassey (61st, 17:31), Brandon Hager (78th, 17:45), Adam Solari (85th, 17:52) and Chris MacDonald (100th, 18:08.) Nicholas Hanley (105th, 18:12) and Liam Cafferty (126th, 18:25) also ran well for the boys.
Myah Kamperides (44th, 21:00) was the top finisher for the Girls of WHRHS. Also scoring for the Girls was Anna Flynn (94th, 22:06), Bryn Miller (96th, 22:09), Tori Carleton (102nd, 22:15), and Niki Kamperides (109th, 22:23.) Tori Boss (114th, 22:30) and Sarah Boulger (125th, 23:23) ran well for the Girls.
The cheerleading team has two big weeks ahead with the Regional and state competitions coming up. The girls had a great fall winning the league title as well as several other invitationals. We look forward to seeing them compete.
Please follow us on Facebook (search Whitman Hanson), instagram and Twitter @whathletics to see some of the pictures from our day of service with our veterans.
Sports Short Wrap Up 10/7/19 - 10/14/19
There is so much going on with all our athletic teams, but you can catch up on all of it by reading Athletic Director Bob Rodgers' update and watching this weekly round up of the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School Panthers' athletic teams in action!
Hit subscribe and follow to catch them all!
Contact Us
Email: christopher.jones@whrsd.org
Website: https://www.whrsd.org/our-schools/whrhs
Location: 600 Franklin Street, Whitman, MA, USA
Phone: (781) 618-7020
Twitter: @DrCSJones