The Panther Press
Official Newsletter of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School
Welcome!
September 2, 2019 - Volume 2 - ISSUE 1
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
September 6 - College Essay Workshop – Senior English classes
September 11 - New WHRHS Student Gathering 8:45 Courtyard Café
September 12 - Delayed Opening
September 14 - Habitat For Humanity Bike Ride, Hingham
September 20 - Senior Parent Breakfast 7:15 Student Dining & PAC
September 26 - Delayed Opening
September 27 - Coffee with Counselors – Grade 9 Parents 8:30 Courtyard Café
September 28 - Miles for Meals
October 5 - SAT at WHRHS
October 10 - Delayed Opening
October 14 - No School – Columbus Day
October 15 - Lifetouch Picture Retakes – Grade 9-11 PAC
October 16 - Credit for Life – Grade 12, PSAT – Grades 10 & 11, Freshman Elections & Presentation – Grade 9
October 18 - Early Release – District Professional Development
Whitman & Hanson Dollars for Scholars begins their 58th year with a meeting open to the public on Wednesday, September 4th, at 7:00PM in the Library Conference Room at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School! Any interested individuals are invited to attend. The all-volunteer group will be discussing fall fundraising plans for the season, 2019-20 goal, and reviewing the Chapter Affiliate Agreement.
Dollars for Scholars is a local chapter of Scholarship America which raises and awards scholarship funds annually to graduating high school seniors furthering their education. Both public and private school students are eligible to apply.
Dollars for Scholars has many adult and student volunteer opportunities available. Assistance is always needed on fundraising activities, mailings, scholarship award selection, and supervising student volunteers. Attendance at monthly meetings is not needed. For more information, please contact Michael Ganshirt at 781-252-9683 or visit www.WhitmanAndHanson.dollarsforscholars.org.
Dr. Christopher Jones
Important Drop Off News!
- Make sure you do not drive or park in the painted section.
- Drop your students off once you have reached the marked section and traffic is stopped. Please do not wait until you are at the end. This allows up to four cars to drop students off simultaneously.
- Do not stop at the first crosswalk to drop your student (unless they are reporting to the main office) or park in the inner loop.
Thank you for your attention to this. It will help keep traffic moving and shorten the wait time for everyone driving to school.
School Council Opportunity!
Read!
Live the Moment
I introduced and explained the 16th Century Japanese concept of "Ichi-Go Ichi-Ee" to the students at our beginning of the year meetings. It is about living in the present and enjoying the moment rather than taking it for granted.
One of our English teachers, Scott , in turn introduced me to a similar concept provided by an English Proverb. It states that; "You can never step in the same river twice."
I talk a little about both in the weekly video below. Have a listen and consider sharing and subscribing.
Our Story...
Take a look and feel free to comment...this is our story...and everyone is part of it.
Mr. David Floeck
We are very excited to have all the students back in school and looking forward to a great year!
Earlier this week the high school administration met with each class to welcome them back and review important information in their student handbooks. The attendance policy, cell phone policy and vaping were a few of the highlighted discussions. I would also like to ask for parents assistance with students adhering to the dress code policy. I understand that the weather still feels like summer, but I ask that all students be reminded that they are heading to school in the morning and not the beach. Having to address dress code violations can often lead to uncomfortable conversations for all involved and I would like to avoid those situations if at all possible. I thank you for your continued support of our students and school and as always feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Mrs. Ruth Carrigan
The School Counseling Department welcomes you back the 2019/2020 School Year!
The year is off to great start, and we wanted to make sure to let you know about these upcoming activities and important dates.
SAT Deadline – The registration deadline for the October 5 SAT is Friday, September 6th. Seniors planning to take the SAT should sign up at www.collegeboard.org to avoid paying the late fee. WHRHS is a test site for the October SAT, and fee waivers are available for students qualifying for free or reduced price lunch.
College Essay Project – On Friday, September 6, Heidi Erickson, Senior Associate Director of Admissions from Quinnipiac University will be spending the day with senior students to offer them expert advice on the college essay. All seniors will have an opportunity to participate in the College Essay Project where students compose their essays in English class, and then essays will be sent to college admissions partners for review and feedback.
Senior Parent Breakfast – On Friday, September 20th, parents of seniors are invited to our annual Senior Parent Breakfast. We invite you to use this opportunity to meet your child's school counselor and to find out more about the college search process, the college application process, financial aid, and how to help your teen during the last year of high school. The program starts at 7:30 AM.
Financial Aid/College Financing Workshop – Please join us in the PAC from 6:30 – 8:30 PM on Wednesday, September 25 to learn more about the financial aid process. A representative from the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) will be presenting.
Freshmen Parent Coffee with the Counselors - Grade 9 parents/guardians are invited to attend our "Freshmen Parent Coffee with Counselors" on the morning of Friday, September 27, from 7:30 am – 8:30 am. In an informal setting, we will be discussing the transition to high school and will share tips for keeping your child on track for a successful high school experience. A registration link for this event will be sent to parents next week.
College Fair – Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 1 for a regional college fair from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. This year the fair will be held at Silver Lake Regional HS, Route 27, Kingston, MA. Approximately 100 admissions officers representing colleges, universities, post-secondary schools, and military branches will be in attendance. Bring a bag to take home college admissions materials.
PSAT Administration – The PSAT will be administered to all students in grade 10 and 11 during the school day on Wednesday, October 16th. The PSAT/NMSQT assesses the critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills students need for college and beyond. The PSAT is a great practice for the SAT and will help determine college and career readiness of students.
Credit for Life Fair - - The Credit for Life Reality Fair will be held for members of the senior class on October 16 during the school day. The Credit for Life Fair is a nationally recognized program designed to help high school students develop personal financial management skills that they will use throughout their lives.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s school counselor. We are looking forward to a great 2019/2020 school year!
Ms. Heidi Martin
Ms. Martin used Mentimeter to help students identify and share coping strategies for anxiety (twitter) and share their (just her class) biggest fear!
Mr. Jeff Andrews
Ms. Danielle Diogenes
Mrs. Courtney Selig and Mrs. Maggie Cate Cunha
Athletics - Coach Bob Rodgers
A Letter to Parents
Welcome back to another school year. I wanted to take a moment to reach out to all of you regarding how we can work together to make high school a great experience for your child.
If your son or daughter is already on a sports team, great! (please still keep reading as there is very important information below) If they have never played a sport or maybe got cut from their first choice I would encourage you to speak with them about trying something new. We have many non-cut sports that students of all ability levels can benefit from. Studies have shown that students who belong to a team and get physical exercise do better both academically and socially. They do not have to be a star athlete to have a worthwhile experience. There are hundreds of articles and research that back up this outlook - https://ihtusa.com/10-benefits-of-sports-for-students/ https://www.theclassroom.com/high-school-athletes-gpa-vs-average-high-school-students-gpa-3702.html . These are just two that demonstrate the some of the benefits. Most of the top prep schools in the country require every student to participate in at least one sport. They do this because they know the impact participation has on the growth of a young person.
At Whitman-Hanson close to 65% of our students play at least one sport. That’s a great number but I would love to see it even higher. A list of all sports, including those that do not have cuts, is attached . Please reach out to me if you would like me to personally meet with your child to help guide them in finding something that fits them. It is still not too late to join a fall sport. Even if they ultimately decide playing is not for them, perhaps they would want to serve as a team manager. Being involved will really make a difference.
For all of you, whether involved in sports or not, I would ask that you please follow me on twitter @whathletics and our principal @DrCSjones as you will get a greater sense about the culture we try to build here at Whitman-Hanson.
For those of you who have a child already on a team please note the following:
- Parents who attended the Athletic First Night program took the parent pledge. Please take a moment to review the pledge and join us in making sure we follow this all school year - https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=E88DFA4145281542!1345&ithint=file%2cdocx&authkey=!AClaBmpLDH1jQQQ
- Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you are having any issue in the athletic program. I cannot change playing time, but I can help give you some strategies on how to deal with a situation that isn’t exactly unfolding how you or your child had hoped. Please remember our protocol for solving problems – 1) Student talks with the coach 2) Parent and student talk with the coach 3) Parent, student and coach talk with the athletic director 4) Entire group meets with the principal. This protocol is for problem solving but that doesn’t mean you can’t reach out to me with questions or advice at any time. There is a difference between the two. As always, any ethical or safety issue should be brought to our attention immediately.
- User fees are now due for fall sports. Please go to www.whathetics.com and pay online. Anyone who is having financial difficulty should reach out to me to discuss payment plans in order to avoid disruption in participation. We also have a limited number of opportunities for service plans (selling tickets, selling advertising, etc) which can help defray the user fee.
- Our athletic budget has been reduced drastically over the last decade of budget cuts. We do not get much of our funding from the tax payers but we are thankful that what we do get has been preserved. A local community recently announced they were cutting all sports (they ultimately restored it but not before they added a lot of stress to the lives of their students and community). Our school community and school administration has never played that game and we are thankful for that. With that said, we all know we are underfunded. The school does not pay for: game officials, transportation, our athletic trainer, MIAA dues, league dues, equipment, uniforms, etc. We pay these bills with user fees, gate receipts and fundraising. To that end, we are holding a fundraising meeting on 9/5 at 6pm in the high school library. Each team does their own fundraising to pay for uniforms, gear, additional coaches and other extras they may want or need. I would welcome all parents to attend but we are hoping at least one person from each sport can make it. We have some really easy fundraisers that teams can do to raise those valuable funds.
- Schedules are available online at our website. You can also download the MIAA app and favorite our school and your child’s sport. Postponements are always posted on twitter @whathletics immediately.
- As most of you know, the threat of triple E is back. Most communities, including ours, have not imposed a nighttime curfew. Those curfews are set by the local boards of health, not the schools. They have sprayed throughout the area and we have not seen many mosquitos on campus. However, please use common sense in order to keep you and your family protected. Fans and players should use repellent anytime they are out after dark. Wearing pants and long sleeves when possible also makes sense.
- As a reminder, we do not provide insurance for our student athletes. However there is an affordable supplemental policy available to you - https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AKkoNu4vp%5FRez2c&cid=E88DFA4145281542&id=E88DFA4145281542%212356&parId=root&o=OneUp .
- Please be aware of when your child’s physical expires. We have no leeway on this rule. A physical expires exactly 13 months from the date it was conducted. Remember to get a copy of the form the day of the physical. We also recommend that all students take a picture of their physical form so they always have it on their phone.
Once again, welcome back to the new school year and enjoy the long weekend!
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