May 21st, 2023

Good evening MHS families,

The busy month of May continues as seniors wrap up classes and take their final exams as members of MHS. The following week will have plenty of celebrations and awards, along with important rehearsal time to prepare for the big graduation day.

This past Friday we also hosted our first Powder Puff football game in a number of years. It was a great event and the students had a great time playing and cheering each other on. Thanks to all who attended and the staff members who supported the event!

This past week we also hosted the annual district art show. It was great to see the various artwork from different levels and all the smiling faces walking around, excited to show off their work and celebrate the work of some of their friends. A special thanks to all the art teachers in the district for helping to put this together!

Be sure to check out some of the new information below in the newsletter, including the times PBS will be airing our Quiz Show Team in their championship match against BB&N.

We are excited to announce the finalized list of Senior Week activities. Below you will find the dates and times of each activity. Senior families should have received a senior week mailing this past week with details of each event. Digital versions of the senior events letter and senior calendar are available by clicking the link to each.

Senior Week Activities!

Friday, May 26th-6:00pm: Junior/Senior Prom at Gillette

Tuesday, May 30th-8:30am: Senior Breakfast and Rehearsal

Tuesday, May 30th-7:00pm: Athletic Awards Night

Wednesday, May 31st-8:00am: Rehearsal

Wednesday, May 31st-10:30am: Senior Picnic

Wednesday, May 31st-7:00pm: Scholarship Night

Thursday, June 1st-8:00am: Senior Class Day

Friday, June 2nd-8:00am: Rehearsal and Senior Stroll

Friday, June 2nd-4:00pm: Senior Boat Cruise (leave from MHS)

Sunday, June 4th-1:00pm: Graduation at Xfinity Center!

Graduation is set for Sunday, June 4th at the Xfinity Center. We have also confirmed the time of the ceremony to begin at 1:00pm. There are no restrictions on the number of guests that can attend graduation.

SENIORS:

PICNIC: Permission Slips

• Located on your bulletin board & outside Ms. MacPherson's 113A door
• All the food & fun are free (compliments of your awesome families!!) but you must return your permission slip to attend
• Return signed permission slips to the Main Office/green box by Friday, 5.26

BOAT CRUISE- Join your classmates on June 2nd. See your Google Classroom or Ms. MacPherson if you have any questions.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requires all school districts to administer an annual self evaluation and school perception survey. The purpose of the evaluation is to document the district's efforts to create and maintain a school system that is non-discriminatory and accessible to all.

We invite you to complete this 10 minute survey as your voice is critical to inform this process and to understand the current state of equity within the district and your school. This survey is anonymous and will be used to surface trends so that we can continue to create a more equitable, inclusive, and accessible learning environment for each member of our community. Please this link to access the survey.

Please complete the survey by Monday, May 22nd.

If you have more than one student at different schools in the district, you will be given an opportunity to complete the same survey for each school.

Students will take the annual perception survey in homeroom on Monday, May 22nd. Families that would like to opt their student out of the survey should instruct their student not to take the survey and they can also reach out to the main office.

Our High School Quiz Show team has made the finals! Be sure to tune in next weekend and watch the Mansfield High School Quiz Show Team battle the Knights of Buckingham Browne & Nichols. The Hornets have advanced to the Finals and the winner is state champion! The match will be televised on GBH at the following times:

Saturday May 20th -- 6:00 PM GBH2

Saturday May 20th -- 11:30 PM GBH44

Sunday May 21th -- 1:00 PM GBH44

Sunday May 21th -- 5:00 PM GBH2

Members of MHS are showcasing thier artwork at the Attleboro Arts Museum’s annual High Art exhibition held in-gallery from May 16th – June 1st, 2023. High Art connects teens with artists both past and present, fosters the creation of original artworks, and provides a professional forum for students to voice their creativity and work collaboratively. Check out the exhibit below or take a trip to see it in person!

The High Art Exhibition is free and open to the public through June 1st. Virtual People’s Choice Award votes will be collected throughout the course of the exhibit – with the award given to the top school after the exhibition has concluded on June 1st at 4pm.

Last week marked the conclusion of the MicroHouse competition in Mrs. Elofson's Intro to Engineering classes, with an exciting announcement of a new record holder. The teams of students showcased their expertise in material properties under compression as they enthusiastically constructed their micro-house designs. Armed with wooden stirrers, hot glue, paper, and masking tape, the students' models successfully passed the initial test of supporting two engineering books. However, one exceptional team emerged victorious in the unofficial competition by surpassing all others as their structure supported 36 books! Here are pictures of the winning first floor design by Sean B., Ewan K., and Sriram M.

We are excited to hear the Ms. Jacqueline Collins has recently won an award from Knowledge Matters in the area of Simulation for Marketing. We are proud of Ms. Collins and the time end effort she puts into creating authentic learning experiences for all of her entrepreneurship classes. Congrats again to Ms. Collins!

The Mansfield Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) is seeking new members to join its committee! We welcome anyone in Mansfield with a child on an IEP who would like to ensure our schools offer the educational, recreational, and social programs needed by our students with challenges. Open positions include Roland Green Representative, Program Coordinator as well as other school representatives. If you want to be part of SEPAC we will find you a role!

Mansfield SEPAC is a parent-led committee mandated by state law to advise the School Committee on all matters related to special education programming. Additionally, we offer six meetings each school year which serve as a safe space where parents can learn about SPED-related issues and ask questions of experts, other caregivers, and administrators. Our meetings are open to anyone interested in learning more about special education issues and to SEPAC members from area towns.

For more information on joining SEPAC, please email sepac@mansfieldschools.com or reach out to us through social media @MansfieldSEPAC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by May 30th. Elections will be held at our meeting on June 6th.

Yearbook sales have closed. To put your name on the wait list please email jennifer.martinelli@mansfieldschools.com. Yearbooks will be distributed to seniors during senior activities. All other books will be given out on June 1st.

The Yearbook Staff is spring cleaning and have several copies of old yearbooks. If you're interested in purchasing a book from 2008-2021 send your request to yearbook@mansfieldschools.com

On February 15th MHS hosted Mrs. Rebecca Fidler for a parent night centered on support for parents centered around vaping and having conversations with their child about the dangers of vaping. The presentation was taped and can be accessed by clicking this link.

For parents that are interested in specific points of emphasis from the presentation, each section is broken down below with the timing from the video noted:

• Education about Vaping ( at 6 minutes, 28 seconds)

• Health Risks

• Impact of Marketing on Youth

• Prevention vs. Intervention (at 47 minutes)

• Peer Pressure vs. Peer Influence

• Communication Strategies (at 59 minutes)

• How Habits Form and Lead to Addiction (at 1hr, 17 seconds)

• Quitting Resources (at 1hr, 22 seconds)

Below you will also find a screenshot from Rebecca's presentation with various resources to help students quit vaping.

In an effort to combat the ongoing challenge of vaping within our school (and others), please take a look at and utilize the various resources provided below to learn more about vaping in order to start/continue the conversation with your child. Making progress in this area is a group effort, and we want to provide support for families at home with these resources.

General Info:

What parents need to know

Quick Facts about vaping

Vaping and the impact of Covid

Vaping can't harm teens?

Information on Quitting:

How to quit

This is quitting

Nicotine withdrawal and how to cope