SHS Warrior Call
Respect: Earn It, Give It, Live It!
Welcome!
January 27, 2017 - Volume 2 - ISSUE 19
Welcome to the Seekonk High School Newsletter! It is designed to keep everyone (parents, students, staff, and community members) informed of the many events that are happening around the school. It contains links, pictures, and videos so that you have a more interactive experience and the ability to learn more (if you wish) about various topics.
As always, we welcome feedback! Let us know what you think by contacting us and sharing our news!
SHS Core Values
Seekonk High School is committed to creating a safe, supportive environment where our students can develop the skills necessary to become independent thinkers and problem solvers capable of addressing the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. The staff, students, family, and community members will collaborate to create an atmosphere of compassion, appreciation of diversity, and mutual respect. We will provide stimulating academic and extracurricular programs that are relevant and engaging so we can meet the needs of all learners.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017: The 2nd deposit of $50 for Senior Trip is due! Cash or Checks (payable to the Town of Seekonk) are due to Mrs. Almeida or Ms. Wilson on, or before Wednesday February 8th. Do not be late with your payment. It may not be accepted.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017: College Planning Night at 6:30 in the high school library.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017: The Greater Fall River Interagency Transition Team will be holding another meeting. They strive to provide transition related information to students and parents that’s accurate, legally clear, and positive. They also share professional development, resources, and information between local public schools and state agencies to improve the transition process for students and their families as they leave public school and enter into adult service centers. This team works to develop collaborative relationships through regular meetings that support all agencies and schools to provide supports to the student and family as they navigate through the transition process. Check out their flyer for more detailed information!
Notary Services are available for residency documents at every school in the district. If you are submitting residency paperwork, just bring it to the school and we will notarize it for you when it is submitted!
For Future Planning:
Winter Ball - Saturday, February 11, 2017; Venus de Milo, Swansea @ 6:00
Prom - Friday, April 28, 2017; Biltmore, Providence @ 6:30
Honor Societies Induction Ceremony - Wednesday, May 3, 2017 @ 6:30
Senior Trip - Saturday, May 13, 2007 - Monday, May 15, 2007
Senior Class Day - Friday, May 26, 2017
Senior Class Night - Wednesday, May 31, 2017 @ 7:00PM
Graduation - Friday, June 2, 2017 @6:30PM
Seekonk High School Presents!
Hey Warriors! Looking to get involved?
2017 yearbook information!
Its that time of year already! Parent Ads for the YEARBOOK! For the holidays, have your parents give you a gift that will last forever...
Student project ends in powerful video!
Audreyrose Wooden completed a Performance Based Project with Mrs. Hellmold culminating in a powerful video called "Breaking Culture Code" that is slated to be shown to the school sometime during the month of February in honor of Black History Month.
Audreyrose explained her purpose in developing this project in the following way:
Congratulations to Audreyrose on an amazing final project!
Dr. Jones
Around School...
Help your student BE INFORMED!!!
...by talking to them about the harmful effects of substance use. DoSomething.org states that "Teens who consistently learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are up to 50% less likely to use."
Check out some of the students' posters hanging around the school below!
The school report card has been published
MCAS scores and what they mean for the high school have been published. Please be sure to read this cover letter and the overview of the school's report card. Much more detailed information may be found at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's website.
Guidance - Mrs. Whatley
Free College Financial Aid assistance- FAFSA Day Massachusetts is set for late January early February. Assistance with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, FAFSA, is available at nearby colleges beginning, Sunday January 29th. Families interested in the assistance can learn more about the available sites and dates by going to www.masfaa.org/fafsa-day-2/
Parent Plusportal: A reminder that student grades are posted online to the portal. If you have not activated your parent account you can ask your student to login and view the information through their account. Report cards for the second quarter will again be posted to the portal for you to review as well as mailed home.
On Thursday, February 2, an admission counselor from Bristol Community College will be at Seekonk High School to meet with interested seniors for an on-the-spot admission day. This is a great opportunity for grade 12 students to learn more about BCC and receive an acceptance (conditional on graduating). To sign up, seniors should see their guidance counselor.
Parents of Advance Placement Students- Is your student taking an AP class? This is a reminder that all students taking AP classes are required to participate in the College Board AP testing in May. The families/students are responsible for paying for the exam fees to College Board. Depending on how many exams your student is taking this can add up. Through our partnership with the MA Insight Education we will be able to provide students taking English, math and science exams a fee reduction due to a rebate they provide.
College Board suggests that we charge $93/exam. Seekonk High School will be able to cover part of the cost of each exam. Here is the final cost breakdown for the 2017 AP exam fees at Seekonk High School:
- AP US History and AP European History $85/exam
- AP English Literature, AP English Language,AP Calculus, AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science $70/exam.
- Students on Free/reduced lunch $25/exam
Payment will be required before testing takes place. More information on due dates will follow. Checks should be made out to the Town of Seekonk. Speak to your student's guidance counselor if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you!
This week, guidance counselors visited all grade 11 English classes to distribute and review information about the college planning process. Here is the handout students will receive. Grade 11 students and their parents/guardians are invited to join us for our annual College Planning Night on Wednesday, March 15 at 6:30 in the high school library (grades 9 and 10 are also welcome to join us though the focus of the presentation will be on college planning and application steps for juniors). Hope to see you there.
Scholarships are coming into the guidance office! We will continue to receive scholarship applications and update the information weekly. Check out this breakdown of the information for scholarships we have to date.
Please remind your senior that we request a 2 week window to process transcript requests for college applications. Please check the due dates and deadlines for the college applications and allow enough time for accurate processing. Thank you
Assistant Principal - Mr. Aguiar
Attention Parents & Students
2017-2018 SHS Handbook
The PBS committee will be reviewing our school Handbook and we are looking for feedback from the school community.
If you have any suggestions or recommendations please email them to Mr. Kevin Aguiar.
Suggestions will be reviewed prior to submission to the School Committee in the Spring.
Music - Mr. Smialek
Congratulations to Senior Tim Fortin and Junior Devlin Danner who will be performing with the Southeast District Jazz Band and Concert Band respectively this Sunday at UMass Dartmouth. Both of these students auditioned for this honor in November and were selected from students attending the 70+ high schools in our district.
Tim Fortin has also just learned that he was selected to perform with the Massachusetts Music Educator's All-State Festival Concert Band. Tim auditioned at Shrewsbury High School last weekend and was selected for this honor competing against bass players from across the state. The Festival will be held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston from March 9-11 and Tim will perform with the All-State Band in Boston's Symphony Hall on March 11th.
A note to students going on the 2017 Disney Band trip in April and their parents: We have sent out an updated itinerary for your planning purposes today. Also the final payment for the trip is due on Wednesday, February 1st. Invoices were sent home with students (and emailed as well). Please contact Mr. Smialek with any questions pertaining to this trip.
Upcoming Band events: Please make note of these dates-
Monday, Feb. 13- Marching Band Performance at Hurley Middle School, periods A and B
Wednesday, March 1- Somerset Jazz Festival, 4- 7 pm
Saturday, March 4- Marching Band in Pawtucket St. Patrick's Day Parade, noon
Thursday, March 16th- SHS Jazz Dinner, 6:30-8:00 in the SHS Cafeteria. Tickets will go on sale before February vacation.
Model UN - Mrs. larson
It’s a Special Duck-livery!
Send a rubber duck to your student and help the Model UN team go to Boston! Make a student’s day with a cute quacker, complete with a personalized message attached with a ribbon around the neck. The cost is only $3 per duck and includes delivery right to the recipient’s classroom during last period on Friday, February 17!
Students can order ducks during all 3 lunch periods for the next 2 weeks. Family members can PRINT OUT THE ORDER FORM HERE and send it into the SHS main office.
Please Give a Quack and Help the Model UN team!
Nurse - Mrs. Rok
Second semester has begun and the state mandated screenings for scoliosis (grade 9), vision, hearing, height and weight (grade 10) will occur for those taking Physical Education classes or during elective periods. If you do not want your child to participate in the mandated screenings, please email Mrs. Rok before February 15th. Screenings will occur at the end of February, March and April.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health requires an updated physical for all students in grade 10. If you have not submitted one, please send it in soon or contact Mrs. Rok.
Flu season is here and the CDC has sent out important information about the virus. "Influenza (also known as the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The flu is different from a cold. The flu usually comes on suddenly. People who have the flu often feel some or all of these symptoms: fever, aches, chills, weakness, fatigue, sneezing, stuffy nose, sore throat, chest discomfort, and cough.
* It's important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.
**If your child is symptomatic or has a fever, please keep them home until they are symptom-free.
The American Heart Association designates the month of February as heart health month. This coming National Wear Red Day, Feb. 3, 2017, will mark 15 years since the initial National Wear Red Day, which was first observed to bring national attention to the fact that heart disease is the #1 killer of women, and to raise awareness of women’s heart health. And looking back on all we’ve accomplished, we’ve really made tremendous strides. They include:
- Nearly 90% of women have made at least one healthy behavior change.
- More than one-third of women has lost weight.
- More than 50% of women have increased their exercise.
- 6 out of 10 women have changed their diets.
- More than 40% of women have checked their cholesterol levels.
- One third of women has talked with their doctors about developing heart health plans.
- Today, nearly 300 fewer women die from heart disease and stroke each day.
- Death in women has decreased by more than 30 percent over the past 10 years.
Despite our progress, more work is crucial. 1 in 3 women die of heart disease and stroke each year. But what’s more powerful? Millions of mothers, sisters, daughters and friends making a change.
Sports - Mr. Crippen
Please do not delay in registering online for Spring Sports here at Seekonk High School. Registration will close Friday, March 17th and no one will be permitted to tryout or participate unless they have been registered by that deadline. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS AND NO LATE REGISTRATIONS PERMITTED THIS SEASON. Spring Sports include Baseball, Softball, Girls Tennis, Boys Tennis, Unified Track and Field, Boys Outdoor Track and Field and Girls Outdoor Track and Field.
The first date of practice/tryouts for the Spring Season will be Monday, March 20.
All prospective Spring Student-Athletes and their parents are reminded that there will be a mandatory MIAA Pre Season Meeting on Tuesday, March 7th in the Seekonk High School Auditorium at 6:30. A short general presentation will be followed by individual meetings conducted by the coaching staffs.
Last Saturday night Coach Matt McCartin and his Seekonk High Boys Soccer team held their Banquet. Congratulations to the follow student-athletes who were honored: Most Valuable Player Rony Morales; Most Improved Player Ryan Porto; and Coaches Award Nate Pickett.
Sophomore Cammy Garabian broke the Seekonk High shot put record last Saturday at the Division 5 Relays in Boston with a throw of 40 feet. The ladies’ shot put relay team of Audrey Rose Wooden, Ashley Wyrostek and Cammie Garabian also qualified for the states, as did the Seekonk 4 by 800 boys relay team comprised of Brandon Gomes, Jake Gausland, Roth Santos, and Henry Jordan. Good luck this Sunday as members of the Girls and Boys Indoor Track teams will travel to Boston to compete in the Coaches Invitational.
Congratulations to the Seekonk High School Boys and Girls swim teams for winning their fourth meet in a row and remaining undefeated in conference play defeating Old Rochester Tuesday afternoon. The teams will compete against Coyle-Cassidy High School this Friday at home, and close out their regular season next week with a Tuesday Home meet against Dighton-Rehoboth and the South Coast Conference Meet which will be Thursday afternoon at 4 PM at Seekonk High School.
Good luck to the Seekonk Boys and Girls Basketball teams tonight. The 4-6 Boys team will travel to Fairhaven while the 5-6 Girls team will host Fairhaven with the JV game at 5 PM and the Varsity game at 6:30.
Be sure to check out the Athletic Website for more information about requirements, deadlines, scores, and schedules.
The Seekonk Public Schools strives to provide a safe, respectful, and supportive learning environment in which all students can thrive and succeed in its schools. The Seekonk Public Schools prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation and ensures that all students have equal rights of access and equal enjoyment of the opportunities, advantages, privileges, and courses of study.
Contact Information
Email: jonesc@seekonkschools.org
Website: http://shs.seekonk.sharpschool.com/
Location: 261 Arcade Avenue, Seekonk, MA, United States
Phone: (508) 336-7272
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeekonkHighSchool/
Twitter: @SeekonkHS