Blue Hills News

We are off and running! A week in, and it is feeling like school has been in session for weeks already. The weather hasn't been great and is impacting sports, but hopefully this is starting to change! Grade 9 students will be participating in their first mini-exploratory tomorrow. Please review the guide to exploratory below, from Ms. Sylvia, Vocational Director.

3:10 Late Buses

The late buses will start running on Monday, September 18, 2023. There are only a few late buses and they drop students off at centralized areas of the towns. The buses typically leave the school between 3:15 and 3:30 Monday through Thursday. Please be advised that on certain days (like early dismissals, faculty meeting days) we do not run the buses.

Absences

We are already seeing a number of absences and tardies. First, please make being here, and being here on time, a priority. Second, if your student is out, please email attendance@bluehills.org to report them absent. You can also call 781-828-5800 x 2250 - leave a message if it goes to voicemail.

Parking Passes

Seniors and eligible juniors are doing a great job of registering for a parking pass through PowerSchool. If you have not done this yet, please do so. We will be invoicing everyone who is registered soon. Once you receive the invoice and pay the $25, Ms. Fama will contact you to get your parking pass. Until then, you may park on campus without the sticker as long as you have registered. The deadline for students currently parking to register is September 15.

Emergency Contact Information

Thank you to those who have completed emergency contact information forms on PowerSchool. One important note: Please make sure you have checked "school pickup" for any contact (including yourself) who is allowed to dismiss/pick up your child from school. A number of forms have been returned without this checked off, which may lead to issues down the road. Thank you!

Athletic Schedules Available Here!

Mini exploratory is Friday, September 15! This means our freshmen students will be introduced to 8 or 9 vocational programs throughout the day. Based on what they hear and experience, students will fill out a form telling us the programs they would like to explore for approximately one week each and hand it in before they leave for the day. Freshmen will be assigned to their first vocational program for Monday, September 18.

Please remember - during mini exploratory and regular exploratory weeks, students must wear pants and sneakers or boots. Jeans or khaki's are perfect, but please make sure they do not have holes in them. Leggings or sweatpants do not provide enough protection to maintain student safety, so please avoid these as well. Students may not wear crocs, slip in shoes, flip flops, or the like.

Students will explore 4 vocational programs in term 1. There will be another mini exploratory on November 3 where students will see the remaining programs and then make their selections for their exploratory programs for term 2. Students explore 5 programs in term 2.

If a freshman is absent on Friday, September 15, please email Ms. Titus, exploratory guidance counselor, at stitus@bluehills.org, so she can work to get the student scheduled for the following Monday.

For comprehensive information about the exploratory program, please check out this Exploratory Guide for Students and Families. This guide has information about how students are graded during exploratory, how final placement is made, as well as the mandatory supply list showing what students need when placed in each program. Most programs require a pen/pencil, charged Chromebook, a ruler, notebook, and safety glasses. Students will be given a pair of safety glasses Friday morning.

Below, Ms. Sylvia, our Vocational Director, talks to all grade 9 students about tomorrow's mini-exploratory!

Grade 9 Parents & Guardians - Make sure you read this!

To give you an idea of who to contact when or if an issue does arise, or you just need some more information, please see these key contacts below.

Key Contacts:

• Geoff Zini, Principal - gzini@bluehills.org
• Assistant: Cindy Fama, cfama@bluehills.org (Family ID/registration issues)
• Mark Aubrey, Assistant Principal - maubrey@bluehills.org discipline, attendance, bus -
• Assistant: TBD - attendance (tardies, dismissals, absences)
• Angelo Dimitriou, Director of Special Services - adimitriou@bluehills.org (IEPs, 504s)
• Assistant: Tracey Monti, tmonti@bluehills.org
• Paul Bavuso, Academic Director - pbavuso@bluehills.org (MCAS, grades, academics)
• Assistant: Courtney Wall, cwall@bluehills.org
• Michelle Sylvia, Vocational Director - msylvia@bluehills.org (exploratory, vocational placement)
• Assistant: Madelyn Kewer, mkewer@bluehills.org
• Kim Poliseno, Coop Coordinator - kpoliseno@bluehills.org
• Guidance Office
• Secretary: Laurie Driscoll - ldriscoll@bluehills.org
• Laura O'Reilly, Counselor - loreilly@bluehills.org
• John Davis, Counselor - jdavis@bluehills.org
• Emily Burns, Counselor - eburns@bluehills.org
• Sarah Titus, Counselor - stitus@bluehills.org
• Athletics - Ed Catabia, Athletic Director - ecatabia@bluehills.org

Health Room Updates:

As the new school year begins, the Health room is open and in full swing! Here are a few reminders to help ensure and great start to the new school year.

Updated Physical Exams

Up-to-date physicals (dated within the past 13 months) are required for all new students to BHR. Please forward these physicals to Mrs. Etheart at letheart@bluehills.org as soon as possible. *Note: religious exemptions for vaccinations MUST be renewed at the beginning of each school year.

Medication

All medications requiring administration at school require a physician order. This order must be renewed each school year. Medications need to be given to the nurse in the original prescription container.

All controlled substances must be brought to school by a parent/guardian. These medications will not be accepted from students. Students are not permitted to carry or possess any medication (prescription or OTC) at school, EXCEPT emergency medications (per physician order) such as EpiPens and inhalers.

If your child requires an emergency medication, such as inhaler, EpiPen, or seizure medication, an updated Action Plan, dated within the past year, will need to be provided. This Action Plan is provided by your child’s pediatrician.

Should your child require an over the counter medication while at school, you must consent to this on the Health Authorization form in PowerSchool. Verbal consent will not be accepted.

Please notify the school nurse at letheart@bluehills.org if you have any questions.

• BOO – STER BASH – A social event for BHR parents / guardians on Thursday, Oct 26th, 7 – 10 pm at Randolph Elks (21+)
• 2023 Holiday Fair – Saturday, Dec 2 @ BHR from 10 – 3
• Monthly Booster Meetings - 2nd Wednesday of the month @ 7pm in School Restaurant – Chateau
• School Store – open most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 10 -1
• Volunteer Opportunities – Snack Shack (open for home Football Games), Holiday Fair, School Store (parents or guardians) more opportunities will be available as we start the school year!
• Freshman Swag Package – still time to purchase a 4-year membership and Swag Package $125 my.cheddarup.com
• Interested in being a Vendor at Holiday Fair, email Bluehillsboosters@gmail.com
• Join the Blue Hills Booster Club Facebook page for news and updates!

Please use this First Student provided app to track your bus route. It updates frequently, and is a tool to help provide real-time (or close to it) information.

The student attendance guidelines are contained within the Parent-Student Handbook. Please be advised:

A student will be required to attend summer school upon the accumulation of sixteen (16) absences in order to fulfill BHR attendance requirements. An additional course will be required for every five (5) absences accumulated after (16). All such courses must be taken at the Blue Hills Regional Summer School. All course subjects must be approved by the (ARB) Academic Review Board. If a student is absent on consecutive days it will be counted as one day’s absence if accompanied by a doctor’s note. Notes must be provided within one week of the student’s return to school. All notes must be originals with an authorized signature and date(s) on the doctor’s office stationary. The student’s home phone number and homeroom must be on all doctors’ notes. Absences on special days, assemblies, etc. will be counted as a full day’s absence. A student must be in attendance for at least half the school day to be counted present. Half the school day means being in school from 7:47 am to 11:00 am or 11:00 am to 2:20 pm.

All out-of-school suspensions will be counted day for day towards a student’s maximum number of absences.

If you are not in class or homeroom by 7:48 AM, you are considered absent from school. You must sign in at Student Affairs Office and receive an admittance pass in order to attend class. If you arrive late for school, you are considered tardy and you must report to the Main Office prior to admission.

On the 4th tardy per term and every 4 tardies thereafter, you will be subject to Saturday detention. You and your parent/guardian may be required to meet with the Principal. Parking privileges may be suspended or revoked. Continued tardies may result in more severe penalties being assigned.

Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office Partners with Pan Mass Challenge

for October 1st Kids Bike Ride in Braintree

DEDHAM, MA - Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick W. McDermott announced today that the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the Pan Mass Challenge to host PMC Kids Bike Ride for ages 2-15 on Sunday, October 1st, from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. The ride will take place at the Sheriff’s Braintree Public Safety Complex at 2015 Washington St. in Braintree.

“We are excited to partner with the Pan Mass Challenge for this Kid’s Ride event as part of NCSO’s continuing commitment to community engagement and public safety. These types of partnerships not only help raise funds for critical cancer research, they also help increase awareness so that we can improve treatment and find a cure,” said Sheriff McDermott. “As a participant in the Pan Mass Challenge for over 30 years, this partnership is particularly meaningful for me.”

The Sheriff’s Office will be sponsoring the registration fee for the first 25 kids who sign up. To register your child, visit https://kids.pmc.org/norfolk-county-sheriffs.

The expected bike route is about a quarter mile for each loop for ages 6 - 15, and for participants ages 5 and under, there is a smaller loop for the ride.

Riders are asked to arrive between 9:00 – 9:15 a.m., for the bike decoration contest. Following the contest there will be an opening ceremony and announcement of the contest winners. The ride will begin at 10 AM for the ages 6-15 route and 10:15 a.m. for the ages 5 and under route.

According to PMC, the Kids Ride program raised $326,000 just last year and has raised a total of more than $10 million since its inception.

For more information on this and other community events hosted by the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office, follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/norfolksheriff or on Instagram @norfolksheriff.

1. Please, if you have not signed up for a parent account on PowerSchool, do so now! Please complete all required forms as soon as you can. Grade 9 students may not receive a Chromebook until permissions/agreements are completed!
2. NEW - If you are calling your student in sick, please call the attendance line (781 818 5800 x 2250) OR email attendance@bluehills.org.
3. Thank you for bearing with us as we work to safely navigate drop-off and pick-up times. Please enter the entrance closest to Massasoit and proceed along the front of the gymnasium to the main entrance/exit.
4. Please be reminded: Earpods/headphones may not be worn during the school day except with the explicit permission of the teacher. This includes breakfast, lunch, and passing times. Earpods will be confiscated if seen, and consequences assigned.

We look forward to a great year with your student! Please reach out if you have questions or concerns as the year begins.

You can always take advantage of our free to you program for connecting students and families with mental health care. See below!

September 15 - Mini-Exploratory #1 (Grade 9) (Y1 Day)

September 18-22 Y Week

September 20 - Faculty Meeting (No 3:10 buses)

September 28 - In-Service, Late Start for Students (10:40)

Blue Hills Regional Technical School’s mission is to continue its history of academic achievement, technical training and character development through a curriculum which emphasizes the integration of cutting-edge technical programs and challenging academic courses, enabling its students to become competent, caring and productive people in a diverse and changing world.

Core Values:

Community, Opportunity, Relevance, Employability

Website: www.bluehills.org
Location: 800 Randolph Street, Canton, MA, USA
Phone: 781 828 5800

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The Blue Hills Regional Technical School District is an equal opportunity educational institution. All programs, courses of study and activities are open to all students without regard to race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or disability. The School District is in full compliance with Massachusetts Law, Chapter 622 of the Acts of 1971, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (U.S. Code), and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Individuals may make inquiries relative to Chapter 622 and Title IX from the coordinator, at the school address or by phoning 781-828-5800.