ROCKLAND HIGH SCHOOL WEEKLY UPDATE
February 16, 2024
The Principal's Corner
Term 3 Progress Reports will be available in the afternoon on Friday, March 1st. For planning purposes, this date comes a lot quicker than you anticipate since we have the vacation week next week. March 1st is the first Friday when we come back from vacation. Students & families should review their Term 3 Progress Reports and students should speak with teachers in the event they feel the need to improve their grade. Saturday School is available on March 2nd, from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM.
The Week Ahead
Monday, February 26th: DAY 4
Tuesday, February 27th: DAY 5
District Program Review Classroom Visits
Wednesday, February 28th: DAY 6
District Program Review Continued- Focus Groups & Interviews
Thursday, February 29th: DAY 7
Friday, March 1st: DAY 1
Term 3 Progress Reports Due at 10:00 AM
Dates to Remember
February
2/19-2/23 No School February Vacation
2/26-2/29 RPS District Program Review
March
3/1 Term 3 Progress Reports Available
3/2 Saturday School 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
3/4 MCAS ELA Session 1 Retest
3/5 No School Staff Professional Development
3/6 MCAS ELA Session 2 Retest
3/7 MCAS Math Session 1 Retest
3/8 MCAS Math Session 2 Retest
3/12 Senate Leadership Council Meeting 7:30 AM- 8:00 AM (Library)
3/12 Seal of Biliteracy Testing 8:10 AM-11:10 AM (Library Media Center)
3/12 Hoops Hysteria 4-6 PM
3/14 Dog Block 10:42 AM- 11:28 AM
3/19 Site Council Meeting 7:30 AM-8:00 AM (Library)
3/19 Student MCAS Training for Grade 10 9:20 AM
3/21 Early Release for Staff Professional Development @ 11:25 AM
3/22-3/23 Musical 7:00 PM (Auditorium)
3/23 Saturday School 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
3/26 MCAS Testing Grade 10 ELA Session 1 & SAT School Day
(Late Start for Grade 9, 11, and 12 students)
3/26 SAT School Day Testing
3/27 MCAS Testing Grade 10 ELA Session 2 (Late Start for Grade 9, 11, and 12 students)
3/29 No School Good Friday
April
4/4 Early Release for Staff Professional Development @ 11:25 AM
4/4 Term 3 Closes
4/9 Senate Leadership Council Meeting 7:30 AM-8:00 AM (Library)
4/10 Massasoit On The Spot Admissions
4/11 Dog Block 10:42 AM - 11:28 AM
4/11 Massasoit On The Spot Admissions
4/11 Talent/Variety Show 7:00 PM (Auditorium)
4/11 Term 3 Grades Available in the afternoon
4/13 Saturday School 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
4/15-4/19 No School April Vacation
In the Classroom
Seniors in Anatomy and Physiology dissected a chicken this week!
Sophia Aifa made these custom Purple heart handles (measuring cups) in Construction Technology during her Dog Blocks.
Student & Faculty Basketball Tournament
Hoops Hysteria is a 3-on-3 basketball tournament that will be held on March 12th from 4-6 pm in the gym. Each team must have one staff member and two students. There must be at least one girl on each team (this requirement can be satisfied by the staff member or a student).
Each team should designate a team captain. Only the team captain should fill out this google form. The team captain is responsible for collecting $10 from each player on their team and bringing the money to Ms. Leighton (rm. 231) or a freshman class officer (Madalyn Moriarty, Grace Doherty, Nola Finn, or Mitchell Silva) by Tuesday, March 5th.
Veritas New Articles
Several new articles in the school newspaper are now posted. Please check them out and thank you to our student journalists!
District Program Review
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has selected the Rockland Public Schools to participate in a district review during the 2023–24 school year. The district review provides formative and actionable feedback on district practices, enabling district leaders to reflect on progress and strengthen staff and student performance. To meet this goal, DESE has contracted with a third party, the American Institutes for Research® (AIR®), to assess the district on its current practices as they relate to the governance and administrative or, student-centered systems of the Massachusetts District Standards.
The district’s participation in this review will result in a culminating report that provides information about the strengths and challenges of current practices. Making these determinations requires on-site data collection, including interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations, in addition to the collection and review of documents. The following provides an overview of the schedule for on-site data collection along with a brief overview of the data collection procedures.
Interviews and focus groups will occur in the district from Monday, February 26th through Thursday, February 29th. The interviews and focus groups capture the voices of various stakeholder groups. This ensures that there are well-rounded perspectives that inform the resulting report. Preparation is not needed for the interviews which will encompass approximately 45–60 minutes. Any students chosen to participate in a focus group must obtain parental consent. Most interviews and focus groups will take place in person, but to reach the optimal number of participants, some may be conducted virtually.
Instructional observations will take place in each school in the district for four days that same week. The purpose of the classroom observations is to gauge the quality of instruction overall in the district. Classroom teachers are expected to instruct as planned, without interruption, during the scheduled observation period. Data collected from the observations will be used in aggregate and will not reflect individual teacher performance or identify teacher names, student names, classroom numbers, subjects, or specific grade levels. Preparation is not needed for the observations, which will encompass approximately 20 minutes.
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has contracted with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to conduct a district review of Rockland Public Schools. The district review provides formative and actionable feedback on district practices, enabling district leaders to reflect on progress and strengthen staff and student performance.
As part of this review, AIR will be conducting a virtual family focus group on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, from 6:30-7:30 pm to gather perspectives on communication with families, opportunities for family involvement and leadership, opportunities for students within the district, and more.
If you are interested in joining, register ahead of time by clicking here.
Career Panel
This week we had 40 students participate in attending a career panel. We hosted Brian Nicholson from the Pipefitters Union, Bob Revil from the Electrical Union and James Evers from the MBTA Union.
Unified Rally & Polar Plunge
On Thursday, February 15th, we held a unified pep rally and polar plunge to support Special Olympics. Students received community service hours for plunging and there were a lot of smiles and laughs as they plunged into the mobile "bear force." And it was very cold, from what I heard! The pep rally included some fun activities as well, students showcasing school-wide support around inclusion.
Prom Ticket Information
Rockland's Junior-Senior Prom will be held on Friday, May 24th at the Venezia in Boston. Coach buses will transport students to and from prom (departing from the high school), and all students are required to take the bus. Tickets will be sold from February 28th-March 8th. Read the following information in order to purchase a ticket!
Prom tickets cost $100. Pay in cash or check made out to “Town of Rockland.”
All students must fill out this Prom Contract Google Form prior to purchasing their ticket from Ms. DiCanzio in room 236. The contract form is your ticket once you’ve paid.
Prom tickets will be sold from February 28th-March 8th before school and after school (or during L block, if a senior has senior privilege) from Ms. DiCanzio in room 236.
If you are bringing a date that does not attend Rockland High School, you must fill out the Guest Request form (attached to this email) and have it signed by either Ms. Paulding, Mr. Damon, or Dr. Harrison by March 22nd in order to secure a ticket for them.
If you do not submit the Guest Request form to Ms. DiCanzio or the main office by March 22nd, you will not be allowed to bring an outside guest.
If you are bringing an underclassman from Rockland High School as your date, they must also fill out the Prom Contract google form (we will send it to them when they come with you to purchase a ticket).
If you are bringing a date from Rockland High School that is a Junior or Senior, and you are each paying separately, you do not need to come together to purchase your tickets.
If you pay for another person’s ticket, that ticket belongs to them, even if you decide not to go together later on.
When a ticket is being purchased for someone else, they must also be present when payment is given to Ms. DiCanzio (unless they do not attend Rockland High School).
No reimbursements after March 22nd if you decide to no longer attend prom.
If you have any questions or financial concerns, please see Ms. DiCanzio or Ms. Morrison (junior class advisor) in person prior to March 8th.
Thank you!
Athletic Updates
The Rockland High School Hockey team defeated Mashpee/Monomoy 6-4 on Wednesday, February 14th. The girls basketball team celebrated senior night on Thursday, February 15th!
Congratulations to Emilee Dunham on placing 4th in the 300m at D5 State Championships with a time of 42.03! Emilee is now ranked 30th in the state in the 300m!
Mia Radzik has a personal record in the 600m with a time of 1:47.88 at D5 State Championships!
Our girls 4x400 sets a new school record with a time of 4:25.57! The team placed 9th in D5 state championships! Left to right: Mia Radzik, Grace Brundige, Jade Storza and Emilee Dunham!
Congratulations to Daniel Johnson who was this month's SAAC Student-Athlete Spotlight!
Community Resource
Please see this month's newsletter from the High Point Treatment Center & Brockton Area Prevention Collaborative & Plymouth Area Prevention Collaborative.
Quick Links
Rockland High School
Principal
Email: jharrison@rocklandschools.org
Website: https://www.rocklandschools.org/o/rockland-high
Location: 52 Mackinlay Way, Rockland, MA, USA
Phone: 781-871-0541
Twitter: @RocklandHS