WHS Newsletter
Summer Edition ~ 2021
A Message from Principal Callaghan
I hope you have been able to enjoy the few sunny days that we’ve had thus far and have found time to rest and relax. There is still plenty of time left in summer, so best wishes for safe and fun times in the remaining weeks.
In this "Summer Edition" of the WHS newsletter, you will find useful information as you and your child start to prepare for the upcoming 21-22 school year. I hope you find it helpful.
Happy Summer,
Mr. Brian Callaghan
Principal
District Updates
Superintendent Amber Bock recently sent an email sharing that the Massachusetts Commissioner of Education, the Governor, and the Department of Public Health issued their shared recommendations for Covid-19 protocols for the reopening of schools in the fall.
Over the next several weeks, our District will review these recommendations and work in collaboration with the Westborough Board of Health, the regional Superintendents, the School Committee, and other school-based leadership, to determine what is best for Westborough. Mrs. Bock plans on communicating a clear written update of final plans by August 19th or 20th.
School Calendar & August/September Dates
8/15/21: Fall Sports Registrations Due
8/16/21 - 8/27/21: Rangers Marching Band Camp
8/24/21: Rangers Give Back (Athletics Day of Service)
8/25/21: Freshman Orientation 10:00 am (Students Only)
9/01/21: First Day of School (Students)
9/06/21: Labor Day (School Closed)
9/07/21: Rosh Hashanah (School Closed)
9/09/21: WHS Open House @ 7pm (Parents/Guardians Only)
9/16/21: Yom Kippur (School Closed)
Click here to see the 2021/2022 WHS School Events Calendar
Click here to see the 2021/2022 WHS District Calendar
Summer Reading
Freshmen Orientation ~ August 25th @ 10:00 am (Students Only)
Please join us at Freshman Orientation on Wednesday, August 25th at 10:00 am. During this students-only event, you will have the chance to learn more about WHS, tour the building, meet your counselor, interact with peers, and learn about the variety of extracurricular activities available to you. Students should arrive 15 minutes early to get their student folders before the event begins. Be on the lookout for additional communication from the School Counseling Department in the next few weeks.
Fall Athletics Registration
Please visit the Athletics Website for all registration instructions and links.
Important Dates:
August 15th- Registration paperwork due. Please be sure to update your physical on file. You can either upload it to Family ID or email it to kellandj@westboroughk12.org or connorss@westboroughk12.org.
August 20th- First day of football practice
August 24th- Rangers Give Back Day- students will receive more information about volunteering for this event.
August 25th- First official start day for non-football fall sports. We will post more detailed times/locations during the summer.
Other Information:
We have changed our online scheduling system and will no longer be using RSchool Today. The new scheduling system is Arbiter Live. Schedules are currently published on this new website.
Directions for following a team and setting up iCal can be found here.
We have a coaches directory on the Athletics website if you need to contact a coach during the summer.
10th Grade Students - BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
Many devices will meet the specifications. A representative selection can be seen at http://westboroughetf.org/1to1
Chromebook: Celeron N3050 or better CPU, 4G memory, 16G internal flash storage, 11" or larger screen, 802.11ac WiFi
Medium Tablet: 16G internal flash storage, 9.7" or larger color screen, 802.11ac WiFi
Laptop: At least 1.4GHz CPU, 4G memory, 128G HD, 11" or larger color screen, 802.11ac WiFi
Device Criteria
* Laptop/netbook/chromebook/tablet (e-readers are not suitable)
* 9.7" or better color screen (tablets w/smaller screens are not suitable)
* 5GHz (802.11n/ac) Wifi capable (devices with older, slower 2.4GHz (802.11b/g) only WiFi are not suitable)
* Supported and up to date operating system that is authorized & licensed (devices that are jail-broken or have unsupported, counterfeit, or unlicensed operating systems are not suitable)
* Supported and up to date app or full feature browser capable of accessing Google Drive/Docs/Sheets/Slides/Classroom/Gmail, streaming videos from YouTube/Vimeo/etc., viewing PDFs
* Supported and up to date Chrome browser
* Supported and up to date protection from viruses and other malware
* Free from illegal and inappropriate material
* Can operate for at least 3 hours between charges
Homework Holiday Categories
Category 1:
What this means: Absences by staff and students impact the ability to conduct classes on this date or during this time. Designated as “days of low attendance”, a day when a teacher or student attendance would be so low that it is better to close the school.
Instructions: No homework will be assigned in any class for all students on the last day of school before a category 1 holiday. Homework assignments, projects, presentations, or other assignments cannot be due until at least the second class meeting after the holiday, even in the case of a longer school vacation. The same policy applies for the administration of tests.
Category 2:
What this means: School remains in session because these holidays are not considered to be a “day of low attendance”. However, they are still celebrated by a significant portion of our school population.
Instructions: No homework will be assigned in any class for all students on the last day of school before the category 2 holiday. Homework assignments, projects, presentations, or other assignments cannot be due until at least the second class meeting after the holiday, even in the case of a longer school vacation. The same policy applies for the administration of tests.
Category 3:
What this means: School remains in session because these holidays impact a smaller number of our students than in the prior two categories.
Instructions: Students who are unable to complete a homework assignment due to this type of holiday should inform their teacher, who will arrange with the student an alternative time for completion of work, without loss of credit. Parents are also encouraged to contact teachers if a category 3 holiday impacts a student’s ability to complete an assignment.
Athletics and Fine Arts:
Our athletic and fine arts programs are also sensitive to these issues. Regardless of the category, coaches and fine arts instructors are advised of and sensitive to the religious and cultural needs of their students and families. There will be no athletic or fine arts consequence for missing games/performances and/or practices due to religious observances.
Ask the Office
Westborough High School
Principal: Brian Callaghan
Assistant Principal: Jessica Barrett
Assistant Principal: Matt Lefebvre
Email: mcdermottm@westboroughk12.org
Website: http://whs.westboroughk12.org/
Location: 90 West Main Street, Westborough, MA, USA
Phone: 508-836-7720
Twitter: @WboroPrincipal