If you did not get a chance to read through last week's newsletter, please take a few minutes - lots of good information. This week's newsletter is a little bit shorter - but please keep reading!

On the horizon now is April Vacation, just two weeks away, and then end of year planning with Senior Awards Night and Graduation coming before you know it. Lots of information will be coming out after April Vacation about end of year activities and procedures.

We were pleased to welcome 200 of our new 8th grade accepted students and their families last Thursday night. It was a wonderful night of fun and games for the students and good information for our newest BHR families.

There is still time to complete the Family/Caregiver Survey posted below and linked here. It takes five minutes at most, and will help us as we work on our "Vision of a Graduate."

This week, we have held our tenth grade ELA MCAS exams. Students were prepared and worked hard on Tuesday and Wednesday on these important exams required for graduation. Well done sophomores!

With the events of this past week in Nashville, we want to make sure you know that student safety and well-being is our top priority. Please see the message from Superintendent Rossetti below if you did not already receive it:

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,

The BHR Student Council will be holding a semi-formal dance on Friday, March 31st from 7-10 pm at the school. Dressing up for the dance is encouraged, but not required.

Tickets will be available during school lunch periods starting on Monday, March 20th through Friday, March 31st. Tickets purchased ahead of time will be $10 and $20 at the door. If a student wishes to bring a guest from outside the school, a guest permission slip must be filled out and returned to the Main Office by Thursday, March 30th. The guest will not be allowed into the dance without prior permission.

We will be selling photos and refreshments for CASH only. Please consider bringing small bills so that we can make change more easily.

The doors close promptly at 7:30, so please arrive on time. There is no re-entry; once a student leaves the dance, they cannot return to the event.

The dance ends at 10 pm and rides must be coordinated ahead of time.

Thank you,

Vicki DiMeo

Sophomore Class Advisor

Student Council is running a food drive all March long. Food will be donated to the Canton Food Pantry. Anyone interested in donating can find donation boxes in the cafeteria, guidance office, and main office, as well as classrooms throughout the school. The Canton Food Pantry is most in need of pasta, jarred pasta sauces, canned pastas such as spaghettio’s and raviolis, cereal, single packaged tooth brushes, toothpaste, solid white canned tuna, bottled juices (like apple, cranberry and tomato), and any kind of household cleaning products.

MCAS - Grade 10 MCAS exams begin this month. Please review communication from the Academic Director's Office.

Mental Health Care

We are pleased to introduce a new partnership between Blue Hills and Care Solace to provide an additional layer of care and support for our students and communities.

There is an introductory letter attached below that I hope you'll read. This service is available to all students, faculty, staff, and student families at no charge. They will connect you with mental health providers accepting all medical insurances - information entered on the Care Solace platform is completely confidential.

We know that mental health challenges have been on the increase over the past few years, and we hope that by providing this service, we can help to support our entire BHR community in a positive way.

April 5 - Advisory Board Dinner, 5:30 p.m.

April 6 - In-Service, Late Start at 10:40 a.m.

April 6 - Term 3 Ends

April 7 - Good Friday, NO SCHOOL

April 14 - Term 3 Report Cards

April 17-21 - School Vacation Week, No School

April 24 - School Reopens

**Past Information**

A reminder from the Academic Office:

Please note the dates for this year's MCAS, below.

It is imperative that all grade 10 students are present for these state-required evaluations. The state only allows medical excuses for absences during testing dates. If you need any clarification on this year's MCAS administration, please do not hesitate to reach-out to the Academic Office at your earliest convenience (pbavuso@bluehills.org).

English Language Arts: March 28 and March 29

Mathematics: May 16 and May 17

Biology: June 6 and June 7

Attendance

Just a gentle reminder about our attendance policy. Students who accumulate 16 absences for the year are required to attend summer school. We do not excuse single days. We do "reduce" consecutive days to count as one absence when a doctor's note is provided. We also fully excuse all covid related illnesses, so please report these to the nurse. Family trips, weddings, graduations are not excused days. If you have questions, please contact your child's guidance counselor who can review your child's attendance with you.

• Vaping continues to be a major concern at Blue Hills and at schools across the country. Part of the inherent danger of vaping is that it is difficult to know what is inside a vaping device. One of the latest trends has seen vapes laced with fentanyl - a potentially lethal drug. I encourage you to read this article discussing the concerns with vapes. At Blue Hills, students are not allowed to carry or use vapes at any time, and will be subject to disciplinary measures.
• Seniors may be eligible to start co-op. Please email Ms. Poliseno at kpoliseno@bluehills.org for more information.
• Important Note: There is a viral social media challenge re-emerging called the "One Chip Challenge" - you can read about it here - that can cause physical harm to participants. There is no place for this at any school, and that goes for Blue Hills. Please talk with your student about the serious injury that can occur from eating these chips, and the danger of following certain social media trends. Please be advised that Blue Hills does not condone this type of dangerous activity during the school day. Students please note that there may be consequences if you are involved in this type of activity.

** Please Read** Dismissal Procedures:

Please help us by sending a note in with your student on the day that they will be dismissed. They should bring the note to the main office in the morning. This allows your student to sign out at the appointed time and meet you at your car. Otherwise, we need you to come into the building and identify yourself, at which time we have to call your student's classroom or shop to dismiss them. It is far easier and faster if you send a note in the morning. Thanks for your help with this.

Other Information:

• Aspen X2 is used by Blue Hills to record student grades, attendance, discipline, family contact information, and much more. If you need assistance logging in to Aspen X2, you may follow this link. For further assistance, you may call the Academic Office at 781-828-5800 X2670.
• Breakfast and Lunch are available for free again this year. Through the first few days of school, we have noticed many students getting off the bus, waiting in line for breakfast, and immediately throwing it out or giving it away. This is not the intention of the free breakfast program, and those students will be asked to remain on the bus instead of coming into the cafeteria.
• 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.

• If you have not, please complete the SY 2022-2023 Mandatory Registration & Student Emergency/Contact Information on Family ID. This is required of all students each year, and includes the Parent-Student Handbook. This helps us keep your emergency contact information up to date in our system.
• Grade 9 Parents Night Information: The presentation is available here.

We continue to have self-testing kits available in the main office and in the nurse's office. These are a limited supply and will only be provided if they are available and if you are symptomatic.

If you test positive for Covid-19, please email letheart@bluehills.org and include in your communication the day your symptoms started. You will receive a response back with your isolation dates and the date of return to work or school. Remember, symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus.

Symptoms include:

• Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• New loss of taste or smell
• Muscle aches or body aches
• Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
• Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms
• Nausea, vomiting, when in combination with other symptoms
• Headache, when in combination with other symptoms
• Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
• Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies), when in combination with other symptoms

Reminder: although there is no statewide requirement for masking at school, masks are required when entering the school health office. They are available upon entry.

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

BHR on:

Instagram
Facebook
Twitter

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.