ROCKLAND HIGH SCHOOL WEEKLY UPDATE
August 26, 2022
The Principal's Corner
It has been so wonderful seeing our student leaders and student-athletes on the Rockland High School campus over the past few weeks. This week we had the opportunity to see our new Grade 9 students, and I left the evening so happy with how terrific the Class of 2026 is!
Each academic school year offers students a fresh start, a new beginning. I want each student to approach the 2022-2023 school year with an open mind, renewed optimism, and a work ethic that motivates them to reach their full potential. I am confident we have the structures and support services to help each student experience academic success and go through high school, living a healthy and happy lifestyle.
In this update, I will provide students and families with the following information:
- The Week Ahead
- Dates to Remember
- Bell Schedule
- First Day of School Bell Schedule
- Lunch Schedule
- Guidance Notes
- New Student Orientation Recap
- List of Clubs and Activities
- Safety Procedures
- Student Handbook Reminders & Updates
- School Busing Information
- Summer Homework Reminders
- Athletic Updates
- Rockland App Information
Wishing all of our students and families an enjoyable weekend before the start of school next week! Go bulldogs :)!
The Week Ahead
The first day of school is Wednesday, August 31st and it will be a day 1 on a student's schedule. Students should bring their Chromebook, Chromebook Charger, a writing utensil, and paper/notebook to school on the first day. Staff will communicate to students supplies for specific courses during the first week of the school year. Students can arrive between 7:40-7:50 AM. Students need to be in their A Block class by 7:55 AM. There are plenty of staff to direct students to the locations of A Block on a student's schedule. Please plan accordingly as we anticipate traffic delays for any families dropping students off, with the ongoing construction project.
Thursday, September 1st: [Day 2]
Friday, September 2nd: [Day 3]
There is no school on Monday, September 5th and Tuesday, September 6th due to Labor Day Weekend.
Dates to Remember
8/31 First Day of School for Students
September
9/5 No School Labor Day Weekend
9/6 No School Labor Day Weekend
9/8 School Picture Day
9/14 Back to School Night for Parents 6:30 PM
9/15 Early Release @11:20 AM for Staff PD
9/17 Saturday School 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
9/24 Community Service Walk
9/30 Senior Class Assembly for Naviance
Bell Schedule
First day of School Bell Schedule
Lunch Schedule
As a reminder, breakfast and lunch are free for all students this year.
Guidance Notes
To access a student schedule in Aspen, please do the following:
1. Log-in to X2: https://ma-rockland.myfollett.com/aspen/logon.do
2. Go to MY INFO Top Tab.
3. Select CURRENT SCHEDULE on the left Side Tab.
Counselors will also be available on a limited basis on August 29th and August 30th. We strongly encourage you to call or email to check counselor availability if you want to meet in person. The guidance office number is 781-871-8410.
Guidance Counselor Email Students with last names
Margie Black mblack@rocklandschools.org A - B
Chris DeVine cdevine@rocklandschools.org C – G
Casey Morrison cmorrison@rocklandschools.org H – N
Jill Delaney jdelaney@rocklandschools.org O – Z
If you don’t know your login information or need your Aspen password reset, please email me (Principal Harrison), and I can assist you.
New Student Orientation
Clubs & Activities Offered 2022-2023
Below is a list of clubs and activities for the 2022-2023 school year. Please email the club advisor if you are interested in learning more about the organization! Be sure to listen to the morning announcements over the intercom about when the first meeting will be.
Art Club
Ms. Cheryl Thompson
Band
Mr. John Piazza
Better Than Before
Ms. Freea Leahy
Bulldog Buddies
Ms. Kendra Donovan
Ms. Joanne White
Chorus
Mr. Steven Bergman
Daring Discussions
Ms. Kayla Burgos
Digital Media/WRPS/TV Club
Ms. Lisa Breeden
Drama Club
Mr. Steven Bergman
Environmental Club
Ms. Julia DiCanzio jdicanzio@rocklandschools.org
Ms. Ashley Leighton
Freshmen Mentoring Program
Ms. Adrienne Donovan
GSA
Ms. Margie Black
Harry Potter Club
Ms. Kristen Walsh
Key Club
Ms. Val Mulready
Literary Magazine (Images)
Ms. Amanda McDonough
amcdonough@rocklandschools.org
Ms. Cheryl Thompson
Math Team
Ms. Valerie Mulready
Mock Trials
Ms. Patricia Trumbull
Ms. Julia Ferrante
National Honor Society
Ms. Kristen Walsh
Robotics Club
Mr. Benjamin Constable
bconstable@rocklandschools.org
School Newspaper (The Veritas)
Ms Kristen Walsh
Student Government Council
Ms. Kirsten Bartoloni
kbartoloni@rocklandschools.org
Ms. Kara Penney
Travel Club
Ms. Kristen Walsh
Yearbook
Ms. Kata Medeiros
Class of 2026 Advisor
Ms. Jill Delaney
Class of 2025 Advisor
Ms. Casey Morrison
Class of 2024 Advisor
Ms. Julia DiCanzio
Class of 2023 Advisor
Ms. Ashley Leighton
Student Safety Reminders
On the first day of school, the administration and faculty will review procedures with students regarding fire evacuations, stay in place, lockdown, and ALICE procedures. If anyone has any questions, please contact our School Resource Officer Ethan Schnabel, Assistant Principal Kathy Paulding, or Principal John Harrison.
Students should be reminded at home of the importance of not opening the doors for anyone and never propping a door open during, before, or after school.
We do not allow student dismissals over the phone. Dismissal notes need to be provided in the morning the student is being dismissed. If there is an illness, the dismissal must be coordinated through the school nurse.
In addition, student tardiness and dismissals should be limited. Students should come to school with all of their belongings as parent drop-offs lead to interruptions into the classroom and frequent entrances into the building.
Parent/Guardains must have a form of identification when they come to the school as there will be a new check-in procedure, that checks IDs before a visitor is allowed entry into the building.
If a student is going to be absent from school, parents/guardians can email rhsabsences@rocklandschools.org .
Student Handbook
Students and families are strongly encouraged to review the 2022-2023 Student Handbook. The handbook is located electronically here.
Below are a few important reminders about our school attendance policy.
Students arriving after 7:55 am will scan a QR code and then receive a pass before reporting to the class late. This process will allow students to get to first period quicker when being late.
A student who accumulates 7 or more days of unexcused absences from school for a semester class and/or 14 or more days of unexcused absences from school for a full-year class will lose academic credit for those classes. Grades earned from the course are not affected by a loss of credit. The course grade will appear on a student’s transcript but without credit. A student is eligible to participate in a Credit Recovery Process to receive the credits.
Please note a student is considered absent in a particular class after 20 minutes from when the period begins. The administration may assign a Saturday detention for any students who exceed 5 unexcused tardies per term.
Medical notes need to be provided to the main office within one week of the date of the absence.
Absences, Tardies, and Dismissals are excused for the following reasons:
Medical Situations - physician’s note
Bereavement – parental contact
Religious observance – parental contact
Professional appointments that could not be scheduled outside the regular school day (i.e., court appointments) -parental contact
Field trips or other school-sanctioned event/activity
College visits approved ahead of time by guidance
Please be sure to review all school-wide policies.
School Busing Information
- Go to https://ma-rockland.myfollett.com/aspen/logon.do
- Log-in.
- Go to MY INFO Top Tab
- Select MY DETAILS on the left side tab.
- In bottom left of page you will find your bus number, pick-up time, and pick-up location.
During the first few days we understand the bus company is learning their schedules and students on buses may arrive late to school. Students who take the bus will not be penalized with a tardy if the bus is late to school.
For any questions on busing, please contact Ms. Novio (nnovio@rocklandschools.org).
Summer Homework
Summer homework for some of our Advanced Placement courses and Honors Grade 9 and Honors Grade 10 English courses are now available on our website by clicking here.
https://www.rocklandschools.org/o/rockland-high/page/summer-homework
We have also created a general school-wide summer reading assignment for all students, however, the reading and assignment are optional (but strongly recommended).
Selected titles are below. Students who participate are asked to redesign the cover of the chosen book based on their interpretation of the work. The redesigned cover will have to include the following components:
Title
Author
Visual representation of a theme within the book
Meaningful quote that reflects an important aspect of the book. Students should be able to explain why the quote was chosen during our RHS Library Takeover in September.
Students will use Canva to complete their projects. Completed covers should be emailed to jkemp@rocklandschools.org by September 9th. The library takeover will occur Friday, September 23rd.
All students who complete the summer reading assignment are invited to participate in the Library Takeover! Students will be called down in September during G block to participate in a book chat and see their redesigned covers on display. Participants are encouraged to invite staff members to attend.
Suggested Titles are:
Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman
Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life by Helen Czerski
The Many Worlds of Albie Bright by Christopher Edge
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project by Jack Mayer
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
The Grapes of Math: How Life Reflects Numbers and Numbers Reflect Life by Alex Bellos
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
Summer Reading Assignment 2022
Summer Reading Flyer 2022
Summer Reading Flyer (Portuguese) 2022
Summer Reading Choices 2022
Athletic Updates
Fall Sport Schedules [Arbiter Live]
Download the Rockland Public Schools App
Some of the best uses of the app include:
- Setting up notifications so you can receive real-time updates from the school.
- Checking out the news feed daily to receive highlights on the events at RHS
- An events calendar that includes tentative dates for the 2022-2023 school year
- Easy contact information for staff, including their email addresses
- Quick access to the lunch menu
- Access to frequently used documents including guidance forms, the student handbook, the bell schedule, and many more
- One-click to check grades through Aspen
The App is linked through the school website, which is www.rocklandschools.org.
Please download the App and if there is something you think would be fun for us to include in the App please let us know!
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