Tyngsborough High School
March 15, 2024
What's Happening...
Trimester 2 report cards are now available through the portal and were also emailed. Last weekend at the state DECA conference Tim Guilmette, Christos Panagakis and Dillon Tirado placed in the top ten for their International Business plan presentation. Girls basketballs season came to an end on Tuesday night in the state semifinals. Congratulations on a fantastic season!
Tyngsborough High School Course Selection
This week students in grades 8-11 received instruction on how to complete their course requests for the 24-25 school year in PowerSchool. Please review the following on the Tyngsborough High School website:
- 2024-2025 Program of Studies
- Videos from each department highlighting their course offerings
- An instructional video on how to complete course requests
- A brief video for 8th grade parents, guardians, and students
The deadline for students to complete their course requests is Tuesday, March 19th. Many questions can be answered through the instructional videos but please do not hesitate to reach out to Kate Trainor (kate.trainor@tynsboroughps.org) or your child's school counselor with any questions.
For the latest news and announcements follow Tyngsborough High School on Facebook, Instagram and X. #tpsprepares
Important Dates
February Students of the Month
Congratulations to the March Students of the Month
Kaylie Cashman
Ashley Gauthier
Christos Panagakis
Claire Shambley
School Counseling
Attention Parents of Juniors
Junior Parent Night will be held on Thursday, March 21st, 6:30-7:30 in the THS Auditorium. All parents of 11th grade students are encouraged to come to learn about the college process.
Attention Parents of Seniors
The new 2024-25 FAFSA is open, but some families have experienced difficulty navigating the application process. Join MEFA for a webinar on Thurs, Feb 15th at 8:30 a.m. during which we will review known issues, technical bugs, and workarounds (when available) of the new FAFSA. We will also discuss the impact of the delayed FAFSA launch on financial aid deadlines and the release of financial aid offers, as well as the process of updating and correcting FAFSA data. Register now to reserve your spot.
Click here for Scholarships available to the Class of 2024.
Free Program: Youth Mental Health First Aid Training
Youth Mental Health Training teaches adults how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents from ages 12-18. Parents, educators, and community members are encouraged to attend this free training. For more details click here.
Class of 2024 End of Year Events
05/16: Prom (Pre-Prom 5:15pm at TES)
05/30: Senior Awards Night 7pm Kelleher Gymnasium
06/07: Graduation 7pm Pierce Field
Message from the THS Health Office
Dear Parents and Guardians,
ILLNESS
We continue to experience an increase in reported illnesses as per usual for this time of year. We have been receiving reports of Influenza A & Influenza B; strep throat; COVID-19; pneumonia; ear infection; conjunctivitis; norovirus and viral illness which may include some or all of the following symptoms: cough, congestion or runny nose, sore throat, headache, body aches; fever or chills and nausea and/or vomiting. Kindly review the TPS General Illness Protocols for school attendance guidance. Here is the link to the current Covid-19 Guidelines for K-12 Students. Please note that Massachusetts has not adopted the recent CDC recommendation to discontinue isolation requirements. Please contact your medical provider for return to school guidance if your child is diagnosed with COVID. The Tyngsborough Board of Health has provided the schools with test kits that we can give out at no cost to any family that would like them. Please contact the school nurse via email if you would like free covid testing kits .
A medical provider note excusing absence, dismissal, or tardy arrival should be forwarded to the Main Office or emailed to thsattendance@tyngsboroughps.org for any absence to be medically excused.
Please notify the school nurse of any changes in your child’s health status to include illness, injury (fracture, sprain, concussion, etc.), surgery, chronic medical condition, medication, mental health issues, etc. Supporting documentation from their medical provider is extremely helpful. It is also helpful to submit a copy of your child’s Physical Exam as soon after it occurs as possible. An important part of meeting a student’s health care needs is to make sure the Health Office has up to date information in your child’s School Health Record.
GRADE 10 STUDENTS
Grade 10 students must submit documentation of Meningococcal conjugate vaccine, MenACWY (brand names Menveo, Menactra, MenQuadfi) once they have turned 16. This documentation is required PRIOR to entering grade 11. The booster dose of MenACWY must be received on or after the students 16th birthday. Students who are not 16 when they enter Grade 11 will need to provide documentation of booster dose within two weeks after turning 16. Please click this hyperlink for more information regarding Massachusetts Immunization Requirements 2023-2024.
Under the guidelines of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Department of Education, it is the policy of the Tyngsborough Public School District that students must submit a current Physical Examination report to have on file in the nurse’s office PRIOR TO ENTRY INTO GRADE 11. Examination must be signed by a licensed medical provider and be dated within the previous twelve months to be considered current. A Certificate of Immunization or Immunization History must be included. It is best practice to send in a copy of your child’s current Physical Exam after each well visit or immunization. Please click this hyperlink for more information regarding 105 CMR 200.00: Physical examination of school children | Mass.gov
TPS MEDICATION POLICY
Students are NOT allowed to carry any prescription or over-the-counter medication with them during school or school sponsored events. Lifesaving medication such as Epinephrine and rescue inhalers, for which students must submit the appropriate medication order at the start of each school year, are the exception to this policy. All other medication (prescription and over-the-counter) must be kept in the nurse’s office and be overseen by the nurse. Prescription AND (OTC) Over-The-Counter medications require submission of a Student Medication Administration Order. It must include the signature of a licensed health care provider AND parent. Please contact me to arrange a time for submission of the medication, which must be submitted in a pharmacy labeled container or the original manufacturer’s container. No more than a one month supply is to be submitted.
MANDATED SCREENING
Screenings are conducted in Tyngsborough Public Schools annually in accordance with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Regulations (refer to following guidelines). Screening tests are not diagnostic in nature. They are designed simply to indicate students who may need further attention in a specific area. Screenings are performed at THS throughout the school year as the student’s schedule allows. Students are screened during their Wellness class. If your child was screened by their medical provider it is very helpful if you forward written documentation of the results of the screening.
GRADE 9 - students will receive postural screening for scoliosis. Complete privacy is afforded the students during this examination. If your child is currently under the care of a physician for scoliosis please submit documentation to me for their health record.
GRADE 10- students will be screened for vision, hearing, and growth (height, weight and Body Mass Index “BMI”). Parents will be notified of any findings that necessitate medical follow-up and a referral form given. The referral form is to be completed by the examining medical provider and returned to the school nurse as soon as possible.
If a parent/guardian does not wish to have postural, vision, hearing or growth screening done at school they must send me:
1. A written request to exclude their child from participating in school screenings AND
2. Written documentation from their licensed health care provider documenting their results of the
Screening.
GRADE 9 - Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) will be performed for all Grade 9 students. The Tyngsborough Public Schools utilizes the Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) protocol. For more information about SBIRT please click here. As with any school based screening, you have the option to opt your child out of this process. Additionally, students may also opt out of the process at any time. Please contact your school nurse as soon as possible if you do not want your child to participate in Substance Use Preventive Screening.
Thank you for your attention to these very important health concerns. It is my hope that we can work together to provide a safe and healthy environment to support your child’s success. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Debbie Donohoe BSN, RN, NCSN
36 Norris Road, Tyngsborough, MA 01879
Email: debbie.donohoe@tyngsboroughps.org
Phone: (978) 649-7571 Option 2
Fax: (978) 649-1877 (HIPAA compliant)
Athletics
If you have a student interested in participating on one of our spring sports teams, please review the Spring Sports Information Sheet. The sheet has a list of sports offered, registration information, user fees and coaches contact information. Every athlete must have a parent/guardian register them via the parent portal in PowerSchool and have a current physical on file to participate on a team.
Important Dates
Start for all High School Sports - Monday, March 18th
Additional information about athletics can be found on the THS Athletics website
If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Pitts in the athletic office at kelly.pitts@tyngsboroughps.org or 978-649-4210.
Tyngsborough High School
For the latest news and announcements follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. #tpsprepares
Email: jeffrey.ogden@tyngsboroughps.org
Website: ths.tyngsboroughps.org
Location: 36 Norris Road, Tyngsborough, MA, USA
Phone: 978-649-7571
Facebook: facebook.com/tyngsboroughps.org
Twitter: @tynghighprin