December 4, 2022

As we return from Thanksgiving break and head into the winter season we have a lot of things going on at MHS. Our musical "Elf" is being performed this weekend and the students and staff have been hard at work getting ready for it. We have parent-teacher conferences this week on Wednesday and Thursday, our winter sports season has started with tryouts, and the winter percussion and guard season kicked off as well. There is always a lot to be proud of with our students at MHS, and I continue to look forward to all of my first experiences throughout the course of the year.

While there is a lot to be excited about and celebrate at MHS, we are not without our challenges as well. The issue of vaping is a continual concern in every high school in the area (if not the country), and MHS is no exception. We are continually working to ensure MHS is a safe place for all students to learn and grow and this is our top priority. MHS administration and staff continually work to clear out restrooms during the day and between classes if students are hanging out, and we will continue to inform all students of the expectations we have set and will work to support students in meeting those expectations.

MHS administration is collaborating with our nurses and SRO to develop future plans to support families and provide resources. We are working to develop a cessation program to help students quit vaping, and we are planning to hold a community event one evening in the future (more details to follow). In the meantime, I want to direct you to the first 2 notices below in the newsletter. We are offering a small event this week during parent conferences, and a variety of resources for families to utilize.

As the principal of this building, I do not want to create unnecessary angst with families, but I am also a parent in this district and want to ensure all families have access to appropriate resources in order to work together and support each other when it comes to teen vaping. If any family has questions, please reach out to your child's school counselor or a member of the administration.

This event is open to any parent that would like to participate, so if you do not have a conference scheduled for the 8th but you would like to come to the event, please feel free to come up to the high school between 6:30 and 8:30pm on the 8th.

Below is a brief description provided about the event:

Hidden in Plain is an interactive mock teenage bedroom that is designed to

educate parents on the various hiding places that a teen who is misusing or

experimenting with drugs, alcohol, or nicotine/vapes may have in their room. It also points out some peculiar but not so obvious things that might be found in their room that you may often not think twice about but could be a warning sign that a child is struggling with

addiction.

General Info:

What parents need to know

Quick Facts about vaping

Vaping and the impact of Covid

Vaping can't harm teens?

Information on Quitting:

How to quit

This is quitting

Nicotine withdrawal and how to cope

More information will follow once we have enough volunteers.

We have rescheduled the prom for juniors and seniors to Friday, May 26th 2023 from 6-10pm.

All students who participated in the PSATs on Saturday, October 15th will receive their results this week electronically from the College Board. Students will receive an email from the College Board with login information to see their scores on either Monday December 5th or Tuesday December 6th, they are staggering the emails nationwide.

When your student participated in PSATs they were asked to provide an email address for their results to be sent to, in the event that your student does not receive an email they may contact their school counselor for the information starting on Wednesday, December 7th. We encourage students to check their spam/junk folders as well for the email.

The Mansfield SEPAC, in partnership with the Federation for Children with Special Needs will be sponsoring a virtual workshop on Transition Planning. This workshop will provide an overview of the transition planning process for youth with disabilities ages 14-22 on IEPs.

Please register in advance.

Date: December 6, 2022

Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Registration Link: https://fcsn-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUvceypqTojGtMEVSYLNUx2Y7F8xvOV_9Tc

More information is contained in the flyer attached here.

Conferences will be available from 12:30-2:30pm on the 7th, and 12:30-2:30pm + 6:30-8:30pm on the 8th

Teachers have sent an email this past Monday afternoon (11/21) to all parents with a link to sign up for a conference time. If you are unable to sign up for a time or have a conflict, please contact the teacher directly in order to try and set up a time for a meeting or a call in the future.

The Annual AFL-CIO Scholarship Program is in its 65th year. Through the scholarship program, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO is honored to continue a long tradition of helping students continue their education as they work toward creating bright futures.

The Massachusetts AFL-CIO scholarship program awardees receive between $500 and $16,000 towards their education. Over 40 unions, central labor councils, area businesses and charitable trusts from across Massachusetts participate in awarding scholarships that total nearly half a million dollars. Unions in Massachusetts have given close to $10 million in scholarships since 2000. About 1,500 students take the exam annually to compete for a scholarship. Students with a union affiliation are eligible for both the Massachusetts AFL-CIO awards and those awards listed under their specific local union/central labor council. Massachusetts students that do not have union affiliation are eligible for the Massachusetts AFL-CIO scholarships only.

2022-2023 Scholarships

• The scholarship application is available online at www.massaflcio.org/scholarships All applications must be submitted online; you do not register for the exam at MHS.

• Scholarship Applications are due Friday, December 16, 2022; late applications will not be accepted.

• The study guide is available online and is updated annually with new information. They have updated their website to make it more interactive for students to review material. The study guide can be found at Scholarship Study Guide

• This year's Labor History Exam will be given electronically in school on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 first thing in the morning. More information to follow.