MRHS Newsletter
VOLUME 31, ISSUE NO. 3
NOTES FROM THE NURSE:
FLU SHOTS – Now is the perfect time to see your doctor or pharmacist for a vaccination!
GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT – We all know smoking can have devastating health effects. Minnechaug is a tobacco-free campus, and that includes vaping. Vape products contain nicotine, as well as hundreds of other chemicals, and encourage later smoking by young users. The American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout is on Thursday, November 15 this year. If you are considering quitting smoking, you can find information about this event at the following link: https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/great-american-smokeout.html or call 1-800-227-2345. Here’s to your good health!
STREP THROAT OR SORE THROAT? - Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia listed the following symptoms of strep throat: Sore throat seems to come on quickly, severe pain with swallowing, fever of 101 degrees F or greater, red/swollen tonsils, patches of white on tonsils, tiny red spots on the back of the roof of the mouth, headache/nausea/vomiting, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, and a rash. Please keep in mind that a child with strep throat may have no white patches or red spots, and a child may have white patches or red spots without strep! What does this mean? Just that your child is more likely to have a cluster of these symptoms with strep throat. It must be diagnosed by your doctor, who will do a throat culture if he or she suspects strep throat. Your doctor will prescribe antibiotics for strep throat – please make certain your child takes every dose, every day, until the medication is completely gone. A student diagnosed with strep throat may return to school after 24 hours on antibiotics as long as he is fever-free. If your child is not feeling better after 24 hours of antibiotic use, call your doctor for recommendations. Doctors do not prescribe antibiotics for viral infections as they do not work on viruses, such as the common cold.
HEALTH FORMS – If you have not yet turned in your student’s Emergency Form, please do so as soon as possible. We already sent a student, without a form, to the Emergency Room in an ambulance this year. Not having the form may delay transport and makes it difficult to contact parents. All students who did not have the form submitted were handed another form. Thank you for helping us with what we know is a tedious, but necessary task.
Please send in Allergy and Asthma Action Plans if your child has a condition necessitating emergency care for those conditions. We mailed forms home over the summer, and in some cases again this fall. If you need a form, please go to HWRSD.org and on the website go to Departments > Health Services > Student Health Forms. These need to be completed by parent/guardian and the student’s doctor. Thank you for helping us care for your child. If an EpiPen is ordered for your child, you will need to send one into school – they are needed for use both in school and on field trips.
We appreciate your help as we strive to keep your children healthy and safe.
Notes from the Athletic Director
IMPORTANT NOTES FOR FALL AND WINTER ATHLETES AND THEIR PARENTS
ATTENTION FALL ATHLETES - On the last day of the fall season, you are to turn in your sports lock to your coach, along with your home and away uniforms, and any other equipment issued by the Minnechaug athletic department. Your cooperation with this important task will be greatly appreciated. Any student-athlete who does not comply with this procedure within three days of the end of his/her respective season will be billed for all outstanding equipment and will not be allowed to participate in another season.
ATTENTION WINTER ATHLETES AND PARENTS REGISTRATION: Winter athletics registration is now open and online! Please log onto www.familyid.com and search Minnechaug. Click on Winter Registration and the rest is easy. Lastly, please every athlete must satisfy the following PRIOR to November 16th deadline:
PHYSICAL EXAMS A current physical (within 13 months) must be on file PRIOR to trying out for any sport. If a student athlete's physical is to expire during a sports season, then he/she MUST provide the Nurse with an updated physical. That student athlete is ineligible until the new physical is on file. If a student wishes to check his/her physical status, he/she may do that at the nurse.
CONCUSSION BASELINE TEST: Any freshman or junior who has not played a fall sport must take the assessment. If you already took it this fall season, then you are all set.
COMPLETE ONLINE CONCUSSION COURSE: The state law requires that student/athletes along with their parent(s)/guardian(s) complete the concussion course OR view the printed materials available in the athletic office and online in the athletics section of edline. During registration you will be asked to sign off that you have completed one of these conditions.
http://www.nfhslearn.com/electiveDetail.aspx?courseID=15000
ONCE AGAIN, WINTER REGISTRATION AND ELIGIBILITY MUST BE COMPLETED BY NOVEMBER 16, 2018 IN ORDER TO TRY-OUT FOR A WINTER 2018-2019 SPORT.
All this information is also available on the athletics section of our website.
https://mrhs.hwrsd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1189213&type=d&pREC_ID=1432633
Tryout schedules will be posted by Mid November.
Fashion Extravaganza
The Fashion Extravaganza is a multi-consultant clothing and make-up sale event featuring a plethora of fashion booths including, Matilda Jane, Cabi, Lime Life Skin Care, and Make-up, Lipsense, Avon, and many different LULA ROE retailers. Also featured will be accessories and unique pieces made by the Minnechaug Regional High School Fashion Club.
At the event, you will find hundreds of your favorite pieces such as shirts, leggings, dresses, skirts, and kids clothing in high-quality fabrics. There will also be new and unique prints available on all racks.
Have trouble putting outfits together? No problem, the Fashion club will style you and help you shop for the perfect outfit for any occasion. Don’t delay; this is a one day sale and a portion of the proceeds will benefit The MRHS Fashion Club!
Saturday, Nov 3, 2018, 10:00 AM
Minnechaug Regional High School's Cafeteria
Counselors’ Corner
For comprehensive information on College and Career Readiness visit the Minnechaug Guidance and Counseling Center home page at the “Counseling Center” tab on Edline.
COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID FORMS:
Information on the FAFSA is on the “Counseling Center” tab on Edline. FAFSA forms can be filed at www.fafsa.ed.gov after October 1. The FAFSA website is free! Make sure you are on the .gov site when completing your FAFSA. (See information below for locations and dates for free assistance.)
COLLEGE APPLICATION DEADLINES:
Seniors are responsible for meeting their college application deadlines. Transcripts must be requested in person in the Counseling Center. The Counseling Center sends the official transcript, school profile and counselor letter of recommendation on Naviance after you complete the appropriate form in the Counseling Center and pay the two dollar fee for each requested transcript. Please allow two weeks for transcripts to be processed to meet your deadlines.
The Counseling Center will be closed from December 24, 2018 through January 1, 2019. If you need to have transcripts sent out before the December break, all requests must be submitted NO LATER THAN MONDAY, DECEMBER 10. Please see your counselor if you have any questions.
PSAT SCORES:
If a student took the PSAT on October 24 they should receive an email from Collegeboard with a link to their website. Upon establishing an account with the code provided by Collegeboard, students will have access to their scores. Students are encouraged to connect to Khan Academy via collegeboard to receive personalized practice SAT tests.
STAT: (Student Teacher Assistance Team) is a school-based prevention and early intervention program for students. It is a cooperative process between school staff, parents and students that looks to build on strengths while meeting the needs of the student. The goal of STAT is to foster student success and healthy development. The members of STAT are Administrators, Counselors, the school nurse and a classroom teacher. STAT accepts referrals from the school community and parents about students who are exhibiting behaviors that are interfering with their education. A referral is a process to identify, support and provide solutions focused on student strengths. If you have questions about STAT, please contact your child’s Guidance Counselor.
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MONTHLY TO DO LIST:
FRESHMEN – You should continue to challenge yourself academically and aim high for good grades. Stay involved in the activities you find interesting. Freshmen will be scheduled for Developmental Guidance classes in January and February. At that time, students will establish a Naviance account.
SOPHOMORES – Start thinking about what you want to do when you graduate. Use Naviance to explore careers you may find interesting. Think about what courses you want to take your remaining two years of high school. The Career Readiness Program for sophomore PE students will be held in December for first semester PE students and in April for second semester PE students.
JUNIORS – Start creating a list of colleges you may be interested in applying to. Use Naviance to get information on colleges. Start visiting colleges. Sign up for visits from College Representatives to Minnechaug. Plan to take the SAT in March or May.
SENIORS – Complete your college applications. All applications should be added to the student’s list on Naviance. Have your SAT and ACT scores sent directly to the colleges where you have applied. SAT and ACT scores must be sent to colleges from their respective websites. Minnechaug and Naviance do not send SAT and ACT scores. Apply for scholarships! The list of scholarships and a handout are available in the Counseling Center.
GUIDANCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
The next meeting will be on Wednesday, December 5, 3:30 – 4:30 in the Counseling Center Conference Room. The Guidance Advisory Committee (GAC) is looking for a few more student representatives. The GAC meets five times each year to get feedback and to respond to students’ needs. Students interested in being on the Guidance Advisory Committee should send an email expressing your interest to Mr. Poulin, Director of Guidance, at kpoulin@hwrsd.org.
Free Assistance with completing the FAFSA
If you need assistance in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, go to: https://www.masfaa.org/fafsa-day/ to register to attend one of the sessions.
See the locations and dates below.
Also see the brief video “FAFSA Assistance Tutorial” on MRHS Edline, under “Counseling Center” on the left, under “Links”
Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 1:00 PM
American International College
1000 State Street
Springfield, MA 01109
Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 1:00 PM
Holyoke Community College
303 Homestead Avenue
Holyoke, MA 01040
CAREER CENTER NEWS
Internship students are nearing the half-way point of their experiences. MRHS seniors are working with teachers across the district, local businesses and organizations throughout the area.
On November 7 from 7:30 – 10:30, students will board a bus to the new Mass Hire (formerly Future Works) to learn about using Google in the job search process. Permission slips are available in the Counseling Center for students who are interested in visiting Mass Hire. Students will spend a half day learning how to use Google applications to organize job applications, make changes to their resume and set up a database. For more information, please contact our School-to-Career Coordinator, Renee Considine, at rconsidine@hwrsd.org.
Mia Drumheller - Student Intern
Mentor: Michelle Florence
Site: Trombley Associates
Daylin Saviengvong-Horton - Student Intern
Site: Town of Wilbraham, Department of Public Works
Savannah Rescia - Student Intern
Mentor: Kristen VanDerBeeken
Site: Wilbraham Middle School
Student Activities November Newsletter Items
The Student Council will host a Dress-Down Day on Friday, November 2nd to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. Donations may be made in the morning upon entering the school and in the main office. Students are encouraged to wear their New England sports apparel.
The next Student Council General Assembly is open to all members of the Minnechaug community and will be held on Tuesday, November 13th at 2:15 in the auditorium.
The annual Student Activities Basketball Tournament will run from November 13-November 16 from 2:20-4 in the gym. Listen and watch for announcements.
Student Council will be holding its annual Toy for Joy drive beginning on Monday, November 19th and ending Friday, December 7th. Donations can be made in the Student Activities office with checks made out to HWRSD.
The Student Council will be holding its annual fall Blood Drive on Thursday, November 29th from 7:40 AM – 2 PM. All students who volunteer to give blood must be healthy on the day they are donating and must eat breakfast. Students are encouraged to get a good night’s sleep the night before. We are looking for as many eligible students to give blood in order to help the Red Cross replenish their supply during this critical time. Students may donate if they are at least 16 years old and weigh an appropriate amount (details in Student Activities). All 16-year-olds must have a special permission slip signed by parents; these permission slips may be picked up the Student Activities Office from 7:15 AM -3 PM daily.
The Student Council is holding its annual semiformal dance on November 30th from 7-10 PM in the Gym. Ticket prices are to be determined and will be on sale from Monday, November 26-November 30 at all three lunches in the cafeteria. No tickets will be sold at the door. As per policy, this dance is open to current Minnechaug students only.
November Calendar
NOV1THU
- History Midterms7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
- Minnechaug Regional High School
- History Midterms7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
NOV2FRI
- Foreign Language Midterms7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
- Minnechaug Regional High School
- Foreign Language Midterms7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
NOV5MON
- PAVAS Talent Show Auditions2:15 PM – 5 PM
- Minnechaug Regional High School
- Flag Football Game7 PM – 9 PM
- Minnechaug Regional High School
- PAVAS Talent Show Auditions2:15 PM – 5 PM
NOV6TUE
NOV9FRI
- Veteran's Day Assembly: Double Assembly Schedule9 AM – 11 AM
- Minnechaug Regional High School
- Veteran's Day Assembly: Double Assembly Schedule9 AM – 11 AM
NOV12MON
NOV21WED
NOV22THU
- Thanksgiving Break11/22/2018 – 11/23/2018
- Events
- Thanksgiving Break11/22/2018 – 11/23/2018
NOV23FRI
- Thanksgiving Break11/22/2018 – 11/23/2018
- Events
- No School--Thanksgiving Break7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
- Minnechaug Regional High School
- Thanksgiving Break11/22/2018 – 11/23/2018