WHS Newsletter
Spring 1
A Message From Principal Callaghan
Dear WHS School Community,
As you have heard me say before, children learn best when the significant adults in their lives work together to encourage and support them. This includes, parents, teachers, counselors and other family and community members.
Naturally at the high school level where students are gaining valuable independence, these partnerships look appropriately different than at the lower grade levels. The meaningful involvement of parents and support from the community are essential. As society has become more complex and demanding, though, these relationships have become necessary in keeping students stable and safe.
To enhance our efforts to strengthen this partnership, WHS Administration will be hosting Admin Office Hours for Parents over the next several weeks. The goal of these meetings are to answer parents' questions about the return to full in-person learning. The following will be the scheduled office hour times starting March 30-May 5:
- Tuesdays at 9-9:30am
- Wednesday at 9-9:30am
We'll re-assess this outreach initiative and may add some additional times beyond that.
Please click here to complete this form so that we can collect your questions and email you the zoom link. This link will also be listed on the WHS Website under "Principals Message". I hope you find the Spring Newsletter #1 both helpful and encouraging to enjoy the Spring season for all its hopes and opportunities.
Best Regards,
Mr. Brian Callaghan
Upcoming Holiday - Good Friday 4-2-21
District Update
Ask The Office
Health & Safety Update
As of Monday, March 22, the Massachusetts Travel Order is replaced with a Travel Advisory. This new travel advisory urges all persons entering Massachusetts, including returning residents, to quarantine for 10 days upon their arrival if they have been out of the state for 24 hours or more.
Westborough Public Schools will continue to require a negative PCR test or 10 day quarantine for individuals who travel out-of-state.
Please note, travelers in the following categories are exempt from the quarantine advisory:
- Children 10 years and younger. These children will follow the guidelines for the adult they are traveling with (for example, if the adult is quarantining and/or testing, the child may return to school when the adult tests negative or completes quarantine. If the adult is fully vaccinated, the child may return to school after travel with no restrictions).
- Anyone returning to Massachusetts after being out of state for fewer than 24 hours.
- Travelers who have received a negative COVID-19 result on a test administered not more than 72 hours prior to their arrival in Massachusetts. Travelers may also test out of the quarantine advisory after arrival in Massachusetts, as long as they quarantine until receiving a negative test result.
- Workers who enter Massachusetts to perform critical infrastructure functions (as specified by the Federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) during required commuting to or from work and while at work.
- Travelers who are fully vaccinated (i.e. who have received two doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines OR who have received a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 14 or more days ago) and who do not have symptoms.
- If you received a positive COVID-19 test result between 10 and 90 days ago and have completed the appropriate isolation period, you do not need to quarantine upon arrival to Massachusetts.
Nurse's Corner
The school nurses continue to be busy with COVID surveillance, contact tracing, and preparing for all hybrid students to return to full time in person learning.
10th grade parents/guardians please take note of an important immunization requirement for upcoming 11th grade school entry in August 2021:
All students who are 16 years old and entering 11th grade are required to receive a booster dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY). 1 dose is acceptable if it is given on or after the 16th birthday. Please submit physician documentation of this in order to update your child’s school health record. We recommend that you arrange this 11th grade immunization requirement as soon as possible so that your child will be cleared for school entry in late August. If you are experiencing difficulty arranging this vaccine, please feel free to contact me and I am happy to assist.
The documentation can be submitted to me by email, fax, or mail:
Email: kellandj@westboroughk12.org,
Fax : 508-836-7723,
Address: Westborough High School
90 West Main St.
Westborough, MA 01581
Looking forward to the return of students full time April 26th!
World Language Week ~ March 22nd to 26th
As they do every year, students and teachers in Westborough High School’s world languages department are celebrating World Language Week as part of a larger national observance to promote languages used around the world and celebrate their cultures.
Throughout the week of March 22nd -March 26th, students will be celebrating the event in their world language class with this year’s theme: Open Your Mind to Language! Students in French Club, Mandarin Club, and Spanish Club will also be decorating bulletin boards and hanging flags to represent the diversity of the student body to celebrate this event.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Moments
Here at Westborough High School, we have a 10 person committee dedicated to ensuring that Social-Emotional Learning is being implemented organically and consistently in our interactions with students and families, as well as in our classrooms. While we strive for daily SEL interaction and discussion, we formally introduced “WHS SEL Moments” for the spring semester. These “Moments” allow all members of our faculty to work together and with our students to formally teach and share the SEL competency areas, and allow for explicit skill instruction for how these competencies are beneficial in the school setting.
WHS Faculty are excited to be formally offering SEL during a particularly tough year for everyone, and we are also comfortable knowing that these are very natural topics of discussion in our classrooms today and always.
An overview of our “WHS SEL Moments” can be found below:
Fine Arts
The Fine Arts Department is looking forward to seeing all of our students together again in just a few short weeks. Now that singing and theater are permitted in schools again, staff is eagerly planning end of the year events to bring our community together again. Below is a list of events we have planned so far...
Marching Band Senior Night: Friday, April 9th
WHS Jazz Night: April 28th
A Cappella Night featuring our Contemporary A Cappella Program and Chamber Singers: Tuesday, May 11th
Chamber Ensemble Concert: Wednesday, May 12th
Choral Culmination Celebration: Tuesday, May 18th
Spring Band Concert: Wednesday, May 19th (tentative date)
Spring Orchestra Concert: Thursday May 20th (tentative date)
CenterStage’s “An Evening With the Stars”: Friday, May 21st & Saturday, May 22nd
WFAEA Senior Banquet: Tuesday, May 25th
Mr. WHS: Thursday, May 27th
Baccalaureate: Friday, June 4th
Many of these performances will be able to happen live with a limited audience and all of these events (except for Mr. WHS which is used as a community fundraiser) will be free of charge. Additionally, events will be live streamed and recorded by Westborough TV.
We look forward to welcoming families and students back and are excited to have an end to our year that is a bit more typical. Stay healthy and safe!
WHS Athletics News
Currently, we are in our Fall 2 Season which includes the sports of Football, Cheerleading, Volleyball, and Winter Track. Please be sure to keep an eye on our Twitter Feed- @westbororangers for updates. Also please click here to see the livestream links for the various matches that are available as well as the spectator policy for the various matches.
The Spring Season, which will include: Lacrosse, Unified Track, Spring Track, Tennis, Girls Golf, Baseball, and Softball are scheduled to begin on April 26th and will conclude late in June. We will be opening registration for the Spring seasons during the 1st week of April with a deadline of April 18th.
Please be sure to keep an eye out for the email opening registration.
Westborough High School
Principal: Brian Callaghan
Assistant Principal: Jessica Barrett
Assistant Principal: Matt Lefebvre
Email: callaghanb@westboroughk12.org
Website: http://whs.westboroughk12.org/
Location: 90 West Main Street, Westborough, MA, USA
Phone: 508-836-7720
Twitter: @WboroPrincipal