Blue Hills News
From the Desk of the Principal - October 15, 2020
Dear Blue Hills Families,
It seems every week that passes brings with it new information, new challenges, and new questions. Thank you for continuing to support your students and Blue Hills through this time.
I want to encourage our students and our parents in reporting our daily average attendance through the first month of the school year. To date, our attendance rate is 95%, for in-person and remote learning (combined). This is an important data point for us, and a strong indicator that despite the challenges of the year, students are accessing learning and the curriculum. Well done!
This week's newsletter is going to be short to keep the focus clear. Please review the next two weeks (there are changes!!) and the section on the upcoming parent/teacher conferences.
If there are changes or updates to the schedule, we will communicate as soon as we are able. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Geoff Zini
Principal
Upcoming Schedule - IN-PERSON Days
PLEASE NOTE: For the next two weeks, we will NOT be running our remote Wednesday schedule. Instead, we will alternate Blue and Green days for remote academics. On Wednesdays (October 21 and October 28), vocational remote classes will wrap up by noon. This is being done to accomodate virtual meetings for parent/teacher conferences. These days normally would be half days for our students.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
They are scheduled for October 21 and October 28, at the following times:
October 21:
Vocational 1:00 - 2:30
Academic 1:00 - 4:00
October 28:
Vocational and Academic - 1:00 - 4:00
All conferences will be remote through google meet or a similar platform.
We are encouraging you to reach out via X2, Google classroom, or email when possible to teachers. We have limited time slots available for remote conferences. Please email a teacher directly, or wait for their communication, to set up a conference call/meeting. These meetings will be short (5 minutes), so if you have deeper concerns about a class please set up another time to meet.
If you have general concerns about all classes, please contact your child's guidance counselor for a conference during these times to work on a plan for your child.
Thank you!
AM Drop-Offs
- Please enter the East Entrance (closest to Randolph) and pull in front of the gym/cafeteria for drop off.
- Students dropped off before 7:40 should enter the cafeteria.
- Students dropped off after 7:40 should enter the main entrance.
Lunches
All students will receive free lunch and breakfast through December 31, 2020. However, we are still collecting applications for free and reduced lunch so that begining in January there is no lapse in service for students who qualify. Please fill out the form and return it to cfama@bluehills.org.
What remote schedule am I following???
Vocational "Remote" Days - these all look the same! If you are on a vocational week and are remote, simply follow your shop's instructions for the synchronous meeting times (8:30 and 1:30, usually) and work independently or as needed during the day. Failure to attend both synchronous sessions will lead to the student being marked as "absent" and potentially receiving no credit for the day.
Academic "Remote" Days -
- "Blue Days" - Mostly on Mondays and Thursdays. Refer to the released schedule to make sure you have the right day. On these days, you'll meet "live" with periods 1-4. The rest of your day is extra help and independent work.
- "Green Days" - Mostly on Tuesdays and Fridays - Refer to the released schedule to make sure you have the right day. On these days, you'll meet "live" with periods 5-8. The rest of your day is extra help and independent work.
- "Wednesdays" - On Wednesdays, follow the Wednesday schedule! You'll meet with all of your academic classes throughout the day. HINT: We may occassionally use this schedule on other days, or schedule Wednesday to be in-person.
For both vocational and academic "remote" days: Please remember that school runs from 7:48 to 2:20. At any time in this period of time, you can be asked to meet with a teacher, attend a session, or do extra help/support activities. If class begins at 8:30 or 9:00, you may very well have things to do and prepare for prior to the start time. Be diligent in checking your email and google classroom. Getting an education is your "job" right now, and is the best investment you can make at this stage of life!
Blue Hills Regional Technical School
Blue Hills Regional Technical School’s mission is to continue its history of academic achievement, technical training and character development through a curriculum which emphasizes the integration of cutting-edge technical programs and challenging academic courses, enabling its students to become competent, caring and productive people in a diverse and changing world.
Website: www.bluehills.org
Location: 800 Randolph Street, Canton, MA, USA
Phone: 781 828 5800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Blue-Hills-Regional-Technical-School-549020528796565/
Twitter: @bhrtech