DHS Community Update
October 2, 2020
Greetings DHS Community Members:
I would like to thank all members of the DHS Community--students, faculty, families, and support staff for another successful week of remote learning. This year has certainly been one that none of us could have predicted. I think it is important that we take the time to be grateful and to show appreciation for the contributions that each of us makes to ensuring that Dartmouth High School continues to be a school of excellence.
This week brought the challenge of a rain and wind storm which resulted in some power outages in our community. Obviously, it is difficult to connect remotely without power. When this happens we appreciate when parents call in to inform us so that we can share the information with our teachers. Our teachers have been and will continue to be extremely flexible in supporting all students throughout this period of remote learning including making resources available in Google Classroom so that students can access them once they are able to connect.
On Monday, October 5, 2020, all students will attend Advisory during the PASE period (8:35 a.m.-9:15 a.m.). The focus of this advisory session will be on the important habit of developing goals. Students will be guided through the process of developing an academic as well as a personal SMART goal for the 2020-2021 School Year. Future advisory sessions will include check-in conferences with their advisor to monitor progress and support goal attainment. In addition, during advisory, students will schedule their PASE period through October 15th.
It is important that students maximize the use of their PASE period. PASE is a dynamic period that provides every student the opportunity to personalize their educational experience at Dartmouth High School. In order to personalize their educational experience, students should schedule time to meet with their teachers to either enrich their learning by extending their learning or to take advantage to receive additional academic support. During this period, students may also schedule time to meet with counselors, administrators, or if necessary take a screen break to stretch, exercise or work on assignments.
In closing, I encourage all students to continue to do their very best to attend all of their classes and complete all of their assignments. Teachers have reported a high level of attendance and engagement from our students which we appreciate and commend. Keep up the great work, stay healthy and well.
Sincerely,
Ross A. Thibault
Principal
Reporting Student Absences, Tardiness & Dismissals
Attendance and academic success go hand-in-hand. We ask that parents continue to report known absences or tardiness to Dartmouth High School using the attendance line (508-961-2700 ext.1). In addition, parents are encouraged to submit medical notes and/or discuss illness related absences with Nurse Wildrick in order to ensure we are able to support your child's health and wellness. Nurse Wildrick can be reached at 508-961-2700 ext. 7420.
If your child needs to be dismissed we ask that you please email DHSdismissals@dartmouthschools.org as early as possible. This will allow us to maintain accurate attendance records.
From the Desk of the Associate Principal
Senior Photos
The last date for Senior Photos with Mare Studios is October 27, 2020. Students who have not had their senior photo taken yet or who have not made an appointment are encouraged to schedule a time with Mare Studios. There is a $35 sitting fee which includes 12 proofs and choice of which photo is included in the yearbook. For students and families experiencing a hardship, Mare Studios will waive the sitting fee and will provide the photo directly to the school to be included in the yearbook.
Get Plugged In at DHS!
We are excited to offer many Clubs and Activities opportunities for the students of DHS. Students will be able to sign up for Clubs and Activities during the week of October 5 following our Monday Advisory when we will share our Get Plugged In newsletter and the many opportunities we have at DHS for students to get connected and be involved.
School Counseling & Support Services Department Updates
School Counseling Updates
Today's Future Fridays Topics included the Common Application and Letter of Recommendations/Testing. Each Friday a new topic is covered and students should sign up in Enriching Students under Guidance.
SAT test on November 7th - registration deadline is October 7th
ACT test on December 12th - registration deadline is November 6th
Class of 2021 - Guidance Counselors have emailed you the transcript request form to be used this school year.
Class of 2021 it is time to schedule an appointment with your guidance counselor to talk about what your plans are after high school: College, Technical Training Program, Enroll in one of the Armed Services Branches, Work Force, GAP Year, or still unsure of your plans. You can sign up with your counselor during PASE or sign up for one of the appointment time slots with your counselor.
Mr. McGrath Appointment Slots
Ms. Fitzgerald Appointment Slots
Ms. Heath Appointment Slots
Mr. Wright Appointment Slots
School Counselors will be reaching out this week to their students enrolled in the Virtual Learning Academy to do a check in. Students can use this time to discuss any challenges they may be having in classes, to talk about their progress as well as any academic questions they may have.
From September 28th through November 5th, MEFA will host a live College Financing webinar daily every Monday through Thursday, with daytime and evening hours. The webinar will provide a comprehensive overview of the full financial aid application process. To register for a live webinar click this link.
School Social Workers Update
The link for the Padlet for DHS School Psychologist and Social Workers has been updated. Additional updates to the Padlet include: the hours for the PASE Food Bank, a one minute digital wellness video, an article by Rick Hansen, and a great video on Everyday Mindfulness. Please use this new Padlet link.
Social workers are available during the school day to students and families. Students can sign up in Enriching Students to see a social worker during the PASE period.
Students can sign up for an appointment with a social worker. To sign up for an appointment, click on your social workers name and it will bring you to their appointment time slots that are available.
A-H - Mrs. Kristianna Fontes Callahan - Appointment Time Slots
I-P - Mrs. Cathy Thomas - Appointment Time Slots
Q-Z - Mrs. Stephanie Nocon - Appointment Time Slots
Updates from the DHS Virtual Learning Academy
The 59 students enrolled in the DHS Virtual Learning Academy continue to move through their academic coursework using the Edgenuity learning platform. DHS staff members continue to monitor their progress and content-specific support is available to them upon request.
Tests in Edgenuity courses are administered on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9:15 to 11:15 and students with pending tests are sent a reminder e-mail the day before.
Parents of VLA students should be receiving weekly progress reports directly from Edgenuity. The Edgenuity Family Portal provides parents the ability to support and monitor student progress. If your child is in the VLA and you’re not getting reports - or if you would like a code to access the Family Portal, please e-mail: richardgill@dartmouthschools.org.
From the DHS Health Office
If your child is exhibiting cold-like symptoms or any other symptoms that mimic or include symptoms of COVID-19, please keep your child home and call your PCP for advice. If your child comes into school with symptoms of COVID-19, they will be isolated and parents will be called to pick up their child and to have their child evaluated by his/her PCP. If the PCP feels the symptoms are related to an illness other than COVID-19, a medical note must be written to the school indicating the diagnosis and when the child may return to school. In EVERY case, the child must have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication before returning to school. Resources to support parents in monitoring symptoms is included below:
Student Screening Symptom Checklist
Assistant Principals' Corner
DHS students are working hard and are doing a great job adjusting to the more robust Remote Learning plan.
We would like to emphasize some common issues that our teachers have reported during remote learning and ask that you reinforce DHS expectations when you monitor your child’s education at home:
Students are expected to arrive on time and stay in the google meet until dismissed by their teacher;
Students should have their cameras on during class. If there’s a reason at home that this isn’t possible, please reach out to your student’s Assistant Principal.
Students should have an appropriate and dedicated learning space, free from distractions.
Students should not have friends with them when attending classes.
Students should not share their Google Meet Links with anyone.
Students are able to create their own Google Profile Picture. We respect the creativity our students have put into these pictures; however they must remain school-appropriate. Images depicting violence, alcohol or drugs, etc. will not be allowed and may lead to your child being unable to choose their own design moving forward.
DHS Student Photos with Mare Studios
Photographers from Mare Studios will be at Dartmouth High School on October 21, 2020 (Cohort A) and October 22, 2020 (Cohort B) to take students photos. Students will report outside and will remain social distant in order to ensure photographs are taken safely. More details to follow in subsequent Community Updates.
Announcing DHS Student Council Elections!
The Dartmouth High School Student Council will be holding elections on October 23, 2020. Any student in grades 9-12 wishing to run for office should join the Student Council Google Classroom with the following join code: 4g7sowd to access nomination forms and other required documents.
An informational meeting will be held for interested students on October 6, 2020 during the PASE period using the Google Meet link located within the Google Classroom. Students unable to attend the meeting should email Student Council Advisor Mrs. McCarron-Deely at caitlinmccarrondeely@dartmouthschools.org.
Homework Hangout has started virtually and will run after school from 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. This fantastic support is supervised by DHS Teacher Mrs. True and provides students an opportunity to receive support from peer tutors. In order to take advantage of this opportunity, students should utilize the following link: Homework Hangout Meet Link.
Virtual Orientation Teacher Trivia Winners!
Congratulations to the following DHS students for submitting their responses to the Freshman Teacher Trivia Scavenger Hunt which was part of our Virtual Class of 2024 and New Student Orientation Program! Please contact Mrs. English by email at AngelaEnglish@dartmouthschools.org to schedule a time to pick up your prize!
Olive Arruda
Donovan Burgo
Olivia Chaves
Brooke Davis
Lillian Gillis
Abigail Moura
Rosanais Pereyra
Chase Roderigues
Sarah Veloso
Makai Vincent
Remote Learning Reminders
Remote Learning Safety Nets
The faculty and staff at Dartmouth High School are aware students and families are anxious about remote learning, including how students will be graded. Please be aware that we have several safety nets in place.
One safety net is the design of the Grading Policy itself. Students were made aware during the opening advisory session and by teachers throughout the opening week, that formative assessments as well as summative assessments are able to be revisited, resubmitted or retaken by doing the following:
- Within 1 week of receiving the results of their formative/summative assessment, students should request the opportunity to revisit the assessment by speaking directly with their teacher either during a Google Meet or by sending an email.
- The teacher will consult with the student to make them aware of what they need to do in order to prepare for the 2nd attempt. In some cases this may include completing an assignment they had not yet turned in, in other cases it might simply be to correct mistakes made on the first attempt, or to verbally conference with the teacher to discuss the upcoming 2nd attempt.
- Schedule a mutually convenient time to sit for and complete the 2nd attempt.
Students and families should be aware that whatever score they receive on the 2nd attempt--better or worse--is the grade that will remain in calculating the student's term grade.
Students are also encouraged to take advantage of the availability of members of our Student Support Team. The breakdown, by alphabet is included below. Additionally, students are always able to reach out to their advisor should they have any questions.
Dartmouth High School
Email: rossthibault@dartmouthschools.org
Website: dartmouth.school/domain/8
Location: 555 Bakerville Road, Dartmouth, MA, USA
Phone: 508-961-2700
Twitter: @DartmouthHS