SHS Warrior Call
Respect: Earn It, Give It, Live It!
Welcome!
November 10, 2017 - Volume 3 - ISSUE 11
Welcome to the Seekonk High School Newsletter! It is designed to keep everyone (parents, students, staff, and community members) informed of the many events that are happening around the school. It contains links, pictures, and videos so that you have a more interactive experience and the ability to learn more (if you wish) about various topics.
As always, we welcome feedback! Let us know what you think by contacting us and sharing our news!
important dates
November 16, 2017: Parent/Teacher Conferences
December 2, 2017: Senior Supper at the Squantum Association from 6:30pm - 10:00pm
January 12 - January 18, 2018: Midterm Exams
May 11, 2018: Junior/Senior Prom at the Newport Marriot
May 30 2018: Senior Class Night at 7:00PM
June 1, 2018: Graduation at 6:30PM
2018 Ski Program
around town...
Notary
Dr. Jones
Communicate with students in three easy ways...
Now that the conversations (and possibly a little dust) have settled concerning grades, I want to encourage parents to do something in the upcoming week as parent conferences quickly approach; prepare. I wrote a blog post with all kinds of tips for having a successful parent conference. These are simple steps that with a little forethought and follow up can help you maximize the limited amount of time you actually have on this important night. You can read the post here.
This brings me to my second point that is the first thing needed to prepare for conferences and ensure continued success of your student; communication. As promised; here it is in three easy steps:
1. Make sure you communicate frequently.
Progress reports and report cards are not enough to keep you informed about your student's progress. Even frequent updating of the grading portal is not adequate because it does not give you the perspective of your student. They may need support in a way you have not thought of before. You will not find that out until too late if you either wait for grades or only consult the numbers. Ask often to catch issues before they become too large to handle.
2. Be authentically interested in knowing rather than judgmental.
Ensure your students that you only want to help. Just telling them will not convince them. You have to show them. There will be rough patches, but do not get upset or mad. Rather, push that perspective aside and see it as an opportunity to authentically show your student that you only want to help. It is amazing how quickly students will open up once they feel safe. The trick is to get students intrinsically motivated. Have them succeed because they want to (with your help) rather than being afraid of what will happen if they do not.
3. Ask open ended questions for more conversation.
We have all heard the response "nuthin" when we ask what our student did in school today. Do not even give the chance for such a simple, closed answer. Instead try one of these:
- What two new things did you learn today?
- What were your two favorite things that you did today?
- What were the two worst things that happened today?
- What was covered in class today that you already knew? How can you take it a little further?
These types of questions will open up a dialogue that you can follow through on with your student. it gives them the opportunity to share how they really feel and what they honestly think about their day. They will talk about social and academic issues, wins, and losses. Trust me; all the stuff you want to hear about.
Finally, and this is for the students.
Share with your parents! They honestly do care and want the best for you. Stop acting too cool to let them in when they are one of your best resources.
Weekly video message...
Around School...
The School Report Card Has Been Published
Guidance - Mrs. Whatley
Report cards were distributed to students on Wednesday, November 8th. An electronic copy of each report card has been sent to your student's E-Locker in the portal. To view the report card in the Parent Plus portal click on E-Locker in the tool bar on the home page and then select the tab E-portfolio. In the E-portfolio you will find both the first quarter progress report and first quarter report cars. Please take the time to activate your account if you have not already done so.
All grade 10 students heard about the Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership Seminar taking place on June 15-17 at Bentley College in Waltham, MA. Students have the opportunity of being selected to represent Seekonk High School at the HOBY weekend by submitting a response to their guidance counselor a brief prompt on how they see themselves being a leader in the school or community. Ask your sophomore about the opportunity and see if they might be a good candidate for the program. More information on the leadership weekend can be found at www.hoby.org
Reminder-Guidance counselors are available after school each Wednesday to assist students with the college application process and Common Application.
SHS Financial Aid Night has been scheduled for December 7th at 6:30 PM in the high school auditorium. A representative from the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, MEFA, will present a comprehensive overview of the financial aid process for students including information on completing the FAFSA.
Assistant Principal - Mr. Aguiar
Tardy To School / Loss of Social Privileges
Attending school on time is very important.
Students need to be in their classrooms by the time the second bell rings at 7:25 am.
Policy From Handbook:
Students who accumulate 9 tardies during a semester will lose their extracurricular eligibility for the remainder of the semester. Extracurricular activities include sports, clubs, dances etc.
Students will be ineligible for membership on athletic teams and clubs, and attendance at school sponsored activities including the prom, other dances, and end of the year activities.
This policy will re-start new each semester.
warrior cries!
Thank you to Mrs. Billings and Mrs. Marinucci "for putting in extra hours after school to organize the NEASC Standard 1 evidence and to remind staff about what is still needed. A big task that is appreciated along with everything else they do." -Mrs. Whatley
Thanks to Mrs. Mello, Mr. Rubin, and Mrs. Fitzgerald "for taking a full day to attend a conference on integrating social emotional learning into schools. They had great ideas, clearly made an impact on other people at the conference, and are ready to make a difference for students at Seekonk high School!" -Dr. Jones
Art - Mrs. machado - Cook
The students have specific criteria for each card consisting of the elements and principles of art, color scheme and format. Check out the results of the cards so far!
Ceramics - Miss Jones
Mrs. Borden
Seekonk Students Compete in High School Quiz Show Qualifiers
Seekonk’s finest competed against 120 other schools from Massachusetts for a slot on the WGBH TV show High School Quiz Show, an award-winning single-elimination academic team competition for high school students in Massachusetts. The team represented Seekonk well and will find out if they made it next week. Good luck to the team!
Photo of High School Quiz Show team(L to R): Jason Ho, Brian Marulis, Tommy Ciolfi, Alexia Desrochers, Aditi Patel and Pritesh Patel
Science cafe - Mrs. Cunard
Portuguese Club - Mrs. Almeida
The Portuguese Club celebrated the day of São Martinho. Students gathered to celebrate “the harvest” eating roasted chestnuts and learning about the legend of the Roman solider Martinho.
Lots of laughter and great conversation transpired at this month’s Portuguese Club meeting.
College and Career readiness - Mrs. Fitzgerald
Local Professionals Needed to Help Guide Students' Career Exploration!
Can you help a student make more informed choices about their career and college plans? Consider volunteering to be a job shadow host and/or the subject of an informational interview. We will put your name on a list of possible contacts for students interested in doing in depth career exploration.
We welcome professionals from all fields to come forward; currently, however, we have three specific areas in which students would like to make contact. We are looking for a social worker, a voice actor, and an engineer. If you or anyone you know works in one of those areas and are willing to help a student investigate career paths, please reach out to Mrs. Calverley, Career Specialist, at 508-336-7272, xt.62447.
FYI: Job shadow hosts allow a student to visit you at your place of business to get a first-hand look at the job and have time to ask questions and get expert advice. Informational Interviewees would come to Seekonk High School to meet with a student or small group of students who are interested in knowing more about your line of work. There is no minimum time commitment in either role--this is done at your convenience.
Anyone wishing to be on the list must consent to a CORI (background) check, which can be processed at the Main Office.
Feel free to spread the word to your friends, neighbors, and SHS alumni.
Questions? Please contact Janet Fitzgerald, Transition Coordinator, 508-336-7272, ext. 62459
Nurse - Mrs. Rok
The Polished Program, a dental cleaning program, is coming to Seekonk High School on December 13, 2017 during the school day. If you would like to have your son/daughter receive a free dental cleaning, please email Mrs. Rok. Brochures will be coming soon.
Flu season is fast approaching and now is a good time to have your family receive a flu vaccine. Any person with asthma, diabetes, cardiac condition or immunocompromised conditions, should receive a flu shot. The Seekonk Board of Health has vaccines available for adults and children older than 4 (limited supply). Please call Jessica Horsman, Health Agent, to schedule a flu shot. Her number is (508) 336-2952.
Winter sports start on November 27, 2017. All athletes need a sports physical on file from October 27, 2016 or later. The school doctor will conduct sports physicals on November 30, 2017 at 2 PM. Please see Mrs. Rok if you plan on attending.
Pat Rok. My hours are 7:15 AM to 2PM. My phone number is (508) 336-7272 ext. 62119.
athletics - Mr. crippen
The championship undefeated dream season of the Seekonk Boys Soccer team came to an end Wednesday evening at Brockton High School as the Warriors fell to Dover-Sherborn 1-0 in the South Division 3 Sectional Semifinals. Monday under the lights at home Seekonk defeated the Medway High Mustangs Monday in the Division 3 South Quarterfinals 1-0 in Overtime. The Warriors used a strong defensive effort from Kevin Moskowitz and Matt Silveira along with outstanding goalkeeping from Luke Robitaille to keep Medway off the scoreboard. In the first overtime period, Senior Captain Rony Morales delivered the game winning goal on a direct kick from just outside the goal box. Congratulations on a fine season!
The Seekonk Unified Sports Program will be honored Saturday at Gillette Stadium after being chosen the “Champion Unified School of the Year” by Special Olympics of Massachusetts. Congratulations to Coach Kristin Nelson, her coaching staff and all the Warrior athletes and partners.
The Seekonk Cross Country participated in the very prestigious MSTCA Coaches Invitational meet last Saturday. The following ran very well and earned medals for their performances: Brandon Gomes Jacob Klang, Josh Valente,Hannah Bradbury, Julia Rickard, Vanessa Jacome, Hunter Studley, Connor Pozzi ,and James Tenreiro. The top performers were Henry Jordan and Abigail Tenreiro who finished 2nd in their race. The outstanding performance of the entire day was turned in by Andrew Cabral who won his race and missed the course record by 1/2 of a second. This time and placement proved that Andrew is the best freshman in the state this year. The varsity teams will move on this weekend to the MIAA Division 5 championship meet.
Last Friday night the Seekonk Football squad played well at Cohasset but fell 14-6. Spencer Dowty had an interception for the Warriors and Ryan Riordan had a big fumble recovery to put the Warriors in a position to score but the 4-5 Warriors had trouble scoring in the red zone. Seekonk quarterback Terry Smith completed 17 of 25 passes for 150 yards, including a 10-yard scoring strike to Riordan with 57 seconds left in the second quarter. Cam Sears caught four of Smith’s passes for 30 yards, while Riordan had three grabs for 45 yards. Brett Mancini amassed 85 yards rushing for Seekonk on 12 carries. The road weary Warriors will return home this Friday night with a 7 PM game versus Bellingham on Senior Night.
The Seekonk Girls Soccer team fell in the first round of the State Tournament last Friday night to powerful East Bridgewater high school 4-1. The Lady Warrior goal was scored by Morgan Halpin with an assist from Trinity Cloud. Goalie Deirdre Rocha made seven saves including a stop on a penalty kick. Seekonk, who won the SCC Small division crown with a 9-5 record, closes the season with a 10-10-1 record.
The Seekonk Field Hockey team, after defeating Westport in the opening round of the State Tournament, bowed to Dover-Sherborn 5-0 in the Second Round last Friday. The SCC small division champ Warriors conclude the 2017 season with a 12-7-1 record.
The Seekonk Public Schools strives to provide a safe, respectful, and supportive learning environment in which all students can thrive and succeed in its schools. The Seekonk Public Schools prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation and ensures that all students have equal rights of access and equal enjoyment of the opportunities, advantages, privileges, and courses of study.
Contact Information
Email: jonesc@seekonkschools.org
Website: http://shs.seekonk.sharpschool.com/
Location: 261 Arcade Avenue, Seekonk, MA, United States
Phone: (508) 336-7272
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeekonkHighSchool/
Twitter: @SeekonkHS