SHS Warrior Call
Respect: Earn It, Give It, Live It!
Welcome!
ISSUE 6 - February 12, 2016
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!
SHS Core Values
Seekonk High School is committed to creating a safe, supportive environment where our students can develop the skills necessary to become independent thinkers and problem solvers capable of addressing the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. The staff, students, family, and community members will collaborate to create an atmosphere of compassion, appreciation of diversity, and mutual respect. We will provide stimulating academic and extracurricular programs that are relevant and engaging so we can meet the needs of all learners.
The 2016 Jazz Dinner will be held on Thursday, February 25th from 6:30- 8 pm in the SHS Cafeteria. Tickets cost $15 and are on sale now! Payments are made to SMPA and are available from the Band Office or from any Jazz Band member. Don't miss out on this great event!
The Model United Nations Team would like to send a BIG thank you to all those students, staff and parents who supported them by purchasing a rubber duck and sending it to someone special! Ducks were delivered today and smiles were plentiful all over the school!
PHN Peer Tutoring will be every Thursday from 2-2:30 in the library. Please sign up in guidance for the subject you wish to cover.
Ms. Nelson's Social Justice class is trying to spread awareness and respect by helping the Spread the Word to End the Word™ campaign. Check out this flyer to see how you can get involved!
Athletic Registration for the 2016 Spring Sports Season has begun and ends on Sunday, 3/13/16. Physicals scheduled through the School's Nurse, will be on Monday, 3/14/16. It is extremely important that if an athlete suspects that their Sports Physical Exam is going to expire "prior to" or "during" the Spring Sports Season, they should contact Mrs. Rok, to schedule a Sports Physical Exam on that day.
Opportunities Fair
Graduating Seniors are invited to attend this program facilitated by the School to Career Partnership on February 25th. Students interested in attending may see their guidance counselor or Ms. Louro.
2016 Seekonk Youth Baseball
Registration is open, but closes on February 29. Be sure to check the website for details. Don't miss out!
2016 Spring signup for the town Girls Softball League
Town league signups are fast approaching! Please check this flyer for important dates and regulations so you do not miss out on any opportunities!
Notary Services are available for residency documents at every school in the district. If you are submitting residency paperwork, just bring it to the school and we will notarize it for you when it is submitted!
For Future Planning:
Thursday, May 5 - Honor Societies - Induction Ceremonies @ 6:30 PM
Saturday, May 14 – Prom at the Viking Hotel in Newport from 6:30-10:30 PM
Friday, May 27-Saturday, May 28 – Senior Trip to Six Flags and Lake George
Wednesday, June 1 - Senior Class Night @ 7 PM
Friday, June 3 - Graduation @ 6:30 PM
Tim Fortin Selected to Perform with the Massachusetts All State Concert Band
Congratulations to Junior Tim Fortin who was selected to perform on the Double bass with the Massachusetts All State Concert Band at Boston's Symphony Hall in early March. He will participate in the All State Music Festival at Boston's Seaport World Trade Center with the top Massachusetts high school musicians for two days to rehearse with the ensemble before playing in the concert. Great job Tim!
New Things at Seekonk High School
Seekonk High School held our 2nd Annual Academic Pep Rally on Thursday! This is designed to highlight academics and clubs. It was organized by members of the Peer Helping Network who were led by Ms. Keri Kozlowski and Ms. Kathleen Wilson. We would love to hear what students thought about it so we can make it even better next year!
With the help of Audio Visual Club, I have started a new video segment to replace The Dr. Is In. It is called The Principal's Corner. Under the direction of Mr. John Moran, it is designed to highlight some of the things going on around Seekonk High School. This first episode introduces the new Interim Assistant Principal Mr. Kevin Aguiar, talks about sports with the new Athletic Director Mr. Fred Crippen, and explains SHS's new Unified Sports program with Ms. Kristin Nelson. Check it out here!
Please do not hesitate to contact me via email or phone (508-336-7272 ext. 124) if you have any questions. I also post information on my blog and tweet (@DrCSJones) as often as possible. Please feel free to follow both for tips and updates.
The school report card has been published
MCAS scores and what they mean for the high school have been published. Please be sure to read this cover letter and the overview of the school's report card. Much more detailed information may be found at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's website.
Guidance - Mrs. Whatley
Seniors who are planning to attend college next year should be underway with filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA, https://fafsa.ed.gov/). If you need help with the application, there are two free events coming up to assist families.
- FAFSA Day 2016 Sunday, February 21 at 1:00 pm Bristol Community College, Fall River http://fafsaday.org/registration.php
- Bristol Community College in Attleboro is excited to host its annual “FAFSA Saturday” event on March 5, 2016 10 AM- 1 PM! This event is open to all students that are planning to attend college for the 2016-2017 academic year. For more details, please contact Holly Raposo at 774-357-3069.
Seekonk High School will be offering an eight week SAT Prep class starting on March 9th from 7 - 9 PM.
All juniors should have received a registration form in their English class. The registration fee is $120 which includes the new Official College Board Study Guide. Enrollment is limited, so please sign up early. If you would like your student to enroll have them return the registration form along with a check made out to the Town of Seekonk by March 2nd. Classes will meet on March 9,16,23,30, April 6,13,27 and May 4th. The course will be completed prior to the May and June SAT testing dates. Students should see their guidance counselor with any questions.
Who We Are - Getting to Know Our Staff
Various staff members are being asked to share 5 things about themselves in an effort to let everyone know about who makes up Seekonk High School's community. This week is:
Mrs. Virginia (Gini) Chianese
Something people may not know about me is that I met my husband in high school and we had our first date on Valentine’s Day. We are still going strong 42 years later.
Family is VERY important to me. We have a very close family and often have large family get- togethers usually involving cooking food and then enjoying what we have made, like homemade ravioli. My in-laws have lived with us for 22 years when they are not in Florida. I have two grown children and between them I have three grandchildren. I am so happy they live close by so I can see them often.
I have volunteered at Woman and Infants Hospital for ten years rocking the babies in the nursery. I also have volunteered at Doorways in Seekonk.
I received golf clubs for a Christmas gift about 10 years ago. I thought, okay, I will learn to play golf. To my surprise I really enjoy the game and have gotten pretty good at it. We have traveled and played golf in a lot of nice locations and have some really good memories.
I have a red corvette convertible.
Warrior Cries!
Mrs. Suzanne Larson...for being such an integral part of student learning. She is involved in all facets, from helping teachers plan assignments, incorporating technology, creating incredible lib-guides, giving helpful student tutorials for research, to always balancing library availability and overall being extremely accommodating. Thank you, Mrs. Larson! - Mrs.Ashley McVeigh
Mrs. Prata and Mrs. Chianese...for their welcoming and smiling faces each and every morning. They are considerate, EXTREMELY helpful, and always have a kind and encouraging word to share. Muito obrigada! - Mrs. Lisa Almeida
Mrs. Karen Abbott and Mrs. Sharon Zarzycki...for doing a great job as class advisors and organizing a fantastic Winter Ball! - Dr. Christopher Jones
Music News - Mr. Smialek
There are two performance opportunities coming up for our Band students. One is the Rhode Island College Trumpet Day, which will feature clinics and master classes by Jack Sutte, of the Cleveland Orchestra and Joe Foley, principal trumpet of the Rhode Island Philharmonic. This event takes place on Friday, February 26th from 3 pm to 10 pm at Rhode Island College and includes a concert by the RIC Wind Ensemble with Sutte and Foley as soloists. All trumpet students received a brochure about this FREE event. Students can register at: http://www.ric.edu/trumpetday/index.php.
The second performance opportunity is the Massachusetts Lions All State Band. Any students that would like to apply to perform with this group should see Mr. Smialek ASAP. The rehearsals and performances are April 27- April 30, 2016 in Mansfield, MA.
The SHS Jazz Band will rehearse on Wednesday, Feb. 17th from 6-8 pm due to the snowed out 2/8 rehearsal. Tickets for the 2016 Jazz Dinner are now on sale! This event will be held on Thursday, February 25th from 6:30- 8 pm in the SHS Cafeteria. Tickets are $15., payable to SMPA, and are available from the Band Office or from any Jazz Band member.
The SHS Marching Band will be going to the Hurley Middle School on Monday, February 22 during B and C periods to perform and give information to the Middle School Band students about the High School Band. SHS students should get their permission slips for this trip in as soon as possible.
We also have SHS Marching Band T-shirts available in all sizes for $17. See Mr. Smialek in the Band Office if you wish to purchase one (or two).
Information about the Band's May 13, 2016 trip to the Great East Band Festival and Six Flags New England was sent home with students in January and were due on February 9th. If there are any students who were not able to get these in (or if there is an issue with payments), please Mr. Smialek as soon as possible
Other upcoming Music Department events: Jazz Band performs at the Somerset-Berkley Jazz Festival on Wednesday, March 2nd at 5:30 pm and the SHS Marching Band will be marching in the Pawtucket St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, March 5th at noon.
Science News - Mrs. Cunard
EEP Registrations and payments are due to Mrs. Cunard no later than Friday, February 19th
Science Club participated in an Envirothon Workshop at Worcester Technical High School on February 4th in preparation for the Envirothon Competition in May. Students learned more about soils, forestry, wildlife, water and the current topic, Invasives.
On Thursday, February 11th, a group of students attended the Biotech STEM Panel series event at BCC. There were six panelists from different Biotech related companies who shared there academic and career paths. This is the first of three workshops. The next workshop, Women in STEM, will be on March 3rd and the last, Advanced Technologies, will be on April 6th.
SHS will be going to the Jane Goodall Event at UMASS Dartmouth on April 7th. Students will have the opportunity to attend the Green Fair, participate in the Eco Parade and attend a lecture by Jane Goodall. There will also be a book signing. Interested students should contact Mrs. Cunard as soon as possible.
SHS is holding an essay contest for the Jane Goodall event. The topic of the essay is, "How am I going to take action to make the world a better place for people, animals and nature?". Essays need to be in to Mrs. Cunard by February 23rd. The winning essay will be submitted to UMASS Dartmouth for a chance to have dinner with Jane Goodall.
TEAMS NEEDED! The Science Club is hosting a STEM Games Competition on Saturday, February 27th. Student teams will compete in science, technology, engineering and math events. Prizes will be awarded for the top team in each grade. The event is a fundraiser for Science Club and counts towards spirit points for each class.
Sports with Mr. Crippen
The Seekonk Girls Basketball are only two wins away from qualifying for the MIAA State tournament for the first time since 1996.
Congratulations to swimmers Maddy Paine, Troy Pina, Andrew Silveira, Lauren Shanahan, Matt Broadmeadow, Lindsay Scott, Jocelyn Fournier, and Jake Trenteseaux who will represent Seekonk High School in the MIAA State Sectional Swim Meet.
Good luck to our Boys and Girls Indoor Track teams as they travel to New Bedford Voke tomorrow morning for the South Coast Conference Championship Meet.
Free E-book and Audiobooks for SHS Students!
SHS students now have access to the Commonwealth eBook Collections by using their Seekonk High library usernames & log-ins. Students can access an exciting collection of new and popular fiction, non-fiction and audio books and access them through an app on their phone or personal device.
Visit the SHS Library homepage or click here to take it for a test drive today!
Students should log in using their SHS Library username/password. Need help? Stop into the library or send Mrs. Larson a e-mail!
Contact Information
Email: jonesc@seekonkschools.org
Website: http://shs.seekonk.sharpschool.com/
Location: 261 Arcade Avenue, Seekonk, MA, United States
Phone: (508) 336-7272
Twitter: @DrCSJones