Tyngsborough High School
January 27, 2023
What's Happening
Winter weather once again disrupted a portion of the week. This week the Robotics team hosted the Botball Competition Workshop. Eleven schools attended the event as they prepare for the competition later this spring. School Counselors met with juniors to discuss the college application process and outlined steps they should be beginning to take to prepare for senior year. School counselors also met with sophomores to discuss career planning, resume building and had them participate in mindfulness activities.
Art students shared proposals for a mural that will be painted on the library wall. We are excited to see the work begin in the coming weeks.
Congratulations to our Swim and Dive team seniors as they were recognized on Thursday night. Thank you for the last four years. The swim and dive team will be competing on Saturday against Bromfield at Clark University.
Tickets are now on sale for Newsies! THS & TMS Theater have been rehearsing and preparing for performances which will take place February 2nd through February 5th. For more information and to purchase tickets click here.
For the latest news and announcements follow Tyngsborough High School on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.#tpsprepares
Important Dates
02/02-02/05: TMS & THS Theater Performance of Newsies
02/14: TPS Winter Band Concert (Rescheduled) 7:00pm
02/16: College Fair (Kelleher Gymnasium) 6:00pm-8:00pm
02/20 - 02/24: February vacation
03/15: Early Release
Congratulations to the January Students of the Month
School Counseling
This week school counselors met with the junior class to discuss college planning strategies. Resources for families can be found in the "College Planning" section of the Tyngsborough High School Counseling page here: https://ths.tyngsboroughps.org/en-US/school-counseling-68ff6949
UPCOMING SAT EXAM
Attention Junior Parents: SAT School Day will be held at THS during the school day on Wednesday, March 22nd. This is the only time the SAT's will be held at THS this school year. Additional test dates and testing locations are available for registration on www.collegeboard.org
To register to take SAT School Day at THS on Wednesday, March 22nd, please submit payment through UniPay on the Tyngsborough Public Schools website. The cost is $65. Please contact your child's school counselor with any questions.
College Fair
THS is hosting the annual College Fair on Thursday, February 16th, 6pm-8pm. All students are encouraged to attend, as of today, there are over 60 colleges/universities signed up to attend.
College Representative Visits
College Reps are visiting THS this week to meet with seniors and juniors in the Student Services conference room. This is a great opportunity to hear about academic programs, residential life, study abroad opportunities, and professional / social organizations. Students should sign up through their Naviance account and fill out a green College Visit form found on the Student Services self-serve bookcase. Parents/Guardians can view the calendar on the School Counseling website. The visits are scheduled until mid-November.
Help Wanted Job Board
Student Services maintains a job board website for students looking for a job. Click here to view. On this website, there is a link on how to obtain a youth employment work permit for Massachusetts and New Hampshire jobs.
Community Service Board
For students looking to help the community and/or earn service hours, the Student Services office created a “Tigers Volunteer” website. Summer opportunities available! The community service board is only accessible from students' TPS Google accounts, click here.
Update From the THS Health Office
Wellness update- We continue to see increased student illness at THS and have been receiving reports of Covid-19, Influenza A & B, Strep, flu-like illnesses, the common cold and gastrointestinal illnesses.
Kindly review the TPS General Illness Protocols for school attendance.
The current Covid guidelines for K-12 students can be found here. Please note that we are no longer conducting Covid testing in the school setting. The Tyngsborough Board of Health has provided the schools with test kits that we can give out at no cost to any family that would like them. Please contact the school nurse via email if you would like free covid testing kits.
If your child tests positive for Covid-19 we are asking families to contact their child’s primary care provider to advise them of the positive Covid test and obtain guidance on return to school dates. It would also be our recommendation to request a medical excuse note from your child’s provider as well. A note from the doctor is not required to return to school, however it will suffice for a medical excuse for the absences.
Additionally, please keep the health office notified of any changes in your child’s health status to include diagnosis of communicable illness, fractures, sprains, concussions, new diagnosis, newly prescribed or changes in medication, etc.
Mandated Vaccines and Physical Exams- In accordance with Massachusetts Code of Regulations 105 CMR 200.000, prior to entering the 11th Grade, all students must provide a copy of a current physical (signed by an MD and dated within one year) and proof of immunization according to the Massachusetts School Immunization Requirements 2022-2023. This means all current 10th grade students must turn in a physical to the Health Office with proof of the required immunizations before the first day of 11th grade. It is best practice to send in a copy of your child’s current PE after each well visit or immunization.
MANDATED HEALTH SCREENINGS
Grade 10: Vision, Hearing and Height & Weight Screenings are underway.
Grade 9: Postural Screening for scoliosis is underway.
Grade 9: Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) will commence next week for all grade 9 students. The SBIRT protocol facilitates a one-on-one conversation between each student and a school counselor or nurse in an effort to prevent or at least delay the start of using harmful substances, such as alcohol and marijuana. SBIRT does not result in disciplinary action. This program focuses on reinforcing healthy decisions and addressing concerning behaviors around substance use with the goal of improving health, safety and success in school. We will use the CRAFFT II screening interview, which is the most used substance-use screening tool for adolescents in Massachusetts. The screenings are brief (5-10 minutes) and will be conducted in a confidential setting in private one-on-one sessions with one of the counselors or nurses trained in SBIRT screening. Students who are not using substances will have their healthy choices reinforced. The screener will provide brief feedback to any student who reports using substances or is determined to be at risk for future substance use. What your child tells the screener is confidential and will not be shared with any other person without prior written consent of the student, parent or guardian, except in cases of immediate medical emergency or when disclosure is otherwise required by state law. No written record of the results of this verbal screening is kept with information that identifies any individual student. Screening results will not be included in your child’s school record. You can view the CRAFFT tool and other SBIRT resources on the www.masbirt.org/schools website. Please keep in mind that these screenings are State mandated and are not diagnostic. As with any school-based screening, you have the option to opt your child out of this process. Additionally, students may also opt out of this process at any time.
If your child is screened during their well visit, you may wish to send in a copy of the exam to the Health Office so we may update your child’s records. Additionally, if you choose to refuse to have your child screened in school, a written parental note is required along with proof that your child has been evaluated by a physician for each screening refused.
As always if you have any questions or concerns regarding the health and well being of your child, please contact me at the number below.
Debbie Donohoe BSN, RN, NCSN
Phone: 978-649-7571 (option 2)
Fax: (978) 649-1877
Email: debbie.donohoe@tyngsboroughps.org
Athletics
If your student is interested in playing a spring sport, in-school sign-ups are now taking place. These sign-ups allow us to collect the names of students interested in a particular sport and provide them information prior to the start of the season, which is scheduled for Monday, March 20th.
Winter Sports Schedules
Upcoming weekend events:
Friday, 01/27
Boys Basketball vs Clinton 7:00pm
Girls Basketball @ Clinton 7:00pm
Saturday, 01/28
Wrestling @ Methuen 9:00am
Swim @ Bromfield 11:00am
Hockey @ Groton-Dunstable 7:00pm
Sunday, 01/29
Hockey vs Haverhill 4:00pm
If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Pitts in the athletic office at kelly.pitts@tyngsboroughps.org or 978-649-4210.
Tyngsborough Scholarship Trust Fundraiser
Tyngsborough High School
For the latest news and announcements follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. #tpsprepares
*The official text is the English version of this communication. Any discrepancies or differences created in the translation are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or enforcement purposes. If any questions arise related to the accuracy of the information, refer to the English version of this communication, which is the official version. Please contact Tyngsborough Public Schools if more help is needed.
Email: jeffrey.ogden@tyngsboroughps.org
Website: ths.tyngsboroughps.org
Location: 36 Norris Road, Tyngsborough, MA, USA
Phone: 978-649-7571
Facebook: facebook.com/tyngsboroughps.org
Twitter: @tynghighprin