May 2005
Volume 18
Number 8
May 2005
Volume 18
Number 8
Athletic Director Steve Desy was warmly introduced by Steve Donovan at our April Forum. Mr. Donovan thanked Mr. Desy for his many years of coaching and service, and acknowledged the many awards that led to his appointment last July.
Mr. Desy began by stating that his philosophy on athletics is not about winning or losing games, but “winning at life”. Participation in sports teaches “life lessons”. Studies have shown that often students’ grades improve as they become more physically fit. At A-B, athletics are considered an extension of the classroom. We offer 74 teams for girls and boys in grades 7–12. 1800 students participate in sports, including 207 students on the Junior High track team, 160 on the High School track team, and 110 on the football team. 669 students participate in the fall, 446 in the winter, and over 700 in the spring. While some teams define success by number of wins, “personal bests” are the most common goals. Freshmen teams include: football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball, and lacrosse. “No cut” teams (everyone who wants to participate may do so) include: cross country (JH and HS), skiing (HS), wrestling (HS), indoor track (HS), and outdoor track (JH and HS).
One of the most challenging parts of the Athletic Director’s job is managing the 109 coaches. While most coaches know their sport, there is a significant amount of education that takes place regarding how to identify and handle some of the serious issues that some of our children may be dealing with, including eating disorders, depression, and sexual abuse. Student athletes tend to trust their coaches, and will sometimes turn to a coach for help, instead of a teacher or counselor. Coaches need to know how to handle these situations appropriately. Mr. Desy also meets individually with every coach and talks to them about behavior and sportsmanship. When a parent questioned how one coach handled an incident, Mr. Desy emphatically said, “I want to hear about situations where parents have concerns or trouble. Please tell me directly so I can address it.”
Another challenge is creating enough opportunities for all interested students to participate. It is very difficult for coaches and administration to disappoint children and cut players from a team. If more money and space were available, there could be more intramurals, as well as new teams such as: fencing, ultimate Frisbee, boys’ volleyball, crew, and sailing. (Intramurals are not covered by the Athletic Department, but are directed by Bruce Oetinger.)
The budget for our Athletic Department comes from two sources. One is the “appropriated budget,” which involves the Principals, Superintendent, School Committee, and ultimately the Acton and Boxborough Town Meetings. The other source is the “revolving accounts,” which cover the user fees ($160 per student per sport per year), gate receipts, ABSAF donations, and other gifts such as Boosters, Middlesex Bank, and miscellaneous.
A parent asked if AEDs (automatic electronic defibrillators) were being considered as life saving safety equipment. At approximately $1500 each, Mr. Desy is talking with a potential donor and hopes to have two units in about a month. One AED would be in the school nurse’s office and the other would be outside with the athletes.
Mr. Desy said that “at the end of an athletic experience, a child should feel good about it, that they participated for the ‘love’ of the game, and not that he or she was a ‘star’.” It was a pleasure to get to know our new Athletic Director, and hear his priorities for our children.
We hope to see you on Monday, May 16th in the High School Commons B for our last PTSO meeting of the year. At 7:00 p.m. we will vote on our new Board and budget. At 7:30 p.m. we will present our annual “Surviving the College Search” with a panel of current A-B Seniors and their parents who will share their experiences. It is always “standing room only” so don’t miss it! Students and parents/guardians are welcome to attend.
- Beth and Jan
The Nominating Committee for the PTSO Board is looking for people to fill several volunteer positions on the Board for next year. We have positions with varying ranges of responsibility and time commitment. It's a great way to contribute to the junior high and high school! If you're interested in finding out more about available positions, please contact Martha Rounds at 978-263-7227 or mrounds@newview.org.
The slate will be voted on at the PTSO meeting on May 16th at 7:00 p.m. in the High School Commons B. All parents and guardians are welcome to attend and vote.
- Nominating Committee
| Co-Chair (HS) |
Beth Petr |
| Co-Chair (JH) |
Jan Couch |
| Secretary |
OPEN |
| Treasurer |
Caroline Crosby |
| Directories (HS) |
Judy Peters |
| Directories (JH) |
OPEN |
| Alumni Liason |
Susan
Brozek, |
| Gardening (HS) |
Damara Press Subha Thiagarajan |
| Interschool Council (JH&HS) |
Joyce
Musacchio, Patty Flanagan |
| Membership (HS) |
Holly Ben Joseph |
| Membership (JH) |
OPEN |
| Newcomer Welcoming (HS) |
Sue Hart |
| Newcomer Welcoming (JH) |
Bonnie Maserang |
| Newsletter |
Mary Martyak |
| Nominating |
OPEN |
| Project Graduation |
OPEN |
| Publicity |
Sharon Smith McManus |
| Volunteer Coordinators (HS) |
Susan Moncrieff |
| Volunteer Coordinators (JH) |
Debbie Clough |
THANK YOU to everyone who responded so generously to the recent PTSO dues reminder letter. The $25 annual family dues is our only fundraiser. $10,000 was collected as a result of the letter. $3,333 of this has been given to Junior High Principal Craig Hardimon and $6,666 has been given to High School Principal Steve Donovan. They are very grateful for these donations!
There are three openings for parents/guardians on the ABRHS School Council for next year. The School Council meets monthly in the evening and acts as an advisory body for the principal. The School Council also has responsibility for approving a School Improvement Plan each year and monitoring progress against the plan.
Any parent or guardian interested in running for one of these positions should forward a brief statement (5 or 6 sentences) about his or her background and interests to Beth Petr at BPetr@att.net or call her at 978-263-7208 by May 10th. Ballots will be included in the June issue of the Newsletter with a voting deadline of mid-June.
The R.J. Grey School Council election occurs in the Fall.
ABRHS NEWS
FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Steve Donovan
We are grateful to the community
for supporting the override at the end of March. We are now interviewing candidates
for the assistant principal position and teaching positions for fall. Assistant
Principal Fran Riley, who has been a key part of the A-B staff for 39 years,
is retiring at the end of the school year. Needless to say, he will be missed.
Recognition
I am pleased to announce
the names of recent recipients of the Principal’s Recognition Award for service
to school and community. The students recognized in March were Leslie Funk,
Renee Gliddon, Paige Malinowski and Todd McFarlin. April’s honorees were Zach
Camara, Greg Hodgman, Julia Rey and Annie Wang.
Our delegation to the Massachusetts Future Business Leaders of America conference
in April brought home seven trophies and four state offices. Ji Xiao was elected
state president; Nina Xue, state vice president; Wen Xiao, state secretary;
and Max Tabachnik, state parliamentarian.
Our Science Team took first place in the Massachusetts Science Olympiad and
will compete in Illinois at the Nationals in May. Members of this group, coached
by science teacher Brian Dempsey, are Katie Ames, Samarth Bhargava, Jack Coldwell,
Jonathan Eisenberg, Oliver Hong, Kostya Kashin, Alex Kazberouk, Maya Khasin,
Lucy Li, Prabhat Putchkayala, Andrew Reiter, James Richards, Paul Suntsov,
Annie Wang, Haoshu Yang, Anna Tarakanov, Yi Liu, Albert Chuang, and Scott
Chen.
Six members of our Speech and Debate Team have qualified for the national
competition to be held in Milwaukee in May. They are Mark Amoroso, Stephanie
Li, Ian Keyworth, Wenxi Li, Dave Estabrook, and Susan Yao.
Rick Kilpatrick, our boys basketball coach, was selected as coach of the year
for Division I North by the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association.
Congratulations to all!
Upcoming events
Our sophomores will
be involved in several days of MCAS testing during the weeks of May 16 and
May 23. We appreciate the support and cooperation of students and parents
during this activity, which necessitates many changes in our routine.
A-B will host an after school concert (date to be announced) in May by singer/songwriter
Gavin DeGraw. English teacher Julia Buonopane was the grand prize winner in
the 2004 Song Lesson Contest sponsored by the Rock and Roll Library, submitting
a lesson plan which drew connections between the Transcendentalists and DeGraw’s
song “I Don’t Wanna Be.” DeGraw will participate in a question and answer
session with
Julia’s students prior to the
concert. We expect to hold a lottery for the free tickets to the concert if
the demand exceeds the auditorium capacity.
We are looking forward to our traditional lineup of senior activities in May
leading up to graduation on June 3. Parents of seniors should have received
a separate letter with important dates for seniors and their families. This
and other information is also available on our web site. We invite anyone
interested to join us for the Scholarship Ceremony for seniors on May 31 as
well as for graduation. These events are celebrations of our students, of
their achievements and of the families and communities which support them.
- Steve Donovan
The end of the year schedule,
given the two snow days that we have taken, calls for June 17 to be the final
day of classes for underclassmen and the last full day of school. Final examinations
are scheduled for June 20 through June 23, all half days.
Examinations:
Date
English final exams
(during English classes) – June 16 & 17
Exams for 1st and 2nd period classes – June 20
Exams for 3rd and 4th period classes – June 21
Exams for 5th and 6th period classes – June 22
Exams for 7th and 8th period classes – June 23
We request that you make every
effort to avoid or resolve any conflicts with this schedule.
If an emergency situation exists, or a serious conflict that cannot be resolved,
the parent/guardian may request permission for the student to take examinations
early. This request should be addressed to Larry Dorey, Vice Principal, and
should clearly state the student’s name, grade, why the student is unable
to take examinations as scheduled, the date of the student’s last day at school,
and the final examinations (classes and teachers) that will be affected.
All requests for change in exam schedule must be received by May 27.
- Larry Dorey
Absence Policy
Parents are to notify the Main
Office of all student absences. Please call (264-4700 ext. 3500) on the day
of the absence. If parent notification is not received, the absence will be
recorded as unexcused. An unexcused absence will be defined as a truancy and
the student will be required to serve an after school detention for each truancy
recorded. If the detention is not served within the specified time, three
points will be deducted from the student’s term average in the class the student
was truant from.
In accordance with the school policy, each student shall be granted an opportunity
to earn full credit for any course as long as his/her total absences (excused
and unexcused) do not exceed 20 days per full year course, 10 days per semester
course, or 5 days per semester course meeting on alternate days.
Tardy Policy
School starts at 7:23
a.m. If a student comes to school later than that, he/she must sign in at
the Main Office. Students arriving late to school in excess of three days
per term will be required to meet with their Vice Principal before gaining
admittance into class. Students chronically late to school will be assigned
detention. If a student is late to class during the day, the classroom teacher
may require the student to attend after school detention and /or reduce the
student’s class participation grade for that day.
Dismissals
If a student needs to
be released early, he/she must bring a note signed by a parent or legal guardian
to the Main Office prior to third period, on the day of the dismissal. In
the event of an emergency, parents may call the Main Office to have their
child dismissed on that day. Students returning to school must check in at
the Main Office when they arrive. Students leaving campus without following
the proper dismissal procedures will be considered truant from any class missed.
Notes excusing truancies due to the student’s failure to follow the dismissal
policy will not be accepted. Upperclassmen with privileges are expected to
follow the same dismissal procedures.
Our
many wonderful Peer Tutors have worked diligently with students during
the third term in the Academic Support Center. Their sense of humor, positive
attitude, enthusiasm and commitment to their tutees and other students in
the program is greatly appreciated. We recognize and thank: Gregory
Barr, Chris Bees, Kate Brady, Eric Carlson, Kathryn Corcoran, Lee Dietterich,
Kendall Downer, Nick Dreckshage, Jared Eisenberg, Mike Engber, Matt Fisher-Post,
Laurel Geist, Ari Gimbel, Matthew Goodnow, Carrie Halloran, Anat Hochberg,
Rashmi Jasrasaria, Laura Jenkins, Harsha Krovi, Anton Li, Lucy Li, Wenxi Li,
Zack Luz, Sam Matson, Jim McSweeney, Beth Morris, Kent Owen, Kyle Pochini,
Nikhil Pradhan, Prabat Putchakayala, Danielle Raad, Emily Reuman, Daniella
Sasson, Alexandra Sweeney, Caroline Tulp, Patrick Wu and Sarah Zhang.
These tutors are available to work with students on a short or long term basis.
Now is the perfect time for students to stop by the ASC, located in
Room 242S, to receive assistance with assignments or to prepare for an exam.
- Jacalyn Starr, Academic
Support Center
A Panel
of ABRHS Seniors and Their Parents
Monday, May 16, 7:30 p.m., ABRHS Commons B
Are you worried about how you and your student will navigate the college search
process successfully? Are there alternatives that you should consider?
Does just thinking about it make you anxious? Come meet some of our
current Seniors and their parents who have recently completed this process.
Panel members, representing a range of experiences and decisions, will share
their stories and answer questions from the audience. Students and parents/guardians
are welcome.
Sponsored by the PTSO and ABRHS Counseling Department
Roche Bros. Fundraiser!
Roche Bros. is sponsoring the 5th Annual Receipt Collection Day on Friday, May 6 from 4-7p.m. Project Graduation will receive 5% of all grocery receipts (not credit card receipts) collected by our volunteers. Please consider buying a gift certificate for future shopping - this is where we benefit the most. They can be redeemed at any time. Gift certificates can also be ordered in advance and hand delivered to you. Simply fill out the form below. Questions can be directed to Dawn Gomez (978-264-9686 or gomezd@us.ibm.com).
Project Graduation Open House
The public is invited to an open house at the High School on Friday, June 3 from 8:30-9:30 p.m. for a special one-hour viewing before the new graduates arrive. Please join us - we think you’ll be amazed!
Project Graduation Website
Want to learn more about Project Graduation? Visit our website at http://www.abprojectgrad.org/.
Volunteers and Donations Are Still Needed
Project Graduation 2005 is well underway, but we still need your support. Please consider volunteering your time – we encourage all parents of underclassmen (grades 7-11) to help with this wonderful and fun event. Donations can be made using the form below: please make checks payable to ABRPTSO – Project Graduation.
Project Graduation Volunteer Form
Sign me up! I’d like to volunteer in the following area(s):
_____Theme Design & Decorations _____Food Planning _____ Set up _____Logistics _____Lighting _____Food Serving _____Entertainment _____Crafts _____Casino
_____Challenge Games _____Photography _____Chaperone
OR _____No preference, just want to help out.
Name:__________________________ Phone Number:_________________________
Email Address:_________________________
Please send this form to: Project Graduation, c/o ABRPTSO, P.O Box 912, Acton, MA 01720.
A CLEARED CORI FORM ON FILE AT ABRHS IS REQUIRED TO VOLUNTEER ON JUNE 3!
Roche Bros. Gift Certificate Order Form
Name:______________________________ Phone Number:______________________
Address:____________________________ Amount:____________________________
Please mail your check, payable to Roche Bros., to: Project Graduation, P.O. Box 912, Acton,
MA 01720. Checks must be received by 5/5/05. Gift certificates over $50.00 will be hand delivered.
RJGJHS NEWS
FROM THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Craig Hardimon
Although RJG is an extremely supportive and safe school, it is also a large community of over one thousand citizens (not including Community Education) and, as such, suffers from many of the maladies of any society.
Specifically, I am addressing the issue of theft. While there is an extremely low frequency of such problems, thefts do occasionally happen and we all need to be careful and use common sense. Every year we tell the students in class and in the handbook that they should leave their valuables at home. Items such as MP3 players, walkmen, phones, jewelry, and cash (other than lunch money) really have no place at school. The best way to avoid such problems is not to bring valuables to school. If any of these items must be brought to school, students should store them in their lockers and lock the locker.
The assistant principals spend a significant amount of time investigating every reported theft and often recover the missing items. What is often more disturbing than the thefts themselves is the victims own contributing behavior. Students frequently leave their lockers unlocked making it extremely easy for an unscrupulous person to quickly take what they want. Even after multiple school wide, classroom, and individual reminders to lock their lockers, students regularly don’t change their behavior until after they have lost something of value.
Parents and guardians, we need your help. Please speak to your child about making wise decisions and acting responsibly.
-Craig Hardimon
The following is an excerpt from 4/05 issue of Middle Years. The entire issue can be found on the RJG web site.
Making Decisions
Every child, from preschooler to high schooler, has to make decisions. While there’s no single formula for success, these steps may help improve your middle grader’s ability to make good choices.
Ask it. Thinking about how his actions will affect other people can help your child learn to consider those around him when he has a decision to make. Example: Will my decision hurt or upset anyone?
Ponder it. Are there options your middle grader hasn’t considered? Encourage her to evaluate new possibilities that might be better than her original choices. Looking at a problem from all sides offers better solutions.
Evaluate it. Did things work out? Reflecting on results—good and bad—can help your youngster make better choices in the future.
Parent to Parent - Differences of Opinion
I’ve always taught my children to respect the opinions of others. So when I overheard my son Manuel calling another kid stupid, I stepped in. First, I made him come inside. Then, I repeated what I heard and asked him why he said it. “Because he doesn’t like skateboards!” Manuel exclaimed. I explained that what he said was rude and probably hurt the other boy’s feelings. I told my son that people are entitled to their opinions, even if they’re different from his. Then, I asked Manuel if he’d like to be called stupid. He quickly said no. Manuel agreed to apologize. I can’t say the situation has made them friends, but the boy thanked my son for seeking him out. And Manuel knows that if he calls someone a name again, he will lose his skateboard for a week.
Would you like to get more involved in the ABRHS PTSO? The Board of Directors is looking for new people for positions opening up on next year's Board. If you have questions, or want to volunteer, please contact Martha Rounds at mrounds@newview.org or 978-263-7227.
REGIONAL SCHOOL CALENDARS
High School Dates of Interest
May
2-13
Advanced Placement
Exams
2-20
Senior Internships
3
Spring Concert,
7:30 p.m.
4
Awards Night, Auditorium,
7:00 p.m.
6 Jamnesty, student performances,
hosted by Amnesty International, Commons, 2:30 p.m.
7 SAT I & II
12 MCAS Long Composition
make-up date
17-27
MCAS Testing
19, 20 English finals
for seniors
20 Last day of classes
for seniors
20, 21 Madrigal dinner
23-26
Senior finals
25
Class plays, 7:00
p.m.
26, 27 Graduation rehearsal
28
Prom, (juniors and
seniors) Park Plaza Hotel, Boston
30
Memorial Day–No
school
31
Senior Class trip
31 Scholarship Ceremony,
Auditorium, 7:00 p.m.
June
1 Class
elections for grades 9–11
1 Graduation rehearsal
2 World Language Awards Night and Honor
Society Induction, 7:00 p.m.
3 Graduation, Edward M. Leary Field, 5:30
p.m.
4 SAT I & II
8
Summer Volunteer Opportunities Fair
16, 17 English finals, in class
20-23
Finals (See ABRHS News page for dates)
Junior High School Dates of Interest
May
3 Grade
8 class picture
4 Student Council meeting, 7:36 a.m.
6 Grade 7 dance, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
10 School Council meeting, 7:00–8:30 p.m.
12 MCAS–ELA make-up, Grade 7
16-20
MCAS Testing, Grades 7 and 8
17
Spring Band Concert, 7:30 p.m.
24
Spring Choral Concert, 7:30 p.m.
31 Student Council Officer Elections
SCHOOL COMMITTEE NEWS
FROM THE REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Becky Neville, Chair
The Regional School Committee would like to thank the Acton voters for supporting the $3.8 million override. The passage of the override will allow us to maintain our current program.
We are pleased to welcome two new members to the School Committee. Sharon Smith-McManus is a familiar face around the school district. She has been co-chair of the PTSO and currently chairs Project Graduation. Sharon has a son who graduated from ABRHS and a daughter who is a Junior. John Ryder has spent several years on the Acton Finance Committee and joins us with an understanding of the budget process. John has a 5th and a 7th grader.
The Committee is also very excited that after a tremendous amount of work, The Friends of Leary Field are about to begin the installation of a new synthetic infill turf system on Leary Field. The Friends of Leary Field have raise more than $250,000 in private contributions, the balance of the funding has come from the Town of Acton CPA funds and the ABRHS building project funds. This is the largest donation of private funds the Regional School System has ever received. The new field will benefit all of the students and citizens of Acton and Boxborough who use it. Thank you FOLF!
Our May meeting will be Thursday, May 5th at 7:30 p.m. at Boxborough Town Hall. One of the district goals for this year is to do a complete review of all our policies. At our May meeting we will be going over the first two sections, which include section A, “Foundations and Basic Commitments” and section B, “Board Governance and Operations”. We are always happy when we have an audience and welcome public participation. We hope you will join us.
The School Committee encourages all Boxborough citizens to attend their Annual Town Meeting, which begins Monday, May 9th at 7:30 p.m. and vote at the polls on Monday, May 16th. On the ballot there is a general override in the amount of $800,000, which will allow the Town and Blanchard School to maintain their current level of service, there are also several smaller overrides for various departments. We would urge all voters to educate themselves on the issues.
If you have questions, please feel free to call or email me.
- Becky Neville
ABRSC, Chair
neville317@juno.com 978-263-3285
Monday May 16th
PTSO Forum
“Surviving the College Search”
Panel Discussion
7:30 p.m.
ABRHS Commons B
May 16 7:00 p.m. Annual PTSO Business Meeting
ABRHS Commons B
May 16 7:30 p.m. “Surviving the College Search”
A panel of ABRHS Seniors and their parents
ABRHS Commons B
THE DEADLINE FOR ARTICLE SUBMISSION FOR THE JUNE NEWSLETTER
IS MAY 13.
This issue is scheduled to
be mailed to families on May 26.