• Shawsheen Valley Technical High School

    Back-to-School Information

    Wednesday, August 23, 2023

     

    Dear Shawsheen Students, Parents/Guardians, and Colleagues, 

    I hope you have had a wonderful summer so far! We look forward to welcoming new students on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, and all students on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. I am writing with important back-to-school information, including several changes for the 2023-2024 school year, including the adoption of core values, important changes to the student handbook, and building updates to increase safety for students and staff. These changes are being made to improve our ability to fulfill our mission, which is outlined below:

    • SVTHS Mission Statement: At Shawsheen Valley Technical High School, it is our mission to provide a positive learning experience in a safe educational environment that encourages all students to reach their full potential, emphasizes the value of a strong work ethic, and prepares them for adult life in a competitive world.

    CORE VALUES

    Adoption of Core Values: At the heart of our mission is our commitment to preparing students for adult life in a competitive world, which requires a strong work ethic, regardless of the careers paths students pursue. For that reason, we determined the need to identify and prioritize core values for the SVTHS community. Core values define how everyone in our school community will work together to achieve the school’s mission. At SVTHS we have adopted the core values of Accountability, Integrity, and Respect. The core values we selected reflect values that are in demand from employers across all fields and are qualities we believe are essential for all SVTHS students and staff to exhibit.

    SVTHS Core Values

     

    Accountability

     

    Take responsibility for your words, actions, and commitments.

     

    Integrity

     

    Be honest and do the right thing, even when no one else is watching.

    Respect

     

    Treat everyone the way you wish to be treated.

    At SVTHS, we strive to be our best selves, and hold ourselves accountable for our own words and actions. We follow through on our commitments and take responsibility when we fail to meet this standard.

     

    We believe in being honest and doing the right thing. We hold ourselves to this high standard even when it is inconvenient or when no one else is watching.

    We are committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environment for all members of our community. We exhibit respect for one another through our words and actions, and by assuming best intentions of one another.

    We exhibit accountability by:

    • Showing up on time.
    • Showing up prepared.
    • Following through on our commitments.
    • Asking for help when we need it.
    • Learning from our mistakes.
    • Being a part of the solution.

     

     

    We exhibit integrity by:

    • Being honest and trustworthy.
    • Doing what is right.
    • Putting in our best effort.
    • Setting a good example for our peers.
    • Accepting responsibility for our mistakes.
    • Repairing our mistakes.

     

    We exhibit Respect by:

    • Speaking kindly to one another.
    • Listening to one another.
    • Cleaning up after ourselves.
    • Accepting & celebrating differences.
    • Treating every day like a new day.
    • Assuming best intentions.



     

     

    STUDENT HANDBOOK CHANGES

    Through the work of the School Council, we have made important changes to the 2023-2024 Student Handbook to ensure we are holding students to the same standards they will be expected to meet beyond high school, and that align with the development of a strong work ethic. We would like to make students and families aware of three of these changes prior to the start of the school year, as outlined below:

    • New Cell Phones/Personal Electronic Devices Policy: One of the top complaints we hear from co-op employers and across all fields is about cell phone/electronic device use by employees, particularly younger/newer employees. Additionally, the research is clear that cell phones bring a multitude of distractions that interfere with student learning, socialization, and skill development during the school day.
      • To fulfill our mission, we cannot ignore this issue. Under the new cell phone policy, students may only turn on and use their cell phones/personal electronic devices before school, during lunch (while in the cafeteria), and after school. Cell phones/personal electronic devices cannot be used during the school day otherwise, including in the hallways. Students must store their cell phones/personal electronics devices in a location that is not visible between classes and devices must be powered off during the school day. Read the full policy on pages 56-57 of the 2023-2024 SVTHS Student Handbook .
      • We will be enforcing this new policy in all areas of the building, starting on the first day of school. Students are expected to plan accordingly and should anticipate that their cell phones/personal electronic devices will be confiscated and turned into the Dean’s office if they are used at unauthorized times or in unauthorized areas. We ask parents and guardians for their cooperation and support of this change. If you need to communicate with your student during the day, please contact the main office. If a student needs to call home during the school day, they can report to the main office to use a school phone.

     

    • Updated Dress Code Policy: We have also received feedback from co-op employers about the importance of professionalism, and professional attire, as clothing trends and norms have shifted over the years. Additionally, as a vocational school, we must ensure appropriate attire for safety reasons. For these reasons, we have updated the Dress Code Policy. As part of this policy, no under garment may be visible and, due to health and safety concerns, the torso must be fully covered at all times (no bare stomachs or backs). Read the full policy on pages 55-56 of the 2023-2024 SVTHS Student Handbook.

     

    • Technology Insurance Fee: Shawsheen Valley Tech High School assigns a laptop to each student at no charge. To offset any accidental or unintentional damage to the laptop, Shawsheen is institutionalizing a technology insurance fee of $40 per year for each student. Information will be emailed separately about how to pay the $40 fee. Read the full overview of what the technology insurance fee covers on pages 35-36 of the 2023-2024 SVTHS Student Handbook.  

     

     

    BUILDING UPDATES

    • New room numbers & new phone extensions: As part of our ongoing building security updates, we have renumbered rooms throughout the building and changed phone extensions for most members of the staff. Student schedules will be updated before the first day of school to show both the new and old classroom numbers. For example, the room that will be labeled 115 this year, used to be room 101. That room will be listed as 115 (101) on student schedules. The most commonly used phone extensions can be viewed on the chart below.

     

                                                                     Dial 978-667-2111 and then enter the four-digit extension for the person you want to reach when prompted to do so.

    Assistant Principal

    X1505

    Attendance (to report student absences, dismissals, etc.)

    X1507

    Athletics Office

    X1330

    Co-op Office

    X1328

    Dean of Students

    X1506  &  X1508

    Director of Academic Programs

    X1204

    Director of Ed Tech and Digital Learning

    X1527

    Director of Guidance & Health Services (Civil Rights & Title IX Coordinator)

    X1315

    Director of Support Services

    X1225

    Director of Vocational-Technical Programs

    X1206

    Guidance Office

    X1318  &  X1618

    Principal

    X1202

    School Nurses’ Office

    X1322  &  X1622  &  X1722

    Superintendent-Director

    X1302

     

    • Vape Detectors: At the recommendation of the School Council, the Student Cabinet, and the Crisis Team, we purchased and installed vape detectors in student bathrooms over the summer. These devices will alert staff immediately when vaping is suspected. This will support our ongoing efforts to curb student vaping in the bathrooms.

     

    • New cameras: New cameras have been installed in key areas of the building to further support our efforts to maximize building safety.

     

     

    BACK-TO-SCHOOL INFORMATION

    Electronic Student Handbook Sign-off in Back-to-School Gateway

    Early next week, parents/guardians will receive information about how to log into Back-to-School Gateway to update contact information and provide electronic signatures for the 2023-2024 SVTHS Student Handbook forms. You can review the 2023-2024 SVTHS Student Handbook in advance of receiving the Back-to-School Gateway information so that you will be prepared to provide the electronic sign-off next week.

     

    Grade 9 & 10 New Student Parent/Legal Guardian Aspen Credentials

    Emails were sent yesterday to parents/legal guardians of incoming grade 9 & 10 students with their credentials to log into the Aspen Family Portal. New students will receive their credentials for Aspen (as well as paper copies of their schedules) during orientation on September 5, 2023. Please note, it could take up to 24 hours for the email to arrive in your inbox, and, depending on your email server, the email might be directed to your junk folder. If you do not receive an email by the end of the day today, Wednesday, August 23, 2023 (and you also do not see the email in your junk folder), please read the instructions below to submit a ticket at the following link: https://shawsheentech.sherpadesk.com/portal/

    • Click on the green 'Submit Ticket' button 
    • Enter email address
    • For Location, select: _Home
    • For Class, select: _PARENT ASPEN LOGIN ISSUES
    • Please provide all contact information 

     

    Student Schedules in Aspen

    Schedules for the 2023-2024 school year are available to view in Aspen at this time. You can access those schedules by logging into the Aspen Family Portal and then by following the instructions below. Please note that there may be some small changes to schedules over the next week, including the addition of updated room numbers to reflect the changes in the building.

    If logging in from a parent/legal guardian account:

    • Select the "Family" top tab
    • Select the name of the student whose schedule you wish to view (if you have more than one student at Shawsheen)
    • Select the "Schedule" tab on the left side of the screen
    • At this point the schedule should appear - if it appears as a list of courses and you want to see the schedule organized by class period and week, click the "Matrix View" link

    If logging in from a student account:

    • Select the "My Info" top tab
    • Select the "Current Schedule" tab on the left side of the screen
    • At this point your schedule should appear - if it appears as a list of courses and you want to see the schedule organized by class period and week, click the "Matrix View" link  

     

    Important Documents for the 2023-2024 School Year

    A number of important documents for the upcoming school year are linked below. 

     

    Reminders re: School Routines

    Student Drop-off & Morning Entry

    • Students can begin to enter the building at 7:00am, and must remain in one of the following supervised locations until the homeroom bell rings at 7:25am: the cafeteria, auditorium, library, or assigned classrooms.
    • During this time, students may only enter the building from two locations: the main entrance, and the entrance next to the student cafeteria (in the rear of the building).
    • Staff members will be assigned to these locations in the morning to direct and supervise students.
    • When dropping off students at the main entrance or by the cafeteria, please do not park in the fire lanes or in lanes of traffic between parking spaces, or allow students to sit and wait in the vehicle until the bell rings, as this creates traffic concerns in the parking lot and out on the street. If everyone drops students off as soon as they arrive, we can keep traffic moving and avoid back-ups.

    School Start Time & Homeroom

    • Students may not bring coffee, food, or drinks (other than water) to homeroom.
    • Students must report to their homerooms by 7:30am or they will be marked tardy.
    • Students who arrive late may enter the building through the main entrance or the entrance by the cafeteria. Students entering by the cafeteria after 7:47am should ring the buzzer to gain access to the building.
    • Refer to pages 19-21 of the 2023-2024 SVTHS Student Handbook for detailed information about school rules regarding attendance and tardiness.

    Student Pick-up & Afternoon Dismissal

    • Student dismissal is at 2:04pm for all students.
    • We encourage students to take the bus to reduce the number of cars entering and exiting the parking lot at dismissal time.
    • Please avoid using the front parking lot for student pick-up until after 2:10pm. Cars that arrive early block fire lanes and prevent efficient pick-up of students who have mobility issues. 
    • Between 1:45pm and 2:15pm cars may only enter the rear parking lot through the entrance on Alexander Road. Buses and cars use both lanes of the entrance on Cook street to exit the rear parking lot after student dismissal.

     

    2023-2024 Bus Routes

    2023-2024 bus routes have been posted and can be viewed at the following link: 2023-2024 Bus Routes.

     

    School Photographs

    School photographs are scheduled by grade-level, as follows:

    • Grade 9 photos = we have scheduled time on Tuesday, August 29 for grade 9 students who were not able to take photos during placement testing. Students who still need photos will receive more information via email.
    • Grades 10 & 11 = Friday, September 8, 2023
    • Grade 12 & Make-up Photos (all grades) = Monday, September 11, 2023

    All students are expected to take photos for their school-issued IDs, and those photos are also available for families to purchase from SmilePro. SmilePro will be emailing parents/guardians directly regarding photo package options. Please note that students are required to have their school-issued IDs with them when at school and at school-sponsored events, and that school IDs must be swiped when students get breakfast or lunch.

     

    Student Laptops

    School laptops will be issued to all students during the first few days of school. Students are required to bring their laptops (fully charged) and charging cords to school every day. Students in some shops might be informed by their teachers that laptops are not required every day during shop weeks - this is the only exception.

     

    Best,

    Jessica Cook

    (she/her/hers)

    Principal