- Shawsheen Valley Technical High School
- Principal's Update - Friday, October 2, 2020
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Shawsheen Valley Technical High School
Principal's Update
Friday, October 2, 2020
Dear Shawsheen Students and Parents/Guardians,
I enjoy writing to you on Fridays because each time I get to announce that we have completed yet another week of the school year successfully with students! As we look toward the fourth week of school, I am delighted by the fact that we have been back at school with students for almost a full month, which feels like a huge success given all of the challenges we had to trouble-shoot and brainstorm solutions to when we were developing our plans for the school year over the summer. Thanks to the efforts of staff, students, and families, we continue to observe adherence to the safety rules we have in place such as keeping students home when they are not feeling well, wearing masks/face coverings when required to do so, physical distancing, and frequent hand washing/sanitizing. I encourage everyone to continue these and other safety practices to ensure we can continue to maintain a safe learning environment for students and staff.
Update Regarding Covid-19 Communication
Given that several of our member communities have reported COVID-positive cases in their school community during the past week, we thought this would be a good time to remind the Shawsheen community of our communication plan should one of our students or staff members test positive. If/when we learn that a student or staff member has tested positive for COVID, we will make a general announcement to the entire Shawsheen community via email. Staff members who are identified as “close contacts” and parents of students who are identified as “close contacts” of a positive case will be informed directly by the school and/or their local Board of Health. As of the date and time of this writing (Friday, 10/2 at noon), Shawsheen has NOT been notified that any member of our staff or student body has tested positive.
Reflections and Reminders about Remote Learning
Staff and students continue to work together to acclimate to and build relationships in remote learning environments. Although there continues to be a learning curve for everyone as we adjust to this new format for teaching and learning, the overall feedback I've received is that things are continuing to improve. At the start of the school year, I asked teachers to prioritize building relationships and supporting students to learn how to navigate their remote learning environments before they increased rigor and expectations for curriculum and instruction. This is essential to ensure students have the foundational knowledge in those spaces so that they can successfully access the curriculum and participate in learning activities. As the weeks progress, the rigor and expectations in remote learning environments will progress as well. I appreciate the patience, understanding, and flexibility that staff, students, and families have exhibited as we work to make remote learning successful.
I would also like to remind students and families that student privacy must be maintained in remote learning environments. For this reason, students are required to wear headphones if other individuals are in the room while they are participating in classes, and only students should be able to view the screen, where images of other students will be present. We appreciate your cooperation with adhering to this rule, as we have to ensure all students are assured privacy and a feeling of safety as a result while participating in remote classes. For the full list of expectations for remote learning, please review the Supplement to the 2020-2021 SVTHS Student Handbook.
Update from the School Nurses
Just a friendly reminder from the School Nurses that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts recently announced that an influenza immunization is required for all students. The new state-wide vaccine requirement is an important step to reduce flu-related illness and the overall impact of respiratory illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students are expected to have received a flu vaccine by December 31, 2020 for the 2020-2021 influenza season, unless either a medical or religious exemption is provided. Please provide the proper documentation to the Nurses’ Office via paper, fax, or email when your student is vaccinated. Thank you for your cooperation!
Clubs and Activities
This Wednesday, I met with Shawsheen's Club and Activity Advisors to review procedures for safely providing students with access to club and activity experiences during the 2020-2021 school year, under the current restrictions in place due to Covid-19. Advisors will spend the next two weeks finalizing plans for how to safely provide these experiences to students, which will involve a mix of remote, hybrid, and in-person opportunities to connect, depending on the club or activity. Students can view the current club and activity offerings on the school's Club and Activity page. On this page, students will also find contact information for each of the advisors. Students are encouraged to email the advisors of the clubs or activities they would like to participate in. Advisors will create rosters of interested students and then email students with details for participation once they finalize their plans for the 2020-2021 school year. At Shawsheen, we recognize the importance of engaging students in extra-curricular activities and Athletics and are excited to be able to provide students with these opportunities this year.
Financial Aid Night
Due to Covid-19, the Shawsheen Guidance Department will not be able to host our annual Scholarship and Financial Aid Night (originally scheduled for Thursday, October 7) in person this year. The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA), the organization that sends a financial aid expert to present each year is not sending out presenters to local high schools. MEFA is still making the same presentations as usual, but the presentations are online this year. You have the option of registering and attending a live presentation or watching a pre-recorded presentation. There are roughly 3 live presentations per week over the next month or two.
- To view a recorded presentation on college financing and filling out the FAFSA, click here: https://www.mefa.org/videos/family-webinar-series-college-financing
- To register for a live College Financing event, you can view the schedule and register here: https://www.mefa.org/events
- To view a video the Shawsheen Guidance Department made about local scholarship offerings, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmQNhY8SghQ
If you have any questions in general about planning for college or financial aid, you can reach out to MEFA directly via email at collegeplanning@mefa.org or phone at (800) 449-MEFA (6332). You may also request a virtual one-on-one appointment with one of the members of the MEFA College Planning Team. To do so, simply fill out our short request form here: https://www.mefa.org/appointment-request/
Feel free to reach out to your guidance counselor with any questions along the way!
PSAT Information for Juniors - Saturday, October 17, 2020
We will be offering the PSAT exam at Shawsheen on Saturday, October 17th. We can accommodate up to 150 students, and this opportunity is open to juniors only. The exam costs $35 and the registration form will be distributed to juniors in a separate email from the Guidance & Health Services Department. Students need to report the school cafeteria doors by 7:45am on the day of the exam. Students can bring in the registration form along with payment of $35 (cash or check made out to Shawsheen Tech) in the cafeteria from 7:35am - 7:50am on the week of October 13th to sign up for the exam during their Academic week. Registration will end on Friday, October 16th, or when we reach capacity for the exam. Students will need to bring their own calculator and #2 pencils to the exam. Any students interested in taking Middlesex Community College Concurrent Enrollment courses during senior year are required to take and earn qualifying scores on the PSAT or SAT. If you have any questions, please call the Guidance office at (978) 671-3611 or email Mr. Baione at mbaione@shawtech.org.
Senior Yearbook Photos
It's only October but preparations for this year's yearbook are already underway! Seniors, please be sure to send your senior photos for the yearbook to Mr. Scott Hewitt by emailing shewitt@shawtech.org by Friday, December 4, 2020. Please contact Mr. Hewitt with any questions you have.
Vocational/Technical Skills Caught on Camera
Here are just some examples of the skills students learned and put into practice in some of our vocational/technical programs this week:
A Junior in Autobody showcases his work - he sanded, prepped, bonded, puttied, and painted a fender.
Freshmen in Plumbing create their own projects to practice soldering.
Juniors in Dental Assisting Practice CPR skills.
Juniors in Cosmetology practice Piggyback Perm Wrapping.
Freshmen in ISSN/Programming & Web use Unreal Engine to create their own online games.
Juniors in Electrical work on rough wiring projects.
Freshmen in Graphic Communications create designs to use for Screen Printing.
Students in Metal Fab building/welding a truck bed rack for Autobody.
Juniors in Automotive learn how to use the alignment machine to interpret alignment specs to make the adjustments.
Freshmen in HVAC practice a range of skills including flaring and soldering.
Athletics Updates
Fall Athletics Competitions are well underway at Shawsheen! It has been great to have student-athletes back in action.
Golf
9/29-Beat Essex Tech 145-133
10/1-Beat Nashoba Tech 125-37
Boys Varsity and JV Soccer
10/1-Boys Varsity: Beat Greater Lowell at home: 4-2
10/1-Boys JV: Beat Greater Lowell at home: 5-1
Girls Varsity and JV Soccer
10/1-Girls Varsity: Shawsheen lost to Greater Lowell 3-1
10/1-Girls JV: Beat Greater Lowell away: 2-0
Over the weekend:
10/3-Cross Country home meet vs Lowell Catholic 10:00am
10/3-Girls Varsity Soccer home game vs Mystic Valley at 3:00pm
I hope you are enjoying these weekly updates and find them informative. If there is particular information you would like to see updates on, send me an email at jcook@shawtech.org and let me know!
Have a great weekend,
Jessica Cook
Principal