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Principal's Update - January 27th 2023

  • Shawsheen Valley Technical High School

    Principal's Update

    Friday, January 27, 2023

     

    Dear Shawsheen Students, Parents/Guardians, and Colleagues,

     

    Quarter 2 grades have been finalized, and as of this morning, quarter 2 report cards, exploratory report cards (for cycles 6-10), and quarter 2 failure letters have all been published and are available to view under the 'Published' section on the main page when you log into your Aspen Family Portal Account. We will issue honor roll information separately in the next week or so to recognize the achievements of students who earned Honors and High Honors based on their quarter 2 grades. 

    If you are having difficulty accessing the Aspen Family Portal 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 

     

    Flag Display in the Shawsheen Cafeteria

    In an effort to honor Shawsheen’s multicultural community, a team of students brainstormed ideas to better our school and decided the first step to include others was by hanging flags that represent Shawsheen's cultural diversity. Students met with the school administration earlier this year to discuss their ideas and had their full support. The flag project was just completed this week. Underneath the American flag in our cafeteria, we have added the town flags for our five sending communities, our state flag, and country flags representing where current Shawsheen faculty, staff, and students were born. Shawsheen is proud to have such a strong, diverse community, and of our students who take on projects such as these to benefit our school community!

     

    Reminder: Free MCAS Test Preparation Programs

    The following message was sent to parents/guardians of Shawsheen Sophomores on 1/9/23 by Ms. Danica Johnston, Director of Academic Programs:

    Shawsheen is offering two free English Language Arts MCAS Workshops. Information on the dates, times, and registration can be found below. Attached to this email [see below] you will find additional information about both workshops. Please register soon as space is limited. 

    ELA MCAS

     

    Reminders: Student Drop-off, Student Dismissal, & Student Parking 

    To help with safety at student drop-off and dismissal, please review the following information:

    Student Drop-off: When dropping students off at school in the morning, please follow signage and staff instruction in the student parking lot to ensure you are not blocking buses, holding up the flow of traffic, or compromising student safety.

    Student Dismissal & Student Parking: We recognize that everyone wants to exit the parking lot as quickly as possible when students are dismissed, but this sometimes results in speeding and reckless driving that compromises student safety.  Recently, we have had members of the Billerica Police Department monitor the parking lot and exits at student dismissal to help us address some of these concerns. To that end, we want to remind all student drivers that they must comply with the expectations outlined in section 2-2 of the student handbook on Car Transportation & Student Parking Passes. Students who fail to comply with the rules risk having their parking passes suspended. In addition to this, students who speed or drive recklessly while exiting the student parking lot are also subject to consequences for traffic violations from the Billerica Police Department. Please slow down, take your time, and ensure the safety of yourself and everyone around you. The parking lot is typically clear within ten minutes of student dismissal, and beating the traffic to save those ten minutes is not worth endangering the safety of yourself or others. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this.

     

    Reminder: Substance Use Awareness Night - Monday, March 13, 2023

    The following message was originally shared in the January 20, 2023 Principal's Update:

    In November, I wrote to the Shawsheen community about vaping concerns at Shawsheen Tech. In that message, I shared that we were planning a Substance Use Awareness night for later in the school year to provide additional information and resources to families. In partnership with the Billerica Substance Abuse Prevention Committee, Shawsheen Tech will be hosting a Substance Use Awareness Night for Shawsheen families, staff, students, and community members on Monday, March 13, 2023 from 5:30pm-8pm. To learn more about that evening, please view the flyer and links below.

    Click the following link for a PDF version of the flyer below: Substance Use Awareness Night Flyer

    suanf

     

    Reminder: School Calendar Update - February Half-Day Moved to February 8

    The following message was originally shared in the Friday, January 6, 2023 Principal's Update:

    Due to a conflict with retest dates for the Science MCAS, the half-day originally scheduled for Wednesday, February 1, 2023 has been moved to Wednesday, February 8, 2023. Please click on the following link for the updated version: 2022-2023 School Calendar (Revised on 12.20.22). 

     

    Reminder: Upcoming February Meetings

    The following meetings are scheduled at Shawsheen next week:

    • Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 2:30pm: School Council Meeting 
    • Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 6:00pm: SEPAC Meeting
    • Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 7:00pm: PAC Meeting

     

    Best,

    Jessica Cook

    (she/her/hers)

    Principal

     

    Quick Links:

     

    Reminders:

    • Monday, February 1: School Council Meeting at 2:30pm
    • Tuesday, February 7: SEPAC Meeting at 6:00pm
    • Tuesday, February 7: PAC Meeting at 7:00pm
    • Wednesday, February 8: Half-Day - 10:43am Dismissal for Students   
    • February 20-24: February Break - NO SCHOOL
    • Monday, March 13: Substance Use Awareness Night, 5:30pm - 8pm