Sunday December 11th, 2022

Volume 1, Issue 10

Happy Sunday Patriots!

This week’s introduction is a bit longer than normal, but that is because there is a lot to talk about! I want to share honestly about the challenges we've faced this week. I do so to be transparent with our community and not to be overly negative, but to also share the optimism I feel from the community responses I've seen to these events.

The past two weeks have been challenging for us at Revere High School. We are currently navigating the discovery of a powdery substance at RHS, which we suspect but have not yet confirmed contained fentanyl. We witnessed some individuals take what should be the excitement of the World Cup, and instead of rooting for their team and country, vocally celebrated the loss of another country's team. We experienced incidents of conflict among students that could have been avoided through conversation and open communication. There has been an uptick in destructive behavior in our school bathrooms, which make the work of our custodial staff never ending and have a significant impact on the more than 2100 students who need to be able to use the restroom for its intended purpose. We've discovered graffiti around the building, some of which included hateful and hurtful language and slurs.

I name these incidents not to sound pessimistic, but rather to highlight the optimism I feel when I reflect on the community response I’ve witnessed to each of these events. Within a window of fewer than 24 hours, we’ve witnessed many agencies across the City of Revere mobilize to support the RHS Community deal with the way substance use in the greater community makes its way into the schools. We’ve seen excitement across the City of Revere as residents come together in excitement to share in the anticipation of Morocco’s advancement in the World Cup. We’ve seen our newly created Restorative Practices Interventionist begin to “dig deep” into issues of conflict among students in ways we’ve not been able to do before. We’ve seen student leaders step up to collaborate with administrators about the ways we can work together to improve the climate of the building and change the culture. All of these items are elements of School Culture and the reason I am optimistic is because of the countless individuals over the past week who have stepped up to say “We are better than this… how can I help?” Students, educators, family members, and community partners have all reached out.

It is a priority of my administration to collaborate with stakeholders to ensure that the school community provides a safe, positive, respectful, and inclusive culture that ensures equity and honors diversity in identity and thought. We have heard loud and clear the voice of multiple stakeholders in arguing that the culture of Revere High School is in need of careful leadership to help develop the school community into one that is safe, positive, respectful and inclusive for both students and faculty alike. The return to in-person learning from the COVID-19 pandemic presented the RHS community with many challenges for school culture and highlighted a need to improve systems to ensure a safe, positive and respectful learning environment. To intentionally provide leadership that develops and fosters the kind of inclusive school community we want to see, we will focus on the Learning Environment and School Culture as a Priority Area at Revere High. Below, I would like to highlight some immediate next steps my leadership team is taking, in partnership with all of you. We need everyone’s support to make RHS the best it can be!

• We will convene a Faculty Working Group to will collaborate with Building Leadership Team on School Climate, Conduct and Safety. The goal of this group will be to make sure that the school is responding to issues of wrong doing in ways that are both consequential and instructional for students involved. We all agree on the need for clear expectations for student behavior, appropriate consequences for incidents of wrong doing and opportunities to make each experience (even when it involves discipline) a learning experience for those involved. The idea for this working group came from conversations with our RTA Faculty Building Representatives about how educators and administrators can work together to improve the climate of the high school. More information on this stipend opportunity will be shared with Faculty via email early this week.

• Adults can't be the only one's talking about culture, climate and safety when we work with over 2100 students every day! Student Voice matters. Student Fellows taking Ms. Chaves' second semester Restorative Intervention and Student Engagement Program Seminars (RISE-uP) will collaborate with Faculty and School Leaders to bring student voice to the conversation around school discipline. They will work to create a draft Code of Conduct for Revere High School. They will also begin to design and test out modules that can be used to make incidents of harm and wrongdoing (like a fight) a learning experience for all involved. This will be ongoing work throughout the second semester, and the students will engage both faculty and the wider RHS community. Students interested in taking this class should reach out to Ms. Chaves and complete this application.
• Drawing on support from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, we will convene a School Culture Team consisting of students, faculty and caregivers who will use the Safe and Supportive Schools Reflection Tool to develop an action plan for the Culture and Climate of RHS. Information on these supports can be found here.
• School leaders have met twice recently with the Presidents of each class to discuss the formation of a Student Leadership Team who will collaborate with the Building Leadership to address issues in our school community. We will work with student leaders and those on our Student Senate to plan a series of learning experiences and open forums for all students to engage with during second semester. Topics like this will range from how we deal with incidents of hate and bias, to how we celebrate our school's diversity, to how we work with the community to educate students about substance use, to how we carve out time to have fun in school. Students who are interested in joining this work should email their Class President for more information, and copy me!
  
• In collaboration with Revere's Office of Substance Use Disorder and Homeless Initiatives, we commit to including interested student leaders and educators in the planning of events designed to educate the RHS community. There is a lot to talk about, but we want to make sure students have a seat at the table when planning the conversation.

On Friday, I hosted Town Halls with students during Advisory and Lunches to discuss events going on at school. I plan to do more of these this week, but I also encourage everyone to turn all the spaces they hold into "Town Halls." My challenge to everyone - educator, student, caregiver - is to have conversations this week about RHS and what we can do to make the culture and climate of the school one that everyone is proud of. These conversations can happen at lunch, in class, at dinner, or at practice. If you hear ideas in these conversations worth sharing, please share them (anonymously) here by completing this survey and I will share with the various teams mentioned above.

Thank you for reading. I'm excited to lead this work. I hope you all are optimistic and willing to support.

Christopher T. Bowen, Principal

cbowen@reverek12.org

Past Patriot Updates

Sunday 10/09 - (Patriot Update 1.1); Sunday 10/16 - (Patriot Update 1.2); Sunday 10/23 - (Patriot Update 1.3); Sunday 10/30 - (Patriot Update 1.4); Sunday 11/06 - (Patriot Update 1.5); Sunday 11/13 - (Patriot Update 1.6); Sunday 11/20 - (Patriot Update 1.7); Sunday 11/27 - (Patriot Update 1.8); Sunday 12/04 - (Patriot Update 1.9)

• Charge for Replacement Student IDs. Students who come to school without their ID will need to have a replacement ID printed for them. A $3 fee will be added to their student account. All students have been given multiple reminders and opportunities to get new IDs for free.
  
• Early Release Wednesday. Wednesday 12/14 will be an Early Release Day for students, with dismissal and Grab & Go Lunch at 12:00pm. Faculty Members will participate in their Director's Meeting Professional Development Series.
  
• Substance Use Disorder and Homeless Initiatives (SUDHI) Community Webinar. All members of the Revere Community are invited to join us for a webinar at 6:00pm on Monday 12/19/22. At that time, representatives from the SUDHI Office, the Police Department, and State officials will provide information about opioids and fentanyl as well as answer questions from participants. Please watch for a flier about this event to come out early next week. Here is the webinar link: https://tinyurl.com/m3edh36f

• December Vacation. Friday 12/23 will be a Half Day for students and educators, with dismissal at 11:00am. December Vacation will begin this day. Monday 1/2 is a No School day for Revere Public Schools, in celebration of New Year's Day. Classes will resume on Tuesday 1/3.

One of our school goals this year is to work with students to find out what kinds of electives they want to be offered at RHS. On Sunday 12/11, all students received an email with information and surveys to take to make their voice heard about courses for next year. Educators and caregivers, please encourage all students to take these surveys. When we get back from December Vacation, we will give students a chance to explore electives and what the courses entail, before registration, so they know exactly what courses they want to take. Thank you very much to all the students and educators who are helping to make sure we are offering an instructional program that students want! Here is a list of course descriptions for current electives. Students should complete these surveys by Friday 12/16.

• Humanities Electives

• Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) Electives

• Fine and Performing Arts Electives

• Career Development Electives

• Health & Physical Education Electives

• Army JROTC

• Advanced Placement Classes

• Student Ideas for New Electives at RHS

Since June, a group of students, educators and parents have been working together to listen to students' ideas on what students want school to be. You might remember being on focus groups or taking surveys about this. My goal as principal is to have a student and community created vision for what an RHS Graduate should be able to do when they leave us after four years. We want to see what you think about the work we’ve done, what we need to change, and what kinds of things you’d like to see happen at RHS in the coming years. Before we do more work, we want to make sure students and families have a chance to weigh in on this developing vision. So far, this is what we have heard from students.

After spending four years in high school, RHS students wish to have experience that give them the knowledge and skills to be READY to:

• Innovate (to solve complex problems)

• Lead (across difference)

• Engage (with my community)

• Thrive (mentally, physically, and financially)

• Succeed (in meaningful post secondary experiences)

In advisory this week, we will spend time exploring the *draft* of the Vision of Graduate for your feedback. I know not all of you will be students here when this work is done, but I hope you still take the time to give me advice on what you wish the RHS experience provides for students.

Caregivers are encouraged to also give their feedback on the Vision of the Graduate! For each of the five elements of the Vision of the Graduate, we are asking families what should we at RHS and in the community KEEP, STOP, CHANGE or START to support all students be ready to ...

• Innovate (to solve complex problems)

• Lead (across difference)

• Engage (with my community)

• Thrive (mentally, physically, and financially)

• Succeed (in meaningful post secondary experiences)

Please help the Vision of the Graduate Committee out by taking these Caregiver Surveys

• English Survey
• Spanish Survey
• Portuguese Survey

Once we have the feedback from students and caregivers on the Vision of the Graduate, RHS educators will begin to look at what changes we need to make to our instructional program to help students realize this vision in every aspect of their RHS experience. This work will begin second semester! Stay tuned for updates.

Athletic Calendar: Come support fellow RHS Patriots at Upcoming Athletic Events

Athletic Department Twitter: Follow RHS Athletic Director Frank Shea on Twitter @ADReverePats to stay up-to-date on wins from the week.

Athlete Support Program: Assistant Principals will be connecting with Student Athletes who failed two-classes on the Quarter 1 Report Card. In order to continue on their Winter Sports Team, they will need to participate in a mandatory academic support program. The goal of this program is to ensure they are getting intervention in their coursework so they can remain eligible when Quarter 2 Report Cards come out in January.

Let’s Get Ready’s Spring 2023 Virtual Access Program Applications are open! The link to the application can be found here.

We are now able to offer our near-peer text mentorship to high school juniors and seniors who do not wish to take our SAT Prep portion of the program. You can view our emails about this addition here and here. Our mentors have trained extensively to answer inquiries about college-related topics and provide adequate support as needed. They are someone that students can ask questions to outside of the school day. Having this mentor is a great supplement to the work that you are already doing.

Of course, we will still be offering our exemplary SAT Prep program that is also taught by highly trained college student instructors. However, students now get the freedom to choose how involved they choose to be within our Access Program. The great news? Either option is free to the students!

Another important change to our program is that we now have a hard deadline of January 11, 2023. After this date, applications will be closed. No exceptions. In an effort to provide students with the best service and instruction possible, we have decided that a concrete deadline will allow everyone a chance to fully participate and learn from our course.

This past Friday, students on either the Mock Trial Team or those taking the elective this quarter, visited Moakley Federal Courthouse. They served as jurors in a mock case run by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. The course is designed to help attorneys sharpen the very same legal skills students are also working towards mastering. Students had the opportunity to adjudicate mock cases, learn more about various attorney's legal practices, and give attorneys feedback on their trial skills. It was truly a great learning experience for all. Thank you for sharing to History Teacher and Mock Trial Advisor Ms. Natalie Khalatov-Krimnus!

From left to right: Nicole Hernandez, Adam Ouldzenagui, Anna Sa, Alexandra Gracias, Enzo Garza, Jaleeyah Figueroa, Lesly Morales Arriola, Valerie Petri, Jessica MEdina, Adam Ashour, Kyle Phillips, Genesis Florian Castro, Bella Stamatopoulos, Gemma Stamatopoulos, Matthew Terrell, Emily Silva Buss

A couple years ago, ELA teacher Ms. Nancy Barile read an excerpt of the book Chasing Me To My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South in the New Yorker. She was blown away. When the book came out in September of last year, she fundraised to get copies of the book. Sadly, the artist passed away in March of 2021. This year, his book won the Pulitzer Prize. Today Winfred’s children, Mitchell and Lillian, came Revere High to speak to Mr. Hamilton’s students. They talked about their lives, their father’s legacy, and Mitchell, who trained in his father’s art of painting on leather, showed us his art and explained the process. The kids were riveted, and really enjoyed meeting the people they read about in the book. It was an AWESOME day!

The RHS Army JROTC Drill Team took the State Champions for the COMAL (Commonwealth of Massachusetts Army League) SY2022-2023!! Yep, the Governor's Cup, just sayin!! Congratulations Patriot Battalion! With Superintendent's approval onto NJ! for BDE competition. OUTSTANDING!!!! NCOs lead the way!

Senior Class Assistant Principal Afton Dean has been working behind the scenes with Therapy Dogs International to arrange for Toby, a 7 year old Labradoodle Therapy Dog, to set up a visiting schedule with RHS. This past Tuesday 12/6, Toby and his handler Diane came for a short Meet and Greet. We are in the process of setting up a schedule for regular visits. As many know, Toby regularly visits the Hill School here in Revere. Attached is some information on Toby's transformation into a therapy dog. Toby has been recognized in the local news over the years and continues to make a profound impact on the lives of many people including students.​ We are excited to have him and his friends joining us at RHS.

Information Sessions for Dual Enrollment happened twice this past week in the Learning Commons. Students interested in taking Dual Enrollment Courses at our partner colleges and universities should complete this form and email dualenrollment@rpsk12.org with questions.

Any members of the Class of 2023 interested in a paid internship at a Revere Elementary or Middle School should complete this form to be considered. This would begin in the spring semester and it will be a paid opportunity. Please note that a review of attendance and an individual meeting with Ms. Walsh will be required for any student who is interested in this internship opportunity. Attending regularly is crucial to having a positive internship experience for both the intern as well as the site and your supervisor. Please reach out to Ms. Walsh mwalsh@rpsk12.org with any questions!

Please use this link to explore various STEM Internship Opportunities available to RHS Students.

At RHS we are lucky to have two family liaisons on our team. Sue Goncalves works with Grades 9 & 11. Sandra Figueroa works with Grades 10 & 12. Family liaisons are your go-to people for questions about how to engage with school, who to contact for help and how to engage with RHS Faculty. They are also working to plan some events to build our community and celebrate our students. If you are interested in helping the Family Liaisons plan any of the following events, please email me to express your interest. We hope to be able to share details of these events when we return to RHS after the New Year!

• Adolescent Substance Use and Teen Vaping. Working with some community partners through the Massachusetts Collaborative for Action, Leadership, and Learning (MassCALL3), Revere High School is planning to host a series of events during Semester 2 to help families learn about Adolescent Substance Use and Teen Vaping. Stay tuned for more information, and reach out to Sandra or myself if you're interested in helping!
• Student Recognition. When Semester 1 ends in January, Revere High is looking to host a Community Event to celebrate the work our students and teachers have done throughout the first half of the year. If you have ideas for how we can celebrate our students and faculty, please reach out to Sue or myself if you're interested in planning.
• Spring Guidance Information for Underclassmen. Our family liaisons will be working with the Guidance Department during Semester 2 to make sure families know everything they need to know about College and Financial Aid. The idea is to have these events before senior year so families have all the information they need to support their students.
• School Culture Team. We are working to form a team of faculty, students and family members to help us examine and improve the school culture at Revere High School. Any family members interested in learning about this opportunity to collaborate should e-mail Mr. Bowen to express their interest.

• Bullying, Harassment and Bias Reporting: You can use this link to make a report of bullying, harassment or bias.
• RHS Student Activities 2022-2023: You can use this link to explore student activities and when they meet.
• Community Service Opportunities: Students looking to find Community Service Opportunities should reference this spreadsheet. Community members who have opportunities for service can reach out to any RHS Administrator.

Are you or someone you know looking for a part-time role in the educational setting? Please spread the word! Revere High School is seeking part-time paraprofessionals to work in a variety of settings working with unique populations including students with special needs. Experience working with students with special needs, challenging behaviors, and/or early reading instruction preferred. These positions are 5 days per week, 3 hours and 55 minutes per day (19.5 hours per week). There are morning and mid-day/afternoon shifts available. Interested candidates can email interest to Caitlin Reilly, Deputy Principal, at creilly@reverek12.org or apply online at: https://tinyurl.com/RPSparaSEP