Term 3 Progress Reports will be available by Monday, March 17th on School Brains.

Friendly reminder that THS has an early release scheduled for Wednesday, March 12th at 11:50 AM. Since there are no athletics next week and staff will be doing professional development, no students should be on campus after dismissal at 11:50 AM.

March

Wednesday, 3/12 Early Release at 11:50 AM

Wednesday, 3/12 Math Playoff Meet @ Dartmouth HS

Thursday, March 13th Music All-City (Chorus 6PM, Band 7:30 PM)

Friday, 3/14 Ides of March

Friday, 3/14 Boston Symphony Hall Orchestra Field Trip 11:30 AM-5:30 PM

Monday, 3/17 Term 3 Progress Reports Available on School Brains

Monday, 3/17 Matthew Arau Visit with Music Classes

Monday 3/17-Friday 3/21 World Language Week

Wednesday, 3/19 School Council Meetings 5:00 PM

Tuesday, 3/25 MCAS ELA Session 1 Grade 10

Wednesday, 3/26 MCAS ELA Session 2 Grade 10

Wednesday, 3/26 Curriculum Meetings 2:15 PM

April

Tuesday, 4/1 MCAS ELA Session 1 Grade 8

Wednesday, 4/2 MCAS ELA Session 2 Grade 8

Wednesday, 4/2 Faculty Meeting 2:15 PM

Wednesday, 4/2 MFA Field Trip (African American Club & Tenacity Club)

Thursday, 4/3 Student Summit

Thursday, 4/3 National French Contest (C Block)

Thursday, 4/3 National Portuguese Exam

Friday, 4/4 National French Contest (C Block)

Friday, 4/4 National Portuguese Exam

Friday, 4/4 Term 3 Ends

Friday, 4/4 Senior Class Meeting (Auditorium) 9:45 AM

Friday, 4/4-Sunday 4/6 Key Club District Educational Conference

Saturday, 4/5 Choral Festival MICCA Concert Festival

Monday, 4/7 National Spanish Exam (A and B Blocks)

Tuesday, 4/8 National Spanish Exam (A and B Blocks)

Tuesday, 4/8 One Goal Y2 Fellow Summit Field Trip

Wednesday, 4/9 AP Rally

Wednesday, 4/9 Early Release @11:50 AM

Below is the bell schedule for the early release on Wednesday, March 12th.

We want to inform you of a Summer School Eligibility Requirement for Summer 2025 that applies only to specific courses. Due to recent changes in the MCAS and our current Competency Determination (CD) Policy, students currently enrolled in the following courses must not have missed more than 18 days in that class to be eligible for summer school:

• English II
• Algebra I
• Biology

These courses are directly tied to the Competency Determination required for graduation, meaning students must successfully complete them to meet state graduation requirements. Because of their significance, students who exceed 18 absences in any of these classes during the 2024-2025 school year will not be eligible to make up the credit in summer school.

Starting February 28th, students will no longer have access to unapproved third-party applications. Only vetted applications that meet federal and state privacy standards will be permitted for use within the district.

✅ Approved Resources: Check out the list of approved third-party applications here. This site also lists the applications that have been denied due to the company's unwillingness to sign a data privacy agreement. Please take notice of all the Google Additional Services that will no longer be available for students, including YouTube. Please be aware that Google will not take legal responsibility to maintain student data privacy and safety for it's Additional Services, including YouTube.

However, students will still be able to view YouTube videos within Google's Core Services, such as Docs, Slides, and Google Classroom. This document provides step-by-step instructions for embedding YouTube videos in Google's Core Resources, as well as Canva.

Sam Moura, aided by his contestant manager Elena Morasca, was crowned Mr. THS 2025 on Tuesday night in front of an electrified crowd.

Landen Rodrigues with manager Breighton Santos was the First Runner-Up, while Brandon Adorno with manager Arianna Bolieiro was the Second Runner-Up.

Rounding out the roster were Ryan Crowley with manager Taylor DaCosta, Garrick Meack with manager Alyssa LaPlante, Dylan Simmons with manager Emma Emond, Cam Dorr with manager Ava Pagliuca, Ike Asiegbunam with manager Daniela Mota, Aiden Resendes with manager Gia Guarino, and Jace Galante with manager Kassidy Ferrase.

Hosts Cami Emond, Savannah Maxi, and Julia Mendonca kept the show rolling, while Ariel Cruz and Jalynn Andrews shone in the new-to-2025 role of crowd correspondents.

Excited students, faculty members, and families crowded into Taunton High School’s auditorium to watch the contestants compete in 5 categories: Opening Video & Dance, Talent, Beachwear, Formalwear & Teacher Appreciation, and Tiger Wear & Interview. Fans were also welcome to vote for their favorite contestant at intermission.

Meack wowed during the Talent portion of the show by singing, dancing, and playing the trombone. Crowley certainly had the luck of the Irish in his act, while Adorno channeled his inner Beyonce.

During beachwear, Asiegbunam and Mota were Maui and Moana, while Galante and Ferrase were Squints and Wendy Peffercorn from the movie The Sandlot.

The Formalwear portion of the night offered contestants and hosts a chance to honor a faculty member. Simmons honored broadcasting teacher Marcus Gay with a heartfelt speech, while Dorr paid a touching tribute to School Resource Officer Bryan Chaves. Moura incorporated a shared love of ducks when appreciating programming teacher Joan Dyer.

The last category of the evening was Tigerwear, where contestants show off their school spirit and answer a randomly selected interview question. Resendes and Guarino got creative as Mike Tyson and his pet tiger, while Rodrigues and Santos were Winnie the Pooh and Tigger.

The contestants and managers would like to thank Tux Towne for donating the tuxedos worn during the Formalwear segment of the show, as well as a free tux for the winner to wear at senior prom. They would also like to thank their families, friends, teachers, and everyone who came to the event for all of the support.

Members of the THS Drama Club tech crew, led by Mrs. Alyson Golder, volunteered their time and talents to help run the lighting and visual aspects of the show. Mr. Marcus Gay and Miss Meaghan Kirby lead a crew of THS broadcasting students in filming the show so that it can appear both online and on the Taunton Educational Network.

The Mr. THS Competition is put on by the Taunton High School Student Council, advised by Miss Caitlin Dermody.

Skills USA, under the leadership of Mrs. Gibson, had a great showing last week. The turnout was exceptional, with 75 students testing across a wide range of areas, from broadcasting, healthcare, early education & care, mathematics, programming to robotics & construction & many more!!

Congratulations to the following students who were recognized in a Term 2 Recognition Ceremony in the Tiger Den on Tuesday, March 5th!

Xavier Mercado

Taphna Lubin

Mike Brisseau

Samuel Andrade

Mia Veintemilla Almanza

Jeremiah Pierre

Samuel Terra

Dante W. Alifonso

Kiomara Galarza

Landon MacArthur

Daniel Najera

Jahdeyssah Linton

Norah McDonough

Rayah J Horton

Isabel Lima

Keila Pires

12 THS Book Club students along with Ms. Houlker visited E. Pole Elementary School to read to third grade classrooms as part of Read Across America Day!

During the months of April, May, and June, all Grade 8 students will take the English, Math, Science, and Civics MCAS assessments. Below are the testing dates:

Grade 8 ELA 4/1 & 4/2

Grade 8 Math 4/30 & 5/1

Grade 8 Science 5/6 & 5/7

Grade 8 Civics 5/28 & 5/29

On the dates of testing, test-takers need to bring a charged Chromebook and their power cord to school. The tests are taken on their Chromebook, so this is very important. We do not have extra Chromebooks or power cords.

Given the high-stakes nature of the MCAS, the State Department of Education requires that we provide students with an extremely strict testing environment. For students, this means:

• Headphones, iPods, or electronic devices may not be used during testing. All cell phones will be collected by test proctors before the exam and returned to the student at the end of the exam period. No exceptions. Students may bring books and schoolwork to do should they complete the exam before the end of the testing period.

• Students must be in their assigned exam room no later than 7:33 a.m.

You can help your son or daughter prepare for this state-wide assessment by reinforcing the importance of:

• Giving your best effort on each test question

• Being on time

• Getting a good night’s sleep and eating breakfast

THS students performed the Elephant's Graveyard on Friday, February 27th in the THS Auditorium, before competing in the festival competition. At the district competition in Marshfield, we received several awards for our performance.

• Excellence in Costume Design- Luke LeMaire
• Excellence in Scenic Painting- Aimee Ostiguy
• Excellence in Acting- Garrick Meack, Hannah Hillman, Luke MeLaire

The Class of 2026 is hosting a March Madness 3 on 3 basketball tournament next Friday, March 14th after school. It is $5 per player and $1 per fan to attend. Students, teachers, and staff are all welcome to play and attend! The winner will get lunch at the Tiger Den!

• No more than 4 players will be allowed on a team(3 players and 1 sub)
• Team must consist of THS players and staff ONLY

Here is the link for signups for the 3 on 3 basketball tournament: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScnAo1Ax-2XXOFDwO7uim-uQpyJWky2uPkVR6aOwC2b7nnnUg/viewform?usp=header

The TACC's Educator of the Year award will honor an educator from the Greater Taunton area who has made significant contributions to their school community, demonstrated a love of learning, and has made an immeasurable impact on students. Members of the community, colleagues, students, and parents may submit nominations. We encourage you to submit your nominations online: https://tauntonareachamber.org/annualawardsandscholarships

High School seniors residing in the area served by our chamber – Taunton, Raynham, Dighton, or Berkley – are eligible to apply for the prestigious 2024 TACC Charles E. Volkmann Future Leaders Scholarship. Learn more and apply here:

https://tauntonareachamber.org/annualawardsandscholarships

The hydroponic grant is such a great learning experience and the students are enjoying doing it. Thursday students harvested the lettuce and brought it to Tiger Den. Tiger Den used some for their burgers on Friday. D block was able to make salads and try what they grew!

We are excited to offer FREE SAT prep for THS juniors ahead of the in-school SAT on April 11th! To support students in their preparation, we will be hosting two sessions throughout March.

Tutoring will take place at Taunton High School in the College and Career Center on the following Saturdays:

• Session 1: March 8th, 22nd & April 5th (9am-1:30pm)
• Session 2: March 15th, 29th & April 5th (9am-1:30pm)

Please use the SAT Tutoring Google Form to rank your top choice. By signing up, you commit to attending all three dates for their selected session.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Golder or your Guidance Counselor.

The wrestling team placed 19th at the 2025 MIAA All-State Tournament. Micheal Leskoski (4th place), Elijah Prophete (6th place). Mikey also breaks the schools All-Time Win record and will have a chance for more wins at New England's this weekend.

Baseball
Softball
Boys and Girls Tennis
Boys and Girls Lacrosse
Boys Volleyball
Spring(Outdoor) Track

Any student-athletes interested in participating in a Spring sports program in 2024-2025 school year, must have their parent/guardian register their before participating.

Registration is through the button below. Prior to clicking below, make sure you have done the following:

1. Provide a copy of a physical exam to the THS Athletic Department. (physicals are good for 13 months and virtual physicals are NOT accepted)

2. Athletes and parents must complete the following online course annually in order to participate.

NFHS Concussion Course

All tryouts begin on Monday March 17th, 2025.

Spring registration will open on February 14th and close March 7th, 2025. All spring registrations must be completed before the deadline.

THS Athletic Fee is $150.00. This covers 1 sport season or all 3 sport seasons. Easy access to pay online. Or if you prefer, cash or check to the THS Athletics office.

Any questions please email Sandy Altman at saltman@tauntonschools.org