Greetings KP Community,

Happy Holidays! I hope everyone has a wonderful winter break and finds time to connect with friends and family. I am sharing the same article and message as I did at this time last year because I think it is so important to reflect on the diverse needs of our community and the importance of empathy, compassion and understanding.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Shared with the KP Faculty:

I am sharing an article that I often send out at this time of year because it is critically important that we approach conversations about winter break in ways that support all students and recognize that all of our experiences are different. As we think about welcoming our students back to classes in January, I am sharing an article titled: "5 Questions I’m Not Going To Ask My Students About Their Winter Break." "One of the things I used to look forward to about heading back to school after winter break was chatting with my students about their vacations. As I learned more about students living with trauma or in poverty, however, I began to view those conversations through a different lens. Which of my students might have not participated during conversations about gifts because they didn’t receive any? Who may have stayed quiet when peers whined about winter break being over because they actually felt happier (or safer) at school? As teachers, we need to make sure that when we chat about winter break with our students, we do so without isolating our most vulnerable students. With that in mind, here are five questions I won’t be asking my students when we go back to school after winter break and some suggestions for what to ask instead."

Nicole Bottomley

Principal

King Philip Regional High School

Pronouns: she/her/hers

December 23-January 1: No School - Vacation Week

January 6: School Committee Meeting 7:00-9:00 pm, HS Library

January 9: DECA Districts

January 10: DECA Districts

January 14: Chamber Concert, 7:00-8:30 pm, HS Auditorium

January 15: Chamber Concert, 7:00-8:30 pm, HS Auditorium

January 15: early release

January 20: MLK Jr. Day, No School

January 21: ALE Exams early release

January 22: ALE Exams early release

January 23: ALE Exams early release

January 24: ALE Exams early release

January 24: Freshman/Sophomore Dance, 7:00-9:30 pm, HS Gym

January 27: School Committee Meeting 7:00-9:00 pm, HS Library

January 28: Honor Societies Induction 7:00-8:30 pm, HS Auditorium

January 31: Report Cards published

January 31: Freshman/Sophomore Dance Snow Date

Follow the following social media accounts-- @kphighschool, @kpcares, @kpstuco, @kphsathletics and Arbiter Live for sports schedules.

WHAT IS AN AUTHENTIC LEARNING EXPERIENCE? (ALE)

Authentic Learning Experiences allow students to explore, discuss, meaningfully construct concepts, and analyze relationships of skills taught in the curriculum through real-life experiences and real-world connections.

Format of KPHS Authentic Learning Experiences (ALE)

ALE(s) will be administered over a four-day period in January. Two ALE's will occur each day. (The actual schedule is below.)

January 21 - A Block & B Block - dismissal 11:00

January 22 - C Block & D Block - dismissal 11:00

January 23 - E Block & F Block - dismissal 11:00

January 24 - G Block & Makeup (Alternative Assessments if missed ALE) - dismissal 11:00

Please note that if a student misses an ALE they will be administered an alternative assessment between 11:00 am - 2:15 pm January 21st -24th or during the Makeup Assessment Block on January 24th, if the absence is excused. Students may not visit colleges during the ALE’s.

It is the expectation that All students are present for the ALE’s January 21st - January 24th.

All courses will participate in ALE(s) except for study halls. Students with Academic Support or Applied Strategies MUST ATTEND as they will also have an ALE.

Students who have a study hall may sign in late or leave after their ALE for this week.

Thank You for Supporting Our 10th Annual Giving Tree!

We are thrilled to share the success of this year’s 10th Annual KP Cares Giving Tree, and it’s all thanks to the incredible generosity of our King Philip community.

With your support, we collected 571 gifts, including gift cards, which allowed us to help 59 families and 143 children have a brighter holiday season. We were also able to fulfill the holiday wishes of 8 children on our waitlist.

This incredible milestone would not have been possible without the amazing support from our KP families, students, and staff. Your kindness and care truly embody the spirit of the season, and we are so grateful for your continued dedication to making a difference in our community.

Thank you for helping us make the holidays a little brighter for so many local families. We wish you all a joyful and peaceful holiday season!

—The KP Cares Team

Exciting News! Introducing the Warrior Weekly for Students

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our new Warrior Weekly student newsletter! This weekly update is designed to keep students informed about all the amazing things happening at our school.

Each issue of the Warrior Weekly includes:

• Club Meeting Schedules – Find out when and where clubs are meeting.
• Breakfast & Lunch Menus – Plan ahead for tasty meals.
• Sports & Events Updates – Stay on top of game schedules, performances, and other exciting happenings.

The Warrior Weekly is sent directly to students’ school emails and is also available in their grade-level Google Classroom every Monday morning.

We encourage you to remind your student to check out the Warrior Weekly each week so they don’t miss out on any of the opportunities our school has to offer!

Thank you for your support in keeping our students informed and engaged.

Just a reminder - Peer Tutoring

National Honor Society (NHS) members offer peer tutoring in all subjects every Tuesday through Thursday after school in the library. No pre-registration is needed—just drop in and get the help you need!

Parent Night Out was a huge success! KP has amazing students in case there was any doubt. This idea was launched a couple of years ago thanks to Neva Keighley. It’s an evening for tri town parents to take a night off while we watch the kids, fill them with sugar and pizza and a whole lot of fun. Several of our clubs sponsored tables with crafts and games and even business trivia which the kids knew!! We hosted about 60 children and we had an equal number of high schoolers who gave of their time on a Friday night. This event is free to families as Student Council underwrites the cost. Healthy KP also jumped in this year with an amazing cookie decorating table. It was a great night!

Welcome to the team page for the King Philip Warrior Winners.

King Philip is recognized as a Unified Champion School by Special Olympics of Massachusetts. Unified Champion Schools promote inclusion - "All people are accepted as equals and have access to the same opportunities". We're asking for your donation because it will fund inclusive experiences for more than 19,000 Special Olympics athletes and the 10,000+ volunteers in Massachusetts. We compete with all other high schools in the state to raise money for this plunge and we would be so grateful for your support. We are as competitive as the next school; no donation is too little. Many small donations add up!

Click here to donate: KP Warrior Winners Donation Link

Thank you for your support!

Just before break, Healthy KP and Student Council paired up to host a GingerBread House decorating night. Students from both the Middle School and High School were each provided a kit to create their own dream house and pizza was also provided to add to the festive night.

Healthy KP was able to provide all of the supplies and pizza to give students the chance to just have fun.

Healthy KP is a Norfolk, Plainville, Wrentham coalition whose mission is to encourage a healthy, substance abuse free life through youth leadership, education, policy, support and training.

For more information about Healthy KP, contact Karen Becker at beckerk@kingphilip.org and read more by clicking on this link--https://www.healthykp.org/.

MEFA Financial Aid Information

MEFA, Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, provides informative webinars and virtual community events on a range of topics, that include Financial Aid 101. MEFA’s Financial Aid 101 webinar series presentation provides a helpful overview of the entire financial aid process, and includes information on financial aid applications and eligibility, types of financial aid, and how colleges determine the details of financial aid offers. Weekly webinars will continue through mid-December.

View English Financial Aid 101 webinars

To register for an upcoming live webinar, click HERE.

To view a recorded webinar, please view the MEFA Videos page HERE.

Junior Class Presentation - January 6th

Counselors will meet with the Junior class in a large group presentation to discuss post-secondary planning, exploring various options including four-year colleges, community colleges, trade schools, military service, and direct entry into the workforce. The sessions will emphasize goal setting, the importance of academic and extracurricular preparation, and the resources available to support students in making informed decisions about their futures.

Upcoming Career Events

Students will be able to register for events via their graduating class' Google Classroom

January 9th:

Career Workshop: Finance at KP

January 23rd:

Possible Field Trip: Ken's Dressing Manufacturing Plant

February 13th:

Career Workshop: Mock Interviews at KP

February 27th:

Career Speaker: Reliant (medical group)

Massachusetts Community Colleges are now FREE to MA residents!

Mass Educate provides FREE community college tuition and fees for all Massachusetts students
Building on the success of Mass Reconnect, which made community college free for students 25 years and older, the Healey-Driscoll Administration and state Legislature made public community college FREE for students of any age and income in Massachusetts.
Mass Educate covers the full cost of tuition and fees for all eligible students. For more information and how to apply see the Office of Student Financial Assistance website: https://www.mass.edu/osfa/programs/masseducate.asp

Level Changes

Academic level change requests occur during the first two weeks of a course or with administrative approval. It is important that students spend sufficient time in a course before an academic level change is requested so that they and the teacher have the opportunity to determine the appropriateness of the placement.

Any level change that occurs after the first two weeks of the beginning of the course will require an Academic Level Change Request Form. Academic Level Change Request Forms are available in the School Counseling Office and require the student to get the signature of the current teacher and a parent/guardian.
Moving up a level only occurs within the first term. Any exceptions require administrative approval.
All courses dropped after the add/drop period will result in the appearance of a Withdrawal “WP” or “WF” on the student’s transcript. No schedule changes will take place during the last three weeks of a term.

Information on the Spring 2025 SAT Preparation Courses, to be held at Bridgewater State University, can be found by clicking on the link below.

https://www.bridgew.edu/ccs/SAT-Preparation

All registrations are to be done online.

If you have any questions, please email me at: d2marks@bridgew.edu.

Getting your permit?

If you need residency documentation to obtain your Learner’s Permit or Driver’s License, the Massachusetts RMV requires the following items:

• An Official Transcript
• A Letter of Residency (which includes student’s DOB and current residential address)
• To have these items prepared, please complete a Transcript Request Form, check off the RVM box, and submit it to the Guidance Office Secretary, Mrs. Ludwig or email it to ludwigm@kingphilip.org

Purchase a Parking Spot

Once you have passed the Road Test you may register for a parking spot in the KP parking lot. To find more information about parking spots and to register click here: Student Parking

Click this link to submit your donation today PTO Venmo Link

Cold and Flu season is upon us. Keeping a sick child home will help prevent the spread of illness.

This last week leading up to break has included spirit days, Elf of the Shelf with prizes for those who found him, and hot chocolate with the band serenading the student body as they came through the bus lobby.

This year's hot chocolate cups had a theme--"Hot Chocolate for Hope" thanks to Megan Burke's clever play on words. Also included on the cup was a link to all of our Student Wellness Services. Feel free to check out the link--Student Wellness Services

If you need to dismiss your student during the school day please email hsattendance@kingphilip.org. If at all possible, please do this at the beginning of the school day. Only excused absences allow students to make up missed work.The KPRHS Student Handbook lists what constitutes an excused absence.

Please note: Juniors do not have 'senior' privileges and are not allowed to leave during the school day. The consequence for any student leaving school without permission is a Saturday Detention for the first offense.

also

"Students misusing their parking privileges by leaving school grounds before the end of the school day may be subject to having their parking privileges revoked."

King Philip Regional Schools offers the following program to those who may not have internet access available for their KP student.The device provided is a modified mobile hotspot providing filtered internet intended for educational purposes.

To access the program please fill out the following form and return it to the Technology Department.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1goM-YWK8gCQEZUmk2gWFTnCdzDbk93S1/view?usp=sharing

The form is also available in printed format in the tech office at each building.

If your student is eligible for Free & Reduced Meals, with their parents permission, KPHS Administration is able to share their information with other departments to offer discounted pricing on other things such as Prom tickets, SAT tests, club activities and more. If you are interesting in sharing this information please complete the attached form Sharing Information Form

Universal Free School Meals for All Students

Governor Healey and the Massachusetts Legislature have made Massachusetts the 8th state to make School Meals for All permanent, beginning immediately for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year! School meals will be offered at no cost to all students.

Free and Reduced Cost Meals Application

Please note that even though meals will be free for all, it is very important for families in need to still complete the household Application for Free and Reduced Price Meals for the 2023-2024 school year. This allows districts to establish eligibility for other federal benefits and school programs. Families who have been eligible for Free and Reduced Meals in the past must apply again for 2023-2024. Please know that the application is confidential with only the Director of Food Services and administrators having access. All students receive the same meals.

King Philip Free and Reduced Meals Application

For more information on the School Meals Program, please visit the food services page on the district's website, King Philip Schools Food Services Department.

We establish high academic standards and expectations for personal responsibility. Students are encouraged to become lifelong learners, to be productive contributors to society, to set ambitious goals, and to use all available resources.

Principal: Nicole Bottomley

Assistant Principal: Kip Lewis

Assistant Principal: Karen Archambault

Assistant Principal: Jill Poirier

Athletic Director: Gary Brown

Website: https://www.kingphilip.org/high-school/
Twitter: @KingPhilipHS

Instagram: KPHighSchool

Location: 201 Franklin St, Wrentham MA 02093
Phone: 508-384-1000