Once the calendar turns to March, we know that the three spring MCAS testing windows are upon us. First up is the 10th grade ELA MCAS testing window, which is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25 and Wednesday, March 26.

All sophomores will take this important assessment, which will begin promptly at 7:30 a.m. each morning. While the test is untimed, we schedule the MCAS to run from 7:30-11:01, which is the start of our lunch block. Students needing additional time are relocated to a common room, with a lunch break built in for them. Mr. David Rix, our assistant principal and MCAS Coordinator, has been communicating with our sophomores via email and Titan Time assemblies to fully prepare all of our sophomores for their ELA MCAS testing window. Please remind your sophomore to check for this important email from Mr. Rix.

Please remember that while passing the ELA, Mathematics, and Science MCAS is no longer a Massachusetts graduation requirement, participation is still required by the Department of Education and Pembroke Public Schools. These assessments are extremely important to both students and educators, as they provide valuable data to measure student progress toward achieving mastery of the standards prescribed in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and help schools make adjustments to their practice as necessary. Furthermore, the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship, which provides free tuition to Massachusetts state universities to students based on their success on the MCAS, will still be awarded to qualifying students.

For those that like to plan ahead, the Grade 10 Mathematics MCAS window is May 20 and 21, and our 9th Grade Biology MCAS window is June 4 and 5.

This week, the Freshman Class met with their guidance counselors in small group seminars during Titan Time to select their courses for next year. Please remember that the portal for them to submit their final selections remains open next Friday, March 28 at 2:20 p.m., so that families and caregivers can review these selections at home. For the Sophomore Class, who met with their counselors last week, the portal for their submissions closed today.

Any student in grades 9-11 that missed their Course Selection Seminar over the past three weeks should visit the Guidance Office to make an appointment with their counselor to do so. The current 8th graders are now on the clock, as they have begun their course selections today and will continue to do so all of next week during 21st Century.

Also, please keep in mind the Level Override Request Form must be submitted to me by Friday, April 11. Students can only select the core courses for which they are recommended, so the Level Override Request Form is used by students that are requesting to override a teacher's recommendation. Most of the time, these disagreements are resolved after conversations with the recommending teacher. However, if the disagreement still exists after those conversations, the Level Override form would come into play. The April 11 deadline is a very important deadline in the Course Selection Process.

I encourage students and families to review our Program of Studies, which explains the entire Course Selection Process. If you were unable to attend our Program of Studies last week, you can find that presentation by clicking here.

The grades for Term 3 close next Friday, March 28. Report cards will be published and emailed home on Thursday, April 3. This is a great time to remind all of our seniors that are heading out on T4 internships that they must meet the academic eligibility requirements, which are based on their T3 report cards.

Please consider this a friendly reminder to look at your child's PowerSchool account or at the bottom of your child's Term 3 Report Card when it comes out in two weeks for a list of materials or fees that your child owes. This could include textbooks from a previous year, AP exam fees, damaged Chromebooks, athletic user fees, and negative lunch balances. As spring approaches, it is important to collect those obligations, especially before Prom tickets go on sale. All obligations must be settled before a student is allowed to purchase a ticket.

As we emerge from winter, I did want to put some important spring dates on your calendars. While many of these dates relate to seniors only, there are some that pertain to all students.

• April 28 - May 7 - Prom tickets go on sale (price TBD). All obligations (owed fees and materials) must be paid before purchasing a ticket.
• May 5 - May 16 - AP Exams
• May 16 - Last day of classes for the Class of 2025
• May 17 - PHS Promenade (5 p.m.) and Junior-Senior Prom (6 p.m. at the Quincy Marriott)
• May 19-22 - Final Exam week for the Class of 2025
• May 27 - Senior Dinner (6-9 p.m. Jones River Tavern)
• May 28 -
• Graduation Rehearsal (7:45-11:00 a.m. Cafeteria, Auditorium, PHS Athletic Complex)
• Cap and Gown Pick-Up (11 a.m. PHS Main Lobby)
• Baccalaureate Celebration of the Class of 2025 (7 p.m. PHS Randall Auditorium)
• May 29 - Senior Awards Night (6-8 p.m. PHS Randall Auditorium)
• May 31 - Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2025 (10 a.m. PHS Athletic Complex)
• June 5 - Underclassmen Awards Night (6-8 p.m. PHS Randall Auditorium)
• June 9-13 - Exam Week (weather dependent)
• June 13 - Last Day of School (weather dependent)

Often, I will conclude this update with a "Celebrating Community" segment, which will highlight the recent successes and accomplishments of our entire school community. In doing so, we draw well-deserved attention to the many people that make our community great.

• Congratulations to these winter sports athletes, who have earned Patriot League Post-Season Awards for their performances in and out of the arena!

• Congratulations to these Performing Arts students, who participated in the SEMSBA Music Festival last weekend at Sharon High School.

• 3/21 - Course Selection Portal Closes for Sophomores @2:20 p.m.
• 3/25, 3/26 - ELA MCAS for all Sophomores
• 3/28 - Grades Close for T3
• 3/28 - Course Selection Portal Closes for Freshmen @2:20 p.m.
• 4/1 - PHS Music Department NYC Trip Meeting and Send-off Concert
• 4/3-4/6 - PHS Music Department NYC Trip
• 4/3 - Report Cards for T3 are published and emailed home
• 4/7 - PHS PTO Meeting (6-7 p.m. Library Conference Room)
• 4/10 - PHS School Council Meeting (2:40-3:40 p.m. Library Conference Room)
• 4/11 - Recommendation Override Forms Deadline
• 4/18 - Good Friday (No School)
• 4/21-4/25 - No School (April Vacation)

That's all for this week. Thanks for reading, and please don't ever hesitate to reach out directly if I can be of assistance in any way. Have a great weekend.

Regards,

Marc

Email: Marc.talbot@pembrokek12.org
Website: pembrokek12.org
Location: 80 Learning Lane, Pembroke MA 02359
Phone: 781-293-9281 x2104
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PembrokeHighSchoolNews/