PEMBROKE HIGH SCHOOL

I am pleased to share the NEASC Decennial Accreditation report with the entire Pembroke community. This report, which you can find by clicking here, is the result of our Decennial Accreditation visit this past November, which was conducted by a team of educators from Duxbury, Marshfield, Norton, Revere, and Mansfield.

The purpose of the accreditation visit is to see how well our school aligns with the NEASC Standards for Accreditation, a research-based set of practices and concepts that provide guidance to schools on all aspects of education - academic, civic, and social. Every 10 years, schools host such a visit to ensure they remain an accredited institution. While we have not received official notice that Pembroke High School remains accredited (At their March meeting, the NEASC Commission will review and vote on our report), I hope that you will understand our optimism after reading this report. It is a wonderful tribute to our entire school community and everyone that walks through our front doors each day, including and most especially our students.

Congratulations to Jessica Cibotti, the deserving recipient of March's Bauer's Buddy Award. As a reminder, Bauer's Buddy Award helps shine a light on students that positively impact our school's culture by demonstrating compassion, kindness, and inclusivity towards their peers. This compassion helps to make our school a better place and aligns with our Vision of the Graduate. Bauer's Buddy Award is given to students who exemplify these qualities as a way to spread compassion and kindness throughout our school and community.

Jessica is certainly a worth recipient, and here are some of the things that her teachers noted on their nomination forms:

• Jessica is "always kind, compassionate, and down to earth."
• "a great, active student, who is always inclusive of others"
• "always there to help and engage with fellow students, including underclassmen"
• "She is a great student, very humble and always willing to help others."
• "I've never seen Jessica without a smile on her face."
• 'She is so helpful and extends herself to teachers and students."

Congratulations, Jessica, and thank you for all that you do to have such a positive impact on our school.

This week, the Junior 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 14 at 2:20 p.m., so that families and caregivers can review these selections at home.

The process continues throughout March based on the schedule below during Titan Time in small group seminars with their guidance counselors.

• March 11-14 - Sophomore course selections
• March 18-21 - Freshman course selections
• March 21-28 - 8th grade course selections (in 21st Century classes with their counselor)

As noted above, students will initially select courses in seminars with their counselors, but the portal to submit those selections does not close until the Friday following their seminar. For example, the portal for sophomores to select their classes closes at 2:20 p.m. on Friday, March 21, the Friday following the sophomore seminars. We do this so that students have plenty of time to discuss their course selections with their families at home. We encourage all parents and caregivers to take this time to review their child's selections and discuss the important balance between creating a schedule that is challenging and one that is also geared toward success.

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 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 Pick-a-Time portal for our Parent-Teacher conferences, which are March 12 from 1-6 p.m., is now open. The first hour of the conferences (1-2 p.m.) will be reserved for virtual appointments, and the slots from 2-6 p.m. will be for in-person conferences. You can access the portal by clicking here.

To accommodate these conferences, March 12 will be an Early Release Day for our students, with student dismissal at 11:10 a.m.

The Pembroke Music Department cordially invites you to attend our upcoming concerts celebrating Music In Our Schools during the month of March.

• All-Choral Night: Monday, March 10, at 6:30 PM in the PHS Gymnasium
• All-Band Night: Tuesday, March 11, at 6:30 PM in the PHS Gymnasium
• All-Band String Night: Thursday, March 13, at 6:30 PM in the PHS Randall Auditorium

These shows feature our talented Performing Artists from all five schools in our district. Please consider attending one or all of these amazing evenings, even if your child is not part of our music program. You'll be glad you did!

As you may know, students in our Grade 9 Health and Wellness course embark on a 3-unit comprehensive health education curriculum. Those three units are Social Emotional and Interpersonal Relationships, Understanding and Avoiding Hazardous Substances, and The Human Life Cycle. These units have been developed by our professional staff, and the overall goal is to continue efforts begun in earlier grades to promote the health and well-being of our students, helping them make wise and informed decisions during their teen-age years and beyond.

Soon, all freshmen currently enrolled in our Grade 9 Health and Wellness class will be participating in The Social Emotional and Interpersonal Relationships unit, and one segment within that unit is Break Free from Depression (BFFD), a program that educates teens about mental health and depression. Because our Grade 9 Health and Wellness class is a semester class, about half of our freshmen took PE during the first semester, and the other half are taking the course this semester. This notice is for the parents of students enrolled this semester.

The BFFD program, which is taught collaboratively by our PE/Wellness teachers and our counseling staff, is explored over three classes during the week of March 10. Staff and students will be using the BFFD curriculum provided by Boston Children’s Hospital, which is also included in the Best Practice Registry of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. If you would like to review these materials at the school, you are welcome to do so. Please call me to arrange a convenient time.

According to the program’s authors, BFFD is not a treatment or counseling program; rather, it is “an educational program designed to increase students’ knowledge of depression, their confidence in identifying signs and symptoms related to depression, and their ability to access resources.” Evidenced-based programs such as Break Free are safe and effective, as there is no research or evidence, after years of implementation, to suggest that screening for youth suicide induces suicidal thinking or behaviors (https://www.mindwise.org/).

During the course, students will be able to ask questions, which will be answered factually and in an age-appropriate manner. Each student's privacy will be respected, and no one will be put on the spot to ask or answer questions or reveal personal information.

Under Massachusetts law and School Committee policy, you may exempt your child from any portion of this unit. To receive an exemption, simply send me a letter or an email requesting an exemption for your child. No student who is exempted will be penalized. We will provide an alternative assignment to students who are exempted.

We look forward to working with you to ensure that your child has a positive and educationally enriching experience this school year. If you have any questions about this unit or any other matter concerning your child's education, please call me.

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.

• First Week of May - Prom tickets go on sale (price TBD)
• May 5 - May 16 - AP Exams
• May 16 - Last day of classes for the Class of 2025
• May 17 - PHS Promenade (5:15 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.

• Ramadan Mubarak to our Muslim students, families, and colleagues during this holy month of Ramadan (February 28 - March 30, 2025).

• Congratulations to Mrs. Taryn Lang and her DECA students for their participation in the DECA State Competition last weekend. These 25 DECA students spent the weekend at the Westin Hotel in the Seaport competing against their state-wide peers for a chance to advance to the nationals. While none of our students advanced, there were some noteworthy individual accomplishments:
• Seniors Jack Gill and Luke Santoro received a 98 and 99 on their first two role play scores in the category of Business Law, sending them to the finals round.
• These scores got them TWO "top three" medals at our Mini Awards Session on Friday evening.
• They placed 12th overall in their category for MA DECA!
• Overall, the DECA club received recognition for the Community Campaign Award in which students gained two leadership spots for their efforts and events (in the fall) supporting their community and promoting their efforts.

• Best of luck this weekend to Joey Ballantine (trumpet), Luke Whalen (trumpet), and Landon Smith (tuba), who are participating in the Junior SEMSBA District Music Festival this weekend. They will be joining their district-wide peers at Hingham Middle School for their performance tomorrow afternoon!

• 3/10 - All Choral Night (6:30-8:00 p.m PHS Gymnasium)
• 3/11 - All Band Night (6:30-8:00 p.m PHS Gymnasium)
• 3/11-3/14 - Sophomore Class Course Selection Seminars
• 3/12 - ERD - Student Dismissal at 11:10 p.m. (Parent-Teacher Conferences 1-6 p.m.)
• 3/13 - All String Night (6:30-8:00 p.m. PHS Randall Auditorium)
• 3/14 - Course Selection portal closes for Juniors @ 2:20 p.m.
• 3/17 - First Day of Spring Sports
• 3/18-3/21 - Freshman Class Course Selection Seminars
• 3/19 - ERD - Student Dismissal at 11:10 a.m. (Teacher Professional Development)
• 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.

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/