PEMBROKE HIGH SCHOOL

The K-12 Performing Arts Department begins its series of annual Winter Concerts tonight! As always, admission is free for these performances, and we hope you all consider coming out for a night of entertainment while supporting our school programs. All concerts start at 6:30 p.m. in the PHS Randall Auditorium, unless noted.

• Thursday, December 19 - PHS Winter Concert
• Friday, December 20 - PHS Performing Arts Traveling Concerts. Our students visit Bryantville Elementary, North Pembroke Elementary, and Pembroke Community Middle Schools during the school day to perform. The day concludes with Hobomock Elementary School students coming over to PHS for our students to perform for them.
• Monday, January 6 - Bryantville Elementary Winter Concert
• Tuesday, January 7 - North Pembroke Elementary Winter Concert
• Wednesday, January 8 - Hobomock Elementary Winter Concert
• Thursday, January 16 - PCMS Winter Concert

Each semester, our Grade 9 Health and Wellness course students embark on a 3-unit comprehensive health education curriculum. Our professional staff has developed this program, and the overall goal of the course 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 teenage years and beyond. In addition to our traditional physical educational curriculum, our students study three wellness units: Social Emotional and Interpersonal Relationships; Understanding and Avoiding Hazardous Substances, and The Human Life Cycle.

Starting Monday, January 6, all freshmen enrolled in Grade 9 Health and Wellness during the first semester will begin the Human Life Cycle unit. Remember all PE classes are semester-based, so approximately half of our freshmen are taking Health and Wellness during this semester, and the other half will take in next semester. The week of Jan. 6 pertains to students that are taking the course during this semester.

This Human Life Style unit includes topics related to sex education such as dating; relationships and communication skills; pregnancy; birth control; abortion; sexuality; prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections; and prevention of sexual abuse. Students and staff will use Comprehensive Heath (Goodheart-Wilcox) and other supplementary materials for instructional materials. 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.

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. Material will be presented in a balanced, factual way that makes clear that people may have strong religious and moral beliefs about issues such as birth control and abortion, and that these beliefs must be respected.

Under Massachusetts law and School Committee policy, you may exempt your child from any portion of the curriculum (The Human Life Cycle) that primarily involves human sexual education or human sexuality issues. To receive an exemption, simply send me an email requesting an exemption for your child. No student who is exempted from this portion of the curriculum 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 sex education or any other matter concerning your child's education, please call me.

Semester exams begin Tuesday, January 14, and continue through Friday, Jan. 17. These 90-minute exams do not factor into Term 2 grades. Rather, they are stand-alone grades that count for 10% of students' final grades. Our exam days are half-days, with two exams scheduled per day. Student dismissal is at 10:50 a.m. each day, except the last day, Friday, Jan. 19. Student dismissal on that day is at 9:05 a.m. The is the schedule for our semester exams:

• Monday, January 13 - Exam Review Day: This is a full day of school with all seven periods meeting so teachers and students can have one last opportunity to review for semester exams. This allows us to run all seven periods (Day 3 - 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2). We do not run Titan Time on Exam Review Day.
• Tuesday, January 14 - Exams for Periods 2 and 3
• Wednesday, January 15 - Exams for Periods 1 and 5
• Thursday, January 16 - Exams for Periods 7 and 4
• Friday, January 17 - Exams for Period 6 and Makeups
• Tuesday, January 21 - First day of Term 3/Semester 2

Here are a few important notes about exams:

• Because of their importance, student attendance is required on exam days. Students without an excused absence are not allowed to make up an exam. Parents are urged to contact their child's administrator, Mr. Rix (grades 9, 11) or Ms. Kelley (grades 10, 12), if they know that their child is unable to attend school during exam week.
• That said, students do not need to be in school if they do not have an exam during a particular period (i.e. study hall, Senior Exemption).
• While dismissal is at 10:50 a.m. each morning, we are not able to add an additional bus run at that time. Buses will make their usual afternoon run at 2:20 p.m. While most of our students leave at 10:50 a.m. via alternate transportation (parent pick-up, getting a ride with an upperclassman), our library and our cafeteria are open to students that need to wait for the 2:20 p.m. bus run. Students can use these spaces to prepare for their exams the next day.
• We also serve lunch to any student staying until 2:20 p.m. Students should order their lunch - and let us know what bus they take - in the main office prior to 7:35 a.m. each day that they are planning on staying.

In preparation for semester exams, we are hosting our annual Cocoa and Cram - Exam Review Night this coming Thursday, January 9, from 6-8 p.m. This review night is for our freshmen and sophomores as we look to support them with this important educational experience.

Many members of our faculty and dozens of PHS National Honor Society students will run small and large group study sessions - by subject. While the night is not mandatory, we certainly encourage our 9th and 10th graders to take advantage of this opportunity. Hot chocolate and other treats will be served.

As we near the end of the first semester, it is a good time to remind students and parents about our attendance and tardiness policies.

All students are allowed five unexcused tardies per semester, and on their sixth unexcused tardy, detentions are issued progressively. On January 21, the first day of the second semester, all students' tardy numbers reset to zero. We continue to remind students to use their five "free" unexcused tardies judiciously.

Students are also allowed eight unexcused absences in each semester class and 16 unexcused absences for a full-year class. Students that exceed those totals lose credit in the course and cannot apply the class to our graduation requirements.

On January 21, many of our students will transition to new semester courses, which means that their unexcused class absence totals reset to zero. Naturally, the absence totals do not reset in a full-year course. We thank our families for reinforcing the importance of consistent and punctual attendance at school and for monitoring their child's absence totals throughout the year.

You can find our attendance policy, which includes tardiness, in our Student Handbook on page 12.

The Pathways Program's goal is for students to gain the skills necessary to be college and career-ready by exploring a relevant field of study both in and out of the classroom. To meet this goal, we are interested in enlisting local businesses as community partners.

Students that participate in a pathway will experience an in-depth look at a specific career field of interest, engage in career planning activities, and enhance their experience through an industry-focused internship, certification, or capstone project during their senior year. Whether a student is heading to college, trade school, or a full-time career after high school, the Pathways Program will ensure students are prepared for the next step in their life journey. Pembroke offers students eight Pathways options: Biomedical Science, Business & Entrepreneurship, Computer Science, Digital Arts, Global Citizenship & Learning, Engineering & Manufacturing, Music and Information Technology.

How can local businesses help? Pembroke High School is looking for community partners with internship opportunities in the areas of Business and Entrepreneurship and Digital Arts. The goal is for students to spend the final six weeks of their high school career working in an organization that closely aligns with their career goals. Internships will provide an educational and safe environment for Pembroke High School seniors to learn from experts outside the classroom. The host business benefits from the additional resources, new perspectives, and skills the students bring to the workplace and the opportunity to help mentor the students. The targeted time frame for the internships is the Spring of 2025 (March 31 - May 22).

If you would like more information about hosting an intern, please contact Maryellen Gates, the Pathways Coordinator, at 781-293 9281 X2119 for additional information. Thank you for helping our PHS students!

Last week I recognized our Fall Season student-athletes that had earned post-season awards and accolades. At that time, the Patriot League Football coaches had not yet met to name that sport's award winners. They have now! Congratulations to the following members of our football team for their Patriot League Awards:

• Jayden Leonard - Patriot League All-Star and Patriot League Scholar-Athlete
• Mike Giese - Patriot League All-Star
• Max Farrow - Patriot League Sportsmanship Award

Additionally, the Pembroke High School Football Team was presented with the Patriot League Team Sportsmanship Award by the rest of the coaches in the league. This is quite an honor, and it speaks to the high level of class and character that our entire team displayed on and off the field this fall. Congratulations to Coach Shawn Tarpey, his coaching staff, and all of our players for representing the Pembroke High School Community and their families so well.

Congratulations to senior Joe Butler, who was named December's Bauer's Buddy Award Winner. Joe was nominated by several teachers and later selected by a panel of teachers for this month's award, which looks to celebrate those that display kindness, compassion, and a strong sense of inclusivity.

The nominating teachers wrote about Joe's constant kindness, positivity, and optimism. Another noted how inclusive he is, making sure that he often goes out of his way to make sure everyone feels included. This is particularly prevalent in his role as Best Buddies President, but actions transcend this title. He genuinely committed to forming positive relationships and would be whether he was President of Best Buddies or not.

Congratulations, Joe, and thank you for embodying so many traits found in the Portrait of a Pembroke Titan.

Finally, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Holiday season. My thanks to both our French Club and our Multicultural Club, whose meetings this month were spent learning about the various holiday celebrations around the world. Students enjoyed cultural treats, played holiday-themed games, and listened to music associated with these various holidays.

I hope you all enjoy this special time of year and have some well-deserved time with family and friends to celebrate the season and give thanks for so many great blessings. As we approach the halfway point of the year, it is clear that there is so much for which we should be thankful. Happy Holidays!

• 12/19 - Winter Concert (Randall Auditorium 6:30-8:00 p.m.)
• 12/23-1/1 - Winter Break
• 1/9 - Cocoa and Cram - Exam Review Night for Freshmen and Sophomores (6-8 p.m.)
• 1/13 - Exam Review Day - All classes meet - no Titan Time
• 1/14-1/17 - Exam Week (Half Days - Student Dismissal at 10:50 a.m.)
• 1/17 - Grades for Term 2 close
• 1/20 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (No School)
• 1/21 - First Day of Term 3/Semester 2
• 1/23 - Term 2 Report Cards are published and emailed
• 1/29 - Early Release Day - Teacher Professional Development (student dismissal at 11:10 a.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 week.

Regards,

Marc