ROCKLAND HIGH WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Progress reports for term 3 were posted in Aspen on Tuesday. Please refer to your student's mid-term progress report located on the main page under "Published Reports". Please feel free to reach out to your child's guidance counselor about their academic progress.

MCAS testing is coming! All grade 10 students will take English Language Arts in March and Math in May. Grade 9 students will take Science at the beginning of June. See the dates below:

• March 25 and 26 - Grade 10 ELA
• May 20 and 21 - Grade 10 Math
• June 4 and 6 - Grade 9 STE

Testing will take place during the school day. Students NOT taking the MCAS on these days will be expected to report school later than usual (although students taking the bus may come in at normal time and work on schoolwork in the cafeteria). The schedule for ELA on 3/25 and 3/26 is attached.

Makeup MCAS testing occurred this week on March 6 and 7 (ELA) and will occur next week on March 11 and 12 (math).

SWEATPANTS FUNDRAISER

The class of 2026 is selling sweatpants as a fundraiser. Sweatpants are $35 each and are offered in grey and black in adult sizes as well as in youth sizes. Please click on the google form to see a picture. If you would like to order a pair, fill out the google form below. A Rockland email is required to fill out the google form, so student and teacher emails can be use. Money is due by March 15th in cash or check form. All checks can be made out to the Town of Rockland.

ROCKLAND'S GOT TALENT

The 2nd Annual Rockland's Got Talent is on Thursday, April 10 at 7pm in the RHS Auditorium! Auditions are open to all RHS Students, Faculty and Staff. Prizes for the top three contestants, plus a 50/50 raffle! Dance, music, poetry and more. Hosted by DJ Rocco from Rockland.

★ Audition by 3/14: tinyurl.com/RGT2025-SignUp

★ Tickets: tinyurl.com/RGT2025

This is a fundraiser for the Rockland Public Schools Music Department and the WRPS Scholarship Fund. See you there for a night of raffles, prizes and surprises!

3/11 - Senate Leadership Council meeting, 7:30 AM

3/11 - Seal of Biliteracy Testing, 8:10 AM

3/11 - MCAS Retest - Math session 1

3/12 - MCAS Retest - Math session 2

3/12 - Crisis Team meeting, 9:20 AM - rescheduled*

3/12 - New Teacher Induction meeting, 2:50 PM

3/12 - Winter Sports Banquet, 5:30 PM

3/13 - Dog Block, 10:42 - 11:28 AM

3/20 - Early release PD day, 11:25 AM dismissal

3/20 and 3/21 - RHS Drama presents SpongeBob Squarepants the Musical, 7:00 PM

3/25 - MCAS Testing Grade 10 - ELA session 1, SAT School Day Testing

3/25 - Site Council meeting, 7:30 AM

3/26 - MCAS Testing Grade 10 - ELA session 2

MASC 2025 Conference:

12 students from Rockland High School attended the annual MASC conference held at the Emerald Resort in Hyannis. Students and advisors attended multiple workshops and keynote speakers to build their leadership and communication skills.

Rockland High School was awarded the Gold Council of Excellence in recognition of the achievements of our council and student leadership. Three students who attended the conference were awarded the Commonwealth Award to recognize their contributions to our council. Congratulations to: Logan Hatch, Regan Glennon, and Joshua Campoverde. Rockland High School also won the MASC Scavenger Hunt for the second year in a row!

Congratulations to all of these students for their hard work and for representing Rockland High School’s student council!

The RHS Drama Club is presenting SpongeBob the Musical on March 20 through March 22. See the promotional flyer below!

On Wednesday, March 26th we will be hosting the Harlem Wizards to put on a very entertaining basketball game and show that promises to be a blast and a fantastic boost for our school community. The Harlem Wizards are renowned for their electrifying performances, mixing top-notch basketball with dazzling entertainment and uplifting messages. This isn’t even just a game; it’s a chance to rally our school spirit, engage our students, and strengthen our community bonds, all while raising vital funds for the student athletes within our High School Athletic Department. Visit HARLEMWIZARDS.COM and click “GET TICKETS” to purchase your tickets today!! We can’t wait to see you there!

RHS Wizards Video: https://vimeo.com/1040833280

COURSE SELECTION INFO FOR GRADES 9 THROUGH 11

As you know, the recommendation and course selection process for the 2025-2026 school year is underway!

All materials students need are/will be in their Guidance Google Classroom.

Here are course selection presentations for each grade; students should review the information for their grade carefully:

Grade 11

Grade 10

Grade 9

Counselors will work with students March 11th, 12th & 13th to choose electives for next year. Students should be prepared to do this by then!

Just a few reminders:

Here are the things students should be doing to prepare for the recommendation/course selection process.

Here are details on how parents can see teacher recommendations for their student(s).

If you/your student are considering taking an Advanced Placement (AP) course, please read this helpful introduction to the Advanced Placement Program.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We are looking forward to working with students to get ready for next year.

FOR JUNIORS AND SENIORS

See the above flyer for a scholarship information webinar on March 13 at 6:30 PM.

SENIORS

We wanted to share the following resources and information with Seniors and families regarding college financing:

Join Sallie Mae experts to learn how to decipher your financial aid awards so you can confidently determine which college is the best financial fit for you.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12th at 7:00 PM

Register here. If you can’t attend, register anyway and you will receive a copy of the recording.

Article - How to Spot Student Loan Scams

Appealing for more financial aid:

These two articles will discuss strategies for appealing a financial aid award:

Going Merry - Guide to Writing the Perfect Financial Aid Appeal Letter

FinAid - How to Appeal Financial Aid Award Packages

Webinar on appealing for more aid (hosted by College Aid Pro - this is not an endorsement of the company; Mrs. Black attended the webinar and is sharing it with students and families) and here are the slides from the webinar.

Entrance Counseling - This is REQUIRED for students who have not previously received a Direct Subsidized or Unsubsidized loan or a Direct PLUS Loan - if students will be taking loans, be sure to read this!

We hope you find these resources helpful.

Regards,

The RHS Guidance Department

MEASLES UPDATE

As of February 28, 2025, the CDC has reported 164 measles cases across nine states (Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Rhode Island, and Texas). 95% of the cases involved unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals, with no cases in those fully vaccinated. National data shows declining measles vaccination rates, with 92.7% of U.S. kindergarteners vaccinated in 2023–2024, which is below the 95% herd immunity threshold. In Massachusetts schools, 97% of students are vaccinated for measles.

Signs and symptoms of measles are:

• Fever

• Cough

• Runny nose

• Whitish spots on inside of the mouth (2-3 days after fever starts)

• Rash of red spots on skin starting on the face and spreading to the neck and trunk. (3-5 days after fever starts)

If you think your child has or has been exposed to measles, see you healthcare provider immediately.

Updated stories are available in The Veritas.

School Website

Aspen Student & Family Portal

Arbiter Live- Athletic Schedules

Breakfast & Lunch Menus

On Tuesday of next week, we have six students in grades 11 and 12 taking the Seal of Biliteracy exam. If successful, those students will be recognized by the Rockland Schools and the Department of Secondary and Elementary Education as biliterate in the chosen language. Best of luck as they take on this challenge!

Winter sport athletes will be recognized at the Winter Sports Banquet next Wednesday night at 5:30 PM.

Best wishes for a nice, relaxing weekend. Hopefully spring temperatures are on the way!

Sincerely,

Cheryl Schipper