ORHS - Family & Community Updates

Hello Oakmont families, students, staff, and community members.

Thank you for taking a few moments to check out our monthly newsletter which includes information about upcoming happenings as well recent events here at Oakmont.

A reminder that Semester 2, Term 1 grades close on Tuesday, 4/1. We anticipate grades being available in the portal and report cards sent by Thursday (4/3) afternoon.

Spring is in the air and Spring Athletics are off and running this week.

Be sure to check out the athletic schedule. This is also a good time to remind everyone of our Fan Expectations. Be sure you are familiar with this.

With the warmer weather approaching it is also a good time to remind everyone of the dress code.

Please be familiar with the expectations.

April is a busy month with many athletic contests, the Spring Musical, and we are only a few short weeks away from April break.

Oakmonitor

As always, we encourage you to check out our AWARD WINNING Oakmonitor School Newspaper online at https://oakmonitoronline.com/ for more great stories about the happenings here at Oakmont written by our students.

Oakmont School Council

Interested in serving on the School Council?

The commitment is about an hour per month from October to May. We meet on the first Wednesday of each month from October to May at 5PM. The committee serves in an advisory capacity in, “assisting in the identification of the educational needs of the students attending ORHS and makes recommendations to the Principal for their consideration.”

We are still in need of a "Community" representative from Ashburnham. If you are interested in sitting on the Oakmont School Council, please reach out to me.

I am happy to answer any questions.

If you have not already responded, please click this link and take a moment to respond to this short survey regarding which skills you feel are "essential" that all ORHS students should acquire before graduation.

Parent Square

Please be sure to download the Parent Square app and select the settings that work best for you. Click here for instructions.

Thank you for reading this month's newsletter and updates.

~Jeffrey M. Lizotte - Principal

Oakmont Regional High School

9 Oakmont Dr.

Ashburnham, MA 01430

Title IX Coordinator

978-827-5907 x2157

JLizotte@AWRSD.ORG

He, him, his

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988

Crisis Text Line - Text HOME to 741741 to reach a crisis counselor

Please be sure to download the ParentSquare app and select the settings that work best for you. Click here for instructions.

Here are a few quick reminders on the attendance policies.

1. A reminder that 4 tardies/dismissals = 1 absence

2. We are required to send notifications and reminders when you reach certain numbers of tardies/dismissals/absences. This is to ensure you are aware of where you stand and to let you know what we have on file for notes, etc. You may need to meet with an administrator if you have many absences.

3. Once you have gone over the limit which equates to 9 absence in a semester, the credit loss policy kicks in and you would be required to file for a waiver to possibly avoid credit loss.

4. SENIORS are reminded that due to their shortened spring semester and graduation, the number of absences before credit loss kicks in is only SEVEN (7). Please be sure you are staying on top of this as we do not want anyone losing credit due to attendance.

5. A reminder that only students in good standing(no attendance or unresolved disciplinary issues)((i.e. poor attendance or outstanding detentions, etc.) are eligible to purchase prom tickets or participate in Senior Events.

Be sure to check out Oakmont's AWARD WINNING Student newspaper, the Oakmonitor online.

SENIORS:

Scholarships are still available on Naviance. Check back regularly and pay attention to deadlines!

See Ms. Mac with questions.

Seniors are encouraged to update their result status on the “Colleges I’m Applying To” page of Naviance regarding college admissions decisions.

JUNIORS:

Junior Conferences began in March and will be wrapping up soon. Students meet with their counselor to review individual plans for after high school, careers and pathways.

Juniors who are interested in applying to a four-year college or university can register for the ACT or SAT this spring. Students are able to sign up on the College Board or ACT websites. Students may access free test prep through the Oakmont Library Resources, see your school counselor for more

information.

FRESHMEN:

The Course Selection process will begin for freshmen in April. Counselors reviewed the course selection process with freshmen during an extended homeroom meeting in March. Students should fill out a rough draft of their course selection form in their PlusPortal prior to meeting with their

counselor. Parents have the option to approve student course selections in their Parent PlusPortal account.

SOS Signs of Suicide Refresher

In April, Seniors will be attending a refresher course for the SOS Signs of Suicide. The program teaches students about this difficult topic and encourages them to seek help.

SOS has been used by thousands of schools for over 20 years. Studies have shown that it effectively teaches students about depression and suicide while reducing the number of students’ self-reported suicide attempts.

Through the program, students learn:

● that depression is treatable, so they are encouraged to seek help

● how to identify depression and potential suicide risk in themselves or a friend

● to ACT (Acknowledge, Care and Tell a trusted adult) if concerned about themselves or a friend

● who they can turn to at school for help

Students will watch age-appropriate video clips and participate in a guided discussion about depression, suicide, and what to do if they are concerned about a friend. Following the video, students will complete a brief depression screening form. This form cannot provide a diagnosis of

depression but does indicate whether a young person should seek help from a mental health professional.

At the end of the presentation, students will complete an exit slip which asks whether they would like to talk to an adult about any concerns. School staff will conduct brief meetings with any student asking to talk.

We encourage you to visit www.mindwise.org/parents for information on warning signs for youth suicide, useful resources, and some of the key messages students will learn.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s participation in this program please contact your student’s school counselor.

ASVAB Career Exploration Program

Oakmont will be hosting the ASVAB Career Exploration Program (CEP) on Thursday, April 17th at 9:00 AM.

This test is an invaluable tool to help students with their future educational and career plans. The deadline to sign up is Friday April 11th.

The ASVAB CEP will help students:

• Learn about themselves and the world of work

• Explore occupations in line with their interests and skills

• Develop an effective strategy to realize their career and education goals

One of the scores of the ASVAB is the military services’ entrance score which you can use to explore career options in the military. Students interested in military service are encouraged to sign up. Scores are not released to the military, and by no means are you obligated to military service.

See your school counselor to sign up.

The month of March has been a successful time for the music program.

The music ensembles began the month with our annual Winter Concert featuring the Concert Choir, Select Choir, Jazz Band, Concert Band, Winter Guard, and Winter Percussion.

Congrats to the members of the Winter Ensembles on very successful competitions this month. This past weekend the Winter Guard took home 3rd place in their division at the NESBA Winter guard Finals. The Winter Percussion Ensemble will travel to Dartmouth on Saturday April 5th for the NESBA Percussion Finals Competition. Best of luck at Finals Spartans!

Congratulations to the Jazz Ensemble on receiving a GOLD medal at the Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education State Big Band Finals on Saturday March 22nd. With that performance and award the band will move on to the Gold Medal Showcase performance at the famous Hatch Shell in Boston on May 4th. This is just the fourth time in the school's history that the ensemble has received this accolade.

The musical ensembles across the district have been celebrating "Music In Our Schools Month," with district-wide concerts featuring our choirs and bands. We will celebrate "Jazz Appreciation Month" on Thursday April 17th with our annual Jazz Night.

The Thomas Anderson Collection was created to honor Tom Anderson’s years of teaching and of providing outstanding resources to students and faculty in support of Oakmont’s educational mission. Tom inspired and promoted curiosity and a love of learning. Tom was never alone in this pursuit, and

through the Honor Fund, we similarly recognize those teachers who shared in Tom’s inspiring work. Donating to the Thomas Anderson Collection to honor a beloved Oakmont teacher on their retirement or at their passing will help keep their legacy in the building and inspire new generations of readers, just as Tom envisioned.

Click here for more information on how you can help support this collection which has benefited, and will continue to benefit Oakmont students.

General membership to the Ashburnham-Westminster Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is open to all AWRSD parents/guardians of children with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and Section 504 Plans and other interested parties. We are in need of volunteers to help plan workshops, staff tables at local school and community events, become future leaders, assist other parents, and plan new activities and projects.

We welcome you to learn more about SEPAC and our work on our website, https://sites.google.com/view/ashburnham-westminster-sepac. You can also follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ashwestsepac. Please contact the current co-chairs about getting involved with SEPAC at awrsdsepac3@gmail.com (Kim Caisse's email) and awrsdsepac4@gmail.com (Dorene Francis' email)

In 2016, Oakmont established the Oakmont Outstanding Alumni Award to recognize the accomplishments of those who graduated from Oakmont and went on to do great things. The goal of this recognition is not only to acknowledge these individuals, but to help inspire our current and future generations to go out and so the same.

We need your help to identify and recognize worthy candidates. We would love to honor graduates from any generation but particularly would like to recognize graduates from the 60's-80's while they are still young and healthy and may possibly be able to join us when we induct them and honor them.

If you know of an Oakmont graduate you think we should consider for this award, please take a moment to fill out this form so our committee can consider them during our next round which will be for consideration for Spring 2026 recognition. Within the form is a link which includes those who have already been recognized so you have an idea the types of accomplishments and contributions they have made. Please pass this along to anyone you may know who may be able to help us nominate worthy alumni.

Click here to be directed to the Article.

Guns in the Home and How to Keep Your Children Safe

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Handguns-in-the-Home.aspx

Suicide Prevention & Your Child

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/ten-things-parents-can-do-to-prevent-suicide.aspx

Resources on the impact of cell phone and social media on the teen brain

• NIH Articles: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6449671/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27247125/
  
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4183915/
• VIDEO: https://youtu.be/kGZvNbfrNag
• WEBSITE: https://www.humanetech.com/youth
• https://www.humanetech.com/take-control
• https://www.humanetech.com/future-generations
  
• NYT Article: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PdtQZAuVsflH0SuM9E6BMNyDkq9NPcjq/view
• NYT Article: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zvHPmlIQios-a2llfLFyj6DbdMWB5h8S/view
• Guardian Article: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/05/smartphone-addiction-silicon-valley-dystopia
• PEW Research: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/
• VIDEO: https://youtu.be/rv0g8TsnA6c
• TIME Article: https://time.com/5555737/smartphone-mental-health-teens/
• INFOGRAPHIC: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/technology-addiction-concern-controversy-and-finding-balance-infographic

Resources on talking to children about race and bias

• Smithsonian & NMAAHC WEBSITE (Race): https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race
• Anti-Defamation League WEBSITE: https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/talking-young-children-about-bias-and-prejudice
• Oakland Library Resources DOCUMENT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s0lCA3FlulVhK6DFE2d3uYCipc6ApY8Gn2rMwm6fYqw/edit
• PJ Library WEBSITE (Antisemitism): https://pjlibrary.org/beyond-books/pjblog/february-2022/how-to-talk-to-children-about-anti-semitism
  
• Nick Helps WEBSITE (Bullying Prevention): https://www.nick.com/nick-helps/bullying-prevention/

Click the title to be take to their website 👆