Douglas High School Updates

Hello Families,

This week we had our DECA team compete in the District competition at Nichols College. We have 7 students who placed in the top 4 of their focus areas and are moving forward to compete in the State competition! In Advisory this week, we provided students with scenarios that required students to use self-efficacy and a growth mindset. They provided great solutions to their given problem scenario.

Next week, our State Champion Girls Soccer Team is scheduled to be recognized at the State House in Boston. We will also be in preparation mode for our Midyear exams. Information about the exams is below.

The Douglas Public Schools are always exploring ways to improve district and school communications with families, please take a moment to let us know your experiences and how you prefer to receive school communications. As experiences may differ from school to school we ask that you fill one per school. All answers will remain anonymous.

LINK

Tuesday, January 21st Exam A: (7:20 am – 9:00 am) and Exam B: (9:10 am – 10:50am)

Wednesday, January 22nd Exam C: (7:20 am – 9:00 am) and Exam D: (9:10 am – 10:50 am)

Thursday, January 23rd Exam E: (7:20 am – 9:00 am) and Exam F: (9:10 am – 10:50 am)

Friday, January 24th Exam G: (7:20 am – 9:00 am) and Make-Up Exam: (9:10 am – 10:50 am)

All exam days will be early release days; students will be dismissed at 10:50am and can drive themselves home, be picked up, or walk home. Bus transportation will be provided at the regular time of 1:52 pm. To get dismissed at 10:50am, students must turn in a dismissal form signed by a parent/guardian. These forms are in the main office and can be found here. If a student is staying for the whole day and will eat school lunch they need to sign up in the office so the cafeteria knows how many lunches to prepare.

In the event of a snow day/cancellation, the exam schedule will be moved back one day. In the event of a two-hour delay, the test- taking time period for both scheduled exams will move back two hours. The first exam will take place from 9:20am – 11:00am and the second from 11:10am - 12:50pm. Bus pick-up will still be at 1:50pm. Students will need to adjust their arrival and departure times.

If a student does not have a first period exam, they will be allowed to report to school for the start of the second exam period at 9:00 am. A late arrival form must be completed and can be found in the Main Office. Students must check in at the main office if they are arriving at school for just the second period exam.

If a student has a first period exam, but not a second period exam, that student may be dismissed after the first period exam. A dismissal form must be completed and can be found in the Main Office. The student must provide their own transportation. Dismissal forms must be turned in to Mrs. Lambert, in the main office, prior to the start of mid-term exams.

Students that do not have a first period exam but report to school at 7:05am will report to the cafeteria during the non-testing period. They should report prepared with work or reading material. If a student is a bus student and has a first period exam but not a second period exam, they will report to the cafeteria during this non-testing period to wait for school dismissal. They should report prepared with academic work or reading material.

If a student misses an exam, a parent/guardian will need to contact administration to discuss the reason for a student missing the exam. Based on the conversation, administration will determine whether the student will be allowed to make up the exam. If the student is permitted, administration will let the student and teacher know that the student is still allowed to make up the exam. The student will need to make arrangements with the teacher to take the exam during the make-up period.

Missing exams due to vacations or trips need to be discussed prior to the exam block. This matter must be resolved with the administration in advance of the testing date. Administration will contact the student’s teachers to let them know if the student will have the opportunity to make-up the exam or that the student will receive a grade of zero for the missed exam. The make-up will need to be taken after school in the main office or the guidance office. Teachers will need to forward an exam to the Guidance or Main Office to accommodate this make-up.

STUDENTS MUST BE ON TIME FOR THE EXAM!! Students who are tardy for an exam must report to the main office to validate their reason for being tardy with an administrator. Late students may not be admitted to the exam if it has already begun. An administrator may decide whether the student will complete the exam in either the guidance or main office.

Buses will arrive at school at the usual time of 7:05am. Buses will be provided for all students at the 1:50pm dismissal time.

Students who have work-study do not take a mid-term exam and do not need to report to school during that scheduled block time, this needs to be noted on the mid-term dismissal form.

Parent Pick Up will look a little different than usual. Please see the picture below for the new pattern during exam week.

If you want a video to describe the policy, click HERE

If you qualify for Buyback, please see one of our Administrators or Guidance Counselors to initiate.

If you are struggling getting your child to school, one of our partners is offering a free workshop. See this link if you are interested. LINK

Come join any of our events with Basketball and Winter Track and Field. Game Schedules: Athletic Calendar

UNIFIED SPORTS is coming to DHS!! See here for information: LINK

Please see the Athletic Handbook for policies and procedures

Sign Up for Winter Sports HERE

Hi good afternoon,

The link below is the google form for the students to fill out for their senior baby pictures! If it could put it in the news or weekly letter that is sent out. Also if it could be emailed to parents! That way we are able to get everyones pictures in the year book! The deadline is Jan 10,2025! Please email me if you have any questions!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScWmBT1SVqZbZakjVUaa41l49l3e6zzCRbVqQad3T15kIbvxA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Hello Class of 2025!

The yearbook staff is now ready to accept senior portraits!

There are a few ways you can do this.

1. Log into Treering.com, create an account, and purchase the yearbook. There is a flyer below to help you get started.

2. Upload your child's portrait directly into the TreeRing software. Here is an article explaining the steps.

https://help.treering.com/s/article/Uploading-a-Portrait-Photo-of-Your-Child

OR

Send this link for senior pictures to your photographer and have them upload the picture through this Google Form: https://forms.gle/BuaP2EVffiS8B86S9. Please have them change the name of the file to the student's name.

The yearbook is on sale through May 15th. They will include events all the way through graduation so they will arrive at the school in early July. Students can pick them up in the main office during normal business hours once they arrive.

You have the option of creating two FREE custom pages of your own to be included in your book. This is a great way to personalize your yearbook! (You can purchase more pages for a nominal fee if you wish). I have included instructions in the 2nd flyer below.

Lastly, there is an area for you to upload baby pictures to your TreeRing account for us to include in a section in the book. Our goal is to get one baby picture per student! Typically these are of students when they were age 3 or younger - good luck picking!! We will be providing an alternate means to upload them shortly, but if you are already in your TreeRing account and wish to upload it now, you may.

I appreciate your patience as we work through this new senior portrait policy this year. Please let me know if you have any questions or run into any issues.

Sincerely,

Emily Costa

Douglas Public Schools Continues to Partner with Care Solace to Revolutionize Mental Health Care Access: Students, their families, and staff have access to mental health care coordination services at no cost.

Understanding the profound impact of untreated mental health conditions, Douglas Public Schools takes an innovative step forward by partnering with Care Solace, a social purpose organization focused on removing barriers in accessing mental health care. The collaboration provides school district families and staff with access to Care Solace's care coordination services at no cost.

Douglas Public Schools will use Care Solace to support its commitment to ensuring accessible mental health care. This initiative demonstrates the district’s dedication to building a resilient community, where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive.

As a central hub of care, Care Solace streamlines communication and coordination to connect individuals with the right resources and appropriate level of care. Individuals seeking mental health care now have a trusted companion to rely on.

With a team of more than 500 dedicated Care Companions, Care Solace connects Douglas Public Schools to over 560,000 licensed mental health and substance use treatment providers. Through a human-centered and technology supported approach, these Care Companions navigate the fragmented mental health care system on behalf of individuals, helping them find the perfect fit for their unique needs and insurance requirements. Their multilingual Care Companions are available 24/7/365 ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for the entire community.

"Care Solace is proud to support Douglas Public Schools in prioritizing the well-being of its students, staff and community, " says Chad Castruita, Founder & CEO. "Care Solace exists to calm the chaos that often surrounds mental health crises, providing a supportive and compassionate framework to help individuals regain control of their lives."

To learn more about Care Solace and its services, visit caresolace.org.

We know that mental health challenges are hard for our kids. But, what about you? Do you sometimes feel sadness, despair, and hopelessness? Join parents who "get it" to better understand and accept our grief when someone we love has mental health challenges. Use this link to register for the training session: LINK

Click the picture above to access the application

PSAT scores are now available for sophomores and juniors who took the exam last month. Students received an email from Mrs. Carpenter on Thursday which explains how to access and interpret their scores. Hard copies of the score reports can be requested in the Counseling Office.

Congratulations to the following seniors for receiving the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship which provides a tuition credit for up to eight semesters of undergraduate education at a Massachusetts state college or university:

Dean Baldwin

David Berchem

Maegan Bradley

Shaan Chaudhary

Olivia DeFalco

Lillian George

Avery Greenough

Luke Lamontagne

Rebecca Leary

Charlotte Loy

Jaxon Malo

Elyse McCarthy

Erin Picanso

Joshua Roulier

Zachary Sargent

Joranni Souphida

Jacob Wasson

The information can be found here: Senior To Do List

Although the vote was passed to eliminate MCAS as a Graduation requirement, State law still dictates that every public school student must take the MCAS exam. As we plan ahead, please be aware of these dates for MCAS.

Retests:

ELA: March 6 & 7

Math: March 11 & 12

Biology: February 4 & 5

Grade 10 ELA:

March 25 (Session 1)

March 26 (Session 2)

Grade 10 Math:

May 20 (Session 1)

May 21 (Session 2)

Grade 9 & 10 Biology:

June 4 (Session 1)

June 5 (Session 2)

MCAS Alt. Deadline:

Thursday, March 28

2024 AP Exam Dates and Fees

**Each student taking an AP course is expected to take the AP exam in the Spring**

Please be mindful of these dates when booking spring vacations!

Monday, May 5, 2025

8:00 am: Biology

12:00 pm: Microeconomics

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

8:00 am: Chemistry

12:oo pm: US Government

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

8:00 am: English Literature and Composition

12:00 pm: Computer Science A

Thursday, May 8, 2025

8:00 am: Statistics

Friday, May 9, 2025

8:00 am: US History

Monday, May 12, 2025

8:00 am: Calculus AB

12:00 pm: Seminar

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

12:00 pm: Environmental Science

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

12:00 pm: English Language and Composition

Thursday, May 15, 2025

8:00 am Spanish Language and Culture

Friday, May 16, 2025

12:00 pm: Psychology

1/17 - No School for Students (Professional Development Day)

1/20 - No School (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

1/21-1/24 Mid Year Exams

1/24 - End of Term 2

1/28 - Term 2 Report Cards Issued

Mon: Day 1

Tues: Day 2

Wed: Day 3

Thu: Day 4

Fri: Day 5