Panther Press

June 3, 2024 - Volume 6 - ISSUE 31

Welcome to the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School Newsletter! It is designed to keep everyone (parents, students, staff, and community members) informed of the many events that are happening in and around the school. It contains links, pictures, and videos so that you have a more interactive experience and the ability to learn more about various topics.

Communication is incredibly important to understanding so we ask that you share our news as much as possible. We also welcome feedback! It is the only way to continuously improve. So, please interact, get involved, and let us know what you think by contacting us and sharing our news!

June 4-5: Biology MCAS Grade 9 Students

June 7: District Early Release - Grading Day (WHRHS 10:15 dismissal)

June 10: Underclassman Class Elections - more information to follow

June 11: Underclassman Awards 7:30AM

June 11: Mental Health Day

June 12: Volleyball Tournament and Sophomore Cookout

June 13: District Early Release - Last Day of School (WHRHS 10:15 dismissal)

June 13: Quarter 4 Report Cards available on Parent Portal

Grade 9 students will take Science MCAS on Tuesday, June 4 and Wednesday, June 5, and we wanted to provide some important reminders.

Testing Rooms

Students should check their schedules, on Infinite Campus, to verify their testing room assignments. The MCAS testing room assignments are located at the bottom of the Master column for Semester 2.

Chromebooks

Students should bring their school issued chromebooks, fully charged, to their testing room. Students should also bring their chromebook chargers.

Attendance

It is important that students arrive on time and ready to work. The proctors will begin the testing session immediately and tardy students may not be allowed into the testing session as it will cause a disruption to the students working.

Cell phones and Smart Devices

Cell phones, smart watches and other smart devices are strictly prohibited during the testing sessions. Students will be instructed to turn off and place all devices in their backpacks. All backpacks will be placed in the back/side of the room and will remain there until the entire testing session has completed. At no time during the testing session, whether or not a student has finished their test, are students able to access their backpacks or any electronic devices. If a student is found with any electronic device during the testing session, they will be removed from the testing room and we are required to notify the state and their test may be invalidated.

We wish all our students taking the MCAS tests the best of luck. Get a good night's sleep and come prepared. A light breakfast will be available to all Grade 9 students prior to testing.

The Director of Equity and MTSS, Dr. Nicole Semas-Schneeweis, would like to invite Parents and Guardians to discuss the District’s Educational Initiatives, which includes a review of this year and outlining plans for next year, as guided by the District’s Strategic Plan. Please see the Attached Flyer for more information and to RSVP.

This spring, nine Whitman Hanson students had the opportunity to participate in an internship experience at the new Whitman Middle After School Enrichment program. Students served as paraprofessionals in the various clubs and activities. Students worked twice a week afterschool helping teachers, building relationships with students, and executing one lesson of their own. Each Friday students came together for reflection and to learn valuable career skills.

The students that participated were Niko Flores, Paige Thornon, Nathalia Mei, Yasmin Rodrigues, Iasmin Nepomuceno, Wendy Rangel, Peter Michaud, Meg Lang, and Kaylee Canniff.

Any student who will be 17 years old or older by July 8th is welcome to apply to participate in the Summer version of the program. Students can apply here (https://forms.gle/nNohPCjco4hWF4GV7) or contact Mr. Szkutak (christopher.szkutak@whrsd.org) for more information!

A few pictures of the ceremony and graduates with my speech in the background. I hope you enjoy!

On Wednesday evening, we celebrated many members of the Class of 2024 at our annual Scholarship Night. Scholarships totaling $186,277 were awarded through the Dollars for Scholars program. An additional $128,000 was awarded through the local and community scholarship program. Thank you to our incredibly generous Whitman and Hanson communities for supporting the educational goals of the Class of 2024.

Thank you to Brian Stevens, Associate Director of Admissions from Rhode Island College, for visiting Whitman-Hanson last week to work with members of the junior class. He provided expert tips and advice on creating a great personal essay. Juniors will start initial work on the personal essay and will have a chance to be part of the College Essay Project in senior year. If you have any questions, please reach out to your school counselor.

Welcome Sign Wednesday - WHRHS School Counselors were proud to support the WH Active Minds Chapter for Welcome Sign Wednesday. It’s a good day to have a good day!

School Counselors:

Mrs. Carrigan

Mr. Murphy

Mrs. Selig

Mrs. Cunha

Mr. Amado
Ms. Rivera (Administrative Assistant)

School Adjustment Counselors:
Mrs. Siden: Grades 10 & 12
Mrs. Robichaud: Grades 9 & 11

Transition Room Counselors

Mrs. Scheim

Ms. Dauksevicz

All students taking the Biology MCAS on Tuesday June 4th and Wednesday June 5th are invited to attend after school review sessions. Ms. Folan, a biology teacher here at WH, will be running review sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour after school beginning on May 7th in room 304. Sessions will start at 1:45 and end at 2:45. Students are welcome to attend any and all sessions if they are taking the Biology MCAS in June. If there are any questions, please contact me at theresa.scott@whrsd.org or your student’s school counselor.

Please remember to CHARGE your chromebooks and get a good night’s sleep! Wishing all of our science students the best as they take this MCAS exam!

Students can also access previously released MCAS questions on the DESE website as a way to prepare at home. http://mcas.pearsonsupport.com/released-items/science/

Who: WHRHS AP Science students and their teachers

Where: WHRHS Cafeteria

When: Wednesday June 5th from 6-8 pm

What: A fun night of science experimentation and demonstrations designed for elementary students put on by our high school AP science students. This event is FREE and FUN!

Questions: Please contact Theresa Scott at theresa.scott@whrsd.org

Congratulations to the science department’s own Mr. Moriarty who was selected by the 2024 graduates as the Teacher of the Year. Mr. Moriarty addressed the class at their Senior Sunset on the Dennis M. O’Brien field. He encouraged all of the students, whether their path included more schooling, entering the workforce or enlisting in armed forces, to “never be satisfied with what you know.” He spoke about how he believes he has the best job in the world and spoke about the importance of having fun. Mr. Moriarty said, “no matter what you are doing, you can always find something to laugh about.”. He left the class with this final statement, “Learn all the time. Laugh all the time.”. Congratulations, Mr. Moriarty!

The 2024 Summer Reading assignments are here! WHRHS students, choose one book from the summer reading list and get ready to dive in. Be prepared for a reflective writing assignment during the second week of school. Honors and AP English students, please check out your additional summer reading assignments below. Happy reading!

• 2024 Summer Reading List

• 2024 High School AP honors Summer Reading

Summer Work Info - Whitman-Hanson Regional High School

Sophomore students are set to cap off their studies with an exciting classroom performance of Julius Caesar. “We’ve been bringing Julius Caesar to life in class throughout May,” shared Mrs. Risko. “Their enthusiasm has been incredible—there have even been some ‘battles’ over parts and costumes! They’ve also excelled at deciphering the language.”

Congratulations to the Class of 2024—you did it! It's been a joy having you in class, and we can't wait to hear about all your amazing post-graduate adventures. Before you go, let's celebrate a few standout Life Skills projects that have been presented this past week:

The spring season is coming to a close with only the boys lacrosse team still alive as they play their first round game today (Monday) at Walpole at 4pm. The boys and girls track and field teams will conclude the season with the decathlon and heptathlon respectively.

The end of the year does mean many awards were handed out at scholarship night and graduation. See the attached poster for the rundown.

With this school year coming to a close, we do turn our attention to next year. Please sign up as soon as possible so that we can get everything in order. Visit www.whathletics.com and click on the tryout checklist. Take care of everything that it asks for and then you will be all set for next year.

Mark your calendars for 8/18 at 5:01pm for Athletic First Night. All students who plan to play a sport next year and at least one parent should attend.

Finally, a huge thank you to all of our coaches for their incredible dedication to our student athletes. Coaching is a difficult job with many challenges but our staff at WH is absolutely incredible. I also want to thank both Sue Moss and Corey Lefebvre for their steadfast commitment to Panther Nation.

If you need any help over the summer, I am always available via email or cell. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me. robert.rodgers@whrsd.org and 617 838 0994

Interested in more videos, reflections, and where a many of these ideas come from and are expanded on? Don't forget to check out and subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

Email: christopher.jones@whrsd.org
Website: https://whs.whrsd.org/
Location: 600 Franklin Street, Whitman, MA, USA
Phone: (781) 618-7020
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrCSJones
Twitter: @DrCSJones