Blue Hills News
Dear Blue Hills Families,
Tomorrow we will publish Term 3 report cards - the year is truly flying by. Over the past month, we have had so many activities! The Semi-Formal Dance, hosted by the sophomore class council, was a hit as over 300 students were in attendance. We held our 8th Grade Student & Family Acceptance Night; the Advisory Boards met and discussed trends in each vocational area; we had a post-secondary planning night for junior parents; ELA MCAS for sophomores was completed; winter sports ended and spring sports are up and in full swing already; last night, we held our National Honor Society Induction - in short, it's been a busy season at Blue Hills!
What's coming up? The big three are Prom, Senior Awards Night, and Graduation. The seniors are gearing up for the end of their time at BHR, and we are excited for the final few months of their time here with us.
Spanish Trip - Seniors - Iberian Peninsula!
Good luck and safe travels to the seniors going on the Spanish trip this year with our dedicated team of teacher chaperones! Here they are decked out in trip shirts and raring to go visit Spain and Portugal next week!
National Honor Society Induction
Congratulations to our inductees into National Honor Society. The ceremony was held last night, as we honored 15 new members and 16 current members for one year of service. Ms. Peach, Spanish teacher, delivered a moving keynote address, and Ms. Barley, English and NHS Advisor, coordinated and led the ceremony. Great job by all!
New Inductees:
Natalie Finch
Jean Gakaya
Morgan Hart
Shiyannah Jean-Baptiste
Melissa Johnson
ZuzannaKackowska
Neylah Lopes
Chelsea Lopez
Eric MacLean
Joseph Mahoney
Riley McCroary
Christina Rossini
Olivia Rynne
Polixeni Stamatos
Annelise Witunsky
Student Council Food Drive!
During the month of March, student council coordinated a food drive for the Canton Food Pantry. What an incredible response from the BHR community! When the food pantry car arrived, it was clear we needed more space. The Facilities team stepped up, loaded up our truck, and delivered the food to the food pantry. Thank you for student council, Advisory Ms. Connolly, the facilities team, and everyone who donated. Great job!
Spring Sports
Spring sports are underway... from the cold days of March to the recent warmup, we are having a great start with a tremendous student turnout!
Youth Mental Health First Aid Training Opportunity
Recent Updates...
Mental Health Care
We are pleased to introduce a new partnership between Blue Hills and Care Solace to provide an additional layer of care and support for our students and communities.
There is an introductory letter attached below that I hope you'll read. This service is available to all students, faculty, staff, and student families at no charge. They will connect you with mental health providers accepting all medical insurances - information entered on the Care Solace platform is completely confidential.
We know that mental health challenges have been on the increase over the past few years, and we hope that by providing this service, we can help to support our entire BHR community in a positive way.
Upcoming Events
April 14 - Term 3 Report Cards
April 17-21 - School Vacation Week, No School
April 24 - School Reopens
April 26 - Faculty Meeting
May 5 - Prom and Early Release/In-Service
May 6 - Incoming Assessment Grade 8
May 15 - Grade 12 Field Day
May 18 - MVADA Track and Field Meet
May 24 - Art Show 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.
May 25 - Senior Awards Night, 6:00 p.m.
May 31 - Last Day for Seniors/Senior Breakfast --- Faculty Meeting
**Previous Information**
**Past Information**
A reminder from the Academic Office:
Please note the dates for this year's MCAS, below.
It is imperative that all grade 10 students are present for these state-required evaluations. The state only allows medical excuses for absences during testing dates. If you need any clarification on this year's MCAS administration, please do not hesitate to reach-out to the Academic Office at your earliest convenience (pbavuso@bluehills.org).
English Language Arts: March 28 and March 29
Mathematics: May 16 and May 17
Biology: June 6 and June 7
Attendance
Just a gentle reminder about our attendance policy. Students who accumulate 16 absences for the year are required to attend summer school. We do not excuse single days. We do "reduce" consecutive days to count as one absence when a doctor's note is provided. We also fully excuse all covid related illnesses, so please report these to the nurse. Family trips, weddings, graduations are not excused days. If you have questions, please contact your child's guidance counselor who can review your child's attendance with you.
- Vaping continues to be a major concern at Blue Hills and at schools across the country. Part of the inherent danger of vaping is that it is difficult to know what is inside a vaping device. One of the latest trends has seen vapes laced with fentanyl - a potentially lethal drug. I encourage you to read this article discussing the concerns with vapes. At Blue Hills, students are not allowed to carry or use vapes at any time, and will be subject to disciplinary measures.
- Seniors may be eligible to start co-op. Please email Ms. Poliseno at kpoliseno@bluehills.org for more information.
- Important Note: There is a viral social media challenge re-emerging called the "One Chip Challenge" - you can read about it here - that can cause physical harm to participants. There is no place for this at any school, and that goes for Blue Hills. Please talk with your student about the serious injury that can occur from eating these chips, and the danger of following certain social media trends. Please be advised that Blue Hills does not condone this type of dangerous activity during the school day. Students please note that there may be consequences if you are involved in this type of activity.
** Please Read** Dismissal Procedures:
Please help us by sending a note in with your student on the day that they will be dismissed. They should bring the note to the main office in the morning. This allows your student to sign out at the appointed time and meet you at your car. Otherwise, we need you to come into the building and identify yourself, at which time we have to call your student's classroom or shop to dismiss them. It is far easier and faster if you send a note in the morning. Thanks for your help with this.
Other Information:
- Aspen X2 is used by Blue Hills to record student grades, attendance, discipline, family contact information, and much more. If you need assistance logging in to Aspen X2, you may follow this link. For further assistance, you may call the Academic Office at 781-828-5800 X2670.
- Breakfast and Lunch are available for free again this year. Through the first few days of school, we have noticed many students getting off the bus, waiting in line for breakfast, and immediately throwing it out or giving it away. This is not the intention of the free breakfast program, and those students will be asked to remain on the bus instead of coming into the cafeteria.
- Please be reminded: Earpods/headphones may not be worn during the school day except with the explicit permission of the teacher. This includes breakfast, lunch, and passing times. Earpods will be confiscated if seen, and consequences assigned.
- If you have not, please complete the SY 2022-2023 Mandatory Registration & Student Emergency/Contact Information on Family ID. This is required of all students each year, and includes the Parent-Student Handbook. This helps us keep your emergency contact information up to date in our system.
- Grade 9 Parents Night Information: The presentation is available here.
2022-2023 School Year Calendar
Blue Hills Regional Technical School’s mission is to continue its history of academic achievement, technical training and character development through a curriculum which emphasizes the integration of cutting-edge technical programs and challenging academic courses, enabling its students to become competent, caring and productive people in a diverse and changing world.
Core Values:
Community, Opportunity, Relevance, Employability
Website: www.bluehills.org
Location: 800 Randolph Street, Canton, MA, USA
Phone: 781 828 5800
BHR on:
The Blue Hills Regional Technical School District is an equal opportunity educational institution. All programs, courses of study and activities are open to all students without regard to race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or disability. The School District is in full compliance with Massachusetts Law, Chapter 622 of the Acts of 1971, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (U.S. Code), and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Individuals may make inquiries relative to Chapter 622 and Title IX from the coordinator, at the school address or by phoning 781-828-5800.