SHS Warrior Call
Respect: Earn It, Give It, Live It!
Welcome!
ISSUE 7 - February 19, 2016
Welcome to the Seekonk High School Newsletter! It is designed to keep everyone (parents, students, staff, and community members) informed of the many events that are happening around the school. It contains links, pictures, and videos so that you have a more interactive experience and the ability to learn more (if you wish) about various topics.
As always, we welcome feedback! Let us know what you think by contacting us and sharing our news!
SHS Core Values
Seekonk High School is committed to creating a safe, supportive environment where our students can develop the skills necessary to become independent thinkers and problem solvers capable of addressing the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. The staff, students, family, and community members will collaborate to create an atmosphere of compassion, appreciation of diversity, and mutual respect. We will provide stimulating academic and extracurricular programs that are relevant and engaging so we can meet the needs of all learners.
The 2016 Jazz Dinner will be held on Thursday, February 25th from 6:30- 8 pm in the SHS Cafeteria. Tickets cost $15 and are on sale now! Payments are made to SMPA and are available from the Band Office or from any Jazz Band member. Don't miss out on this great event!
The Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) will be sponsoring a bake sale on Monday, March 1st from 7am until 8pm during the primary election. If you are able to bake or help cover the table for a few hours please let them know by contacting Colleen O'Halloran. See below for more information on how to help this supportive group!
The Class of 2017 is hosting a fundraiser at Applebee's. All you need to do is go out and enjoy a meal at their 105 Highland Ave location in Seekonk on Wednesday March 2nd, 2016. Let them know you are there to support the class and a portion of the money you spend goes to the Class of 2017.
Ms. Nelson's Social Justice class is trying to spread awareness and respect by helping the Spread the Word to End the Word™ campaign. Check out this flyer to see how you can get involved!
Athletic Registration for the 2016 Spring Sports Season has begun and ends on Sunday, 3/13/16. Physicals scheduled through the School's Nurse, will be on Monday, 3/14/16. It is extremely important that if an athlete suspects that their Sports Physical Exam is going to expire "prior to" or "during" the Spring Sports Season, they should contact Mrs. Rok, to schedule a Sports Physical Exam on that day.
Notary Services are available for residency documents at every school in the district. If you are submitting residency paperwork, just bring it to the school and we will notarize it for you when it is submitted!
For Future Planning:
Thursday, May 5 - Honor Societies - Induction Ceremonies @ 6:30 PM
Saturday, May 14 – Prom at the Viking Hotel in Newport from 6:30-10:30 PM
Friday, May 27-Saturday, May 28 – Senior Trip to Six Flags and Lake George
Wednesday, June 1 - Senior Class Night @ 7 PM
Friday, June 3 - Graduation @ 6:30 PM
SHS Girls Basketball qualifies for miaa state tournament!
Congratulations to the Seekonk High School Girls Basketball team who have qualified for the MIAA State Tournament for the first time in twenty years. The team will conclude its regular season Saturday afternoon at New Bedford Voke with a JV contest at 11 AM and a Varsity tilt at 12:30 and then await the tournament seedings.
On Your mark, get set, research!
It's that time of year again! Third quarter often means research papers for many of the students at Seekonk High School. Many times, research can be exciting and a great way to find new interests, learn more about something, or show how much you have learned.
How do you make it something you excel at and enjoy rather instead of feeling overwhelmed and miserable?
Be proactive, positive, and know what you are doing by reading and taking advantage of the tips offered by Mrs. Larson in the library section of this newsletter. Go there now! Good luck and let's get to researching!
Here is the most recent (1st) episode of The Principal's Corner.
Please do not hesitate to contact me via email or phone (508-336-7272 ext. 124) if you have any questions. I also post information on my blog and tweet (@DrCSJones) as often as possible. Please feel free to follow both for tips and updates.
The school report card has been published
MCAS scores and what they mean for the high school have been published. Please be sure to read this cover letter and the overview of the school's report card. Much more detailed information may be found at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's website.
Guidance - Mrs. Whatley
We received the names from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of our juniors who have met the initial qualification for the Koplik Certificate of Mastery. The initial qualification is for juniors who score Advanced in at least one subject of the grade 10 MCAS and Proficient or higher for the other two subjects of the grade 10 MCAS. Information on the award along with the application will be mailed out to the parents of qualifying juniors on Friday, February 19th. If you receive the letter please take the time to read the information on the Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery Award. If you have any questions on the Koplik Certificate please feel free to contact your student's guidance counselor.
Parents of sophomores and juniors please mark your calendar for Wednesday, March 16th at 6:30 PM to attend a College Planning and Information Night. A college admissions specialist will be the speaker for the evening presenting information to help students and families navigate the college search and application process. We hope that you will take the time to attend the presentation if you and your students are new to the college search process. The presentation will take place in the high school Library/Media Center.
Seekonk High School will be offering an eight week SAT Prep class starting on March 9th from 7 - 9 PM.
All juniors should have received a registration form in their English class. The registration fee is $120 which includes the new Official College Board Study Guide. Enrollment is limited, so please sign up early. If you would like your student to enroll have them return the registration form along with a check made out to the Town of Seekonk by March 2nd. Classes will meet on March 9,16,23,30, April 6,13,27 and May 4th. The course will be completed prior to the May and June SAT testing dates. Students should see their guidance counselor with any questions.
Warrior Cries!
Mr. Ed Cunard...for always helping out with class coverage, even if it is a last minute assignment. His positive attitude is appreciated! - Mrs. Chianese
Mrs. Jessica Mirza...for coming back from maternity leave ready for action! As always, she is challenging her students to think deeply about their texts through close reading! - Mrs. Hellmold
Ms. Kayla Nastari...for being extremely supportive and cooperative in helping me ensure the success of one of our students. I am grateful for her regular check-ins! - Mrs. Almeida
All the students and staff involved in the Academic Pep-Rally! What an amazing job! Thank you! - Mr. Darran
Valerie Gordon...for putting up one of the funnest games, the Selfie Shelfie, in the library. It has both students and teachers mesmerized! - Mr. Darran
Key Club - mrs. marinucci
Key Club is also participating in the Teens for Jeans Campaign and is still collecting gently used jeans until February 29. Donations can be brought to guidance, the main office, the nurse's office, or Mrs. Marinucci's room.
The annual Pennies for Patients drive will be from March 7-18, so stay tuned.
parent advisory committee
Items for the bake sale can be left in the lobby near the gym anytime on Monday the 1st. Popular items are loaf breads, cookies and cupcakes. All money raised helps support student activities and scholarships. Any questions please contact Colleen O'Halloran.
Also, PAC will be holding a meeting Monday February 22nd at 6pm in the Library. The meeting will be with Dr Jones and is a great chance for parents to get an update on day to day activities. Meeting is about a half hour, so please consider attending to get some new information and updates.
Six Tips to Help Students (and Parents!) Survive Research Season
We are in the 3rd quarter of the year and that brings LOTS of research papers and projects across the curriculum. Whether a student has one, or three, projects, here are some quick tips for student success:
Look at the Calendar: Teachers usually provide milestone due dates for parts of projects, so be sure to meet those due dates and avoid getting overwhelmed. If there are no milestones, consider creating your own.
Get a Folder: Whether you prefer working with paper or electronic materials, make sure there is a system that keeps all your project resources organized and accessible.
Use the Library: The SHS LIbrary opens every morning at 7 AM and stays open almost every day until 2:30 PM or later. Anyone can also use the library during lunch period to squeeze in some extra research or computer time. And don’t forget the public library for a quiet place for research and writing.
Ask for Help: Teachers & librarians are always glad to provide extra support or guidance to a student who is working hard on their project. Check ahead of time to see which day or days they are available for more help. But don’t forget - this is YOUR project so you should be putting in the effort that a major project demands.
Visit with an OWL: Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) is one of the best resources out there for help and guidance about formatting, style, research tips, citation and more.
Take a Deep Breath: Projects are a great way to delve deeper into your schoolwork and discover a new interest. Don’t let all the research bog you down, and try to have a little fun!
Music News - Mr. Smialek
There are two performance opportunities coming up for our Band students. One is the Rhode Island College Trumpet Day, which will feature clinics and master classes by Jack Sutte, of the Cleveland Orchestra and Joe Foley, principal trumpet of the Rhode Island Philharmonic. This event takes place on Friday, February 26th from 3 pm to 10 pm at Rhode Island College and includes a concert by the RIC Wind Ensemble with Sutte and Foley as soloists. All trumpet students received a brochure about this FREE event. Students can register at: http://www.ric.edu/trumpetday/index.php.
The second performance opportunity is the Massachusetts Lions All State Band. Any students that would like to apply to perform with this group should see Mr. Smialek ASAP. The rehearsals and performances are April 27- April 30, 2016 in Mansfield, MA.
The SHS Jazz Band will rehearse on Wednesday, Feb. 17th from 6-8 pm due to the snowed out 2/8 rehearsal. Tickets for the 2016 Jazz Dinner are now on sale! This event will be held on Thursday, February 25th from 6:30- 8 pm in the SHS Cafeteria. Tickets are $15., payable to SMPA, and are available from the Band Office or from any Jazz Band member.
The SHS Marching Band will be going to the Hurley Middle School on Monday, February 22 during B and C periods to perform and give information to the Middle School Band students about the High School Band. SHS students should get their permission slips for this trip in as soon as possible.
We also have SHS Marching Band T-shirts available in all sizes for $17. See Mr. Smialek in the Band Office if you wish to purchase one (or two).
Information about the Band's May 13, 2016 trip to the Great East Band Festival and Six Flags New England was sent home with students in January and were due on February 9th. If there are any students who were not able to get these in (or if there is an issue with payments), please Mr. Smialek as soon as possible
Other upcoming Music Department events: Jazz Band performs at the Somerset-Berkley Jazz Festival on Wednesday, March 2nd at 5:30 pm and the SHS Marching Band will be marching in the Pawtucket St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, March 5th at noon. If there are any parents that can chaperone for the parade, please contact Mr. Smialek.
Science News - Mrs. Cunard
EEP Registrations and payments are due to Mrs. Cunard no later than Friday, February 19th
SHS will be going to the Jane Goodall Event at UMASS Dartmouth on April 7th. Students will have the opportunity to attend the Green Fair, participate in the Eco Parade and attend a lecture by Jane Goodall. There will also be a book signing. Interested students should contact Mrs. Cunard as soon as possible.
SHS is holding an essay contest for the Jane Goodall event. The topic of the essay is, "How am I going to take action to make the world a better place for people, animals and nature?". Essays need to be in to Mrs. Cunard by February 23rd. The winning essay will be submitted to UMASS Dartmouth for a chance to have dinner with Jane Goodall.
Sports with Mr. Crippen
The Seekonk High Athletic Department would like to remind everyone to start signing up and registering for the Springs Sports Season by going to the School Website, going to athletics, and filling out the appropriate forms.
Nurse Pat Rock is happy to announce that free physicals will be administered on March 10th at two o’clock in her office. All student-athletes are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity and to go to the nurse’s office to pick up the necessary forms ahead of time.
Good luck to Seekonk High School shot putters Cammie Garabian and Erin Langlois as they compete in MIAA State Indoor Track Meet this Saturday in Boston.
Good luck to all the qualifying members of the Seekonk High School Swim team as they compete in the State Swim Meet this weekend at Boston University. Those team members are Maddy Paine, Lauren Shanahan, Lindsay Scott, Sara Houle, Troy Pina, Matt Broadmeadow, Jake Trenteseaux, Owen Shanahan and Andrew Silveira.
The playoff hungry Seekonk-DR hockey team will be holding their Senior Night this Saturday night at 7 PM at Driscoll Rink in Fall River where they will be hosting the Wareham Vikings. The Seekonk Senior skaters are Elizabeth King, Justin Silva and Aaron Bento.
from the nurse - Mrs. Pat Rok
Students and parents need to be familiar with the school Medication Policy which states:
VIII. Violation of Medication Policy:
Students are not allowed to carry any medication on their person at any time. This includes backpacks, lockers and lunch boxes. All medications must be delivered to school by the parent/guardian or another adult designated by the parent/guardian.
The exception to this is the student who has a medication ordered from a licensed prescriber on file, written permission from the parent/guardian allowing self-medications, and the school nurse has determined it is safe and appropriate for that student to do so. Because of the danger of theft and/or abuse, narcotic and psychotropic medications may not be self-administered at any time.
If your child is staying after school and needs medication, he/she may see Mrs. Rok after school to receive OTC medications if a signed permission form is on file.
Please email me at rokp@seekonkschools.org or call with any questions or concerns.
Contact Information
Email: jonesc@seekonkschools.org
Website: http://shs.seekonk.sharpschool.com/
Location: 261 Arcade Avenue, Seekonk, MA, United States
Phone: (508) 336-7272
Twitter: @DrCSJones