MHS Solon Salutes

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• MHS Hazing, Harassment and Bullying Information

Dear MHS Community,
Hope you are well, had a great weekend, and all is good as we head into our first real break week of 2022-23. Last Wednesday during the Flex-block Solon period we had a MHS pep rally! This was a great event where we got to chant, yell, and have fun. Some staff participated in a musical chairs competition (Ally Middleton- Math Interventionists) won. Students participated in a few games, Sunbug (MHS band) performed, and some students had the opportunity to dance. A great time to re-energize ourselves. Thank you Ireland D, Meg V, and Nora C-T for leading us through the activity. Thank you to the student council for organizing and leading the student body and helping us build up our wellness. This Wednesday during the Flex-block Earth Group is organizing a clothing swap and Fashion show.

And if we reflect back on one of MHS priorities for this year was to rebuild our community wellness in the building. Spending time with students and having space to connect is a reason for our Flex-block initiatives and we love student self directed leadership. Go Solons!

Last week Unified Bowling started, MHS WILD went backpacking in NH, Math League started! Varsity Cross Country went to the New England Championships this weekend. MHS Fall Music Festival happened and we heard the band, chorus, honors chorus, and orchestra all perform wonderfully. On Friday MHS went to acknowledge and say thank you during the Veterans Parade. A lot of great student participation and growth happening beyond academics. We ended the week last Friday with MSMS staff and had two guests speak to us. The first was UP For Learning with four MSMS students and 4 MHS students speaking to the staff about listening skills and how decisions are made within and without our voice being heard. And then for the second half we heard from Dr. Joelle Van Lent who led us in a discussion on Cognitive Restructuring. A great way to have open conversation with our MSMS and MHS peers and think critically about our work. Thank you MHS staff for making these opportunities happen. Thank you MHS students for leading us in rebuilding our sense of community. Way to build us up

Solons!

"One good day does not mean you can coast tomorrow. You never have it fully licked. Making good choices is an endless process. Many areas of life that we value most—our relationships, our fitness, our craft—require a continual commitment."- James Clear

MHS Attendance Procedures

If students will be absent, late, or will need to leave early, caregivers should call or email Student Attendance Specialist Kathryn Nunnelley (802-225-8003, kathrynnunnelley@mpsvt.org) or send in a note with your student to Kathryn in the main office. According to MRPS School Board policy, student absences will be excused under the following circumstances:

Illness

Family emergency

Critical appointments medical in nature

Religious holidays

When students need to leave early from school, they will get an early dismissal slip to show their teachers and bring to the main office when it is time to leave. If students are arriving late to school or returning to school after an early dismissal, they should check in the main office to get a late pass.

If students have privileges (juniors and seniors who have had their applications approved/sophomores starting 2nd semester who have had their applications approved), they must sign in and out in the main office every time they come into school and/or leave school during the school day (between 8:20 A.M. and 3:00 P.M.). This can only be when the students do not have classes.

If caregivers and/or students have any questions regarding attendance, please contact Kathryn Nunnelley as noted above.

Class Cuts Procedures

This year we will be working to minimize the number of class cuts by students. Much as our Community Liaison Nick Conner is working with our schools to increase student attendance in order to improve outcomes for all students, we will be working with our MHS community to ensure that students stay in classes as expected.

We review class attendance throughout the school day to identify class cuts, and confirm absences with the front office and the classroom teacher reporting the absence. Students found to have cut class can expect to have a conversation with an administrator about their absence, and may be required to have a meeting with their parent/caregiver and an administrator to discuss further. Students participating in after school activities (athletics, robotics, theater, etc) can also expect to have those opportunities limited if they cut class. If students are experiencing difficulty during the day and feel they cannot be in class, they are encouraged to either go to the nurse or the guidance office instead of simply not going to class.

Letters went out last week (see sample below) about students with excessive tardy's. MHS can use your help and support in having students in class, on time, and not missing instructional time.

MRPS has a District Blog, please sign up and learn about all the great moments at each school.

For those of you who wish to order Montpelier High School apparel and gear here is the info! Go to the following site: MHS Wear

And start shopping! Few things about this program:

A portion of your total purchase comes back to the school which then goes towards buying new equipment/jerseys/supplies for our teams. This is why the price on this store is a little bit higher than what you may see on generic sites. But you are supporting the programs when you order through this site.

This store is open 24/7/365. Your orders will take about 4 weeks to come in and the gear will also go straight to you and not to the school.

Until 10/7 use promo code "SPIRIT" to get 25% off your purchase!

MHS Athletics: Remember you can use the MHS Athletic calendar to find updates on practices and games.

The XC boys' team had the New England meet this past Saturday in Rhode Island and you can see all of the results by going to:

https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/220969/results/all

The Solons finished 21st among the schools there which also means that the Solons were the 21st best team in ALL of New England which is an incredible accomplishment. SR Avery Smart led the way for MHS finishing 26th overall (2nd for all VT runners) with a time of 16:30. Avery was followed by:

JR. Ezra Merrill-Triplett 17:54

JR. Noah Rivera 17:59

SO. Jay Borland 18:05

SO. Sam Brondyke 18:20

SO. Caleb Rockcastle 19:27

SO. Luke Murphy 19:42

Congrats again to all of the runners and as you can see everyone but Avery will be returning next year so the future is very bright! Thank you to the seniors on the team for all of their hard work and dedication to the program!

MEET THE WINTER COACHES NIGHT

On Thursday (11/17) at 6:15 there will be the Meet the Winter Coaches Night here at the HS. This is where you will be able to meet and chat with your coaches for the upcoming season. You will also receive info on schedules and team expectations at the meeting so please make sure you attend.

Also if you are playing a winter sport make sure you and your parent/caregivers sign you up on our online registration site: https://montpeliervt.gomyreg.com/info/default.aspx

You HAVE to be signed up on the site prior to the season beginning. The season will begin on Monday the 28th (after the Thanksgiving break).

Game/practice schedules have been uploaded to our calendar (Montpelierschools.tandem.co)

Thank you and go, Solons!

MHS Safety Drills:
MHS had our lock-down drill this week. Each month we practice a different drill to be sure we are prepared in case of an emergency. Students and staff did a great job!

Students Recognized by MHS Staff for "Taking Care of Yourself, Others & This Place"

Congratulations to MHS and CVCC students:

MHS/CVCC Quarter 1 Student Choice Award Winners:

Amirah Lewis - Medical Professions

MHS/CVCC Quarter 1 Teacher Choice Award Winners:

Hannah Muniz - Culinary and Baking Arts

Rue Souligny - Emergency Services 1

Hannah Grasso - Advanced Emergency Services

From Hilary G to Dylan R. was extremely helpful and moved tons of percussion equipment from the band room to the stage during his free block.

From Sue M to Craig C. build a lovely desktop organizer for the library. Thank you, Craig!
From Katheryn N to Serena G. and Zaida L. for helped their friend who needed assistance to the office

Solon Salute to the MHS Math Team who competed in the Greater Burlington Math League Competition on Monday, November 7th at BFA St. Albans. MHS took 9th place in a competitive field of 15 schools in the meet. Nice work! And, congratulations to Nalah Desjardin for her perfect score in Geometry at the Meet. Impressive!!

Math Team members are:

Emmett Jarvis

Lena Denofrio

Chase Ehrlich

Sophia Sevi

Nalah Desjardin

Angela Pan

Devansh Memoria

Sara McGill

Kira McGill

Earth Group is hosting a clothing swap and FASHION SHOW on Wednesday, November 16th. The clothing swap will be open all day and the fashion show will be during the flex block. But to do any of this we need clothes. So bring in what you have! Any clothes you don’t want any more for whatever reason can be dropped off for the next two weeks in boxes in the office lobby.

The more clothes you bring the more people can get new clothes without participating in the fast fashion industry, about which there will be a presentation during the flex block with the fashion show.

Thank you everyone for donating!

From,

Earth Group

Annual Free Thanksgiving Meal: National Life along with Sodexo are once again offering free, delicious meals to Washington County residents. Please see the attached flyer below.

Winter is coming and that means it's time for Norwich University's Annual Fall Clothing Drop 'N Swap!

Gently used clothing, textiles and rags will be accepted in labelled bags on the "Drop" day! Then doors will open the day of the "Swap," when attendees pay just $1 to enter and take as much as they can carry! (Volunteers will be available to assist those who could use an extra hand.)

DROP: Saturday, October 29th, 9 am - 3 pm

Plumley Armory, Norwich University, Main

St, Northfield, VT

SWAP: Sunday, October 30th, 12 - 5 pm

(Same location as the "DROP")

For more information, contact the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) Norwich University at 4achange@norwich.edu. This event is brought to in partnership by the CCE and the Salvation Army of Barre! We hope to see you there!

MHS Guidance Department Newsletter for updates on college visits, scholarships, weekly and monthly updates

This Week To Do List:

AP Students- The deadline to register for the AP Exams is this week! Tuesday, November 15th. Payment not due until March.

Attention: Junior Parent/Caregiver Information Night- Monday, December 5th from 6:00pm-7:30pm, the MHS school counselors will be giving an overview of what to plan for during the college application process. We will discuss the latest with standardized tests in the admissions process, demonstrate the web based platform Naviance for creating college lists, demystify the application process, and lots more. Please join us on 12/5 in the MHS Library for this informative presentation.

Additionally, this week, Juniors have been booked in Solon Block to attend a workshop about applying to college as well as address other after high school plans. The school counselors will be sending them home with planning documents which we will also share with caregivers electronically.

College Rep Visit Added! Franklin Pierce University on Monday November 28 (right after the break) at 11:00 in the Guidance Office.

Check out the McClure Foundations VT's Promising Jobs!

Review this list with your student for future planning.

Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC), in partnership with other Vermont agencies, offers grants and interest-free forgivable loans that will reduce or eliminate tuition for eligible students pursuing careers in critical fields. Critical fields include skilled trades, early childhood education, nursing, mental health care and more. Learn more on the VSAC Workforce webpage.

Central Vermont Career Center (CVCC) is having an Open House- see details here: CVCC Open House 11/17/22
Solons -

This is a reminder about the important opportunity for each of you to consider learning more about and/or applying to the Central Vermont Career Center (CVCC) for next school year...or your senior year. Please check out the below important dates and take any related actions steps to learn more about CVCC and/or to apply to CVCC.

TIME SENSITIVE INFORMATION!

Thursday, November 17th - CVCC Application Opens on the CVCC website. Please see your school counselor if you need any support applying.

Monday, December 12th - CVCC applications are due. THIS IS A HARD DEADLINE! No late application will be accepted.

Thursday, November 17th - CVCC Open House - 5:30-7:30. Students, families/caregivers are welcome to attend this Open House to learn more about the great program opportunities at CVCC.

Seniors: Financial Aid Information: VSAC Scholarship books are published and available in Guidance or Here.

Vermont Student Assistance Corporation’s (VSAC)

Outreach Counselors are conducting virtual 1:1 FAFSA Friday meetings via Microsoft Teams, on most Fridays between October 2022 and January 2023. We also have select in-person opportunities at the VSAC Resource Center in Winooski. See details, dates and sign up now through the sign-up page for FAFSA help from VSAC.

Complete the FAFSA Scholarship Now!
Opened October 1- Scholarship Link

Free Money: New Aid for the 2022-2023 School Year

Thanks to the State of Vermont and philanthropic donors, there is now more aid than ever before to help Vermonters reach their goals. Millions of dollars in aid are on the table!

MyFutureVT, Vermont’s free online hub for career and education resources, has a newly complied list of the many special financial aid programs available to Vermonters pursuing education and training in the 2022-2023 school year.

Those interested in learning more about these programs can visit MyFutureVT.org/free-money. Advance Vermont will update the page as information changes and additional programs are announced.

Many of us have social media accounts and phone apps that require us to accept their terms of service (ToS). How many of us actually read those ToS and know how those sites/apps are using our information? How many of us know if we are giving those sites/apps access to our friends' and family members' information? It's worth taking a few minutes to read those ToS when we create accounts to make sure we truly agree with how the company will use our information. If you already created social media or other site/app accounts, it's not too late! You may review the privacy policy at any time and decide whether or not you wish to continue using that app. Some sites/apps also give you the option to tailor your privacy settings in a way that suits you.

MRPS takes student data very seriously, including reviewing privacy policies and obtaining signed agreements with sites and apps used as part of course curriculum. Guardians, we encourage you to sit down with your children and review the privacy policies of all their social media sites, apps, and other sites that require they create an account.

Are you wondering how to start? MRPS has adopted the Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship curriculum. One of the many benefits of this curriculum is the wealth of resources available to families. Please feel free to check out resources on The Big Data Dilemma, and contact me with any questions.

Sue Monmaney

Librarian and Technology Integration Specialist

susanm@mpsvt.org

Hi Solons,

In the coming weeks, we have some informational interviews set up with community members with expertise in the area of Nursing. They will be present (one virtually, one in-person) for two Solon Blocks to answer questions about their work, training, and career paths. Both are advanced (MSN) nurses with lots of experiences in various areas of nursing (ER, Nurse Education, Outpatient Care, and more). This is a great way to gain insights into this field.

These sessions will fill up, so please let me know if you are interested and can make the commitment to be there. These sessions will be held during Solon Block next Tuesday, 11/15 and Friday 12/9 during Solon Block.

Thank you!

Sarah Loveless

November 17 CVCC Open House & College Fair - Open to the public! Be sure to check out our new off-campus program: Design and Fabrication. Located at The Granite Museum 7 Jones Brothers Way, Barre, VT 05641.

Looking for a job? Interested in serving your community through volunteer opportunities? Do you want to learn more about extended learning opportunities that are in line with your interests, such as Governor's Institute, Med Quest or Village Harmony?

Be sure to check out the CBL Opportunities Page regularly; it contains up-to-date information about fantastic employment, volunteer, and learning opportunities offered locally and throughout the state. The CBL Website offers helpful information if you're interested in learning about how to explore your interests through a CBL experience at MHS.

MHS Masque Fall After School Theater Opportunities:

Tech Crew meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-5-pm in the auditorium. All experience levels are welcome!

Masque Leadership Council meets on Mondays from 3:05-4:15 in the auditorium. If you are passionate about Masque and want to help as a student leader, please reach out to kiannab@mpsvt.org.

Community Events:

MHS Fall Concert is November 10th 7:00 PM MHS Auditorium. Performances by the Choirs, Orchestra, and Band.

Talk Space-

MRPS is excited to announce a new partnership with Talkspace. Talkspace provides students (age 13+), our employees, and their dependents ( age 13+) access to mental health support at no cost. Talkspace is a digital mental health service that connects members to thousands of dedicated providers from a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform. With Talkspace therapy, one can send their therapist text, voice or video messages - anytime, anywhere - including from the comfort of their home. This includes unlimited messaging, as well as the option to schedule two live sessions (via chat, audio, or video) with their Talkspace therapist each month. Talkspace is completely anonymous, and the only information MRPS will see is the number of people using the service. To learn more about Talkspace and how your student (age 13+) can access it, please visit https://www.mrpsvt.org/talkspace

To sign up, click “Get Started” at talkspace.com/MRPS and enter Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools or MRPS as the organization name during the registration process. There is no open enrollment period for Talkspace, and registration can be done year-round. Talkspace communication is confidential and secure. We will never know who uses the service or for what purpose. Please reach out if you have questions and this is optional as a service.

HS Meet the Coaches night will be 11/17 6:15 PM for Winter Sports

Thanksgiving Break November 21-25 no school

Email: jasongingold@mpsvt.org
Website: https://www.mrpsvt.org/mhs
Location: 5 High School Drive, Montpelier, VT, USA
Phone: (802)225-8000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/montpelierhighschool
Twitter: @GingoldMHSvt