Good morning, Woolie families!

I am happy to be sending out our second summer update for the 2024-2025 school year to our Woolie families and community members.

We have been hard at work this summer preparing for our students to return in a few short weeks! The preparations have been going fantastic and we are eager to see all of our students back in late August!

This most recent newsletter provides updates and expands upon the previous edition which was sent out earlier in the summer. Please make sure to read through the entirety of this document, as the additional information relates to the specifics associated with the opening of the school year.

I will be sure to share out an additional newsletter prior to the start of the school year outlining all of the opening day/week specifics.

Regards,

Chris Lowe

• Student Spotlight
• Campus Update
• Housekeeping/Reminders
• From the School Counseling Department
• Our Schedule for the Month
• Previously Shared
  
• Looking Ahead
• Woolie Gear

As part of our implementation of both the Advanced Manufacturing and Information Systems (Computer Science) Innovative Pathways, we are thrilled to share updates on both our Manufacturing Lab and Computer Science Lab space.

This summer we have been working hard to reimagine and transform the physical spaces and the technologies/tools to support our students as they journey through our pathway offerings! The ultimate goal is to have our students start out with exposure to PLTW pathways through our 4 gateway course offerings.

Starting their freshmen year, students will choose one of three options for their technology graduation requirement; Computer Science Essentials, Introduction to Engineering Design, or Computer Applications.

These foundational courses will help support and guide the students through a pathway that culminates in either a CAPSTONE Course, where students work directly with industry professionals on problems of practice that are relevant and meaningful to current industry standards. The other culmating option is for students to head out and participate in an internship with one of our Industry Partners; SOLVUS Global for Computer Science pathway participants or Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFoA) for students in the advanced manufacturing pathway.

These spaces will be outfitted with state of the art technologies that will assist students in acquiring certifications prior to graduating high school. These certifications will place our students ahead of people in industry without such credentials.

Please see the images below of what the spaces will begin to look like:

Please check out some of the updated images.

We welcome several new faces to our Jr./Sr. High School staff. Please join me in welcoming the following individuals:

Jeremy Dubois-White - Science Teacher (Junior High)

Anthony McDonald - Title 1 Math Tutor

TBD - ESL Teacher

Additionally, some of our current Woolie staff have changed roles for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year:

Brea Dell'Aquila - SHINE Program Coordinator - Former ABA/RBT Tech within the STAR/SHINE program

Below are the Freshmen Class Advisors for the 2024-2025 school year.

Below are the Junior High Class Advisors for the 2024-2025 school year.

Please click the link below for the 7th-Grade supply list which was shared at our Ice Cream Social in June.

Below you will find the visual for our Master Schedule for the 2024-2025 school year.

Below are the additional schedules that we use (These are also shared on our website homepage):

Below you will find the most recent version of the 2024-2025 school year calendar.

The information for the 2024-2025 Bus Routes has not officially been shared out. However, upon its release, you can find all of the information pertaining to bus stops by clicking this LINK. If you scroll down, you will see an icon for bus routes which can be clicked.

Our freshmen orientation will be taking place on August 5. In the upcoming days/weeks, our freshmen class advisors will be connecting with the class via student email to present more information regarding the event.

Students who have their license and car registration may purchase a parking sticker with Mrs. McGilloway in the main office beginning at 8:00 am and ending at 11:00 am on August 12 - August 16.

Cash or check payable to Millbury High School is accepted. The cost of a parking sticker is $100.00 for the year. Students must bring their ID and Registration to complete the parking permit process.

Students must have an MHS parking permit to park on school grounds. Please see the student handbook for information regarding student parking at MMJSHS. These permits must be visible on either their front or rear windshields.

Students who park on campus without a permit, will face a loss of social privilege as a disciplinary measure.

Our annual Band Camp will be taking place August 12 - 16 on Campus at Millbury Junior-Senior High School.

Should you have any questions, please reach out to our Band Director, Mr. Jesse Dooley directly at jdooley@millburyschools.org.

Please be on the lookout for more information from Mr. MacCreery regarding the upcoming Meet the Coaches Night.

Guidance Staff Returns the week of August 19

Students can schedule appointments with their counselors starting on August 19 - August 23.

Mr. MacCreery will be sharing out information regarding Fall Sports in the upcoming days/weeks.

Our annual student leadership conference will be taking place on August 21 @ 9:00 am. Participating students and their advisors will be emailed more information in the upcoming weeks.

The first day of school for Millbury Jr./Sr. High School students is Monday, August 28, 2024. Start time is 7:40 am at the Jr./Sr. High School. Students will be allowed access to the building at 7:20.

Upon entering the building, students should go directly to their first-period class for that specific day.

Students will be considered late for school if not in their first-period class by 7:40 am.

Please click the link below for an outline of the opening week(s) schedule.

Our school photos will be taking place during the first week of school as done previously. Please see the schedule for the school picture days:

More information will be shared in the upcoming days/weeks.

Please see the information related to our Summer Reading for the 2024-2025 school year.

Our Parent Conferences will be held from 6:00 - 8:00 pm on the following dates via Google Meet:

October 17, 2024

March 13, 2025

The dates for these events are selected in order to provide first and second-semester teachers an opportunity to meet with parents/guardians to allow for more in-depth conversations with teachers. More information on how to schedule a conference will be provided closer to the conference dates.

We will be sharing out additional information regarding these events as the dates approach.

Student schedules will be available to view on the Portal shortly. In addition to the portal availability, students will be receiving a copy of their schedule in the mail, as well as a copy on opening day. Student schedules are not available for viewing yet. We will send out a notice when the schedules go live.

Please contact your child’s guidance counselor with scheduling questions or concerns. Counselors will be in the office starting August 16th for the scheduling of appointments.

Stephanie DeLucia (Guidance Director) x6023 - sdelucia@millburyschools.org

Luis Gomba x6102 - lgomba@millburyschools.org

Heidi Desautels x6103 - hdesautels@millburyschools.org

MaryEllen Courtney (Jr. High) x5114 - mcourtney@millburyschools.org

Ashlee Cabral x6101 - acabral@millburyschools.org

Taryn Holman x6201 - tholman@millburyschools.org

Karen Ciullo x3102 - kortega@millburyschools.org

Brittany Quinones(Guidance Secretary) x6104 - bquinones@millburyschools.org

School progress reports and report cards during the year will be available to view on the parent portal. A hard copy of the report cards will be mailed home at the end of the school year. If you would like a hard copy of either report please contact Nikol Mulligan via phone or email (nmulligan@millburyschools.org). Your initial request will be in effect for the year.

Below you will find a brief overview of what the School Council is and represents. I encourage all stakeholders to participate in the School Council as it offers multiple perspectives into the happenings of a school building and community as well as shared responsibilities in progressing the school forward. If you are interested in participating on the school council, please send a letter of intent email to my administrative assistant, Mrs. Nikol Mulligan, at nmulligan@millburyschools.org.

School Council Overview

The Law:

A school council is a representative; school building-based committee composed of the principal, parents, teachers, community members and, at the secondary level, students, required to be established by each school pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71, Section 59C.

Council Membership:

The principal is responsible for establishing the membership of the School Council “pursuant to a representative process approved by the superintendent and school committee,” and to define the size and composition of the council. The following stipulations were considered when the junior-senior high school council was established:

1. Parents “have parity with professional personnel on the school councils.”

2. “Not more than 50% percent of the council shall be non-school members.” Non-school members” are defined as members who are “other than parents, teachers, students, and staff at the school.”

3. The membership of the school councils “should be broadly representative of the school building and community.”

As with each year, our school council works to make adjustments and modifications to the student handbook here at MMJSHS. Attached you will find a link to the 2024 - 2025 Student Handbook. This will be available on the school website as well.

As part of our opening week packet for students, there is an online sign-off sheet that is required to be signed by all parents/students.

• Opening Week Schedule
  
• Annual Sign-Off Documents
• School Photo Schedule
• Meet the Coaches Night Information
• 7th-Grade Supply List
• Class Advisors
• Bus Routes
• New Course Additions

During the 2021-2022 school year, we were fortunate to announce that the District would be outfitting all students at the Jr./Sr. High school with a school-issued Chromebook, officially making us a 1:1 school! This had been a process that we had been working towards throughout my tenure in the Millbury Public Schools. We were so happy to provide this opportunity to our students.

This addition of technology will help us shape our classrooms to become technology-enhanced and allow us to use a blended-learning approach that supports 21st-century learning expectations and styles.

Students are expected to bring their devices with them daily to the school. Devices must be charged and ready to use at the request of the classroom teacher. Each classroom will be outfitted with charging stations, so students should keep their individual chargers home as to not potentially lose it during the day.

Students who choose to use a non-school-issued device will still need to use the school-issued device for days in which they are participating in the Statewide MCAS testing.

It is important to take care of this device and treat it in the same manner that you would a textbook as these devices will be turned back into the District at the completion of your child's senior year.

With the addition of this technology upgrade, we have outlined our new Responsible Use Policy (RUP) in our student handbook (page 7). This RUP is aligned district-wide and is differentiated to support the needs at each of the three buildings in district.

As part of our core values and beliefs, we feel as though the RUP supports our efforts to promote digital citizenship as a primary responsibility of what we do here at MMJSHS.

PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW OUR ATHLETICS CALENDAR.

Check out the link to our online store where you can get some great Woolie Gear. This store is open 24/7!

Be on the lookout for more gear that will be available during the year through fundraisers and extra-curriculars!

Email: clowe@millburyschools.org
Website: https://hs.millburyschools.org
Location: 12 Martin Street, Millbury, MA, USA
Phone: 508.865.5841
Facebook: facebook.com/mjshswoolies
Twitter: @clowe_millbury

The Millbury Public Schools ensures equal employment and educational opportunities for its employees and students and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or sexual orientation, gender identity (M.G.L. c. 151B and 151C, Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX), or on the basis of disability (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973/ADA) or homelessness. In addition, the Millbury Public Schools does not discriminate against its employees on the basis of age (M.G.L. 151B/ADEA) on the basis of veteran's status, or genetic information.