SHRHS Newsletter

Dear Shepherd Hill Learning Community:

I am pleased to report the 2024-2025 school year is off to a great start!

This year, the Dudley-Charlton Regional School District’s convocation highlighted Jon Gordon’s

The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy. The premise

of Dr. Gordon’s work is simple: positivity inspires productivity. I encourage you to learn more

about our unified commitment to The Energy Bus principles by visiting

https://www.theenergybus.com/.

At Shepherd Hill, the faculty, staff and administration have boarded “The Energy Bus,” and we

are motivated by our shared vision for accomplishing several important objectives:

1. Increase Student Achievement for ALL Students

2. Secure NEASC Reaccreditation

3. Refine and Expand Programming

4. Support and Develop Human Capital

Our ride is fueled by positive energy, we are driving with purpose, and we invite all parents,

families, and community members to join us on “The Energy Bus!”

On Wednesday, August 28th , annual assemblies were held to review academic and behavioral

expectations, as well as upcoming opportunities for extracurricular involvement. Each school

year represents a fresh start. Students have the right to recover from one year to the next, and

staff take advantage of the fresh start to reinvent and implement new practices. The first days of

school included relationship-building, expectations-setting, and the teaching of the routines and

procedures that help to establish an orderly learning environment.

Regarding implementation of the new cell phone policy, I am also pleased to report that students

and staff have quickly acclimated to the new procedures, and there has already been a profound

impact to teaching and learning. Students are more focused in the classroom, and we are making

great strides as we work to minimize the negative effects of social media, in particular. We ask

for your continued support as we fine-tune these new procedures.

Since 1975, Shepherd Hill Regional High School has been fully accredited by the New England

Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Every ten years, schools are required to

participate in a decennial accreditation process. In preparation for the self-reflection phase that

will occur this fall, all students, families, and faculty members will be asked to complete surveys

designed to provide our school with important feedback on our work, relative to NEASC’s

Accreditation Standards. We hope to learn more about what is working well for our students,

while also identifying areas for growth and improvement. Every student will have an opportunity

to complete the survey during the school day. Parents and guardians will also be sent a survey

link with accompanying instructions, by the end of September. We ask that every family

complete one survey. You do not need to complete multiple surveys if you have more than one

student in the school. The survey is mobile-ready and can be completed on a computer, tablet, or

phone.

Finally, thank you for helping to make the beginning of this school year a success, and for your

continued support! I invite you all to experience the legendary Shepherd Hill “pride and unity”

on campus as our athletic teams, music ensembles, and clubs and organizations kick-off a very

exciting and competitive fall season!

Sincerely,

Mr. Elwell

We have some exciting digital news for you. While we understand some paper has been sent home, we are asking all families to update critical information via the parent portal. This will be the method moving forward, so we appreciate your help in reducing our use of paper throughout the district.

1. New! Ability to update contact information through the Parent Portal. Parents can now update contact information, including phone numbers, email addresses, employment details, and emergency contact information. To access the Change Request Form, log in and click on your user icon in the top right corner.

Important Note: Address changes will not be accepted through the Parent Portal. If you have changed your address, please contact your child’s school directly to ensure the appropriate documentation is provided to update your student’s record.

2. Student Information Health Form will now be accessible in the Parent Portal. Log in to the Parent Portal to submit the required medical health forms for child[ren] in the District. These will be located under Forms section on your dashboard. This is a required, annual, document that will need to be submitted for child[ren].

Important Note: If more than one parent has a parent portal account, both accounts will have access to the form, however only one form per child is required for the District.

3. Dudley Charlton Regional School District Student Handbook Technology Acceptable Use Policy 2024-2025 - This year we have a digital version of the sign-off for the Student Handbook Technology Acceptable Use Policy . Use this link to access our student handbooks and sign off on the required forms for child[ren]. If you have more than one child in the District, you must submit a response for each student.

The school hours for Shepherd Hill Regional High School are 7:40am-2:10pm. Students entering the building after 7:40am must check into the main office to receive a tardy pass to proceed to class.

To obtain an early dismissal please bring a written request from your parent or caregiver to the main office as soon as you arrive at school. The request will be reviewed and an early dismissal slip will be issued if warranted. If returning from a dismissal, students should check in to the main office to have their attendance record updated.

Students must be in school prior to or after 11:00 a.m. for the day to count for participation in school activities.

It is very important to follow this procedure whenever possible. Phone calls to classrooms for dismissals are very disruptive to the educational process. Advance notice of the dismissal with a note helps alleviate those disruptions. We appreciate your assistance!

Thank you! Mrs. Champagne and Mrs. Jalbert

SHRHS Main Office

Updated Bus Routes have been posted to our website.

Students who reside in the Dudley-Charlton district will be routed to and from their home address unless other arrangements have been made.

Please note: The Late Bus schedule has been modified. Late Buses will depart Shepherd Hill at 3:30pm and run only Monday through Thursday. The 5:30pm Late Bus has been eliminated.

Click the button below for more info.

The office will issue a bus pass for a student to ride a bus not assigned to them in emergency situations only. A parent/caregiver must call the main office at 508-943-6700 to explain the circumstances and request a bus pass for their student.

A bus pass will not be issued for social reasons.

A student should stay at home:

• If they have a fever of 100 degrees F or greater (Must be fever free for 24 hours without medication before returning to school)

• If vomiting and or diarrhea has occurred in the last 24 hours

The Shepherd Hill Attendance Guideline designates six (6) unexcused class absences per subject, per semester (each 1/2 year) as the maximum allowed for normal circumstances of regular school attendance. The allowed number of days for absence is designed to accommodate:

· Personal illness

· Religious holidays

· Serious personal or family problems

· Professional appointments that could not be scheduled outside the regular school day

A reminder to parents and caregivers: Students should not be using their cell phone to contact parents if they are not feeling well. Our Health Center is staffed with a full time nurse who will meet with and assess students who are not feeling well. The Nursing Office will reach out to parents/caregivers if students who are ill need to be dismissed.

Thank you! Nurse Lombardo hlombardo@dcrsd.org

Click the button below to view our daily lunch menu.

Our community and school take pride in the appearance that our students present. We expect that all students will dress and groom themselves neatly in clothes that are suitable for school activities. Students that dress in an inappropriate manner will be required to change into proper attire; the second offense will result in a detention and parent will be notified.

Our Daily Announcements can be found on our website or by using the button below.

Click the button below to see the latest edition of the SHRHS Alumni Program Newsletter!

We would like to give a warm welcome to our new School Resource Officer, Tyler Smith! Officer Smith has filled in at Shepherd Hill previously and is very excited for his new role.

Class of 2025

Ms. Amanda Holton aholton@dcrsd.org & Mr. Daniel Duffy dduffy@dcrsd.org

Class of 2026 & Class of 2027

Ms. Sarah Armstrong sarmstrong@dcrsd.org & Ms. Jennifer McGrail jmcgrail@dcrsd.org

Class of 2028

Ms. Shannon Sullivan ssullivan2@dcrsd.org & Ms. Jennifer Kustar jkustar@dcrsd.org

Please email class advisors for questions pertaining to class dues, class activities, etc.

2024-2025 School Calendar:

The Global Awareness Program will be traveling to France and England during the April, 2025 school vacation. Highlights will include Paris, Versailles, the chateaux in the Loire Valley, Mont-St.-Michel, the D-Day Beaches in Normandy, the Tower of London, the London Eye, and a London theater production. Shepherd Hill students in grades 9-12 next year with a record of good school citizenship and conduct are eligible to participate. Students may pick up an information request form in the main office or parents may email Mrs. Pierangeli ( mpierangeli@dcrsd.org ) for detailed information. A limited number of openings remain on a first-come, first-served basis. Don’t procrastinate! Join the group on next year’s adventure!

Our Guidance Department Team

Guidance Secretary

Mrs. Alana Burlingame aburlingame@dcrsd.org Ext. 175

Guidance Counselors

Mr. Laliberte jlaliberte@dcrsd.org Ext. 172

Mr. Gendron cgendron@dcrsd.org Ext. 173

Mrs. Hernandez dhernandez@dcrsd.org Ext. 170

Ms. Walker jwalker@dcrsd.org Ext. 171

Adjustment Counselors

Mr. Haig dhaig@dcrsd.org Ext. 166

Mrs. McGrail jmcgrail@dcrsd.org Ext. 122

We are excited to inform you that we have partnered with College Guidance Network (CGN) to help you with your student’s career and college planning. CGN will provide you with a personalized project plan with timelines and checklists based on your student’s interest, all supported by content from over 250 nationally recognized college and career experts to guide you through every step in the process. Additionally, you will have access to live, online programming from leading admissions, financial aid, and career experts and college admissions officers.

Create your account today at www.cgnroadmap.com Parents PIN 104507

CLASS CODE: 7whqbzf

Hard copy information on all scholarships is available in the Guidance Office.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires that all schools receiving federal funds must provide the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of secondary students to military recruiters and institutions of higher education. The act also requires that military recruiters be given the same access to students that is given to recruiters for post secondary institutions and employers. If a parent objects to releasing this information he/she should notify the guidance office.

Please join us in welcoming our new Athletic Director, Mr. Chris O'Donnell! You can email him at codonnell@dcrsd.org with any athletic questions.

Click the button below for the SHRHS Athletic Website.

The Booster Club always welcomes new volunteers and new Junior Boosters (students). There are scholarship opportunities for those students who volunteer and meet the required hours. Stay tuned for concession stand volunteer sign ups.

President Scott Henault

Vice President Beth paradis

Treasurer Jim McGonagle

Assistant Treasurer Cady Maynard

Recording Secretary Michele McCarthy

Correspondence Secretary Michele McCarthy

First Member at Large Becky Faford

Second Member at Large Heather Gelardi

A reminder to multilingual families about how to translate the newsletters.

Email: rjalbert@dcrsd.org

Website: www.dcrsd.org
Location: 68 Dudley Oxford Road, Dudley, MA, USA
Phone: 508-943-6700