Blue Hills News

October's "Vision of a Graduate" theme is Professionalism. We believe that students need professional skills in order to be successful in their careers and future studies. Professionalism is not one of the five key indicators in the Vision of a Graduate (see below), but it is embedded across all areas of focus for the school's vision. Traits like problem-solving, respectful, communication, and collaborative all speak to the goal of helping students becoming young professionals. As we teach and model professional behavior, skills, and knowledge, we expect students to mature into professional young adults, ready for "college and career."

Don't Miss .... Lots of updates below and many highlights from the past week!! Busy days at BHR...

Girls in Trade Conference

The Annual Conference and Career Fair will be held November 13th. Seniors and Juniors in the construction trades will be given first priority. Permission slips can be picked up in Ms. Poliseno's office. There is limited space, so students who are seniors and juniors who have not been before will get first priority. Permission slips must be returned by October 30th.

Reminder: School Pictures

All 9th, 10th and 11th graders will have the opportunity to have school pictures taken over the next month. If you wish to purchase picture packages, you will receive information in the near future. No matter if a student is buying a picture package or not, they will have their photo taken for a school ID on the following dates.

• 9th Grade - Tuesday, October 1st, 2024

• 10th Grade - Wednesday, September 25th, 2024

• 11th Grade - Tuesday, October 15th, 2024

Homecoming Dance Friday, October 11th, 7:00 to 10:00 pm

Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, October 2nd, in the cafeteria at all lunches.

Cost is $10, CASH ONLY

Guest forms may be picked up from the ticket sale table and need to be returned to Mr. Aubrey by October 9, 2024. No guest tickets will be sold at the door, and students are only allowed to bring one guest if approved. All guests are the responsibility of the Blue Hills student requesting a ticket.

Spirit Week Spirit! (Wednesday) from some creative students at lunch. You should have seen them trying to eat with those grill tongs!

Shanniah and Mr. Palmer ready to grill!!

On Wednesday, October 2, Volleyball held its annual "Dig Pink" game to raise funds and awareness to combat breast cancer. Great job decorating the gym, and awesome special uniforms!

Students on the team also collaborated with Graphics to make the jerseys! Awesome teamwork and vocational ability on display.

(Photo Credits: Above, Leah Compere. Below, Mr. Christian, Graphics)

The girls soccer team under Coach Flynn hosted a teacher appreciation game last Friday against Bristol Aggie. Before the game, each senior - Alexis D'Arcy, Kathleen Murphy, Kylie Harer, Annelise Witunsky, and Leylanny Alicea - honored a teacher who has had a positive impact on their four years at Blue Hills. This year the girls chose to recognize Bess Joyce-Grikis, Jen Braga, Tom Silva, Mike Sheehan, and Matt Morris.

Blue Hills is restarting Teen Speak Out, a program that allows students to have honest and important conversations with diverse groups of their peers about each others' life experiences and the impact of all perspectives on school climate. All groups will be run by student facilitators, who had their first all day training on Tuesday, October 1. Student facilitators came together to learn about group dynamics and experience the Teen Speak Out process themselves through a variety of active, fun and thought provoking activities.

Earlier this week, members of Blue Hills Green Team, spoke to students during all lunches about the recycling program here at Blue Hills, and how the students can help to ensure that the school’s carbon footprint is a small as possible.

Speaking to the students were seniors Jackie Choukas, Natalie Finch, and Christina Rossini.

Do you know of a business that might be interested in participating in our "Reverse" Career Fair? If so, please share this information!!

"Reverse" Career Fair being held on October 17, 2024. Please use this link to register. https://forms.gle/5NQva1UEegTQJPnv9

For more information, please email Kim Poliseno at kpoliseno@bluehills.org

10th Grade Health Screenings at BHR

• Growth (Height and Weight/Body Mass Index)
• SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment)

BHR nurses and guidance counselors will begin the 10th Grade screenings beginning October 15th, 2024. All Massachusetts school districts are required to include a substance use preventive screening as part of their annual mandated universal health-screening program. The nurses and guidance counselors will use the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) protocol with students in grade 10. The SBIRT protocol facilitates a one-on-one conversation between each student and a counselor or school nurse in an effort to prevent or at least delay the start of using harmful substances, such as alcohol and marijuana. This program focuses on reinforcing healthy decisions and addressing concerning behaviors around substance use with the goal of improving health, safety, and success in school.

Nurses and guidance counselors will use the CRAFFT II screening interview, which is the most commonly used substance use screening tool for adolescents in Massachusetts. You can view the CRAFFT tool and other SBIRT resources on the website: www.masbirt.org/schools. In addition to SBIRT, screening for 10th graders will include a height and weight assessment, which will take place on a different day.

Please notify the school nurses in writing by October 11, 2024, if you wish for your student to opt-out of the Grade 10 screening at: nurse@bluehills.org. This notification must be done annually.

As of May 3, 2024, the Department of Public Health has released new guidance for COVID-19. BHR follows the current recommendations, found here under "School and Childcare Settings." Details can be found at this link: Staying home to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses | Mass.gov.

Please obtain a letter from the pediatrician to cover the days your student misses from school due to illness. You may share that letter with the attendance manager, Christine Connolly at: attendance@bluehills.org.

Your student is responsible for communicating missed work with teachers and/or checking work online to stay on track, if they are well enough. They may return to school and resume normal activities with precautions as long as they have not had a fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications, and their symptoms are improving.

For at least the first 5 days after resuming normal activities, extra precautions are recommended, but not required. These include:

• Avoid crowded indoor spaces.

• Wear a mask indoors around other people.

• Wash your hands often

• Cover your coughs and sneezes

Thank you to our school custodians! October 2nd is School Custodian Appreciation Day.

We want to express our sincere gratitude to the dedicated custodians at Blue Hills Regional Technical School. Your tireless work ensures that our school remains a clean, safe, and welcoming environment for students, staff, and visitors.

Thank you for your commitment to maintaining our school's high standards. Your efforts do not go unnoticed, and we are truly grateful for all that you do.

This year, we are rolling out our "Vision of a Graduate." Each month, there will be a theme that we'll focus on around the building. Our students of the month will be selected using the theme as one of the criteria. The Vision of a Graduate is a great tool to help focus the entire school community on our ultimate outcome - producing graduates that are equipped and ready for their future.

Next Meeting - Next Tuesday, 10/8!

The online store will open soon - the link will be available on the Boosters Facebook Page when it opens.

2024-2025 Meeting Schedule

~ Tuesday 10/8

~ Wednesday 11/13

~ Tuesday 12/10

~ Wednesday 1/8

~ Tuesday 2/11

~ Wednesday 3/12

~ Tuesday 4/8

~ Wednesday 5/14

~ Tuesday 6/10

• Meetings are held at 7 p.m. in the Chateau de Bleu (School Restaurant)
• Dates subject to change; changes will be posted to the Blue Hills Boosters Facebook Page

Visit the cafeteria's page for more information!

https://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/index.php?sid=1708116494561

(September 12, 2024)

1. Headphones and ear buds are not allowed in hallways or classes, unless a teacher grants specific permission to use them. They are only allowed in the cafeteria during breakfast or lunch. Students will receive detention hours if they are not complying with this rule.
2. Hoods are not allowed during the school day (7:48 to 2:20)
3. Bus arrival times at bus stops are approximate. Students should arrive 15-20 minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. Traffic patterns greatly impact how fast bus routes are completed.
4. ONLY students who are eating breakfast should get off the bus upon arrival. All students not eating breakfast should remain on the bus until released at 7:40.
5. Attendance has been outstanding to start the year for most students. Please review the attendance policy at the bottom of the newsletter - tardies, dismissals, and absences all contribute to the total absences a student has during the year. Be here and be on time!

(September 5, 2024)

1. PowerSchool is our student information system. Login here: PowerSchool Parent Login. Parents who wish to see grades during the term or final term grades need to have access to PowerSchool. Access remains the same for all returning families; new grade 9 parents were sent login information by the Admissions Department.
2. See below for Health Office updates
3. Please review attendance requirements. Students will face summer school if absences exceed the policy limit!
4. Grade 9 Students and Families: Check out the Exploratory Program Guide for help in managing exploratory this year!
5. Drop-off and Pick-up are always busy. Please use the entrance closest to Massasoit and exit through the "main" entrance/exit. Pull all the way up. Do not block buses. We will have staff to help direct folks for the first few weeks.
   
6. Make sure your student arrives at the bus stop early. Bus pickup times are approximate!
7. Phones are not allowed during any instructional time, except with the express permission of the teacher. "Earbuds" and head phones follow the same rules, and may not be worn during the day.
8. Dress Code: We expect students to be in shop uniform during vocational weeks, and dressed professionally during their academic weeks. Per the handbook, tops and bottoms must provide "sufficient coverage" to be allowed, and hoods are not allowed in the building. Clothing must also be appropriate; offensive language or logos are prohibited.
9. All juniors and seniors are required to register their vehicle in order to park on campus. A $25 fee is required for the entire school year. Students, and it must be the student, should fill out the parking form in the form section of their PowerSchool account. Once completed, a message will go to Ms. Fama in the Main Office, and she will send a bill to the student's parents through myschoolbucks.com. Once the payment is received, Ms Fama will issue the parking pass within a few weeks of the start of school.

Please use this First Student provided app to track your bus route. It updates frequently, and is a tool to help provide real-time (or close to it) information.

October 3 - Faculty Meeting, no 3:10 buses

October 7-11 - Homecoming Week

October 11 - Homecoming Dance, 7-10 p.m.

October 9 - Advisory Board, 5:30 p.m.

October 11 - Progress Reports available in PowerSchool

October 14 - Columbus Day, No School

The student attendance guidelines are contained within the Parent-Student Handbook. Please be advised:

A student will be required to attend summer school upon the accumulation of sixteen (16) absences in order to fulfill BHR attendance requirements. An additional course will be required for every five (5) absences accumulated after (16). All such courses must be taken at the Blue Hills Regional Summer School. All course subjects must be approved by the (ARB) Academic Review Board. If a student is absent on consecutive days it will be counted as one day’s absence if accompanied by a doctor’s note. Notes must be provided within one week of the student’s return to school. All notes must be originals with an authorized signature and date(s) on the doctor’s office stationary. The student’s home phone number and homeroom must be on all doctors’ notes. Absences on special days, assemblies, etc. will be counted as a full day’s absence. A student must be in attendance for at least half the school day to be counted present. Half the school day means being in school from 7:47 am to 11:00 am or 11:00 am to 2:20 pm.

All out-of-school suspensions will be counted day for day towards a student’s maximum number of absences.

If you are not in class or homeroom by 7:48 AM, you are considered absent from school. You must sign in at Student Affairs Office and receive an admittance pass in order to attend class. If you arrive late for school, you are considered tardy and you must report to the Main Office prior to admission.

On the 4th tardy per term and every 4 tardies thereafter, you will be subject to Saturday detention. You and your parent/guardian may be required to meet with the Principal. Parking privileges may be suspended or revoked. Continued tardies may result in more severe penalties being assigned.

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:

Instagram
Facebook
Twitter

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.