Principal' Blog for August 22, 2014

The Douglas School Committee has posted the Superintendent of School's position. If you have an interest in serving on the search committee as a parent of a high school student, please contact the office of the Superintendent. 

The fall sport season has begun with a strong turnout for all of our fall teams. 

As an update, Mr. Desi Vega, will assume the position of Assistant Principal starting on Tuesday August 26th.  If you are in the building please stop in and introduce yourself. We welcome Mr. Vega to the school community.

Principal's Blog for August 19, 2014 

Here is an update on personnel matters at DHS.

As you know, Mrs. Bates has formally left DHS for her new position.  She'll be missed and we thank her for all that she brought to the school.  Everyone at DHS really valued her and her impact upon the school while serving as our Assistant Principal. We wish Mrs. Bates nothing but the best in her new position and hope that going forward, she will not be a stranger to DHS.  

 I am glad to introduce Mr. Desi Vega who has been hired as the new Assistant Principal for DHS.  Mr. Vega has served as the Assistant Principal at Belchertown High School for the past four years.  Prior to being at Belchertown, Mr. Vega was a PE teacher at Hampshire Regional HS for 10 years. He attended Westfield State University where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Movement Science.  He completed his Masters of Education as part the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association licensure cohort program.  While at Hampshire, he coached girls' basketball, soccer and softball.  He is a member of the MSSAA, the National Education Association and is a certified A.L.I.C.E. trainer as well.  I look forward to working with Mr. Vega. I am confident he will have a positive impact on our school community.    

I would also like to express my appreciation to the members of the Assistant Principal's search committee for all their work on this selection process.  They were very gracious to have given so much of their time to this work and I am very appreciative.  The members of the committee were: Mrs. Adamson, Mr. Riordan, Mr. McGrath, Mrs. Diane Miller (parent), Mrs. Sokol, Mr. Ginisi, Mrs. Hurley (parent as well), Mrs. Stack and Mrs. Brosnahan. This group reviewed resumes, cover letters, transcripts and letters of recommendation of nearly 30 applicants prior to entering into the formal interview process. Their participation in the interviews provided the members of the committee with a real good understanding of all the candidates which allowed us to make a very informed decision.

     

I am pleased to introduce Mr. Corey Stefan who will be joining the faculty of DHS as a member of the English department.  Corey is a graduate of Worcester State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Communication.  He is presently enrolled in a Masters of Arts in English program at Northeastern University.  He has been a substitute at DHS and is known to most everyone in the building.  He will be teaching sections of English II, III and IV this year.   We welcome Mr. Stefan to the faculty of DHS.

I am happy to inform everyone that Mrs. Caroline Fitzpatrick has been back in the building this week and that she is very much looking forward to being back in her classroom and working with our students.  It is nice have her back with us for the start of the school year. Welcome back Mrs. Fitz!!!

On behalf of everyone at DHS, I want wish Mrs. Farese, Ms. Harkins, Mrs. Graveson, Ms. Dionis and Mrs. Miller best wishes as they leave our faculty to become part of the Middle School staff. They will be missed.  They all brought so much to the high school over the past years.  They were valuable contributors to our faculty and brought a real dedication to their students.  I thank them and wish them the best as they move down to the Middle School.  They are quality educators and just real nice people who I enjoyed working with.

Lastly, I was informed that Melissa Harris, who has been an instructional aide and filled in as classroom teacher in Mrs. Fitz's absence last year, has accepted a position at another school district and as such she will not be returning to DHS this year.  I want to extend my appreciation to her for all that she had done at the school. She demonstrated a true commitment to our students and to the quality of their learning experience. She was also so willing to be part of the school's culture. We thank Melissa and wish her the best with this new position. 

Principal's Blog

Welcome to a new edition of the Principals Weekly Blog. It’s hard to believe September is around the corner and the doors of Douglas High School will open for the 2014-2015 school

year. The administration, guidance, custodial and office staff have been working diligently to assure a smooth opening of the school year. We look forward to seeing our returning students!

Congratulations Mrs.Sokol

DHS is pleased to recognize Mrs. Sokol for the honor of having her number retired at Salem State University for her outstanding basketball career. This is a tremendous recognition and I am happy to share this news with you about our Mrs. Sokol.  



Summer Reading

Summer reading handouts were given out to students at the end of the school year. But, as a reminder you can access the book lists on the school’s website:   http://www.douglasps.net
In addition, copies were sent to the Douglas
Public Library, the Worcester Library, and Barnes and Noble in Millbury. Please contact the school if you
have any questions or concerns.

Student Schedules

* Please note that student schedules are still subject to changes up to the start of the school year. Part of the scheduling process requires looking at classroom enrollments and working to keep them as balanced as possible, as such some adjustments in these enrollments might mean that a student's schedule has changed.

*Student schedules can be accessed online using your IPASS password and student identification number. The link for the iParent Guide is located on the left side of the District Home Page. This link will direct you through the process of accessing student schedules. 

If you need to sign up for IPASS, please go to the
District page and click on IPASS on the left side of the page. You then will need to click on where it reads "Click Here" to apply for online access to your child's information. If you have more than one child you only need to apply once. Parents and students should review the schedule to ensure it reflects the course requests submitted in March. 

If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact the guidance office at the school. On Wednesday, September 3rd students will be given a hard copy of their final schedule. The administration and guidance office are making changes and updates throughout the summer.

Student/Parent Handbook

The Douglas High School 2014-2015 Student Handbook is 
available online. You can find it under the File and Documents 
tab on the District website which is located on the left hand side
 of the main page.  

http://www.douglasps.net

Attendance Change

Students who are absent (unexcused) from any class more than six times in a quarterly marking period will be assigned an administrative grade of 50 for that marking period as a maximum grade in all subjects.  Teachers may assign grades LOWER than 50 in cases involving excessive absences and/or flagrant failures to do required work.  Students receiving an administrative failing grade in any of the first three quarters may recover their earned grade by having no unexcused absences during the quarter immediately following the quarter in which the administrative failing grade was assigned.  It is the parent/student’s responsibility to notify the teacher of his/her intent to recover the earned grade and have the administrative failure removed.

Allergies and Student Safety

As we plan for the next school year I want to remind you of the guidelines we follow to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all of our students. Several students with life threatening allergies will again be attending the High School this year. One such allergy is sensitivity to latex. As latex can become airborne, and therefore endanger students who have been diagnosed with a latex allergy, we must be diligent in our efforts to maintain a latex safe environment throughout the entire school including the grounds. You can help us in this effort by making sure that school supplies are latex-free.

Fortunately, many of the most popular manufacturers of school supplies now produce latex safe products. There are many online resources that can help you select latex safe school supplies. One such list can be found at: http://www.latexallergyresources.org/ResourceManual 
(click Section 1 and the link for “Latex Free Consumer Products” on the left).If you are unable to go online; we have copies of this list in the main office. 

Please consult this list as you purchase school supplies, or ask your vendors for latex safe materials. Items that are not latex safe are not permitted on school grounds or within the building. If we find materials that are not safe, we will need to take them, secure them in a safe plastic bag, and send them home at the end of the day.

Another allergy is sensitivity to peanuts and peanut products. At the high school we have signs on entrance doors that state the school is latex free and a peanut free zone. Food is only allowed to be eaten in the cafeteria and we will provide a peanut free table. Please keep in mind these allergies when bringing supplies and food items into the school.


By making some simple adjustments, we will be able to ensure a school environment that is safe for our students with a latex allergy as well as the safety of all of our students. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.

General Law: CHAPTER 71, Section 37H3/4

*This is a new law that has gone into effect in all public schools. Please check the link to read more on this new law and its impact at school. 

This section shall govern the suspension and expulsion of students enrolled in a public school in the commonwealth who are not charged with a violation of subsections (a) or (b) of section 37H or with a felony under section 37H1/2.

See the following link for complete details.

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXII/Chapter71/Section37H3~4

AP Update

I really wanted to pass along the results from our AP testing. 
First, let me say our kids really did a great job on these tests and they should be pleased with their results. Our AP teachers should also be pleased with the results that we have received, they really are quite impressive. Thank you to all for their work on this. Once again these test results indicate that there is much to be proud of at DHS. 

Last year there were 186 tests taken and 122 of these tests 
received a qualifying score. This year we had 193 tests taken and 140 of these received qualifying scores. 
Prior to our expansion of course offerings and the opportunities to enroll in AP classes there were 70 tests taken and 45 of these received a qualifying score for a 64% rate of students receiving qualifying scores. 

Four years later we saw 123 more tests taken than in 2010 and there were 95 more qualifying scores this year than in 2010. The results from 2010 saw 64% of the tests taken receiving a three or higher which was impressive, yet with all the expansion in offerings and occupied seats over the past three years, we saw our scores for this year reach 73% of the tests receiving qualifying scores of three or higher. 

Administration wants to congratulate to everyone on these very impressive results. I should also mention that there are 170 seats filled in AP classes at DHS for 2014-2015. We also have 37 students who are recognized as AP Scholars. 23 students received AP Scholar designation, 2 received Scholars with Honors, 10 were recognized as Scholars with Distinction and 2 students received the College Boards highest recognition as National Scholars where they received a qualifying score in 8 separate Advanced Placement exams.  A formal announcement on these results will be made at an upcoming School Committee meeting. These are just outstanding results.

Sports Information

Please note that no student may participate in athletic practices or games without an up to date physical, parental permission, academic eligibility, concussion certification and a completed and signed Blue Card.

The 2014 fall season is fast approaching with our varsity teams showing a lot of promise, as most teams will be returning with numerous members from last year squads. The 2014 season will also continue with the cooperative football program with Sutton.

*Football Tryouts start on August 18th, 19th & 20th from 5:00 – 6:30 at Sutton High School with a 6:00 pm meeting with the head coach.

*All other teams start tryouts on August 21st and 22nd with the following times:

Thursday, August 21st:

Boys Soccer:  3:00-6:00

Girls Soccer:  7:00-9:00 and 11:00-1:00

Varsity Girls Volleyball:  9:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00

JV Girls Volleyball:  1:00-4:00

Cross Country:  3:00

Field Hockey:  @ Soldiers Field 8:00-10:00 and 12:00-2:00

Golf:

Friday, August 22nd: 

Boys Soccer:  8:00-11:00

Girls Soccer:  10:00-1:00 (10:00 fitness tests, 

does not conflict with boys' tryouts)

Varsity Girls Volleyball:  9:00-12:00

JV Girls Volleyball:  9:00-12:00

Cross Country:  3:00

Field Hockey: @ Soldiers Field 8:00-10:00 and 12:00-2:00

Golf:

Any other tryout times may be found on the Douglas High School Athletic Website.

Coaches for the upcoming fall season:

                         Boys varsity soccer: Alex Ferguson

                         Boys JV Soccer: Ralph Quinn

                         Girls Varsity Soccer: Jarred Stand

                         Girls JV Soccer: Roland Roland

                         Girls Varsity Volleyball: Ed Lachapelle

                         Girls JV Volleyball: Megan Towle-Miller

                         Cross Country: Bobby Doyon

                                                  Shauna Harrington

                         Varsity Field Hockey: Courtney Lavin

                         JV Field Hockey: Jill Chiasson

                         Golf: Kevin Riordan

                                  Jonathan Waggenheim

For schedules, please go to www.dualvalleyconference.org

Our very supportive Athletic Booster Club can be found at: www.douglasathleticboosters.org


Good Luck to all our teams this coming season!

Cheerleading Camp

The Douglas Varsity Cheerleaders participated in the UCA Cheer Camp on Aug. 11th-13th where they learned new cheers, dances, and stunts. The team received a trophy at the end of camp for their perfect performance and for working together as a team for the 3 days. Emily Fresh was the camp- Best Jumper and Rachel Maciejewski was runner up.  Briona Brita, Courtney Antalek, Emily Fresh, Olivia Ursch, and Mandy Laporte were all selected as All- Americans and are now invited to perform in London! Congratulations!

*Upcoming Dates*

*September 3rd - School Opens*

*September 5th is Picture Day*


For Seniors: 
http://www.morinstudio.com/pages/cfSeniors.cfm

MORIN’S STUDIO OF PHOTOGRAPHY 14 Pine Street Milford, MA 01757 Phone (508) 473-0211 • Toll free (800) 592-0211 Fax (508) 473-5979

*September 17th is Back to School Night*
6:30-8:00
Parents who have an interest in serving on the 

School Council should submit their names as a Nominee 
]for public vote on Open House.