Principals Blog for the Week of February 23rd-27th

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The February Newsletter is posted on the 

High School Webpage. It will provide 
additional details on events, activities, 

photos and calendar reminders.
http://www.douglasps.net/files/filesystem/February%20Newsletter1.pdf

March Newsletter will be released next week.  
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We have returned from Winter Break and actually experienced a full week of school without a cancellation. 

We have completed the course selection process here at the High School. Mrs. Stack and Mrs. Carpenter did a wonderful job of working with every student on this process.  They covered course sequences, credit requirements and academic pathways for the students.  At this point, parents should have reviewed teacher recommendations for their students in IPASS as well as have reviewed the initial course selections made by their students.  Parents are reminded to use the IPASS Parent Portal to sign off on the verification of the courses that they want their student to enroll in.  This is an important part of the course selection process.

An additional reminder is that First Semester Report Cards have been posted in IPASS and parents should have reviewed the grades for their students.  Also, during the first semester teachers have posted their assessments for student performance on meeting our Learning Expectations.  To access this information; parents should select My Document in the left hand links in IParent and that will take them to the Rubric which details the skills being assessed and the criteria for each of these codes.  The codes that the student received related to these Learning Expectations can be found in My Documents, as well as by simply clicking the Grades link in IParent and simply clicking the comments link for each class.  This link will take you to each of the codes that apply to each Learning Expectation.  If you have questions please contact the Guidance Department.

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Makenzie Cyr named Student-Athlete of the Month by the MIAA

During the vacation week, Makenzie Cyr placed 9th in the All-State Indoor Track Meet in the 2 mile.  She had finished 2 in the Division II meet the week earlier. These two races were her final two indoor races at DHS and she has certainly left her mark as the top female runner in Central and Western Massachusetts over the past two seasons and as one of the top distance runners in this region since seventh grade.  We are very proud of how Makenzie has represented the team, her coaches, the school the community and her family.  She leaves a lasting mark on the sport and the school.  

Please click the link below that includes the MIAA's press release detailing her recognition for this honor.  congratulations Makenzie. 

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Senior Night 

Boys Varsity Basketball

The DHS Boys Basketball team celebrated Senior Night in an important must win game versus BVT.  The team came away with a big win that put them into the MIAA tournament for the second consecutive year.  This years Seniors are:

Tyler Barsamian, Matt Fausch, Teddy George, Johnny Gonzalez, Jesse Mosczynski and Cam Saster. They were recognized along with their parents and DHS extends its appreciation to this players for their dedication and commitment to the program. 

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The team then went on to compete in the Clark Tournament during the school vacation week. This was the second consecutive year that the team competed in this prestigious tournament. They faced Maynard HS and lost a tough battle by five points, 47-42. The team was lead by Teddy George who scored  11 points.  

On Tuesday night the team then moved on to the MIAA tournament and again faced Maynard HS.  This game is the same as the battle at the Clark Tournament but this time DHS prevailed with a solid victory over the 17-3 Tigers of Maynard, winning by a score of 57-50.  They now advance to the second round of the MIAA tournament tonight versus Worcester Tech at Worcester Tech at 7:00.   

Our Cheerleaders brought great spirit and support to both of these games. They did a great job of rallying the fans in support of the team. Proving once again that they are a great team and a positive reflection on the school and their coaches.

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We send along our thanks to Mr. Gordon for all of these great photos.  

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Girls Basketball

Our girls hoop team had their season draw to a close after a very tough 60-58 loss versus Greater Lowell Technical High School last night at Greater Lowell.  The girls had fallen to a 17 point deficit with only 6 minutes left to play when they mounted their comeback.  The battle intensely to chip away at this deficit and did so getting the score down to 2 with only 6 seconds left to play.  They unfortunately were not able to go the length of court and score to tie or win the game and their season came to a close.  During the game the team was lead by strong defensive play from Megan Hayes, Ashley Gresian, Shanna King, Hannah Favaloro and Kayla Finnegan.  Offensively the team received strong performances from Senior Shannon Powell and sophomore Meghan Carroll who both scored 14 points and by sophomore Peyton Young who tallied 22 points on the night.

The team ends the season with their fourth consecutive post-season berth with a 12-9 final record.  Congratulations go out to all the players on the team for their efforts and the quality of their play.  Congratulations to Coach Quinn for his leadership and commitment to the players and the program.

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The Douglas Cheerleaders are now 

DVC Champions!!

Last week, DHS hosted an invitational tournament which also served as the DVC tournament.  They continue their strong tournament season having placed first in the Prouty, Chicopee and in their home tournament.  As a result of this DVC tournament, the Cheerleaders were able to again claim the DVC Championship.  We congratulate Coach Ursch and Coach Socha and all the girls for what has been and exceptional tournament season.  They move on to compete in the Massachusetts Regional Tournament on Sunday in Springfield.  

Great job everyone. 

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Music Department News – Tiger Jam 

On Saturday, March 28^th the music department, music technology class, TV production class will collaborate on this year’s scholarship fundraising concert the Tiger Jam.  The concert will feature performances by some of DHS music students and alumni accompanied by our pop music performances by DHS students and alumni backed by our very own house band The Hortons, featuring DHS faculty members Ed Lachapelle, Kevin Riordan, Gery Elliott and Al DeNoncour along with student drummer Andreus Christy . 

Tickets for the event are $10 each and are available through the music department office (508-476-4127) or through any music department student

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The MIAA Educational Athletics Department is pleased to announce the latest recipients of the
“MIAA Student-Athlete of the Month Award”

January 2015

Makenzie Cyr Douglas High School Click here for Press Release

Owen Hunter Monument Mountain Regional High School Click here for Press Release

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DPAC Announcement:

Social thinking speaker Nancy Clements, MA, CCC-SLP will be coming to our district on March 23^rd 7 – 8PM.  Presentation will be held at the Elementary school library – 19 Davis Street, Douglas MA.

Nancy will be giving an overview on social thinking and how it can positively support students in the classroom.

What is Social Thinking?

Social thinking is what we do when we interact with people: we think about them. And how we think about people affects how we behave, which in turn affects how others respond to us, which in turn affects our own emotions.

Nancy Clements is a speech language pathologist and Executive Director of Social Thinking Boston®, the East Coast sister clinic to Social Thinking Stevens Creek and Social Thinking Santana Row. She brings her highly creative approach to her clinical practice, where she maintains a very active and varied caseload ranging from early social learners through adults. She is especially interested in bringing Social Thinking concepts to all learners and continuing to analyze the impact of social thinking methodologies across all tiers using a Response to Intervention (RTI) model. Nancy enjoys formulating programs from the ground up through creative strategies, systems of implementation, and models of efficacy that are data driven. Having been raised by parents who were both educators, she brings an empathic and collaborative approach to coaching teachers, administrators and specialists.

For any questions please contact:  Lori McDermott at 508 446 4517 lori.mcdermott@yahoo.com    

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