School Opens

DHS welcomed 411 students to the school for the 2015-2016 school year.  Mr. Vega and I addressed all the students and covered policies, procedures, expectations, and information on the day to day operations of the school.  I have to say that we are very fortunate because we have great kids in our school.  The first three days went very well.  Most all students have received their Chromebooks and chargers.  Our students have met all their teachers and they have had opportunity to review the syllabus for their classes as well as the expectations for each class.  Parents will have a similar opportunity to meet with their students teachers on September 16th for our Back to School Night from 6:00-7:30.  Please plan to attend this night as it is a wonderful opportunity to become familiar with the teachers, their instructional and assessment strategies as well as receiving information on things like homework and make-up policies and other aspects of the classroom experience. 

We had our first Fire Drill today and it very well.  We thank the Douglas Fire Department for their commitment to the safety of our students.  We also welcomed Officer Fulone to the school as our School Resource Officer.  We look forward to his being with us and interacting with our students, faculty and staff. 

There has been a change over in our teaching and support staff this year.  We welcome:

Ms. Morel - Special Education teacher

Ms. Galvin - Special Education teacher

Ms. Pierce - Physic/Math teacher

Ms. Johnson - Chemistry teacher

Ms. Durham - Math teacher (part-time)

Mr. Kantor - French teacher

Ms. Shaner - Spanish/ESL (part-time)

Ms. Reardon - paraprofessional

Ms. Lauretano -  paraprofessional

Ms. Eckert - paraprofessional

Ms. Heim - paraprofessional

Ms. Pellegrino - paraprofessional

Mr. Scott - ABA

Mr. Nash -  paraprofessional

Sports update

The fall sports season has begun.  Our fall sports are:

Varsity and Junior Varsity Boy's Soccer - Coach Ferguson and Coach Quinn

Varsity and Junior Varsity Girl's Soccer - Coach Stand and Coach Vincent

Varsity and Junior Varsity Girls' Volleyball - Coach LaChapelle and Coach Gionet

Varsity Boy's and Girl's Cross Country - Coach Doyon and Coach Harrington

Varsity Golf - Coach Riordan

Varsity and Junior Varsity Field Hockey - Coach Ryan, Coach Lauretano and Coach Chaisson 

Varsity and Junior Varsity Football - Co-op with Sutton HS - Coach Daley 

Teams have begun to practice and participate in scrimmages. Their season's begin next week.  We look forward to an exciting Fall Season here at DHS. Here is the upcoming week's schedule:

	DOUGLAS TIGERS ATHLETIC                                                                                SCHEDULE                                                                                        Week of September 8th, 2015
		BUS
Tuesday, Sept 8th	Golf @ Nipmuc @ 3:15	2:15
Wednesday, Sept 9th	Varsity Boys Soccer vs St. Bernard's @ 4:00 (HS)
	Varsity Girls Soccer vs St. Bernard's @ 4:00 (Elem School)
	Golf Home vs SPM  @ 3:15
	JV and Varsity Field Hockey @ SPM @ 3:30	2:00
Friday, Sept 11th	JV Girls Soccer Home vs Valley Tech @ 3:30 @ HS Field
	Varsity Girls Soccer @ Valley Tech @ 3:30	2:15
	JV and Varsity Field Hockey Home vs St. Bernard's @ 4:00
Saturday, Sept 12th	Boys JV Soccer @ Wachusett @ 3:00	1:30
	Varsity Boys Soccer @ Wachusett @ 5:00 The Tiger Open The 28th Annual Tiger Open will take place on Saturday September 26th at Blissful Meadows Golf Club in Uxbridge with a 12:00 Registration and a 1:00 Shotgun start. Entry Fee is $125.00 for 18 holes of scramble golf with a Hot Italian Buffet to follow in the the new Blissful Meadows Pavilion. Please plan to put a foursome in and support DHS Athletics. My School Color Run Contact: Gina Muscatell   Phone: 508-476-9854 Email: dave_gina@charter.net  DOUGLAS PTO, ATHLETIC BOOSTERS & MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAM UP FOR FAMILY-FRIENDLY, COMMUNITY-WIDE 5K FUNDRAISER  My School Color Run will promote community and fitness with fun and a splash of color! Sunday, September 27th at Soldier’s Field Check-in from 10:00-11:30am Toddler Run begins at 11:00am Race begins at 12:00pm The Douglas PTO, in partnership with the Douglas Athletic Booster Club, Middle School PTO, and Middle School Student Council, is excited to announce it will host a family-oriented fun run event at Soldier’s Field on Mechanic Street in Douglas, MA on Sunday, September 27th to raise funds for the Douglas Public Schools. The event, called the My School Color Run, will feature a 5K run where participants will be doused with food-safe colored powder before the run begins and then splashed with liquid color at various color stations along the route. There will also be a 1-mile family walk for those who wish to participate but don’t want to do the 5K, and a special toddler run for ages 18 months-4 years within Soldier’s Field prior to the race start. Students in grades K-12 are encouraged to take part with their families and will be given the option to set a personal fundraising goal and seek pledges from family and friends to meet that goal. The My School Color Run program is an exciting alternative to traditional fundraising. Rather than sell goods, this program aims to engage the entire student body in a non-competitive fitness initiative that promotes community togetherness in a fun, family-friendly environment. Prior to the race, there will be face painting and concessions available, as well as a live DJ providing music. “We’re extremely excited about the launch of the My School Color Run Program at our school”, says Gina Muscatell, Event Organizer. “We’re looking forward to involving our entire student body and faculty in a fun and healthy program. We want to engage the entire community and encourage local businesses and individual community members to get involved.” The Douglas PTO, which represents the Primary and Elementary Schools, decided to team up with the Athletic Boosters and Middle School PTO and Student Council for this fundraiser in the wake of steep budget cuts that eliminated the sports and music programs at the Middle and High School and led to numerous teacher cuts across the district. Besides individual student pledges, the school will also accept business pledges. This event is open to the general public. Interested participants can register for the run by completing a paper registration form prior to the event or by registering online through the event page at www.DouglasMSCR.eventbrite.com. Registration fees are: $35/person or $30/person for groups of 4+; Douglas students are $25/student. The Toddler Run is free but a t-shirt and color packet can be purchased for $10/child. Anyone who would like more information or is interested in a form can contact Gina Muscatell.  Please join us for this fun day that supports our programs. Student Photo Day Morin's Studio will be taking student photos on Thursday September 10th.  Information has been mailed to families.  Please complete these order forms and have the student bring them with them to their sitting. Reminder to Senior's that if you have had your Senior Portraits taken at a studio other than Morin's your student photo will be used for the yearbook photo.  Please plan accordingly so this photo is one that you would want in your yearbook.  Seniors could also use the makeup session to ensure they have a quality photograph placed in the yearbook.