Principal's Office / Principal's Update - Friday, January 27, 2023 (2024)

Shawsheen Valley Technical High School

Principal's Update

Friday, January 27, 2023

Dear Shawsheen Students, Parents/Guardians, and Colleagues,

Flag Display in the Shawsheen Cafeteria

In an effort to honor Shawsheen’s multicultural community, a team of students brainstormed ideas to better our school and decided the first step to include others was by hanging flags that represent Shawsheen's cultural diversity. Students met with the school administration earlier this year to discuss their ideas and had their full support. The flag project was just completed this week. Underneath the American flag in our cafeteria, we have added the town flags for our five sending communities, our state flag, and country flags representing where current Shawsheen faculty, staff, and students were born. Shawsheen is proud to have such a strong, diverse community, and of our students who take on projects such as these to benefit our school community!

Reminder: Free MCAS Test Preparation Programs

The following message was sent to parents/guardians of Shawsheen Sophom*ores on 1/9/23 by Ms. Danica Johnston, Director of Academic Programs:

Shawsheen is offering two free English Language Arts MCAS Workshops. Information on the dates, times, and registration can be found below. Attached to this email [see below] you will find additional information about both workshops. Please register soon as space is limited.

• Overview of Program Options - Letter to Families
• Frequently Asked Questions

Reminders: Student Drop-off, Student Dismissal, & Student Parking

To help with safety at student drop-off and dismissal, please review the following information:

Student Drop-off: When dropping students off at school in the morning, please follow signage and staff instruction in the student parking lot to ensure you are not blocking buses, holding up the flow of traffic, or compromising student safety.

Student Dismissal & Student Parking: We recognize that everyone wants to exit the parking lot as quickly as possible when students are dismissed, but this sometimes results in speeding and reckless driving that compromises student safety. Recently, we have had members of the Billerica Police Department monitor the parking lot and exits at student dismissal to help us address some of these concerns. To that end, we want to remind all student drivers that they must comply with the expectations outlined in section 2-2 of the student handbook on Car Transportation & Student Parking Passes. Students who fail to comply with the rules risk having their parking passes suspended. In addition to this, students who speed or drive recklessly while exiting the student parking lot are also subject to consequences for traffic violations from the Billerica Police Department. Please slow down, take your time, and ensure the safety of yourself and everyone around you. The parking lot is typically clear within ten minutes of student dismissal, and beating the traffic to save those ten minutes is not worth endangering the safety of yourself or others. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this.

Reminder: Substance Use Awareness Night - Monday, March 13, 2023

The following message was originally shared in the January 20, 2023 Principal's Update:

In November, I wrote to the Shawsheen community about vaping concerns at Shawsheen Tech. In that message, I shared that we were planning a Substance Use Awareness night for later in the school year to provide additional information and resources to families. In partnership with the Billerica Substance Abuse Prevention Committee, Shawsheen Tech will be hosting aSubstance Use Awareness Nightfor Shawsheen families, staff, students, and community memberson Monday, March 13, 2023 from 5:30pm-8pm. To learn more about that evening, please view the flyer and links below.

• More Info - Substance Use Awareness Night, March 13, 2023
• Registration: Substance Use Awareness Night - Shawsheen Tech - Monday, March 13, 2023
  • Note: registration is not required, but we encourage you to register to help us plan accordingly to accommodate all guests.

Click the following link for a PDF version of the flyer below:Substance Use Awareness Night Flyer

Reminder:School Calendar Update - February Half-Day Moved to February 8

The following message was originally shared in the Friday, January 6, 2023 Principal's Update:

Due to a conflict with retest dates for the Science MCAS, the half-day originally scheduled for Wednesday, February 1, 2023 has been moved to Wednesday, February 8, 2023. Please click on the following link for the updated version:2022-2023 School Calendar (Revised on 12.20.22).

Reminder: Upcoming February Meetings

The following meetings are scheduled at Shawsheen next week:

• Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 2:30pm: School Council Meeting
• Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 6:00pm: SEPAC Meeting
• Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 7:00pm: PAC Meeting

Best,

Jessica Cook

(she/her/hers)

Principal

Quick Links:

• 2022-2023 School Calendar (revised on 12.20.22)
• 2022-2023 Important Dates
• 2022-2023 Student Handbook
• 2022-2023 Program of Studies
• 2022-2023 School Improvement Plan
• Aspen Family Portal
• Shawsheen DCAP
• Submit a Ticket to the Ed Tech Help Desk
• What to Wear and Bring to Freshman Shop Exploratory

Reminders:

• Monday, February 1: School Council Meeting at 2:30pm
• Tuesday, February 7: SEPAC Meeting at 6:00pm
• Tuesday, February 7: PAC Meeting at 7:00pm
• Wednesday, February 8: Half-Day - 10:43am Dismissal for Students
• February 20-24: February Break - NO SCHOOL
• Monday, March 13: Substance Use Awareness Night, 5:30pm - 8pm