Team WHS Blog

Season 2: Episode 17

On to Houston!  GO PATS! Superbowl LI!

Hello again readers,

Recently, we have seen an increase in students using vaping pens.  Please know that these devices are not allowed at WHS.  These small devices are very easy to buy and hide and have many potentially significant risks associated with them.  There is a lot of misinformation circulating about vaping pens, but almost everyone can agree that there are only negative health consequences associated with their use.  We know that they are typically used as nicotine or THC (the drug associated with marijuana) delivery devices, and there is very little way for families to know what a student is vaping.  Simply said, these devices are too new and too unknown for us to know how significant the consequences of their use can be.  Please help us keep these devices out of the hands of our students and out of WHS.

This brief from WebMD is a useful starting off point if you want to learn more.

http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/features/vape-debate-electronic-cigarettes

Our Italian Club students spent the evening of January 25th making homemade pasta!

Tonight:  We have our annual Winter Instrumental Concert tonight at 7 PM in our auditorium.  We hope to see you tonight!

Grades:  Quarter 2 and Semester 1 grades will be posted in Aspen on 2/1.  We will also begin the process of making teacher recommendations for next year on 2/1 as we attempt to get completed schedules for the 2017-2018 school year in the hands of students by June.

Belle of the Ball Program: Michaela Wood, Class of ’18  

WHS will be collecting used prom dresses beginning February 1 to support the Belle of the Ball program. Belle of the Ball cleans and distributes prom dresses and provides related accessories at no charge to high school junior and senior girls who would otherwise not have the opportunity to attend their school’s prom. Collection boxes will be located outside the Main Office. Donations are greatly appreciated.   More information about the Belle of the Ball program can be found online: http://antons.com/belle/.

Red and Black Online:  WHS Gives Back video on December issue.  Thank you Mr. Mackenzie and the Tech Crew for the support.

http://redandblack.whscomputered.com/index.htm

Library Media Center Offerings:

The library is offering an Electronic Music workshop for interested students during the last two blocks (E + G Block) on the half day Feb 2nd. Students that are interested will be signing up and I will send their names to teachers by next Tuesday.

Jeff Lieberman will be here Feb 15th during F block in the WHS auditorium.  Jeff has a large range of interdisciplinary work from robotics, to large scale kinetic sculpture.  He is also musician and makes music videos for the band OK GO.

jeff-lieberman-feb-15th-compressed

Upcoming important community  based workshops:

Hidden in Plain Sight:

Do You Know What Is In Your Teen’s Room?  A Free Interactive Exhibit That Will Open Your  Eyes  ** Learn How To Identify Risky Behaviors **

Winchester Town Hall, Winchester Room, Monday through Friday, February 6-10
Morning and Evening Hours
Monday: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. & 7 – 9 p.m.
Tuesday: 8 – 11 a.m.
Wednesday: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Thursday: 8 – 11 a.m. & 7 – 9 p.m.
Friday: 8 – 11 a.m.
Open to the Public

See the link:  hidden-in-plain-sight-february-2017v2

Teen depression workshop:  Stress vs. Depression…Know the difference.

Who: Teens
When: Wednesday, February 15th 2017 6:30 PM
Where: WHS Media Center/Library

Sponsored by Winchester Coalition for a Safer Community
Questions? Ask Ms.Haines or Mrs.Dieuseul WHS Adjustment Counselors
Please rsvp to Ms.Haines ahaines@winchesterps.org
REFRESHMENTS & SNACKS WILL BE PROVIDED

See the link:  whs-teen-depression-teen-flyer-feburary-2017-1

RAD training for community members:

What is R.A.D.? The Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) System is a program
of realistic, self-defense tactics and techniques. It is a comprehensive course for
women that begins with awareness, prevention, risk reduction and avoidance, while
progressing on to the basics of hands-on defense training.

Sponsored  by:  THE WINCHESTER COALITION FOR A SAFER COMMUNITY, THE WINCHESTER POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE WINCHESTER RECREATION DEPARTMENT are offering a community R.A.D. Self Defense Class for ALL female residents over the age of 14.  Mother and daughter participation are welcome!

DATE: February 6th, 9th, 13th and 27th
TIME: 6:30-9:30 PM
LOCATION: Winchester Recreation Department, 263 Main Street
COST: $100 (workbook/reference material included)
See the link:  rad-flyer-community-program-2017

Thank you for reading and have a great week!

The WHS sports schedule can be found at  http://miaa.net/schools/public/WincWi2

Report cards will be posted in Aspen on 2/1

Teacher recommendations will be done in Aspen and begin on 2/1

Thursday 2/2 is  half-day for all students

The UN Club has a conference Jan 26-29 at the Sheraton Boston.

The ARDUINO Project for Italian IV and AP classes will be running on certain days from 1/30 to 2/14

The French field trip group is going to Montreal and Quebec City from Feb 19-23

 

Team WHS Blog

Season 2:  Episode 16

GO PATS! GO PATS! GO PATS!

Wow, today is the first day of Q3!  We are already half way through the school year.  Quarter 2 and semester 1 grades will be posted in Aspen on 2/1.  We will also begin the process of making teacher recommendations for next year on 2/1 as we attempt to get completed schedules for the 2017-2018 school year in the hands of students by June.

The following is a guest blog contribution from Mr. Bufford:

We have a question for you…what do these performers have in common: Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, Yo-Yo Ma, Billie Holiday, Jay Z, Tchaikovsky and the Winchester High School choir?

As of April 29, 2017, they all will have performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City!!!

The Winchester High School choir is one of three high school choirs in the United States, after a rigorous audition process, who have been invited to perform this year at the National Youth Choir Festival at Carnegie Hall. The group will perform on the Ronald O. Perelman stage, known as the most prestigious concert stage in the U.S., at Carnegie Hall on Saturday evening, April 29, 2017. The performance will be led by renowned conductor, Dr. Jeffery L. Ames, Choral Director at Belmont University. Dr. Ames has collaborated with well-known celebrities such as Trisha Yearwood and Denyce Graves.

So the old joke goes something like: “I need directions. How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” Answer? “Practice…Practice…PRACTICE!!” This is an exciting once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and privilege for approximately 100 WHS students involved in the choir program, under the direction of Joel Buford, who will be part of the ensemble and will be practicing a lot between now and April 29.

• Buford and friends.

Red and Black Online:

For those of you who have not bookmarked the online version of the Red & Black here it is, http://redandblack.whscomputered.com/

Yoga is back and now AFTER school!

Students, join veteran yoga teachers Brittney and Bridget after school on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 2:45 to 3:45 for an hour of invigorating vinyasa flow. Learn the basics of yoga, find your edge and challenge yourself to grow in a fun and supportive environment.  This is free for all students.  No experience or equipment is needed.  All classes will meet in Mrs. White’s room, C209. See you on the mat!

Our Crossfit-style classes continue to grow and become popular.  There is plenty of room to try it for any student interested.

And meditation is also coming back soon to the afternoons.  Please stay tuned!

Teacher of the Year and History Teacher of the Year Programs Open for Nominations:

Nominations are open for the 2018 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year and the 2017 Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year programs, and information is available at the preceding links. Please consider nominating teachers for one or both programs, and forward this email to friends and colleagues.

Again, GO PATS!  Thanks for reading.

 

The WHS sports schedule can be found at  http://miaa.net/schools/public/WincWi2

Report cards will be printed in Aspen on 2/1

Teacher recommendations begin on 2/1

The UN Club has a conference Jan 26-29 at the Sheraton Boston.

The ARDUINO Project for Italian IV and AP classes will be running on certain days from 1/30 to 2/14

The French field trip group is going to Montreal and Quebec City from Feb 19-23

 

Team WHS Blog

Season 2: Episode 15

Good morning!

Welcome to mid-year exam week and congratulations as we are now just about half way through the school year.  The time has flown by already.  We have seen our students do amazing things so far this year and we are looking forward to watching them do even more.

As with all exam weeks, stress levels could be high for some.  This week we are exploring taking some small steps to help with student stress that we hope to incorporate for the future.  One step is with what our student’s hear in the school.  Instead of using our routine bells we will be playing music over the speaker system.  The music will range from calming classical, to fun classics (Sweet Caroline) to current favorites (student choice.)  We will play something at the scheduled end and beginning of each exam.  We will also be sending messages to our students via Twitter, Instagram and more to remind them to relax and breathe.

Pre-ordered exam “snack bags” are already arranged and ready to go courtesy of the class of 2017.

Mrs. Greene’s math class playing an exciting review game with electronic devices and math!

Mr. Weiss’ World History class putting together a graphic organizer about people living in West Africa.

Please check Aspen for your student(s) semester 2 schedule.  Students have been told and reminded via email to check for their updated schedules in Aspen.  We will not be printing schedules.

Semester 1 ends this Friday 1/20/17 and report cards will be posted in Aspen on 2/1.

Yoga is back and now AFTER school!  Students, take time to find some balance in your life. Join veteran yoga teachers Brittney and Bridget after school on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 2:45 to 3:45 for an hour of invigorating vinyasa flow. Learn the basics of yoga, find your edge and challenge yourself to grow in a fun and supportive environment.  This is free for all students.  No experience or equipment is needed.  All classes will meet in Mrs. White’s room, C209. See you on the mat!

Bios:

Bridget first started practicing yoga when a running injury left her searching for other exercise options. While she noticed the physical benefits of yoga immediately, it was the emotional benefits that made the practice stick! She currently teaches at Prana Power Yoga, and is looking forward to sharing the love of yoga at the high school.

Brittney invites students to show up to class exactly as they are and to trust that they have tremendous strength and support within.  Her classes guide students on a journey to slow down, breathe, empower and ultimately create a more intentional, inspired life.  She teaches at Black Crow Yoga, Lexington Power Yoga and Winchester Country Club and is excited to share the gifts of this powerful practice with Winchester High School students in a way that feels accessible to every person.

Winchester residents and our new  yoga instructors Brittney (in white) and Bridget (in black)

Our Crossfit-style classes with Mr. Gill continue to grow and become popular.  There is plenty of room to try it for any student interested.

Teacher of the Year and History Teacher of the Year Programs Open for Nominations:

On a related note, nominations are open for the 2018 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year and the 2017 Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year programs, and information is available at the preceding links. Please consider nominating teachers for one or both programs, and forward this email to colleagues. The Department would especially like to increase diversity in our nomination/application pools for these programs and asks individuals to keep that in mind when nominating teachers.

Regional Student Art Show Information:

 

Today after school!!  Improv/Performance and Interactive Media Workshop from 11:00-1:00 pm in the WHS Library with Jared Mezzocchi is not to be missed!

The WHS sports schedule can be found at  http://miaa.net/schools/public/WincWi2

The UN Club has a conference Jan 26-29 at the Sheraton Boston.

The ARDUINO Project for Italian IV and AP classes will be running on certain days from 1/30 to 2/14

The French field trip group is going to Montreal and Quebec City from Feb 19-23

Q2/S1 Grades close on 1/20

Report cards will be posted in Aspen on 2/1

Thank you for reading and have a great week!

Dennis

Team WHS Blog

Season 2:  Episode 14

Hello WHS Families-

Welcome to the new calendar year.  Our students have done a great job transitioning back to school and reconnecting with their friends and our staff.

Since this time of year inspires people to set goals (I prefer the word goals over resolutions), I thought I would once again share one of the main goals I have for WHS, besides surviving my first year, of course.  The reduction of student stress has and will remain my constant focus.  This is not an easy goal because, as we know, stress or specific stressors can be different for each individual.  That being said, we will continue to try a variety of ways to reach all of our students that need help and even those who may not think that they do.     

We are working on moving all of our current anti-stress initiatives to after school.  Our students have spoke, and they have told us that the mornings just don’t work for them.  We listened, and we are making changes to get our yoga and meditation classes to meet at 2:45 pm during the week, and we hope that over the next few years that we can weave these initiatives into our school day.

At a recent faculty meeting, we discussed the conundrum of students sometimes being given multiple (3 or more) exams/assessments on the same day.  We talked about what we can do, realistically, to help our students who may find themselves overwhelmed by this situation.  After we processed the pros and cons of many different ideas, most teachers agreed that the best way to help our students is to remind them that that if they need help, if they need support, that they just need to ask.  Many teachers felt that they could possibly be flexible with their exam dates or deadlines if a student asked for help and told the teachers what they are going through.  This discussion also reminded our faculty that helping students advocate for themselves is not only a part of stress reduction, but it also helps our students build independence and self-advocacy, vital skills they will need as they leave WHS and enter into their adult lives. We ask for your support in discussing this with your student(s) and reminding them that our staff are here to help and willing to support them when they need it.

We are also currently working on some very exciting initiatives for next year around making some small changes that we hope will have subtle but powerful results.  Please stay tuned for those announcements over the next few months. We will continue to try different things and experiment as we explore ways to reach our students.

WHS is now on Instagram!  Please follow us on Instagram @whssachems

Congratulations to WHS Varsity Wrestling Coach Tremblay on being the winningest wrestling coach in Massachusetts history with 682 wins and counting!  Coach Tremblay was honored this weekend for this significant accomplishment.

Coach Tremblay and just a few of the thousands he has coached.

The WHS sports schedule can be found at  http://miaa.net/schools/public/WincWi2

Improv/Performance and Interactive Media Workshop on Jan 17th from 11:00-1:00 pm in the WHS Library with Jared Mezzocchi is not to be missed!

The UN Club has a conference Jan 26-29 at the Sheraton Boston.

The ARDUINO Project for Italian IV and AP classes will be running on certain days from 1/30 to 2/14

The French field trip group is going to Montreal and Quebec City from Feb 19-23

Midyear exams will run from 1/17 to 1/20

Q2/S1 Grades close on 1/20

Report Cards will be issued via Aspen on 2/1

2018 Course Recommendations from teaches will begin on 2/1 

Thank you for reading and have a great week!

– Dennis

BONUS!!!

From DESE: Office Hours on Proposed Revisions to ELA and Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks:  In addition to in-person office hours for curriculum leaders, ESE will hold four conference call office hours sessions for pre-K-12 and higher education faculty, administrators, the general public, students, and parents/guardians on proposed changes to the 2011 English language arts/literacy and mathematics curriculum frameworks during the public comment period, which is open until February 17, 2017.

Sessions will begin with an overview of the proposed changes to both the English language arts/literacy and mathematics framework drafts. There will be time in each session for callers to give ESE staff their comments on the proposed changes and to ask questions about either the mathematics framework (January 12 and 25) or the English language arts/literacy framework (January 18 and February 2).

Registration information, framework drafts, quick reference guides, and grade-by-grade tables of the proposed revisions are available on ESE’s English Language Arts and Literacy and Mathematics Standards Review website.  

The schedule and subject area for the calls are listed below, and each call will run from 3-4 p.m. Registered participants will be sent a PowerPoint presentation and call-in information a few days prior to their session.

•         Thursday, January 12: mathematics, register by January 6.
•         Wednesday, January 18: ELA/literacy, register by Wednesday, January 11.
•         Wednesday, January 25: mathematics, register by Wednesday, January 18.
•         Thursday, February 2: ELA/literacy, register by Thursday, January 26.