DESE Report Card

Greetings,

State regulations mandate that we share a "report card" that is produced by the Department of Early and Secondary Education (DESE). This report highlights how each school fared on the most recent MCAS testing. We will be distributing this report to all students this Friday. You can access the report and corresponding letter HERE.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact my office. I wish you a wonderful day and holiday season!

Student Illnesses and Being Dismissed

Happy Wednesday!

As the weather gets cold and the days grow short, we're noticing the annual trend of increased illnesses and students requesting to be dismissed. This year we've also noticed an increase in the number of students texting a parent asking to be dismissed because they don't feel good.

I ask that all students who feel ill see the school nurse. The nurse will evaluate the student and call a parent to have the student dismissed. If your child texts you saying he/she doesn't feel well please have them report to the nurse who will then follow up with you. We need to track the number of students not feeling well for the health and safety of all students.

When your child is dismissed I also ask that you or the responsible adult please come into the building to dismiss your child. This is for security reasons. I do not want any student leaving school grounds with an unauthorized person.

I appreciate your support on this. Best wishes for a healthy winter!

2nd Term Progress Reports Sent Home!

We distributed second quarter mid-term progress reports to all students today. Please take time and ask your child about these reports. We decided to issue progress reports with the knowledge that not having an electronic means to view your child’s status has negatively impacted your ability to monitor and supervise your child this year. I sincerely hope that we are able to launch a new electronic progress report system soon, but did not want to wait any longer to communicate your child’s progress with you.

If you have any questions regarding these progress reports I advise you to contact your child’s teacher directly. If you have trouble communicating with the teacher then please contact your child’s guidance counselor who will be pleased to assist.

Thanks!

Congratulations Bailey!

Congratulations to MHS's Bailey Medeiros for winning the Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 2014 competition this past weekend! Bailey competed against 65 other contestants at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium Theatre.

Bailey will now represent Massachusetts at the Miss Teen USA 2014 pageant next July in the Bahamas!

Great job Bailey! You make MHS very proud.

Here is a link to a press release regarding Bailey's victory.

Winter Athletics

Happy Wednesday everyone! This is important information from our athletic department. I'll be sending out a Connect-Ed soon with the same information:

Winter Sports will begin on Monday, December 2^nd. The schedule for 12/2 is as follows: 

Boys Basketball try-outs: 2:30 to 5:30 pm in the gym

Girls Basketball try-outs: 5:30-8:30 pm in the gym

Cheerleading: 5:00-8:00 pm in the HS Cafeteria

Swimming: 4:30-7:30 pm at Quarry Hill Pool

Please confirm that your son/daughter has a physical on file with the school nurse.  Physicals are now good for 13 months and will sometimes expire during the season.  Please contact the school nurse if you are unsure.  Anyone that does not have a current physical will not be allowed to tryout/ participate.

I wish you the best of luck with the upcoming season and look forward to seeing you competing and representing MHS.

September and October Students of the Month

The Student Council has started a new tradition this year with monthly recognition assemblies. We come together as a school community every month to recognize Students of the Month, Faculty of the Month, Athletes of the Week, and other recognition depending on the month.

So far we have recognized the following Students of the Month:

September

Jennifer Lusty

Cassidy Bailey

Myrand Messina

Rebecca Biancardi

Christopher Riley

Emily Crescentini

Karen Kubaska

Larry Vozzella

Kade Sandomierski

Stephanie Lefebvre

October

Kathryn Szwed

Rachel Buck

Matt Serra

Rachel Gordon

Ashley Forest

Noah Malo

Samantha Gilmore

Congratulations to everyone!

Back Online!

After a hiatus due to technology issues, I'm proud to announce that the MHS Principal Blog is back online! By now you should have seen the new Monson Public Schools website. I am excited with the new site and how clean and informative it is.

For those new to my blog, I try and post current events and topics in a timely manner to ensure families and the larger community are informed with what is happening at MHS. Please feel free to leave comments!

Make it a wonderful day!

1st Semi-Annual Math & Science Fair plus More!

You are invited to attend the 1st Semi-Annual Math and Science Fair to be held this Thursday, January 10th, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm in the MHS library. Students from all honors level math classes, Geometry classes, and Honors Chemistry II have been working diligently on designing and implementing subject-specific projects and will be presenting their research in an exhibition forum. Come see the amazing projects these
students have developed!

Next week marks the end of the first semester. Students have final exams scheduled on Thursday and Friday, January 17th and 18th. Those two days are also 1/2 days for students with dismissal at 10:35am. Please refrain from having your children miss either day or have them dismissed if at all possible. Our teachers have worked hard to prepare their students for the concluding assessments and having students absent only hinders the teachers' abilities to complete the courses.

And finally, school administration and staff have been consulting with the Monson Police Department to ensure our protocols are current and inline to provide the safest environment possible for our students. One concern is the building access before school. Policy states students are not allowed in the building before 7:22am. Past practice has allowed our students to enter the high school prior to this time. Unfortunately we are finding that many students begin roaming the building with no supervision before school begins. We are working on a solution that will allow students who must arrive early access to the building while maintaining a safe and supervised environment. I ask that if possible, please do not have your children arrive before 7:22am. If needed, students can still enter the building and we will continue working on developing a supervised area for your children.

Thank you for your time. I appreciate the support as we continue to serve your children. Take care and have a wonderful evening.

Galileo Testing

Hi everyone. Below is the text of a Connect-Ed message and corresponding email I'm sending to all freshmen and sophomore families this evening. Please let me know if you have any questions. I'm excited for this new venture as it promises to better prepare our students and allow us more immediate feedback to ensure we're targeting weaknesses and building on strengths PRIOR to MCAS. Take care!

Good evening, this is Dr. Linkenhoker, the Principal of Monson High School. I’m calling this evening to inform all parents that we are starting with our Galileo testing next week in all freshmen and sophomore Math, English, and Science courses. The district instituted the Galileo assessment in the middle school last year. This year, we’ve expanded to Quarry Hill and Monson High School. The purpose for this assessment is to provide valuable information on student growth during the school year. Having this data will allow teachers and administrators to review the results and make immediate instructional changes when needed to better support our students.

This is not unlike the athletic arena where as a coach we are charged with preparing our team for the championship game. In this case, the championship game is the annual MCAS testing in Math, English, and Science. Our teachers (i.e. coaches) work with our students throughout the year to build student skills with the goal being that all students are Advanced or Proficient when MCAS are administered. The flaw in previous years was that we never had our students play in any games before that championship game. We never truly knew throughout the year where our students stood so we could focus on weaknesses and build on strengths before that championship game. Galileo will be those so called games. We will garner information on strengths and weaknesses so we can better prepare our students prior to MCAS.

While Galileo is not a high-stakes test for our students, I am asking that as parents we encourage the students to focus and try hard. This is the only way we can truly know where they stand. The testing schedule will span over the next two weeks. Students will take the test in their specific Math, English, or Science courses so there is no impact on the other subjects. This test if completely computerized and the results will be available soon afterwards. The plan is for students to test three times during the course. These intervals will allow us to evaluate student growth and ensure we are successfully progressing towards Proficient and Advanced levels.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office. I appreciate the time and your support as we strive to provide the best possible education for your children.

Have a wonderful evening.

Fall Open House Reflection

Thank you to all families who attended our annual Fall Open House Last night. This is an important piece in building a strong and positive relationship with the school and your child's teachers. The following is the attendance data from the Open House:

Freshmen: 57% of families attended
Sophomores: 45% of families attended
Juniors: 37% of families attended
Seniors: 32% of families attended
Total: 44% of families attended

Please mark your calendars for Thursday, February 7, 2013. This will be our annual Spring Open House. I encourage all families to attend as your child will have all new courses and thus all new teachers then. If you attended last night then you should also attend on 2/7/13. If you weren't able to make it last night, I would highly recommend the Spring Open House.

Take care!

Target Taking Charge of Education

This morning I received a check from the store, Target, in the amount of $187.42. We received the check as part of Target's Take Charge of Education program. When customers use their "Red Card" when cashing out at Target they can state they want to participate in this program and assist Monson High School. By doing so, up to 1% of the purchases is donated to the school. This past year's contributions resulted in today's check.

I want to officially thank all of our MHS families and friends who participated over the past year. If you want more information about this program feel free to visit www.target.com/tcoe

Your willingness to support MHS will allow us to use this money to further support programming opportunities for our students.

Thank you!

Little Making a Big Impact

Congratulations to MHS Sophomore Rachel Little who was recently selected to represent New England on the Youth Preparedness Council. The YPC works with FEMA to discuss and prepare emergency response protocols.

There is a nice article chronicling Rachel's trip to Washington DC and her upcoming work with the Youth Preparedness Council. Check it out here.

The article mentions that Rachel wants to create a Community Emergency Response Team here at MHS. She and I spoke earlier this week to discuss ideas and next steps. If you're interested in helping Rachel out with this exciting opportunity feel free to contact me and I can make that connection.

Great job Rachel. You represent MHS and Monson well!

First Day of School

Below is the text of a Connect-Ed message scheduled for this evening. I believe this was one of the best first days here at MHS in a long time! I wish everyone continued success and a wonderful year! Please note in the Connect-Ed message that Open House is scheduled for next Thursday, September 6th from 6:30 to 8:30pm. Take care!

Good evening. This is Dr. Linkenhoker, the Principal of Monson High School. I’m calling tonight to share some important information with all families. First, I wish to thank the entire student body for an excellent first day. Our 1^st Annual Kick Off Pep Rally was a great success. I appreciate everyone’s attention and spirit and again congratulate all students recognized this morning for making last term’s honor roll. I hope to recognize more students at our 2^nd term Pep Rally to be scheduled in November.

Please mark next Thursday, September 6^th on your calendars. This is our fall open house. Open House will run from 6:30 to 8:30pm. Parents will follow their child’s schedule along with having an opportunity to meet their child’s SAP advisor. This is a great evening where you can meet the teachers and learn about classroom expectations, assessment practices, etc.

And finally, I want to remind families that school lunch prices increased this year to $2.75. If you have any specific questions pertaining to the lunches please contact Mrs. Melody Gustafson, the Food Services Director, at Quarry Hill Community School.

Once again, the school year is off to a great start. I wish everyone an enjoyable and successful year. Please do not hesitate to contact the office with any questions. Take care and good night.

1st Annual Kick Off Pep Rally

Below is the text of a Connect-Ed message being sent tonight to families who had students make the honor roll for the 4th term last year. We're beginning a new tradition this year in which we recoginize students on a quarterly basis who made the honor roll through a school-wide pep rally. This LINK is for the official schedule for next Wednesday's program.

Good evening. This is Dr. Linkenhoker, the Principal of Monson High School. I am calling tonight in regards to your son or daughter making the honor roll for the 4th term last year. We are starting a new tradition this year where we will hold quarterly pep rallies to recognize students who made the honor roll the previous term. Our first pep rally, to honor the 4th term awardees will be on the 1st day of school, next Wednesday. For an official schedule, please visit my blog at www.mhsprincipalblog.blogspot.com. Parents of awardees are welcome to join us in the gymnasium. Please arrive for 8:15am. Students will be called to the gymnasium at 8:25. The beginning of the program will be a traditional school-wide meeting with administration sharing important policies and expectations to the students. We will then transition to the pep-rally where we will introduce the entire MHS faculty and staff and then recognize the students who made the honor roll last term. I hope this is the start of a wonderful new tradition and I hope to see many of you here next Wednesday morning to celebrate your child’s success. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email: linkenhokera@monsonschools.com or phone: 413.267.4589. Take care and have a wonderful evening.

Freshmen Cookout!

The following is the text of a Connect-Ed message going out tonight to all freshmen and new students.

Good evening, this is Dr. Linkenhoker, the Principal of Monson High School. I am calling to remind all incoming freshmen that tomorrow night is our annual Freshmen and New Student Cookout and Orientation. I hope to see you and your family beginning at 6pm. I will be assisting with the grilling! Around 7pm we’ll transition to the orientation agenda in the gymnasium. Freshmen will receive their schedules and will have the opportunity to tour the building with their big sibling. Parents will remain in the gymnasium for a short presentation and Q&A. The evening will end with students receiving an ice-cream dessert by 8pm.

Also of note, Academic Planners and Monson High School tee-shirts will be available for sale tomorrow night by the class of 2015.

Take care and good night!

New Student/Family Letter

Greetings! It's been a wonderful summer here at Monson High School with lots of planning going into this upcoming year. I'm excited for the start and am confident we're going to experience one of the best year's in history. I just finished a letter for all incoming freshmen and their families. A Connect-Ed message is also prepared for these families. I also wanted to include this letter here for everyone to see.

Expect more updates soon as we gear up for another year. Take care and enjoy the last few weeks of vacation!

Please click on this link to access the parent letter.

Equal Access Letter

I am sharing an Equal Access Letter that all families should review. The law protects students from being discriminated against or precluded from programs regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, limited English proficiency, sexual orientation, disability, or housing status.

If you feel your child has been targeted please contact my office or the Superintendent at your earliest opportunity. Thank you!

MHS Going Virtual

Monson High School is moving to the 21st century in hopes of providing relevant educational opportunities for ALL students. As part of our Innovation School initiative and our Pillar Model, MHS is unveiling an online learning program that aims to support three distinct cohorts:

1. Students who wish to take their entire high school series of courses will have the opportunity to through curriculum offered by K12. These students will be considered Monson High School students and have the full benefits of face-to-face students with access to extra-curricular activites, athletics, guidance services, graduation, etc. Students will be required to be onsite a minimum of one day per week to ensure progress is occuring.

2. Face to face students may wish to compliment their existing traditional schedule with an online course. This opportunity is available to all students wanting an online class that is not offered at Monson High School. These online classes are offered through Aventa, a subset of K12.

3. An online credit recovery program will begin in July 2012. Students who have failed a class during the school year may opt to recover this lost credit through our online program. This is similar to traditional summer school and/or night school programs except that the courses are taught online and provide more flexibility to time and location. Monson residents will be charged $150 per course while non-residents may register for $175 per course. Courses are open year-round to better service students.

The Online Learning Flyer provides a general overview of our new programs. The Full-Time Flyer provides specific information on our K12 program. Feel free to contact Mr. Robert Bardwell at 413.267.4589 x1107 with any questions pertaining to our new online program. An informational evening for interested families will be held on June 19th, 2012 in the MHS cafeteria beginning at 7pm. I encourage all interested students and parents to attend!

Athletic Banquet

Here is the text of a Connect-Ed message going out tonight referencing tomorrow's Athletic Banquet. I hope to see everyone there!

Good evening, this is Dr. Linkenhoker, the Principal of Monson High School. The varsity athletic awards banquet will be held tomorrow night, Thursday June 7th. All students athletes that played on a varsity team will be receiving an award. There will be a dessert reception in the cafeteria beginning at 6:00pm, followed by the awards banquet at 7:00pm in the gymnasium.

Please feel free to contact Mrs. Sarah Shaw with any questions.

Take care and good night!

MHS Graduation: Change of Location!

After viewing recent weather reports and consulting with our support staff, I have decided to relocate the ceremony to the Granite Valley Middle School Soccer Field. We will begin at 7pm and admission is open to the public. Please note the following details. Access to the red chairs on the field will be by ticket-only. However, there are not as many chairs as tickets so I recommend you arrive early to claim your seats. Access to the chairs will begin at 6pm with staff supervision. I would encourage people to bring a lawn-chair and/or blanket. Those not sitting in the red chairs can sit on the hill or other available areas. Attention graduates: we will hold tomorrow’s rehearsal in the MHS gymnasium. Please be prepared to start at 8:30am. Thursday’s rehearsal will be on the soccer field. I thank everyone for their cooperation and understanding. I believe an outdoor ceremony will be more enjoyable while also encouraging those without tickets to attend.