Hi All;
A glorious Columbus Day weekend, except for the wholesale collapse by two of Boston’s major sports teams. The Welches had a great time hiking through Purgatory Chasm in nearby Sutton, MA on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. If you have kids and haven’t done this yet, it’s a quick (30 minute drive) free activity that was thoroughly enjoyed by all four of my kids. There are fewer and fewer things that appeal equally to kids ages four to fourteen, but this fit the bill just perfectly. Scrambling over big granite boulders and squeezing through tiny caves gave everyone something to enjoy, and I didn’t hear any complaining during the two hours we explored the incredibly interesting landscape. It didn’t hurt that we got so see some nice forest trails and a little hint of fall foliage color too. An added bonus was that we were so preoccupied we were able to avoid listening to or watching Papelbon throw away the Red Sox season. Such a bonus!
The fifth annual Futures Day will be happening this week on Wednesday from 7:30 – 11:00 AM. All faculty should check their assignments again to be sure nothing has changed since last week. All sophomores and juniors will be taking the PSAT while seniors will be participating in a college fair in the cafeteria. The library will be closed all day for extended time and special accommodation PSAT testing. All freshmen will be taking part in future planning activities in homerooms then moving to the auditorium for an assembly that includes speeches by prospective class officers. If you are a parent of a sophomore or junior please remember to send in a check for $15 payable to “Framingham High School” to cover the cost of the PSAT. These checks should be delivered to your child’s guidance counselor or secretary. All homeroom teachers should remember the proctor’s meeting in room H-100 after school today (Tuesday) at 2:15 PM. All seniors must check in to the college fair before 10:00 AM and most colleges will be setting up around 7:30 AM, so those that arrive on buses can be accommodated almost right away. Thanks for all you help as we make this day work; it is a great opportunity to think about where students want to be headed as opposed to where they are right now.
Do you have an idea that can enhance your teaching? Do you need a little funding to achieve some additional impact on student learning? The FHS PTBO wants to hear from you! Each fall and each spring the PTBO awards grants to teachers who want to improve student learning, and they have an incredibly simple application form. These are due by October 15, and grant awards are voted on at the monthly meeting during the first week of November. Most grants are in the $100 - $500 range, and should be dedicated to helping the most students and should also be tied somehow to the curriculum delivered during the school day. You never get what you don’t ask for. I’ll attach a grant request for with this flyer.
Although the exhibit only extended through October 10, I feel compelled to mention the recent success of former FHS student Shane Maxwell (’07). Shane had an entry in the “Wearable Art” showcase at the Burlington Mall in which he manufactured a dress that consisted entirely of orange traffic cones. Some of you will remember Shane’s talents in the arts, and he is continuing his career that was fostered here at FHS. The challenge was to create clothing that was made of “non-traditional” material, and Shane certainly spun
this in a direction that was unique. You really need to see the coverage of this in order to appreciate the talent involved in creating such clothing. Click here to see a two-minute News Channel 5 spotlight report that features Shane talking about his creation:
It’s ironic that these interesting news stories regarding Framingham students and the Framingham Public Schools never seem to get quite the attention that other stories do. Another case in point is coverage of the SONIC study that was a big part of the freshman class (2012) last year. Some of you recall that there were a lot of ninth graders who were involved in a study that began in Framingham in fifth grade looking at the evolution of small moles and/or skin growths. The students were photographed with a very specialized camera that recorded the location, color, size, and shape of moles on students in fifth grade. The students are being followed in a long-term study that is revealing a lot about the long-term effects of sun exposure and the subsequent development of skin cancer. Our current sophomores were the first students to participate, and others are weaving in along the way. Click here to see a report on this work in Framingham featuring nurse FPS nurse Marilyn Bishop; . There are a few long-distance shots of FHS as a backdrop!
Now that progress reports have come out, there will likely be a flood of student and parent requests for information on how to improve. It is about this time of year that a phone call home will do the most good toward forming a partnership with parents in order to improve student learning and achievement. Make it a point to consult with the student’s guidance counselor or vice-principal to get a little insight, since in most instances if you are seeing a pattern, others have seen a pattern also. They’ll be glad to join with you in contacting folks, or simply giving you some help. Make it a point to find a time and place to sit down and place a phone call or e-mail to parents with some personalized information about students and do your best to get to as many students as possible. Sometimes a 2-minute phone call can make the difference between continued patterns of behavior and a huge improvement in student achievement and results. This can have a huge pay back, and what could be more important to do today? Thanks for your help in this regard.
By now most of you are well aware that the FHS Faculty Production of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown goes up this Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17 at 7:30 PM each night. It is likely that both shows will sell out shortly, so if you are interested in attending please go to www.ticketstage.com to order your tickets. Don’t get left out! Seeing the 25 faculty members in the show is something no one should miss.