don’t immediately ask her to sound it out. Instead, say, “What word makes sense
here?” Then the child has to think about how that word fits in with what she’s been
reading…”
Masha Kabakow Rudman, University of Massachusetts Educator
Hi All;
Hello February! Even though the bitter cold from this past weekend is still fresh in our minds, I’m sure many
of you noticed how late the sun seems to be setting. Now there is plenty of daylight right past 5:00 PM, and
Mrs. Avery correctly identified the crocus already beginning to sprout out front next to the flagpole! To be
fair, those crocuses are conspicuously close to a powerful spotlight that is most definitely providing some
additional warmth, but the fact remains that they are indeed sprouting and above ground.
Last week’s distribution of term two report cards means that half the year is currently in the books. In
addition to new rosters for teachers of half-year courses, this past week was a time to take stock of where we
are in the year with regard to curriculum, and begin to start planning for the next five months. This week will
be having our annual mid-year assemblies with each grade, and given the number of students listed on the
ineligibility list I suspect everyone in each grade will be given a pretty stern lecture about the importance of
hard work and perseverance in the face of less than optimal performance. Please reference the ineligibility
numbers posted as the statistic of the week for evidence of some slippage in term 2. Now is the time for
students to re-dedicate themselves to their studies over the second half of the year, and I hope we can all send
a concerted message on that front this week. Please check the calendar at the end of the flyer for the days and
times for these assemblies, and attend with your classes if the majority of students are in that grade.
As mentioned last week, the 2010-11 Program of Studies will be distributed in homeroom today. In
addition to this booklet, each student will be issued a course selection form to plan for next year’s courses. I
will be asking all teachers to devote some class time this week to discuss appropriate course selections for
next year. You will find that this year’s course selection form asks for each student to seek a recommendation
from the appropriate subject area teacher this year in order to get advice about what to take for next year.
Teachers are asked to initial the form with their recommendation, though ultimately the student can sign up
for the subject and level of their choice provided all prerequisites are met. I know department heads will
likely be recruiting teachers for this Thursday’s Curriculum Night at FHS, and I appreciate your help in
advance as we begin planning for next year’s arrival of the Class of 2014.
February also marks the time when many seniors will begin thinking about applying for local scholarships.
Late last week scholarship packets were placed in the main office mailboxes of all senior homeroom teachers.
Please hand these packets out in homeroom on Monday, February 1st. The information will also be posted on
our website, and additional packets will be placed in the Grade 12 Office, Guidance Office, and the College
and Career Center. Although the cover page of the packets seems self-explanatory, please remind your
homeroom students of the following:
• Local scholarships are of two types: Those that use the FHS generic application (which our FHS
Scholarship Committee awards), and those that have their own applications, deadlines, and process. The
generic application is attached to the scholarship packet; it is the last page of the packet. For the
scholarships that use our generic application, students must hand in their completed applications to the
College and Career Center by March 5, 2010.
• Applications for scholarships that do not use our generic application can be picked up at the College and
Career Center. These scholarships have their own individual deadlines.
An e-mail will soon be sent to staff, inviting them to serve on the Scholarship Committee to determine
recipients of scholarships. Scholarship recipients will be notified and invited to the Awards Ceremony in
May. Many thanks to guidance counselor and college scholarship coordinator Linda MacDowell for all her
work on this challenging endeavor. Please let her know if you have further questions. Thanks in advance for
all your help.
Well-deserved congratulations are in order for FHS’ own Department Head of Health&PE Sue Ames. Sue
will be receiving the “Massachusetts Women in Athletics Distinguished Service Award” in a formal
ceremony this Friday, February 5 at Faneuil Hall in Boston. This program has been in place for a number of
years and recognizes the contributions by women who have devoted their time and energy to guide and
nurture female athletes, and have had a profound impact in these areas. Sue’s positive attitude, strong
convictions, and willingness to work hard on behalf of all students are models for those who will follow in her
footsteps. Anyone who has interacted with Sue knows she is a special person and inspiration to many.
Congratulations to Sue and thanks to Stacey Freda and Gary Doherty for nominating her for this prestigious
award.
We will all be scrambling a little bit today and tomorrow as we gear up for the MCAS Biology Re-Test. This
is the first year that all Class of 2010 seniors in Massachusetts must successfully pass a Science test in order
to graduate. Time is of the essence for students who have yet to pass, and the problem is that the state only
offers the re-test in Biology. FHS has about 35 students who will be taking the test this week, and a number
of them have never taken the test before since they are new to Massachusetts. This puts them at a tremendous
disadvantage, but the bar has been set and everyone must get over that bar to receive a diploma. The
overwhelming majority of students have passed either the Biology, Chemistry, or Technology/Engineering
test after their sophomore year, but we continue to work with students who have not yet achieved this
standard. Frank Rothwell has been working overtime trying to get this done, and I appreciate his efforts and
the efforts of everyone who will be proctoring today and tomorrow.
Remember that we have a full faculty meeting this Tuesday, February 2 beginning at 2:15 PM in the
auditorium. Matt Torti and Ernie Moreau from our Buildings and Grounds department will be here to discuss
some important issues regarding the ongoing use and upkeep of our building. In addition, Technology
Director Adam Seldow will be here to discuss recent upgrades and improvements to our technology access at
FHS and he will likely also comment on some of the issues that arose as a result of our visit from MTA
attorney Ira Fader last week. Please be there on time at 2:15 PM and we will hopefully end right at 3:00 PM.
Let me know directly if you have any unyielding issue that prevents your attendance.