Hello. Welcome to the January 31, 2024 edition of the Highlander Times. You can access past editions on our website
Hello, all -
Welcome to the first week of second semester. This is a wonderful time for everyone to reset and start fresh. Just 3 weeks until February Break!
Last week you all received an email about two physical altercations that took place after school. I want to reiterate that we are very much committed to making sure everyone feels safe at Somerville High School and can focus on learning. We are in the process of drafting an overview of our short term and and long term efforts to stop violence at school and will share that with you in the very near future.
We hope to see many of you this Thursday, February 1 for Parent/Guardian/Teacher Conferences 2:45-4:45. Sign ups are available on Aspen and are open to all students and families. If you want to meet with a teacher and their schedule is full, please email the teacher directly. The general format for staff email is: firstinitiallastname@k12.somerville.ma.us. So for example, if Celia Cruz worked here her email address would be ccruz@k12.somerville.ma.us
Report Cards for Quarter 2 are posted in Aspen. You can also see students’ grades by going into aspen and clicking on the Academics tab on the top of the page. For directions on how to access Aspen, please call your community or click on the links below.
Weekly Student Announcements are also on Aspen Each week information about upcoming events and opportunities is shared with students via slide show. While we don’t post this information on our website, students and families can access it via Aspen on the home page. Click on the "Weekly Student Announcements" link after logging in to your student's account.
Course Selection for next year started this week. You should have received an email from our counseling department. You can access that email and more information about course selection here or by clicking our new "School Counseling" button at the end of this newsletter. Courses for next year must be submitted by February 9. Please reach out to your student’s counselor with any questions.
For Black History month, the SHS Black Student Union will be hosting some events, including a movie night on February 6 and a panel on "Black Experiences in Education" on February 27.
Our first ever “Class Cup Challenge” will come to a close Friday, February 16 with the first ever “Class Cup Olympics.” Students will participate in competitions ranging from trivia to “freeze dance” to volleyball and can earn final points for their grade level. The winning class will get a party with food of their choice sometime in March. As of the writing of this newsletter, the 9th grade is in the lead with 1315 points followed closely by the seniors with 1295.
Our Open Houses for prospective students and families are next week These events are geared for families and students considering attending SHS in the near future. We are offering tours on the following days:
Wednesday, February 7 from 8:15 to 10 am
Thursday, February 8 from 8:15 to 10 am, or
Thursday, February 8 from 12:15 to 2pm.
We will begin with a 15-minute presentation in the auditorium, followed by student-led tours of the building. Please note that all 8th grade students have the opportunity to visit the high school with their classmates later this spring. Please spread the word for prospective students and families.
