ROCKLAND HIGH WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

It has been a super busy week at RHS. Term 3 grades closed on Monday and will be available in Aspen this afternoon. Fourth term has begun!

Congratulations to senior Advanced Art student Angie Fallavollita on earning Second Place for her self-portrait drawing at this year’s William Keating Congressional Art Show, held last Friday night. This annual exhibition highlights outstanding student artwork from across Massachusetts. We are proud of her achievement and the recognition of her talent.

On Monday night, Mr. Rowe, Ms. Frazer and three students presented to the Rockland School Committee about how the RHS History Department makes history come alive. Student presenters were Alice de Oliveira (9), Isabella Florenco-Ramos (10) and Aaliyah Pinto (10). Everyone did an outstanding job!

Rockland High School’s Pathways program recently hosted a wonderful Career Fair, providing students with the opportunity to explore a variety of career paths and connect with professionals from different industries. Students rotated through tables, asked questions, and gained valuable insight into workplace expectations, while also practicing important skills such as professional communication and presentation. The event offered a meaningful, real-world experience to help students build confidence and begin planning for their futures.

Today, RHS recognized Autism Awareness Day with a school-wide spirit day. Students and staff wore rainbow and gold in support, and during lunch, members of the school community were invited to sign a “Choose to Include” poster as a pledge to promote inclusion within our school community.

The RPS Arts Festival is coming up soon! Please see the attached flyer to learn about all the amazing things that will be featured throughout the two-day event.

APRIL

April 20 - 24 - Spring Recess

April 29 - 30 - RPS Arts Festival, 6:00 - 8:00 PM

April 30 - Spellman Oratorical Contest, 7:00 PM

Advanced Art students had a blast at the “Monster Meet-Up” with daycare students from Rockland Recreation during Dog Block. Earlier this semester, the daycare students created monster drawings, and our Advanced Art students brought them to life by creating them out of clay. It was such a fun experience for everyone involved. A big thank you to Rockland Rec for the opportunity and for making us feel so welcome! All of the monster drawings and sculptures will be on display at this year’s Arts Festival.

Thank you to all of the families who have already contributed to our Teacher Appreciation Week Amazon Wishlist. The Student Government Council has been overwhelmed by your generosity in supporting our snack, drink, and coffee cart for our staff - it truly means a lot!

We are still accepting donations and appreciate any additional support as we continue preparing to celebrate our teachers. Thank you for helping us make this week special!

Teacher Appreciation Week Wishlist

Members of the Middle School and High School Band proudly represented our community at the Abington St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, April 12. While the parade is traditionally held on St. Patrick’s Day, this year’s event was postponed due to the Blizzard of 2026.

The delay proved worthwhile, as participants and spectators were treated to a beautiful spring day. The parade route was lined with enthusiastic onlookers, creating a festive and energetic atmosphere throughout the event.

Our student musicians performed with pride, showcasing their hard work and dedication. Their presence added to the spirit of the day and reflected the strength of our music program and school community.

Please see the attached information about summer pre-apprentice opportunities for students interested in pursuing careers in trades.

Please see the attached information about a exciting opportunity for a hands-on learning opportunity during April vacation.

Hello AP Students! As you know, AP exams will begin on May 4th. Exams will be fully digital or hybrid digital using the BlueBook App. Many of you tested with this app for PSAT or SAT exams. You will need your College Board account information to log in to Blue Book for testing. Students should ensure that the Bluebook App is on their Chromebook now. To do this:

Open your Chromebook (don’t log into anything)

At the bottom of the screen - click the and click on BlueBook

Click Sign in with a College Board student account; put in your email and password and hit Submit.

If the app is NOT on your chromebook, please let me know right away!

Fully Digital AP Exam Subjects

Intro to Digital AP Testing - Fully Digital Exams

Students complete multiple-choice and free-response questions in Bluebook, with all responses automatically submitted at the end of the exam. The following exams are fully digital:

• Computer Science Principles

• English Language and Composition

• English Literature and Composition

• Environmental Science

• European History

• Psychology

• United States History

Hybrid Digital AP Exam Subjects

Intro to Digital AP Testing - Hybrid Digital Exams

Students complete multiple-choice questions and view free-response questions in Bluebook. They handwrite their free-response answers in paper exam booklets, which are returned for scoring.

• Biology

• Calculus AB

• Chemistry

• Physics 1 & Physics C

• Statistics

You will receive an email reminder about what time to report to your testing room the week before your exam(s). Your test room should be posted in your AP Classroom (or check with your AP teacher). Please know your test room before exam day.

If you (your student) are interested in attending a service Academy, we recommend you attend the information session at Mass. Maritime Academy on May 1st, as the process of applying to a service academy is very involved. This flyer has more details and information on how to register.

Over the past three days, counselors worked with sophomores in classes.

Students reviewed different post-high school options and then completed a Post-High School Brainstorming activity.

Students had the opportunity to take a Career Assessment in SCOIR (the college and career planning platform RHS uses) and update (or start) their high school resume. The assessment has students answer 60 questions that cover activities people perform when working in different careers, and students receive a list of career matches. Students can use their resume for letters of recommendation and/or job applications!

The agenda for the activity can be found here and is posted in students’ Guidance Google classroom. If a student was absent, they can find all the information there.

On Thursday, May 21st we will be taking a group of Juniors to Bridgewater State University.

Students will:

• Attend a NEACAC College Fair (a list of participating colleges can be found here)

• Attend a BSU information session

• Take a campus tour

We will leave RHS no later than 8:20 and will return by 1:30 PM. We will stop for lunch at the Bridgewater Campus Plaza (there are several places for students to purchase lunch, or they can bring their own lunch).

To participate in this field trip, students:

• Should be in good academic standing and not have any attendance concerns

• Must return their completed permission slip and medical form (found here - copies are also available in Guidance) no later than 12:00 on April 30th.

This will be considered an excused absence, and students are expected to make up any missing work.

Seats are limited and will be filled on a first come-first served basis. A seat will not be reserved for a student until their forms have been returned.

Please email or see Mrs. Dunn or Mrs. Black in Guidance with any questions.

College Rep Visits: Meet Your Future

College representatives from colleges and universities are visiting RHS to meet with students, share information, and answer questions about admissions, majors, scholarships, and campus life. Learn more about Rep Visits here.

How to Sign Up

Students can sign up for college rep visits through SCOIR - details on signing up can be found here.

As visits will occur during class time, you will receive an E-hall pass for the visit. Your teacher will need to approve the pass! All visits have a cap on the number of attendees and sign ups will close 1 day before, so plan ahead and check often. Do not leave class without a note or summons.

NEACAC Annual Essay Contest - open for Juniors and Seniors - $1,000 and $2,000 scholarships will be awarded. Details can be found here.

We also wanted to let you know about two upcoming National College Fairs sponsored by NACAC - the National Association for College Admissions Counselors.

Hynes Convention Center, Boston

Dates/Times: Monday, April 27th from 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Tuesday, April 28th from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence

Date/Time: Wednesday, April 29th from 5:30 - 7:30 PM

More details and registration information for these fairs can be found here.

Congratulations if you've applied and been accepted to college. Great news, but your work isn't done!

Here is a helpful article with the next steps. Please note #3 - After you have decided and accepted your offer of admission at the school you will attend, please notify other colleges and decline their offer of admission. This will allow the college to accept students from the waitlist or who were deferred (which may be you at another school!).

Also, as you receive admissions decisions, please update your outcomes in SCOIR - instructions on how to do that can be found here.

Paying for College Webinar

Jodi Conway, the person who has presented on financial aid twice this year at RHS, is offering a webinar - "Paying for College: an overview of private and federal educational loan options".

The webinar will run twice in May and once in June. Details and registration links can be found here.

As part of a multi-year strategy, the South Shore Technical Institute (at South Shore Voc Tech School in Hanover) will be training new skilled workers in key trades and technical jobs.

THIS IS A FREE 15 WEEK PROGRAM for high school graduates.

Programs for the Fall semester: Automotive, Culinary, HVAC, Manufacturing and Metal Fabrication & Welding

Classes take place Monday - Thursday | 4:00PM-8:00PM

Registration opened on April 6th and classes will fill up.

Program and registration information can be found here.

Explore Your Future This Summer!

Are you interested in a pre-college experience or a specialized summer program?

Check out our growing list of opportunities below. We update this list regularly, so be sure to check it often.

• Summer/Pre-College Program list

Search via SCOIR: Use your SCOIR account to enter filters based on your preferences to find more programs - see details on how to do this here.

BSU Summer Opportunity

Please see the attached summer opportunity at Bridgewater State University for students in grades 10-12.

As the weather is warming up, we need to work harder to stay hydrated. Please remind your student to carry water or another appropriate form of hydration to school.

Drinking water helps maintain the balance of body fluid. The functions of bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients and maintenance of body temperature.

During the winter, water vapor escapes from our bodies through our breath. You can see it escaping when you are outside in the freezing cold air. Just because you don’t sweat as much during the summer does not mean your body is not losing water.

Water helps keep your skin looking good. Your skin contains plenty of water and functions as a protective barrier. Dry skin is more susceptible to damage and breakdown. Drinking more water helps our bodies push impurities and waste through our bodies in order to keep us healthy and energized.

Water helps energize muscles. Cells that don’t maintain their balance of fluids and electrolytes can result in muscle fatigue. When muscle cells don’t have adequate fluids, they don’t work as well.

Water can help in digestion and aid our bodies to properly process the food we eat. Foods with higher water content are absorbed more slowly by the body and help you feel full. Water rich foods include fruits, vegetables, broth based soups, oatmeal and beans.

Fleur Davis, MBA, RN, BSN

School Nurse

fdavis@rocklandschools.org

781-871-8411

Please refer to the links below for your convenience.

School Website

Aspen Student & Family Portal

Arbiter Live- Athletic Schedules

Breakfast & Lunch Menus

Term 4 is now underway, and we are officially entering the final stretch of the school year. Thank you to everyone who helped make the past week so meaningful, from the Pathways Career Fair and Autism Day to our continued work supporting students each and every day.

As we head into April vacation, I hope you have the opportunity to relax and enjoy some well-deserved time away. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday, April 27 ready to finish the year strong.

Have a wonderful break!

Sincerely,

Cheryl Schipper

Principal