QHS Presidents Bulletin - 11.24
test
Quincy High School Students and Families,
Thank you to all parents and guardians who attended our first teacher conference night on Thursday, November 14th. For those unable to attend, there is still time to sign up for conferences on Tuesday, November 19. Sign up on PTC Fast.
This weekend, we hope you will join us for the QHS drama club performance of "Years Ago". The Patriot Ledger shared a sneak peak of this much anticipated performance that will be held at QHS on November 15, 16, and 17th.
On Wednesday, November 20th, we look forward to presenting the 2024-2025 School Improvement Plan to the Quincy School Committee which will highlight the numerous outstanding achievements we have accomplished over the last year and outline areas in which we can improve. For this school year, our three school-wide goals will focus on our upcoming NEASC Accreditation, student attendance, and student achievement.
The QHS Homecoming will be Friday, November 20th from 6:00-9:00PM in the QHS gym. Tickets will be on sale for $10 next week at all lunches. Throughout the year, we will continue to again emphasize the importance of regular attendance and, as a reminder, call out dismissals will not be allowed on the day of the QHS Homecoming. Students and families are reminded to plan accordingly and we strongly encourage all students to stay in school until 2:30.
Thank you for your continued support!
Keith Ford, Principal @qhsprincipalford
Ed Smith, Assistant Principal @qhsapsmith
Help support QHS' Homecoming Dance!
To sign-up to volunteer for a shift or to donation of food or drink items, visit this link: Homecoming Sign Up Genius
To make a monetary donation, you can Venmo any amount to @QHS-PAC ~ THANK YOU!
We want to emphasize the importance of regular school attendance for your child’s success. Consistent attendance is crucial for academic achievement, social development, and overall well-being.
Please be aware that in Massachusetts, chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of school days. Even missing a few days per month can significantly impact a child’s learning and development.
To help ensure your child's attendance, we encourage you to:
- Schedule appointments outside of school hours whenever possible.
- Notify the school in advance if your child will be absent.
- Whenever possible, try to plan family vacations around the school calendar.
- Make sure your child is well-rested and ready to learn each day.
The Quincy School Committee Policy on attendance states that students who have more than six (6) absences in a term without a medical or professional note will automatically fail all their courses with a grade no higher than 62.
Your student’s up to date attendance report can be viewed on Aspen. Medical or Professional notes should be delivered to the QHS Health/Nurses Office in order to have the absences excused.
We encourage you to please review your students attendance record and discuss the importance of consistent school attendance with them.
Quincy High School undergoes an accreditation process with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) every ten years by conducting a self-evaluation of all programs and hosting a visiting team to evaluate QHS in terms of our educational goals and the NEASC Standards for Accreditation.
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges is a voluntary membership organization of more than 2,000 public schools, independent schools, and vocational, technical, and career institutions. Of these, over 725 schools have been accredited through the Association's Commission on Public Schools. The Commission works with individual public schools to improve the quality of education through a continuous process of Accreditation and ongoing monitoring.
As part of this process, five educators will conduct an on-site Decennial Visit with Quincy High School, December 2-4, 2024. On these days, the school will operate as usual and it is likely your student will not notice the Decennial Visit is taking place. The NEASC visiting team will be chaired by Erin Palonen, Principal of Griswold High School, in Griswold, CT. Ms. Palonen has had extensive experience with the NEASC Accreditation process.
Linked please find Quincy's Early College High School Pathway Fall Newsletter. We are proud of the collaborative and continued progress that we have made, thus far. We certainly appreciate our partnership with Quincy College!!!
To access Aspen please go to https://ma-quincy.myfollett.com/aspen/logon.do or go to www.quincypublicschools.com and click on Aspen from the main page.
If you have any questions or encounter any issues, please do not hesitate to contact Quincy Public Schools Aspen support team via email at aspensupport@quincypublicschools.com or contact your student's school main office.
The QNQ Band & Colorguard then competed at the NESBA Championships on November 3rd in Lawrence MA. The group came in 4th place out of 7 groups in division V and earned an historic overall score of 92.42!
What a great season! We are so proud of the group this year. Thank you for all the amazing support we have received. We are very excited to perform our show " The Haunter" for everyone on Thanksgiving day!
Here is a video from MICCA Finals in Quincy last Sunday for you to see our full show. We earned our first ever 5 star rating at a this MICCA Finals performance!
During the 2024-2025 school year, QHS will continue to have an Advisory period in our schedule. On each Wednesday half day, students will return to their homerooms during the second period of the day for Advisory.
November's advisory block was our third Advisory of the year, focusing on Financial Literacy. As with October's Advisory, each grade had its own plan during this Advisory period.
The Athletes for Action club recently held a new sock drive. Thank you to everyone who helped out. On November 14th, we were able to drop off 246 pairs of new socks to Father Bill's Main Spring.
Be on the lookout for the Chapstick drive. The students will be collecting ChapStick to donate to Father Bill's.
Criminal Justice 3 students took a field trip to the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department where they were met by police academy staff who presented on various training topics.
K9 Captain Jim Creed and Deputy Desroches demonstrated the therapeutic effects of Comfort K9 Starr, and the ability of K9 Rusty to find contraband on a suspect.
BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigations) Officer Joe Bouno and Officer Scott Petersen discussed the importance of forensic science when investigating a crime scene.
3) Captain David Dolabaney and Lt. Michael Knight held a MILO (Multiple Interactive Learning Objectives) hands on demonstration with the students and gave an overview of firearms safety and how our law enforcement staff are trained in de-escalation techniques.
Attendance in school for the entire day is extremely important for student success and while parents and guardians always have the right to dismiss students, we strongly encourage all students to remain in school and attend classes until the end of each and every school day.
In order to minimize disruptions and provide a welcoming, safe, and respectful learning environment for all Quincy High School students, call-out dismissals will not be allowed on certain dates listed below. On these dates, students who need to be dismissed for any reason must turn in a valid note prior to that day and or a Parent/Guardian must be present at the school to sign them out.
More information on dismissals can be found here: QHS Student Dismissal Information
Listed below are the dates for the remainder of the year that call out dismissals will not be allowed at Quincy High School. Thank you for your attention to this important, updated, policy.
November 22 - Homecoming Dance
November 27 - Day before Thanksgiving
December 20 - Friday before Holiday Break
January 17 - Friday before MLK Jr Weekend
February 14 - Friday before Winter Break
March 25, 26 - ELA MCAS Testing
April 4 - Junior Prom
April 17 - Thursday before Spring Break
May 20, 21 - Math MCAS Testing
May 23 - Friday before Memorial Day Weekend
June 4, 5 - Biology MCAS Testing
If any questions or concerns, please reach out to us (617-376-3367, martinaryan@quincypublicschools.com, lindsaygardiner@quincypublicschools.com)
Girls Cross Country- QNQ
Had a very impressive season this year and we would like to shout them out as the team finished 9th in the MIAA State Championship Division 1 Wave B race.
First-time Cross-Country racer this season, QHS Sophomore Ada Cote, has qualified for All-State Championship this weekend. We wish her the best of luck as all of Quincy High School is rooting for you and we know that your going to crush it!! GO ADA
We are proud to share that on December 5, there will be a combined showcase of QHS/NQHS art and photography at Quincy High School. The work will be displayed and for sale from 5:00-7:00 in the Quincy High lobby-right before the Tis the Season concert at QHS.
We are incorporating the annual Boston Children's Hospital fundraiser by making this event a display/sale of student artwork and photography as well as raffle items from local business that tickets can be purchased for with all proceeds being donated to the hospital.
This should be a great evening highlighting the Art, Photo and Music programs of both high schools.
This October, QHS Senior, Josue Silva, officially enlisted into the Army Reserve. He will be training to become an interior electrician!
This past week Liam Hildebrant enlisted into the U. S. Army. He will be training to become an Airborne Ranger. Liam leaves for basic training after graduation in June.
