Highlander Times

We hope everyone has had a healthy and happy summer. This “Back to School” edition of the Highlander Times newsletter has information about the start of the school year, important upcoming events, athletics, Communities, IDs, student email, schedules, and more. Note: New students and incoming 9th graders - be on the lookout for an email from Julie Phylis that has additional information for you. You can also click here to learn about scheduled orientation events for students and families. If you are new to Somerville Public Schools, click this link for more general information about Somerville High School.

Focus areas for the year

We are excited to see your students in just a few short weeks! Our focus continues to be on realizing our vision: “At Somerville High School, students explore their passions, connect with their school and communities, and engage with the world around them through authentic and equitable learning experiences. Graduates are empowered to achieve their goals and contribute to a more just world."

To learn more about meeting teachers and other staff, please attend our Back to School Night on Thursday, September 18 from 5:00-7:00 pm.

All new students and families are invited to a Back to School Event Wednesday, August 20 from 6:00-8:00pm. At this event there will be a presentation by SHS staff, information about different school resources, and tours of the school available. In addition, all 9th grade and new students are encouraged to attend their assigned orientation session (see schedule below). While we hope all 9th grade and new students will aattend their assigned session, if they can't make it they can get required information and their chromebooks on the first day of school.

• Wed., August 20- 8:30 to 9:30 am: Highland/Rischall (Students with last names starting with Do-He)
• Wed., August 20- 9:30 to 10:30 am: Highland/Albrecht (Students with last names starting with Hi-Ma)
• Wed., August 20- 11:15 am - 12:15 pm: Broadway/Ruiz Toro (Students with last names starting with Mc-Ro)
• Wed., August 20- 12:30pm - 1:30 pm: Broadway/Maguire (Students with last names starting with Ru-Z)
• Thurs., August 21 - 10 am - 11:00 am: Beacon/Broadway/Highland - new registered students (gr.10-12), Elm/Eden (Newcomers in the MLE program)
• Thurs., August 21 - 11:15 am - 12:15 pm: Beacon/LaBerge (Students with last names starting with A-Bri)
• Thurs., August 21 - 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm: Beacon/Banks (Students with last names starting with Bro-Di)

The research is overwhelmingly clear: students perform better academically and have overall better social-emotional wellness when access to cell phones is limited. With this in mind, we will be continuing to follow our cell phone policy. Per our handbook:

• Students will be asked to place their cell phones and headphones/airpods in a designated location when they enter the classroom, OR to keep them in their bags. NOTE: students in 9th grade classes will be required to place their phones in the designated area when they enter.

• If cell phones or headphones/airpods become visible during the lesson, the entire class will be reminded of the cell phone and headphone routines.

• After the class is reminded, if a student’s cell phone or headphones are visible later in class, the teacher will ask that student to place them in the designated location until the end of class.

The goal of our cell phone guidelines is to help our students thrive both academically and socially. We hope we can work together with families to help our students improve their focus and well-being.

Our data indicates that school and class attendance continue to be an issue, and that there is a clear correlation between attendance and academic success. Please work with your student to get them to school and to class! If your student will be absent or dismissed, please be sure to call their community. As a reminder, any student with “more than 5 unexcused absences per quarter will be given a maximum grade of 59. (If an earned grade is lower than a 59, the student will be given that grade.) “

Remember that your student’s community is there to provide support! Each community has an assistant principal, dean, counselors, and a senior clerk. Reach out with any questions or concerns.

We want to make sure your student is safe and healthy. Please click HERE to read a note from our school nursing staff about SPS health screenings, medications, and allergies. Somerville High School's wonderful nursing team will be back on August 25: Maria Tully mtully@k12.somerville.ma.us; Terri Emens temens@k12.somerville.ma.us; Carli Eldridge celdridge@k12.somerville.ma.us

Every year we need to get your student’s updated information. In the very near future, you will be getting an email from our registrar, Julie Phylis, that includes the contact information we have on file for your student. NOTE - WE ARE NO LONGER USING POWERSCHOOL TO UPDATE CONTACT INFORMATION. If your information is correct in our system, you will be directed to a link where you can sign the SPS photo release, review and sign off on the SHS Handbook, apply for SAT/AP and other fee waivers, and complete the military opt-out form (optional). If you need to make changes to your contact information, you will be directed to a link to update your information.

All incoming 9th graders and students new to SHS will be given a chromebook to use for their entire time at SHS. Students can pick up their chromebooks at their assigned orientation time August 20 and 21, or on the first day of school.

Before being issued a chromebook, students and parents must sign off on the SHS Acceptable Chromebook Use Agreement. Parents and Guardians can sign digitally by clicking here. Paper copies will also be sent home next week. Students should bring their signed copy of the agreement to their assigned orientation or to the first day of school so they can pick up their chromebook. SHS will also be able to see if parents/guardians have signed off digitally.

You can print out the chromebook agreements by clicking the links below:

• Acceptable Chromebook Use Agreement (English)
• ACUERDO DE USO ACEPTABLE DE CHROMEBOOK
• CONTRATO DE USO DE CHROMEBOOK ACEITÁVEL
• AKÒ AKSEPTAB POU ITILIZASYON CHROMEBOOK

The first day of school is Wednesday, August 27 from 7:55-11:00 (optional lunch from 11:00-11:30). Thursday, August 28 will be a full day of school. There is no school Friday, August 29 or Monday, September 1 for Labor Day Weekend. Tuesday, September 2 is a full, regular day of school.

Student schedules will be available to view on Aspen by the end of the day on Tuesday, August 19, 2025. Aspen student accounts may currently show up as “expired” but will be reactivated August 19.

Students may email their school counselor to review their options or set up an appointment for August 20-22 via our Calendly scheduling system. Counselors will not be able to assist students who drop into school since they will already be assisting others who have scheduled appointments.

Please note: In meeting the needs of a diverse range of learners, the scheduling process is quite complex. Due to master scheduling constraints and other factors, students may not receive all of their requested classes but may receive their chosen alternate. In some cases, they may need to select another available class.

Currently, our school counselors are reviewing schedules, balancing requests, adding in alternates, and checking to see that students have required graduation and/or other special requirements. Counselors will prioritize at-risk and high-needs students when making needed schedule adjustments. Also, based on our Add/Drop Protocol, schedule changes can only be made for the following reasons: a hole in the schedule; a missing graduation requirement; a course level change; or a missing Multilingual Learner class or classes needed to receive special education services. Please remember to be kind to our school counselors, who are doing their best to meet the needs of all of our students.

Many but not all AP classes require summer work. Summer work was assigned in AP Statistics, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. If students enrolled in these classes, they were added to a Google Classroom. Students should check this google classroom to make sure they have completed assigned work, or reach out to the teacher(s) with questions.

With the exception of a few AP classes, there is no work assigned over break. But Somerville High School encourages students to participate in our summer reading challenge! For more information, click here: SHS Summer Reading Challenge - English

• Haitian Creole
• Spanish
• Portuguese

Students will receive a list of required school supplies from their teachers the first day of school. If you would like to purchase supplies ahead of time, most teachers will require three ring binders, loose leaf notebook paper, spiral notebooks, and pens and pencils.

We encourage students to participate in our fall sports program. Options include: cross country, football, soccer, golf, girls’ volleyball, and competitive cheerleading. Instructions for how to register are here. SHS WELCOME CENTER STAFF WILL BE AT SHS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13 (Spanish speaking) AND FRIDAY AUGUST 15 (Portuguese-speaking) IF YOU NEED HELP WITH REGISTRATION.

Students must be cleared medically before they can participate. Clearance takes place at the SHS gym per the schedule below:

• Monday 8/11/2025- Football Only - Time: 10:00 AM
• Monday 8/18/2025: First Day of Fall Sports and Medical Clearance. Clearance will take place before teams start preseason practice.
  • Volleyball - Time: 8:00 AM
  • Cheer - Time: 10:00 AM
  • Golf - Time: 10:30 AM
  • Cross Country - Time: 11:00 AM
  • Girls Soccer - Time: 12:00 PM
  • Boys Soccer - Time: 2:00 PM
• Tuesday 8/19/2025 - Make up sessions for medical clearance 10-11 am.

Football tryouts begin on August 15; soccer, girls’ volleyball, and cheerleading begin tryouts on August 18. There are no tryouts for cross country.

We are aiming to distribute MBTA passes on the first day of school, though this may be postponed until the first full week of school. This year the MBTA and the city have a new partnership, and the student M7 MBTA passes will be good through August 2026. Per our handbook policy, students are only issued one card. If they lose it, they should come AFTER SCHOOL to the main office to report the loss. Please emphasize to your student the importance of hanging on to their passes.

Per our handbook: “Only one “M7” card will be issued per student. If a student loses their “M7” pass, they must go to the main office to put their name on a wait list for a replacement. Replacement cards may be an “S” pass, which allows students unlimited bus and train travel for $30 a month (the student rate), but students must go to a kiosk and put their own money on the pass… In cases of extreme financial hardship, students should speak with their assistant principal.”

All students must show their ID every day to gain entrance to the school. Returning students should bring their existing IDs to school. For new students, including incoming 9th graders, IDs will be created and distributed on the first day of school. ASPEN school pictures are used to create the ID. If you do not have a picture in ASPEN, please fill out this form. ID requests must be made using the student's school email. Students can download their ID onto their phones from Aspen. We’ll show students how to do this the first day of school.

All students are assigned a SHS email which is based on the student’s LASID (local ID number), located on the student’s Aspen account. The format is: LASID@k12.somerville.ma.us. To access Somerville Public Schools student email, follow these steps. Students are responsible for checking this email regularly throughout the school year. Ninth grade and new students will get their LASID number in an upcoming email; this number is the same student ID number students used in preK-8.

• August 11 and August 18- Clearance for fall sports (It’s not too late to join!)
  
• August 19- Schedules available on Aspen around 3pm NOTE: Aspen student accounts currently show up as “expired” but will be reactivated August 20.
  
• August 20 and 21 Orientation and Family Welcome events for 9th graders and new students. Families of 9th graders and new students should be receiving an email in the next day or two with more details and specific times.
  
• August 20-22- Counselors available for help with schedules BY APPOINTMENT ONLY (see details above)
  
• August 27 - First day for students (½ day), 7:55 am-11:30 am. Doors open for breakfast at 7:15.
  
• August 28: Full day of school for SHS students, 7:55 am-2:32 pm
  
• August 29: No school
  
• September 1: No school - Labor Day
  
• September 17: SHS Club Fair- 12:45-1:33
• September 18: Back to School Night, 5:00pm-7:00pm
  
• September 25: Post High School Planning Night, 7:00pm. Encouraged for 12th grade students & families
  
• September 26: Picture day & grade 10 health screenings

• Tuesday 8/13: Football seniors- 10 am; juniors 11:15 am; sophomores 12, freshman 12:45 and Cheer 2pm

• Wednesday 8/14: Girls Soccer freshman 11 am; sophomores 11:45am; 12:15pm juniors;12:45 pm seniors Boys Soccer freshman 2pm; sophomores 2:45pm; juniors 3:15pm and seniors 4pm

• Thursday 8/15: Cross Country 11 am; Volleyball freshman 1 pm; sophomores 1:45pm; juniors 2:15pm; 3pm seniors

• Monday 8/26: Golf 11 am