Highlander Times

Hello, Students, Families, and Staff -

I hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather.

We are headed into the home stretch of the 2024-2025 school year. After April break, seniors will have less than four weeks of school (last day May 22) and all other students will have just over seven weeks (last day June 17). This is a time marked with many celebrations and events. I encourage you all to attend a performance or celebration in order to celebrate our amazing students. Please see the "Upcoming Events" section below for details.

This Thursday we will host our annual multicultural fair, where students share history and culture from a wide range of countries. There will be food, poster presentations, and dance performances. All students will be assigned a block to attend the fair. Our cafeteria will be open throughout the event and there will be no open campus. We will also have a table set up for grab and go lunches for students to take home. School for all students will be dismissed at 1pm. We look forward to sharing photos and video from this beloved tradition with you in our next newsletter.

For some students, it can be challenging to stay focused at the end of the school year. Good attendance is of utmost importance, and when students are at school, we expect them to go to class and stay in class. We will be monitoring this more closely at the end of the year, so you may be hearing from us if your student needs some extra support. Please talk with your student to help us reinforce this message!

On Monday, April 28 at 7pm, we will be presenting our school improvement plan to the school committee. We invite you to attend our presentation in person or virtually. We are proud of the work we are doing at SHS and determined to make improvement in our identified areas of focus. If you'd like to preview our school improvement plan, you can find it here.

Today marks the end of our decennial visit from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Thank you to students, staff, and community members who participated in this process. We have enjoyed this important process of reflection and self-evaluation, and look forward to the final NEASC report, which we will share with the public when it is complete.

Thank you,

Principal Kersten

Somerville Public Schools is looking for feedback from families. The data we collect will help us set long term, meaningful goals and improve student learning and school and district culture. Please share your thoughts by completing the "Conditions of Learning" survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LF6HHZ9 Survey is available in multiple languages.

On Thursday, May 22nd there will be a red-carpet event leading up to the seniors’ 5:30PM departure to the prom, being held on a boat in Boston’s Seaport. We are looking for parents to be at the school starting around 3:30 to help decorate the lower cafeteria, donate food and drinks, join the event, and see the seniors off before they leave for the evening. Please reach out to Laura Beretsky (beretsky@yahoo.com), if you’re interested in helping.

The SFLC is looking for donations of men's dress shoes and button up white dress shirts to assist students with appropriate clothing for prom, graduation, and job interviews. There is a donation box in the main entrance of the high school.

PTSA General Meeting, Tuesday, May 6th 6:30PM, Somerville High School, Room C-205. Light snacks will be provided. You can join virtually here: https://mit.zoom.us/j/91526733500

Agenda items include:

· Treasurer’s Report

· Details about upcoming community potluck

· Brainstorm future event ideas for SY’25-’26

· PTSA Board Elections. More information about election process and candidates here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ae2HxpgGDhn4KJFtfaXSBnCRqZTFRrEHSJzKn0B9xjc/edit?tab=t.0

Potluck Dinner Thursday, June12th 6:30PM, SHS lawn (rain location, SHS lower cafeteria) A community event for SHS families. Bring a favorite family dish to share with the community while we celebrate the close of SY2024-2025.

Congrats Grad Yard Signs We are extending the deadline to order yard signs celebrating SHS grads in the class of 2025. The deadline for this is now Wednesday, April 16th. Our apologies for the quick turnaround on this, and if you have any questions, please reach out to shsptsa1@yahoo.com. Click on this link to order your sign: https://forms.gle/rsRZPdsdPEHJm3cY9

This week is the last week to buy prom tickets. $90 tickets will be on sale during all three lunches and during the multicultural fair on Thursday. Seniors should be sure to have all their permission slips completed before they are allowed to purchase tickets. A reminder that students need to arrive at the high school at 4:30 pm on the day of the prom (May 22), and all students must travel to and from the prom in the buses provided by SHS.

Caps and Gowns should be ordered by now. Community secretaries have been reaching out to families who have not yet ordered caps and gowns for graduation. Remember, while there are lots of options, you only need the basic $32.50 package. Please reach out to your community if you need financial support.

These are hard times. Parenting a child with special needs can be a lot. Let’s come together to build community and support each other. These events will be loosely structured to give people a chance to get toknow each other and chat.

Discussions:

• What works? Tuesday, May 13th from 7:15pm - 8:15pm @ Somerville Library main branch in the auditorium
• What support do parents need? Monday, April 14th from 7:15pm - 8:15pm
• Donuts and Dishing. Wednesday, April 30th 8:00am - 9:00am at Davis Square Donuts & Bagels

Reach out with questions or interpretation needs to:SomervilleSEPAC@gmail.com

• April 13-17: Last chance to buy Prom Tickets
• April 16: SHS School Improvement Council 6:30-8:00pm (note new date)
• April 17: Multicultural Fair - school gets out at 1 pm
• April 18-25: April Break - No School - building Closed April 18 and April 21
• May 1: Credit for Life, 8am-11am
• May 1: SHS Fringe Festival, 7pm
• May 2: SHS Fringe Festival and Thespian Inductions, 5pm
• May 2: Close of grade for Quarter 4 Progress Reports for seniors only
• May 5: Q4 Progress Reports Due for seniors
• May 7: Tri M Music Honor Society Induction/Music Awards
• May 7: SHS Dance Recital, 5pm in the auditorium
• May 8: Spring String Fling, 6:30pm in the auditorium
• May 9: Close of grades for Q4 IPRs for 9th - 11th graders
• May 9: PTSA Staff Appreciation Breakfast
• May 9: First Generation Celebration for seniors
• May 9: SHS Dance Recital, 7pm in the auditorium
• May 14: CTE Awards (Auditorium - 5pm, Lower Caf -6pm)
• May 14: SHS School Improvement Council, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
• May 15: Vivaldi’s Gloria, (SHS Chorus & Orchestra) & Art Showcase
• May 19: SHS Spring Concert (SHS Band, Jazz Band, Guitar Ensembles, World Percussion) & Art Showcase, 5pm Art / 6pm Music
• May 19-22: Senior Week, including final exams, class day rehearsal, graduation rehearsal, senior breakfast, Chromebook and textbook returns, etc.
• May 20: National Honor Ceremony, 4pm
• May 20: 10th grade MCAS - Session 1
• May 21: 10th grade MCAS - Session 2
• May 22: Senior Prom - early dismissal at 11am
• May 27: SHS Chamber Ensemble and Jazz Band Concert, 6:30pm in the auditorium
• May 29: Somerville Community Scholarship Awards Night, 7pm in the auditorium
• May 30: Class Day (no classes for grades 9-11)

In line with the National Honor Society's core value of service, members from the SHS chapter of NHS hosted a spring cleanup at the high school. The service campaign was spearheaded by students and brought together members of NHS, the DPW, and Groundworks Somerville. Together, students and community members were able to discuss and learn about native species and provide the high school grounds with much needed refresh.

Congratulations Somerville High School Quiz Team once again! They defeated Andover High School and now advance to the semifinals! Watch the entire match against Andover here. And don't forget to watch the next match, which airs on May 10. Go #SHSHighlanders!

9th Grade Biology Classes Participate in March Mammal Madness

The first March Mammal Madness competition at SHS was a success! Clinton W.G. and Rui F. tied for first, Seven A. got second, Omar H. earned third, and Ryan A. won the most matches! A photo of the winners appears below.

The tournament is hosted by Arizona State University each year: “Founded in 2013, the MMM tournament is styled after the NCAA College Basketball March Madness. MMM weaves research and science in a storytelling format that engages players, learners and educators every year.” You can learn more about the tournament here.

AP Biology

Guest Speakers - Speakers from Asimov, a biotechnology company based in Boston, visited both sections of AP Biology. Students had the opportunity to learn about synthetic biology, as well as the scientists’ career paths and advice.

Field Trip - Students visited the Harvard Museum of Natural History on Friday, April 11th to explore homologous and analogous structures through the museum’s large collection. This allowed students to connect ideas about evolution and natural selection from across the year’s curriculum.

Collaboration with AP Statistics - Students in AP Biology collected data about virtual “fruit flies”, then sent it off to the statisticians in Mr. Morgan’s AP Statistics class for chi-square testing. Once they receive their results, they will be able to see if their evidence supported their initial hypotheses.

10th Grade Chemistry Classes Host the Tufts University STEM Ambassadors

Recently, some amazing students from Tufts came to Somerville High as part of the Tufts STEM ambassador program. Their goal is to “share our passion and excitement for the STEM fields with local middle and high school students.” And that they did! Every hour, they spent a short time talking about the research and learning that they specialize in at the university and then moved to engaging and hands-on applications with the students.

One hour we started talking about solar sails to power spacecraft, and then students created their own sails on toy cars to be pushed by a fan. Another group learned the basics of circuitry, and made circuits on paper using real copper wire that could be placed like a sticker. Every student walked away with a new appreciation for science.

11th Grade Physics Classes Collaborating with Harvard University on First Annual SHS Physics Day, May 1st

The SHS Science Department, in collaboration with the Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture Demonstrations, presents Physics Day—a two-hour event featuring over a dozen tables of interactive demos and hands-on activities. Teachers are invited to bring their classes for a 30-minute session on May 1st in room C205.

We'll also have a tug of war on the mezzanine—a live demonstration of the amazing power of friction in action!