DRRHS Falcon Flash

Dear DRRHS Families,

As we move through the last week before midterm exams it is hard to believe we are at the end of the first semester and heading into the second half of the school year. As students reviewed for exams and passed in their final assignments of the second quarter, they still found time to partake in many extracurricular activities. Here are a few highlights from the week:

• Congratulations to our DECCA team on their success in the district competition. We had six students qualify to move onto the state competition. Good luck to all moving forward.

• This afternoon and Saturday, the Music Department is hosting the 2026 Tri-County Choral Festival, featuring about 100 singers from 8 area high schools and representing over a dozen Southeast Mass. communities. The singers spend Friday rehearsing with a guest conductor who works with them on a program of five choral selections. The event culminates with a concert at 2pm on Saturday featuring performances by individual participating school choirs, followed by the full group in the combined program. The concert is open to the public; tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door. The Music Department would like to thank the DRRHS staff for their support, especially the office and custodial staff, as well as the many faculty and student volunteers who have assisted.

• A group of our faculty members were invited into Mrs. DelRosso’s ceramics class to “throw” on the pottery wheel. The students had to guide them in the process as part of their midterm. Everyone involved did a great job…this is always a fun event for our students and teachers and a shining example of the strength of our fine arts department.

2026 is already proving to be a successful year for the Falcons. Good luck to all our students next week on their midterm exams. Please pay particular attention to the schedule and dismissal directions located below in the newsletter and MAKE SURE YOUR CHROMEBOOK IS FULLY CHARGED! I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend and hopefully we all get to witness a Patriots victory on Sunday afternoon!

With Falcon Pride,

Dustin Demers - Principal DRRHS

January 19 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School

January 20 -23 - Early Release - Mid Term Exams (see schedule below)

January 22 - Little Falcons Preschool Open House (10:00 - 1:00)

January 26 - Start of Semester Two

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR FEBRUARY

February 16 - Presidents' Day - No School

February 17 - 20 - Winter Break - No School

Midterm Exam Attendance

Mid Term Exams will be administered according to the published exam schedule. Any request for changes must be in writing from the parent/guardian to the student’s assistant principal at least four days in advance with the reason for the request. Only emergencies will be considered. Please plan your vacations accordingly. If you already have a vacation planned please contact your student's administrator immediately. Any makeups approved will be held at a time chosen by the school administration.

Dismissal Policy

Phone dismissals will not be allowed on an exam day. Students will need to bring a note in before or on the morning they are planning on being dismissed. Dismissals will only take place at the end of the first exam period and will only be considered if a student does not have an exam during the second block.

Midterm Exam Dismissal for Friday, January 23, 2026

Students being dismissed after the period 7 exam on Friday, January 23rd, (should they not have to make up an exam for the second block) will be dismissed at 9:05AM, with a note from home.

Today we celebrated our Early College Cohort finishing their first semester. The pilot program has been a great success and we look forward to seeing the program grow in the future.

December's theme was critical thinkers

Falcons who use logic, reasoning, and flexibility to analyze situations and creatively solve problems

9th Grade: Felix Gore

Motivated, diligent, conscientious

10th Grade: Rigoberto Martinez- Leveron

Hard-working, polite, trustworthy

11th Grade: Margaret Noel

Intelligent, Analytical, thoughtful

12th Grade: Maurice Cote

Dependable, analytical, innovative

We are excited to share that DRRHS social studies teacher and proud alum Ms. King is working on an internship in school administration. Ms. King will be shadowing the DR admin team to gain internship hours over the next few months. We are excited to have her as part of the administration team as she gains valuable experience working towards her licensure.

Please remember to create a ParentSquare account if you have not done so yet. Thank you!

Please note that the district wide cell phone/electronic device policy will be strictly enforced this year. Please review the policy:

District Electronic Device Policy

The term “electronic devices,” includes but is not limited to cell phones, iPads/tablets, laptops/computers (other than those issued by the District), electronic/smart devices, and headphones/airpods. The expectation is that these personal devices remain off and away during the school day. Staff may require students to store phones in a centralized location. The only exception is at the high school, where students are permitted to use their phones during transition time in the hallway between classes and during lunch. High school students are not allowed to use their phones during class time, or when out of the classroom during class time (i.e., bathroom breaks). Students remain solely responsible for any loss or damage to any electronic devices used or brought onto school property. Use of electronic devices at school are subject to the District’s Acceptable Use Policy and any applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to M.G.L. c. 272, sec. 99, which is sometimes known as the Massachusetts Wiretapping Law.

1. Warning

2. Office Detention

3. Office Detention/Confiscation of Phone for Day

4. Habitual: Parent Contact/Phone Turned in at the Beginning of the Day

*This goes for all technology*

7:00 - Doors open (breakfast available)

7:17 - First Period Begins

1:51 - Dismissal

A reminder that a student will be assigned Saturday School if they accrue 5 attendance points in a quarter.

• An unexcused absence (one not accompanied by a valid medical note) equals one attendance point.
• An unexcused tardy/dismissal equals an attendance half point.

A student's exemplary academic standing or disciplinary record have no bearing on the assignment of a Saturday School in the case of five or more attendance points being accrued over the course of one quarter of the school year.

First period begins at 7:17AM. Any student not in their classroom at 7:17 or later will be considered tardy for that day.

All Chromebooks should be charged and ready for each school day. Outside devices are not permitted, only school issued Chromebooks can be used at DRRHS during the school day.

The school has a limited number of loaner chromebooks and priority is to those students whose chromebooks are being fixed. Please remember that students should be bringing in fully charged chromebooks to school every day with charging cords.

If a Senior or Junior is planning on parking at school, they can purchase a sticker in the office. The cost to park at school is $60 for the year. At the start of Semester 2, parking will be $30 for the balance of the year. Parking forms are available in the office. Please be aware that students will not be able to go out to their cars during the school day. They must remember to have everything with them when they enter the building in the morning.

Please make sure you do not cut through the Faculty Parking Lot before or after school. The Faculty Parking Lot should not be used as a shortcut for safety reasons. Thank you!

Please click the button below to access our District Wide Student Handbook.

Medical Permission Forms are due to the nurse for all students. The form was emailed to families before the start of the school year. If you have not completed the form, please do so as soon as possible. Hard copies of the forms are available in the nurse's office or the high school main office.

Please use the button below to access an important letter from our school nurse.

Mr Gouveia and his Sophomore Carpentry students have been busy getting ready for spring. Using their skills they have learned so far, they made these awesome Log Cabin Bird houses and Bat Houses. They have a few for sale. If you are interested, call Tracy Dishon (508) 252-5025 Ext 5604

Today was the last day of our Freshmen CTE Exploratory. We had 103 Freshmen students explore all of our 7 amazing shops. Since September they have narrowed down their favorite ones and their not so favorite ones. On Tuesday they will make their final selection on which shop they would like to spend the rest of their 3.5 years here at DR. They will learn, practice & master their skills helping them get ready for either college, a Trade school or a career they choose. We are excited to watch them grow and learn the trades. The best of luck Class of 2029.

Mrs Nardozzi and her Drafting III students are finalizing their research on a specific American Architectural Building Style. Students had to select a building and draw the main level floor plan and elevations using an Architectural scale. Students also created a 3D physical model demonstrated their knowledge of the main design components of their house style. See Zachary McCann's Modern style below, pictures of some students making models, and assignment Here.

Seniors who have been accepted to college, please let Mrs. Shillan in guidance know. She will post it in on the window in guidance and have it announced during morning announcements if you choose.

STARS Report: Just a reminder for students to check your emails after you apply to college. There are 38 colleges across the nation that accept/require students to fill out The Self-reported Transcript and Academic Record System (STARS). For example, The University of Rhode Island and The University of Connecticut require this. The University of Massachusetts Amherst and The University of New Hampshire accept it and encourage it but do not require it. You will need your transcript of courses to fill this out.

Please let us know if we can help you. - Your Guidance Counselors

Here is the link: https://srar.selfreportedtranscript.com/Login.aspx

FAFSA is OPEN

Any student planning on attending a 2 or 4 year college must fill out FAFSA

Families looking for guidance regarding financing college, please access MEFA (Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority):

MEFA Institute

Resource Center

Get to Know the CSS Profile

Roughly 200 colleges, universities, and scholarship agencies require the CSS Profile, a financial aid application administered by College Board. We often get questions about the CSS Profile, so we put together an explanation of who requires it, why colleges use it, how it differs from the FAFSA, and more. Read it now.

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MEFA
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Boston, MA, 02109
NMLS# 1724150 NMLS Consumer Access

SAT and ACT registration information:

Semester two starts on Monday, January 26 (day 7). After a full week in the new elective classes, students can request an elective change starting on Monday, February 2. At that time, students can come to the guidance office in person to put their name down for an appointment to make the change with a counselor.

Monday 1/12

• Varsity Boys Basketball vs. Apponequet Win 55-52

Tuesday 1/13

• Girls Basketball vs. Apponequet Loss 84-34
• Swimming vs. Apponequet Win 92-78

Wednesday 1/14

• Boys Ice Hockey vs. ORR Win 4-1
• Girls Ice Hockey vs. Ursuline Academy Win 7-3

Thursday 1/15

• Girls Basketball vs. Bishop Stang Win 36-14

Please join us this Saturday, January 17, at 6:30 p.m. at Strive Gymnastics in Somerset as we celebrate Gymnastics Senior Night! This evening is especially meaningful as we honor our lone senior, Grace Griffin, for her dedication, leadership, and contributions to the program. Grace competes as part of our co-op team with Somerset-Berkley, and this night is a great opportunity to show our support for her and the entire squad. We hope to see the DR community there to cheer them on and recognize a special senior moment.

Monday 1/19

• Gymnastics vs. Bridgewater Raynham (Away) 12:30pm
• Indoor Track SCC Championships (Wheaton College) 2:00pm
• Boys Ice Hockey vs. Westborough (Away) 2:30pm
• Girls Ice Hockey vs. Sandwich (HOME) 2:30pm

Tuesday 1/20

• Boys Freshman Basketball vs. Bourne (Away) 3:30pm
• Boys JV Basketball vs. Bourne (Away) 5:00pm
• Girls Basketball vs. Bourne (HOME) 5:00pm
• Boys Varsity Basketball vs. Bourne (Away) 6:30pm

Wednesday 1/21

• Wrestling vs. South Shore Tech (HOME) 7:00pm
• Gymnastics vs. Middleborough (Away) 8:00pm

Thursday 1/22

• Swimming vs. ORR (HOME) 4:00pm
  

Friday 1/23

• Boys Freshman Basketball vs. ORR (HOME) 3:30pm
• Boys JV Basketball vs. ORR (HOME) 5:00pm
• Girls Ice Hockey vs. Ursuline Academy (HOME) 6:00pm
• Boys Varsity Basketball vs. ORR (HOME) 6:30pm
• Girls Basketball vs. ORR (Away) 6:30pm

Saturday 1/17

• Wrestling vs. New Bedford (Away) 9:00am
• Indoor Track MSTCA Invitational (Reggie Lewis) 10:00am
• Boys Ice Hockey vs. GNBVT (Away) 7:00pm

Throughout the season, you can find all DR athletic schedules on Arbiter Live.

For any questions or concerns regarding athletics and activities, please contact Matt McKinnon, Director of Athletics & Activities, at mmckinnon@drregional.org

Beginning in early February DRRHS students will compete in eSports at the state level. Led by Ms. Streeter and Mr. Tavares, this is an outstanding opportunity for our students to compete with their peers across Massachusetts. Whether you are new to gaming or an expert, there is a place for you within the DR eSports program!