Congratulations to all of our students for successfully completing semester 1! Term 3 began on Thursday, January 26th.

Earlier this month, students at Memorial Park Elementary School transitioned to the Phelps Elementary School. On Thursday, January 12th, the Phelps Elementary School had its grand-opening.

Take a look at the video below, highlighting the grand opening. This new school is amazing!

1/28 Saturday School 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

1/31 Site Council Meeting 7:20AM (Library)

2/1 Term 2 & midterm grades available

2/2 Early Release Professional Development @11:20 AM

2/1 & 2/2 MCAS Science Retest

2/2 SEMASC Winter Conference @ Duxbury High School 3:00-9:00 PM

2/2-2/5 Quebec Trip

2/9- John and Abigail Adams Reception 1:00 PM (Library Media Center)

2/10 Blood Drive

2/11 Saturday School

2/14 Senate Leadership Council Meeting 7:20 AM

2/15 Crisis team Meeting 9:10 AM

2/16 Early Release PD @11:20 AM

2/17 Winter Dance 7:00-9:30 PM

2/20-2/24 February Vacation

RHS is hosting another blood drive in the back gym on Friday, February 10th. If you want to sign up please click the link below:

Click here to make an appointment

Term 2, midterm, and semester grades (for half year courses) will be available in the late afternoon on Wednesday, February 1st. Please be sure to check Aspen for your report card. It's never too late to set-up a meeting with your teacher, counselor, and/or an administrator to discuss how you are doing and ways to improve. We are here to help!

As your child’s caregiver, we know that you desire the best resources for your child and the young people in our community. Our Drug-Free Communities Student Survey data consistently demonstrates that a number of our students try/use alcohol, marijuana and other drugs by the end of high school. To help prevent students from starting to use substances or intervene with early use, Rockland Public Schools counseling staff will be providing an interview-based screening for 10th-grade students about the use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. This screening utilizes the most commonly used substance use screening tool for adolescents in Massachusetts, the CRAFFT. A copy of the CRAFFT can be found on the RHS website here. Student screening sessions will be brief (approximately 5 minutes) and conducted confidentially in private, one-on-one sessions. Students who are not using substances will have their healthy choices reinforced by the screener. The screener will provide brief feedback to any student who reports using substances or is at risk for future substance use. If needed, the student will be referred to our adjustment counselor for further evaluation. The results of the screening will not be included in your student’s school record, nor will results be shared with any staff other than the SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment) Team. SBIRT is a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education mandate. The SBIRT Team is composed of the Rockland Public Schools mental health staff and guidance counselors. All students will receive some educational material and a resource list at the time of the screening. Additionally, all 9th, 11th, and 12th-grade students will be administered the Drug-Free Community Survey. As with any school screening, you, and your child, have the right to opt your child out of these screenings. Please contact Freea Leahy, Adjustment Counselor, via email at fleahy@rocklandschools.org if you wish to exclude your child from these screenings.

One way to prevent youth substance use is to talk with your child about your family’s thoughts and expectations regarding substance use. For ideas about how to start these conversations and for resources, please visit drugfree.org or contact Freea Leahy, RHS Adjustment Counselor, at 781.871.8406.

For Seniors

Congratulations on applying to college! Hopefully, you will begin to receive acceptance letters and financial aid awards soon. Here are some resources to help you navigate the next steps:

MEFA has a very informative webinar - “After the Acceptance”. There is helpful information on understanding your financial aid offers, reviewing how to calculate the balance due and developing a plan for paying the college bill.

The webinar can be found here. The video is 35 minutes long, so if you prefer reading through the presentation, the slides can be found here.

Financial Aid - After you file your FAFSA, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). Your financial aid reports are based on the information in your SAR, so the information must be accurate and up to date.

A Breakdown of the Student Aid Report

As you begin to receive financial aid award letters and packages, it is important to read them thoroughly and compare them closely. Here are some resources to help:

Financial Aid 101 - The Award Letter

Financial Aid Award Letter Comparison Tool - this article by Scholarship 360 also defines key terms in financial aid award letters.

https://www.collegecovered.com/award-letter-tool/ - College Covered - this online tool allows you to easily compare 5 financial aid awards at a time.

Don't be afraid to ask a school for more money. Once you compare your financial aid awards, contact the school you hope to attend to see if there is any flexibility in the aid they offer. Read these tips: Appealing for More Financial Aid

Communicating Special Circumstances to a financial aid office

MEFA will be hosting virtual sessions on “Understanding Financial Aid Offers and Paying the College Bill” on March 10th, March 30th and April 6th. You can register here.

If you have questions about a financial aid award, we recommend you reach out directly to the financial aid office at that school - they should be able to answer any questions you have.

Students in our GSA club were busy making Valentine's Day cards this week!

Winter sports continue to be going well for our student athletes. The swim team competed against Norwell on Sunday night and our track team was scheduled to have a meet Monday but it was canceled due to the weather. Wrestling picked up a win against Randolph and boys and girls basketball each had huge wins over Norwell! Boys basketball also defeated Cavalry Chapel on Thursday evening and the girls basketball team had a big win on the road in Cohasset Thursday as well. Hockey fell to Abington Saturday night 4-1 but rebounded with a road victory over Middleborough 3-2 on Wednesday night!

The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is excited to announce the 2023 round of our High School Apprenticeship Challenge! The program creates new internship opportunities for high school students by enabling small businesses and academic researchers to hire paid interns. The MLSC connects employers with students through an online platform and reimburses host organizations for wages paid to students. Since the program first launched in 2016, the MLSC has sponsored over 600 internships with more than 100 life sciences companies and research institutions!

There is no application deadline as placements will be rolling throughout the Program Year, which runs from May 1, 2023 through April 30, 2024.

Applications will be made available to prospective host organizations that have completed the registration form and have been approved by MLSC. Representatives from these organizations will review applications and reach out directly to candidates to inform them about their opportunity. Students are then interviewed, hired, and paid directly by the employer. The MLSC will reimburse eligible organizations for intern wages of up to $3,600 per intern (based on a pay rate of $15/hour for 6 weeks).

Application: High School Apprenticeship Challenge - MLSC (masslifesciences.com)

If you have any questions about the program, please reply to this email (internship@masslifesciences.com).

School Website

Aspen Student & Family Portal

Arbiter Live- Athletic Schedules

Breakfast & Lunch Menus

John M. Harrison

Principal

Email: jharrison@rocklandschools.org
Website: https://www.rocklandschools.org/o/rockland-high
Location: 52 Mackinlay Way, Rockland, MA, USA
Phone: 781-871-0541
Twitter: @RocklandHS