Blue Hills News

On November 17, the District School Committee voted to cancel the winter sports season. Please see this letter detailing this difficult decision.

We are fast approaching Thanksgiving, and we do want to remind you that student and staff safety here is our top priority. Please review the guidance below from Nurse Gainey (this was sent out last week as well.) We urge you to help students remember to self-check in the morning and to stay home if experiencing any symptoms at all.

Last week, I recommended that students struggling with mental or emotional health contact a guidance counselor. I hope that you have taken advantage of this. Our counselors are here to help and want to connect with you.

Make sure you are signing up for meals if you need them, especially this holiday season. Information can be found here.

Report cards will be issued tomorrow. This can increase stress during the best of times. We are working now to identify students that need additional support. If a student is struggling in class, they should please start by reaching out to their teacher. They are here to help.

Important note: Physical Education/Health grades will not be reported on this Report Card, but are available in Google Classroom. This is to accommodate the significant shuffling and changing we did over the first few months. PE/Health grades will be updated and will appear on the Term 2 Report Cards.

• November 20 - Term One Report Cards Issued
• November 25 - 1/2 Day Early Release (Fully Remote, Periods 1-5 only)
• November 26 - Thanksgiving Day - NO SCHOOL
• November 27 - NO SCHOOL
• November 30 - School Reopens
• December 9 - Late Start, Fully Remote Day (Schedule TBA)

Please also carefully review the upcoming calendar. Due to the Thanksgiving break, juniors are missing their latest rotation through the vocational programs. To make up for this, juniors will be in person on Monday and Tuesday, December 21 and December 22.

The next newsletter will be sent out on December 3, after Thanksgiving break.

I hope you have a wonderful, safe, and peaceful Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Geoff Zini

Principal

On November 18, New England Coffee treated our staff to free coffee and treats from their mobile cart. What a great way to start a chilly morning! Thank you to New England Coffee for your generosity.

Reminder:

All Massachusetts students are required to have their flu vaccines by 12/31/20.

Please email a copy of vaccine record to jgainey@bluehills.org

COVID-19 SAFETY GUIDELINES

*DAILY SYMPTOM CHECK

*MASK

*HANDWASHING

*PHYSICAL DISTANCING

EXPOSURE TO THE VIRUS CAN HAPPEN

What you do next will help control the spread of the infection:

TESTING, TRACING, ISOLATION, COMMUNICATION

• If you are sick with COVID-19 symptoms please stay home and get tested.
• If someone in your home tests positive you must quarantine for 14 days and get tested in 5-7 days or sooner if you become symptomatic.
• If you are informed that you are a close contact (within less than or equal to 6 feet for 10 to 15 minutes over 24 hours with or without mask or if someone coughed or sneezed directly in your unmasked face) you MUST quarantine for 14 days and get tested in 5-7 days or sooner if symptomatic.
• If a family member is identified as a close contact, and you are NOT symptomatic, you are expected to come to school. If that family member tested positive you would then be considered a close contact and be required to quarantine for 14 days and get tested in 5-7 days or sooner if you became symptomatic.
• Please notify the school jgainey@bluehills.org asap or call Mrs. Gainey RN @ 781-828-5800 X 2230 or Mrs. Pica @ X 2250 in Student Affairs if you are absent or to report a COVID-19 concern.

Support our Booster Club and our students!

If you would like to order merchandise from the Boosters, go to the online store: https://form.jotform.com/202667178459165.

All students will receive free lunch and breakfast through the end of this school year.

Students that are learning at home are eligible for meal pickup - please click on the link below to place orders and learn more:

https://www.bluehills.org/students-and-parents/lunch-menu-and-remote-learner-meal-pickup

Remember - if you are not "in-person" on a given day, you are still REMOTE LEARNING. Anyone who is having technology issues should immediately reach out to the school by phone or email IT@bluehills.org.

Reminders about AM Drop-Offs:

• Please enter the East Entrance (closest to Randolph) and pull in front of the gym/cafeteria for drop off.
• Students dropped off before 7:40 should enter the cafeteria.
• Students dropped off after 7:40 should enter the main entrance.

Without question, figuring out which schedule you are following on a given day can be difficult when you are at home and your routine is thrown off. Here's a quick guide to help:

Vocational "Remote" Days - these all look the same! If you are on a vocational week and are remote, simply follow your shop's instructions for the synchronous meeting times (8:30 and 1:30, usually) and work independently or as needed during the day. Failure to attend both synchronous sessions will lead to the student being marked as "absent" and potentially receiving no credit for the day.

Academic "Remote" Days -

• "Blue Days" - Mostly on Mondays and Thursdays. Refer to the released schedule to make sure you have the right day. On these days, you'll meet "live" with periods 1-4. The rest of your day is extra help and independent work.
• "Green Days" - Mostly on Tuesdays and Fridays - Refer to the released schedule to make sure you have the right day. On these days, you'll meet "live" with periods 5-8. The rest of your day is extra help and independent work.
• "Wednesdays" - On Wednesdays, follow the Wednesday schedule! You'll meet with all of your academic classes throughout the day. HINT: We may occassionally use this schedule on other days, or schedule Wednesday to be in-person.

For both vocational and academic "remote" days: Please remember that school runs from 7:48 to 2:20. At any time in this period of time, you can be asked to meet with a teacher, attend a session, or do extra help/support activities. If class begins at 8:30 or 9:00, you may very well have things to do and prepare for prior to the start time. Be diligent in checking your email and google classroom. Getting an education is your "job" right now, and is the best investment you can make at this stage of life!

Blue Hills Regional Technical School’s mission is to continue its history of academic achievement, technical training and character development through a curriculum which emphasizes the integration of cutting-edge technical programs and challenging academic courses, enabling its students to become competent, caring and productive people in a diverse and changing world.

Website: www.bluehills.org
Location: 800 Randolph Street, Canton, MA, USA
Phone: 781 828 5800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Blue-Hills-Regional-Technical-School-549020528796565/
Twitter: @bhrtech