ROCKLAND HIGH SCHOOL WEEKLY UPDATE

A reminder to students and families that next week is April vacation. I hope all of our students and staff can have a week to unwind and recharge before the home stretch of the school year. A reminder that term 3 grades are available on Aspen.

Monday, April 22nd: DAY 2

Girls Tennis Dismissal at 2:10 PM

Softball Dismissal at 2:10 PM

Tuesday, April 23rd: DAY 3

Wednesday, April 24th: DAY 4

Thursday, April 25th: DAY 5

Rockland Got Talent 7:00 PM

Girls Lax Dismissal at 2:15 PM

Friday, April 26th: DAY 6

Saturday, April 27th

Saturday School 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

April

4/13 Saturday School 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

4/15-4/19 No School April Vacation

4/25 Rockland's Got Talent 7:00 PM (Auditorium)

4/27 Saturday School 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

4/30 Site Council Meeting 7:30 AM-8:00 AM (Superintendent’s Conference Room)

May

5/1-5/2 Arts Festival 6:00 PM

5/2 Early Release Professional Development for Staff @ 11:25 AM

5/6 AP Chemistry Exam 12:00 PM

5/7 AP Seminar Exam 12:00 PM

5/7 AP Statistics Exam 12:00 PM

5/8 AP Literature & Composition Exam 8:00 AM

5/9 AP Environmental Science Exam 8:00 AM

5/9 AP Psychology Exam 12:00 PM

5/10 AP European History Exam 8:00 AM

5/10 AP US History Exam 8:00 AM

5/11 Saturday School 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

5/13 AP Calculus AB Exam 8:00 AM

5/13 Term 4 Progress Reports Available

5/14 AP Language & Composition Exam 8:00 Am

5/15 AP Computer Science Principles Exam 12:00 PM

5/15 School-Wide Assembly 9AM (Chris Herren)

5/16 AP Biology Exam 12:00 PM

5/17 AP Physics Exam 8:00 AM

5/20 Senior Class Meeting 1:00 PM

5/20 Senior’s Last Day

5/21 MCAS Testing Grade 10 Math Session 1 (Late Start for Grade 9, 11, and 12 Students)

5/21 NHS Ceremony 7:00 PM (Auditorium)

5/22 MCAS Testing Grade 10 Math Session 1 (Late Start for Grade 9, 11, and 12 Students)

5/21 & 5/22 Senior Final Exams 8:10-11:00 AM (Lecture Hall)

5/23 Senior Issues 8:10 AM-12:30 PM

5/23 Senior Grades due at Noon

5/24 Prom 7:00 PM

5/27 No School Memorial Day

5/28 Graduation Practice for Seniors 9:00 AM

5/28 MCAS Training for Grade 9 Students 8:20 AM

5/29 Senior Breakfast, Yearbook Distribution, and Send-off at RMS & Elementary Schools 8:15 AM

5/29 Senior Academic & Athletic Banquet 7:00 PM (Auditorium)

5/31 Graduation Practice 9:00 AM

5/31 Graduation 6:30 PM

On Thursday, April 11th, RHS students participated in their last Dog Block of the school year. Students in Construction Technology and Robotics completed their projects and many of our students went down to read to Phelps Elementary School.

On Monday, there was a lot of excitement with the solar eclipse around dismissal. We distributed solar eclipse protective glasses to every student; our Environment Club students enjoyed the nice weather and made an afternoon of it!

Several students attended a STEM career panel on Wednesday, April 10th about various pathways in biotechnology, accounting, computer science, civil engineering, banking, and medical technician fields. Thank you to counselor Jill Delaney who took the lead in the planning of this event, with the assistance of the guidance staff.

If you will be a junior or senior next year and are interested in being a freshman mentor for next year, please complete this application by Friday, April 26th. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Adrienne Donovan at adonovan@rocklandschools.org.

We know students are excited to commit to a college, but it’s best to wait until you receive all your financial aid awards! Here are some resources to help you navigate financial aid awards:

• MAKE SURE you are checking your email frequently (the email you used on the FAFSA)!

FAFSA Submission Summary - an overview of the report. Your FAFSA Submission Summary is not an aid offer. Aid offers will come directly from schools you’ve listed on your FAFSA form and have been accepted to.

MEFA will be hosting the following virtual sessions:

“What to Expect When you Receive your Financial Aid Offers and Guidance on Paying the College Bill” on April 9th, April 17th and April 30th. You can register here.

Personalized help completing, updating and correcting your FAFSA - Thursday, April 18th from 6:00 - 7:30 PM - register here. Need help filing, fixing, or updating your FAFSA? If you have already submitted your FAFSA but need to make changes, MEFA is here to help. If you need assistance completing and submitting your FAFSA, we can help you with that too. This virtual event will start off with a brief presentation about correcting and updating the FAFSA. Families and students will then have the option to be paired up for a private session with a financial aid professional who will provide individualized assistance with the FAFSA in a private Zoom room, with the option for families to share their screen. Live transcription will be available.

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:

DESE & uAspire: Financial Aid Offer Review: The walkthrough provides students and families with critical information to interpret their financial aid offers. uAspire advisors will share key details about the different types of financial aid, best practices for reviewing and comparing financial aid offers, and the essential next steps to take after determining how much each college will cost. We also provide opportunities for Q&A and follow-up support. The event will take place on April 24th at 5:00 PM. Register here.

Understanding your financial aid offers

Breaking down your award letter

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

Comparing Financial Aid awards - paper form

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 have to offer. Read these tips:

Appealing for More Financial Aid - you can file an appeal IF your financial situation has changed since you filed the FAFSA

Negotiating for More Financial Aid (not the same as appealing for more aid)

Communicating Special Circumstances to a financial aid office

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.

We hope you find these resources helpful.

As we enter the fourth term, I wanted to remind students and families of the school’s requirements for grade-level promotion and summer school. As a reminder, Term 3 report cards will be available on Aspen on Thursday, 4/11, after 3:00 PM. Students need to continue working with teachers so that each student completes the school year to the best of their ability.

Here are a few reminders as we approach the final few months of the school year:

Credits to Advance to the next Grade-level:

Below is helpful information on the number of credits a student must earn to advance to the next grade level. Full-year courses are worth one credit, and semester courses are worth .5 credit.

• A student must earn a minimum of 4 credits in order to be a Sophomore (Grade 10).

• A student must earn a minimum of 10 credits in order to be a Junior (Grade 11).

• A student must earn a minimum of 15 credits in order to be a Senior (Grade 12).

Attendance is important; students with more than 14 unexcused absences this year need to complete online credit recovery to receive the credits earned from passing their classes this year.

Summer School as an Option:

Students who do not earn sufficient credits to advance to the next grade level will be retained. Students may be able to take up to two academic courses in Summer School. To attend summer school, students must have a minimum final grade of 50 in a failed academic course.

Summer school courses cost $100.00 each, $50.00 each for students eligible for free/reduced lunch. The expectation is that payment be made in full before courses begin.

Communication Regarding Failed Courses:

Final grades will be available after Term 4 and Final exams in late June. If your student fails an academic course for the year, the Guidance counselor will contact you once they have final grades. If your student is in danger of failing a course for the year, please encourage them to work hard for the remainder of the year.

This week in The Veritas, check out the newest staff and student video- "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?"

Coming soon- "Student and Staff Pet Peeves"!

Link toThe Veritas

Students in the Student Athletic Advisory Committee visited Phelps Elementary School on Global Play Day last week to build connections with the next generation of Bulldogs!

Spring sports enjoyed some nice weather this week! Baseball, softball, and lacrosse picked up some big wins!

Congratulations to Maggie Elie and Andrew Callahan for being named the South Shore League Scholar Athletes. Mr. Kimball and Principal Harrison enjoyed dinner with Maggie, Andrew, and their families this week at the annual South Shore League Scholar Athletes Award night!

Brockton Area Prevention Collaborative and High Point Treatment Center published their most recent newsletter on peer pressure.

Aspen Student & Family Portal

Arbiter Live- Athletic Schedules

Breakfast & Lunch Menus

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