ABRPTSO
Weekly Chatter
AB Regional High School
March 28, 2021
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Table of Contents
- Calendar of Events
- Schedule Reminder for this Week
- Food and Personal Care Items Available at A-B
- UPDATED Course Scheduling for 2021-22
- Project Graduation: Dinner (and Dessert) Done!
- Supporting Students' Social and Emotional Well-Being During a Year of Unpredictability
- Virtual Spring Activities Fair - March 29 - April 9th
- Upcoming Community Ed Programs
- College & Career Planning at Danny's Place Youth Services
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College Panel Resources (Corrected Information)
- Looking for a Mental Health Provider?
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March 28 - Passover Begins
March 29 - Virtual Spring Activities Fair Begins
April 1 - Webinar on Student Well-Being
April 2 - No School - Good Friday
April 7 - Term 3 Ends
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Schedule Reminder for This Week
Since Friday, April 2nd is a no-school day, Wednesday, March 31st will be an in-person day following the Gold B-Day schedule. See the Cohort Calendar for the complete schedule.
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Food and Personal Care Items Available at A-B
Students in need of food or personal care items can access these items through the Food Pantry Outpost in the Counseling Center at no charge by submitting this order form online and picking up bagged items in Counseling on in-person days. Delivery can be arranged for students in the remote learning program. In addition, gift cards are available to be used to purchase school supplies and clothing. Of course, all information and participation will be held in strict confidence. For more information on the Food Pantry Outpost, please contact Lindsay Rosenman or Elizabeth Warren in the Counseling Center. The Acton Food Pantry (including the Acton Community Supper) has been providing food assistance to residents of Acton and surrounding towns since 1984 and last year partnered with the high school to provide in-school access to food pantry items.
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Course Scheduling for 2021-22
All students in grades 9, 10, and 11 received instructions for on-line course selection for the 2021-22 school year. Teachers have reviewed course recommendations with students, and students are asked to make their course selections for next year via the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
The Parent Portal will remain open for course selection for all grades until April 14th. Please note that course placement is not done on a first-come, first-served basis. Students may select courses anytime until April 14th. Once the portal closes for course selection, information related to course changes and corrections will be available on the portal.
Documentation to help students with course selection can be found at the following links and on the ABRHS website:
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Project Graduation: Dinner (and Dessert) Done!
We are SO EXCITED to get going on the Senior Sunset Send Off! First, a great big THANK YOU to everyone who responded to our parent donation letter or clicked through to donate online. High five, you guys rock! If you haven't had a chance, there's totally still time; visit our website to donate. Second, we're thrilled to announce the following fundraising nights with local eateries. You know the drill: dinner is done, there are no dishes, and you have supported Project Graduation at the same time. Mark your calendars with these upcoming events:
- April 15: Pizza Night
- April 29: Bamboo Fine Asian Cuisine
- May 19: West Side Creamery
Details to come!
Jennifer Mabardy and Jennifer Philion
AB Project Graduation 2021 Co-Chairs
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Supporting Students’ Social and Emotional Well-Being During a Year of Unpredictability
Please join ABRHS counselors for a Parent Coffee webinar discussing student well-being during this pandemic school year. Counselors will share common academic, social, and emotional concerns expressed by students as well as strategies for providing support, balance, and reassurance for students as they prepare for a return to full in-person learning this spring or, for some students, this fall.
The discussion will take place from noon to 1pm on Thursday, April 1st. Parents and guardians are invited to submit questions in advance by clicking HERE. (There will also be an opportunity to ask questions during the discussion.) The webinar link will be sent by email to all ABRHS families prior to the event.
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Virtual Spring Activities Fair - March 29 through April 9
Students are invited to learn about A-B's clubs and activities by attending some of the informational zoom sessions that will be available between now and April 9. Students can attend as many club informational sessions as they want to. Click here to see the calendar of club presentations.
Students interested in attending a zoom session can email the advisor for the "informational session zoom link." Go to the top right hand corner of the calendar to find the advisor's email. If a club is not listed on the calendar, students can email the advisor who will have a club member reach out to the student. Students can also check out the a club's video on Flipgrid. (Students will need to sign in with their AB school account).
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Upcoming Community Ed Programs
This class focuses not on learning new concepts but on effectively implementing content knowledge students already have.
Join Dana Roth as she walks families through the fundamental differences between high school and college, self-advocacy through the college search and transition process, best practices for identifying and connecting with college resources, and ideal timelines for the college search.
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What's Next Starts Now - College & Career Planning at Danny's Place Youth Services
Calling all high school students! We’ve just launched our new online version of “What’s Next Starts Now” -- It’s your map to college and beyond! What’s Next Starts Now is a 10 step program to help students figure out their plan for college and their careers beyond it. Through videos, guided activities, and 1-on-1 coaching, we’ll help you navigate the entire planning process and get you on your way!
By focusing on individualized exploration methods, and a customized approach, students will have the opportunity to think about what plan for college prep best fits them. Additionally, all programs emphasize the importance of balance, wellness, and self-care to make the process of college exploration more fun.
For a limited time, use code “LAUNCH20” for $20 off your purchase of the What’s Next course.
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College Panel Resources
The recent NAMI College Panel was well-received. Even if you missed the event, we thought we would share a few resources and a note about planning for next year.
Although our advertising has traditionally targeted just parents and students, we have learned this year that the virtual environment is very welcoming to guidance personnel who can then share the information with many other families. Next year, we will again plan on a virtual event and hope to welcome a great many more guidance department staff.
RESOURCES (All offered without charge)
1. Materials to support families in engagement with their soon-to-be college student
2. Programs to support families of students with behavioral and emotional difficulties:
NAMI offers programs, currently virtual, that may be helpful to parents of students with behavioral and emotional difficulties.
TTAPS (Teen to Adult Parent Support Group) offered by our local affiliate, NAMI Central Middlesex
Basics OnDemand, a 6 session self-paced educational course offered online by NAMI
3. Looking forward:
If you would like to receive quarterly email updates on the scheduling of our parent support programs, please send an email to nami.cmsx@gmail.com (corrected email address) or reply to his email. You can unsubscribe at any time.
NAMI Central Middlesex
Judy McKendry, Community Outreach Coordinator
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Looking for a Mental Health Provider?
INTERFACE Referral Service is a mental health resource and referral Helpline that helps children, adults and families, in subscribing communities, become connected with mental health and wellness resources. Part of your ABRPTSO Membership Donation goes towards the funding of this service.
INTERFACE Referral Service looks forward to continuing to help residents of Acton & Boxborough find a successful match with an outpatient mental health provider in their area, who is able to see them at a convenient time, takes their insurance or meets their fee requirement, as well as meets their clinical needs.
Please call the William James College INTERFACE Helpline at 617-332-3666 Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM, for resource information and/or provider referrals from a mental health professional. Please also review the very extensive website at interface.williamjames.edu for additional information about the service, as well as resources on mental health and wellness across the lifespan.
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The Weekly Chatter is distributed each Sunday. If you have a submission you'd like to include in the Chatter, please email it to ABWEEKLYCHATTER@gmail.com by noon on Friday. The Chatter was created solely for the purpose of communicating school-related events, groups and forums to parents and students.
Acton-Boxborough Regional PTSO Chair
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