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Billerica Memorial High School |
The 9 Pillars of our past, present, and future:
B Proud, Strong, Resourceful, Creative, Insightful, Determined, Inventive, Wise & Honorable
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Aerial photograph courtesy of Michael Moore
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Phone Numbers
Absence Line
978-528-8710
Main Office
Attendance Secretary - 978-528-8709
Administration
Principal - 978.528.8711
Grades 8 & 9
Tricia Coia -
Kristin Marachi
Assistant Principal - 978.528.8720
Jessica Martin
Tara Pierce
Ben Shore
Grades 10-12
Assistant Principal - 978.528.8740
Eric Caples
Ryan Foran
Kacie Melo
Assistant Principal - 978.528.8750
Julie Desmond
Julie O'Mahony
Amy Dumont
Coordinators
Nurse's Office
978-528-8754 - Ms. Greenlaw, LPN
978-528-8757 - Ms. Moore, R.N
978-528-8758 - Ms. Venezia, R.N.
School Information
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Monday, January 10 - A Day
Tuesday, January 11 - B Day
Wednesday, January 12 - A Day
Thursday, January 13 - B Day
Friday, January 14 - A Day
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Dear Parent/Guardian,
As you may be aware, we are seeing a surge in cases in the Billerica Public Schools since the return from December vacation. The Billerica Public School Nurses are fielding many calls and emails from parents/guardians regarding positive cases, close contact status, or general questions about Covid-19 and school. Your patience is greatly appreciated as you await return communication from your school nurse during this time.
The following information may help you navigate various situations during this surge:
Please report all positive cases to your school nurse. Students can return to school following a positive test result after isolating for a minimum of 5 days following either symptom onset or a positive test result via a PCR or antigen test. This includes over the counter home tests. Students can return on day 6 if they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of medication, have improving symptoms, or have been asymptomatic. Students must continue to wear a mask for an additional 5 days. If on day 6, your student is still not feeling well, please keep them home until they meet the criteria necessary to return to school. If your child plays sports, please report positive cases to the coach in addition to the school nurse.
Please do not send your student to school if they do not feel well. Please keep them home until they receive a negative test result and have improved symptoms. Please do not send your student to school in the morning to receive a Covid test if they are not feeling well. School nurses cannot function as testing sites during this time.
If your student is identified as a close contact through school and is fully vaccinated, defined as 14 days past their second dose of the vaccine, they can continue coming to school as long as they do not have any symptoms. If your student develops any symptoms please keep them home and get them tested. It is highly recommended to test your student on day 5 from exposure as a precaution.
If your student is identified as a close contact through school and is not vaccinated, they can participate in the test and stay program for 5 days from the date of exposure. They can remain in school as long as they are asymptomatic and test negative with the test and stay program for the 5 days. Please monitor your student for symptoms through day 10 from exposure. If they develop any symptoms please keep them home and get them tested.
If your student is a close contact to someone outside of a school exposure such as a positive friend or family member and they are not vaccinated they will need to quarantine at home for 5 days from the exposure date. They cannot participate in the test and stay program. Best practice is to test on day 5 as a precaution. They can return to school on day 6 as long as they do not have any symptoms, monitor for symptoms through day 10 from exposure, and wear a mask. If your student develops any symptoms please stay home and get tested.
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BMHS will not have a special schedule for midyear exams this year. The loss of class time over the past 18 months cannot be made up, but our typical midterm schedule would exacerbate that loss of class time, which is why we decided not to implement one this year. Although some teachers may use their class time to administer a midyear assessment, the weight of the assessment is reduced and will not be reported out separately, rather as a component of their term 2 grade.
Term 2 Ends of Friday, January 28.
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Scholarship Information Night |
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The BMHS School Counseling Department will hold our annual Scholarship Information Night for seniors and their families on February 17, 2022 at 6:30 PM. This event will be held in person at the BMHS auditorium. You’ll want to make a note of this important event in your calendar, and we hope to see you there!
Billerica Dollars For Scholars will discuss the process of how to apply for their scholarships, and there will be a review and discussion regarding searching for scholarships in Naviance and on search engines.
What can you do to prepare for scholarship season? Here are a few ideas:
- Log into Naviance and click the “Colleges” tab. Then, click on the “Scholarship List” link. Here you will see a list of scholarships. You can click into each scholarship to view the requirements and how to apply. This list is updated frequently, and will grow over the winter and early spring, so be sure to check back often!
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Search for scholarships online through search engines such as Fastweb.com, goingmerry.com, etc. The most important rule is this: Do not pay money to get money. It is free to apply for scholarships. If the scholarship asks you to pay money to enter your application, it is most likely a scam! Talk with your school counselor if you have any questions.
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You can prepare your Billerica Dollars For Scholars profile BEFORE the seminar on 2/17/2022. This is beneficial because once you’ve created your profile, you can focus on applying for scholarships when the portal opens in the late winter/early spring. It is likely that your child has already started their profile because counselors walked students through this during our College Boot Camp last spring. Your child will want to update their profile to include information from this school year, and they should complete this profile to the best of their ability so that the selection committee has a full picture of your child, their accomplishments, awards, etc. The Billerica Dollars For Scholars website is: http://billerica.dollarsforscholars.org
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2022 BMHS Yearbook Information - Updated |
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Senior Photo, Write-up, Toddler Takes, Parent Ads, Photo Submissions, Photo Specs., Yearbook Purchases
Senior Portraits, Toddler Takes/baby Pictures and Senior Write-ups due NO LATER THAN: WEDNESDAY December 1st 2021
You must submit a senior photograph for your picture to appear in the yearbook!
We will not use your ID photo from the school picture day unless you contact Ms. Davidson or Ms. Fredericks and request to use your ID photo.
Senior Portrait, Toddler: Specs, Photo Submission& Write-up Information:
(please provide this information to your photographer)
You may use any photographer of your choice for your senior portrait photo.
How to submit ALL photos including school events:
1.(PREFERRED) Uploaded to Josten’s private upload site. https://images.jostens.com/416355989
3. Saved to a cd/usb drive or original can be scanned/deliver to Ms. Davidson or Ms. Fredericks
Guidelines/specs. Senior Portrait & Toddler Take:
Optimum size is a 5”x7”
Minimum size of the photo is a 3X5
Vertical/ portrait orientation NOT /horizontal/landscape
300 PPI (pixels per inch)
Photo must be saved as a jpg, png, or tif file
IMPORTANT: Save photo file as your NAME
EXAMPLE: DavidsonSandra.jpg or FredericksBrenda.jpg
Preferred submission method for ALL PHOTOS:
Josten’s private upload site. https://images.jostens.com/416355989
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Southern New Hampshire University will be holding an On the Spot Admissions Day here at BMHS on Wednesday, January 19. Interested students will need to register with Sarah Eaton either in the main office or via email ([email protected]). Students will be provided with an application which will need to be completed. On January 19, students will meet with an SNHU admissions counselor at their assigned time, who will review their application and transcript. Please note that because this is a special opportunity, SNHU is waiving letters of recommendation and essays for this admissions day only. Students can expect an admissions decision while they are meeting with the SNHU admissions counselor.
Fisher College will also be hosting an On the Spot Admissions day at BMHS on Friday, February 4. Please register with Sarah Eaton in the main office or via email for this event as well. Students will meet with an admissions counselor at their assigned time and will need to provide a copy of their transcript and any letters of recommendation (optional) they have. An application will be completed during your appointment time. SAT scores are optional, but are required for students interested in Biology or Information Technology. The application fee is waived for this opportunity, and students can expect an immediate decision while meeting with the Fisher College admissions counselor.
Please contact Ms. Eaton in the main office with any questions or to sign up!
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FIRST Robotics Annual Kick Off |
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Every January FIRST Robotics announces to the world the competition that each team will be competing in for a spot at the World Championship in April. Team 4909 gathers together each year to hear the announcement and begin planning and strategizing for the upcoming season. |
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The Winter-themed Art and Writing contest ends January 10th. Submissions should be sent to Mr. Ciccarelli or Mrs. Camasso by the end of the day on Monday.
The Baking Club will meet Tuesday January 11th 2:05-3:45pm
The STEM Research Team will meet Wednesday January 12th after school.
The Garden Club will meet Thursdays January 13th after school.
The next Students of Color Association (SOCA) meeting is on Thursday, January 13 from 2:10 pm in C333. Members, see Google Classroom for details. Everyone is welcome.
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Shawsheen Tech Open House |
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The Open House will showcase Shawsheen’s academic, career, and vocational-technical programs, as well as all athletic teams and extracurricular clubs and activities. Vocational programs will have hands-on projects for guests visiting shops, and self-guided tours are encouraged. Guests will also be able to learn about district programming open to the public, as well as information regarding student-run services. At the January 19th Open House, information will be provided for adult education, the School of Practical Nursing, summer programs, project explore, as well as aquatics and swim offerings.
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Lahey Hospital & Medical Center’s Certificate Program in Medical Research |
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Lahey Hospital and Medical Center is pleased to invite high school students to submit applications to participate in a unique summer program that aims to educate, train and encourage the next generation of clinical, translational and outcomes researchers. This
program helps students better understand research methods, ethics, regulations, career opportunities, and gain “real world” experience in an academic hospital setting.
The program requirements include completion of online courses, in-person attendance at weekly lectures and Journal Club meetings, completion of practicum hours, and a final presentation summarizing your program experience. The curriculum includes topics, such as: History of Clinical Research, Research Methods, Research Compliance, Research Roles and Responsibilities, Human Subjects Protections, Ethical Conduct of Research, Hot Topics in Research and Research Career Development Pathways.
Participants who meet all requirements will receive a $3,000 stipend for their effort.
Click HERE for the application, and click HERE for the parental consent form.
This program has a competitive enrollment. Students accepted to the program will be notified via email by March 14, 2022.
For more information please call 781-744-8011.
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Close contact
Individuals who have been within 6 feet of a COVID-19 positive individual while indoors, for at least 15 minutes during a 24-hour period.
The following close contacts are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols:
• Asymptomatic, fully vaccinated close contacts
• Classroom close contacts: An individual who is exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual in the classroom while both individuals were masked, so long as the individuals were spaced at least 3 feet apart.
• Bus close contacts: Individuals on buses must be masked according to federal requirements. As such, individuals who are masked on buses when windows are open are exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols.
• Close contacts who have had COVID-19 within the past 90 days: An individual who has been previously diagnosed with COVID-19 and then becomes a close contact of someone with COVID-19 is exempt from testing and quarantine response protocols if:
o The exposure occurred within 90 days of the onset of their own illness AND
o The exposed individual is recovered and remains without COVID-19 symptoms.
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The BMHS App provides quick access to timely news and upcoming events. It also allows the user to determine how often and what type of notifications they receive. The first page provides 9 options (not all options are available to all users). The "News" option provides a weekly overview of coming events at BMHS. Currently, this would include all school events including clubs and the Fine Arts performances. We are working on an athletic integration as well. The "Events" option provides access to the BMHS Calendar, Fine Arts Calendar, and soon to be included Athletics Calendar. Each of these calendars is dynamic and encompasses the entire school year. The "My ID" and "Hall Pass" are only available to students and staff. The "Directory" provides access to all Staff emails and, if applicable, phone number. The "Quicklinks" option provides quick access to Aspen, Athletics, Community Pass, Guidance, Clubs, Nutrition, and the BMHS Library sign up form. "Documents" provides access to Bus Routes, Lunch Menus, COVID information, and other documents. The "Map" option provides driving directions to MVC schools and locations for school functions, e.g. Blue Ocean Event Center (location of Senior Prom). The "Language" icon allows the user to convert the app into one of 42 different languages. The phone icon on the bottom of the home page will call our Absentee Line (978-528-8710). |
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Dollars for Scholars Trivia Night |
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Hello! My name is Shiv Meiyur: the founder of Your Share. I have been working on Your Share for around four months now, and I have loved working on it. “Your Share” is a nonprofit organization that works on rescuing food. Usable food items and produce are thrown away by stores, restaurants, cafeterias, and farms for various reasons. This adds to food waste while many people are still hungry and have no food to eat. Your Share rescues food from these places and donates it to various homeless shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries, and transitional living centers. Our mission is to make sure that no usable food is thrown out and can reach the needy. Since my workforce is very small and demand is high, I need more helping hands to make my mission grow. For volunteering opportunities, students can help by picking up from location and delivering to the locations that have it, and delivering it to places that can properly utilize it. The time invested in this task can be converted into volunteer hours! Just like them, you can also make a difference and make this organization’s mission a reality. Contact us and make sure everyone gets their share! The specifics of how volunteer hours will be given after contacting us.
Preferable Contact Number: (781) 467-8168
Secondary Contact Number: (610) 322-1486
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BMHS Athletic Association |
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Lt Kiana Brantley, Air Force Academy and Mikayla R. Clark, 2d Lt, USSF have planned virtual events for students/parents/guidance counselors for this upcoming semester. Every other week starting on January 5th at 6M, we are hosting a zoom where you can ask questions about Air Force ROTC or the Air Force Academy. Please see attached flyer (ParentQA) for more information and zoom link.
12 Jan 2022 6 PM-7 PM EST- “Cadet Life” (Freshman and Sophomore Year: Balancing Military Training and Academics, USAFA Basic Cadet Training)
09 Feb 2022 6PM-7PM EST- “Cadet Life” (Junior and Senior Year: Cadet Leadership, Extracurriculars/ Student Athlete, AFROTC Field Training)
09 Mar 2022 6PM-7PM EST- “Prepping for Desired Air/Space Force Job”
06 Apr 2022 6PM-7PM EST- “Freshman Year in Review” (What do you wish you knew going into your freshman year?)
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Shawsheen Tech Applications |
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SHAWSHEEN TECH APPLICATIONS
On October 20, all students in Grade 8 attended a presentation from the Shawsheen Valley Technical High School.
If you are interested in exploring Shawsheen Tech, please click HERE
If you want to apply to Shawsheen Tech, please click HERE
Our school counselors are ready and able to assist students with the application process to Shawsheen Tech or any other high school (private or public). If you have questions, please contact your child's school counselor HERE
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2021-2022 Meeting Schedule
All meetings are from 4 - 5:30 p.m.
June 22, 2021
July 19, 2021
October 5, 2021
November 2, 2021
December 7, 2021
January 4, 2022
February 1, 2022
March 1, 2022
April 5, 2022
May 17, 2022
June 7, 2022
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Members
Eric Anable - Parent
Catie Button - Teacher
Terri Bynoe - Teacher
Rebecca Chaffee - Parent
John Gibson - Parent
Katie Daubman - Parent
Tom Murphy - Principal
Brianna Phelan - Student
Zac Vennard - Teacher
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The BMHS Writing Center is now open and ready to help students with essays, creative writing and poetry, or any other writing both fiction and non-fiction. Available in the library Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays after school or during your study by appointment, The Writing Center is the place to go for help throughout the writing process. This Tuesday, the 19th, will be a special college essay session from 2-3 for anyone who needs additional help with their college applications. For questions, or to arrange study block sessions, email Ms. Button or Mr. Landry |
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A Word from Our School Counseling Department |
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FINANCIAL AID FOR SENIORS
The website MEFA.org will be very helpful for folks looking for financial aid information. Click HERE to learn about different types of financial aid. MEFA hosts webinars throughout October to outline the FAFSA application process, and you can find those webinars HERE. It will be very important for families of students heading to college to attend one of these webinars to learn about the application process.
FAFSA and Financial Aid Information
Click here for FAFSA. Please note that FAFSA opens on Oct. 1, 2021. It is advised that you complete and submit the FAFSA as soon as possible.
Click here to create a FSAID
Click here to apply for CSS Profile. You will also find here a list of participating colleges.
Click here for FAFSA Day info. Click here for FAFSA Day registration.
Click here for Billerica Dollars For Scholars. Your student can click here to create a DFS profile at this time, and can complete much of the demographic information, resume/awards information, etc. You can also complete much of the parent information. In the winter, there will be a Dollars For Scholars night, and you will receive notification via email. The DFS night will discuss the DFS program, how students select the scholarships in DFS that they want to apply to, and how the DFS process works. **Please note that if your child attended our BMHS College Boot Camp, they will have already started their DFS application.
Click here for Fastweb, a popular scholarship engine. It is one of many out there.
The rule of thumb is this: Don't ever pay money to get scholarship money. If there's a fee to apply for a scholarship, chances are that it is a scam.
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Families who qualify for the free and reduced-price lunch program can get $50 off their monthly broadband bills, thanks to a new, emergency federal program, the U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Communications Commission emphasized in a May 12 meeting.
Low-income families living on tribal lands are eligible for an even steeper discount, $75 a month.
What’s more, students in post-secondary education who receive Pell Grants can also tap the funding. And eligible families can receive $100 in one-time help in paying for digital devices—such as laptops, tablets, and desktop computers—as long as the family contributes between $10 and $50 for the hardware.
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BMHS| Main 978-528-8709| Fax 978-436-9351| | Website
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