ABRHS Weekly PTSO Chatter

ABRPTSO

Weekly Chatter

AB Regional High School

December 12, 2021

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Table of Contents

Calendar of Events
ABRPTSO General Body Meeting
Staff Appreciation Luncheon - Donations Requested
AB Gives / ABRHS Staff Collecting Gift Cards
Interim Reports
Free Pop Up Art Event
Used Winter Clothes Drive
Holiday Food Drive
College Planning at Danny's Place
Food and Personal Care Items Available at A-B
Seeking Donations for new ABRHS Makerspace & Library of Things
Is Your Student in Need of a Job?
Audio Recordings of Student Names
ABRHS Community Service Program News
Looking for a Mental Health Provider?

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

December 13th - Early Release 1:15pm

December 14th - ABRPTSO General Body Meeting 7pm

ABRPTSO General Body Meeting

Tuesday, December 14th @7pm

H.S. Room 115N

Zoom link: https://abschools.zoom.us/j/93135462377

We hope you can join us for our next meeting on December 14th. We meet in person at the High School. If you can attend, please know that masks are mandatory inside school buildings.

Agenda

Staff Appreciation Luncheon - Donations Requested

Although a few COVID restrictions remain our kids are back in school!! Let’s thank the teachers & staff for such a great start to the school year and their continued efforts to take care of our students. The PTSO is planning to sponsor gift cards for the staff over the holidays. Interested families can participate monetarily using PayPal through the link below. Note - Please put a comment to indicate that the donation is for AB High School Staff appreciation.

Click here for the PayPal link. Please turn in any donations by Friday, December 17, 2021.

AB Gives – ABRHS Staff Collecting Gift Cards

AB Gives is a program that collects gift cards to give as holiday gifts to ABRHS students whose families may be struggling during the holiday season. This year as in the past, the ABRHS staff have generously donated cards to support this program. There are more needs in the community than the ABRHS staff can fill so AB Gives is reaching out to the PTSO membership to solicit additional gift cards to add to the program. If you would like to donate a gift card please sign up on this Sign Up Genius. AB Gives ask that all donated gift cards be dropped by your student with Kappy Kelly in the ABRHS Counseling Center by Friday 12/17.

AB Gives continues to accept names for students to receive gifts as well. Please contact your student's counselor to be added to the list. Questions can be directed to Lindsay Rosenman or Elizabeth Warren in the Counseling Center.

Interim Reports

Term 2 interim reports will be emailed to parents/guardians and students on Tuesday, December 14th. An interim report is sent at the midpoint of the term if a teacher has comments or concerns about a student's performance that they would like to share with parents/guardians. Not all students will receive an interim report.

Interim reports are sent by email to the parent/guardian contact listed on the Emergency Card Information screen on the parent portal. Please check the portal to verify that all parent/guardian email addresses are accurate (click here for directions).

FREE POP UP ART EVENT – ACTON MEMORIAL LIBRARY

ACTON MEMORIAL LIBRARY TEEN Pop Up Art Event - Raven Moon Canvas

Wednesday, December 29th 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM Via Zoom

Open to ages 11-18 years.

Used Winter Clothes Drive

The Korean Language Club is sponsoring a Used Winter Clothes Drive to donate to refugees from Afghanistan who have recently arrived in New England. If you have any gently used winter clothes and/or footwear that you would like to donate, please have your child bring them to 102 East (Sra. Dragone's Spanish classroom) by Monday December 13 at 3:30 PM. Thank you!

Holiday Food Drive

The Interact Club in conjunction with the Food Awareness Club is hosting a food drive for the Acton Food Pantry! While any donations are welcome, the clubs are seeking gluten free, nut free and dairy free products. Please drop off any donations in the main lobby, the cafeteria, or East Commons from December 1st to December 15th.

What's Next Starts Now - College Planning at Danny's Place

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!

For more information and to sign up, visit dannys-place.org/whatsnext

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. Students can “shop” in the outpost in the Counseling Center (see Mrs. Kelly) or submit this order form online and pick up bagged items in Counseling. 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 partnered with the high school in 2020 to provide in-school access to food pantry items.

Seeking Donations for new ABRHS Makerspace & Library of Things

The maker movement is coming to AB! We are developing a makerspace and library of things for ABRHS students and are seeking donations from the community. Please click here for more information and to see the list of items. We are accepting donations until December 22, 2021 and thank you for your support.

Is your student in need of a job?

A great variety of job opportunities are available right now. Please check the Student Jobs Board, where community businesses and individuals regularly post jobs for high school students; most are paying $15/hour, some more.

Audio Recordings of Student Names

Having our name pronounced the way we prefer is an important part of feeling included in a community. Students recently received a request to submit an audio recording of their name to be shared with their teachers. This audio recording will be used each semester/year as teachers learn students' names. It will also be used at graduation to assist in the proper pronunciation of students' names as they receive their diploma. Please encourage your student to submit their audio recording if they have not done so already. Students may find the link to submit in their email. If you have any questions, please contact the high school data team at hs_powerteachersupport@abschools.org

Community Service Awards Night

Save the date! Community Service Awards Night will be held in-person in the ABRHS Auditorium the evening of Tuesday, January 11, 2022.

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.

The Weekly Chatter is distributed each Sunday. If you have a submission you'd like to include in the Chatter, please email it to chatter @abrptso.org by noon on Friday. The Chatter was created solely for the purpose of communicating school-related events, groups and forums to parents and students.