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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
Administration
Grades 8 & 9
Student Last Names A-K
Students G-M
Students N-Z
Student Last Names L-Z
Grades 10-12
Student Last Names A-K
Matthew Flood - Assistant Principal - 978.528.8750
Student Last Names L-Z
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, February 14 - B Day
Tuesday, February 15 - A Day
Faculty Meeting 2:05 p.m.
Wednesday, February 16 - B Day
Thursday, February 17 - A Day
Friday, February 18 - B Day
Senior Class Meeting 8:45 a.m.
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Thursday evening, the Billerica School Committee accepted the Superintendent’s recommendation to align with the Department of Secondary and Elementary Education’s policy regarding making masks optional in school buildings for students and staff effective Monday, February 28, 2022. This change will be met with varying degrees of emotion, ranging from joy to continued concern. Although there will be many in our community that will celebrate this news, there will also be many that will worry about the timing and possible personal health concerns. Over the last few years it has felt as though our collective conversations have been focused more on what divides us rather than our collective bonds, and this is yet another opportunity for the conversation to focus on the former rather than the latter. My hope is that all members of our school community will respect each other’s individual choice as we continue on this shared journey to normalcy.
In a concerted effort to ensure all voices are heard and choices are supported, we will be speaking with our students at the beginning of Block 2B on Wednesday, February 16. It will be a focused conversation on the upcoming change and the importance of respecting each other’s individual choices.
I anticipate there will be many staff and students that elect to continue wearing a mask for the foreseeable future, and we all need to respect that. We often talk about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes to better understand their perspective and choices they make. Although I do not know each individual person's reasons, or story behind the decision they will ultimately make, it does not make their choice subject to scrutiny because others might take a different approach.
I view February 28 as a major step in returning to a typical school environment and I welcome that, but I want to reinforce the importance of being respectful of each member of our school community now and in the future.
Sincerely,
Mr. Murphy
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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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The Amnesty International club is hosting a school backpack drive. We are currently accepting new and gently used backpacks, as well as early childhood education supplies. Donations will be collected at our dedicated bin outside the main office. All donations are greatly appreciated.
Links:
Individual Items Needed
Pencils
Pencil Cases
Backpacks
Lunch Boxes
Glue
Folders
Sticky Notes
Notebooks
Rulers
Crayons
Markers
Kids Scissors
Subject Oriented Flash Cards
Early learning tools
Non perishable food and snacks
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The Billerica Public Library will be hosting an SAT Strategy Session and an SAT Practice Test, both given by The Princeton Review. Please register below. All questions should be directed to the Billerica Public Library Staff.
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Is your child planning to sign up for the SAT this spring? BMHS will host the SAT on Saturday, May 7. Sign up HERE for the SAT. We recommend that students take the SAT once in the spring of Junior year, and once in the fall of Senior year. If you have questions about the SAT, please contact your child's school counselor.
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Applying to Shawsheen Tech |
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Are you applying to Shawsheen Tech for next year? As a part of their application process, ST requires a recommendation from either a teacher or your school counselor. You will want to select a staff member who knows you best. If you are applying to ST, please do the following:
(1) Decide who you will ask for a recommendation, and ask that individual in-person if they would provide you a recommendation.
(2) Once your counselor or teacher says that they will do a recommendation for you, email your school counselor with the name of the individual so that they can send a recommendation link to the person you've asked. Your recommender will then be able to complete the recommendation process.
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Billerica Friends of Music Soup Fundraiser |
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It's Soul Warming Soup Fundraiser TIme! 1/13- 2/15
It's a Soup-R Season to Support the Billerica Public School Students in Performing Arts, by Buying Soup to Enjoy or Donating to those in need!
At Checkout Add: "Billerica Friends of Music" in the appropriate box.
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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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Team 4909
Billerica Bionics
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The Billerica Bionics just completed Week 3 of their season as they prepare for the 2022 game competition - Rapid React. Below is an animated video of this year's competition. To learn more about FIRST Robotics, stop by Mr. Drake's classroom or email him at [email protected] or follow the team at http://www.team4909.org/blog
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As Team 4909 enters the last week before the Week 0 competition, our mechanical team has been finishing up manufacturing and integrating subsystems. Software testing has begun, and we hope to start drive practice as soon as possible!
Intake:
This week, the Intake group finished assembling the intake mechanism. Members integrated the subsystem to the robot to analyze problems it may be having with movement. Students began to brainstorm solutions to these issues and started executing them by making new parts such as spacers. As these parts were connected to the robot mainframe, members started to figure out the wiring and electric components of the robot. Over the course of next week, the group plans to continue testing and fixing bugs to enhance the intake’s efficiency and reliability.
Shooter:
After several weeks of designing, the shooter group finally began manufacturing parts this week! Last Saturday, after finishing designs for the lightning cut-outs for the two shooter plates, students started to cut and create the parts using the Velox Router. Unfortunately, just a few seconds into the process, the spindle broke, leaving members with two aluminum sheets, and nothing to cut them with. However, with just a few phone calls, the team was able to get in touch with another FRC team, Team 125, who was able to help the group out. Thanks Team 125! On Monday, members received the plates and mounted them on the main robot frame. Students continued manufacturing and mounting parts all week, several new parts everyday; limelight, indexer wheel, flywheel, hood plate, pneumatic cylinders, support shafts, falcons, versa planetaries, and several sheets of lexan. With preliminary manufacturing now completed, the group is waiting for the software team to test the subsystem and eliminate any flaws that may be present before Week 0.
Software:
At the start of the week, the software team began wiring the robot. Most of the power wiring is completed, but there is some CAN wiring remaining that needs to be done. On Tuesday, members tested Falcon 500 motors on the drive train. Thursday was spent redoing the power wires and setting up various sensors for the robot. Students set up a color sensor that can detect the RGB values of an object, and implemented some code that allows the robot to determine the color of collected cargo. Members also worked with infrared sensors, which would allow them to know the location of cargo in the robot. On Friday, the group successfully set up multiple infrared sensors and worked on the drivetrain for the final robot.
Climber:
This week, the climber group started manufacturing the inner stage of the dynamic hooks after completing CAD designs on Monday. The product was not what the group intended, so it was ultimately scrapped. Students spent Tuesday manufacturing and attaching static hooks to the robot. On Thursday, the inner stage of the dynamic hooks were remade, and the outer stage was built. The group concluded the week by assembling and completing standoffs for the dynamic hook gearboxes.
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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.
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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The BMHS Winter Guard team competed in the Winter Guard International Regional competition in Salem, MA on Saturday, February 12th and captured 2nd place with their amazing performance. This year's Team Captains are Juniors Cassie Modoono and Sarah Richard. |
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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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Future Leaders Summer Internship |
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IMPORTANT: Closing Deadline for Applications:
Please note that this requisition will be closing at 11:59 PM EST on Monday, 28 February 2022. All students must complete their application process by this date. Applications will not be accepted after this date.
The Future Leaders Program is a summer internship program at The MITRE Corporation in Bedford, MA for current freshmen in high school through juniors in college. The program runs for 8 weeks over the summer and interns work on projects that help them gain experience in various technical areas. More information can be found through the application: https://careers.mitre.org/us/en/job/R105978/Technical-Aide-Intern
Please contact Jaclyn Hayes, Senior Mechanical Engineer at The MITRE Corporation, if you have any additional questions: [email protected]
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If you or your student needs assistance with Spanish, they can now sign up for tutoring through the Spanish Honor Society. You can scan the QR code or sign up using this google form. If you would like to connect with a tutor right away, you can reach out to any of the spanish tutors on this list. If you have any questions, please email [email protected] or [email protected].
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Email any tutor to ask about availability and virtual and in-person tutoring options or use the google form to sign up and be assigned a tutor.
Spanish I, II, III, IV, Pre-AP, V level 1, V honors
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Sundays
Spanish I, II, III, IV, Pre-AP, V level 1, V honors
Mondays, Tuesdays
Spanish I, II, III, IV
Any day however time availability will vary
Study 4A, Semester 2
Spanish I, II, III, IV,
Mondays,Thursdays, Fridays
Study 2B, Semester 2
Spanish I, II, III, IV
Can find a time that works anyday
4B Study (semester 2)
3A Study (semester ¾)
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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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School counselors visited sophomore science classes and junior English classes during the month of December to share information on how to interpret PSAT scores, provide resources to prepare for future testing, and discuss college and career readiness.
- Students were given the opportunity to log into CollegeBoard to view their score report.
- Counselors shared a video and discussed how to interpret their individualized interactive score report.
- Students were shown how to access tools for individualized test prep and reflection.
- Students were encouraged to link their CollegeBoard accounts to Khan Academy to access their free individualized study plan.
To access the helpful video in understanding PSAT scores, please click here:
CollegeBoard is a great tool for college and career planning. Students can also conduct a college search, research colleges, research careers, access free test prep questions, full length SAT practice tests, study guides, etc.
Click here to access CollegeBoard:
Click here for a direct link to the practice material section:
If you have questions about the PSAT or SAT, please contact your child's school counselor.
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Juniors, Seniors and College Visits
Please note that Juniors and Seniors are permitted 2 days to visit colleges (excused, with documentation from the college submitted to the BMHS main office).
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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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2022 BMHS Yearbook Information - Updated |
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Senior Photo, Write-up, Toddler Takes, Parent Ads, Photo Submissions, Photo Specs., Yearbook Purchases
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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The Spanish National Honor Society will be having their monthly meeting on Thursday, February 17th right after school in room B327. Members, please check Google Classroom for important information and make every effort to attend. |
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The Spanish National Honor Society Library Committee hosted their first event at the Billerica Public Library on Saturday, February 11. The theme was Valentine's Day in Spain & Mexico. The group was led by Anish Srinivasan and Katherine Medeiros. The students prepared activities to teach the children about how Valentine's Day is celebrated in Spain and Mexico, phrases for them to learn and crafts that they could complete at home. This event was held virtually but they are hoping to be able to hold future events in person at the Billerica Public Library. |
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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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