Happy Friday!

Dear Community

Happy Halloween!   No matter how old the student,  this day is still an important and fun one.   While we do not allow costumes and such during the school day, student spirit was incredibly high.   That could be due to Halloween, for sure, but it could also be due to the excitement around the BHS football team. The team will play tonight at White Stadium at 6 PM, the first in the playoff series. Relatedly, special congrats to the football head coach, Randolph Abraham. He was  named New England Patriots head coach of the week.   We were visited by Hall of Fame New England Patriot, Andre Tippet for the honor (pic below).

 I'll keep my message short to allow you time to enjoy whatever Halloween festivities you plan in which you plan to engage.   Of particular importance is the fact that the first grading term ends on Friday, November 7th.   Now is the time to check in with your young scholar to ensure that he/she has everything in place and turned in to reflect the good work that he/she has done over the past 11 weeks.  You are welcome to reach out to his or her teachers if you have any questions. Don't have contact info? Call 617-635-9873.

 Most importantly, by now I'm sure many of you know that we lost former Mayor, Tom Menino, yesterday.   Without question, he was a champion for common folks, a hands-on, up close and personal leader,  and, above all, steady in his vision and values.   He will be sorely missed. Please see below for opportunities to pay respect for all that he has done for the city and our students.

Enjoy the weekend!

Best,
Dr. T


P.S.   A group of our students spent the day at Google in Cambridge. There are two pics for your viewing pleasure below. Also, there is a pic at the bottom of our freshman during the Harvard trip. Enjoy!

Paying Respect to Mayor Menino:

• Flowers and mementos may be left in City Hall, inside the main City Hall entrance (City Hall Plaza side). 
• By condolence books will be located in all neighborhood libraries (www.bpl.org/branches) and community centers (www.cityofboston.gov/BCYF/centers/). 
• Letters and cards may be sent to: Mayor Menino’s Office, Boston University, 75 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215. 
• Visit tommenino.org for complete information. This is where Mayor Menino's family will post funeral, visitation and other remembrance information as soon as it is available.

Happy Friday!

Dear Community,

We are one step closer  to the end of the first grading quarter (November 7th, to be exact).   This is the point in time where in students should be checking in with teachers, making up missed assignments and/or assessments, and really putting the pedal to the metal.   The first quarter is really important. It's important to start strong and allow that momentum to carry through.   Please be sure to check in with your student on his or her progress thus far, or, feel free to reach out to his/her teacher directly.  If you don't have contact information, contact us (617-635-9873) and we'll get you connected.

 It was a gray and rainy week.  The  description of the mood at BHS was much more rosy.   We have 80 9th grade students spending the day at Harvard University today and  Group of seniors viewing MacBeth at Huntington Theater as well.   Match those fun learning activities with all of the fulfilling activities each day in classes, a successful Unity Day against bullying (pictures below), and the fact the BHS is playing Madison Park for the city championship tonight (6:30pm at Madison) and you have a complete, well-rounded high school week.

Enjoy your weekend!

Best,
Dr. T


 P. S. Today next week marks the end of college mom in the Boston public schools. The last week has a focus on career choices. Please take a look below. These are really helpful and informative sites. Might not be a bad idea to sit down with your student to have a discussion about where he/she is headed. Use these sites to help.

• Jobs and Community Services, City of Boston, includes Boston's living wage and the state's minimum wage
• City of Boston Youth Programs and Services with useful links to job resources and a "Building Futures" video
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics offers student and teacher resources for grades K-12 including games and quizzes, "Career Exploration," and "Economy at a Glance"
• Forbes' College Degrees with highest top job placement includes readable NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) statistics 
• Forbes' Degrees with the highest starting salaries focuses on NACEstatistics (National Association of Colleges and Employers)
• The United States Department of Education answers "Why Go to College?" using a college and career job earnings chart 
• The College Board answers "Why Go to College" using interactive tools, including videos
• The New York Times' "How to Get a Job at Google" explores the value of of a college degree, as well as 21st Century Soft Skills and offers an interesting point of discussion for high school students
• O-Net online, a partner of the American Jobs Center, offers acomprehensive database complete with job functions
• National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) offers career resources for teachers and students, including STEM career info graphics
• The National Science Foundation (NSF) offers Science and Engineering labor statistics, showing high growth in STEM fields 
• The Huffington Post's "The Truth Hurts: The STEM Crisis is Not a Myth" is a comprehensive article on the importance of STEM careers and interesting point of discussion for high school students
• "So You Want to Be an Engineer" is a comprehensive article offering practical advice to students regarding career-specific research 

Happy Friday!

Dear Community,

Happy Friday!   First, allow me to extend to you a heartfelt thanks to those of you who were able to make it to the open house last night. We had a wonderful turnout!   If you couldn't make it, please know that you can contact your child's teacher at anytime if you have questions or concerns about progress or just want to check in. Call 617-635-9873 between 7:15am and 2:30pm or email the teacher directly.

This week was a busy one!  10th and 11th graders took the PSAT, seniors went on college visits, and today, a group of 9th graders went to the Museum of African American History (note that 9th graders will go on this trip this year).  Whew!  More of the same next week.  I have said it before and I'll say it again - miss school, miss out (I took this from the Burke).  We need all of our young scholars here everyday.

My best to you for a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,
Dr. T





On transportation:
Students with the M-7 cards can ride the purple line within the 2-zone limit free of charge.  Students with an S T-pass can ride within the 2-zone limit for half fare. This will indeed help students get to Brighton on time from Roslindale, Hyde Park, &  Mattapan (and other locales).

Rain...No Big Deal! Open House is ON Tonight!

Dear Community,

The weather service is calling for rain this evening.  Open house is still on.  Don't allow a few drops to get in the way of our partnership.  We'll see you this evening between 5pm and 7pm.

By way of reminder, parents/guardians of seniors, there will be a college financial aid session at 6PM in the library sponsored by uAspire.  Senior parents are the target audience, but all are welcome.

Best,
Dr. T

Open House is Tomorrow!

Dear Community,

I hope this message finds you well. By way of reminder We are hosting our fall open house tomorrow from 5 to 7 PM.

At this event, you will have an opportunity to meet with all of your child's teachers.  You will also be provided a progress report, as we are just beyond the midpoint of the first grading quarter.  This is an important opportunity for  you to learn about your child's progress thus far and us to partner for your child's benefit.   We hope to see you there!

Parents/guardians of seniors,  please note that there will be a special "paying for college" session at 6pm in the library during the open house.   This is sponsored by uAspire, a non-profit organization focused on helping families through the college financial aid process.

Best,
Dr. T

Happy Long Weekend!

Dear Community,

Happy long weekend!  I hope this message finds you well.  Lot’s happening at BHS right about now.  Quickly, yesterday marked the midpoint of the first grading quarter of the year.  We will distribute progress reports to students next week.  As was mentioned in last week’s memo, you can access the progress report through the Parent Portal.  We do not mail progress reports – only quarterly report cards.

As you will recall from the welcome back letter, tardiness to school is an issue we intend address this year and beyond.  You may view your student’s attendance and tardiness record through the parent portal.   There are significant consequences for failure to meet expectations.  If we have concerns, you will receive a phone call and letter in the mail.  If you have questions, I welcome you to call (617-635-9873).

We have a long weekend ahead of us.   Next week will be short, but busy.  We have the PSAT for students in grades 10 and 11 and college visits for seniors, in addition to all of the wonderful things that happen in classrooms everyday. Please enjoy the weekend and then plan to come to the open house next Thursday from 5-7pm.

Best,

Dr. T

P.S.  Brighton vs South Boston is the Mayor's pick of the week.  It will be televised this evening.  Tune it!

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From the Library:

The Boston Book Festival is right around the corner (Ocotber 23-25).  Follow this link for general information or link directly to the kids and teens section here.  Good stuff happening there!

Other notes:

Boston City Councilor LaMattina is hosting DACA Day (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) in partnership with The Mayor's Office of New Bostonians, The Student Immigrant Movement, Greater Boston Legal Services and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA)  

This clinic is geared for assisting both DACA renewal and first time applicants.  If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the form here.

When: Wednesday, October 23rd from 4-8pm

Where: Boston City Hall, 5th floor, 1 City Hall Square,  Boston, MA 02201

On June 15, 2012 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made a change in federal immigration policy regarding deportation enforcement for young immigrants that meet certain criteria, known as DACA.  This policy states that the federal government will “defer action” or not prosecute deportation cases for qualifying individuals for a period of two years from the time their application for “deferred action” is approved.  If approved DACA beneficiaries will receive work permits in addition to deferred action status and will be eligible to apply for a driver’s license and in-state tuition.

Individuals may qualify for DACA if they meet the following criteria:

·         Be under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012

·         Have come to the United States before reaching his/her 16th birthday

·         Has continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, up to the present time

·         Is currently in school, has graduated from high school, has obtained a general education development (GED) certificate , or is an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States

Below is the registration link and some resources:

Click here to register for the Boston DACA Clinic

Step-by-Step Video on Gathering Documentation

DACA Renewal / DACA Eligibility tool

For any information please contact  either The Mayor's Office Of New Bostonians at 617-635-2980  or Cairo Mendes, cmendes@simforus.com 

Happy Friday!

 Dear community,

Can you believe it? It's October already!   Not only is it October, we are already quickly approaching the midpoint of the first grading quarter.   Next week, teachers will update their online gradebook and submit a grade for progress reports.   Your student will receive a paper copy of the progress report during the week of October 13th.   There are three ways you can view the progress report. You may ask your student for it. You may access it yourself through the family portal.  Or, you  may retrieve a copy at the Brighton High School Open House on Thursday, October 16th from 5-7 PM.   All three are good ways, but I strongly encourage you to attend the open house.   Starting strong is extremely important. Our partnership with you is extremely important. The open house is a good way for you to connect with your student's teachers and hear about their progress.  I hope to see you there.

Next week  is a normal one.   Please note that there is no school on Monday, October 13th.

All best for a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Dr. T