Happy Vacation!

Dear Community,

Vacation is upon us!  I must say that I am truly proud of the way our young scholars have performed leading up to the break.  They have worked hard and thus deserve the nine-day hiatus.  For your information, we finished strong today and will start strong again for the fourth and final quarter of the school year on Monday, April 27th.  9th graders can start strong by attending the PULSE Physics Boot Camp which kicks off on the 27th, right after school in room 112.

Parents of seniors, you should have received a phone message from me on Wednesday night.  You will also receive a letter.  By way of brief reminder, students who do not currently meet the tardy criterion may earn their way back to participation at graduation by arriving on-time, having no unexcused absences and no class cuts for the remainder of the school year (which for seniors ends on May 22nd).  We see this as a fair approach to allow a final opportunity for our senior leaders to engage in one of the most important educational rites of passage.   Please call or email me with questions.

Lastly, as I mentioned last week, your child should have brought a survey home for you to weigh in on your impression of their experience here at Brighton High.   I would be greatly appreciated if you would complete this survey and pop it in the mail. They are really, really important to us.   You can also complete one online here.

My best to you and your family for a wonderful spring vacation!

Best,
Dr. T

P.S.  A small group of young scholars visited Harvard University's Innovation Lab yesterday.  The focus: entrepreneurship.  Great time had by all..


BHS at the Harvard University Innovation Lab

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The Allston Brighton Substance Abuse Task Force is hosting a community forum

The Unbiased Truth: Facts about Marijuana, Alcohol & Opioids

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

6-8pm

Charlesview Community Center

123 Antwerp Street, Allston

Light dinner will be served and interpretation services available.

Please visit our website to register www.abdrugfree.org

Registration must be received by April 24 if interpretation services are required.

Our guest presenter is Dr. Kevin Hill who will address current drug trends, consequences of use and most importantly, how to talk with youth.

Please help spread the word by forwarding the attached flyer, posting the event on your websites and around workplaces.

Please contact us with questions.

Thank You,

Helen Connolly and Liz Parsons

Happy Friday!

Dear Community,

Whew!  What a week!  I must say that this was a busy one.  We successfully wrapped up the 10^th grade ELA MCAS.  We also engaged the juniors in a full pilot of the PARCC.   Needless to say that the upcoming April vacation is a much needed and well deserved break.  The testing is important, but not as important as our partnership.  As such, I would like to thank those of you came to the Spring Parent Shadow Day.  We had a wonderful turnout and the feedback was quite positive.  Know that we welcome you to connect with your student’s teachers or guidance counselor if you have questions or concerns.  Call 617-635-9873.

We have still one full school week to go before spring vacation.  Please note that Friday, April 17^th marks the last day of the third term.  Students should be making every effort to make up any missed assessments and/or assignments. We want students to finish the term (and the year) on a strong note.  Your help is greatly appreciated.  Report cards will be mailed during the week of May 4^th.

Parents/guardians of seniors, it’s crunch time!  The final push is on.  The last day for seniors is May 22^nd.  Graduation is on June 4^th. You can expect a letter with information on all senior activities in the coming weeks. Let’s get behind our soon-to-be graduates to ensure that finish strong. Guidance counselors are in touch where there are concerns.  

Your child should have brought a survey home for you to weigh in on your impression of their experience here at Brighton High.   I would be greatly appreciated if you  would complete this survey and pop it in the mail. They are really, really important to us.   You can also complete one online here.

Looks like spring this weekend.  Enjoy!

Best,

Dr.T

The achievements of our Spanish-speaking debaters at Brighton High School were also showcased on WHDH’s Revista Hispana television show. You can watch them here.

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The Allston Brighton Substance Abuse Task Force is hosting a community forum

The Unbiased Truth: Facts about Marijuana, Alcohol & Opioids

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

6-8pm

Charlesview Community Center

123 Antwerp Street, Allston

Light dinner will be served and interpretation services available.

Please visit our website to register www.abdrugfree.org

Registration must be received by April 24 if interpretation services are required.

Our guest presenter is Dr. Kevin Hill who will address current drug trends, consequences of use and most importantly, how to talk with youth.

Please help spread the word by forwarding the attached flyer, posting the event on your websites and around workplaces.

Please contact us with questions.

Thank You,

Helen Connolly and Liz Parsons

Happy Thursday!

Dear Community,

One test down, several more to go.  I must say that I was incredibly proud of the way our sophomores approached the ELA MCAS this week.  I feel good about this one!  Preparation for the math MCAS is already under.  Sessions are happening Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday immediately after dismissal until 3:15pm.  Simply put, those who participate perform well.  This is too important to leave to chance. Please encourage your sophomore to attend.

Next week, our juniors will sit for the PARCC assessment (you should have received a letter on the topic).  This assessment is not tied to graduation requirements, but it is important that students take it seriously.  The data will help us plan for their needs next year. Your help in communicating this message is appreciated.

We worked hard this week!  The additional day added to the holiday weekend is timely.  Enjoy!


Best,
Dr. T

P.S.  We had a number of students visit the statehouse to discuss the state of education with Senator Jehlen at her request.  I was not there, but I heard that they did us proud.  Pictures below.  Special thanks to Ms. Bowles for her work in making this happen.

"Summer Stuff" for middle and high school students... 
(http://boston.k12.ma.us/bulletins/SummerStuff2015RevisedMarch6.doc) are now available at bostonpublicschools.org/summer.The link shows many free and low-cost camps, programs, and activities to keep young people active and engaged all summer. Print editions are not yet available. 

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New menus for breakfast and lunch are coming to all 

Boston Public Schools starting in April.

Why are we making changes?  Above all, we want students to enjoy eating healthy meals. We never want children to go hungry. We also need to manage our costs.  We plan to:

•                Continue to provide healthy, nourishing meals that students like

•                Improve and streamline operations in ordering and preparing food

•                Reduce food waste

o   Under federal guidelines, we must offer all entrée choices to all students at mealtime.  The more entrée choices offered, the greater likelihood of overproduction and waste.

Highlights of our streamlined menu:

For breakfast, we will offer two choices daily, including hot options served twice a week.

•                Cold choices include cereals, muffins, or yogurt, always offered with fresh fruit, 100% juice, and nonfat or 1% milk.

•                Cereals continue to be whole grain and limited in sugar.  We will not offer cereals that are perceived as sugary, even if they are available in a low sugar version.

o   Low sugar Cocoa Puffs and Trix, previously considered as part of a draft menu, will not be served.

•                For lunch, we will offer student favorites more often as part of our new-three week menu cycle. We will offer three choices daily, across all grades, with both hot and cold entrée options.  Previously, schools with grades K-8 had three meal choices and high schools had four choices.

•                Cold meal options include entrée salads, subs and sandwiches. Additionally, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are always available in schools that are not peanut-free.

•                Fruit offerings are unchanged, with fresh fruit and 100% juice daily.

•                Milk offerings are unchanged and include nonfat and low-fat options.

Hot menu items rotate students’ favorites with new features. For April, newmenu choices will include:

Pollo Guisado: A Puerto Rican-style braised, bone-in chicken, with onions, tomatoes, green peppers, cilantro, and a homemade adobo spice mix.  This recipe was introduced by our community partner, Project Bread.

Southwestern Garden Salad with Chicken: Mesclun mix greens with chicken, fresh tomato, black beans, corn, and grated cheese.

The Department of Food and Nutrition Services strives to ensure that students eat nutritious meals that they enjoy. The goal is to increase participation in the meals program, and this goes hand in hand with ensuring that students like what they are eating.  Since fall, FNS has taken steps toward that goal:

•                FNS formed the School Food Advisory Committee, which is made up of parents, students, and community partners, including the Boston Public Health Commission, to solicit input for meal options.

•                FNS conducts student taste tests regularly. These provide important feedback which informs menu decisions.

•                Online surveys have also played a role in rating popularity of foods.  Students and parents may also offer feedback at schoolfoodboston@bostonpublicschools.org

Our district is a leader in universal breakfast and lunch for students. Please help us shine a light on the good work that is coming out of Food and Nutrition Services and help dispel myths about changes to nutritional quality or limitations on serving foods students like to eat. As you’ll see from the April menus, we will be serving amazing options that meet or exceed USDA nutrition guidelines and appeal to a range of tastes.