Principal’s Memo – November 20, 2020
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Hi Everyone,
Next week students have a full day Monday and an early release on Tuesday. The rest of the week students will be on Thanksgiving break. Students return to school on Monday, November 30th There will not be a Principal’s Memo next Friday. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Here are this week’s communications:
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24TH IS AN EARLY RELEASE DAY!
Thanksgiving break for students begins on Tuesday as we will follow our early release day schedule. The school day ends at noon. Lunch will be provided for students to take with them.
THANKSGIVING RESOURCES!
Unlike previous years, we are not able to help families with signing up for Thanksgiving dinner baskets this year. However, we have received generous donations and can offer families in need Thanksgiving assistance in the form of a Hannaford Gift card. Please contact the High School Social Worker, Ms. Reed at creed@rsu23.org or your child’s Guidance Counselor, Ms. Nason at enason@rsu23.org or Ms. Hayes at jhayes@rsu23.org to sign up for Thanksgiving assistance if you are in need of some additional help for this holiday season.We cannot thank the OOB community enough for their generosity. We are so thankful and appreciate these donations.
2020-2021 QUARTER 1 HONOR ROLL
2020-2021 Q1 Honor Roll
PLEASE READ MY HOLIDAY TRAVEL MEMO!
Holiday Travel Memo 2020
PLEASE READ MY SNOW/REMOTE DAY MEMO!
Snow/R
emote Day Memo 2020-2021
GIFT CARD DRIVE!
Due to these unprecedented times, some students and families from Old Orchard Beach High School are experiencing increased food insecurities. We typically hold a food drive and donate Thanksgiving boxes, but due to COVID-19 we are unable to do this. We have decided to do a “gift card” drive instead. If you are able, Hannaford gift card donations would be greatly appreciated during these most challenging times. Please contact Erin Dupee edupee@rsu23.org if you are interested in donating. A huge thank you to those who have already donated gift cards! If you are still interested in donating we are continuing our “gift card drive” until November 20th.
QUARTER 1 REPORT CARDS
Qtr 1 Report Cards were emailed last Friday. Please check your email’s junk or spam folder if you have not received it. It will be coming from Old Orchard Beach High School, “SwiftReach”.
You can also access your child’s report card through your parent portal. Once you are in the parent portal click on the “SwiftReachSwiftK12” on the left hand side. Then click on the report card. You will need your child’s date of birth to open it.
The format for the date of birth is mm/dd/yyyy. If you have a question, please contact Karen Murphy at ksmurphy@rsu23.org.
GREETINGS FROM THE BOOSTER CLUB!
We hope this finds everyone in great health and spirits! Do to the nature of the year 2020 and the many cancellations we have not been able to utilize our fundraising opportunities. (Car Show, Concessions stand, 50/50 raffles) Luckily we are in good shape and were able to give out 3 scholarships for the class of 2020 and will be giving out scholarships for the Class of 2021. Scholarships are only a part of where the fundraising efforts are distributed to. We also have made considerable donations back to the school. Here is a small example: water fountains for refilling water bottles, bus trips, equipment (culinary and gym/weight room), field day, senior gifts. This is a small picture of how active Booster Club is for all students and faculty! This is why we are making an appeal to everyone. At the end of this school year we will be losing a number of members of Booster Club being the natural progression. We are in need of all positions! President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Please contact us if you would like more information. oobhsboosters@gmail.com Booster Club is a great opportunity for getting to know students, faculty, and the school community!
Sincerely,
Jenna Payea, President
Karin Lavigne, VP
Renee LaPlante, Treasurer
Kara Poulin, Secretary
SENIOR CLASS RANK CHANGE INFORMATION
Please see attached letter that was sent out via SwiftReach regarding the change in how class rank is reported for seniors. Senior Class Rank Change Information Letter
PARENT POWERSCHOOL PORTAL
You can access your child’s grades, attendance, teacher comments, SwiftReachK12; view recent alerts that were sent out and change your Alert Preferences, missing assignments, student’s schedule, and account preferences. If you don’t already have an account or are having issues signing in to your account for a high school student, please contact Karen Murphy at ksmurphy@rsu23.org.
DEVICE AGREEMENT
All students have been issued technology to be used at school and for remote learning days. All parents/guardians must sign the Device Agreement for each student in their PowerTeacher Parent Portal. The Device Agreement details Old Orchard Beach High School’s device policies and procedures. Instructions were sent via SwiftK12 to your email account on file.
YEARBOOKS!
Attention Senior Families!!!! Senior portraits and baby pictures need to be submitted to Yearbook Staff by December 1st. To purchase a yearbook go to jostensyearbooks.com. Please email the pictures, and any Yearbook questions, to smoutsatsos@rsu23.org. Yearbook flyer
FAMILY VACATION FORMS
During the school year some families take vacations and ask that we excuse their children from school days. This is not a problem, however, we do have forms for the student, parents, teachers and administration to sign off on in order to help students understand the expectations of making up missed work. The forms can be found in the main office. Thanks for your help!
JUNIORS AND SENIORS
College Admissions Representatives are beginning to host Virtual Visits for OOBHS Students. Be sure to watch your email and listen for morning announcements as these come up each week. See Ms. Murphy, Ms. Nason, or Ms. Hayes in the Guidance Office for more information on upcoming visits.
SENIORS AND FINANCIAL AID
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now open. If you are a senior considering applying to trade schools, certificate programs, or 2 and 4 year colleges, you’ll want to be sure to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. The sooner you apply, the higher your chances of getting FREE money that will help you pursue your post-secondary goals. To create your FSA ID and start this process, click HERE today. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the OOBHS Guidance team or the Finance Authority of Maine for assistance.
SENIORS AND POST-SECONDARY PLANNING
Thank you to the Seniors who were able to join us for the virtual Senior Post-Secondary Planning Meeting. If you were unable to join, please watch the recording by clicking HERE and review the presentation HERE in order to learn important information regarding college applications and financial aid.
Next Steps for Seniors Applying to College:
- Watch the Senior Post-Secondary Planning Meeting Recording (if missed the meeting).
- Complete the Google Brag Form.
- Review and Begin Completing Tasks on the College Application Timeline & To do List.
- Make a 1-1 Appointment with Your School Counselor for Assistance.
*For seniors interested in Non-College Related Post-Secondary Paths (i.e. Military, Workforce, Trade School, Gap Year), please still fill out the Google Brag Form and reach out for 1-1 appointments with your school counselors as well. Your school counselors will work 1-1 with each of you in order to personalize support and action steps in preparation for any and all post-secondary paths.
SENIOR INTERNSHIP
The Senior Internship and Career Preparation Workshop that normally takes place in October will take place in January this year in order to accommodate safety and CDC guidelines. Although seniors will still be expected to complete a career explorations and internship-type experience, it may or may not look a little different than it has in past years depending on what unfolds with regard to health considerations and the pandemic. More information to come. As a reminder, seniors currently participating in a vocational program through Biddeford-COT or Portland-ATHS are not required to complete an OOBHS internship experience since a similar experience is already included in their vocational programming. If you have pressing concerns or questions, please reach out to Jackie Hayes (jhayes@rsu23.org) or Stephanie Moutsatsos (smoutsatsos@rsu23.org).
SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAM
As a reminder, breakfast and lunch are available daily at school. Until THE END OF THE YEAR breakfast and lunch will be FREE TO ALL STUDENTS. Please still fill out a Free and Reduced Lunch application to determine if your child qualifies for free or reduced price meals. Applications are available at the high school and on our website at: https://rsu23.org on the Food & Nutrition Services page. Menus are also posted to the website. Please feel free to contact Caroline Trinder, Food & Nutrition Services Director with any questions at ctrinder@rsu23.org or 934-4461 ext. 1239. We are looking forward to serving healthy and tasty meals all year!
STUDENT PARKING & EARLY RELEASE & LATE ARRIVAL
Students who would like to drive their car to school must register their car in the main office and acquire a parking permit. Cars without a parking permit or cars parked in the improper lot may be removed at the owner’s expense. There is no student parking in the front lot.
IMPORTANT & UPCOMING DATES
- Wednesday November 24 – Early Release
- Wednesday November 25 – Thanksgiving Break
Have a great weekend!
-John