Aggie Weekly-November 3rd

Aggie Weekly

Good Afternoon Students, Parents, and Community Members:

This week we started off wind severe weather conditions and many of our families were impacted with power outages, down trees, and flooding.  We wish everyone the best during these difficult times and wish everyone the best as they prepare for the weekend.  Even though next week is a B week, we will have assembly on Monday to welcome our new Superintendent Adele Sands.  We look forward to her leadership to guide Bristol Aggie into our next chapter.  

NHS Induction Ceremony:

The National Honor Society held their induction ceremony last night inducting 30 new members.

Olivia Aguiar the Vice-President of our NHS chapter did an outstanding job at hosting the ceremony.

The following students were inducted into the National Honor Society:

Janelle Andrade, Camryn Badger, Lily Berube, Lauren Biedak, Matteo Cabral, Emma Duarte, Sierra Fleury, Alexis Hamilton,Sydney Hussey, Michael Koussa, Carissa Laporte, Angela Masison, Karlene McMahon, Mellany Munroe, Brooke Murphy, Emma Palermo, Lacey Parker, Peyton Patota, Rabekah Quartochi,Julia Repeta,Kelly Rovoredo, Meghan Sherman, Nicole Simas, Mia Slater, Kayla Small, Ross Sousa, Michaela Totman, Kaitlyn Walorz, Abigail Weckesser, Cassidy White.

Some of the inspirational quotes that were shared by the new members.

• A man is the product of his thoughts, what he thinks he becomes. (Gandhi)
• Fear has two meanings, forget everything and run. Or face everything and rise. (Zig Ziglar)
• A river cuts through rock not because of it’s power, but because of it’s persistence. (James Watkins)
• There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. (Colin Powell)

FFA:

The FFA is an national organization that reaches from the state of Alaska to the Virgin Islands and from the state of Maine to Hawaii. More than 67,000 FFA members from all over the country came to participate in the 90th annual National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. Members came to compete, participate in days of service projects, attend sessions and workshops, and to experience the expo center.

Bristol FFA brought 4 teams that had previously won their competition at the state level, making them eligible to represent the state of Massachusetts at the national level. The teams that participated at nationals were Dairy Evaluation, Livestock Evaluation, Floriculture, and Environmental and Natural Resources. Team and individual placements are as follows.

Dairy Judging - Bronze Team
Olivia Larrivee - Gold Individual
Jenna Gouveia - Bronze Individual
Hannah Adams - Bronze individual
Karlene Mcmahon - Bronze Individual
Livestock Evaluation - Bronze Team
Savanna Nadeau - Bronze Individual
Kaitlyn Walorz - Bronze Individual and 2nd Place in Written Test
Emily Mullen -  Bronze individual
Madison Smith - Bronze Individual  
Floriculture - Bronze Team
Leeann Carey - Silver Individual
Cora Monast - Bronze Individual
Heather Holmgren - Bronze Individual
Shai Gonsalves - Silver Individual
Environmental and Natural Resources - Gold Team, 7th place
Hannah Medeiros - Gold (16th) Individual
Zachary Pecora - Silver Individual
Bret Tetreault - Silver Individual
Joshua Blanchard - Gold (14th) Individual

Congratulations to all the teams on your hard work and making it to the national level.

We had 12 members who were not competing, join us to experience the convention. These students visited the National FFA center, worked hard on days of service projects, and made new friends from all over the United States. Service projects included pulling weeds, helping educate children and helping out at a food pantry. We are proud of these students for representing our school and chapter so well.

Special thanks to chaperons Mr. Caswell, Mrs. Vantroz, Ms. Harootian, Mr. Flynn and Board of Trustee Member Mr. Mendes for coming on the trip to cheer on and support the Bristol FFA members.

The #BristolAggieNRM FFA #Environmental & #Natural Resources team #won 7th place in #national competition

• Congratulations to our Dairy Evaluation team who placed team bronze. Olivia Larrivee took Home an individual gold placing

• Congratulations to the Bristol FFA Livestock Judging team who placed Bronze at National Convention. Kaity Walorz scored second highest for the written exam. Way to go Kaity and the rest of the livestock team!

Congratulations to the Bristol FFA Flori Team. They placed bronze overall at the National FFA Convention. Lee Ann Carey and Shai Gonsalves placed in silver individual and Heather Holmgren and Cora Monast place in bronze individual.

Monday November 20th:

Due to everyone’s busy schedule, we tried to maximize parents availability on Monday, November 20th.  We will be offering a few different workshops for parents.  As stated previously, we most likely will be eliminating formal midterms that are sent home to parents since teachers are updating grades in Parent-Portals every 10 days. Report cards will continue to be emailed home to families.  For parents who need training on accessing live grade updates,  we will be providing that at 5:00 pm in the library.  (see schedule below)

• 5:00-5:45 pm
• Financial Aid/MEFA Presentation in the Auditorium
• Parent-Portals Workshop in Library
• 6:00-8:00 pm
• Hidden in Plain Sight Exhibit in RM 208 (see flier below for details)
• Parent-Teacher Conferences (sign up through the online portal.  See directions below).

Hidden in Plain Sight:

The display is a mock teenage bedroom that is designed to raise awareness about the signs of addiction or drug use a parent might or might not notice in their child’s room. The items in the room can range from alcohol, tobacco and marijuana related paraphernalia to items associated with prescription drug and heroin use.

The Hidden In Plain Sight initiative will assist parents spot signs of at-risk behaviors by using an interactive display of a teenager’s bedroom. The display will be staffed by volunteers from the district attorney’s office. The volunteers, through the use of the interactive display, will teach parents to see the signs of hidden substance abuse. The program uses a re-created bedroom of a typical teenager to test parents’ knowledge of common items that can be signs that the teen is using drugs or drinking alcohol.

Parent-Teacher Conference Directions/Scheduler:

On Wednesday, November 8th, an online portal will open at 8:00 am that will allow parents and guardians to set up conferences with teachers. Parent Teacher Conferences will be held Monday, November 20th from 6:00-8:00 pm.  The sign-ups for parent teacher conferences will work different this year, as you will need to register to see a teacher through this portal.  All appointments are 8 minutes in duration.  Please do not book appointments back to back since you need to leave time for you to travel from room to room.  In addition, we will have Hidden in Plain Sight available for parents to walk through in RM 208.  This workshop set up in RM 208 is an area to simulate a typical teen’s bedroom to look for signs for drug and alcohol abuse.  Be sure to stop by and speak with Assistant District Attorney Cabrera about what to look for.  

Here are the directions to sign up for parent teacher conferences:

1) Go to: website will be added here on November 8th (an additional email will be sent when the site goes live at 8:00 am).

2) Register  by completing YOUR (not your child’s) First Name, Last Name, Email Address, and Password (twice). Click Register.

3) Go back to )website (link will be added tomorrow) and log in with your email and password.

4) Select Add and Edit Children to enter your child’s names in.

5) Once you have added your children, select Schedule inside the box where it says “Current Child on File.”

6) Select Conference Date “11/20/2017” and then select ALL the Teachers you would like to meet with. Select Submit.

7) Check off one time for each teacher that you previously selected when you are available. Do not book times back to back since you need to consider the time it takes to move between classrooms.  After you have checked off your times, select Home at the top of the screen.

8) Select Schedule Conferences again. This time select print/email to verify and have a record of the conferences you scheduled.

***If anyone needs assistance, please contact Mr. Braga at 508-669-6744***

In the Classroom:

• ELA: Two freshman classes and a junior class recently began using a new teaching tool in Mrs. Noel’s English classes to review literature (Hamlet, Poe, and Short Stories…)  and gather assessment data!

Using Plickers, Mrs. Noel projects questions and answer choices on the board; students have thinking time to problem-solve, and then countdown to a "show cards!" moment where they hold up their answer cards.  Mrs. Noel  then uses the iPad to scan in their answers and the board will update with student results in real-time, indicating which students' responses have been captured with a checkmark next to their names. With Plickers, teachers can reveal the correct answer and even review class data from the "Graph" tab.

• On October 26th the Animal science department along with BA Grows and Food Service staff hosted the directors of the School Nutrition Association of Massachusetts as well as members of the New England Dairy and Food Council. The SNA met to discuss the health and nutrition of the state student lunch program.  They were treated to a lunch grown by the BA Grows program and prepared by the wonderful members of our kitchen staff.  After lunch the group set out on a student led tour of the BA Grows garden and the Animal Science Department to see Bristol Aggies unique farm to table initiative.
• 

• Did you know that the Animal Science Department sells our own pasture raised chicken?  Chickens are sold frozen, whole and are $4/lb.  Research shows that pasture raised meats have less fat and more vitamins and nutrients than conventionally raised.  We have a limited amount of chickens being sold.  If interested please call 508-669-6744 x129 or email lblanchette@bcahs.com

• Animal Science: Dog Wash Saturday November 18th from 9-2. All well mannered dogs are welcome, must bring proof of rabies vaccination. The cost is $20 and includes a brush out, bath, dry, ears cleaned and nails trimmed. Appointments can be made by email: bacaninecenter@bcahs.com or by calling 508-669-6744 x129

First Term Ends November 9th:  

• Do you have access to PlusPortals?
• Reports cards will be posted on PlusPortals on November 15th
• Parents and students can email TechDir@bcahs.com if you have any access problems
• Do you know the difference between the grades on PlusPortals and the grades on the 1st term report card? Grades on PlusPortals are constantly changing, while grades on the report card are final.

Bullying Presentation from District Attorney Quinn’s Office

Eric Poulin and Sheila Cunningham, representatives from the Community Affairs Unit in DA Quinn’s Office,  spoke to our Freshmen and Sophomore classes about bullying and cyber safety. Students learned what bullying is, what it isn’t, the various types of bullying and potential consequences associated with the act.

Bristol Aggie Peer Mentor Program: On Monday, 14 students enjoyed a delicious breakfast to start off the Peer Mentor Program for the 2017-2018 school year. Students will work together from now through May to promote a welcoming atmosphere and maintain the openness of the Bristol Aggie culture.

BCAHS SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council)

The BCAHS SEPAC held their first meeting on 10/30/17 in the school’s library.  At this initial meeting the BYLAWS for the group were developed and the Mission statement has been updated.

We are looking to schedule the Annual Workshop for later this month.  Please be on the lookout for that invitation.  All are invited to attend!

What’s happening in the cafeteria: Menu for week ending 11/10/17

• Monday: Chicken Nuggets Or Caesar Salad Wrap w/cheese stick
• Tuesday: “Sub Your Way”, Turkey, Ham Or Tuna Home Made Cole Slaw
• Wednesday: Rosie’s Mac & Cheese, Or Plain Pasta, Seasoned Carrots
• Thursday: Mixed Seasonal Salad w/chicken Or Mixed Seasonal Salad
• Friday: NO SCHOOL

Breakfast is served every day in the cafeteria and in “Aggie Lounge” Room B-18.

Week Ahead: B Week

• Sunday November 5
• Daylight savings begins move clocks back one hour
• Monday, November 6

• Extends: 2:30-4:00 pm (Library)
• Assembly-Gym (We will introduce our new Superintendent Adele Sands)

• Tuesday, November 7
• Wednesday, November 8

• Parent-Teacher Conference Scheduler goes LIVE @ 8:00 am
• School Council: 6:00 pm in Library
• PTO Meeting: 7:00 pm in Library

• Thursday, November 9-First term ends
• Extends: 2:30-4:00 pm (Library)
• Cross Country Banquet- 6:00 pm in Auditorium  
• Friday, November 10- No School- THANK A VETERAN for their SERVICE
• HINT: We have veterans on staff!
• Thank you Mr. Mendonsa and Mr. J. Costa