Bristol County Agricultural High School: Aggie Weekly-September 13th

Good Afternoon Students, Parents, and Community Members:

This week was our first full week school for the year! Today is the first day that parents will be able to check grades in PowerSchool ParentPortal (click here for the Parent User Guide). Teachers will update their grades every two weeks. If you need to contact them before then for an update, please do so (see emails below). We were definitely back in the swing of things as our Landscape Contracting and Design students rehauled Dighton Town Hall softball field where we play our home games. It’s always a great opportunity to work in our community and demonstrate our skills to make improvements.

Parent-Teacher Night:

Welcome to another school year. We look forward to seeing you all at our Parent/Teacher Nights taking place on Thursday, September 19, 2019 and Thursday, November 14, 2019. Our September evening will be structured as a welcome with an opportunity to hear from your student’s teachers. Please bring your student with you as you will be following his/her Thursday “A week” schedule as outlined below. All Physical Education classes will be addressed during our welcome in the gymnasium. Freshmen Vocational Teachers will be introduced during periods 1 & 2 in the gymnasium. Unless indicated otherwise, please follow your student’s schedule and room assignments on the next page. A map has also been provided. Please feel free to visit the library during lunch periods to activate your ParentPortal (click here for the Parent User Guide) account if you have not done so already. Our November evening will be structured in a format that allows for brief 1:1 time and an opportunity to discuss your student’s progress in a more personalized manner. More information will be sent in the future.

This school year we will communicate academic progress via ParentPortal. Every teacher at BCAHS will be posting grades to the ParentPortal system approximately every two weeks. Once you have registered your ParentPortal account, you will receive an automated email every time your students’ teacher posts an update. Please be sure to check the portal regularly as important information from our Student Services Department is also posted throughout the year. We look forward to seeing you on September 19th.

On top of the world: Aggie freshman climb trees as they try out programs: Bristol County Agricultural High School freshmen got a chance to try out different program activities this week, including climbing trees with arboriculture instructor Missy Duffy. The Section 3 freshmen tackled climbing a white oak tree, up to 40 feet in the air. (photos courtesy of Mike Gay). Click here for the full story and to purchase the photos.

NRM: Last weekend NRM was in Lakeville speaking with the community about our turtles.

Bristol Aggie Foundation: On Saturday, the Bristol County Aggie Foundation held its 3rd Annual Farm to Table Dinner. The goal is to raise money for student scholarships that will be distributed in early spring 2020. We would like to thank the 250 guests for attending and supporting our students. See a few photos below, and click here for all 58 photos from the event. (Photos courtesy Robert Hughes/Standard Times)

In the Classroom:

Landscape: All of our landscape students were all hands on deck on Tuesday, September 10th working to make some upgrades to the softball field our team uses in the spring. We look forward to playing here in the spring. We appreciate how Dighton has always supported our efforts. #BAPride

AP Literature: In Mrs. Szurley’s AP Literature class, students were working on the By the Waters of Babylon text.

Landscape: VoAg 4 students learning the trade and the secret to maintaining the most beautiful campus. #BAPRIDE

Soil Science: In Mr. Cook’s Soil class, students brought in samples from home. They performed a ribbon test to determine the soil type.

Biology: Mr. Surdi demos a lab experiment in bio

Library Media Center:

Attention Students and Parents: We want to share as many resources as possible regarding the dangers of vaping. Finally, it is getting the national attention it deserves as the harmful effects have not been reported.

Massachusetts Resources

My Life, My Quit is a free resource to help youth quit vaping. Massachusetts promotional materials coming soon.

Teens can call or text “start my quit” to 1.855.891.9989 or they can visit www.mylifemyquit.com for real-time coaching.
Through the program, teens work with a coach who listens and understands their unique needs, provides personalized support, and helps them build a quit plan to become free from nicotine.

The Department of Public Health released a 2 minute video to educate parents about the harms of vaping: The New Look of Nicotine Addiction. The video can be used as a public service announcement on public access channels, newsletters, blogs, emails, social media (especially parent Facebook groups), presentations, etc.
Reminder that there are free materials from the Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse for the youth campaign: Vapes & Cigarettes: Different Products Same Dangers and the adult/parent campaign: The New Look of Nicotine Addiction.

The school toolkit has best practice resources, strategies, curriculums, etc.

National Resources

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Tobacco-Free Kids partnered with Michael Bloomberg for a new $160 million initiative called Protect Kids: Fight Flavored E-Cigs.

The video features a Boston physician, Milton High School Principal, previous Holbrook Middle High School student Sarah Ryan.
Twitter: @noflavoredecigs

Truth Initiative

FDA Real Cost Campaign

New FDA Webpage on Respiratory Illnesses Associated with Use of Vaping Products

Updates

President Trump announced Wednesday that the administration will move to force e-cigarette companies to take flavored vaping products off the market

FDA Press Release: Trump Administration Combating Epidemic of Youth E-Cigarette Use with Plan to Clear Market of Unauthorized, Non-Tobacco-Flavored E-Cigarette Products

CDC Health Advisory: Severe Pulmonary Disease Associated with Using E-Cigarette Products

Youth and young adults should not use e-cigarette products.
Women who are pregnant should not use e-cigarette products.
Adults who do not currently use tobacco products should not start using e-cigarette products.
If you do use e-cigarette products, you should not buy these products off the street (for example, e-cigarette products with THC or other cannabinoids).
You should not modify e-cigarette products or add any substances to these products that are not intended by the manufacturer.
Adult smokers who are attempting to quit should use evidence-based treatments, including counseling and FDA-approved medications. If you need help quitting tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, contact your doctor or other medical provider.

CDC Urges Clinicians to Report Possible Cases of Unexplained Vaping-associated Pulmonary Illness to their State/Local Health Department.

The MA Department of Public Health released an advisory regarding vape-related pulmonary illnesses using the MDPH Health and Homeland Alert Network listserv to all MA registered Internal Medicine, Pediatrician, Family Practice, General Practice, Pulmonologist, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care Physicians and Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants.
Subject line: Mass. Clinicians: Please Inform Mass. DPH of Possible Cases of Vaping Related Pulmonary Illness
Body of email: A new recommendation from the CDC encourages physicians to report cases of significant, unexplained respiratory illness and a history of vaping to the state health department. As a result, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is requesting that clinicians flag any cases of respiratory illness possibly linked to vaping.

FDA Warns JUUL Labs for Marketing Unauthorized Modified Risk Tobacco Products; Requests Additional Documents and Information

FDA says JUUL illegally marketed their products as safer than smoking.

Events & Webinars

From Kool to JUUL: The Flavored Tobacco Crisis. Tobacco Free Mass will bring together national experts to examine the way the tobacco industry has used flavors, especially menthol, to target people of color and young people. We’ll look at the history and the impact of flavored tobacco and consider options for policy change.

September 24, 2019 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Massachusetts Medical Society, Waltham
Register online here. Tickets are $100; Dues-paying members of Tobacco Free Mass receive 1-2 tickets free. Scholarships and reduced rates are available.

Webinar: An Analysis of Menthol Cigarette Pricing in Boston, Massachusetts

Monday, September 16, 2019 from 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET
No Registration Required

Webinar: Tobacco Retail Environment in Massachusetts

Thursday, September 26, 2019 from 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET
No Registration Required

Webinar: Flavored Tobacco Product Restrictions in Massachusetts: Impact on Availability and Youth Use

Thursday, October 24, 2019 from 2:00 - 3:30 PM ET
No Registration Required

From The Nurse’s Office:

Students requiring medication to be taken at school, both daily or as needed- Especially Epipens, inhalers, etc. Please bring in medication AND the medication order.

Students playing sports should bring in an updated physical as soon as possible.

Please return Emergency Contact Forms.

Have a Happy and Healthy week!!

Dear Bristol Aggie Families,

As a reminder, we are instituting a state mandated screening program in tenth grade related to the use of alcohol, marijuana and other substances. The Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program screening process is part of our annual state mandated screening program. All screenings are interview based and will be conducted in confidential individual sessions by our Student Services staff. The screenings will take place on September 23rd and 25th. We will utilize the CRAFFT II screening tool which is the most commonly used substance use screening tool for adolescents in Massachusetts.

If you would like to opt your child out of this screening, please provide the school with written notification. You may opt out by sending in a note to my attention or by emailing me at bboudreau@bcahs.com. In addition, screening is voluntary and students may choose not to answer any or all of the screening questions.

We encourage all guardians to speak with their children about substance use. For ideas on how to begin these conversations and other helpful information, please refer to the Substance Use Screening portion of the Student Services page on the Bristol Aggie website for references and information. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Beth Boudreau

School Adjustment Counselor

508-669-6744 x.163

bboudreau@bcahs.com

Activities and Athletics:

Girls Soccer: On Monday, the girls soccer team kicked off their season at home by hosting Coyle and Cassidy. The girls played well despite losing their first game.

Volleyball: On Tuesday, Varsity Volleyball started their season by hosting Avon. Girls played well and earned their first victory of the season.

Cross Country: Cross Country students stretching out after a good practice on Thursday.

FFA:
Click here to access the information for the Big E Freshman trip.

Information for those students competing at the Big E, click here. We will be staying at the Springhill Suites, Windsor CT.

MSBA Update: This week our project started on the new student parking lot behind Agricultural Mechanics. In addition, they started work to make room for the student commons in the old animal science parking lot.