LHS Principal's Update 2/28/25
District Calendar: Click here
School Instagram at lhsbluedevilnation
Pre-Prom Information
With prom and graduation season upon us, we are approaching a fun and exciting time for students and their families. We want to urge you to do all that you can to make it a happy and safe time for your teen.
It’s important to remember that it’s a crime to provide alcohol to those under the age of 21, even at a supervised party at your own home. It’s also important to know that if you choose to host a party where you serve alcohol to those under the age of 21, you can be held liable if one of your guests drinks alcohol and harms themselves or others while impaired. Even if you are not actively providing alcohol to underage drinkers, it is a dangerous choice and illegal to harbor or allow for teen drinking parties in your home.
Each year, we lose far too many of our teenagers to motor vehicle crashes, with an increase in alcohol-related traffic fatalities on prom and graduation weekends. As a parent or guardian, you have the opportunity to help ensure the safety of your children and others by helping them make the right choices around drinking and driving.
It’s important to stress to your teens that choices they make can have lasting consequences. It’s imperative that they understand that using good judgment, especially when it comes to drugs, alcohol and distracted driving, can save lives.
With these dangers, we encourage you to take a number of steps to assist your children in staying safe:
• Reinforce your expectations and remind them that there are consequences, both at school and at home if they are caught drinking or using drugs.
• Offer your teens transportation alternatives.
• If you are able to, hire or share professional transportation for your teen’s prom night.
• Give your teen an “out”. Let them blame you if they need to leave a party or situation. Make sure they know they can call or text you to ask for a ride home.
Please view the link regarding Social Host Liability by District Attorney Joseph Earley Jr. and then fill the short survey below. The survey must be completed in order for your student to purchase their prom tickets.
Link for Social Host Liability Video Here
Link for Survey Here
Course Selection
It’s time for students to choose their classes for next year!
We have a lot of information to help you to help your students make good choices for their classes. You can go to the school counseling department website to see the Program of Studies (that’s the course catalog), a presentation we did with students with different options at LHS, a FAQ for parents, and directions on how students will pick classes in Aspen.
Teachers will make recommendations for your student’s core classes (like their next English and Math classes). If you or your student disagree with the recommendations of the teacher, have your student discuss it with the teacher. In the end we will comply with the student’s wishes, but that conversation will help you know what your student may need to do to be successful at the next level.
Students will pick electives and other program offerings at LHS such as foreign language, the arts, and Early College. Remember that we do our best to put students in their top choices, but we can't always make things fit so make sure they have some alternate choices as well.
Students should select their classes by March 7.
Vapes
We have seen an increase in students vaping at school and are renewing our efforts to stop it. Students vaping in the bathrooms create an environment where other students don’t want to use bathrooms.
Students who are caught vaping are subject to increasing disciplinary consequences, which can include completing a smoking cessation course or fines from the Leominster Board of Health.
Please do whatever you can to prevent vapes from ending up in your student’s hands and support us in our efforts to curtail vaping at school.
Cell Phone Task Force
As we continue to explore ways to best support our students and foster a positive school environment, we are in the process of reviewing school policies for cell phone and social media use, addressing some of the challenges our students face in today’s digital age. In order to best plan for a pilot next year at all the high schools, we are organizing a task force to look at this important issue.
We would like a few parents to be part of this working group. If you would like to be part of this work let me know.
MCAS is Coming Up
What are you talking about? I thought there was no more MCAS!
Well yes and no.
Massachusetts voted to eliminate the requirement to pass MCAS as a graduation requirement. By federal law, students still have to take an assessment of their skills, which is the MCAS, it just doesn’t determine whether or not they receive a diploma. LHS still has to have a high enough number of students take the MCAS to meet the requirements of the law, and the school itself still gets evaluated based on how well students do on the test.
So the good news is that the MCAS should be a less stressful experience for students. The data will only be used to help us make education better, not to pass judgment on students. And doing well on it can help them to get additional benefits like qualifying for the Adams Scholarship, the Presidential Scholar Program, and the Massachusetts Seal of Bi-Literacy.
The ELA MCAS will be taken by grade 10 students on March 25 and 26. The state department of education has published a Frequently Asked Questions page to address changes to the MCAS at https://mcusercontent.com/d8f37d1a90dacd97f207f0b4a/files/8eaaf0b1-29d7-6ec7-18d3-a45618a560e4/DESE_CD_FAQ_updated_12_11_2024.pdf
ASVAB Test
The Armed Services Vocational Battery Career Exploration program (ASVAB CEP) is a multiple aptitude battery that measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational successes in the military. It is designed to help students make informed career decisions based on their skills and interests. The ASVAB CEP offers students a chance to explore all paths to careers - college, certifications, apprenticeships, licensure programs, and the Military - in one place
The ASVAB is being offered to juniors and seniors on Thursday, March 13th at 7:30 in the media center.
Copy and paste this link to register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf86TSEjEGKUKGd5BiUDs2TNs8wIimNrICxBD7en0sb9x63vA/viewform?usp=dialog
Flamingo Show Choir Festival
Leominster High School's award-winning Ignition Show Choir is proud to be hosting our first competition at LHS on Saturday March 8, 2025. Come see 10 show choirs from all over New England come to Leominster to perform and compete. Performances will take place from 10 am to 4 pm. Tickets are $20 for the entire day and can be purchased at the door or online. Please visit https://our.show/leominsterflamingoshowchoir2025 to purchase tickets and view the schedule. For more information please contact Ignition Director Arthur Pierce at arthur.pierce@leominsterps.org
Graduation. Seniors, order your cap and gown!
There are still a lot of students who have not stopped by the office to verify the spelling of their name for their diploma. It feels like it is a long way off but graduation will be here before you know it and it takes time to prepare diplomas! Check in with your senior to make sure they have verified their name with the office.
Graduation is quickly approaching! One of the first things your student must do is order their cap and gown. The link has been provided below.
You will notice there is more than one option to choose from. For graduation you need the basic; cap, gown and tassel (essential package). Any additional items are optional.
https://jostens.my.canva.site/leominster-class-of-2025
Yearbooks
Students can order the 2025 yearbook! Deadline to order one is March 28, 2025. Use this link to buy yours:
https://www.buytheyearbook.com/en/
Attendance Data
Attendance is absolutely essential for academic success. Ideally, our attendance would be above 95% of students present every day.
Right now we are at around 91.7% for the year. Please make every effort to get your student to school as much as possible.
Attendance over the last 10 school days:
Grade 9: 90.6%
Grade 10: 90.1%
Grade 11: 90%
Grade 12: 88.5%
Substitute Teachers
LHS has need of a few people with a lot of patience and savviness to help us out as substitute teachers. Please email me if you are interested.
School Schedule next week: Shop Week A
Monday: Day 4
Tuesday: Day 5
Wednesday: Day 6
Thursday: Day 7
Friday: Day 1
Next Week’s Athletic Schedule
https://arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=12673
Reminders:
MCAS Update
The state department of education has published a Frequently Asked Questions page to address the ballot question change to the MCAS. The page can be viewed at https://mcusercontent.com/d8f37d1a90dacd97f207f0b4a/files/8eaaf0b1-29d7-6ec7-18d3-a45618a560e4/DESE_CD_FAQ_updated_12_11_2024.pdf
To summarize, passing the MCAS test is no longer required for students to receive a diploma; instead they must meet the local graduation requirements, which can be found on page 15 in the LHS Student Handbook (https://www.leominsterps.org/schools/leominster-high-school/index).
In compliance with federal law, students will still take the MCAS, but do not need to pass it to graduate. Leominster High School itself will still be evaluated by the state based on MCAS scores. MCAS scores will also be used to determine eligibility for the Adams Scholarship, the Koplik Certificate of Mastery Award, and the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy, so there is still significant incentive for students to perform well on MCAS, without facing a negative impact if they do not pass the test.
Transportation
This year we are continuing the use of the First View bus app. This user-friendly tool allows families to monitor school bus routes in real time. The link to instructions can be found on our website and Facebook page. The district code is T7G3. If you have questions or issues with buses, please email transportation@leominsterps.org. School bus routes are on the district website at https://www.leominsterps.org/.
Calling for student absences
If your student is going to be absent please call the school at 978-534-7715. The absence line is option 1.
If you get an auto-call that your student is marked as absent and you think they are at school, don’t panic. Sometimes they accidentally get marked absent (especially with a sub) and sometimes they do cut class. Call the school and we will confirm they are not here.
School Attendance:
It is essential for you to get your student to school as much as possible. I am compelled by law to work to get your student to school as often as possible. Absences are excused by a doctor or dentist’s note, court appearance, college visit, driving license appointment. Vacations are not excused absences.
Student Dismissals
If you need to dismiss your student you can send them to school with a note to bring to the office when they get to school. Your student will receive a pass to be dismissed and can just check out at the office when it is time for them to go. You won’t need to come into the school and it’s much faster than coming in to dismiss your student.
Please have the note state the time you need the student to leave, not the time of the appointment!
Immigration Resources
The District has added a page of resources related to immigration.
Joshua Romano
Principal