MERHS News 1/23, 1/24, 1/27 & 1/28 Midterm Exams 1/23 Program of Studies 2015 posted 1/28 High School Spot Light at School Committee 1/29 Second semester begins 2/5 Final semester grades posted. 1/23 2/7 Teachers discuss course selection options with students 2/10 2/28 Course selection completed on Aspen We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character that is the goal of education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate. Martin Luther King, Jr. Midterm Schedule Thursday, January 23 7:45 9:15 Exam A block 9:30 11:00 Exam B block 11:04-12:34 E block 12:38 1:08 D block 1:12 1:41 F block 1:45-2:15 G block Lunch 1 11:00 11:30 Lunch 2 11:30-12:00 Lunch 12:00-12:30 Friday, January 24 8:00 9:30 Exam C block 15 minute break between exams 10:00 11:30 Exam D block Monday, January 27 8:00 9:30 Exam E block 10:00 11:30 Exam F block Tuesday, January 28 8:00 9:30 Exam G block 10:00 11:30 Make Up
. P a g e 2 DECA News Our 2013 2014 MERHS DECA team concluded their District VI Competition held at the Danvers Double Tree on January 9, 2014. Many students met with success in the largest district conference in Massachusetts. MERHS competed against approximately 800 students in a high stakes single role play, single written exam format to earn the opportunity to continue DECA competition at the State level. Thirty four of sixty four students qualified for MA DECA State level competition. Eight teams, each comprised of two students, won in five categories. Fourteen individual students won in eleven individual categories. Five additional students, three individuals and one team, are sitting in the first alternate positions and are waiting for bump-up notifications upon any drops from other schools. MERHS will send an additional four students to compete in the DECA Quiz Bowl, a Jeopardy styled event that runs for two days. The DECA State Competition (SCDC) is March 6-8, 2014 held at the Marriott Copley Place in Boston. The top 1,600 students, who each won within their own district, will do battle for the international team slots. The students will take two 100 question exams and perform two role plays within a span of 18 hours to qualify for International competition (ICDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. Here are the winners: First Last First Last Name First Last Name Breanna Arnold Courtney Feuerbach Jake Ostrovitz John Bruce Kelly Finnerty Lydia Parker William Burnham Rachael Gallagher Alyssa Reeves Delaney Byrne Jack Hennigan David Reid Chris Carr Charlie Hoff Chelsea Rose Sydney Christopher Samantha Kane Matt Sharkey Troy Ciarametaro William Kannengieser Madeline Shaw Andy Creighton Hope Kincaid Alyssa Shepard Emily Davis Alexandra Leventis Sophia Sortwell Christopher Dente Christopher McAauliff Devon Towle Parker Edington James Marshall Zachary Trembowicz Adam MacFarland M E R H S N e w s
Guidance News Seniors Mid- Year Reports will be sent to all colleges to which seniors have applied beginning the week of February 10 th after report cards have been posted. Scholarships: Seniors should check Naviance weekly for scholarship opportunities. Scholarships are located on Naviance under the Colleges tab. Click on Scholarship Applications for a detailed list of scholarship opportunities and applications. Gap Year Fair Phillips Academy Andover Saturday, February 1, 2014; 3:00 pm-5:00 pm Register at www.eventbrite.com/event/9448088487?ref=ebtnebregn Seniors & Juniors New England Institute of Technology is conducting an essay contest for any interested junior or senior. The contests are designed to encourage students to explore career choices and the employment skills required. Contest and registration information can be found on NEIT s website, www.neit.edu Juniors & Sophomores Boston University will be hosting a special Winter Visit Day for sophomores, juniors and their families to learn more about Boston University. These events will include an in-depth information session, covering everything from student life to study abroad opportunities to what makes an application competitive for admission. Guests will also have the opportunity to visit schools and colleges to learn about specific academic programs and will tour BU's residential community. Lunch will be provided in one of the dining halls. Winter Visit Day: Friday, February 21, 2014 Boston University George Sherman Union 775 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, Massachusetts Registration: 8:30 a.m. Program: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. For more information about Winter Visit Day, please BU s website.
Green Team Update Submitted by: Rachel Daley and Olivia Lantz Since the Manchester Essex Middle High school students have come back from winter recess, composting in the dining hall has been less than satisfactory. The system in the dining hall is specific and needs to be followed in order to maintain our status as greenest school in the state. Over the past couple of weeks there has been too much cross contamination. If a bin of compost is contaminated it is no longer qualified to be used as compost and is simply thrown away in the trash. This is an issue that can be easily fixed if students take the time and effort to place their trash in the correct places. Thank you for your cooperation. Green Tip of the Day Instead of using warm water to wash your clothes try using cold water. This simple change can reduce your carbon footprint 1600 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Heating hot water uses 90% of the energy consumed by a washing machine. Cold washes save money and are good for the environment. Make the change today! Advisory 2.0 Workshop Wednesday: On March 12th, students will have the opportunity to participate in a workshop or seminar. The workshop will last for 130 minutes. We are looking for parents, community and faculty members to lead workshops on hobbies, interests, talents, etc. If you would be interested in participating in Workshop Wednesday, please contact Sarah DeLuca at delucas@mersd.org. Deadline is January 27th. Class of 2015 Fundraiser The Class of 2015 is holding a Casino Night on March 28th. This will be an extremely fun event for adults (ages of 21 and over) to spend time experiencing a taste of Las Vegas. There will be drinks, food, and even some prizes. See any of your class 2015 officers for more information on the event. This is a unique opportunity that one doesn t want to miss. Come and help the Class of 2015!
Important Course Selection Information 2014 2015 Iis amazing, but the high school is already looking ahead to the 2014-2015 school year. We will begin the course scheduling process at the end of January. Given this timeline is more accelerated than past years, below please find a detailed explanation of each step of the scheduling process. The objective of this communication is to help families to understand the process and to prompt students and parents to begin discussions about course selection. 1/23/2013 The Program of Studies will be posted on website. The Program of Studies provides an overview of MERHS graduation requirements, explanation of levels, overview of post-secondary planning and course descriptions. Please note that courses listed in the Program of Studies may not run if adequate enrollment is not met. 1/23-2/7 Teachers discuss course options with students in classes. Teachers will provide students with an overview of the appropriate course selections for the upcoming year including level recommendations. They will describe elective opportunities with students. Teachers will put their recommendation of appropriate course and level for students into Aspen. 2/10-2/28 Students complete signup of courses in Aspen. The guidance department will meet with students in the computer lab to go through the online course selection process. If a student does not agree with the course recommended by a teacher they may initiate the override process described in the Program of Studies book. 2/28-3/17 Counselors meet with students to discuss their academic plan. If a student does not complete the sign up process and/or there are questions about students selections, the guidance department will meet with students on a one to one basis. 3/18 The number of students that sign up for each course will be available for review by the principal and department heads. 3/25-4/5 Department heads will discuss course offerings and the appropriate number of sections with the Principal. Each department head will work collaboratively with the Principal to determine the breakdown of course sections and elective offerings. The goal of these meetings is to optimize the use of program sections to meet the needs of all students. 4/5-4/30 Master schedule building 4/30-5/10 Teacher schedules given to department heads for review May Counselors will meet with all students to review schedules resolve conflicts as necessary. Counselors will assure that courses are in line with graduation requirements and meet the student s individual needs as they pertain to his/her four year plan. June Final Run Students will receive their final schedules for the 2014-2015 school year. It is hoped these detailed descriptions will help students and parents to navigate the scheduling process. I am always available to unscramble any confusion, as are our guidance personnel. Please feel free to contact any of us with questions or concerns.