Copy - Nov 23 Newsletter

Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School

NEWSLETTER

November 2023

Upcoming Events

from the principal

• No School 11/10

• Trimester 1 Ends 11/21

• Thanksgiving Break 11/22-24

Hello OC Community,

• Early Release 11/29

It is hard to believe October is behind us and the holiday season is rapidly approaching..There are a number of great things going on here at school. Our Drama club is working hard on their winter production. It will be here before you know it. Our football team will be playing Narragansett High School on Friday at 7pm in the first round of the MIAA state playoffs. Winter sports start on November 27th (Monday). We are continuing our partnership in a Wrestling Co-op with Middleboro High School. Anyone interested in trying this great sport, please see Mr.Trahan for details. Our clubs are up and running and well attended. We continue to celebrate success all around. Please help us with our Food Pantry. If you know of any family in need of some help or you want to donate any non-perishable food items, please contact the main office at (508) 763-8011. Don't forget to attend our third annual Winter Wonderland event on Saturday, December 15th from 5:30-7:30 with Santa’s arrival scheduled for 6pm. Put this event on your calendar. It will be bigger and better than last year. We have come to the end of the first trimester. It is hard to believe we are one-third through the year. I want to thank all students and staff for their focus and commitment to learning. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving break wherever you may travel. Be Well, Mr. Parker

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Vocational Shops

The classes of 2025 and 2026 are hosting a yum-raiser! We have partnered with See's Candies to offer you delicious treats for the holiday season. See's candies was founded over 100 years ago in California and has been offering delicious creations ever since. They have a wide variety of products and make a great gift or addition to any gathering. Orders can be placed online through the class link and will be shipped directly to you. Orders over $70 will receive free shipping. Thank you for your support.

Class of 2026

Class of 2025

Old Colony Heart Closet

Old Colony Heart Closet is running a Food Drive with non-perishable food items for those in need this holiday season and throughout the rest of the year. If any families are in need, please contact the main office at 508 -763-8011. If any one wants to donate items, please bring them to the main office of the high school between the hours of 8am and 2:45pm. Thank you and let’s make this a great holiday season for everyone.

Academic News

Advanced Placement (AP) Updates

Upcoming End of Trimester

Time flies and the end of the first trimester is almost here! Students and parents can check grades any time by logging into the SchoolBrains community portal. This is also where report cards will be posted, so if you need login help, please contact Ms. Lestage (blestage@oldcolony.info) in guidance.

As part of the AP experience we have partnered with Mass Insight for Education and our students get to attend two Saturday Sessions per year at no cost. The Saturday Study Session schedule for the remainder of 23-24 school year is:

ELA Session II: February 10, 2024 (virtual) Environmental Science Session I: November 18, 2023 (virtual) Session II: April 27, 2024 @ Durfee High School Computer Science Session I: December 16, 2023 (Virtual) Session II: April 6, 2024 @ New Bedford High School Calculus & Precalculus Session I: Jan 27, 2024 (Virtual) Session II: Mar 2, 2023 @ New Bedford High School

Excellence Cabinet

Hard work breeds excellence and we want to recognize the following students and teachers who committed their time on a Saturday to attend the first AP Saturday Session of the year last month:

Beth Whinnem - AP English Literature Teacher

Grade 11 - AP Lang Students Anna Burke Ayvia DaSilva Griffin Lanzoni Kelly Quin Jonah Riggs Olivia Rodrigues

Grade 12 - AP Lit Students Dominic Goncalves TJ Graber Bruce Maksy Brendon Mills Lucas Pimental Ben Ponte Owen Quin Trevor St. Amand Andrew Wronski

Several of our AP Instructors recently attended a two day professional development and spent their time with College Board trainers and fellow AP teachers from across the state. Thank you to Ms. Michelle Falcon, Ms. Marcie Gamelin, Mr. Ryan Lewis, Mr. Sean Riley, Ms. Amber Roderick, Ms. Laurie Smith, and Ms. Beth Whinnem for your continued commitment.

After School Days: All teachers are available either on Tuesday or Thursday of each week, so be sure to take advantage of this time. If you don’t remember your teacher’s late day, remember to ask, check the syllabus or Google Classroom.

Cougar Connection Our Library is open every Monday - Thursday until 4:30. Be sure to stop in if you want to use any of the library resources, form study or homework groups with your classmates, or just need a place to get some work done before heading home, work, or practice. There will be teachers in the library all four days to answer your questions. Students who drive or can arrange for a ride home are welcome to stay until 4:30. We also have late buses Mon - Th that depart at 3:50.

Late Bus We have late buses available Monday - Thursday every week, with the exception of half days or days where we don’t have school. Buses leave promptly at 3:50pm.

Vocational News

Cooperative Education Program:

Exploratory Program: We are at the mid-point of the Exploratory Program! Just a reminder, take time to review the expectations and requirements for each technical program, included in the Exploratory Assembly Handout, prior to entering each exploratory selection. These expectations and requirements will have an impact on your program's exploratory grade, which could affect your ultimate shop assignment.

We would like to congratulate the following students for their participation in our Cooperative Education Program:

• McKenna Benoit - Hair Society
• Nevaeh Benting - Nemasket Healthcare
• Tyler Columbe - A&M Associates
• Christopher Darcy - Fiske Construction
• Hannah Escobar - Prism Salon
• Aaliyah Ingham - Cottages at Dartmouth Village
• Madison Laughlin - Key to Beauty
• Bruce Masky - Electromechanica
• Olivia Meelia - Hair Society
• Milan Mendes - Altair Salon & Spa
• Jeremy Miller - Carey Auto, Inc.
• Abigail Pitts - Peterson Electric
• Ethan Rogers - A&M Associates
• Collin Tetrault - Fern Equipment
• Trevor Studley - Edgeone LLC

Non-Traditional Career Assembly: Our annual Non-Traditional Career Assembly will be held for 9th-grade students on Wednesday, November 8th. A non-traditional career, as defined by the US Department of Labor, is an occupation in which individuals from one gender comprise less than 25% of the individuals employed in such occupation. At the end of December, students will complete their Exploratory Program and will be making their selections for a permanent vocational-technical program. Before they make their program selections, Old Colony holds this assembly so that students can hear from and talk with individuals who are employed in non-traditional careers. This assembly is an important step in a student's decision-making process as studies have shown that students are more likely to select non-traditional career paths when they engage in activities that allow them to identify their abilities, develop occupational goals, and gain a sense of belonging within the professional environment.

Health Careers: The 11th-grade Health Careers students have begun their clinical rotation at the Newfield House in Plymouth, MA. Here they will apply the skills learned in the past 2 years and provide quality, compassionate care to the elderly residents. They are eager to apply their nursing assistant skills and learn about and develop relationships with the elderly population.

We would also like to thank our industry partners for their support of our Cooperative Education Program and for hiring our students to work at their place of employment. We rely on our industry partners to support our mission of preparing and supporting students for the global demands of society and the workforce through rigorous vocational-technical experiences that foster responsible, productive citizens in our community. Please see our website for more information: https://oldcolony.us/departments/technical-programs/co-op-program/

Athletic News

OC football team has won the MAC Championship. This is their third consecutive MAC championship. With a convincing win, the final score of 12-0 over South Shore, our team displayed tremendous skill, determination, and teamwork. This remarkable achievement is a testament to their dedication and hard work. The team will host this Friday night in the MIAA playoffs Narragansett HS at 7pm. We extend our congratulations to each member of the football team, as well as our coaching staff. Go Cougars!

https://www.ocathletics.info/

CO-OP Ice Hockey Update

Guidance News

Continued...

*Follow the guidance department on Facebook - Old Colony Guidance Department - for all things happening in guidance*

SAT Information:

2023 Paper & Pencil SAT SAT Test Date: December 2 (Location of your choosing) Register by November 2 Late Registration Deadline: November 21 Visit Collegeboard.org for more information/registration

Guidance Upcoming Events:

11/9: Cougar Time: College Applications (Gr. 12) 11/13: Cougar Time: Lasell College Informational Session with admissions counselor Amanda Furtado (Gr. 12) 11/15: Cougar Time: Fitchburg State University Informational Session with admissions counselor Barbara Parece (Gr. 12) 11/17: Cougar Time: Mass Maritime Informational Session with admissions counselor Albert Seitz (Gr. 12) 11/27 & 11/30: MyCAP (goal planning and interest assessments) (Gr. 9) 12/13: Bristol Community College On-Site Admissions (Gr. 12) 12/14: Cougar Time: College Applications (Gr. 12) 12/18: Cougar Time: Bristol Community College Informational Session with admission counselor Jenna DeBortoli (Gr. 12)

2024 Digital SAT

SAT Test Date: March 9, 2024 (Location of your choosing) Register by February 23, 2024 Late Registration Deadline: February 27, 2024 Visit Collegeboard.org for more information/registration

Guidance Counselor Information:

Kelly Hevey, khevey@oldcolony.info, x128: House & Mill Carpentry, Health Careers, Metal Fabrication & Joining Technology, Electrical, Freshmen with last names beginning with A-F Caitlin Vandal, cvandal@oldcolony.info, x127: Automotive Technology, Business Technology, Computer Science, Cosmetology, Machine & Tool, Freshmen with last names beginning with G-O Daniel Wright, dwright@oldcolony.info, x129: Architecture & Engineering Technology, Culinary Arts, Electronics Engineering Technology, Graphic Communication & Design, Freshmen with last names beginning with P-Z Adjustment Counselor Information: Scott Boyle, sboyle@oldcolony.info, x149 Guidance Secretary Information: Brittany Lestage, blestage@oldcolony.info, x126

October Highlights in the OC Counseling Center:

• College/Career Planning sessions with all seniors
• UMass Dartmouth College Info Session
• College Financing and Information Evening
• College applications with seniors
• Writing letters of recommendation
• Signing Co-op paperwork for seniors
• On-going student support as needed

Guidance News

Continued...

Rochester Holiday Helping Angels:

Important Senior College Planning Information:

The Holiday Helping Angels are a group of Rochester-based volunteers with the mission to provide ROCHESTER families in need with Thanksgiving food bags as well as Christmas food bags and gifts. Christmas gifts include both items that are "needed" and others that are on a "wish list". All food and gifts are provided by donations from several community organizations and citizens. This project is coordinated by a retired RMS teacher, Rochester Senior Center Outreach Office, and Plumb Library Youth Services. To sign-up for assistance, families (or individuals) must complete the following Request Form by 11/10/2023. These forms are confidential and are delivered directly to the Holiday Helping Angels coordinators. Here is the link which ROCHESTER families need to access to sign-up for holiday help: Holiday Helping Angels Request Form *only available for residents of Rochester*

If your students are applying for need-based financial aid, we know the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is changing! A couple of helpful points:

Each FAFSA contributor – student and parent(s) – must create an FSA ID and password to log in. You MUST have a FAFSA ID before beginning the FAFSA form.

It will take 3-4 days to receive your FAFSA ID once you apply for it. Starting this year, contributors must give consent to share IRS data with FAFSA. FAFSA will be available for the 2024-25 academic year in December or January. Be sure your students choose the correct academic year when completing.

What is the Common Application?

The Common Application is a single online college application form used by over 900 colleges and universities. Instead of filling out the same general information—like your address, GPA, and extracurriculars— a dozen times, you only have to do it once. Community Colleges do not use the Common App.

Athletics

Athletics

Athletics

Athletics

Guidance News

Wareham New Bedford Elks Lodge Student of the Month: Senior Lindsey Bacchiocchi of the Electrical vocational program was identified as the Wareham New Bedford Elks Lodge Student of the Month for October. Congratulations, Lindsey!

See attached flyers for upcoming College/Career Fairs, job opportunities, and community opportunities.

Athletics

Athletics

Athletics

Athletics