LHS Principal's Update 6/3/25
District Calendar: Click here
School Instagram at lhsbluedevilnation
A little late this week because of graduation.
MCAS
The Biology MCAS will be taken by grade 9 students on June 4 and 5.
You can support your student’s success on the MCAS by doing the following:
1. Make sure they arrive to school on time on the test days.
2. Make sure they get a good night sleep the night before and eat breakfast that morning
3. Make sure they charge their Chromebook (the test is done online)
4. Make sure they understand that they have to do their best in order to graduate
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
Underclassman Awards
Underclassman Awards are Thursday at 6:30 PM in the High School Auditorium
Finals
Final Exams start on June 10th. The schedule is below.
Students only need to be at school for their exams; they can come late if they don’t have a 7:30 exam and can leave early if they don’t have a period 5 exam. If they don’t have any exams on a particular day they don’t need to come to school at all and the day does not count as an unexcused absence. There was some scuttlebutt on Leominster Facebook groups that students aren’t allowed in the building if they don’t have an exam. C’mon Leominster, you know better than to listen to social media! We don’t have much for them to do if they don’t have an exam, but we don’t just kick them out into the street if they finish their exam at 9:00 and don’t have another one!
Monday and Tuesday are make-up exam days. Students will not be marked absent if they do not come in because they have completed their exams, and on those days we only want students making up exams to come to school (maybe that’s what the Facebook talk was referencing).
Summer School
This summer we will be returning to the pre-COVID model of in-person summer school. Although we will be able to make some accommodations for families who will not be in Leominster, the primary format for Summer School will be a five week in person program Monday through Thursday starting the first week of July.
I am having staff reach out to families of students who are in danger of failing a course for the year next week, and I will send an email out as well to make sure families know what help their student can get so they don’t fail, and about summer school in case they do fail.
Summer Basketball
See the attached flyer for summer basketball information
Attendance Data
Attendance is absolutely essential for academic success. Ideally, our attendance would be above 95% of students present every day. Things have gotten better this last week!
Attendance over the last 10 school days:
Grade 9: 91.6%
Grade 10: 92.3%
Grade 11: 89.3%
Job Postings
We have started to post to replace our retirees for next year so if you have a friend or colleague that you think would be a great fit send them to school spring. Right now we have postings for:
· Spanish
· Chemistry
· Biology
· Special Education
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.
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