This Week at BMHS September 26 - October 2, 2017

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

 September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and in honor, we are declaring this week "Fill the GOLD boot and Kick Childhood Cancer Week".  All week, there will be four GOLD Boots on the stage in the cafe.  One for each class: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors.  We are asking that each class fill their boot with spare change, ones, fives, tens, etc... Friday during C Lunch, the officers of the class that has filled their GOLD boot with the most money will get to pie the officers of the class that has filled their GOLD boot with the least money in the faces.  If all of the classes raise a minimum of $500 together, the winning class officers will get to pie Mr. Murphy in the face!  The money will then be donated to the Jimmy Fund to support Childhood Cancer Research.  So, please join in and help fill your Advisory's GOLD boot all week and Kick Childhood Cancer!

Special thanks to the following students for "kicking" off this year's campaign:

Sarah Smith

Adina Marshall

Alyssa Moore

Jillian Carbone

Malerie Glasser

Victoria West

Shannon McCormack

Sreyas Yennampelli

Ashwin Chitoor

Jacquie Holden

Jenna Hill

Aiden Cliff

Dylan Walker

Brandon Mahoney

Jess Panaligan

School Building Tours 1977 and 1978

We will be welcoming home the Class of 1977 and 1978 this Saturday, September 30 from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. Aside from touring the building and reminiscing about their favorite moments, we will also be hosting a beam signing for the new building. The beam will be located at the entrance to the Shawmut Field Office (behind the building on 35 River Street). The beam(s) will be available until noon time on Saturday. There will also be another opportunity at the "topping off" ceremony near Thanksgiving.

BlackOut Bullying

This Wednesday, September 27 marks the district's annual BlackOut Bullying Day. The high school will be addressing these concerns in a few ways. We will be ....  On October 3rd and 4th we will be hosting our first ever Challenge Days. Challenge Day uses highly interactive and energetic activities, our programs provide teens and adults with tools to break down the walls of separation and isolation and replace them with compassion. We inspire people to live, study, and work in an environment of acceptance, love, and respect. The program will directly impact 200 members of the sophomore class and 50 adults in our building. Our hope is that this program will become an annual event for the sophomores in our building eventually impacting everyone. Continuing on the theme of inclusiveness...

United Sound & Unified Basketball

United Sound will be kicking off their second year under the direction of Dr. Carolyn Cardella. The United Sound is a school-based instrumental music club for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their typical peers. Dedicated to promoting social involvement through shared ensemble performance experience, United Sound joins students with and without disabilities to learn and perform in the band or orchestra together.

Unified Basketball

BMHS will be launching our first Unified Basketball team this fall. The first meeting for students taking part in this program is Wednesday, September 27 at 2:15 p.m. in the Ed James Gym. The meeting will last approximately 30 minutes and will outline the season and expectations for everyone involved.

The Special Olympics is dedicated to promoting social inclusion through shared sports training and competition experiences. Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.

In Unified Sports, teams are made up of people of similar age and ability. That makes practices more fun and games more challenging and exciting for all. Having sport in common is just one more way that preconceptions and false ideas are swept away.

Welcoming our new Assistant Superintendent

On Friday, September 29, our new Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Jill Geiser will be spending the day at BMHS, conversing with staff and students about high school life.

Bus Evacuation Drill

On Thursday, October 5, we will be conducting our annual bus evacuation drill. When buses arrive on the morning of the 5th, each bus will be met by an administrator and directions will be provided on the proper bus evacuation technique in the event an emergency situation may arise. The students will be required to evacuate the bus from the rear door after taking a seated position. The length of the drill for each bus is less that 5 minutes.

Early Release Day

Friday, October 6 is an early release day for the entire district. Students at the high school will be dismissed at 10:30 a.m. Teachers will be working on professional development until the end of the school day (2:02 p.m. for the high school).

College & Career Readiness Day

On Wednesday, October 11, BMHS will be running our annual College and Career Readiness Day. The sophomore and junior classes will be taking the PSAT assessments, the freshmen will have i-Ready assessments and a presentation about the dangers of alcohol and drugs. Our seniors are strongly encouraged to use this day to schedule college visits and experience what colleges are like while they are in session.

Billerica Blast Comedy Night

Don't forget the Comedy Show this Friday, September 29 at the Billerica Elks. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the Class of 2018's Billerica Blast.

Building Committee Meeting

The next High School Building Committee will take place on Tuesday, September 26 at 6:00 p.m. in the Shawmut Field Office at the high school.