October 18, 2021
Pool Testing Update
The pool continues to get larger at OTHS, as we have had 13 more students jump in this week.
If your student is not already in, please consider it in the near future. It is another tool for us to have to make sure our students stay in school 5 days per week and continue to enjoy all of the sports and other activities that they enjoy.
To sign up for Pool Testing:
To sign-up a minor child - here is the link:
https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/minor-consent/start
If you are 18 or older and sign up yourself:
https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/invite-by-code
Access Code: X67ZUZ (This is a code for OTHS only - each of the schools in RSU34 have their own code)
Math help is back!
We have had several students ask about getting math help outside of school again. We will be running the Math Lab again on Wednesdays from 5 to 8. Students who would like help on their homework should send an email to MathHelp@hs.rsu34.k12.me.us .
Diplomas of Distinction
To the Students, Parents, and Guardians of the Classes of 2024 and 2025,
First, we hope that the first months of school have been good and that you are enjoying many of the exciting opportunities we have here. One opportunity that you may not have heard much about yet, is our Diplomas of Extra Distinction.
In addition to the standard Old Town High School Diploma, students may elect to deepen their studies by pursuing an Honors, STEM, or most new Humanities Diploma. Honors and STEM have been offered for some time, but the Humanities Diploma is brand new this year.
To get more information about these exciting options, including requirements, please visit the following link: https://tinyurl.com/othsdiplomas. For application information and other questions please see Mrs. Gardner.
Lifetouch Pictures - Retakes!
If your student missed pictures, our retake date is Friday, October 29th.
New Picture ID - EVT6H8B76
Spirit Week
Spirit Week is this week.
MONDAY: Main-uh Monday
TUESDAY: Mathletes vs. Athletes
WEDNESDAY: Walt Disney Wednesday
THURSDAY: Decades battle - 70’s vs. 80’s
FRIDAY: School Spirit Day - Wear Green & White!
End of Quarter
The first quarter ends on Friday, November 5th. The 1st quarter grade is used to calculate Honor Roll and used in Eligibility (combined with Habit of Work (HOW) scores). The full eligibility policy can be found at:
The second quarter grades will start where the first quarter left off. The end of the second quarter will be used to award credit.
Winter Sports Sign-Up
Winter sports sign-up has been posted - the QR code is present at the main office area for students to scan and sign-up - the Google Form needs to be filled out - scan the following code for this form.
Sports Physicals and Paperwork
A student-athlete is required to have one physical on file per the 4 years in high school. This is a requirement to participate in winter sports. If your student-athlete did not participate in the fall, they will need to fill out Form A or the green form.
NWEAs
Starting the week of 10/12 all students in grades 9 through 12 will be taking the NWEAs in Reading, Language Usage, and Mathematics. Last spring the State of Maine adopted the NWEA as one part of their required testing for all Juniors. Because of this, we are asking all of our students to take the test. There is a wealth of information that teachers have access to regarding where their students are on a variety of standards and what supports they may need to catch up or to be challenged in their classes. In order not to overwhelm our system, testing will be spread out during the 3 weeks of October. We are asking that students do their best on the tests.
Subs
We are once again in really desperate need of substitute teachers at all levels in RSU 34 schools, but specifically - Old Town High School. If you are interested, please reply to this email or give me a call and I can answer any questions that you may have and get you the information that you will need to get the ball rolling.
Financial Aid Help for Senior families
Help is available for students and families completing the FAFSA. Meredith Lee can help walk you through all the parts of the FAFSA.
Before setting up an appointment make sure that you:
Have set up your FSA-ID. Students and parents need to have their own FSA-ID (https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm?appid=HRSA_BMISS_PRD)
Have access to the tax returns from 2020. (Meredith can assist if needed)
To set up an appointment with Meredith - reach out to the guidance office at the high school. 827-3910 x2114 or email sue.stlouis@rsu34.org . Meredith has evening appointments available as well as some daytime ones.
Chromebook Cases
We have new cases for the Chromebooks that will hold your charger. If you have an old case and would like a new one - please see Mrs. A. Ketch in the guidance office.
Spirit Week
Spirit Week is this week.
MONDAY: Main-uh Monday
TUESDAY: Mathletes vs. Athletes
WEDNESDAY: Walt Disney Wednesday
THURSDAY: Decades battle - 70’s vs. 80’s
FRIDAY: School Spirit Day - Wear Green & White!
End of Quarter
The first quarter ends on Friday, November 5th. The 1st quarter grade is used to calculate Honor Roll and used in Eligibility (combined with Habit of Work (HOW) scores). The full eligibility policy can be found at:
The second quarter grades will start where the first quarter left off. The end of the second quarter will be used to award credit.
Seniors - updates
Links to recording from our Senior Parent Night:
College Application Process: https://youtu.be/0eaVdMU8E_E
Financial Aid: https://youtu.be/uu5PgK4fsmw
Supporting Documents: https://tinyurl.com/w2vxh9eb
Yearbook Deadlines
All seniors have been invited to join Mrs. Turner’s google classroom to keep current on deadlines for the yearbook. If your student hasn’t accepted this invite yet, please remind them to. Here are the upcoming deadlines:
Senior Photo Due October 15th
(Please reach out to Mrs. Turner if you need help arranging a senior picture)
Masking Update and Expectations
The RSU 34 School Board is requiring all staff and students to wear a mask while in school until further notice. To maintain the safety of all school personnel, students, and our community, we ask that students wear masks to school, wear masks appropriately (over the mouth and nose) while attending school, and respect the expectation that has been asked of us as a school community. OTHS administration has put in place a three-strike system to support the expectation of proper mask-wearing: 1 - conversation and a reminder to the student 2 - conversation and call home to the parent/guardian to reinforce the expectation 3 - Administration Dismissal for improper mask-wearing. We are in this together and the best way to move in a direction that does not require masks or whole-school shut down is to practice responsible mask-wearing.
Update - our students are doing an incredible job with this request! Thank you so much for your support!
If you have any questions, please reach out to us.
Thank you for all of your support.
We are doing the best that we can for our kids!
Scott Gordon
Amy Ketch
Jeremy Bousquet