A Special Kudos:
For the last 5 years, we have been fortunate to have Officer Hill as part of our team and by our side helping to protect us and the school. We often see all sorts of bad press on law enforcement but in the early morning hours of April 11th, Officer Hill and his two colleagues removed a woman from a smoke-filled, fully engulfed home that was right down the street on the Rockland line. Officer Hill was extremely humble about the event that occurred and all we knew was that there was a house fire and the roads might still be closed and the buses may have detours. When he arrived at school less than 7 hours after the incident to work his shift as SRO, it was jokingly said “Wow you must have been close because I can smell the smoke on you”. That was when he retold the events of that evening as though it was just another day on the job. Below is a press release from Chief Kane. When you see SRO/OFC Hill make sure to thank him for his service as our officers often don’t get to be on the receiving end of something positive.
Whiting Street Fire Press Release
Kudos to Martha Paradis this week for stepping up and helping out her colleagues and students. She extended beyond school hours preparing for this year's senior show as well as giving expertise to admin for students interested in Night of the Arts. Over a bumpy week of her coworkers moving around, she helped out with numerous extra classes and students.
Note: Kudos are staff generated. Want to celebrate a colleague? Submit a write-up to kudos@ssvotech.org
Wednesday’s Two-hour Delay: Click here to see the agenda for the PD time on Wednesday. As you’ll see, we’ll start with a very brief Google Meet to go over everything. That link is on the agenda and John Scop. will also email it out Wednesday morning.
Student Handbook - Final Meeting May 11th
Supports for Students and Teachers Dealing with the Grieving Process
Please find the specific plan for Monday below. We all grieve in different ways and at our own pace. Please do your best to stay in tune with your colleagues’ and students' moods and behaviors over the coming days. If something seems out of character, please reach out to the appropriate person. All staff are encouraged to review the attached PDFs to learn more about how to respond to grief.
For all staff and students
A clinician from Riverside Trauma Center and our student services support team are available at all times.
For Ben’s classrooms and teachers
A clinician from Riverside Trauma Center and a counselor (Joe Madera) will open each class session. Their process will model what is outlined below.
All teachers please plan for a regular class session
Your “warm Up” should be a quick check-in where you acknowledge, state the facts, and articulate that you will provide grace and space.
Acknowledge: We have lost a member of our school.
Facts: Ben Dufour died as a result of a motor vehicle accident on April 26th. There is no further information for me to provide at this time.
Space and Grace: Everyone processes things differently, give yourself and your friends some grace and space.
If you find your class isn’t ready for regular lessons have a backup plan
Time to catch up on work/review work/no new content
Coloring pages/games/High Point Journals
If necessary and the weather allows, take your students for a walk. Please let Marie know where you are!
Don’t hesitate to speak to your students on social media
There is a lot of misinformation out there.
Remind students that when the information flow becomes too much, they should remove themselves from it.
Emotional support dogs
The emotional support dog community is providing SST with a rotation of dogs all day on Monday. We will provide information about how and where students and staff can access this ADORABLE resource on Monday morning.
Finally, for now, SST has secured access to longer-term grief support from Riverside Trauma Center for those who may need it.
Thank you for taking care of our students. Please take care of yourself.
MAVA Connecting for Success Conference: To be held June 28 and June 29, 2023, at Assabet Valley Tech. VTEL Prep Course for Spring 2023: To be held on May 6, May 20, and June 3, 2023, at Assabet Valley Tech. Click this link to register: Early Bird Full Conference Registration Form. For further information about the conference please check out the conference page on the MAVA website: MAVA Site - Connecting For Success Page
South Shore Tech is offering hands-on technical training in our Summer Discovery Programs, available to rising 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students! SST will host two separate sessions where students are able to choose one program to explore. Session 1 - July 10 - 13 - 8AM-12:30PM
Session 2 - July 17 - 20 - 8AM-12:30PM The programs will include Automotive Technology, Carpentry, Culinary Arts, Computer Information Technology, Design & Visual Communication, Electrical, Horticulture & Landscape Construction, Manufacturing Engineering Technology, and Metal Fabrication & Welding. During these sessions, students will explore various aspects of the respective industry each day. Students will learn shop safety practices and use various specialty hand tools and minor equipment. Projects will include both traditional and experimental methods.
Mock Car Crash - Due to recent events, this event has been postponed until 2024.