Mid-Winter Updates

Hello SSVT Community:

I hope that  the beginning of  2014 has been enjoyable and productive despite the cold weather!  No more snow!  Once again, thank you for all the aspiring student meteorologists who keep me informed on weather-related updates and share their opinions on the value of school cancellation :) .

Our last day of school as of today is Friday, June 20th.

*****

In this update I want to bring several items to your attention:

1. Precision Machine Technology Program Secures State Grant for New Equipment.  I am thrilled to announce that our PMT program will receive almost $80,000 from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center for supplies and equipment, most notably in the form of a new Haas VF-2 vertical milling machine.

The strength of this competitive grant application had a lot to do with our area employers and advisors.   and I would like thank the following local companies for their continued support of SSVT and our students by providing matching donations for this grant:

• F.H. Peterson, Stoughton, MA
• AutoCam Medical, Plymouth, MA
• North Easton Machine Company, North Easton, MA
• AccuRounds, Avon, MA

Also, we thanks area employers who have been supporting SSVT's by hiring our graduates and providing co-op opportunities:

• Bendon Gear, Rockland, MA
• Custom Machine Co, Hanover, MA
• Draper Labs, Cambridge, MA
• Evans Machine, Brockton, MA
• L.F. O'Leary, Weymouth, MA
• Nova Machine, Halifax, MA
• Stoneridge Inc., Canton, MA

2. FY15 Budget Update:  The school committee will be discussing FY15 budget certification at its February 19th meeting.  The proposed budget presented to the committee for consideration is a 4.67% increase over last year's budget (which saw a 2.36% increase).  The Governor's proposed budget, which was released on January 22nd, included a nearly level funded amount of chapter 70 state aid.  There is a FY15 budget presentation on our website.

3. Traffic Study:  We are looking in the process of studying changes to our traffic flow patterns for next school year.

A top priority is alleviating the front of the building congestion in the morning and also the volume of vehicles on Webster Street waiting for students after dismissal.  We are looking at the possibility of moving the bus drop off and pick up to the library side of the school, and move parent traffic for pick up and drop off to  the front of the school.

Again, this is still being studied for next school year---I would appreciate any feedback or ideas!

4. SSVT planning to host Board of Education's Vocational Advisory Council and Senate Ways & Means Committee Hearing.  I am pleased to report that SSVT has been asked to host meetings from these two committees.  The Vocational Advisory Council meeting is February 6th and the Senate Ways & Means Committee hearing is March 3rd.

5. Communication:  We are looking for ways to stay in touch with students and parents.  Please follow us on Twitter and also follow our Facebook page.  We are also looking into eventually developing a school app and also are working on how to have students volunteer to sign up for text alerts.

I'm sure they would love a daily text that reads:  Do Hmwk :)  

Stay warm! 

November Updates

Hello SSVT Community,

As we near the end of the first trimester, everyone agrees that November is a busy month at SSVT!  I'd like to share some assorted updates with you:

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Mariani: Last week Mr. and Mrs Mariani welcomed three grandchildren...in the same week! The Marianis' daughter Angela and her husband Barry welcomed their son Bryce Alfred Greene on November 11th.  Also, daughter Nichole and her husband Tom Dever welcomed their daughter Sadie Dever on November 15th.  Daughter Ashley and her husband Kevin welcomed their son Tyler James Cutter on November 14th. 

 If there is an spike in SSVT enrollment in 2027, we will know why!

NCTE Conference:  On Friday November 22nd, teachers Sandra Baldner, John Scopelleti and Michael Mahoney are presenting at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference held in Boston. Their presentation is entitled "Faking the Grade".  SSVT faculty have spent several years refining our grading procedures in an effort to give an accurate picture of student growth and achievement in the areas of Achievement and Work Habits. Thank you to these instructors for sharing their insights and talents!

Thanksgiving Football Game: November 28th at 10:00 at Southeastern Regional in Easton. If you can make the trip, come out and support our players and coaches for this wonderful tradition!

Congratulations to our Cheerleaders:  The cheerleaders are competing on Sunday, November 24th at Wachusett Regional High School in the State Championship Cheerleading Competition. The start time for our group is 10:30 AM.  We are in the top 10 in the state for Division 4. The girls earned this spot for receiving a score 141.50 at the South Regional on Sunday Nov. 17th. at Dartmouth High School. 

Cross Talk cable show.  Whitman Hanson Community Access has been very generous in hosting SSVT on its Cross Talk cable show.  This month, I was fortunate to be on the show with SSVT students Payton Brown and James Aiguier.  Readers can watch the episode here!

Tours:  The 8th grade tour groups continue to report back on how impressive our shops are and they have commented on the great job of our student tour guides. SSVT students clearly show their school pride and their shop pride!

Open House: December 10th from 5:30-8:00.  We look forward to welcoming prospective students and their families!  

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

NEASC Visit October 7-10

Hello SSVT students,

As you may recall from an earlier post, I mentioned that SSVT belongs to a regional organization called the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

Every 10 years, as a member of NEASC, we are required to host a team of visiting teachers and administrators for a few days.  The team's job is to confirm that we are meeting rigorous standards and doing the best job we can to provide you with a high quality vocational technical education.

Your teachers, counselors and administrators have spent the last 18 months preparing reports for this visit.

This evening, October 7th, SSVT teachers and staff will be welcoming a 25-member NEASC visiting team of teachers from around New England.  Our Culinary Arts Department will be providing a fantastic dinner to conclude the night.

The NEASC Team will spend Tuesday-Thursday this week visiting our classrooms and shops and talking with staff and students about how SSVT operates.  It will appear a bit different for a few days but the visit will not disrupt your coursework.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you.

Great School Bulletin Boards!

Hello SSVT Community,

Hallways function as efficient ways to get from one place to another.  Throughout our hallways, we have many, many high quality, colorful bulletin boards that are being well-maintained by our teachers, administrators and students.  They look fantastic and make us all very proud of what goes on at SSVT.

I encourage you to check out these bulletin boards in front of our shops and in our main hallways.  Here a just a few brand new bulletin boards that I captured yesterday...there are so many more!

Guidance Bulletin Board near gymnasium highlighting career guidance activities, military acceptances and SAT registration dates.  For more information, please reach out to guidance counselors Mrs. Dow, Mr. Madera, Mr. Zahurak or Guidance Director Mr. Janicki.

Also in the hallway across from the cafeteria is a bulletin board devoted to Skills USA, a national vocational technical organization that promotes technical skills competitions at the local, state and national level.  For more information, please contact Skills Coordinator and Metal Fabrication instructor Mr. Mello

On the wall near the back of the cafeteria, you'll find our first Data Wall, which highlights some important school information about MCAS and student attendance.  Coming to school regularly is essential for high school and (of course) the workplace.  There will be other Data Walls posted around the building as well, focusing on other important topics to SSVT. For more information on this wall, contact Assistant Principal Mr. Aubrey.

September Updates

Hello SSVT Community,

As we approach the end of September, I hope students and families are getting settled into your September school routines.  It has been a busy start to the school year, and so far...no snow days!.  

Allow me to offer you a few updates:

MCAS

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently released the Spring 2013 scores for districts and schools.  We have much to be proud of here at SSVT.  We continue to make progress with students scoring Advanced and Proficient, and we continue to be designated as a Level 1 school.  Our teachers continue to motivate our students to do their best work!  

As with any test results, we will drill down to find areas for improvement and adjustment. However, MCAS tests are a snapshot of a student's performance over their four year high school experience.  So when our teachers evaluate the whole student, our teachers utilize many "non-paper and pencil" ways to assess student progress that goes on in our classrooms and shops every day.

Individual student scores are being sent home to parents today, September 24th.


Power School

Parents should have received mailing about our new Student Information System called Power School.  If you have any trouble setting up an account, please consider these options for help:

1. Contact us via email at iparenthelp@ssvotech.org , or you can call our Technology Office at 781.878.8822, extension 451.

2. If you would like some face to face support in our school library, please attend Meet Your Child's Teacher Night on Wednesday, September 25th.  Our Technology Director Crystal Paluzzi can assist you using one of the computers in our library media center from 6:00-8:00 PM.

As it stands now we are pleased that 238 parents have logged in to create Power School accounts, which is a great start, but we hope to help increase that number as we raise awareness with families.

Meet Your Child's Teacher Night, Wednesday September 25:  

The purpose of this evening is to allow parents to follow their child's academic schedule and hear from teachers in 10 minute group sessions about the expectations the teachers are setting for your child's classes. 

If families know a teacher's expectations and routines, it empowers parents to assist children at home, while still preserving your child's path toward greater independence.  

For parents this night also allows you to put a face with a name prior to the parent-teacher conferences later in the school year.

NEASC Visit

NEASC stands for New England Association of Schools and Colleges, which is the accreditation organization that evaluates public schools.  NEASC conducts full visits every 10 years, and our last visit was October 2003. A visiting team of educators from around New England will be visiting SSVT in action from October 7-10.   The team will be observing all aspects of the school's operations and will be talking with students and teachers.  From this visit we will be given recommendations for further growth and improvement.

Terrific Teacher Nominations

Mrs. Dutch is seeking parent and student input on nominating teachers for a new monthly award.  If you would like to nominate a teacher, please contact our main office for a form and we can send it to you electronically.

SSVT Craft Fair, October 19, 2013 from 10:00-3:00

The SSVT Parents Association continues its fine tradition of sponsoring one of the best craft fairs in the region here at SSVT.  I hope you will share this information with friends and stop by.  

If you have any questions, please contact me.  Best wishes for the rest of the week!

August School Update

Hello SSVT Community,

As we approach the end of August, one would typically expect an administrator to say that "the school is starting to wake up again", but truthfully, there has been a lot of activity here at SSVT all summer.  Teachers and administrators have been meeting with their departments, meeting about the new teacher evaluation system, working on our NEASC accreditation visit preparation, and getting their shops and classrooms ready for their students.

Our fall sports teams are underway with practices (including our new JV Cross Country team!) and scrimmages.

Vikings participating in a round-robin practice/scrimmage with
Sharon and Martha's Vineyard. Saturday August 25, 2013

Here are a few staffing and facilities updates:

Staffing

We have hired several new staff for this school year, including:

Mr. Michael Janicki, Director of Guidance and Admissions.  Mr. Janicki is a member of the administrative team and oversees the admissions process and our guidance department.

Mr. Jerry Shaw, Engineering instructor.  We are thrilled to be offering Engineering as an academic science department course.  Engineering courses will help students with concepts similar to what they learn in their vocational techincal programs.

Ms. Peggy Caggiano, Cosmetology instructor.  Ms. Caggiano previously served on our Cosmetology Advisory Board.

Mrs. Martha Paradis, Graphic Communications instructor.  Mrs. Paradis was serving as our long-term substitute in the program and we are happy to have her on board.

Mrs. Patty Squires, Allied Health instructor, is not brand new to SSVT, but she came on board after the 2012-13 school year started, so now is good time to re-introduce Mrs. Squires as a member of the SSVT faculty!

We are also very happy to welcome Mr. Matt Doyle as an instructional aide, Mr. Norman Nee as a custodian, and Mr. Joe Foley as a bus driver.

Our new teachers will be meeting on Monday August 26th for a teacher orientation session.  All staff will begin the school year officially on Tuesday September 3rd. September 3-4 will be devoted to professional development, including training on our new student information system, Power School.  Parents, you will be hearing more about Power School and how you can access the system very soon!  School starts on September 5th for students.


Facilities

Thanks to Facilities Director Bob Moorhead for overseeing so much activity this summer with a fantastic crew who accomplished so much!  Our facility enhancements are fantastic, and the most important, but least noticeable upgrade is a new water heater system, replacing the original 1960 water heater.

However, other improvements around the school will be more noticeable.  Here are a few more pictures and video clips

A video clip for Mrs. Bourgea's classroom, Room 104

A video clip of the new media lab built in our Library Media Center

The new Trak Lathe delivered to our Precision Machine program (with refinished floors)   

  

An almost finished floor in the Electrical shop

A repainted portion of the Graphic Communications shop where the paper storage area used to be

Our renovated Nurse's Office, with new a consultation room.

Parents, as we enter the last week of the summer, please do not hesitate to call us (or nudge your child to call us :) ) with any "start of the school year" questions that might help to ease anxiety or clarify areas of confusion.  Best wishes for the rest of the summer!

Summer Facility Upgrades

Hello SSVT Community,

I hope you are enjoying the summer months and the time to recharge and refresh before the new school year. We have had a busy summer on campus with parent and student orientations for our new 9th graders.

Several tangible signs of progress can be found in our various facility projects and the folks who are doing such great work to make our building even better.  Many thanks to our student helpers, custodial crew and instructors and support staff!

Here are some pictures

Room 103 Mrs. Keith's class (new lights, walls, cork boards)
We are also renovating Room 105

Carpentry Canopy posts being prepared. CP students will be working under
the canopy on various tasks in preparation for outside crew.

Precision Machine Technology Shop floor being sanded. 
New Trak Lathe being delivered soon
(Out of view) Walls painted and a new computer lab area is being built

Room 116: Mrs. Walsh's classroom renovated

HVAC Mezzanine being removed. More instructional space!

Graphic Communications paper storage area being relocated

More instructional space!

We are also in the process of ordering a new computer cart for social studies department, a new school bus, a new 14-passenger activity bus to be used by shops and for small group field trips, and we are upgrading the audio and technical capabilities of the lecture hall to make it a more modern media center.

Parents and students, if you have any summer questions please contact our main office or guidance office from 7-3, Monday to Friday, or via email anytime.  I can be reached at thickey@ssvotech.org.

Students, I hope you are enjoying your summer reading (subtle hint :) ).

More updates later this month!  Take care.