Informational update from ARHS: Weekly update, 8/29/26

I am writing today to share some key information that should be helpful to you as you and your child prepare for returning to school:

• First day of school: Students’ first day of school is Tuesday, September 1. The school day begins at 8:00 am and ends at 2:30 pm. The schedule for the day is here. The last day of school (without snow snow days) is June 17. For the full-year District calendar, click here.

• Bell schedule: The bell schedule, which is unchanged from previous years, is here; to see the calendar of bell schedule ‘days’, click here.

• Class administrator: If you have a question or concern that could use the assistance of an administrator, please contact the assistant principal assigned to your child's grade:

  • Grade 9: Mrs. Janet Brown, jbrown@nsboro.k12.ma.us

  • Grade 11: Mr. Andrew McGowan, amcgowan@nsboro.k12.ma.us

  • Grades 10 and 12: Mr. Matt Gitkind, mgitkind@nsboro.k12.ma.us

• Student schedules: Student schedules were published on PowerSchool this past week. Please contact your child's guidance counselor with questions. Guidance counselor assignments are here.

• School supplies: Each summer, we receive inquiries from parents about what school supplies they need to purchase in advance of the first day of classes. Unfortunately, it's impossible to create a list that would cover all students in all classes. Instead, we encourage students to ask their teachers for a supplies list during the first days of class. Most teachers include this information on their class expectations sheet, or they post it to Canvas. In most cases, each student would need a 3-ring binder to stay organized. Beyond that, their teachers' preferences will vary. Chromebook distribution for ninth graders will occur on the first and second days of school, during their Social Studies class.

Important Doorman Information: 

• Community Outreach and Education: Thank you to the families who attended the virtual information session this week. For those who missed it, the video may be viewed here (passcode is nlK+!A9U). In the session, the administrative team outlined the goals of the program, the timeline, how the app will be used in school, timeline for implementation, etc.

We will be having another information this week - on Thursday at 7 pm - this time focused more closely on the technical aspects of Doorman, for those who have questions. Joining the session will be a representative from Doorman and the District IT team, both of whom will answer questions from the community The link is here. 

• Timeline: We will be phasing in Doorman in the coming weeks, beginning after we have had one full rotation of the schedule: 

  • Sept. 16: Students will begin using the app, but it will not be used for attendance. That day, we will conduct a full-school Emergency Unlock “drill”
    

  • Sept. 25: Attendance will be linked to Doorman

• Adding and Using the App: Students will receive instructions in the coming week about how to add the app and how to 'tap in' to their first period class.

• Program Assessment: We will be assessing - and reporting out - on the program at the 1-month, 2-month, midyear, and end-of-year marks. 

• Cell Phone Procedures in the Meantime: Teachers will be using all of the same protocols from 2025-2026 to manage cell phones in their classrooms (i.e. shoe caddies and other storage options in their classrooms). Students may use their personal devices during passing time and at lunch as we prepare for the transition later in the month.

• Questions? Please see the ARHS Doorman FAQ. 

  • The document outlines how families may engage with the cell phone management program. Please see the document for that information, including timeline/deadline details. 

I hope that these details are helpful. I look forward to seeing you soon and starting a great year together. Until then, enjoy the remaining days of summer.

Sincerely,

Sean Bevan

Principal, ARHS