Reminder: Freshmen Only Student Survey

Attention Freshmen Parents: Freshmen Only Student Survey

We will be administering a survey to all freshmen to measure their engagement and connectedness to their school, teachers, and peers.  Please see October 24th Principal's Blog for additional information.  

The importance of successful school transitions cannot be overstated. Whether transitioning from elementary school to middle school, from middle school to high school, or from high school to post-graduate opportunities, it is imperative that we educate and engage students in the process.  We aim to make these potentially anxiety-producing, pivotal moments in their lives seamless.  We are committed to making all students feel safe, welcome, and connected at CCHS.  

This is the impetus behind taking part in the anonymous survey conducted by a graduate student at a local university.  Please review the letter from graduate student Robert Serino, which provides detailed information about the survey including instructions on how to opt-out.  To be clear, no class time will be sacrificed as the survey will be conducted during advisory.  Lastly, if you wish to preview the survey, please follow the link provided.  Survey Link

Dear Freshman Parent/ Guardian:

Hello, my name is Robert Serino and I am just sending a reminder e-mail that in a few days I will be administering a brief survey to freshmen to measure their engagement and connectedness to their school, teachers, and peers. The completion of the survey by freshman students will help me with my dissertation project on school connectedness during the first year of high school. In the survey, I am hoping to gather information that will help schools across Massachusetts better ease the sometimes difficult transition to high school for all freshman students. More specifically, the data will be used and shared to help high school principals improve advisory programs to ensure that they are successful initiatives for supporting transitioning freshman students.

The survey will take place in English classes or during school advisory periods. The same survey will be given in the spring in order to see how freshman students’ opinions and thoughts have changed over the course of the year. The survey can be completed on a student’s cell phone, but paper copies and/or laptops will also be available for any student who does not have a phone or does not wish to use their phone to complete the survey. The survey will be anonymous, completely voluntary, and will take only 10 to 15 minutes to complete. All students that participate in the survey will be entered into a lottery to win a $25 gift certificate to Chipotle. Students who do not participate in the survey will still be allowed to use their phone during survey administration and will still be entered into the lottery for the gift card.

If you prefer that your son/daughter NOT participate in the survey, please email Robert_Serino@student.uml.edu, (researcher) or Jill_Lohmeier@uml.edu (dissertation advisor) by Tuesday, November 8th.  The decision to not participate in the survey will not affect any student’s grades. For more information, you may also call (978)-887-2323 ext. 1222.

The study is being conducted for partial fulfillment of a doctoral degree under the direction of Professor Jill Lohmeier (PhD). In addition, the study has received approval from the UMass Lowell Institutional Review Board (IRB), which reviews and approves research studies involving human subject participants.

Sincerely,

Robert Serino

Graduate Student

University of Massachusetts, Lowell