DECEMBER 6, 2021
Darien High School Parent News
Published by the DHS Parents' Association
IMPORTANT DATES
DECEMBER
7 - DHS Special Services Transition Panel
9 - DHS Band Concert (snow date 12/13), Auditorium 7pm
10 - PLC Day (2 hour delay)
10 - Last Day to Order your DHSPA Spirit Wear, Online Holiday Sale
15 - Senior Portrait Selection Deadline
16 - DHS Orchestra Concert (snow date 12/20), Auditorium 7pm
23 - Early Dismissal at 12:18pm
24-31 - NO SCHOOL, Holiday Recess

A NOTE FROM THE DHSPA CO-CHAIRS
Thanks this week to Lisa Cerussi, Lynn Andren and Catherine Piorkowski for helping to celebrate our amazing Special Ed staff with a lunch on National Special Education Day. Thanks also to the DHS Guidance department for organizing a great virtual event featuring author Jeff Selingo and his New York Times bestseller "Who Gets In and Why". Our online Holiday Spirit Wear sale is off to a strong start and the store will be open through December 10th. And a final thank you to all that have already contributed to our DHSPA direct appeal - your support enables us to thank our staff with lunches like the one this week and events for students and parents like the Jeff Selingo discussion. We truly appreciate everyone's support in reaching our goal.
Antoinette Cowles and Leila Buckjune, DHSPA Co-Chairs

DHSPA SPIRIT WEAR ONLINE HOLIDAY SALE - NOW UNTIL DEC. 10
Don’t miss out on your favorite DHS styles as well as stocking stuffers! The Spirit Wear Store will be online for your shopping convenience. From cozy flannel blue & white plaid PJ bottoms to Blue Wave cups and pens and cozy sweatshirts- we’ve got it all this year!  The sale runs now through December 10th. Click HERE to order early for the best selection and sizes!

DHSPA'S ANNUAL FUNDRAISING APPEAL
DHSPA's annual fundraising appeal began last week. Thank you to those who have already donated! We are making progress towards our goal and are looking for the support of all DHS families. The funds that are raised are used to support enrichment programs, gifts to the school, student events and teacher appreciation. It truly helps us add to the wonderful experience and community at DHS. A great example of this is last week's virtual event with Jeff Selingo, the NY Times bestselling author of Who Gets In and Why? : A Year Inside College Admissions. Please consider donating today! Click HERE to donate via Credit Card or PayPal.

CDSP - DID YOU KNOW?
The Council of Darien School Parents (CDSP) is the umbrella organization for all Darien Public School PTOs. Did you know that CDSP has a special education subcommittee? The committee is made up of parent representatives from each of the seven schools. These reps work closely with their building administration and PTO chairs to build awareness and foster community and communication. December 2nd mark(s/ed) National Special Education Day - this year the CDSP Special Education committee began/will begin a new tradition in Darien of honoring our SE teachers with a show of gratitude to all staff. Kadi Lublin is the SE Chair for CDSP this year and can be reached at [email protected] with any questions or comments.  

SCHOOL BUILIDING COMMITTEE VOLUNTEER REQUEST
The Hindley, Holmes, and Royle School Building Committee is looking for some Darien volunteers with specific skills to be a part of the Building Committee. 
We are looking for volunteers with the following skill sets:
Lawyer (preferably a Construction lawyer)
Architect 
Builder
Communications 
Contract/Permit/Approval manager
Please send an email to the First Selectman’s office via [email protected] with your resumé and contact information if you are interested. We’d love to have you join us. We are beginning our process imminently. 
Thank you! 
Sarah Neumann
Board of Selectmen 
 
PSAT SCORE RELEASE
PSAT scores will be available in student College Board accounts on Monday, December 6th. Students who do not have accounts can create one at www.collegeboard.org. Test books will be mailed home soon. Please reach out to your counselor if you have any difficulty accessing your scores.

DHS SPECIAL SERVICES TRANSITION PANEL - DEC. 7
Transition from High School to Post-Secondary Programs for students ages 18-22, Tuesday December 7th at 4:30pm. Please see the DHS WEBSITE for further details.

TOYS FOR TOTS
The Excel Program is holding their annual Toys for Tots Drive! Please send in new, unwrapped toys. Donation boxes are located at the main entrance, outside of the library, at the auditorium entrance, and in Room G111. The last day to donate toys will be the morning of December 20th.
 
SCHOOL PHOTO PACKAGES
Photo retake/makeup orders are available for students to pick up from Mrs. Farren in the main office. Additionally many photo orders delivered in October have not been picked up. Please remind your student to retrieve their photos from the main office.

SENIOR PORTRAIT SELECTION DEADLINE - DEC. 15
Senior portrait selections MUST be made by December 15, 2021 or a selection will be made for you! Please follow the directions found on the DHS Website to enter the senior portrait portal. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mr. Hernandez at [email protected].

2022 DHS YEARBOOK - ORDER NOW BEFORE PRICES GO UP IN JANUARY!
You can place an order by clicking HERE! Please remember to keep a copy of your order number. The Yearbook Club does not want anyone to go without a yearbook due to financial reasons. If you need assistance, please contact your school counselor.

Other helpful links:
Submission Guidelines for Darien High School Parent News

  • Please send your submission in the text of your e-mail, single spaced and left adjusted (no formatting), with "DPN SUBMISSION" in the subject line to [email protected]. Download files, attachments or formatted text are not accepted.
  • Submissions must be event-driven, age-appropriate and relevant to Darien High School. We will not include advertisements or fundraisers for businesses or community organizations.
  • Deadline for DPN submissions is Friday at noon.
  • Please include a contact name and e-mail address in the text of your submission for questions we may have.
  • Texts may be edited and submission does not guarantee publication.
  • Due to the significant increase in social media publicity for community organizations, the DHSPA will post information specific to the DHSPA, Darien High School, the CDSP (Council of Darien School Parents), or the Darien Public School District only. Please add to the subject line "FACEBOOK/INSTAGRAM POST" when submitting your event or post.

With many thanks from the DPN editors Beth Lane, Sarah Neumann, Denise Krueger, Marli Hayes, Hope Barton & Carolina McGoey.