The Nominating Committee will be meeting to fill positions for next year's 2021-2022 PFA Board and Board Committees. We would love to see more people get involved! Please email the PFA at NCHSpfa@gmail.com to let us know how you want to help! Include the positions you would be interested in or any specific interests you have. Click here to see a description of the chair positions. |
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Dear NCHS Family,
Starting a new semester is exciting and offers an opportunity to start fresh and set new goals for the remainder of the school year. With February being a short month and having our winter break right in the middle, the course selection process will soon be underway. Teachers will be recommending placements, and students will be making critical academic decisions. Counselors will meet with students to discuss options in March. The 2021-2022 Program of Studies will be available for viewing during the first week of February. It is always a good idea to review the Program of Studies with your child to better understand course offerings.
In its 54th year, the New Canaan High School Scholarship Foundation will be holding its first NC Color Drop (replacing NC Color Run) on Wednesday, March 31st (rain date April 1st). A helicopter will release over 1,000 purchased golf balls over a target at Waveny Park. The golf balls will be individually numbered and the participant whose ball lands closest to the target will be the winner of the grand prize, a Peloton Tread. All participants will receive their assigned numbers before the drop. The winning golf ball will be announced immediately following the contest. The ultimate goal of the NCSF is to help as many students as possible with financial assistance for their undergraduate education. Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions, spectators will not be allowed, but the event will be live-streamed for all residents to watch. For more information on how students can apply for a scholarship, please visit the NCSF website. If you need further information or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your school counselor or Mrs. Granite in the School Counseling Department.
Thank you to our parent community for creatively making the school a better place for our students.
All the best,
Bill Egan
Principal
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NCHS Scholarship Foundation
Celebrating 53 Years of Helping NCHS Students
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NC COLOR DROP
Wednesday, March 31st, Waveny Park*
Livestreamed, time to be announced
In lieu of the annual NC Color Run, let's come together for an exciting new fundraiser, the NC Color Drop! On Wednesday, March 31st, a helicopter will release more than 1,000 golf balls over a target at Waveny. The golf balls will be numbered individually and the participant whose ball lands closest to the target will be the winner of the grand prize, a Peloton Tread. Other prizes include an amazing NC Gift Basket and Kidzone Electric Bumper Cars. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to need-based college scholarships for NCHS graduates.
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For more information go to www.nchs-sf.org!
*Due to Covid, no spectators will be allowed. The event will be livestreamed for all residents to watch.
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Grade Level Parent Meetings and Information |
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NCHS Sophomore Parent Program*
Creating a College Testing Plan
Thursday, February 4th
8:00am, Zoom Link to follow
The School Counselors host this program for sophomore parents that focuses on creating an appropriate testing plan for junior year. The program will review the formats of the SAT and the PSAT and how it compares to the ACT so that parents can make an appropriate plan for their child. Our speaker will be Charlie O'Hearn, a graduate of Yale University and New Canaan High School and an expert in the field of test preparation. This will be a virtual event and we will record it. Look for the Zoom link prior to the day.
*Denotes Guidance Counseling Program
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2021 New Canaan Senior Internship Program
The Senior Internship Program will now be offering Senior Project Options. If you have a passion or interest you would like to explore, this is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of this. Please check your email for more information. If you have questions please contact Mrs. Bianco.
Seniors can also self-design their internship for Spring 2021. For more information please click here.
We need your help!
The NCHS Senior Internship program is in need of companies/organizations to host NCHS Seniors from May 18th to June 11th. Interns can intern remotely or in person. The hours are typically 9:00am to 2:00pm during school days.
For more information on how to participate please email Heather Bianco. |
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Class of 2021 "Post Prom Party"
Friday, May 21st
While we realize holding our traditional Post Prom party at Waveny House may be too much to hope for this spring, we are committed to celebrating the Class of 2021 in as many ways as possible. We have formed a committee to begin planning a celebratory event for our Seniors on May 21st in a safe outdoor way. We are exploring all ideas to give our Seniors a very exciting evening to celebrate this special class. If you are a senior parent and interested in volunteering on this event please email this year’s chairs Rona Siegel and Maria Sweeney at nchspostprom2021@gmail.com.
We are also seeking Senior photos for our Senior Video! Don’t miss out on being included! Please submit the following by March 1st:
• Candid Group Shots of 3+ Seniors
• Any High School Event
• From Any Grade
• JPG Format with Good resolution
• Please Identify Students with Names in the Email
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Counseling News
Mark Your Calendars Now!
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Test dates:
Feb 6th - ACT
March 13th - SAT
April 13th - In School SAT for class of '22. No Registration is necessary
April 17th* - ACT
May 8th* -SAT
June 5th* - SAT
June 12th - ACT
July 17th - ACT
*Denotes NCHS as testing location
JUNIORS
Connecticut has set April 13th, 2021 as the School Day SAT for juniors. The scores from this test can also be sent to colleges for admissions purposes. Registration will be handled through the school for this test. Look for information to follow.
College Fairs:
The next NACAC College Fair will be held online on February 28th. This is a great opportunity for sophomores and juniors to interact with college admissions officers and learn more about colleges as they consider their list. Click here to register.
For grades 9, 10, and 11 - Course Selection:
Teachers will be making recommendations for next year just prior to February break. Students will then have access through their school portal to make selections. Counselors will meet with freshmen through Zoom to review the process and a tutorial will be forwarded to all students as a refresher. Counselors will meet with each of their students through March to review their selections and answer questions.
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Join us as we invite NCHS Theatre Stars of the past to help celebrate the future of this great program. All proceeds for this evening of music will go directly to the theatre program to help ensure future opportunities for our current students. Hear our amazing alumni sing songs, tell stories, and celebrate their time at NCHS!
The show will stream online on Saturday, February 27th at 7:00pm. Purchase your tickets here: NCHS Alumni Show or on our website. On the morning of the performance, you will receive an email with the direct link to view the show. We'll see you there! |
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NCHS Athletics Department
A Letter from our Athletics Director
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The CIAC voted last month to allow low- and moderate-risk winter sports to begin January 19th, with competition to begin no earlier than February 8th. Practices have begun for swimming, basketball, ice hockey, gymnastics, and indoor track. The CIAC is not permitting large, multi-school indoor track meets for the winter season. Wrestling, considered a high-risk sport, is permitted to do strength and conditioning sessions and non-contact drills only.
Games will be streamed by NCTV on their YouTube Channel and by our HUDL camera on our own NCHS Athletic Channel. Links to game coverage can be found here.
Spring registration is open on Family ID. Please register now so that we can prepare for the upcoming season and provide you up-to-date information.
While this year has certainly had its challenges, we are pleased most of our athletes are training and competing on some level this season. Connecting with coaches and peers outside the classroom is very important for physical and mental health.
Go Rams!
Jay Egan
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January 11, 2021 Board of Education Meeting
Dr. Luizzi updated the Board on COVID-19 and began with feedback from schools being remote after the holiday break. Staff and students felt that it was fundamentally different and improved from last spring. Dr. Luizzi applauded this great step forward, while emphasizing that remote learning is not a replacement for in-person learning.
The high school had planned a Hybrid Plus model (75% of students attending) but with the uptick in COVID cases, the 50/50 hybrid model was put into place for the immediate future. The plan is to transition to the Hybrid Plus model once the numbers decrease. The health and safety of both students and staff will always be the first priority.
The Department of Public Health gave a letter to the CIAC that athletics can resume as of January 19th for practice and February 1st for competitions, but only in-state.
The Board moved to approve, as a first read, the 2021-22 Superintendent’s Budget.
January 25, 2021 Board of Education Meeting
Dr. Bryan Luizzi, Cabinet & David Gusitsch updated the Board on COVID-19. The high school began its first week of the Hybrid plus model.
The Board moved to approve, as a second read, to adopt the budget as the Board of Education proposed budget.
Upcoming BOE meetings: February 1st via Zoom at 7:00 pm
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Thank you from the staff! |
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Thanks to the support of our members, the PFA was able to provide a special lunch in January to all of our NCHS faculty and staff. While we missed being there in person for our annual Mid-term Staff Appreciation lunch, the staff were so appreciate of the NCHS parents for making this happen. Here are some of the many nice notes we received from the staff:
-Thank you so much for finding a way to make the NCHS staff feel acknowledged and appreciated during a pandemic.
-I want to thank you for the delicious lunch today! It is such a treat. Of course, this is a hard year for all of us. We are so lucky in the NCPS to have so much support and care from our PFA and BOE. it is greatly appreciated!
-We are so lucky and have the BEST PFA ever!!! The sandwiches/salads were great and everyone really enjoyed them. It was a very nice treat and, honestly, made our day.
-I just wanted to drop you a note to thank you very much for our lunches today. The food was delicious! I can't tell you how much it means to us to feel appreciated by the parents. I am always bragging to my friends who are teachers in other districts how great it is to work in New Canaan. The students are so nice, and the parents are so supportive. Thanks for being part of why I love working here!
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Healthy Relationships are Learned
February, 2nd at 9:30am
In honor of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, join us to learn about the foundational elements of healthy relationships.
You will obtain tools to to help your child understand:
-What a healthy relationship looks and feels like
-Relationship skills, including setting boundaries
-The importance of healthy communication
-How to identify unhealthy relationship dynamics rooted in power and control
The Art of Raising Kids Today
February 25th at 7:00pm
Best selling authors & CBS Good Morning Guests
Dr. Lisa Damour & Dr. Michael Reichert
It is not boy versus girl.
It is boy AND girl!
What is the same and what is different?
When should we differentiate?
Join Dr. Lisa Damour and Dr. Michael Reichert for an evening filled with lessons, myth busting and more….
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