Dear NCHS Family,
It’s hard to believe we are in May already and in the last quarter of the school year! What originally felt like an eternity in this time of social distancing, now suddenly feels like time is moving at a much faster pace. It is not a secret that what lies ahead of us for the school year is still somewhat unknown. What we do know and what we will continue to focus on are the positive attitudes, work ethic, and participation we have seen from our students, their families, our staff, and the community in the past few weeks.
Reflecting on the past, present, and future during this difficult time has us thinking about the attributes of a
New Canaan RAM.
Let's start with:
Reliable. Now more than ever we have to rely on each other for guidance, patience, and participation. We rely on one another to bring those things to the table to make e-learning work efficiently and effectively.
Our NCHS community has proven to be such a reliable and dedicated group. Teachers and support staff are going above and beyond the call of duty to make sure their students have access to all they need. Students and parents have offered constructive feedback during a transition that is new to all of us. Which leads us to our next attribute...
Adaptable. What an amazing new perspective we have of our community and the ability to adapt to new situations!
We've seen more creativity and problem solving skills flourish. We've seen groups of people working together and offering ideas, solutions and help in this time of need. We are truly feeling the love and support of this community. This brings us to our last attribute...
Motivated.
We are motivated to make this a memorable school year, no matter what that looks like, and we know all of you are motivated too! The photos, videos and feedback we receive are so appreciated and help us shape future activities. Keep them coming! We want to see more of what motivates you, and are open to ideas to help propel us all forward.
Keep the faith and
Go Rams!
All the best,
Bill Egan
Principal
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May PFA General Virtual Meeting
Annual Meeting and Coffee (BYO!)
Wednesday, May 13th, 9:30am
We will hold a virtual meeting on Wednesday, May 13th with our PFA members. We will be voting upon next year’s board and budget and Bill Egan will reflect upon current events at NCHS. The meeting will be held via Zoom and an invitation to join this closed meeting will be sent to you separately in advance of the meeting. Questions can be sent in advance of the meeting to
[email protected]. The meeting will be recorded and available for viewing on our website if you cannot attend the live presentation.
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PFA 2020-2021 Executive Board Slate
Our New Executive Board
The PFA continues planning for activities to support our students, families and faculty for the upcoming school year. Our hope is that activities can resume to near normal, but we will be prepared to support in any way that we can. We are pleased to announce the proposed slate for the 2020-2021 school year. We thank all of those taking on any role for their involvement. We will be voting on this slate at our May 13th virtual meeting.
Co-Presidents: Courtney Langford and Jody O’Donnell
Treasurer: Jen Tchir
Asst Treasurer: Kim Hall
Secretary: Suzanne Harrison
VP Gifts & Grants: Patricia Mee
VP Communications: Sue Morse
VP Education: Caryn Kelly
VP Hospitality: Leslie Bisesi
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NCHS Scholarship Foundation
“I ❤️ New Canaan” lawn signs are on sale now at
nchs-sf.org. Show your appreciation for our great town and our caring community. All proceeds go to the NCHS Scholarship Foundation.
Thank you!
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Grade Level Parent Meetings & Information
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Although we are not able to come together for our regularly scheduled Networking Programs please be sure to visit our
Networking Program video library
to watch our previous meetings.
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Senior Year Sneak Peek & the Current College Landscape
Thursday, May 14th
9:30am, Webinar
Guidance will provide an update via Webinar to our Junior parents. Please look for details next week.
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The PFA continues to work with the faculty and administration to find ways to recognize our seniors and celebrate their wonderful accomplishments. We know that they are missing out on so much and we cannot replace that loss, but please know we are working with the faculty on alternate plans to commemorate the end of their NCHS experience. We are certainly thinking about all of the students in our community, but we want to acknowledge that missing out on traditions and experiences that are meaningful to seniors everywhere is especially poignant.
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NCHS 2020 Post Prom Party
**POSTPONED**
Senior Prom & Post Prom have both been postponed until further notice. However, the Post Prom committee is currently working with 5 different scenarios and contingency plans which include a possible late June or late July event which could be executed pending COV-19 state restrictions.
At this point, there are still so many unknowns, but we will do everything we can to celebrate the Class of 2020. We realize many of you have made generous donations to the Post Prom party - Thank you! Please consider sticking with us as we determine whether we can use those funds to celebrate your kids in some meaningful way.
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Upcoming Testing Dates
Check the websites for the most up to date information about cancellations
June 12th - ACT
July 17th - ACT
August 29th - SAT
September 12th - ACT*
September 26th - SAT
October 3rd - SAT*
*Denotes NCHS as testing location
NCHS may be adding another SAT date in late August or September. Please look for further information.
UCONN ECE CLASSES APPLICATION TO RECEIVE COLLEGE CREDIT
For those of you who have requested to take a class through the UCONN ECE program, the application process opened Thursday April 30th.
Students have been sent details of this process through school email so please read this carefully and, if you have questions, please contact your counselor or Mrs. Mitchell and Mr. Willett who are coordinating this program.
Juniors
There will be a virtual college fair April 27th-May 8th!
200+ individual college information sessions. Institutions from 45 states and 13 countries are represented. Info sessions start every hour from 9:00am and run through 9:00pm
Central Time each day to accommodate a variety of time zones and e-learning schedules nationwide. Each session is 45 minutes long. Target audience: U.S.-based juniors. These programs are also being recorded and will be available to watch on-demand later. To view the schedule and register for sessions
click here.
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New Canaan High School Theatre
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CALL FOR ENTRIES!
New Age Film Festival 2020
Date TBD
As a district, we are excited about this truly unique opportunity for supporters of film throughout the community to celebrate the hard work of young filmmakers. Students are encouraged to visit the New Age Film Festival Website where submission guidelines, information, rules, dates and entry forms are posted.
Entry submissions due May 1st
UPDATE: Despite the current situation, we will still proceed with hosting a festival; however, it may be a virtual one. Please stay tuned for an announcement with how we will proceed with the awards night. Depending on the circumstances, we may create a virtual festival on our website instead of hosting an awards ceremony at the high school.
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2020 Vision
NCHS's 33rd Annual Virtual Senior Art Show
May 11th - June 30th
Virtual Opening Monday, May 11th
The day of May 11th marks a very special moment for a group of New Canaan High School seniors. It is the opening of “2020 Vision” the Thirty-third Annual Virtual Senior Art Show. The Exhibit will be presented as a Video on the New Canaan High School website. The exhibit celebrates the creative accomplishments of our senior art students and consists of eighteen one-person retrospectives, in a variety of media including drawing, painting, photography, digital media and film.
The following students will be presented in One Person Exhibits in New Canaan High School’s 33rd Annual Virtual Senior Art Show: Claire Batchelor, Brooke Barber, Audrey Bloom, Jane Charlton, Josh Cohn, Skye Curren, Devin Findlay, Kiera Finnerty, Charlotte Gardner, Emily Gelchie, Andrew Jameson, Mary Joyce, Gabriella Lopez, Jeronimo Reyes, Caroline Tuffy, Emma Uzgiris, Dustin Valenti, Pablo Villa.
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NCHS Madrigal Ensemble - Light in the Hallway
When singing together isn't possible, you find new ways to make music. You find new ways to connect.
Fifteen choir members made fifteen recordings using the space and technology available to each student.
Is this like singing and being together? Not at all.
Does this song bring us joy and lift our spirits? Absolutely.
Are we learning? So very much - about ourselves as musicians and as humans.
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NCHS Athletic Department
A Letter from our Athletic Director Jay Egan
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While we are staying home, we would like to congratulate our senior athletes who are committed to play a D3 sport:
Quincy Connell - Lacrosse - Trinity
Luke Beiles- Soccer - Dickinson
Sophie Curcio - Cross Country Track - Springfield College
Emily Knight - Field Hockey - Johns Hopkins University
Ryan Lytle - Cross Country Track - Babson College
Andrew Morse - Football - Washington and Lee University
Henry Pohle - Basketball - Colby College
Kyle Russell - Lacrosse - Franklin & Marshall College
Elizabeth DeMarino - Lacrosse - Colby College
James Ragusa - Diving - UMass Amherst
Jackson Camporin - Diving - Trinity College
Drew Guida - Football and Lacrosse - Tufts University
Andrew Symon - Lacrosse - Swarthmore College
Alex Gibbens - Basketball - Carleton College.
Congratulations to Chris Carratu on being named the NCHS male CIAC Scholar Athlete. He has been a three-sport athlete all four years of high school and is a National Merit Scholarship Finalist. Congratulations to Riana Afshar for being named the CIAC female Scholar Athlete. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society.
The New Canaan Boys Lacrosse Team raised money to provide meals for 120 healthcare workers at Norwalk Hospital on April 16th. Way to show your gratitude to the health care workers and support local business. Well done!
The Boys Basketball Team has donated meals on two separate occasions for the ER staff at Greenwich Hospital. Way to represent our school and community!
We are now offering NC Rams Face Masks for sale ($15/each) on our website. These masks will be in stock in two weeks. A portion of sales will go to the New Canaan Community Foundation Covid-19 Response Fund. Buy now at
www.ncrams.com/face-masks.
While many town trails have reopened, the fields at the high school remain closed in order to maintain physical distancing. Please do not use the fields and stay safe!
STAY SAFE…. STAY HEALTHY… GO RAMS
Jay Egan, Athletics Director
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April 2nd, 2020 Board of Education Meeting
The Solar Power Purchase agreement was discussed.
April 6th, 2020 Board of Education Meeting
School Closure Update
- Dr. Luizzi
NCHS is well into Phase II of distance learning. Everything is working well and adjustments are being made where necessary. Meal deliveries are still being made on Mondays and Wednesdays to 130 students. Grades in the third quarter will stay with the traditional grading system.
Budget Update
- Dr. Luizzi
The Board was extremely disappointed with the $1,143,000 budget cut but remains grateful for the support they did receive. Dr. Luizzi felt that due to the cut, the School Start Time Initiative cannot be implemented in 2020-21. With the upcoming discussion on BOE Goals in June, the Board will review the status of the school start time initiative and will consider the best path forward.
April 20th, 2020 Board of Education Meeting
Cancelled.
Upcoming BOE meetings
: May 4th, May 11th and 18th at 7:00pm. Public comment is available during allotted times.
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Thank You for All of Your Hard Work!
The PFA's sincerest gratitude goes to:
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Michaela Nelson for Chairing 12th Grade Level Networking Meetings. Michaela has kept the parents of soon-to-be 2020 graduates “in the know” with valuable meetings and programming.
Taylor Benevento and
Clare Caione for Co-Chairing 11th Grade Networking Meetings and providing parents with valuable information to make navigating the stressful junior year a little easier.
Stefania Bopp and
Kate Licata for Co-Chairing 10th Grade Networking Meetings and tailoring meetings to meet specific sophomore needs, including a meeting for parents of new teen drivers.
Caryn Kelly and
Claire Tscornia for Co-Chairing 9th Grade Networking Meetings. They provided programming to aid the parents of 9th graders in preparation of first time midterms as well as a roadmap for the next three years at NCHS.
A big thank you to our Nominating Committee of
Heather Budnick,
Janet Lee,
Mimi Leahy,
Kristin Reed, and
Kate Van Dussen for pulling together such a great team of volunteers for next year. Your time, energy and thoughtfulness is very much appreciated.
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LiveGirl
Know Before You Go
Wednesday, May 6th
7:30-8:30pm
Know Before You Go provides an in depth look at the issue of college sexual assault. You will learn about Affirmative Consent and the policies and laws in place regarding sexual assault response on college campuses.
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Talking About It
Managing Grief and Building Resilience in the time of COVID-19 on Talking About It. The latest Talking About It podcast is focused on the impact of isolation on our families and how we can manage change in this time of global pandemic. The program addresses the grief, fear and sadness we may be feeling now, but also anticipatory grief, what life could look like after COVID-19 and how we can be a more resilient community. The expert panel also discusses how to recognize signs of anxiety and stress in your family and how to work through it.
TALKING ABOUT IT is a community podcast from the New Canaan Abuse Prevention
Partnership, dedicated to reducing the stigma around behavioral health issues our community members face, preventing abuse, and promoting healthy relationships. Because we’re not perfect and we’re talking about it.
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SLOBs
Saturday, May 2nd
2:30pm via Zoom
SLOBs will be holding their last general meeting via Zoom on Saturday, May 2nd at 2:30pm. Mike Handler, Director of Emergency Management, will be speaking and answering members’ questions. Donation opportunities will be announced as will a special new initiative in response to Covid-19 called SLOBs Stepping Up. Invitations to the Zoom call will be sent to all members.
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