Newtown High School Blog

Junior John Wlasuk of the Newtown High School Indoor Track & Field team participated at the 27th Annual National Scholastic Indoor Championships on Saturday and Sunday March 13-14th, 2010, at the New Balance Track & Field Center (The Armory) in New York City, NY. John Wlasuk placed twenty-fifth out of fifty competitors in the shot put with a distance of 47-07.25 ft (14.51m). John also placed thirtieth out of fifty two competitors in the weight throw with a distance of 51-05.00 ft (15.67m). In addition, freshman Jake Feinstein competed at the Nike Indoor Nationals on Friday March 12th, 2010, at the Reggie Lewis Track & Field Center in Boston, MA. Jake placed seventh out of thirty five competitors in the freshman one mile with a time of 4:35.78. Congratulations to John, Jake, and the entire Indoor Track Team on a successful season!

Students currently enrolled in Advanced Placement courses should download the AP Exam Request Form. The check, along with the form, should be submitted to Mrs. Schiffer in Guidance by March 26, 2010. If there are any questions, please contact the Guidance Office at 203.426.7651.

Business Department teacher Vivian Sheen took her Financial Management students on a road trip to the school cafeteria today. Mrs. Sheen made arrangements with Chartwells’ cafeteria management team to allow her students an opportunity to track cash flow from the point of sale. Each student got the opportunity to run the cash register and make change for at least one customer, while the rest of the class worked with Mrs. Sheen to answer a variety of related questions.

Mrs. Sheen knows her students master vocabulary and concepts much more readily when they can actually participate in the process being studied. Gabby Kalinowski, Freshman, and Elizabeth Tarshis, Senior, are pictured on the register. Chartwells’ staff member Karen Collins is assisting.

Special thanks to Chartwells for their cooperation in this learning experience.

Congratulations to Yossi Kohrman-Glaser (Third, Musical Composition), Laura Hunter (Second, Literature), and Daniel Trock (Second, Film Production – not pictured)for their outstanding achievement in the Connecticut PTA’s Reflection Program contest for 2009-2010.  Great job Yossi, Laura, and Daniel!

Congratulations to Meghan Bridges and Daniel Lynch for being selected as Newtown High School’s South-West Conference Scholar Athletes for 2009-2010.  The Scholar Athlete award represents outstanding athletic, academic, and leadership qualities.  Great job Meghan and Daniel!

Nearly all Newtown High School students returning next year have participated in the course selection process with their Guidance Counselor.  If you did not participate in the process, please plan to attend a “make-up session” at 2:00 pm in the Guidance Room (B150/B152) on Wednesday, March 17, 2010.  If you are unable to attend this additional session, you may still register for classes by following the instructions on this Course Selection Lesson.  Please complete your selection by Wednesday, March 24, 2010.

Sophomores and Juniors who took the PLAN on February 6, 2010 will be glad to hear the scores are in! They have been uploaded to Naviance and the test booklets and score reports will be distributed on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 in homeroom.

Newtown High School Athletes took 5th place at the state weight lifting competition this past weekend. We finished in the best position since we started participating in this competition. Doug Brede won the Power Clean competition with 295lbs, Max Nacewicz took 3rd in the Bench press with 275lbs. Overall, we were 5th out of 27 schools who participated.

Kyle Bella holds a freshly printed “PI Day” T-Shirt being prepared for a Math Department celebration. Erik Hoffman designed the shirt and produced all of the working materials and Shannon Barra is pictured helping out with production. 32 shirts were printed in advance of PI day which of course falls on 3.14.10. The project is being completed in Mr. DeFeo’s Enterprise program- NHS Graphics, the Company.

Teachers and administrators will be wearing these shirts in mid-march and the design of course, points to the power of PI, a message that is clearly communicated.

Art teachers throughout the district shared samples of student work, enabling every school to display art offerings from every grade. The pieces displayed above are currently on display in the Newtown High School lobby and show promising talent at every grade level.

Congratulations to all students, and thank you to all Art teachers.

Christina Ciamarra, a Senior in Mr. Daly’s CAD/Drafting 2 course, is pictured checking measurements in the Newtown High School Cafeteria.

Christina is updating the architectural drawings for the 7,400 square foot space. When her drawings are complete, Christina will be collaborating with Mrs. Latowicki and Mrs. Ragaini, NHS Career Center liaisons, to design a floor plan for the upcoming College Fair.

Nice skills, Christina!

The REVISED Newtown Public Schools Academic Calendar for 2010-2011 is HERE

Sophomore Josh Branchflower and Junior Nina Midlik are drying their screens before using them to print a few t-shirts. Graphics teacher Dave DeFeo is shown introducing the spot removing tool that can remove ink from a t-shirt if a mishap occurs.

Producing a screen printed t-shirt is a daunting problem-solving challenge requiring proficiency in computer software, a variety of mechanical devices, and several manual processes. Of course, creativity, planning, and perseverance are critical elements throughout.

The final products will be on display next week.

Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for March 25, 2010.  Please see the following document for scheduling information.

Parent Teacher Conference Information

Aless Delia and Valeria Ramon, students in Mrs. Davidson’s French classes, are participating in a statewide poster contest. Sponsored by the CT Coalition of Language Teachers (CT COLT), the contest is based on the theme, “The Look of Language.” Aless and Valeria’s fantastic original artwork will be judged against posters created by world language students from around the state. Prize money will be awarded. Good luck, Aless and Valeria!

Miss Gacso’s Child Development students assist, observe, and record progress as their preschool ‘buddies’ engage in a variety of educational activities.

Can you identify the following activities in the above pictures? Mathematics, Science, Sensory Exploration, Dramatic Play, Literacy, Problem Solving, Fine Motor Skills. Hint: Each photo contains more than one.

High school students enrolled in the Child Development program are afforded a valuable preview of the demands and rewards of parenting as they observe their preschool buddy progress through the school year.

Tomorrow’s parents working with tomorrow’s high school students!

Congratulations to Newtown High School Spanish Teacher Tomas Rozas. Mr. Rozas recently became a United States citizen!

PTSA Meeting – Newtown Drug and Alcohol Survey Results

MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2010 at 11:00am in Room B141

Special guest Judy Blanchard, District Health Coordinator, will present the results from the 2009 Drug & Alcohol survey. This is given randomly to Newtown students in grades 7-12 biannually. Please join us for an insightful presentation on a very important subject. Also at this meeting the membership will take a vote to support the 2010-2011 BOE budget. This step must take place in order for the PTSA to advocate on behalf of the Education/Town budget.

Opening night of Gypsy is Thursday, March 11, 2010.

Based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, Gypsy tells the story of Rose, an overbearing stage mother who is determined to break into the big time by pushing the vaudeville career of her younger daughter June. However, unwilling to tolerate her mother’s manipulations, June elopes with a dancer from their act. Rose then turns all of her attention on her older and less talented daughter Louise. Eventually Rose’s dreams come to fruition when she unintentionally transforms Louise into the famous burlesque performer, Gypsy Rose Lee. No sooner has she succeeded, however, than Rose suffers a mental breakdown, realizing that she is no longer needed in her daughter’s career. Read the rest of this entry »

Come enjoy a night of live entertainment and help support the worldwide Haiti relief effort!

Thursday April 1, 2010
7PM – 9PM (Doors open at 6:30PM)
NHS Auditorium
Purchase tickets at the door:
Students – suggested donation of $6
Adults – suggested donation of $16
Children 12 and under free!

Read the rest of this entry »