Newtown High School Blog

The Newtown High School Chamber Choir and Singers will perform a special program at the 9/11 American Flag Living Memorial on Rt. 302 on Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 3:00 pm. This program is in honor of those whose lives were lost on September 11, 2001 with the hope of encouraging others to donate blood, “making a difference in the lives of others in memory of those whose lives were lost.” The choral students will sing patriotic and reflective music for the event.

Tags: Choir

As incoming ninth graders examine their schedules for the fall, students in English I, Western Studies and Integrated Physical and Earth Science (IPES) may notice that their course descriptor is CP, not CPA or CPB. For many years, CPA and CPB classes shared the same curriculum, but with some differences in pace and instructional approach used to implement the curriculum. As part of the high school reform movement and in the spirit of continuous improvement, the high school community has been discussing the best way to meet the needs of all students who take college prep courses. These discussions have been influenced by NEASC recommendations to place all college prep students together in one level and the need to comply with Connecticut state law to reduce the isolation of students with special needs. These discussions included possible changes to class structures and increased use of differentiated instructional strategies. Read the rest of this entry »

In this recent New York Times article, Benedict Carey explains the research of psychologists, doctors, and scientists as he explores the “schoolyard folk wisdom, or empty theorizing” from which the general wisdom on study habits has been derived.  Follow this link or download the article here: NYT Study Habits

Due to construction related issues, continuing tomorrow (Wednesday, September 9, 2010) until further notice, parking for Senior Students on the Newtown High School campus will continue on a first come, first serve basis.  This is the same method utilized since the first day of school.  Senior Students will not be assigned their designated parking space window permit until we are able to accommodate all Seniors eligible for on-campus parking at the same time.  There is no parking available for underclassman.

At the beginning of the school year, it was anticipated that sufficient parking would be available by this date.  Unfortunately, preparations are still being made to be able to turn over an additional 75 parking spots.  We hope to have the parking situation rectified within the next couple of weeks. We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience.

Tags: Parking

Last spring, the Principal’s Advisory Council (PAC) proposed an updated cellular phone / electronic device policy for the high school.  The policy, based upon feedback from students, parents, and staff members, was adopted for use beginning this fall.  The new policy – Electronic Device Policy – restricts use in hallways (to increase safety and reduce social isolation) and allows use in some common areas (cafe, courtyards).  Use of personal electronic devices in the classroom for instructional activities is left to the discretion of the teacher.

Tags: Policy

The pay to participate fees for the 2010-2011 school year are listed below.  There is a $450 per year per family cap on these fees.

FALL SPORTS

CHEERLEADING	$150
DANCE	$150
X-COUNTRY	$150
FIELD HOCKEY	$200
VOLLEYBALL	$200
SOCCER	$200
SWIMMING	$200
FOOTBALL	$200

WINTER SPORTS

INDOOR TRACK	$200
BASKETBALL	$200
CHEERLEADING	$150
WRESTLING	$200
SWIMMING	$200
DANCE	$150

SPRING SPORTS

LACROSSE	$200
TENNIS	$150
BASEBALL	$200
SOFTBALL	$200
TRACK	$150
GOLF	$150

Junior and senior privileges for the current school year will not be in effect until September 10, 2010.  Until then, the expectation is that all students will be in school for the entire day.

Parents and students are reminded that the opportunity to arrive at school late or depart early is a privilege.  Student achievement and appropriate behavior are priorities at the high school and they will take precedence over senior and junior privileges.  If a student is in need of an academic intervention, that intervention will be prescribed by the school and it may necessitate forfeiting privileges until significant progress has been made.  As well, if a student demonstrates a pattern of inappropriate behavior or commits a serious infraction of the student handbook, that student will forfeit privileges for a period of time.

Tags: Juniors, Seniors

The Newtown High School Book Club meets on the second Wednesday of every month from 2pm to 3pm in the Library Media Center to select, read, and discuss great literature of all genres. Join us this Wednesday, September 8, 2010 to choose our first book selection. For more information contact Ms. Cotroneo or Ms. Zandonella. All students are welcome!

The first meeting of the Math Team will be Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 2pm in B236. Anyone with an interest in math is welcome to attend. Please see Mrs. Sherman in the math office if you have any questions.

Tags: Math Team

The last day for students to drop a class without penalty for the 2010-2011 school year (first semester and full year courses) is Friday, October 1, 2010.

FAITH Food Pantry gave out 3,400 meals to Newtown residents during the first 7 months of this year. At this pace, FAITH will give out double the amount of food this year compared to last year. This year, 1 CAN really make(s) a difference. Please consider bringing 1 can of nonperishable food in a plastic bag to the Labor Day Parade and place it along the parade route. 1 CAN is in the 1st division of the parade and as they go along the route, they will pick up the bags of food. After the parade, the food will be delivered to the FAITH Food Pantry. The FAITH Food Pantry has been giving food to only Newtown residents for over 25 years. This is all about people in Newtown helping people in Newtown. (This effort is the work of Newtown High School Senior Breanne Lubinsky)

Installation of the turf has begun and will take approximately twelve work days to complete. Each five yard wide strip is sewn to its neighbor, stretched out, and rolled in the installation process.

Orientation of freshman Physical Education/Health classes includes class expectations, preparing portfolio folders, and a tour of the facilities. All PE Health students are reminded to check the white board in the main hallway daily for their PE/Health class location.

Last year the PTSA Reflections Program theme was “Beauty is…” Students are invited to interpret this year’s theme of “together we can…” using their area of expertise. The rules for each area – Photography, Visual arts, Literature, Music Composition, and Dance – along with Student Entry Forms and General Guidelines are available in each department.  Keep an eye out for posters in the halls. The deadline for entries is November 19, 2010.

Want to inspire a love of reading in others, and share some great reads with your friends? Join a community of readers and take part in the Newtown High School 2010 Literacy Initiative.

The Library Media Center is collecting book suggestions from students, staff, and faculty of their favorite summer reads and posting them (along with their name and photo) on the bulletin board outside of the Career Center across from the LMC. As the display grows, it will be continued into the LMC. The goal is to encircle the entire library with a “community of readers” and instill in a life-long love reading to the entire NHS community.

Please be an important part of our community of readers and take a moment to complete the following:
1: Your Name:
2: Book Title / Author:
3: What you enjoyed about the book and / or why you would recommend it:

You can fill out a form at the Library Media Center, or email zandonellal@newtown.k12.ct.us

Currently, the Newtown High School community awaits the arrival of Mr. Ding. He has been delayed due to the visa renewal process in Beijing, China. In the meantime, Mr. Hiruo has been in touch with the Chinese Consulate, College Board, and Hanban Foundation to expedite the visa renewal, while Mrs. Greenfield has been pulling together professional contacts and lesson plans to provide a safety net for his Mandarin classes should his delay carry into the second week of school. Mr. Ding is expected to return Labor Day weekend. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: China

The Newtown Fire Marshal, Newtown Deputy Fire Marshal, and Newtown Chief Building Inspector approved Stair 4 this afternoon.  There will be no delay in the opening of school.  School WILL start on September 1, 2010.

Thank you to the Newtown High School PTSA for hosting a “welcome back to school” breakfast for the staff.

Beginning Wednesday, September 8, 2010, Newtown High School will be able to accommodate student parking for every eligible Senior during the 2010-2011 school year.  As it stands now, there will be no student parking spaces available for Juniors this year.  Prior to 9/8/10, student parking will be non-designated, on a first come-first serve basis, and limited to about 100 spaces due to construction-related issues.  We strongly encourage students to ride the bus to and from school during the first two weeks of school.  We also recommend that parents planning to drive their child to school in the AM provide sufficient time as the volume of traffic on and around campus is expected to be heavy.  Please note that PM parent-student pick-up will again be permitted only in the parking lot adjacent to the cafeteria patio.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Tags: Parking

Per order of the Newtown Fire Marshal,  the Main Lobby is no longer a lobby. It is now a common hallway (just like any other hallway in the NHS building), and may only be utilized for pedestrians to ingress and/or egress adjoining hallways, offices, the auditorium, and/or the gymnasium (once gym construction is complete) . No tables or chairs are allowed in the Main Hallway, and students will not be permitted to loiter there after 7:15 am. However, students may sit in the cafeteria if they arrive to school early to await the bell for the start of homeroom. We understand that this will be a big change from past tradition, but the conditions and uses of areas of the building will be changing with the new construction and we will have new spaces for students to congregate.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Michael Brand, from Danbury Orthopedic will be speaking at Newtown High School on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 6:30pm in the Auditorium. He will be speaking about Concussions and Concussion Management.  All are invited to attend.

Welcome CLASS OF 2014!

On Thursday, August 26, 2010,  the Class of 2014 walked into Newtown High School for the first time for freshmen orientation. Over 95 upperclass students volunteered their time to speak to freshmen, give them a tour of the school, hand out schedules and help them find their lockers. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Freshmen

The Newtown High School Counseling staff will now be sending transcripts and college materials electronically with the help of a Naviance Webinar.

Instead of writing out and stamping envelopes as in the past, students will now have their transcripts, report cards and school profile sent electronically for a nominal $2. fee per application.

The new and exciting process will be further explained to all seniors on Tuesday September 7th at 7pm at the Senior College Workshop in the Auditorium.

“We’re all really excited to move to electronic filing and transcripts.  It’s going to be so beneficial for our students,” School Counselor Jeffrey Tolson said.

Tags: Professional Development

Newtown High School is currently scheduled to open on time, September 1, 2010.  Although we are not moving into the addition for the opening of school, there are a couple of critical items that need to be completed in order for us to open school.  The first is the substantial completion of the expanded stairwell (Stair 4) that is adjacent to room B150/B152.  Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Parking

Sections 19a-33-1 through 19a-33-13 of the regulations of Connecticut State Agencies require schools to address inspections and notifications of changes in conditions of identified asbestos-containing building materials.  Please know that this notification is required by law and should not be construed to indicate the existence of any hazardous conditions in Newtown High School.  You may access the notification here: asbestos notification

When Trinity Church needed t-shirts printed for their volunteers embarking on an extended good Samaritan work camp, they got help from an NHS insider.

Tom Andereau (2nd row, 2nd from right) was a student enrolled in the Graphics 2 course at NHS at the time. Tom did the artwork and submitted the project to ‘NHS Graphics, the Company’ (a student-run enterprise) for printing on the shirts.

The Graphics 2 course, and the student-run enterprise, are both supervised by Graphics Teacher Dave DeFeo.

Thanks, Mr. DeFeo! And congratulations to your students.

Tags: Graphics

Thanks to the student and PTSA volunteers for their help in assembling the opening day informational packets for students!

Assistant Principal Jason Hiruo and School Psychologist Tom Brant have recently had their piece on the Newtown High School China Delegation published.  You can read it here:  Connecticut School Psychologist

Tags: Psychologists, Publications

Twenty-eight members of the high school faculty, representing nearly every department and the administration, participated in two days of training that will help us to systematically share instructional practices to help students achieve at higher levels.  It was directly tied to making effective use of the release time that has been incorporated into this year’s calendar.

Tags: Professional Development

NHS PTSA is canvassing for volunteers to assure the success of the initial PTSA sponsored events: Read the rest of this entry »

If you are planning on trying out for a fall sport (Field Hockey, Football, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer) whose tryouts will be held at Newtown High School, site modifications have temporarily restricted vehicular and pedestrian traffic through the back parking lot.  Student-athletes will have to be dropped off at the Oakview entrance to the back practice fields. Please make every attempt to carpool to tryouts because parking on Oakview is extremely limited. Driveway paving is scheduled to be completed sometime next week so please check back to the blog for updates.

Until the expansion is available, we will have to run on a schedule that incorporates four lunch waves (as in previous years).  In this post you will find the Interim Bell Schedule, the Schedule of Days (A, B, C, …), and the Opening Day Schedule.

Tags: Calendar

The Newtown High School Football team ended their strength and conditioning program with a strong man competition.

Tags: Football

Furniture and equipment for the expansion have been arriving.  Once the rooms are complete, it will be moved into the classrooms.

Based upon an evaluation (by the town, the district, the architect, and the contractor) of the current construction progress, it has been decided that it is highly likely that the classroom addition will not be ready for occupancy on September 1, 2010.  Hence, we will will begin to implement an alternative plan for the opening of school which will have us start in our current spaces (slightly rearranged) and then move into the addition once it is complete.