Newtown High School Blog

This is the one thousandth post on the Newtown High School Blog.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed content.  We are proud to display the activities and accomplishments of the students and staff of the high school.  As we move into our next thousand posts, we would like to expand our coverage of student achievements and student work.  So many students do something unique and interesting outside of school. Don’t be shy – please take a moment to share it with the principal.

Kim Marshall, in the Marshall Memo (Issue 322, February 8, 2010), reviews an article from David Glenn originally published in The Chronicle of Higher Education (Feb. 5, 2010, Vol. LVI, #21) – available here – Divided Attention by David Glenn.  Kim’s review is below:

In this intriguing Chronicle Review article, David Glenn explores the phenomenon of students multitasking in classrooms – rapidly shifting their attention between listening to the instructor, text-messaging, doing Facebook, and taking notes. Many intense multitaskers feel buzzed and alert, confident they are absorbing everything the teacher says, but studies show this is an illusion – they are actually missing a lot. So should teachers ban distractions from classrooms? [For example, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania has instituted “concert rules” in classes: be on time, no electronics, no side conversations.] The answer to that question depends on the relationship of multitasking to learning, memory, and intelligence. Read the rest of this entry »

A presentation to the Newtown Board of Education demonstrating the magnitude of elements that make Newtown High School big and a sampling of our efforts to keep it small. (Presentation is 764Kb Powerpoint file – no sound file – if you get a message that it is password protected, simply click on “Read Only”)

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Many students are concerned about staying home when they are ill because they will miss work.  It is important that students focus on getting healthy first and then taking care of missed work afterward.  Whenever students are out ill they are permitted to make up their work.  The fact that it is near the end of the quarter does not change this policy. Students who are unable to complete assignments prior to the end of the quarter may receive “Incomplete” grades on their report card, but this will be updated as soon as the work is completed and a grade is submitted.

Worried about attendance?  Students who are legitimately ill (even if you have not been to a doctor – we realize that your doctor may even ask you to stay out of the office if you exhibit flu-like symptoms) should have parents promptly report the absence to the nurse at 203.270.6105 .  Should the accumulated length of student absences exceed that allowed for earning credit, students who have demonstrated a pattern of regularly attending classes when they are healthy with no record of unexcused absences should have no issue with credit restoration upon successful completion of the course.

Josh Engler, Isabel Gleason, Matt Hoeffel, & Monica Tedla joined Superintendent Janet Robinson and Principal Chip Dumais at a week-long workshop with Peter Senge as part of the Society for Organizational Learning’s Education Partnership. Read the rest of this entry »

The Connecticut Association of Schools has asked Connecticut High School Principals to nominate a single student from each school to be considered for service as a member of the State Student Advisory Council on Education (SSACE).  The Council gives Connecticut students a voice in education planning and enables the State board of Education, the Commissioner of Education, State Department of Education personnel, the Governor, and state legislators to become familiar with high school students’ perspectives on key issues. Read the rest of this entry »

On December 3, 2008, a team of twenty area Superintendents, led by Harvard University Professor Richard Elmore, will be visiting Newtown High School to provide feedback for us on a self-identified “problem of practice.”  We have asked the team to help us to assess “To what extent are students engaged in their learning as opposed to engaged in the lesson?” Through the collective efforts of the faculty, we have identified Read the rest of this entry »

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of the students who used the extended homeroom last week to respond to the “We All Walk In Different Shoes” writing prompt.  Each of the more than 1500 responses WERE READ and served as the foundation for a faculty workshop yesterday.  Your responses helped us to develop strategies that will reduce mean behaviors in our school.  We are committed to creating an environment where differences are respected and celebrated.  Should you be aware of unacceptable behaviors, I encourage you to speak with an adult in the building.  If you feel that nobody is listening to you, I encourage you to come directly to me.

Each year the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) is administered to sophomores across the state of Connecticut.  Performance on each of four main tests is measured on a five level scale (Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, Goal, & Advanced).  We are proud to announce that Newtown High School had 49 students who performed at the Advanced Level on ALL tests (Mathematics, Reading, Writing, & Science)!  A reception for parents and students Read the rest of this entry »

Connecticut Magazine (November 2008) has identified Newtown High School as one of the top 35 high schools in the state.  The goal of the rankings was to “find the schools with the greatest percentage of motivated students, along with faculty and staff, that seemed to do the best job of college preparation.”  The ranking was based on AP course offerings, AP testing results, CAPT results, SAT results, and the education level of the high school staff.  Congratulations Students and Staff!