Nonnewaug High School Parent News
October 21-25, 2024
December 2 to December 6, 2024
Hello Families,
We hope everyone had a restful and rejuvenating Thanksgiving holiday. We are looking forward to these three weeks between Thanksgiving and the Christmas break. Additionally, with the threat of inclement weather this week, please refer to the email sent by Mr. Murphy 2 weeks ago. We will also share any updates to the NHS Instagram if and when there are changes to the schedule because of bad weather.
Have a great week!
Please see our scheduling calendar so that you can track our weekly bell schedule. Our bell schedules can be found here.
Sincerely,
Mykal Kuslis - Principal
Declan Curtin - Assistant Principal
Suzi Greene- Interim Assistant Principal
Andrew Tammero- Dean/Athletic Director
Below you will find key information to ensure a continued positive start.
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@nonnewauggradnite
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Save the Date!
Upcoming Events in Our School Community
Tuesday, December 3rd- 7:00 FFA Alumni Meeting
Wednesday, December 4th- 6:00- NHS Winter Concert
Tuesday, December 5th- 12:30- Senior Citizen Drive Thru Lunch
Saturday December 7th, 10-3- FFA Holiday Plant Sale. Please see the attached flier here. There will also be a pet photo session, but pets must be crated when not being photographed.
Sunday December 8th from 8-12- Grinch Breakfast at Mitchell Elementary School for our yearly Grinch Breakfast. This event is open to all children, and parents, not just Region 14 families. Please see the flier here for more information.
Wednesday, December 11th- 7:00-8:30-Join us for an evening of building awareness. EdAdvance will be providing QPR training at no cost to Woodbury and Bethlehem residents. People trained in QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to questions, persuade, and refer someone to help. Seats are limited! Please confirm your attendance with Paul Laedke at plaedke@ctreg14.org.
GradNite Updates:
Grinch Breakfast- Please join us on Sunday December 8th from 8-12 at Mitchell Elementary School for our yearly Grinch Breakfast. This event is open to all children, and parents, not just Region 14 families. Please see the flier here for more information.
GradNite 2025 - Attention all Senior parents ! We have begun fundraising and planning for the seniors celebration. Parents and students can earn raffle tickets toward the big ticket items given out at GradNite to the seniors.
Please contribute to our Bake Sale at the FFA Wreath & Plant Sale! We are looking for bakers to help raise funds for GradNite on Saturday, 12/7. Please sign up here : Bake Sale sign up
Follow us on Instagram @NonnewaugGradNite and Facebook @NHSGradNite for more information. You can contact us at NonnewaugGradNite@gmail.com
Cash for Charities at Labonne's donates back a percentage to GradNite for your receipts. Please send them into the main office or bring them to a meeting.
Important Information:
During the upcoming holiday season the Leo Club is sponsoring a Food Drive to support our local food Banks. We need the support of our Nonnewaug Chiefs and teachers to make this year a record high success. Please encourage your Chiefs to bring in non-perishable food items and the Chiefs class with the highest number of donations will win a celebration of pizza and treats. Leo’s will be picking up and counting food items on 12/16 from the classroom. Thank you in advance for supporting our community. Please see the flier here.
Yearbook Information- Our 2025 Yearbooks are now available for pre-order! Don’t miss out on securing your copy of this unforgettable keepsake. We need to know how many yearbooks to order, so please place your order as soon as possible. The more accurate our order count, the better we can ensure everyone gets a copy. CLICK HERE to order your yearbook. Yearbooks are currently priced at $85 and will increase to $100 on January 1st.
NHS Chief Advocate: Here's the latest Chief Advocate Newsletter: https://nhschiefadvocate.org/?na=view&id=9
Nonnewaug News: https://youtu.be/o4LDo6yWKX8
Attendance - Regular attendance at school is required by state law, and is an important component of student success. Please use this link as a general attendance overview. Class time is an invaluable opportunity for students and teachers to interact and exchange ideas. In order to receive maximum opportunities for learning, students need to be present in every class. Attendance is so important that it is one of the criteria for granting course credit. (Course credit is granted on the basis of two criteria: passing grade and attendance in that specific class within the requirements of the school policy.) We appreciate your support in ensuring your child is in attendance daily.
Parking on Campus- With winter sports approaching and other events at Nonnewaug, the Woodbury Fire Marshall would like to remind parents and spectators to only park in designated parking spaces. We have been informed that deputies of the fire department will be present at Nonnewaug events and will be ticketing individuals who are not in designated parking spots.
GOFAN- This year, we will be moving to GOFAN as our system of payment for events at NHS. To purchase tickets ahead of time, please use this link .The goal is to have GOFAN fully implemented for the winter season! During the fall season, we will be using GOFAN, or accepting cash for tickets to our football games.
Social Media- We are aware that there are Instagram accounts that have content that could be offensive to our students. We have taken the proactive steps to have Officer Marsh instruct our students on internet safety. Also, we have had Scott Driscoll from Internet Safety Solutions speak to our students. As always, we try to teach our students about the impact of social media on their lives. We go to extreme lengths to try and take down posts and report information that is harmful to our students. We appreciate your support on the homefront as we try to educate our students about their usage and the impact of their digital footprint.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures - The year is off to a great start. This is a friendly reminder that students have to be in class at 7:25, so please try to drop students off by 7:20 so that they are not in danger of being late. If you miss the drop-off time at the cafeteria drop-off, please drive around to the agriscience entrance. Students should enter through the main entrance after 7:25. If a student is tardy (unexcused), they will receive a lunch detention that same day.
Athletics/Clubs
Athletic Updates- We would like to thank our fanbase for their sportsmanship throughout the season. The Berkshire League would like all spectators to know that any removal from an athletic event for poor fan behavior will lead to a 2 game suspension. The suspension will only be served at the home venue where the spectator is from. We appreciate your anticipated cooperation so that this doesn’t happen to any Nonnewaug supporters.
We offer many sports throughout the winter season. Registration is now open. Please click here for Winter Sports Registration.
Winter tryouts are starting for our winter teams this week. Girls basketball, wrestling, and ice hockey start today (Monday). Swimming/Diving and boys basketball starts on 12/5. Boys basketball tryouts will be from 5-7 on 12/5 and 12/6. Swimming/Diving will start at 6:00 on 12/5 at Kennedy High School’s pool.
Clubs- Each year, Nonnewaug High School offers an array of clubs and activities. We hope to involve as many students as possible in clubs and extracurricular activities, providing them with opportunities to make social connections, broaden their interests, and, in many cases, grow in a leadership capacity. Click here for a list of our club offerings
What's Going on in the Arts?
Welcome from all of us in the Fine Arts Department!
The Artistic Pulse: Region 14 Fine Arts Newsletter.
School Counseling/CCRC
FAFSA is OPEN! Senior families can now complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA online. Go to https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch to get started. Seniors can find a tip sheet and video in their grade level Google Classroom.
WCSU will visit for our Instant Decision Day on 11/26 in the CCRC. Students that signed up have been given their appointment time.
The CCRC delivered a Career Pathway survey during Chiefs on Thursday 11/21. The results will help guide the career panels we offer this year. We try to enlist our community as participants in our panels. You are invited to complete this survey if you are interested/willing to participate in one of our career panels.
The CCRC is seeking juniors to work with me on the development of our career panels this year.
Junior fall meetings are now underway. The counselors will be discussing academic progress and post-secondary options. Juniors will have a second semester session with their counselor to review the college process.
The PowerSchool student app (iOS and Android) is active for student use. Students can now access grade information via their smartphone.
PSAT scores now available. Please look for an upcoming letter with your student’s score. Most students can access their results through the College Board/Big Future app. Please contact the School Counseling Department with any questions.
Any senior parent who is interested in a meeting with Mrs. Green or a school counselor to discuss college planning please contact kathygreen@ctreg14.org.
UConn/ECE registration is now complete. Nonnewaug students have registered for a record number of dual enrollment credits, surpassing last year’s total by 62%. These credits represent a potential college savings of over $600,000 for Nonnewaug families.
Spread the News- We are extremely proud of our faculty and students. Nonnewaug has added a tremendous number of ECE and AP courses over the past few years. The Class of 2024 completed 688 ECE credits that had a college savings value of $473,612. Furthermore, we had the best results that we have had in the past 5 years. The percentage of students with a 3 or higher on their AP exams was higher than it’s been in the past 5 years. This equated to 279 college credits with a savings value of $197,811. This is awesome for our school community. Please encourage your students to prepare for these rigorous courses because the data shows that the effort literally pays off.
Updated Cell Phone Policy
Cell Phone Policy Changes
Each classroom is equipped with phone holders, placed in a secure location.
Upon entering the classroom, students are required to place their cell phones in the designated phone holder ONLY, and they should be set to silent. Students will be required to use the holder. The phone is to remain in the holder if the student is leaving the room (i.e. going to the bathroom) and returning.
In the case of an emergency, students can request permission from the teacher to access their phones discreetly.
Special accommodations, as determined through the PPT or 504 process, can be made for students with documented medical or accessibility needs. These cases should be discussed with the school administration.
Students are not allowed to use cell phones or any recording devices to take pictures of students and staff members without their knowledge and/or consent. Students are also prohibited from posting pictures or video of students and staff members on the Internet.
At the beginning of, and periodically throughout the academic year, the cell phone policy to include phone holder usage will be communicated to all students and parents/guardians.
Students are responsible for their own cell phones and should not handle other students’ devices.
Nonnewaug High School will take reasonable measures to ensure the security of the phone holders.
Any listening device including but not limited to air pods, earbuds, and headphones are a distraction to the educational process as well as a safety concern. These devices should not be used during any academic classroom time. During passing time and other non instructional periods (study hall, lunch), only 1 air pod can be in at a time.
Region 14 Vision of a Learner/Region 14 Goals
Region 14 students:
THINK CRITICALLY AND CREATIVELY – They evaluate an issue or problem and develop a solution or opinion using multi-disciplinary thinking, originality and imagination.
COLLABORATE AND COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY – They find effective ways to work together and express, listen to, and exchange ideas and information in many forms.
DEMONSTRATE EMPATHY – They understand and respect the ideas, beliefs, and values of others to foster an inclusive environment.
TAKE INITIATIVE – They take ownership of learning by inquiring, setting goals, taking action, and consistently reflecting.
PERSEVERE – They persist through challenges to achieve goals and build resilience.
ADAPT AND ADJUST – They remain flexible and open to new ideas, and they adjust to new situations.
Region 14 Goals:
Academic Performance - The district will strive to improve academic performance for all students on multiple assessment indicators and the staff will be committed to continuous improvement
Communication - Region 14 will develop partnerships with all stakeholders in the school community to highlight the exemplary programs the district offers
Safety - Region 14 will provide safe and secure facilities equipped with technology, enabling a 21st century learning environment that supports the values of the district
Budget - Region 14 will prepare a budget that meets the needs of every student and communicates the needs and priorities of Region 14 in a clear and concise manner.