Good Afternoon, CompSci Families,

We hope this message finds you well and that you had a restful Thanksgiving break filled with time for family, friends, and reflection on the things you are grateful for.

As we return to school this week, we’re shifting our focus to the next three weeks leading up to Winter Break on December 20th. This is a critical period for students to stay engaged, meet deadlines, and work hard toward success in the 2nd Quarter.

In addition to academics, we have several important events coming up, including:

• Computer Science Week
• Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Half Days
• The midpoint of the 2nd Quarter
• The start of Winter Sports

We encourage you to ensure your student attends school every day. Strong attendance has been a highlight this year, and we’re eager to keep that momentum going.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Mr. Carter

Progress Reports 2nd Quarter - Half way point of 2nd Quarter - Friday December 13

Parent/Teacher Conferences - Wednesday and Thursday December 11 and 12

Half Days - Wednesday/Thursday/Friday - December 11, 12, and 13

Computer Science Education Week - December 9 - 13

Band/Chorus Concert - Wednesday December 18

Winter Recess - December 23rd - January 1st

No School - Three Kings Day - Monday January 6th

Mid Terms - Half Days - January 15, 16, 17, 21, 22

No School - MLK Day Monday January 20th

It is time to begin scheduling conferences. Please mark your calendars for:

Wednesday December 11th, (12pm-3pm and 5pm-7pm)

Thursday, December 12th, (12pm-3pm)

We use schoolappoitnments.com to schedule conferences. We will be using this website (compscihigh.schoolappointments.com). This site allows parents to schedule meetings in person, by phone, or by video. Meetings will last 10 minutes and you will have several time slots to choose from.

How School Appointments Works:

1. You can register an account and add your student(s) to your account at compscihigh.schoolappointments.com

2. You then find the teachers you want to visit for your student and book appointments.

3. Available 10 minute time slot for each Parent Teacher Conference will appear 12/11 12pm-3pm and 5pm-7pm, 12/12 12pm-3pm

4. In person is preferable, but phone or video conferences are also available.

5. See attached document for more detailed instructions.

6. Feel free to reach out to Mr. Caldwell if you are having difficulty.

Appointments must be scheduled by 12/3/24.

Yearbooks are on sale! Seniors have a special pricing at only $15 - Direct link for Seniors to purchase a yearbook/ad: https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/Order/LookupJob?jobnumber=14812625

Senior Ads are also on sale, they can also be purchased on ybpay.com (use code: 14812625 and click: "Purchase an Advertisement for my student".

• Ads can be purchased anytime before 1/31/25 and must be submitted no later than 2/28/25 to be included in this year’s book.
• Cost for the ads is:
• $15 for a business card sized ad
• $25 for a 1/4 page sized ad
• $50 for a 1/2 page sized ad

Computer Science Week is a national focus on the growth and necessity of Computer Science education existing in all schools across the country. This year it will be celebrated the week of December 9th - 13th. At the school we have planned daily events, presentations, and trainings. We have invited in members of the technology industry and other dignitaries. Additionally, we have the honor of welcoming Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz to the school to give the Computer Science state address at an assembly with our students. We will provide more information in the coming week about the various events.

If you need a copy of your Immunization Records for your college or post-secondary institution, you can request a copy from Mrs. Maurice (School Nurse).

Please note, she may not have a complete record; if you require additional documents, we recommend you contact your personal doctor/pediatrician.

You can request a copy of your immunization records from Mrs. Maurice (School Nurse) using this form: https://forms.gle/J6HDSKwokvWiJmNb8

Per CREC and School Policy, students should not be utilizing a personal device within the school. Personal devices pose a threat to our network and technology system as they do not have the same filters and protections. This can include laptops, Ipads, and tablets.

If you are still in need of accessing Powerschool, please do the following below to either find or recover your username and password:

1. Check your primary email from mid August for an email from "CREC PowerSchool"

- If you do not find that email please do step 2

2. Email powerschoolsupport@crec.org - state that you cannot log into your account and they will provide you with your username and password

Hartford will officiallly kick off this year’s holiday season next Friday, November 29, when the Winterfest Skating Rink opens at 11 am for another season in Bushnell Park in Downtown Hartford. It’s free to skate for all and skates can be rented, also at no charge. Winterfest will be open daily, 11 am to 8 pm through January 5.

Looking to add some flavor to your Tuesdays? Preparing for the next Salsa Under the Stars? Try Salsa classes hosted by Joey Huertas every Tuesday night from 6 - 9 pm at Parkville Market , 1400 Park Street, Hartford. Classes are held the Market’s Brick Room (under the stairs, near the elevator). Cost is $10.

Homework Club is starting at Comp Sci High!

Who Should Attend:

• Any student that would benefit from working with staff members to complete work or require extra help.

When Does it Run:

• Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:15 – 4:30pm in the Library (with a snack provided).

Expectations:

• Students need to have work to complete - This is not a hangout club
• No Cell phones will not be allowed during HW Club.
• No Food Deliveries are allowed

Transportation Home:

• Both Hartford Late Bus and a Suburban Late busses are available.
• Please look at the list of stops here for more information https://docs.google.com/document/d/1llvZLHtkg921a0dfSb5tJif4vjIN5jnQenkQEkekLLo/edit?usp=sharing.

How to Sign Up:

• Parents/guardians only can sign up students for Homework Club starting at 8am Friday mornings through 8am Tuesday.
• Students cannot elect to stay without their parent signing them up.
• This allows us to provide enough time to staff members to prepare.
• If your student is interested in attending, please fill out this form https://forms.gle/7DWtastEU5XYxMSa7
  
• The form will ask you which days your student is interested in attending as well as how your student will be getting home.

We are looking to start clubs in then next few weeks. Students can look to join:

Esports - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday - See Mr. McGurk/Ms. Jas

Robotics - Monday, Tuesday and Thursday - See Ms. Windsor-Post

Homework Club - Tuesday and Thursdays - Club requires Parents to sign their student up each week. Info above..

Mondays - Free Play - See Schedule Below. Students are now required to sign up on the Google Form by Monday at Noon. Students can access the form in the Student Bookmarks on the Chromebook.

Open Play All - 12/9

Open Play - Girls Only - 12/2; 12/16

This Fall we had many bright spots.

Girls Volleyball - The team had a productive season, ending with a record of 11 - 8. CompSci made the State Playoffs this year, learning a lot about how to move to the next level. The team continued its reign as the highest performing team in the CRAL for both Sportsmanship ratings and Team GPA. Next year we will look to grow the young talent that will be coming up from JV.

Boys Soccer - The team had one of the better seasons they have had in recent years, finishing with a record of 11 - 3 - 2 . They played in the CRAL Championship Game, ultimately losing to Aerospace. They also made the State Tournament. CompSci had the honor of CRAL Coach of the Year, Ms. Marlowe Barnes and Luis Ruiz-Reyna named All-State Player. We are looking forward to another great season in 2025.

Girls Soccer - The team improved substantially from last season, winning 3 more games than the previous year, finishing with a record of 5 - 10. The team is graduating a number of seniors, all of whom we will miss. The young nucleus is promising and we are looking forward to more growth next year. This team was honored with receiving the Soccer Officials award for Team Sportsmanship.

Cross Country - The team had a great seaso, renady to build on a very young team. The season was made up of 5 regular season meets and the championships. The CompSci team worked hard all season, cheering one another on and challenging each other to go faster. The team was honored to have 1 Male runner and 2 Female runners named to the CRAL All Conference Team.

Football - The CREC Colts, made up of all 4 CREC High Schools, had a down year finishing with a record of 1- 9. The Colts are very young and have a bright future. The Colt JV team finished the year with a record of 5 - 5, with 3 of the 5 losses by less than 7 points. We look forward to a strong Senior Class next year.

Coach Barnes and Darko would like to congratulate LUIS RUIZ-REYNA on being selected for ALL-STATE for boys soccer. This honor recognizes the best soccer players in the state. We’re very proud of Luis. Congratulations Luis!!!

Basketball Tryouts this week. Student-Athletes must have completed Final Forms. More information to come.

This school year, CREC Schools will continue to use PowerSchool’s Parent Portal, the one place for parents and guardians to stay connected to their child’s school with real-time access to attendance, grades, schedules, permission slips, and more!

How to Access PowerSchool’s Parent Portal

· New and returning families to CREC Schools received an email the week of August 13th from CREC PowerSchool <no-reply@rackspace.powerschool.com>, titled, “PowerSchool Account Change” including their Parent Portal account information and login instructions.

· Returning families with existing PowerSchool Parent Portal accounts who have new students new to CREC will have their students added to their accounts. They will receive an email from <no-reply@rackspace.powerschool.com> titled, “Your PowerSchool Parent account information has changed.”

· Please remember to check your SPAM/Junk folders if you do not see either email in your inbox.

For further Parent Portal information such as how to download the mobile app, add additional children to your account, and what to do if you forget your username or password, visit https://www.crecschools.org/for_families/family_resources/techtools.

Questions about your Parent Portal account? Email powerschoolsupport@crec.org.

CREC has moved to a digital Permission Slip for all Field Trips. In order to access the Permission Slips for your student do the following:

1. Log into your Powerschool

2. On the left side there is an option that says "Forms"

3. Once in the "Forms" tab, a section will be there for "Permission Slips"

4. If your student has a Field Trip they are eligible to attend, the trip will be listed there.

5. Click into the Field Trip and Esign the form.

If the permission slip is "Closed" it indicates the Permission Slip signing period has closed and students will no longer be eligible to attend the trip due to CREC Field Trip protocols.

Parent Advisory Board is open to any and all parents/guardians of our students at CompSci High. We meet monthly for a 30 minute Zoom meeting. I this we cover updates, upcoming events, information on the happenings at school, issues that impact students and families, and the opportunity to ask questions. If you are interested in attending, a Zoom link will go out the afternoon of the meeting. Below is the link to the notes so you all families can see what was discussed or introduced. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PbUU0bq_N_iB5PX5SeWjpqLdaN4Uy1bXrQHp_33J_xQ/edit?usp=sharing

Cell Phones and other non-school provide electronic devices are distractions during the class time. With this in mind we have made the change to our policy to align with the other CREC Secondary Schools. For the 24 -25 school year students will:

• check their phone in at the start of the period to the teacher's electronics holder and will get it back at the conclusion of the class period
• be allowed to view their cell phones during passing time between classes
• be allowed to view their cell phones during their lunch wave

Not Allowed at Any Point during the day:

-Students are not allowed to film, photograph, play music, or be on social media during school time.

-Students are not allowed to take or make phone calls, including Facetime, unless in a designated location assigned by a staff member.

-Students, during transition time or lunch, that choose to wear earbuds/headphones must be have volumes low enough that they can hear directions from staff members.

• CompSci High would like to remind all families of the Attendance Policy. There are actually two Attendance Policies that all schools run - School Attendance and Meeting (class) Attendance.

School Day Attendance - Impact on state reporting for Truancy and course credit

• What is an "Excused School Day Absence"? An absence that the school has confirmed the student was not/will not be in due to something occurring outside of school through documentation.
• Per State of CT Policy - All families can "excuse" the first 9 school absences with a parent note, email, or phone call.
• After Nine (9) School Absences, an excused absence will only be put in the system if a:

  • Student illness as documented by an appropriately licensed medical professional;

  • Student observance of a religious holiday;

  • Death in student’s family or other circumstance outside the student’s family’s control;

  • Mandated court appearances;

  • Lack of transportation that is normally provided by a district other than the one the student attends;

  • Extraordinary educational opportunities pre-approved by CompSci administration

  • Disciplinary purposes (as decided by CREC and/or CompSci)

• Any School Absences that do not meet the above will be coded as Unexcused

Class (Meeting) Attendance - Impact on Credit being Awarded in each Class

• Types of Absences with Class Attendance:
  
• 1. Exempt Absences - do not count as absences in a class. These include:
• Religious Holidays - Parent communication is required
• Standardized Testing - Documentation is needed
• College Acceptance Orientation - Documentation is needed
• Death in the Family - Parent communication is required
• Appointments with Student Support Staff - School managed
• Long Term Illness (3+ Day) - Medical documentation is needed
• Mandated Court appearance - Official documentation is needed
• Field Trip - School managed
• Suspension(s) - School managed

• 2. Appealable Absences - class absences that can be appealed and removed if student/family complete the process. These include:
• College Visits: Parents/Guardians are asked to schedule all visits during school vacations or weekends.
• Student-initiated Appointments
• Short Term Illness: Up to two (2) consecutive school days verified by a note
• Non-emergency Medical Visits: Doctor and dental appointments should be scheduled for after-school hours.
• Family Vacations/Trips: Discretion should be used in planning such events. CREC Magnet Schools strongly discourages travel outside of school vacation periods. Students and parents/guardians should realize that if extended vacations contribute to excessive absence, an appeal for reinstatement of credit will not be possible.
• Visits to Nurse: Visits to the school nurse will count as Appealable absences if the student brings a pass from the teacher and the nurse deems the visit necessary.
• Early Dismissal: Proper documentation for early dismissal will include official documentation from the school nurse or documentation from the parent/guardian including the reason that early dismissal is necessary.

Very Important - Just because a student has an "Excused School Absence" does not guarantee their class meeting attendance is "Exempt", it may be "Appealable" instead due to the reason for the absence.

• 3. Unappealable Absences - Absences that cannot be appealed
• Class Cuts (in school and skipping class)
• Leaving School Grounds (suppose to be in school but have left school grounds)

The Essential Rule regarding Dress Code:

All students must cover certain body parts at all times.

All students’ attire must fully cover genitals, buttocks, midsection, chest/breasts, & nipples with opaque fabric, cannot be seen through, at all times.

(a) Students must wear clothing including both a shirt with pants or skirt, or the equivalent (for example: dresses, leggings, or shorts) and shoes; no slides, slippers, or flip flops.

(b) Shirts and dresses must have fabric in the front and on the sides (under the arms).

(c) Clothing must cover undergarments (visible waistbands and straps are permitted).

(d) Fabric covering midsection, breasts/chest, genitals and buttocks must be opaque (unable to be seen through).

(e) No Slides, Slippers, or Open Toe footwear is allowed. All footwear must have a hard sole. Crocs are ok.

(f) Face must be visible at all times to staff. Hats or hoods but not both may be worn in the building. Any other headwear must allow the face to be visible to staff, and not interfere with the line of sight of any student or staff. Hoodies must allow the face to be visible to school staff. Ski masks and Sunglasses are not permitted.

(g) Clothing must be suitable for all scheduled classroom activities including physical

education, science labs, wood shop, and other activities where unique hazards exist. Specialized courses may require specialized attire, such as sports uniforms or safety gear.

(h) The dress code further clarifies prohibitions on attire or grooming “depicting or advocating violence, criminal activity, use of alcohol or drugs, pornography, or hate speech;” defines parent, student, and staff responsibilities; and addresses appropriate enforcement.

(i) No Blankets or pajama pants are permitted to be worn at school.

(j) Costumes of any kind are not permitted with the exception of school sanctioned days.

Greg Carter - Principal

Desmond Caldwell - Assistant Principal

Jessica Sanborn - Assistant Principal

Latoya Malcolm - Dean of Students

Email: gcarter@crec.org
Website: https://acse.crecschools.org/
Location: 1617 King Street, Enfield, CT, USA
Phone: (860) 253 -0274

Mission: The Academy of Computer Science and Engineering High School is a community that promotes student-centered practices by challenging each student in and out of the classroom to be the writer of their own future.

Vision: The diverse learning community of students, staff, and families at the Academy of Computer Science and Engineering High School partner together to create a comprehensive magnet experience. Every member values ongoing feedback, improvement, and development. Our community strives to create a safe, joyful, inquiry-driven environment embracing collaboration, creativity, and innovation through equitable learning experiences. Students learn to master the habits of success that prepare them to be college and career ready as the writers of their own futures.