Nonnewaug High School Parent News
October 21-25, 2024
November 4 to November 8, 2024
Hello Families!
We hope that you had a great weekend! We would like to remind everyone that there is no school for students tomorrow, November 5th, as it is an in-service day for staff. Additionally, we are seeking your feedback about PSAT and SAT’s. Please take 2 minutes to fill out this brief survey. Your responses are anonymous.
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, November 5th- Election Day/No School
Thursday, November 7th- We want to welcome any and all veterans to our Veteran’s Day recognition at Nonnewaug. Festivities will begin at 10:00. Families and friends are welcome. Please see the flier for more information. This will be the live link for the recognition: R14 Support (vimeo.com)
Thursday November 14- 6:00 PM- NHS Auditorium- The NHS Climate Committee is excited to have partnered with Mrs. Jenna Colavito who will speak with parents about strategies for transitioning students to post high school life. Whether a student is interested in a post-secondary education, career, or military path, the information presented in this session is helpful for both parents and students. Please see the flier here for more information and for registration.
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:
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.
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:
National Honors Society- We would like to thank all who donated money to help support the fight against breast cancer. Mrs. Hodges “army” was able to raise $1074 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
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.
Check this out! We have our first submission for Fox61 student news! So proud of Zodie! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy7Dn9KqHYo
NHS Chief Advocate: NHS Chief Advocate News Digest - Oct. 18, 2024
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.
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 the return of fall sports 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.
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.
Athletics/Clubs
Athletic Updates- We would like to thank our fanbase for their sportsmanship throughout the season. We look forward to all our championship games in the next few weeks. We will be collecting funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
We offer many sports throughout the winter season. Registration is now open. Please click here for Winter Sports Registration.
Weekly Home Schedule:
Monday, 11/4 Volleyball vs. Kaynor Tech 5:00PM NHS Gym
Tuesday, 11/5 Boys Soccer vs. Cromwell 4:00PM NHS Turf Field
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
The calendar of College admissions “Repvisits” can be found in Naviance (where students go to sign up for a visit), on Instagram, and on the School Counseling/CCRC calendar.
We had a really productive day in the CCRC on Friday, 11/1, as many of our seniors took advantage of the CT Application Fee Free day for UCONN, CCSU, ECSU, SCSU and WCSU. I’m working on adding up the applications and dollars saved on that day!
The next major deadline for early applications is 11/15. While many students are working to complete their applications by these early deadlines, it’s important to remember that regular decision deadlines are in place for after the holiday and this may be a more appropriate timeframe for your child.
WCSU will offer an Instant Decision Day on 11/26 in the CCRC. Students must apply by 11/15. This is a terrific opportunity for students looking at WCSU to learn of their decision and their merit offer- even before Thanksgiving!
Please remind your student to check in with their school counselor if they are planning on submitting applications in the next couple of weeks.
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. We will be offering early morning and afternoon/evening appointments (virtual or in person).
PSAT testing is now complete. We will notify you when scores become available in the next few weeks.
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.
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.