Nonnewaug High School Parent News

We start this update by officially welcoming you to the 2024-2025 school year! Throughout the school year, you will receive timely information about happenings in our school community through these news updates. These news updates are also linked in the “Digital Backpack” emailed home each Monday afternoon at 4:00 pm. We look forward to working with you to best support your child throughout the year.

We are all excited to welcome back our returning students and anyone that is joining us for their first time at Nonnewaug. Nonnewaug is a special place with so much to offer. We hope that your student gets involved and explores the various opportunities at Nonnewaug.

We know that our students would not be the respectful, polite and motivated people they are without the support of you and the family that surrounds them. We thank you for your support, and, again, please let us know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Mykal Kuslis - Principal

Declan Curtin - Assistant Principal

Andrew Tammero- Dean/Athletic Director

Below you will find key information to ensure a smooth start to the year:

@nonnewaug_high_school

@nonnewaug_ad

@woodbury_ffa

@nonnewauggradnite

• Monday, August 26th - Class of 2028 Freshman Orientation (1-3 PM).
• Note: The Class of 2028 Freshman Orientation is for students only. An orientation specifically for agriscience students will immediately follow the Class of 2028 orientation. Parents of 9th grade agriscience students should plan on attending the agriscience-specific orientation.
• Wednesday, August 28th - First Day of School for Students!
• Note: We will run modified schedule for the first week of school. Click here to see them.
• Tuesday September 10th -Underclassmen School Photos - We will send the order form when we get more info.
  
• Thursday, September 12th - Open House
• 5:30-6:00 PM - Parents and guardians of freshman students are invited to a Parent Information Session presented by the NHS school counselors. The purpose of this session is to provide the information we feel you may find helpful as you help your student navigate the freshman experience at Nonnewaug High School and begin preparing for post-secondary success.
• 6:00-8:00 PM - We invite parents and guardians to come to our school to meet teachers and hear a bit about each class your students will be taking this school year.

• Friday, September 20th - Homecoming Dance
• Permission slips and information about ticket sales will be posted to the four grade level Classrooms soon!
• September 26th at 6:00 pm- Senior College Night- This program is designed to provide senior parents with important information regarding the college admissions process.
  
• October 10th at 6:30 pm.- Financial Aid Night (virtual invite will be sent out)- College affordability and the financial aid application will be discussed. All families are welcomed to attend.
• Wednesday, October 23rd.- PSAT- All students in grades 9-11 will be taking the PSAT. There is no testing fee. More information to follow.
• Saturday, May 24th- Prom 2024- Please mark your calendars for for the Junior/Senior Prom, which will occur on Memorial Day weekend. Please click here for updated prom information.

• Arrival and Dismissal Procedures - This year, parent drop-off will be behind the building at the cafeteria entrance. Staff will be on duty to greet students at 6:50 AM. Dismissal procedures will remain the same with parents being asked to pick up students in front of the agriscience building. Staff will be on duty to assist with traffic flow.

• 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.

• Blood Drive- The NHS Chapter of the National Honor Society will be hosting their first blood Drive of the Year on Tuesday September 17 from 7:45-1:00 in the NHS Gymnasium. Every donor will receive a $15 dollar E-Gift Card and a homemade “blood drop” keychain made by our very own Ms. Hodges. Please see a picture of the keychain here and a copy of the flier with the QR code to sign up here.
  

• Handbook- We made several changes to the student handbook over the summer. Click here for the updated version of the student handbook. All changes are highlighted.

• Calculators- The math department would like to provide information on the best calculator to purchase. Please click here for the letter from the math department.

• 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.

• Football Fundraiser- The football team will be sponsoring a can/bottle drive on the night of Open House. Please bring any empty recyclable cans to support the program. For more information, please see their flier here.

• GOFAN- This year, we will be moving to GOFAN as our system of payment for events at NHS. This ticketing platform will soon be available for ticketing to our sporting events, theater events and dances. As we work through the rollout (links, events, etc.) we will still have a cash option for sporting events. The goal is to have GOFAN fully implemented for the winter season! During the fall season, we wll be using GOFAN, or accepting cash for tickets to our football games.

• School Meals -This year, every student has the opportunity to have breakfast and lunch at school each day. Breakfast meals will be served in the cafeteria daily from 6:50 to 7:20. The cost is $2.25 for breakfast with lunch costing $3.75 (unless your child qualifies for free/reduced meals). Click here to access the application for free/reduced mails. All students will need to enter in their PIN number to receive their meals. Cafeteria staff are happy to provide your child with their PIN if needed. More information about the Food Services program, including the link for MySchoolBucks, can be found here. Questions related to school meals may be directed to Tina Tanguay, Director of Finance and Operations at ttanguay@ctreg14.org or 203-263-4430.

• Grading Procedures - NHS uses rolling grades, or “quarterless” grading. Rolling grades accurately reflect a student’s cumulative grade in a subject area. When using rolling grades, a student’s grade is a continual combination of all of the assessments and assignments for the year rather than over one quarter. This provides two great benefits to students and teachers: 1) it enables students, parents, and teachers to have an accurate snapshot of the course grade at any point in the school year, and 2) it allows teachers to plan units of study and assessments based on students’ progress rather than quarter end dates. To learn more about rolling grades, please click here.

Cell Phone Policy Changes

1. Each classroom is equipped with phone holders, placed in a secure location.

2. 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.

3. In the case of an emergency, students can request permission from the teacher to access their phones discreetly.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Students are responsible for their own cell phones and should not handle other students’ devices.

8. Nonnewaug High School will take reasonable measures to ensure the security of the phone holders.

9. 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.

Athletic Updates- We would like to thank all our parents, coaches, and athletes who adjusted their schedules due to the impact of the storm that we had last week. Please mark your calendars for 9/19. 9/19 will be our Homecoming Day. Almost all our teams will have home games that day. We look forward to celebrating their successes.

Weekly Home Schedule:

9/27- Girls soccer vs Holy Cross- 3:30

9/28- Girls soccer vs Brookfield- 4:00

9/28- Field hockey vs NEw Fairfield- 5:30

9/29- Boys soccer vs Pomperaug- 3:00

9/31- Boys soccer will host the Jesse Welsek Memorial Jamboree (donations collected for the Jesse Weltsek Memorial Scholarship)- 10AM-1:00PM

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.

Throughout the year there will be updates in this section dedicated to the Fine Arts.

The RepVisits calendar is now populating in Naviance. Students should log in to see what schools have representatives visiting the CCRC. Students need to sign up in advance (in Naviance) so they can plan for any missed work with their teacher.

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.