Nonnewaug High School Parent News

We hope that everyone had a great weekend! Congratulations to our Timber Team, who took 1st place at the Bethlehem Fair this past weekend!

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

Andrew Tammero- Dean/Athletic Director

Below you will find key information to ensure a continued positive start.

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• Tuesday September 10th -Underclassmen School Photos with make-ups on 10/24. Please click here for information regarding picture day.
• Tuesday September 10th - FFA Alumni Meeting and Dinner- 6:00 pm
• Thursday, September 12th - Open House
• 5:00-6:00 PM- Football Bottle and Can Drive. Please see their flier here.
• 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.
• Saturday, September 14th - Chipotle Fundraiser- click here for the flyer to support the Class of ‘27.
  

• Friday, September 20th - Homecoming- This year's homecoming will be held on Friday 9/20 at Grand Oak Villa. Please see more information here. Click here for more information.
• 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 - 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.

• Unsafe Driving- The Town of Woodbury has received calls about fast-moving pick-up trucks with young looking drivers greatly exceeding the speed limit on Tuttle Road in the afternoon. That road is a popular pass through to Sherman Hill Road/Route 64.

  We would like to remind NHS students that driving to school is a privilege and not a right, and that Region 14’s expectation is that all Nonnewaug students obey all applicable laws when driving in the Town of Woodbury and beyond.

  There is still a lot of storm damage cleanup happening on the sides of the roads, so please obey all speed limits and traffic signs when driving.

• NHS Snack Shack- The snack shack will be open during the school day from 7:25-1:30 on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and from 7:25-12:45 on Monday and Wednesday. This is open only to students in study hall. We are also interested in offering and grab and go sandwich station for students who are staying after school or for students who go to work directly after school. If you are interested, please fill out this 4 question survey.
  

• 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.

• 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. 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.

• 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- Please mark your calendars for 9/19 for our Homecoming Day. Almost all our teams will have home games that day. We look forward to celebrating their successes. All Region 14 students and their families who wear their school or Region 14 apparel will get into all games for free.

Weekly Home Schedule:

Tuesday, 9/10 Field Hockey vs. Lakeview 3:45PM

Tuesday, 9/10 Girls Soccer vs. Lakeview 3:45PM

Thursday, 9/12 Volleyball vs.Pomperaug 5:00PM

Friday, 9/13 Boys Soccer vs. Northwestern 3:45PM

Monday, 9/16 Golf vs. Northwestern 3:00PM

Friday, 10/4 Boys and Girls Cross Country Nonnewaug Invitational 3:30PM

Friday, 9/13 Football vs. Stratford 6:00PM

The fall season is off to a great start and all teams are underway with their regular season. One big reminder, please make sure athletes are staying hydrated and eating a balanced diet. Our ATC has been dealing with lots of students cramping during games, student athletes should be drinking water consistently during the day to help avoid this.

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.

Course availability- We have some exciting courses with extra space in them. If you are interested in one of the courses below, and have a free period during that time, please see your counselor by September 13 to register.

1. Period 2 - band students

2. Period 3 - choir students

3. Period 1 & 6 - Art 2,3,4 has openings

4. Period 2 - Ceramics 1 & 2

5. Period 3 - Art 1 (3 UConn credits)

College admissions “Repvisits” have begun. The calendar of visits can be found in Naviance (where students go to sign up for a visit), on Instagram, and on the School Counseling/CCRC calendar.

Please see the School Counseling Welcome Back letter for information regarding upcoming events and programs.

Start Spreading 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 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.