Friday Highlights

• December 23 - January 1: Holiday Break

• January 17 - Professional Development Day - Early Dismissal, 11:00 a.m.

• January 20 - Martin Luther King Day - No School for Staff/Students

Monday: Periods 1 - 4, B Day

Tuesday: Periods 1 - 4, A Day

Wednesday: Periods 1 - 4, B Day

Thursday: Periods 1 - 4, A Day

Friday: Periods 1 - 4, B Day

Next week is Festive Spirit Week at Oxford High School. The theme for each day is listed below:

Monday, December 16 - Festive Hat Day (santa hats, reindeer antlers, warm winter hats)

Tuesday, December 17 - Color Explosion (wear as much silver/gold, red/green or blue/white)

Wednesday, December 18 - Winter Wonderland Wednesday (white out)

Thursday, December 19 - Flannel or Ugly Xmas Sweater Day

Friday, December 20 - Pajama Day

Beginning this winter, all pay to watch sporting events will need to have tickets purchased online through GoFan:

• $5.00 for adults / $3.00 for students & seniors.

• FREE admission with Middle School basketball or Oxford Rec basketball uniforms

Tickets can only be purchased through the GoFan platform: https://gofan.co/app/school/CT67705

As a reminder from Nurse Dani, students are NOT allowed to carry medication with them. Please fill out forms on PowerSchool if you would like your student to have Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen or Tums in school. When you log on to PowerSchool, go to forms and check off the boxes if you would like your child to receive any of these medications when in need.

Please be aware that these medications may only be administered if the forms are completed on PowerSchool. Verbal permission is not accepted.

CT State law requires that all students in 10th grade have a physical assessment. This assessment serves to document adequate immunizations and any health issues that may impact your child while they attend school. The physical exam must be dated after January 01, 2024. The front of the HAR form must be completed and signed by a parent/guardian. The second page must have all *asterisks areas completed.

As a friendly reminder your child must be fever free (without medication) and has not vomited within 24 hours before returning to school.

As we start the new school year, we want to remind you of the procedure for early dismissals:

1 - Early Dismissal Note: If your student needs to leave school early, please send them in with an early dismissal note. This allows us to give your student a dismissal pass, enabling them to sign out on their own. There is no need for you to come into the school.

2 - In-Person Pick-Up: If you need to pick up your student in person, please bring your driver’s license. You will need to complete the dismissal process through Securly Visitor for security purposes.

3 - Contact Information: Ensure that your contact information is up-to-date, including who is permitted to pick up your child.

We appreciate your cooperation in making the early dismissal process smooth and secure.

Communication: Please follow us on instagram @OXFORDHIGHSCHOOL_COUNSELING

Course Registration Process for the 2025-2026 School Year: Advisory activities will be conducted this month to prepare students for the upcoming course selection process. All 9th-11th grade students will complete a graduation requirement checklist and a DRAFT course request form which can be viewed in the student’s grade level Google Classroom.

December FLEX - We will be offering future course planning support for underclassmen throughout the month of December by appointment through our calendar links.

Junior Parents:

Junior Parent College Information Evening

• Save the Date for Thursday, February 6th - A College Information Session will be provided by the School Counselors at 5:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

Individual Student/Family Post-High School Planning Meetings: Meetings will begin on Tuesday, January 21st and can be held in person or virtually. Students can begin scheduling their appointments now through our calendar links during their free period. The appointment link is titled Post Secondary Planning Conference, which is a 40 minute time slot. *Students are required to complete the OHS Brag Sheet (posted in the Class of 2026 GoogleClassroom) prior to their meeting. This is the revised letter of recommendation packet that will be used by counselors and teachers.

Junior Parent Letter and Timeline: Emailed to Junior parents last week, also attached.

Senior Parents:

The 2025-2026 FAFSA is now open. We encourage students to apply as soon as possible to maximize their financial aid opportunities. Completing the FAFSA is a critical step in accessing grants, loans, and work-study funds for college or technical school. Visit FAFSA.gov for more information and to get started today!

Career Speaker Spotlight: We are thrilled to launch our Career Speaker Spotlight, where professionals from a variety of fields will share insights about their careers with our students during FLEX period. Students interested in attending can sign up via Google forms, which will be accessible in their grade-level Google Classrooms.

Scholarships: All scholarships received by the OHS Counseling Department will be listed in Naviance. Students should check their Naviance accounts weekly throughout the winter for new opportunities.

**The prestigious 4-year Rowland R. Strong and Edith H. Strong Memorial Scholarship

application will be available in January, 2025 on the OHS website.

The following scholarships are active now:

The Connecticut Building Congress Scholarship - Deadline Date: March 1, 2025

** $3,000 - $8,000 renewable for 5 years

The Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation and Creativity - Deadline Date: March 15, 2025

** $1,000 - $5,000 renewable for 4 years

Mancinone:

Grade 9: A - C

Grade 10: A - C

Grade 11: A - C

Grade 12: A - C

Angeley:

Grade 9: D - L

Grade 10: D - M

Grade 11: D - M

Grade 12: D - L

McRae:

Grade 9: M - Z

Grade 10: N - Z

Grade 11: N - Z

Grade 12 M - Z

The counseling caseload by grade level (above) and links to book appointments (below).

Mancinone - https://appt.link/mancinonea

Angeley - https://appt.link/sarah-angeley

McRae - https://appt.link/mcraea

The holidays can be a time to reconnect with family, carry out traditions, and increase socialization at special events. However, for some teens who deal with depression and anxiety, the holidays can create stressful moments, social isolation, and tense interactions. In addition, in a season full of joy, it can be very difficult for anyone who experiences depression to feel joyous. Holidays may mean more family time together. This is an excellent time of year to take the “Temperature” of your teen’s mental health and find out how they are really doing. Asking questions such as “what was the best and worst part of your day” and “on a scale of 1-10, what is the best number that describes your state of mind right now”, can tell you an immense amount about where a teen is emotionally functioning. Taking your teen’s mental health temperature is a great way to see how they are functioning on an emotional level, increase connection, and access a level of support and treatment if needed. Please find this helpful article with a step by step on how to take a mental health temperature and please reach out to support staff if you have a teen who may be struggling with their mental health.

https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/mental-health/mental_health_temperature_check/

Want to stay in the loop about upcoming performances, events, auditions and more? Bookmark our 2024-2025 Performing Arts Calendar for live updates on all things performing arts! (choir, band, and drama) Please direct any questions to marquardte@oxfordpublicschools.org and crooksj@oxfordpublicschools.org.

Yearbooks: Yearbooks are on sale and can be purchased by using the link listed below:

https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A01100339

Attention Senior Parents: Parent ads are available to purchase! The deadline to purchase an ad for the yearbook is January 31, 2025. Prices vary based on the size of the ad. See the link below to place an order:

Ads: https://www.jostens.com/apps/jcom/router.mvc?affiliateId=1673572

If you have any questions, please contact our yearbook advisors; Ms. Aldrich or Mrs. Campbell. Their email address is listed below:

aldrichp@oxfordpublicschools.org

campbellb@oxfordpublicschools.org

The Booster Club is excited to welcome everyone back for another fantastic school year. Whether you are returning or joining us for the first time, we are thrilled to have you as part of our amazing community.

• Who We Are: The Booster Club is a non-profit organization committed to enhancing the experiences of our students, teachers and school programs through a variety of initiatives, events and fundraising efforts. Our mission is to support Oxford High School’s activities, arts and athletic programs that directly benefit the students. We are focused on enriching the school environment and building a strong sense of community among OHS families.

• Upcoming Meeting Dates: We invite you to join us at our upcoming Booster Club meetings, where you will have the opportunity to share ideas, get involved and stay informed about what is happening at OHS. Listed below are the meeting dates for this semester:

• Wednesday, January 8, 7:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, February 4, 7:00 p.m.

All meetings will be held in the OHS cafeteria. We encourage all parents, guardians and staff to attend.

Festival of Trees: The Festival of Trees will be held on Saturday, December 14th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Shop from over 35 vendors to start or finish your holiday shopping and purchase raffle tickets for more than 40 beautifully decorated trees, wreaths, inflatables and baskets.

All of this takes place at Oxford High School, making it the perfect opportunity to celebrate the season with the community. Don’t miss this cherished yearly event!

Questions can be emailed to: ohsboosterclubpresident@gmail.com

Mid-term and Final Goody Bags: Goody Bags are back and are very popular with the students. The bags are a special way to show support for your child during midterm and final exams. Each bag features a personal message from you and contains a variety of items/treats. All bags are gluten free, nut free and braces safe. If your child has any other allergy, please note that on your order. Once your order is received with payment, the Goody Bag committee members will prepare the bags and deliver them to the recipient’s locker the evening before exams. Seniors will receive a special graduation surprise in their final bag.

Please use the following link to place your order: bit.ly/24-25BoosterClubGoodyBag

Babysitting Course: The OHS Booster Club is offering Adventures in Babysitting where you can get certified in first aid and receive CPR training. The classes will be held on Saturday, January 18 and Saturday, January 25, 2025 at Oxford High School from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the cafeteria. The cost of the class is $95. Space is limited to 15 people. You can register for the course by using the following link: https://bit.ly/BCBabysittingCourseJan2025

Get Involved: We are always looking for volunteers and new ideas to help make our school even better. If you are interested in getting involved, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Your participation, no matter how big or small, makes a huge difference. Our next meeting is Wednesday, January 8 at 7:00 p.m. in the cafeteria. Let’s work together to make this school year the best one yet! Sign up to be a member today at: https://bit.ly/2024OHSBCMembership

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

From the Principal's Office:

This year’s midterm exams are scheduled to take place January 21 through January 24, pending any additional weather cancellations. Please note that these four days will be early release days for students with an 11:00 a.m. dismissal time. A communication will be shared with students and families early next week detailing the specifics of this year’s exam schedule, which is depicted in the chart below:

A special recognition to the Oxford High School band and choir students for Wednesday night’s Winter Music Concert. Students across all ensembles – Concert Band, Jazz Band, Concert Choir, Voices of Oxford and Chamber Choir – performed a variety of musical selections that showcased their talent. We thank Ms. Jennifer Crooks and Ms. Emily Marquardt for putting together a great show!

Finally, we look forward to seeing the Oxford community at this weekend’s Festival of Trees. Thank you in advance to the Booster Club for their hard work and dedication in organizing this much-anticipated annual event!

Enjoy the weekend, Wolverines,

Heather