Dear NCHS Family,
This week was Teacher Appreciation Week. I feel so lucky to work with colleagues that care so much about the success and wellness of children. If you did not get a chance, thank a teacher today!!! Happy Mother’s Day to all of the wonderful moms!
This year’s all-school picnic will be held on May 20th from 10:50-12:50. The picnic is made possible from donations by Student Advocates, StuCo, NCHS Buddies, Charity Link, NCHS Captains, Human Rights Club and National Honors Society, the PFA and a gift from the class of 2018. Lunch will be provided free of charge to all faculty/staff and students. We encourage you to bring blankets and/or lawn chairs to relax on. In addition to lawn games, volleyball and inflatables, musical entertainment will be provided by 5 student and faculty bands via RamStock. Thank you to the above sponsors for this wonderful school wide event.
Next Generation Science Testing:
Important message about a schedule change for May 21st and May 22nd. The State requires assessments in science for eleventh grade, using the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Assessment Test. The assessments are designed to measure current levels of student performance in relation to state standards. By virtue of our educational program, which incorporates state standards and expectations, our students are well prepared for this experience.
All 9th, 10th and 12th grade students will report to classes albeit for longer blocks of instructional time on these two dates. The Connections session originally scheduled for May 22nd will now take place on May 29th.
Graduation:
NCHS Graduation ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, June 18th at Dunning Stadium at
5:00 p.m. with a rain date of June 19th. 
A New Tradition @ NCHS(Seniors only)
“One Last Walk Together”
Graduation is a celebration of your accomplishments and growth since beginning your educational journey. This year, we would like to begin a new tradition which will include putting on your caps and gowns and walking through the hallways of South, East, West and Saxe, one last time as a graduating class. This will be an opportunity to celebrate the New Canaan School Community. Even if you never attended our elementary schools, this is a chance to commemorate and reflect on your academic journey. This is a wonderful experience to share with younger students and your former teachers. They look up to you and are proud of you – even if you don’t know it!
On Monday, June 17th, we will be taking this journey. We anticipate beginning this walk to South School followed by buses transporting students to the other schools and reporting back to NCHS by 12:00 p.m. Students should come dressed in their cap and gown. While participating in this walk is optional, there is no better way to celebrate, you, each other, and the community. Please click here if you plan on participating. Parents – please make sure your kids respond!!!
Please click on this link to see a brief video that highlights the experience from another school.
We are all looking forward to experiencing this new celebration with you! We do not have the exact route mapped out yet, but will send more specific information about the visit in a future email.
Graduation Lawn Signs:
We are so excited to offer you another way to celebrate our NCHS Seniors! Buy a graduation lawn sign to display on your lawn or buy one as a gift for a family member or friend. Signs are $40 please click here if you would like to purchase one.
NEW CANAAN 2019 GREAT STRIDES
5/19/2019 | New Canaan High School, New Canaan, CT Map
Check-in: 8:00 AM | Walk: 9:00 AM | Distance: 5K
A Message from the Class of 2020:
Please join the Class of 2020 to raise money and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis, a chronic illness that affects the lungs and intestines. On May 19th, bright and early, the 30,000 Americans that suffer from this disease along with their family, friends, doctors, co-workers, and more will walk with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at the annual Great Strides Walk. All donations go to finding a cure for CF: through therapies, experimental treatments, and research! Sign up to walk (click on “Join this Team”) or donate (click on Donate to a Team Member, Paul Gallo) here!”
Attendance:
Important notice; students leaving campus for a medical/dental/orthodontist appointment must bring in a doctor’s note in order to excuse the absence. Also, if a student is feeling ill during the school day, they must go to the nurse’s office to be dismissed home. Students leaving without going through the nurse will not have their absence excused. Please note: students cannot miss a PE or Health class to study for a core class. The absence will not be excused.
Thank you for your cooperation with this matter. Please email nchsattendance@ncps-k12.org or call 203-594-4672 to report an absence and/or if you have any questions or concerns.
NCTV:
One Second Every day:
Upcoming Events:
5/13-5/17 AP Exams
5/14 Spring Concert – 7:00 pm – NCHS Auditorium
5/15 Choir Concert – 7:00 pm – St. Mark’s Church
5/17 Senior Prom – 7:00-11:00 pm – Stamford Marriott
5/20 SIP Training – 8:00 am – Wagner Room
5/20 School Picnic – 10:50 am – 12:50 pm
5/21 Senior Internship begins
5/22 Film Festival – 5:00 pm – NCHS
Please click NCRAMS.COM for all the spring sports schedules and check the school calendar for VPA events. Don’t miss any of the exciting action at NCHS!
I look forward to seeing you at our many school events throughout the remainder of the year. As always, thank you for making New Canaan High School an amazing place!
Best,
Bill Egan
Department News:
Athletics:
Please click here for any weather-related game changes or cancellations.
English:
Mrs. Brown’s AP Language and Composition class completed their satire unit in connection with their study of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by publishing a satirical news magazine, The Onion NC. The class broke into editorial teams, with some students working as writers, editors, graphic designers, layout staff, and public relations coordinators. Volume 1 of The Onion NC focused on the theme of technology, and copies can be found in the library. Check back for Volume 2 which will come out in a few weeks from Mrs. Hamill’s AP Language and Composition class!
Students in Miss Cullen’s Honors Freshman English class, performed scenes of Romeo and Juliet. During the unit, students participated in acting activities that prepared them to perform their final scenes. Teaching Shakespeare through performance is a fun and exciting way to deepen students’ understanding and appreciation of the play. Next week, students will attend a professional performance of Romeo and Juliet put on by the acting company Shakesperience in the NCHS auditorium.
Shakespeare is in the air! Students in Mr. McAteer’s classes practicing scenes from The Merchant of Venice.
And, as the students practice their lines in the hallways, the production company Shakesperience will be performing Romeo and Juliet Friday, May 17th for freshmen English classes.
In case you missed it, Poetry Fest is in the books. Congratulations to all of the students and teachers that made this event possible!
Winners:
Best Use of Imagery: Amelie L’Henaff
Most Artful Use of Language: Ali Cioffi
Best Performance of a Poem: Kate Reeves
Best Poem: Kiera Russo
Honorable Mentions: Evie Bradley, Clara Bloom, Katie Unger, Alexandra Gillespie, Sachi Krishna, Emma Uzgiris
School Counseling:
Just a friendly reminder that AP exams will continue on May 13th to May 17, 2019 at NCHS.
PLEASE ENSURE THAT STUDENTS KNOW THE CORRECT LOCATION AND TIME OF THEIR EXAMS. Students should arrive fifteen minutes before the test begins. They will need to bring several Number 2 pencils and dark blue/black ballpoint pens. Calculators are allowed for some exams and students should bring a sweatshirt for cooler days. Students may bring water and a snack for the break. In addition, cell phones are not allowed for the duration of the exam, including during the breaks. All cell phones will be collected prior to the exam and removed from the room. Students may want to consider leaving it in their car during the exam. Use of a cell phone invalidates scores.
Counselors have been working with sophomores as we start to talk about life after high school. The students began by doing a survey based on Myers Briggs personality assessment and were shown how the results can be linked to potential careers and college majors. Our work with them will continue through May as we explore all the tools in Naviance to get them ready for conducting research in junior year. The Counselors also presented to sophomore parents on the same topic.
Science:
Honors Earth Science students experimented with photogates to calculate velocities and accelerations.
Chemistry students heated sodium chlorate to figure out its products of decomposition.
Physics students are shown conducting an experiment to further their understanding of Archimedes’ Principle.
AP Biology students studied energy transfer through producers and consumers.
Students in Environmental Science class worked on a lab that looks into surface mining and how we extract mineral resources out of the Earth. Students worked in groups and were given a station site to extract ore (little chocolate candy) in number rounds. They had a lot of fun with this hands-on activity.
Astronomy students used rolls of a die to simulate the randomness of a photon as it is created in the core of the sun and makes its way to the sun’s surface.
The Astronomy class took advantage of a recent clear day to view the sun through the telescope.
Astronomy students are now studying the moon, and used a tennis ball to recreate the conditions that cause the phases of the moon.
VPA News:
NCHS Band members, Charlotte Raymond, bass trombone/Grade 11 and Tim Manzella, trumpet/Grade 11, recently performed Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” with the Greater Bridgeport Symphony under the baton of maestro Eric Jacobsen. Charlotte and Tim represented the students of the NCHS Band in this side-by-side performance which was the culmination of the year long study of “The Planets” in the NCHS Band class and also the honor to perform alongside with a professional orchestras. Scott Cranston, NCHS Band Director, performed as Principal Trombone in the orchestra and served as brass mentor for all high school students in this program. They also performed with Saxe Band Director, Janet Rosen who played 2nd oboe, and Kate Dorfman, Saxe Orchestra Director, who played in the violin section.
WATCH ALL OF THE ENTRIES ON OUR WEBSITE:
https://ncps.digication.com/newagefilmfestival/home-1
WATCH THE 2019 FILM FESTIVAL PROMO VIDEO!
Student Credits: Claudia Stanley, Laura Tedesco, Ava Sabloff, Ethan Jones
What’s Happening in NCHS FILM?
The Advanced Filmmaking classes are on their way to the finish line by completing their final video projects: stay tuned to see their movie posters, animations and narratives!
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Friday, May 31st at 7:00 PM Saturday, June 1 at 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM NCHS Auditorium |
A fabulously fun award-winning musical based on the adored movie, LEGALLY BLONDE The Musical, follows famously perky and fashion-savvy sorority girl Elle Woods, as she tackles dumb blonde stereotypes in pursuit of her dreams.
The story begins as Elle (Lucy Coutts) has her life turned upside down when she is dumped by her boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Ben Dooley), who is looking for someone “more serious.”
In an effort to prove to Warner that she is more than just some blonde sorority girl, she puts down the credit cards, hits the books and follows Warner to Harvard Law School. She struggles to fit in, however, she meets supportive friends like Emmett (Wyatt Lysenko) and Paulette (Kaleigh McCarthy), who along with her Delta Nu girls, see her through. There is Warner’s new girlfriend, Vivienne (Kate Murphy) to deal with, and Professor Callahan (Zach Jones). Elle realizes her potential in working on a murder case involving a former Delta Nu member, Brooke Wyndham (Devin Findlay). Ultimately, she defies expectations all while staying true to her delightfully pink personality.
Visit www.NewCanaanHighSchoolTheatre.com to purchase tickets for $15 & $18
World Language:
A record number of Latin club members (27) took the National Roman Civilization Exam in March. Their outstanding performance resulted in 3 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 6 bronze medals. The recipients are as follows:
- Gold :
- advanced level: Anna Therese Mehra and Theo Nelson
- intermediate level: Matthew Kim.
- Silver
- advanced level: Matthew Robins
- intermediate level: Andy Liang and Yukta Sant.
- Bronze medals,
- advanced level: Griffen Dayton, Nicholas Hoge, Kearney McKiernan and Sophia Yee
- intermediate level: Oliver Russell and Nina Sirois.
Library: Please click here to check out our latest blog post.
NCHSWeeklyUpdate 