Weekly Update 2/10
Dear NCHS Family,
I hope that everyone weathered the storm safely and enjoyed the day yesterday. I want to thank Stan Sarafin and the entire custodial staff for a job well done on getting the parking lots and walkways clear and ready for us today.
A Reminder From the Nurses Office:
As influenza continues to spread across our community and the state, we want to remind you of the importance of staying home while you are actively sick. This is an important piece in halting the spread of influenza. The flu is spread by direct contact from sneezing and coughing. This is why covering your mouth is so crucial. The flu is also spread by indirect contact from contaminated hands and touching articles soiled with secretions. Handwashing is our defense!
Here are some guidelines from the Center for Disease Control:
- The period of communicability is usually the day before symptoms and up to 5 days after becoming sick.
- If you take an anti-viral like Tamiflu it can lessen your symptoms but not your communicability.
- Your temperature must be monitored for at least 3 days . After 24 hours with no fever and no fever reducing medication you may return to school.
Please notify the school if your child is positive for the flu. This helps us keep our students and staff well. Influenza is highly contagious!
Senior Internship Coordinator:
I am happy to introduce Heather Bianco as our new SIP Coordinator! Heather will work closely with Sue Carroll and the SIP Committee to see what has worked well and what can be done to meet the increasing interest in the Student Internship Program. Our goal is to provide quality internships and a positive experience for all involved.
Heather, who is 'headquartered' in the Main Office, comes from a strong corporate background where she trained and mentored individuals at the beginning of their career. We are very lucky to have her.
If you have any questions about the Student Internship Program please feel to contact Heather @ 203-594-4752 or heather.bianco@ncps-k12.org.
Spirit Day!
The Student Life Committee invites you to share your love for NCHS on Valentine's Day! Join us for a special Red and Black Spirit Day in honor of our school, and help spread the love this Tuesday, February 14th.
Best,
Bill Egan
Principal
Upcoming Events:
2/14 - Red and Black Spirit day!
2/17 - Professional Learning - No School
2/20 - 2/24 - Winter Break
Pictures from around NCHS this week:
 |
| The scene as students enter the school following a snow day |
 |
| Attentive '19 parents hearing about developing a test prep plan |
 |
| Please join me in congratulating Jim Zambarano for being named the 2016 CTEEA/ITEEA Teacher of the Year. We are happy for Jim and thankful that he is a part of our NCHS family! |
Department Updates:
VPA News:
Congratulations to the NCHS Music Department for a fabulous Collaborative Concert on Tuesday night. The Band, Concert Choir and Orchestra performed selections by Brahms, Irving Berlin and even Walk the Moon, featuring close to 200 student performers. If you missed the performance, stay tuned for video coverage by NCTV! Congratulations to all three ensembles!
Social Studies News:
Students are settling into their second semester courses with the help of some interesting digital resources. Students in American Law, for example, have just started using the newest edition of the classic Street Law text. This newest edition gives students access to a suite of digital tools to help students learn and review in companionship with their classwork. Several of our courses now use these digital companions to support student learning, including Economics, Psychology, Civics and AP World History.
Throughout the year, students in Ms. Browner’s Global History classes have a daily history-themed trivia question and discussion about “This Day in History”. In conjunction with Black History Month, several of those discussions will focus on related historical issues. For example, on February first, students focused on Harriet Tubman. More generally and department wide, Black history is woven into our curriculum this month and throughout the year. For example, in AP United States History, students are comparing the Civil Rights styles of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois in analyzing which was more effective.
Science Department News:
On Tuesday, February 14th, more than 300 8th grade students at Saxe will be staying after school to take part in the Science Performance Task. This performance task is but one indicator that the science department looks at when assessing the skill set that each rising 9th grader brings to the high school with them as they make the transition across the street.
In addition to the Science Performance Task, the 8th grade science classes are in the middle of their annual planetarium visits. 8th grade students visit our planetarium as part of their Astronomy unit at Saxe. Department Chair Christian Dockum walks students through a number of small demonstrations focusing of the Earth rotation and revolution and then “dims the lights” to highlight the changes seen in our night sky directly related to these movements.
Collaboration is the theme for the Science Department this week. This week, a multi-school lab experience started as our Honors Biology classes started a lab experience to determine the effect of radiation on the germination of seeds and plant growth. Collaborating with the Honors Biology classes at Weston High School, the students are start to collect data on their specific plants. Students from both school upload their data to a shared spreadsheet utilizing a Google Form. Students from both New Canaan and Weston have access to the collective set of data from each class at the two schools. Analysis of the data and ultimately conclusions are communicated between students from the two schools via shared Google Docs.
School Counseling News:
The school counseling department is busy planning for next school year! Teachers are entering course recommendations for students in their classes. Students will be able to see what courses they have been recommended for after the 15th of this month. New videos on the elective courses will be uploaded to the website by the 17th. Look for instructions on choosing courses when we return from break. In addition, counselors will be meeting with students individually in March to make sure they are considering all of their options and choosing wisely based on their academic and personal goals as well as graduation requirements. Parents will be able to view student’s choices in the portal and students will be able to make changes until April 1st when the portal will close. Look for more information in the near future.
