Weekly Update 10/6

Dear NCHS Family,

Progress Reports came out this week and we hope that everyone is off to a great start at NCHS. You will only see progress comments if grades are below an 80. The comments should be detailed, specific and meaningful. If you have concerns regarding your child’s progress in any class, please reach out to your child’s teacher. The teachers should be updating grades in PowerSchool every two weeks. If you have questions about PowerSchool, please contact the teacher directly.

Today, we had our first Wellness Walk at the high school. Almost 60 staff members came to the flagpole this morning before school and we went on a brisk walk to start the day. I am sure there will be many more community walks that we will be participating in and we will let you know. A special thank you to Janet Reed, Head School Nurse, for setting up the walk. Getting exercise is a great way to start the day and it was also a wonderful bonding experience for the staff. You can check out some pictures below.

This Wednesday was the second annual Kelly Devine Memorial Swim Meet. Kelly was a New Canaan High School teacher who was taken from us far too early. Each swimmer was given a copy of The Book Thief, Kelly’s favorite book. You can see a picture from the meet in the pictures from around NCHS. Also, you will see the bench installed last year in Kelly’s honor that was so graciously supported by our PFA.

Be well and stay healthy NCHS!

Bill Egan

Upcoming Events:

10/7 SAT
10/10 PFA 10th Grade Networking Meeting 9:30 a.m.

10/10 Senior Portraits through 10/12 from 2:00 - 8:00pm Auditorium

10/11 PFA General Meeting 9:30 a.m.

10/14 PSAT

10/16 BOE Meeting

Pictures from around NCHS:

From the Attendance Office:

A physician’s note is required when your child is scheduled for an appointment during the school day. Thank you!

Administrator’s Perspective:

From Ari Rothman

As a parent of two sons in their twenties, I wish I had the patience and understanding with them that I had as an educator working with other people’s children. Relatively early in my professional life, I learned a few things that I honestly tried hard to carry over into my parenting (albeit not as consistently as my sons would’ve preferred). I came to recognize that I did not need to know every single detail of all aspects of their daily existence. I did need to be aware of the big picture and judicious in my interventions. I needed to not react to everything. I needed to allow them to learn and grow. The resulting household strife, fueled by a sense that they did not have my trust, only served to disrupt constructive engagement and escalate tensions all around. Even worse, I had become the parent who I heard about from their pediatrician: the parent who runs to the doctor carrying his child while pleading to find out why the child does not walk. To read more of Mr. Rothman’s blog click here.

From David Gusitsch

NCPS kicked off its Employee Wellness push this week with a committee meeting that included faculty and staff representation from each school, central office, and Cigna. The goal is to develop voluntary programs that improve the health and wellbeing of NCPS employees. There will be more information about this exciting program soon! In the meantime, you can check out my blog this week that takes a quick look at “Wellness”.

NCTV Broadcast:

From the Senior Internship Program:

The Senior Internship Program has grown substantially in the eight years it has been in existence. We are expecting around 300 senior students to participate this spring.

We are looking for parents that may know of companies/organizations in a 15-mile radius of New Canaan that would be able to host a student for 3 weeks. The dates of our Internship Program are May 22 - June 13/15, 2018. It is scheduled to end on June 13, but with snow days, it could be extended.

If you would like more information or you know a company/organization that could participate please email Heather Bianco at heather.bianco@ncps-k12.org. Please check out the SIP website at https://sites.google.com/ncps-k12.org/nchs-sip/home

Department News:

School Counseling:

Counselors are reviewing the comments from teachers on the progress reports and looking at the first round of grades that have been entered. If there are any concerns, we will contact students to discuss them. For many students, the first month of school can be quite an adjustment as they settle into their classes and begin to understand the expectations. These first grades can be a surprise but we often see improvement as they get used to the structure of the class. If a student continues to struggle in the coming weeks, it is a good time to speak with his/her counselor about the class and ideas for improvement.

Counselors continue to work with seniors to help them manage applications and plan for life after high school. They are meeting with a number of the college representatives as they visit the College and Career Center to gather data on current admissions trends and plan our programs this year. The representatives are enjoying meeting with interested students and gain insight into our high school curriculum.

Math:

In AP Calculus BC this week, students used online graphing tools to explore graphs and slopes for equations that cannot be described explicitly as y in terms of x and then used analytical methods to write formulas for these slopes.

M2 Geometry students are reacquainting themselves with the use of a protractor and exploring and applying angle relationships.

In Mrs. Marhefki's M2 PreCalculus class, students worked in pairs and trios to do "Group Graphs" where each student only graphed a piece of the graph as a re-introduction to Piecewise Functions.

M4 Algebra 2 students are creating their own Unit 1 Study Guide collaboratively in GoogleDocs. This will have notes, explanations, worked out problems, common errors, and even extra practice problems. They will use it to study for their upcoming test and hopefully will be able to use when during midterms as well.

Students in Integrated Geometry are creating their own word problems for solving linear systems and solving each other's word problems. Students in M3 Algebra 2 are using completing the square to be able to write quadratics in vertex form and compare it to the y=x^2 parent function in terms of transformations. Students in M3 Precalculus classes used video tutorials for review in order to focus on whatever concepts they needed to master for an upcoming quest.

Social Studies:

Global 1 students are beginning their unit on Ancient Civilizations, analyzing the definition of civilization and impact of the availability of resources on the development of civilization.

Students in Global II classes have been working through the Absolutism unit. Below are students sharing a research project and utilizing the makerspace to create a visual representation of the monarch their group has been assigned in order to demonstrate their knowledge in a creative way.

In a related project, Absolute rulers from around the world have taken the stage in Mrs. Cohen and Mrs. Arastu's AP World History classes. The leaders are debating the best means of consolidating political power, the steps necessary to secure rule, the impact of alliances, the need for colonies, and the role of religion in their success.

AP Economics spent a period learning about supply, demand, and equilibrium by participating in a simulated silver market. Over time, the equilibrium price organically developed and extreme prices were naturally eliminated. Below are a few pictures of the simulation in action.

VPA:

On Thursday and Friday (September 28-29) Ms. Core's Drawing and Advanced Studio classes went to view the Annual Member Show at the Carriage Barn. The exhibit had works ranging from painting, drawing, collage, photography, and sculpture. Students chose their favorite and posted it along with a reflection on their e-portfolios.

Summer Art Show:

The Summer Art 2017 is officially opened and will be on display in the main lobby until November 6th. Congratulations to all the faculty and staff who are sharing their creative voice with the NCHS community. Hope you will take a few minutes to celebrate with them.

Cathy Smith - Painting

Scott Cranston - Photography

Bert Pastor - Photography

Lynda Pescatello - Photography

Priscilla Schulz - Photography

Jessica Browner - Photography

Anthony Medaglia - Photography

Jennifer Sinski - Photography

Jeanne McDonagh - Photography

Kimanne Core - Ceramics

Jessica Zych - Wooden Sculpture

Nikki Pivovar - Soul Collages

Katie Spaulding - Water Color Painting

NCHS Theater: The Miracle Worker

CTE News:

This week in Ms. Zilly’s Foods & Nutrition class, the students have begun the “Yeast Bread” unit and are quickly realized how much time, energy and precession go into making some of the most basic foods. In the lab this week they are kneading, rolling and baking some delicious pretzels

In the Baking & Pastry Arts class, students are learning how steam can be the key leavening agent in a recipe. They made beautiful, delicate popovers and scrumptious cream puffs this week.

The Interior Design students are learning the phases of a design project. During phase one, they are creating “Mood Boards”, or inspiration board about themselves. These boards will be the inspiration for the first room they design.