SHS November Newsletter

Communication between teachers and parents is a crucial component in the success of any student. The staff of Suffield High School is dedicated to working alongside parents to ensure not only academic, but also that any social issue is handled in a timely and sensitive manner. Updated grades within PowerSchool are simply one avenue of communication along with the progress reports and report cards. While email is an efficient means of getting information, the single most effective means of communication is the actual conversation between teachers and both students and parents.

I remind everyone of the upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences November 19, 20, and 21 where parents will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with a teacher in a 10-minute meeting. Conferences are available between 12:30-2:30 on all three afternoons and from 6:00-8:30 on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The school will again be utilizing an online program to schedule meetings and a link has been placed on our website. The link is open all the way until the day before conferences and earlier in the month the school sent home a letter with details on how to schedule those conferences. You can click here to access pickAtime, an internet based online appointment scheduling system. You will need your student’s district ID, which was included in the letter sent home, in order to schedule a conference. The office is always ready to assist anyone, so please do not hesitate to call as we are always happy to help. Thank you in advance for your willingness to partner with the school and teachers.

National Merit Commended Students

Congratulations to Martha Beringer, Kira Bourret, and Nicole Wagner who have been named Commended Students in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation has been presented to each of these scholastically talented seniors. About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2015 competition by taking the 2013 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. "The young men and women being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success," commented a spokesperson for NMSC. "These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success." The entire Suffield High School population congratulates Martha, Kira, and Nicole on this outstanding accomplishment.

National Honor Society

A total of 40 students, 26 juniors and 14 seniors, were recently inducted as members of Suffield High School’s Sigma Chapter of the National Honor Society. The National Honor Society recognizes students for scholarship, service, leadership, and character. The new members joined 18 returning members which includes the society’s elected officers: Erin McGann, Kira Bourret, Shelby McCormick, Taylor Schwab, and Divya Subramanian. Special thanks to Social Studies Department Chairperson and history teacher, Paul Dumais, who gave the induction address.

Congratulations to the Class of 2015

Brent Baskin	Erin Buckingham	Asa Carpenter
Sarah Cauley	Alexa Champagne	Taylor Daigle
Connor Donahue	Hayley O’Connell	Luke Peterson
Katarina Rizzuto	Gabrielle Rusczyk	Zachary Salters
Victoria Vaillancourt	Holly Vynar

Congratulations to the Class of 2016

Noelle Albert	Brandon Armstrong	Daniel Bahl
Lukas Baker	Jared Basile	Ashley Cheng
Kate Colson	Peter Connolly	Valorie Krzanowski
Austin Mankouski	Claire Margiatto	Michael McDermott
Priya Mehta	Julia Picard	Deana Pileika
Michelle Pine	Samantha Pryce	Meredith Randall
Shylin Santana	Caelee Sorto	Laura Sweeney
Diara Vicedomini	Max Vinick	Heather Vormstein-Schneider
Erica Vuocolo	Justin Walch

Rotary Student of the Month

Suffield High School proudly announces that James Contacos was chosen as the October Rotary Student of the Month. Their selection was based on nominations from teachers who believe that he possesses the qualities valued by the Rotary Club including leadership, civic involvement, responsibility and commitment to class and community. James is a student within the Agricultural Sciences program and is currently the President of the Suffield FFA. His involvement, dedication, and success in competitions provided him the opportunity to compete at the national level as he and other members of the Suffield FFA traveled to Louisville, Kentucky. Community service is clearly important to James. He is an Eagle Scout candidate in Boy Scouts and is currently planting an apple orchard in Windsor Locks. James is a well-rounded individual who is a black belt in Tae Kwan Do, hockey player, a certified scuba diver, and loves to watch documentaries on history during his free time. James is a leader within the Agricultural Sciences program and is currently contemplating either studying Conservation Law or working toward a teaching certificate in Agricultural Education in college.

News and Notes from the Agricultural Science Department:

Thank you to the Suffield FFA Family, Friends and Alumni group that presented a $1,300 check at the most recent FFA Chapter meeting. The money was presented to the students of the winning Career Development Event (CDE) teams to help offset their costs of attending the National Convention in Kentucky. Congratulations to the students for all their hard work and we wish them the best of luck at Nationals!

REMINDER: The Agriscience department is having an OPEN HOUSE for prospective students on Wednesday, November 12 from 6:30 to 8:30PM. Please spread the word to 7th and 8th grade students and their parents who are welcome to come and tour the facility. Students from Suffield, Enfield, Windsor Locks, Granby, East Granby, Canton, Avon, Simsbury, Hartland, Hartford are welcome to attend and apply to the program. Parent volunteers are also needed for this event! Please contact the Agricultural Science Department for more details or questions.

Athletics

Congratulations to Jarvis Miller who was selected as Channel 3’s Statewide FNF (Friday Night Football) Athlete of The Week! Jarvis rushed for 243 yards and 4 touchdowns vs. Gilbert on way to the recognition. The Raiders co-op football team continues to perform extremely well with a 5-2 overall record and will be playing a second game under the lights of Beneski Field on Saturday, November 1st vs. Avon.

Congratulations should also go out to the Girls Cross Country Team who were League Champions and recently earned runner-up in the Class M Division at the CIAC State Championship. The Girls Volleyball team continues to grow in success as they have qualified for the state tournament for the first time in school history. Girls swimming is currently 5-5 and the field hockey continues to be successful by qualifying for the state tournament. Both the boys and girls soccer teams continue to be dominant in their respective leagues and are unbeaten on the year with the boys recently gained a share of the state record for consecutive wins at 44.

All teams continue to shine both on and off the field as they are wonderful representatives of Suffield High School.

October Athletes of the Month

The Suffield High School Athletic Booster Club awarded seniors Breann Frawley and Michael Allan as the October Student Athletes of the Month. Students are selected on the basis of their athletic accomplishments, attitude, leadership, sportsmanship, team spirit, and academics.

Breann Frawley, a three-year varsity field hockey player, is a testament that hard work pays off. Even though she just started playing field hockey as a sophomore, she has started every game this year, and her positive attitude is contagious amongst her teammates. Breann always leads by example, she is a fierce competitor and she helps her teammates succeed!

Michael Allan started his varsity cross country career as a freshman, and over the past two years, he has earned the title as one of the top runners. Although he is captain to some very young runners this year, he has demonstrated his leadership and positivity to get his team to work hard.

Congratulations to Breann Frawley and Michael Allan for being named Athletes of the Month! These talented student athletes are excellent role models at Suffield High School.

Fall Drama Production - Romeo & Juliet - November 6th, 7th, and 8th

Dates: November 6th, 7th, and 8th
Time: 7:00pm
Where: Suffield High School Performing Arts Center
General Admission Tickets are available at the door: Adults $7, Students $5

This fall you can re-imagine Shakespeare's classic love story set in post-Civil War Georgia as adapted by Suffield High School's Drama Club. The Drama Club has more than 50 students including cast and crew and welcomes all ages to attend. We hope to see you there.

Interact Club - CT River Watershed Council's Source to Sea Clean-up

The friends of the Windsor Locks Canal expressed their gratitude to the Interact Club of Suffield High School for their participation in the CT River Watershed Council's Source to Sea Clean-up. Mrs. Nancy Lombard led 27 students as they cleared debris and trash from the Connecticut River bank. Their efforts yielded many pounds of trash and recyclables, a variety of items including tires with wheels, chair, and 55-gallon plastic drums. This group did not have an easy task and the school was notified of how delightful, friendly, and cheerful the group was to work with. Thank you to Mrs. Lombard and the following students: Brent Baskin, David Biederman, Morgan Bikowski, Danielle Bouchard, Megan Brown, Abby Canning, Christina Cipressi, Riley Denno, Erica Devin, Will Dubocq, Tristan Evans, Catherine Farmer, Breann Frawley, Luke Lobo, Brendan Looney, Carson Lownds, Garrett Lownds, Andrea Maffei, Miles Manning, Willem McCusker, Madison Murphy, Emlyn Muska, Emily Powell, Ashley Price, Katarina Rizzuto, Alexandra Schneider, Taylor Schwab, and Cynthia Webster.

Lee National Denim Day - Raises $255

Suffield High School staff recently took part and raised $255 in "Lee National Denim Day." The day is a fundraiser where participants donate $5 in exchange for wearing jeans to work. Since its inception in 1996, Lee National Denim Day participants have raised more than $91 million on behalf of the American Cancer Society. Funds support the society's breast cancer programs and services as they work to discover new ways to prevent, find and cure breast cancer. Thank you to all staff that took part.

November Guidance Newsletter

The Suffield High School November School Guidance Newsletter has important information including:

Report Cards Coming
What to Ask at Parent/Teacher Conferences
Homecoming
Common College Application Errors
The Perils of “Senioritis”
Selective Service Registration
Focusing on Finances: Getting Ready to File the CSS Profile
Scholarship Tips for Students and Parents
ASPIRE (Practice ACT) Testing
Upcoming Events for November

November 2014 SHS Guidance Newsletter - PDF

Now Hiring Substitute Teachers and Nurses

Kelly Educational Staffing is Suffield's partner for the management of its substitute teacher program. Substitute teachers are employees of Kelly and undergo in-depth orientation and training developed in conjunction with EDTRAININGCENTER along with input from the administration from Suffield. Kelly Educational Staffing employees have access to flexible work schedules, group insurance, and 401K retirement plan participation. Additionally, Kelly employees receive weekly pay, and can be eligible for monetary service bonus plans, recognition and incentive programs. Kelly conducts several local workshops throughout the year to enhance classroom management skills. The workshops feature guest speakers from the Suffield School District who have been recognized for their leadership, as well as community partners such as members of Department of Child and Family (DCF).

Kelly Educational Staffing welcomes your interest – and can be reached directly at 860-674-1710 or kes1761@kellyservices.com. Alternately, complete an application via Suffield AppliTrack portal accessible on the Suffield website. Once you select substitute teaching as an area of interest, your application will be routed to Kelly Services for consideration.

If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Carney in Human Resources at 860-668-3802.

Suffield Public Schools is currently seeking licensed R.N.’s for substitute nursing positions. If you are interested, please contact Kathy Carney in Human Resources, 860-668-3802.

Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) Meeting – December 8th

All interested parents are invited to attend the second meeting of the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC). The meeting is an opportunity for parents to attend information sessions about the high school and also allows the administration an opportunity to better understand parental views and concerns. Meetings are held throughout the year and the next meeting is scheduled for December 8th at 6:00 pm in the Library Media Center. We hope to see you there!

Spirit Week

Student preparations for Spirit Week, scheduled November 10th - 14th, are well underway. This popular week is an enjoyable experience and provides a wonderful opportunity for students to display their connection to the school community. Spirit Night is the culmination of class spirit activities and is a contest to be held the evening of Friday, November 14th. Each year students work under the guidance of their class advisors to create an original skit/dance which is performed that evening. Class advisors can provide further information to students and parents who have questions or suggestions.

Staff Recognition and Thanks

Suffield High School was recently notified by Stanford University that our very own Mrs. Christine Hoffacker was recognized by a recent graduate in their Teacher Tribute Initiative. As part of the initiative, incoming students to Stanford University are given the opportunity to acknowledge one former teacher or mentor who played a significant role in their intellectual, academic, social and personal development. This particular student recognized Mrs. Hoffacker and writes, "After taking Mrs. Hoffacker's intimate and enlightening Music Technology course my sophomore year, her enthusiasm and charm transformed my interest in music into a passion." The student continues on to say, "Mrs. Hoffacker has inspired me to pursue music in my future, yet has perhaps more importantly helped me to become the confident, sincere, and loving person I see myself as today." We take this time to honor Mrs. Hoffacker on behalf of our former student and Stanford University, and say congratulations on behalf of everyone at Suffield High School.

Suffield Public Schools
350 Mountain Road, Suffield, CT 06078
Phone: 860-668-3800

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Suffield High School

November 2014

1060 Sheldon Street | West Suffield, CT 06093 | 860-668-3810 | https://www.suffield.org

Upcoming Events:

No School

BOE Meeting

Romeo and Juliet Performance

No School

Agriscience Open House for Grade 7 and 8

Sped PAC

Sophomore ACT Aspire Test

Spirit Night

Class Ring Presentation

BOE Meeting

Early Release / Conferences

Agriscience Holiday Sale

Fall Sports Awards

Early Dismissal

No School

Virtual Backpack:

A Message from the Principal

National Merit Commended Students

National Honor Society

Congratulations to the Class of 2015

Congratulations to the Class of 2016

Rotary Student of the Month

News and Notes from the Agricultural Science Department:

Athletics

October Athletes of the Month

Fall Drama Production - Romeo & Juliet - November 6th, 7th, and 8th

Interact Club - CT River Watershed Council's Source to Sea Clean-up

Lee National Denim Day - Raises $255

November Guidance Newsletter

Now Hiring Substitute Teachers and Nurses

Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) Meeting – December 8th

Spirit Week

Staff Recognition and Thanks

Sophomore
ACT Aspire Test