 | | | Suffield High School | April 2016 | | 1060 Sheldon Street | West Suffield, CT 06093 | 860-668-3810 | https://www.suffield.org | | |  | | | | | | | | Upcoming Events: Friday, April 1 Spring Parent / Coach / Athlete Meeting
6:00 p.m.
SHS Auditorium Saturday, April 2 &
Sunday, April 3 ACT Bootcamp
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
SHS LMC Monday, April 4 Booster Club
7:00 p.m.
SHS Commons / Store Tuesday, April 5 NCCC Support Groups
5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
SMS C137 and C140 Internet Safety Workshop for Parents
6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
SMS Auditorium Suffield BOE Meeting
6:30 p.m.
SHS Library Media Center Wednesday, April 6 Suffield Idol
7:00 p.m. Thursday, April 7 Choir Concert
6:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 13 Mr. Suffield Auditions SPED PAC
7:00 p.m.
Suffield High School LMC Monday, April 18 -
Friday, April 22 No School [All Offices Open] - Spring Vacation Wednesday, April 27 Public Hearing on Budget
6:30 p.m.
SMS Auditorium Thursday, April 28 Mr. Suffield
2015 - 2016 District Calendar 2016 - 2017 District Calendar 2016 - 2017 SHS Program of Studies College Planning Calendars Suffield High School Menus Suffield High School Student Handbook | | Principal's Message | | It has been a busy last few weeks and the school seems to have an endless supply of energy as we begin the last quarter of the year. The newsletter will highlight many of those happenings here at SHS, whether in an academic area, sports arena, or on the stage. As the school prepares for the upcoming spring sports season, we congratulate our winter athletes for their representation of SHS. If you were unable to see the latest musical, The Wizard of Oz, you missed an incredible show! Congratulations to all of the actors and actresses and I must say, BRAVO! Thank you to Ms. Holland, Mr. Stammen, Mrs. Blais, Mrs. Foss, Mr. Lowell, and all of the faculty, staff, and students that provided support and assistance for a wonderful show. No matter what area the students represent, they continue to make their mark here at Suffield High and we are proud of them all. Congratulations to Lukas Baker, son of Dan and Gosia Baker, on being named Valedictorian for the Class of 2016. Lukas plans to study physics in college and has been accepted by Yale, Boston University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Lukas has not decided where he will matriculate in the fall as he is still waiting to hear from Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia before making his final decision. Congratulations also to Michelle Pine, daughter of Jonathan and Deborah Pine, on being named Salutatorian for the Class of 2016. Michelle plans to be a computer science and/or film major and has been accepted by SUNY Binghamton, Northeastern, Boston University, Wesleyan, and Vassar to name a few. She has not decided where she will matriculate in the fall as she is still awaiting word from a few of her top choices. | Agriscience Update | | Suffield Regional FFA Celebrates National FFA Week
Submitted by: Claire Collins & Grace Artioli From February 21-26 the National FFA Organization celebrated National FFA Week which is held to energize FFA members, spread awareness of agricultural education and thank school and community members for their support of the FFA. The Suffield Regional FFA Chapter took the opportunity to bring members together in order to celebrate and advocate for FFA within Suffield High School. 
Suffield Regional held different events and theme days throughout the week such as FFA Pride Day and Official FFA Dress Day. The agriscience students kicked the week off with an FFA chapter meeting and pep rally where members competed in Ag Olympics. Tuesday was dedicated to educating the entire school community about FFA and agricultural education. Agriscience students created an interactive game that all students in Suffield High School played during the advisory period. A faculty/staff local brunch was hosted by the agriscience center on Wednesday where FFA members showcased a variety of local food products from  farms such as Cupola Hollow Farm and Hastings Farm. “We are fortunate to have such strong support from all of our local farms and agribusinesses” stated Sarah Oliver, who is one of the agriscience teachers. Finally, students organized an FFA dance on Friday night to celebrate the conclusion of a successful FFA week celebration. “The week was a huge success and it was great to see all the students in the chapter getting involved” said Chapter FFA President Alexis Ratti. Students in the program felt a sense of pride for being a part of the largest youth organization in the nation with over 600,000 members nationwide. Agriculture continues to evolve and FFA helps shape leaders and educate students about the wide array of careers in the agriscience industry. | | | | | | | | | | | Aces High Robotics | | | By Carmella DeVita - Aces High Team 176 Parent Mentor The Suffield/Windsor Locks FIRST Robotics Team Aces High competed two times this month. The first time was at the Waterbury New England District Event on March 5-6. We did well at the Waterbury competition. We started the first match of the weekend with a tough alliance and ended Saturday in 17th place. However the strength of our robot, the skill of our drivers, and the savvy of our strategy quickly paid off as we climbed the ranks. By the end of the day, we were one of the only robots to breach the outer defenses and take down the tower. We ranked 4th among a field of 38 teams from all over New England and made it to the elimination rounds. We made it to Semifinals and lost the last match due to our alliance robots wheel malfunctioning. Aces High did an amazing job at UMass Dartmouth week of March 18-20th placing 5th in the qualifying matches on Saturday. They were selected by the number 1 ranked team for their alliance for the elimination matches on Sunday. Our alliance fought hard but lost in the second round of elimination (Semi-finals). Unfortunately, we lost by a tie breaker. Again, in this event, one of our Alliance partners robots stopped functioning in the last few seconds of the semi-final round. Our Alliance partner played defensive and got pretty beat up by our competitors so when it was time to come back to park the robot under the tower, he stopped moving inches away from a win. Although team was disappointed, we played a great round. We left UMASS with points earned in both competitions ranking us 4th out of 165 in the New England District. In addition, at the awards ceremony, Aces High did win the quality award trophy. We are now gearing up for our last district event before district championships. | | April is Autism Awareness Month | | | April is Autism Awareness Month. National Autism Awareness Month represents an excellent opportunity to promote autism awareness, autism acceptance and to draw attention to the tens of thousands facing an autism diagnosis each year. This year we want to go beyond simply promoting autism awareness to encouraging friends and collaborators to become partners in movement toward acceptance and appreciation. Let’s embrace a new perspective. For over 50 years we have worked in communities (both large and small) to ensure our actions, through our services and programming, supported all individuals living with autism. Let’s expand this work to focus on the rest of us – ensuring acceptance and inclusion in schools and communities that results in true appreciation of the unique aspects of all people. We want to get one step closer to a society where those with Autism Spectrum Disorders are truly valued for their unique talents and gifts.  Our schools will have blue ribbons displayed for the month of April to show our support as well as April 6th has been designated as a day to wear blue in Suffield. The school communities are also developing other ways to raise awareness and support.
| | Athletes of the Month - February | | |  The Suffield Booster Club has chosen Bruce D’Agata and Kate Beaudry as the February Athletes of the Month. Students are awarded this honor based on their athletic and academic accomplishments, attitudes and leadership skills.
Bruce D’Agata is a four year wrestler and member of the football team. He has been elected captain of the wrestling team for two years and is a two time NCCC All-Conference Wrestler. Bruce is also a scholar athlete and honor roll student at Suffield High School. He is an Eagle Scout who has put in many hours of community service. Bruce has chosen to serve his country upon graduation and has committed to the United States Navy as a Special Operations Diver. Kate Beaudry is known for being positive, energetic, hardworking and fun. Captain of the Cheerleading team, she is a natural born leader who accomplishes whatever goals she sets for herself and the team. Kate is the definition of a team player. Kate would like to pursue studies in the field of Criminal Justice after graduation.
Congratulations to Kate and Bruce! | | CAS Volunteer Recognition | | | Suffield High School is very fortunate to have many parents and volunteers who work hard to contribute to the success of our school. This year, we were proud to select four parents/volunteers to attend the Connecticut Association of Schools Volunteer Awards Banquet on March 7th. Christine Smith, Janine Liddell, Alison Greene, and Ginger Marquis have been devoted to the mission of the FFA and we thank them for their service and dedication to our students and the Agriscience program in Suffield. | | 2016 Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair Results | | | Congratulations to the award-winning Suffield High School students who competed in the finals of the Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair. 
Finalist and Special Awards Categories: Madison D’Ostuni: Xerox Computer Science Award - Finalist Caitlin Kirschbaum: American Society of Safety Engineers Award Lukas Baker: International Society for Automation Award 1st Place Jason Werenski and Yash Mehta: Connecticut Nurserymen Foundation Award
Physical Sciences Category 2nd Honors - Caitie Kirschbaum 2nd Honors - Lukas Baker 2nd Honors - Katie Baker 3rd Honors - Madison D’Ostuni 3rd Honors - Thomas Taggart 3rd Honors - Zachariah Service Life Sciences Category 3rd Honors - Jason Werenski and Yash Mehta | | Pops Concert | | | On February 25th, the SHS band presented its annual Pops Concert, featuring the Jazz Ensemble. An enthusiastic crowd was on hand to hear Jazz classics like Glen Millers Leap Frog, Count Basie’s Whirly Bird, as well as vocalist Caelie Flanagan singing That Old Black Magic. The band also performed a set including September, Ease on Down the Road, and Georgia on My Mind. The band will be performing this set in Disney World this April. | | Rotary Student of the Month | | |  Lukas Baker has been chosen as the Rotary Student of the Month. A science fair winner for all four years, Captain of the Math Team, Captain of the Quiz Bowl that made nationals, a member of the National Honor Society and the World Language Honor Society, he is an outstanding student and was recently named Valedictorian of the Class of 2016. Lukas is known for his positive work ethic and has been accepted at Yale University. He is interested in becoming a Physicist. Congratulations, Lukas!
| | SHS National Honor Society’s Volleyball Marathon! | | | By Priya Mehta, President of SHS National Honor Society At 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 4, students started pouring in Suffield High School hauling along their sleeping bags, pillows, and most importantly, lots and lots of food. Everyone was excited to play some volleyball, take lots of photos, and hang out with their friends at one of Suffield High School’s most anticipated events, Volleyball Marathon. As the 32 teams started to get settled in, the time for the games was approaching. At 9:30, the competition commenced in the gym while the music boomed in the commons with everyone singing along to “Don’t Stop Believing” and dancing to “YMCA.” As the night went on, the National Honor Society periodically picked raffle tickets and announced the winners of a mini basketball hoop, a sky blue volleyball, several gift cards, and many more prizes. After pizza and ice cream were served, it was time for the semi finals. Around 3:30 a.m., Mr. Casolari, the NHS advisor, hung the poster with the eight semi finalists as teams eagerly looked to see who they were facing next. The eight teams competed until it came down to the two finalists: Error: Team Name Not Found and Tune Squad. Everyone gathered in the gym at 5:30 a.m. to watch the two final teams compete for the win; and after a very close game, Tune Squad was pronounced the 2016 VBM champion. Each member was gifted a shirt created by NHS with “Champion” printed on the back. And finally it was that time--that time for everyone to go home and do something they had long been waiting to do--SLEEP!!! | | SPED PAC Save the Date | | | SPED PAC Agenda for April 13th at 7:00 p.m. at SHS LMC will include a presentation by Nancy Taylor on “A Model for Specialized Instruction - The Strategic Instruction Model”. The date for May has changed from May 11th to May 12th - location TBD. SPED PAC Agenda for May will include an opportunity to meet and hear from Dr. Mark Palmieri from the Center for Children with Special Needs. Dr. Palmieri’s team will be conducting a program review and redesign of the service delivery model at A Ward Spaulding School next year. | | Sports Update | | | The boys basketball team finished 15-5 in the regular season, good enough for a share of the NCCC league regular season championship. For only the 3rd time since 1986 the boys basketball teams were league champions. The girls basketball team finished 11/9 in the regular season, good enough for a spot in the league and state tournament. 
The wildcats hockey team won the NHC Championship game with an unbelievable team effort. With many of their players hurt or sick, everyone was able to rise to the occasion and persevere. The team defense was the best it has been all season shutting down the two top scorers in the state. This was the perfect way for our terrific senior class to finish off their last Wildcats game at the ETR. All focus and efforts are on Notre Dame Fairfield now in the state tournament. The boys and girls indoor track teams had a very successful season. The boys team finished third in the NCCC and the girls finished 4th. Each team was well represented at the Class M state meets with the boys earning medals in the 4x400m and 4x800m relays and the girls earning a medal in the 600m (Kaitlin Girardini). The boys 4x800 and Kaitlin went on to compete at the State Open Championships. The SHS dance team has performed at 17 home Varsity basketball games. They also performed on March 23rd for the International Cafe Open Mic Night and on March 24th for the Pep Rally. The Suffield boys swim team competed in the Class S preliminary meet. Captain Adam Hart led a 200 freestyle relay team with Bailey Martin, Jack Butler and Matt Winter crushing the Suffield High record by 2 & 1/2 seconds. The Class S finals are set for Tuesday night at Wesleyan University. Last year 5 boys competed in this meet, this year 8 have qualified! Congratulations boys and good luck. The wrestling team finished the season with a 6-2 record in the NCCCC. The cheerleading team also performed at 17 home basketball games this past season. Thank you for all your support!!! | | Teacher of the Year Nominees | | | Congratulations to the Suffield High School Teacher of the Year nominees: Erin Larkum, Tim Shea, Mark Janick, Paul Dumais, and Noreen Harnett. These teachers were chosen based on nominations from their peers in Suffield. A reception for all Teacher of the Year nominees was held on March 24th. The Suffield Teacher of the Year finalist will be announced on May 17th. | | The Wizard of OZ | | |  The Suffield High School spring musical, “The Wizard of Oz”, was presented to rave reviews on March 17, 18, and 19. With a cast and crew numbering over 80 students, this classic tale provided great family entertainment as evidenced by the large audiences at all three shows. Included in this musical was a full cast dance number (thank you Kelly Blais) and some outstanding set design. Special thanks goes to Director Stephannie Holland and Music Director Jason Stammen for their countless hours of work to make this show a reality.
| | Internet Safety Workshop for Parents | | |  INTERNET SAFETY ~ Workshop for parents by Scott Driscoll of Internet Safety Concepts
- Apps and programs children are using
- Cyberbullying, Sexting and Social Networking
- Creating a "digital footprint" (positives and negatives)
- Current on-line trends and potential dangers
- Tips on how to use technology in the safest way
- Strategies on keeping families safe
Where : Suffield Middle School 350 Mountain Road Suffield, CT
When : April 5, 2016 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. This presentation is for parents only. Flyer - PDF | | | | Suffield Public Schools
350 Mountain Road, Suffield, CT 06078
Phone: 860-668-3800 (Central Office)
| | | 
| |
