WOLCOTT “HIGH-LIGHTS”

Principal’s Message

As we begin Semester II, I want to remind you that on March 3, 2009, Wolcott High School will begin administering the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT). All of our 10^th grade students will be given the 2009 CAPT. Any 11^th grade students who did not meet district performance standards in Reading and Math must retake those sections. Additionally, any 11^th grader who did not meet goal will be offered retakes. During the same testing period, all of our 9^th grade students will participate in practice CAPT testing.

All CAPT testing students are required to arrive at school by 7:30 a.m. Any 11^th and 12^th grade students who are not involved in testing are to arrive at the completion of testing on the nine testing dates listed in the CAPT flyer that was mailed home. This flyer can also be found on the Wolcott Public School website. These are very rigorous tests and a graduation component. Therefore, I ask your assistance to see that your child is fully rested and eats nutritiously on each of these testing days. Also, remember that regular classes will be held each day at the conclusion of the testing period, so students need to bring appropriate materials.

If your child is ill during the testing period, it is essential that you call the Attendance Office to report the absence. Any student who is absent from any portion of a scheduled test will be required to make up the test upon their return to school. I appreciate your cooperation and trust that you will emphasize the importance of CAPT with your child.

Last year 56 students met goal or above in all areas and 7 had perfect scores on the 2008 CAPT. These outstanding 11^th grade students will be honored at a breakfast ceremony on February 27^th, in the school’s Resource Center. Dr. Smyth, Mr. Macary and several members of the Board of Education attend this event.

Important Health Office News

Dear Residents of the Town of Wolcott:

As most of you are aware there is a nation wide recall of peanut butter and peanut butter by products. We have made available to you, the FDA website for Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak:

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html

K. Fawcett R.N., Supervisor Nurse

Tenth Grade Physical Reminder

All tenth grade students must have completed physical examination forms on file in the nurse’s office. The examination form must be dated 2008 or 2009. If your tenth grade child has not received his/her physical examination during this time period, please make an appointment as soon as possible and have your child bring the completed blue examination form to the nurse’s office before April 9, 2009.

SkillsUSA Helps Collect Money for UNICEF

During the month of October, 15 students helped collect money for UNICEF in conjunction with the Junior Women’s Club of Wolcott. This is an annual charity event that the members of SkillsUSA participate in which helps raise money for the less fortunate.

SkillsUSA Participates in Wolcott’s Annual Touch-A-Truck

On Sunday, October 19, 2008 Wolcott held their annual Touch-A-Truck. Here, children and adults could look and touch inside fire trucks, buses, campers, a hummer, Army truck and many work trucks. There was a visit from Life Star helicopter and the Wolcott Fire department demonstration of the Jaws of Life. Twenty Skills USA students volunteered throughout the day to help with the Junior Woman’s Club with this awesome fundraiser. It was a beautiful day and a worthwhile event for the town of Wolcott.

Nursing Assistant Program

The Wolcott High School Nursing Assistant Program is entering another successful year. This class is offered to male and female students who are in their junior or senior year. The students have hands on experience during their clinical phase of the program at a local nursing home and hospital. Upon successful completion of class, clinical, and the state exam they will become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). This experience of patient care, medical terminology, and clinical is beneficial to anyone interested in the medical field. The students are also involved with community service. We have participated in the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk, blood drives, Multiple Sclerosis Walk, Toys for Tots & Teens, Winter Wonderland, recycling and many more. The Nursing Assistant Program is a great stepping stone for any medical field such as nursing, physician assistant, medical transcriptionist, medical secretary, physical or occupational therapy, just to mention a few. It also looks great on a college application. If anyone is interested in the program or has any questions please contact Ms. Lofgren MSN, RN at Wolcott High School 879-8164 or clofgren@wolcottps.org.

Kindergarten Pre-Registration

For the 2009-2010 School Year

If you have a child who will be five (5) years old on or before January 1, 2010, you are requested to contact the Office of the Superintendent of Schools at 879-8183 in January/February 2009. The child’s: name, address, age, and date of birth will be taken over the phone. Information will be mailed to your home in March. Early pre-registration is greatly appreciated in order for us to plan and budget appropriately. Thank you for your cooperation.

School Counseling Department

As the new semester begins, school counselors will be working with individual students on scheduling requested courses for the upcoming school year. The 2009-2010 Course of Studies book will be given to the students along with a course selection sheet with courses being offered. In the Course of Studies book, core courses and electives are described as well as their sequence and prerequisites.

Report cards will be sent home during the first week of February. If there are any questions or concerns, parents should contact the individual teacher or counselor. Email addresses can be found in your student's tracker.

SAT tests will be administered at Wolcott High School on Saturday, March 14, 2009. Register online at www.collegeboard.com before 02/10/2009 to avoid paying a late fee.

Seniors are once again reminded to check out the Scholarship Board located in the Guidance Office or go online at www.wolcottps.org and click on Guidance to review the list of scholarships offered. Both are regularly updated and parents are encouraged to remind their students about these scholarships - especially during these difficult economic times. Also as seniors receive acceptance letters from colleges, please have them bring a copy to Guidance so we will have these letters for sending out final transcripts after graduation.

We also encourage students to apply for federal student aid as soon as possible beginning January 1. There are three ways that a student can complete the FAFSA:

Apply online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. For those who prefer to fill something out in writing before applying online, we offer the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet. The worksheet lists the FAFSA questions and provides boxes for students’ (and parents’) answers. The order of questions on the worksheet follows that of FAFSA on the Web, which differs from the paper FAFSA. Therefore, to avoid confusion, we recommend that students not use paper FAFSAs to prepare for FAFSA on the Web. You may order FAFSA on the Web worksheets from www.FSAPubs.org or download a PDF version of the FAFSA, available on the following site: www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/worksheet.
Download, complete, and mail a PDF version of the FAFSA from the following site: www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov.
Request a paper FAFSA by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) or 1-379-337-5665.

WHS Ranks 4^th in State Career and Technical Education Assessment

On November 21^st, Wolcott High hosted the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Region H meeting. At the event Ms. June Sanford, State Director of Career and Technical Education announced that Wolcott High’s CTE program ranked 4^th among Connecticut school districts. Those areas that were assessed include Wolcott High’s Nursing, Marketing, Culinary and Business Technology programs. A delicious luncheon was provided by Mr. Tutalo’s and Mr. Gentile’s culinary students.

As the Economy Worsens, WHS Launches Timely New Finance Course

Beginning this semester, Wolcott High is introducing a new semester course entitled “Personal Finance and Investing.” As the United States struggles through the current economic downturn, students at Wolcott High will be learning the skills and strategies that will help them build a sound financial future during both good and bad times. Not only will this new course address basic topics such as budgeting, banking and credit management, it will also provide students with useful knowledge in areas such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds and retirement planning.

Funding for this new finance course was provided via a $15,000 grant awarded to Wolcott High last July. As a result of these monies, textbooks, software, computer simulations and field trips will be available to all enrolled students. During their high school careers, all WHS students will be encouraged to sign up for the “Personal Finance and Investing” course.

Community Service Club News

The WHS Community Service Club has participated in several service projects this school year. Some activities that the members participated in include volunteering at the Senior Center, organizing an Item Drive, and writing Valentines for troops overseas.

At the Senior Center, CSC members helped seniors with computer questions and problems. Many seniors signed up to learn how to solve various problems ranging from how to start the computer to making an Ebay account. The members had an opportunity to work one-on-one with the seniors in order to offer better assistance. The seniors were very appreciative of their help. The Community Service Club also organized and participated in a Safe Haven Item Drive. It was run through the Social Studies Department classes and was a huge success! A total of 1100 items were collected for safe Haven of Greater Waterbury. The CSC would like to thank all the classes that participated in the drive.

Lastly, CSC members wrote Valentines to service personnel stationed overseas. Each letter was specially decorated with the holiday theme. The letters are a great way to show our troops that we are thinking of them and will be delivered to a regiment that does not receive regular mail from home. The Community Service Club also has many activities planned in the months ahead. These include volunteering at the Bristol Soup Kitchen in February and Tyrrell “Game Night”, as well as helping out at local hospices.

Important Early Dismissal Info

Student early dismissal is for emergency purposes only, or as deemed necessary by an administrator. Dismissal may be made only by an administrator or by the school nurse. In the case of illness, the student must go to the school nurse to be dismissed early. The school nurse, after consultation with the parent shall determine whether a student may be dismissed.

Student early dismissal due to Channel F study is a privilege reserved for seniors only (providing policy conditions are met). In case of senior early dismissal, students are not allowed to leave school until 1:06 p.m. They are not allowed to leave earlier, even if the student has third lunch or two study halls in a row.

Student Athlete Makes Milestone

Congratulations to out to Senior Carly Murphy for making her 1000^th point in Girls Basketball on January 20^th against Naugatuck! We at WHS are very proud of her!

WHS Parent Action Council Upcoming Events

PAC is sponsoring another Bus Trip to Mohegan Sun on Saturday, March 28, 2009. The cost is $30 pp (Includes $15 food ticket and $15 tables.) The bus will depart from WHS at 4:00 p.m. and depart from Mohegan Sun at 12:00 a.m. Seating on the bus is on a first come basis and payment is due on or before Saturday, March 7, 2009. Please make checks payable to WHS-PAC. Checks can be mailed to:

Pamela Perugini, 344 Todd Road, Wolcott. Please include the name and phone number of a contact person and the number of people attending. Come join in the fun! There will be a 50/50 raffle, too!

PAC is also selling Class Wristbands in the WHS School Store to Juniors and Seniors. We will have both Class of 2009 and Class of 2010 available for $2.00 each. Please come in to the school store to purchase these great mementos before they are gone!

Art Department Congrats

The Art Department is pleased to announce that three Wolcott High School students were selected to exhibit artwork as winners in the Scholastic Art Awards competition. This juried, state- wide competition accepts only about 25% of top entries for inclusion into the Awards exhibit. This year Alison Yusov received Honorable Mention for two of her works of computer art, Andrew Cipriano received a Silver Award for his ceramic vessel and Samantha Cerullo received a Silver Award for her composition in mixed media. The show is open to open to the public in the Silpe Gallery at the University of Hartford now until February 6. Again, congratulations to Alison, Andrew and Samantha.

Save the Date!

Feb. 9: Student Council Blood Drive, Gym, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Feb. 10: Senior full class photo – 7:30 a.m.-in the Gym (snow date 2/11)

Feb. 10: PAC Meeting, WHS Resource Center, 7-9 p.m.

Feb. 13-16: NO School - President’s recess

Feb. 17: Music Instrumental Winter Concert, Auditorium, 7:00 p.m.(snow date 2/18)

Feb. 19: “Making It Count” college seminar for Juniors & Seniors, Channels B & C

Feb. 23-24:”Bio-Bus” in parking lot for Science classes. Daytime school hours.

Feb. 24-25:Cap & Gown measurements/payments during lunch waves for Seniors.

Feb. 25: District-Wide Choral Festival, featuring choirs from ALL schools, 7:00 p.m., Auditorium

Feb. 26: NAEP 12^th Grade Assessment-during school hours

Feb. 27: CAPT Breakfast for 2008 Scholars, WHS Resource Center, 9:30 a.m.

Mar. 2-13: CAPT Testing during school hours for 9^th and 10^th grades.

Mar. 5: WHPMA Meeting, Guidance Conf. Room, 7:00 p.m.

Mar. 9: Board of Ed. Meeting, 7:30 p.m., Resource Center

Mar. 10: PAC Meeting, WHS Resource Center, 7-9 p.m.

Mar. 14: SAT Testing at WHS, 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Mar. 23: Board of Ed. Meeting, 7:30 p.m. – Resource Center

Mar. 28: RIEB District-wide Book Swap – Commons, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Mar. 30: A Night of Jazz Concert to celebrate “Music In Our Schools” month, WHS Auditorium, 7:00 p.m.(snow date 3/31)

Dr. Robert E. Eberle, Principal----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume X

Mr. Steven K. LePage, Assistant Principal----------------------------------------------------------------------- February, ‘09