I trust everyone had a fun winter break and is ready for an exciting spring semester. March is brimming with exciting school events and activities that promise to enrich our school experience.

We kick off the month with the 8th-grade orientation on Thursday, March 7th, at 6:30 pm in the auditorium. Parents and students are invited to meet department representatives, explore ninth-grade course options, and connect with our School Counselors in the Cafeteria. You can review the Program of Studies here.

We see it in the news. Simone Biles has the twisties, Michael Phelps has ADHD, and Henry Winkler has dyslexia. These brave people have shared something they struggled with. Why? One reason may be to help others who are struggling seek help. Please join a discussion with Tracey Masella from Silver Hill Hospital and the NCHS Counseling Department on how to connect with your child about their mental health without an eye-roll, learn some helpful conversation starters, and how to encourage your teen to help themselves or their friend. In addition, understand what services and organizations are available to the students and how they can feel empowered to seek help. 

EVENT LOCATION: Wagner Room

With a special focus on keeping our teen drivers safe, this important week-long initiative, sponsored and organized by the PFA, includes impactful, interactive activities including distracted driving simulators and a Fatal Vision Goggles Challenge that will drive home safety messages to bring awareness to and help prevent the riskiest of teen driving. 

Parents can be the biggest influencers on teens’ choices behind the wheel, so please encourage your teenagers to attend and discuss with them the risks they face as new drivers.

Stay tuned for more details on this very important event!

Join NCHS school psychologists for an insightful session on assisting your 9th grader in achieving balance while being a student at NCHS. Our presentation will cover a spectrum of topics, encompassing academic decisions, social considerations, and effective communication tools for discussing these pivotal choices with your child. Don't miss out on valuable insights that can contribute to your child's overall well-being and success.

EVENT LOCATION: Wagner Room

Volunteers! If you used black rectangular tablecloths for a NCHS event and still have them, please return them to the main office as soon as possible. They are needed for other upcoming events. 

THANK YOU! 

The course selection process has begun for the 2024-2025 school year. All students can now go into the portal through their account (not the parent account) to view the courses that they have been recommended for and select their schedule for next year. 

School Counselors will be working one-on-one with students to help them through the process during March. Students should have made a first round of choices in the portal by March 1st. Changes can be made through March.  

If students wish to have a particular course recommendation reviewed, they can click on the link in their student portal to write and submit a request. The deadline for review is April 1. Please visit the School Counseling website to view instructions and see the elective videos.

Juniors, mark your calendars and get a jump on writing your college application personal statement! Mindi Trimble of the College Essay Guy will lead you through two virtual college essay workshops on Wednesday, March 20 and Wednesday, April 3 from 7:00-8:30 PM. The link(s) will be available to all juniors before each workshop. 

EVENT LOCATION: via Zoom

NACAC College Fair 

Wednesday, March 20 | 9:00-11:30 AM & 6:30–8:30 PM

CT Convention Center, 100 Columbus Blvd, Hartford

Visit the schools on your list that aligned best with the attributes you provided at the time of registration or are the closest match to your search criteria. Click HERE to register. 

The Southern Connecticut College & Career Year Fair 

Tuesday, April 30 | 4:30-7:30 PM 

Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater, 500 Broad Street, Bridgeport

With over 200 college admission counselors on hand, this is one of the largest college events in our area. The event is free and is open to all high school students and their families.

There will be a college interviewing workshop on April 11 during the lunch block. To reserve a space, email Mrs. Carroll and let her know what lunch you have that day.

The Drowsy Chaperone is a delightful celebration of musical theater, ingeniously wrapped in a comedy that both parodies and pays homage to the Golden Age musicals of the 1920s. 

Performances are March 14-16 at 7:00 PM, with a 2:00 PM matinee on March 16. All in the NCHS Auditorium. Click HERE for tickets.

Bring the whole family to this wonderful show! The narrator, a true musical theater lover, shares his favorite record, The Drowsy Chaperone, with the audience. The show miraculously springs to life in his apartment, blending fantasy with reality. Its self-aware humor, catchy tunes, intricate dance numbers, and eccentric characters (a bride who’s giving up the stage for love, her debonair bridegroom, a harried producer, jovial gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a flaky chlorine, a Latin lothario, an aviatrix, and the drowsy chaperone) offer heartfelt moments that emphasize the transformative power of theater, making it a must-see for both seasoned theater-goers and newcomers alike. 

Bring the entire family out to enjoy the Color Drop and support high school students! A helicopter will release 2,000 numbered golf balls over a target at Waveny. The closest balls will win the Grand Prize of a 2024 Chevy Colorado. 2nd prize is a $2,000 Gift Card from Walter Stewart's Market. Purchase your golf balls HERE. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the NCSF for need-based scholarships given to NCHS graduates.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to dress up as Randy the Ram? Here’s your chance! The New Canaan Scholarship Foundation is looking for volunteers to wear the mascot costumes at the Color Drop on Saturday, March 23 from 9:00-10:30 AM. It’s a fun and easy job that will delight the children who attend! If you’re interested, please reach out to Lindsey Heron.

Ram Jam is our biggest Post Prom fundraiser! Come out on March 22 at 7:00 PM to support our senior boys and girls. Last year there were over 100 seniors who participated in Ram Jam. 

Check out the 2019 trailer HERE! 

Please spread the word and buy tickets. Ticket price is $20 online and $25 at the door. 

Join Sarah Breznen, the director of education at the Woodcock Nature Center, for a spring amphibian walk! Walk the trail at Still Pond to the chorus of wood frogs and spring peepers. Learn about the amphibians native to our area, the ecology of ponds, and how to keep water and wetlands healthy for our amphibian friends. Click HERE for more information.

EVENT LOCATION: Colhoun Preserve

Learn About the Virtual Casino in Your Pocket. Meet Saul Malek and hear his story of how casual sports betting became a gambling addiction as a college sophomore. His mission is to help others learn ways to avoid the behaviors that lead to addiction. Click HERE to register.

EVENT LOCATION: Zoom

Max Stossel from Social Awakening will illustrate some of the specific ways technology is designed to be addictive & distracting, highlight how that's impacting our kids’ minds, and give recommendations on how to address some of the challenges you and your family are facing.

EVENT LOCATION: Saxe Middle School

Parents and Teens, join us as Paul Tomaszewski, MD and Tom Hobson, DPT speak on ACL injuries, shoulder injuries, and the importance of dynamic warmups. The physicians will speak first and then there will be time for a Q&A. Click HERE for more information and to register. 

EVENT LOCATION: New Canaan Library