It’s hard to believe how quickly the first quarter has flown by! The second quarter begins on November 4, and grades will be available in PowerSchool by the end of the day on November 12. Please note that teacher comments are provided for students with grades below 80, but we encourage parents to reach out to teachers for more detailed feedback.

Please join us to learn useful tips and strategies to help your students cope with the pressures of this important year. We will address potential stressors—including academics, standardized testing, college visits, and social life—and ways to manage them all. Participants will include members of the NCHS counseling team and Eileen Donellan-Pickering, NCHS social worker. Please contact 11th Grade Parent Education chair Maya Rao with any questions. **This event will NOT be recorded.

EVENT LOCATION: Wagner Room

NCHS School Counselors Sara Drexel and Julia Rossini will discuss many topics, including: the NCHS GPA system, course offerings, the course selection process, and graduation requirements. They will also show us a roadmap to our students’ academic pursuits and introduce Naviance, which your child will use during their college search.

EVENT LOCATION: Wagner Room

Save the date for a New Canaan Public Schools presentation, Parenting in the Digital Age. Come hear from Dr. Luizzi and others who will give parents concrete tools to help their children stay safe and healthy in a digital world. Click HERE for more information.

EVENT LOCATION: Saxe Auditorium

PSAT scores have been returned to NCHS students. The PSAT often signals juniors’ interest in preparing for the state-administered SAT, which all juniors will take in March. This year, we are happy to announce a new partnership with Carnegie Prep. Serving Fairfield County for over 35 years, Carnegie Prep is excited to offer the following to NCHS students: 

Come support the 2024 NCHS Ski Team at this unique fundraising event. The ski team is hosting a great movie by Teton Gravity Research called Beyond the Fantasy. Don't miss the unofficial Northeast premiere. It's one showing only on Election Night eve—so no school the next day! All proceeds go directly to the team and reduce the team dues. Click HERE for tickets and HERE for the 50/50 draw.

EVENT LOCATION: New Canaan Playhouse

Celebrate Halloween by coming to NCHS’s production of Jack the Ripper: The Monster of Whitechapel. A comical but scary treatment of the serial killer who terrorized London in the 1800s. Jack's reign of terror has begun, and Sir Charles Warren, a totally inept British Lord, has been appointed Commissioner of Police to apprehend him. Jack, it seems, practices black magic, which requires murderous sacrifices to assure  additional years of life. 

With three different endings, and a different murderer revealed at each performance, this show will keep you guessing until the final scene. Recommended for ages ten and up. For tickets and more information, click HERE. 

EVENT LOCATION: NCHS Auditorium

To help raise money for their spring trip to Nashville, the NCHS Music Department is having a fundraiser at the Chipotle restaurant at 71 Post Road in Darien.

Dine in or order out at Chipotle on Election Day November 5 from 5:00-9:00 pm! Show Chipotle the attached flyer at the register or use the code 7BHCXNQ and 25% of the proceeds will go to the scholarship fund for their trip.

Join the NCPS Visual and Performing Arts Department as we kick off our musical year with a collaborative choral festival! This casual introductory concert connects our singers across the district in grades 4 through 12 through a short showcase at New Canaan High School on November 7. The short concert will feature the East School Singers, Saxe Intermediate School 6th Grade Choir, Saxe Middle School 8th Grade Choir, and NCHS ensembles including the Concert Choir, Madrigal Ensemble and our two student-led a cappella groups, Bella Voce and Da Capo. Come and “meet” each of these ensembles and get ready for a great year of vocal music!

EVENT LOCATION: NCHS Auditorium

The Band students are officially kicking off their fundraiser with Charleston Wrap for their trip to Nashville, and they need your help. To reach their goals and make this fundraiser a success, they need everyone’s help. Luckily, it’s super easy!

The more people who shop, the more money they can raise for their trip. Click HERE and enter organization ID 28650 to shop now. We appreciate your support and encourage you to spread the word to your friends and family, near and far. 

Join the first annual Dinking Together pickleball tournament in support of Inclusive Together! This event will raise awareness and create opportunities for neurodivergent families in our community. Round-robin play for all levels, beginners are welcome. Fee: $50 per player Click HERE to register as one- or two-player team. Balls and light refreshments will be provided. 

EVENT LOCATION: New Canaan Racquet Club 

Stand Together Against Racism (S.T.A.R), in partnership with The Glass House and the Carriage Barn Arts Center will present its third annual Through Your Looking Glass student art showcase that seeks to recognize the role of art, design and/or architecture in advancing social justice related to inclusion, equity and diversity. Fairfield County students of all ages, including college, are invited to create and submit art that reflects how social justice impacts their lives. 

S.T.A.R seeks art submissions that inspire the viewer to think about social justice explored using art of any medium for expression. This can include paintings, drawings, photography, mixed media, sculpture, videos/film (including TikTok style) or architectural renderings. This is a true showcase, not a competition, and all student art will be exhibited at the Carriage Barn Arts Center in New Canaan with an opening reception to be held on November 16. Click HERE to register. 

For over 20 years our community has joined together the Sunday before Thanksgiving to create a fun morning for all, and support Open Doors in Norwalk with a 5k run through Waveny Park. This effort is led entirely by NCHS students, with the support of their families. Throughout these many years we have succeeded in raising awareness and funds for this important non-profit that serves so many in need. Click HERE to sign up to run. 

Open Arts Alliance is proud to announce auditions for its upcoming spring MainStage, the regional premiere of Beetlejuice, Jr. Auditions will be held December 3-5 at Greenwich Arts Council. Callbacks will be held on December 6 at 6:00 PM. 

Tim Burton’s masterpiece is brought “back from the dead” to hilarious results. This zany, madcap musical is “frightfully” hilarious and fun for the whole family, guaranteed to make you want to dance till “daylight come.” 

All youth in grades 2-12 are encouraged to audition. Required audition registration can be completed HERE . Auditions slots are limited, and will likely fill up quickly. Auditioners need only attend one of the scheduled audition dates. Children auditioning should be prepared to sing 16 bars of a song of their choosing, a cappella, and be ready for a possible dance audition.

EVENT LOCATION: Greenwich Arts Council, 299 Greenwich Avenue