1. education
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CHIEFLY
CONARD
CONARD HIGH SCHOOL
110 BEECHWOOD ROAD WEST HARTFORD, CT 06107
ISSUE NO. 5 DIRECT: (860) 231-5000
FAX: (860) 521-6699 May 2015
May
15
Junior Prom
16
Jazzmatazz 7 pm
20
Spring Concert 7:30 pm
27
9/10 Awards Night 7 pm
29
Senior Prom
31
Solisti Spring Concert 7 pm
St Patrick St Anthony Church
June
2
Principal’s Coffee 8:30 am
3
11/12 Awards Night 7 pm
4
Unified Theater 7:30 pm
5
Unified Theater 7:30 pm
7
Solo Concert Choir 7 pm
Immanuel Congregational Church
15
Graduation 5 pm
16
Last Day of School
Dear Conard Families,
It is hard to believe that we are in the final
stretch of the school year. Perhaps the fact
that we seemed to have skipped spring
weather this year has made our perception of
the end appear even quicker. I have to admit
that this time of the school year is my favorite
as it is filled with celebrations with graduation
being the highlight! I simply love being able to
sit down and reflect on all of the achievements
of both our students and faculty. When I do
this, I quickly realize that there is so much to
be proud of!
As we approach the last two months of the
school year, I encourage you to continue
speaking with your student(s) about the
importance of finishing the academic year
strongly. I recommend that you check the
Conard website for the final exam schedule,
and to utilize PowerSchool to monitor your
students’ grades and attendance
(https://powerschool.whps.org/public/).
May and June are certainly busy months filled
with various school events and activities.
Please be sure to check the Conard website for
an updated list.
I would like to extend a sincere thank you and
good luck to the following Conard family
members who are retiring at the end of this
year:
Charlie Daly – Technology Education
Teacher (39 years in education)
June DeGray – Business Education
Teacher (21 years in education)
Steve Potter – Special Education
Teacher (40 years in education)
Elaine Tucker – Attendance
Coordinator (17 years)
Tracey Wilson – Social Studies Teacher
(38 years in education)
Lastly, the 2015 US News and World Report is
out and Conard High School has been named
as the #1 ranked Comprehensive Public High
School in the state of Connecticut. I am also
extremely proud of the fact that we are again
in the top one percent of all high schools in the
country! This is a testament to the concerted
efforts of our students, teachers, support staff,
and parents. Thank you for your support in
helping Conard continue to be a pillar of
excellence in education!
Keeper of the Light
Please join me in congratulating Tom
Verrengia. He is the WHPS 2014-2015
recipient of the WHPS Keeper of the Light
award. This award is Pupil Services' version of
teacher of the year. Tom is a paraprofessional,
coach and friend who has the ability to
connect with students of all abilities as well as
the entire staff. He is a champion of students
who need someone to help them find their
voice in order to advocate for themselves, as
well as one who consistently supports and
encourages our students in all their endeavors.
For twenty years, he has worked with
hundreds of Conard students in multiple
venues.
Again, I am extremely grateful for the strong
partnership and support from
parents/guardians I have received this year. I
hope to see you at one of our many
celebrations in June. On behalf of the entire
Conard family, we hope that you have a restful
and enjoyable summer. As always, if you have
any questions or concerns, please do not
hesitate to contact me at 860-231-5001,
[email protected], or feel free to stop by
as my door is always open.
Sincerely,
Julio Duarte
Principal
We challenge and guide our students to be
active learners and productive citizens.
National Honor Society
The 2015-2016 class of the National Honor Society was inducted on April 23, 2015. Students
pledged to uphold the pillars of the National Honor Society, including: scholarship, leadership,
character and service. As National Honor Society works to become a more 'present'
organization at Conard, NHS students will have more and more opportunities to demonstrate
these pillars. We look forward to a second round of "Study with a Buddy" this year before final
exams in June. All students looking for support when preparing for their exams should take
advantage of this opportunity to work with their peers. Congratulations to the 2015-2016
inductees!
Alexandra Abels
Sophia Appicelli
Maria Armillei
Brianna Barbeau
Jazmine Barber
Kyla Barry
Kirsten Bednarz
Jackson Bell
Kiera Bibeau
Sarah Binder
Zachary Boehm
Lanceley Bondoc
Camilla Bowin
Paige Brink
Rachel Burke
Lucas Busch
Stephanie Caldero
Sean Cavanaugh
Meghan Cobb
Elizabeth Crosby
Emma Damokosh
Callie Dannhauser
Jonathan Davis
William Dickinson
Katlin DiPietro
Derek Ehle
Anis Ehsani
Maya Eisler
Matthew Fernandez
Diana Festa
Luke Flege
Matthew Flynn
Sara Flynn
Michael Gammon
Haley Geithner
Kathleen Gerity
Eve Gilles
Isaac Gilles
Christine Giuffrida
Kayla Golden
Katherine Gosselin
Abigail Gosselin
Rebecca Gotthelf
Isabella Gradante
Torrie Green
Madeline Gregory
Sarah Hamilton
Marisa Haverty
Olivia Heintz
Michael Hennessey
Julia Hook
Pei Ivins
Ajay Jagjivan
Kaitlyn Jones
Natalie Joseph
Jacob Judd
Caroline Kane
Arjun Kaneria
Laura Keck
Anna Kirklin
Anna Lafreniere
Emily Lafreniere
Paul Lafreniere
Emily Ledwith
Ansley Levine
Pavlo Lyalyutskyy
Marli Marconi
Aidan McCaffrey
Matthew McCormick
Josie McCormick
Julie McKenna
Zacharie Mega
Lauren Michaels
Julia Monyak
Carlie Musto
Elizabeth Narwol
Samuel Newton
Grace O'Connell-Bach
John O'Connor
Kate Olguin
Andrew Olmstead
Cassie Orkin
Rosemary O'Rourke
Erin O'Shea
Owen Painter
Wallace Phelps
Katherine Policelli
Kevin Presing
Zenith Rai
Cailyn Regan
Nathaniel Richam-Odoi
Alexus Santos
Avery Schott
Angel Serrano
Lily Siembab
Philip Simplicio
Karman Singh
Michael Sisti
Alexa Stansfield
Alyssa Stokes
Jefrin Thomas
Jason Trieu
Michael Tuite
Gabriel Turco
Seamus Turco
Milo Vath
Isaias Villalobos
Gabriella Vogel-Freedman
Stacie Walsh
Alessia Weber
Rebecca Wilson
Kaylin Wu
Jordyn Zolty
World Language Honor Society Induction Ceremony
The World Language Honor Society Induction Ceremony was held on Tuesday, April 28, 2015 at 7 pm
in the Conard auditorium. Current student members from each of the four national honor societies led
the four ceremonies for the 2015 members who demonstrated high performance in the language and
who met the specific criteria of each of the different national societies. Mrs. Alison Peake, Spanish
Honor Society Advisor, was the organizer of the event with assistance from French Honor Society
Advisors Mrs. Lynn Racz and Mr. John Hegarty, Chinese National Honor Society Advisor Mr. Bing Liu,
and Classical Honor Society Advisor Mr. George Coleman. Other WL department members helped with
different tasks including helping with the reception following the induction. The evening included
greetings, introductions and comments from Mr. Bert Neumaier, WL Supervisor, followed by two
musical selections from Conard's Solo Choir under the direction of Mr. Sam Eurich.
The members of the Rubén Darío Chapter of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica are:
Jonathan Aguilera
William Allen
Hugo Barillon
Gary Battle
Josiah Blackwell-Lipkind
Emily Blinder
Zoe Buntz
Emily Burnett
Alexandra Burns
Miriam Callahan
Joseph Celio
Lauren Cohen
Liam Connelly
Andre Costa
Brendan Dakin
Blake Deresienski
Hailey DiCicco
Rosa-María Diez
Tyler Donoghue
Tyler Flynn
Carly Gorman
Faith Haverty
Chloe Henniger
Fernando Huapaya-Ríos
Ajay Jagjivan
Deborah Kim
Henry Kneidel
Melina Kritzman
Olivia La Casse
Elizabeth Ladd
Vinh-Kha Le
Ansley Levine
Julie McKenna
Emily Miller
Alexander Mock-Rossi
Abrianne Mongillo
Lia Negrón
Julia Nguyen
Erin O’Meara
Kevin Puleo
Elizabeth Quinn
Alyssa Roach
Melanie Roca
Nathan Rodrigues
Elizabeth Sagers
Huda Samakaab
Emily Senecal
Nina Sone
Olivia Starr
Kenneth Thai
Carolina Tran
Kristina Vakhman
Sebastian Venero
Daniel Walsh
Yi Wang
Mia Yanosy
Sami Yonjan Lama
The members of the St. Exupéry Chapter of the Société Honoraire de Français are:
Josiah Blackwell-Lipkind
Hannah Beazoglou
Nicholas Calvi
Madison Carr
Kevin Chen
Brooks Clement
Thomas Costello
Emily Cullina
Kaylee D’Amato
Emma Dowd
Bridget Foley-Johnson
Adam Giroux
Mugdha Gurram
Gabrielle Halsey
Bryce Halter
Grace Hardesty
Ava Karp
Leah Kelly
Caitlyn Krueger
Lauren Kumpa
Timothy Kyle
Nicholas Lagana
Michael Mack
Rebecca Maher
Clare McCrudden
Melissa McGuinness
Khanhvy Nguyen
Libnerys Nunez
Steven Olechna
Emma Oriol
Ethan Petterson
Mollie Petrizzo
Michael Piekarsky
Emily Piker
Samuel Porcello
Jeff Remy
Zoe Schaefer
Serra Tekce
Samantha Tran
Michael Tuite
The members of the Conard Collegium Linguarum Antiquarum Peritorum are:
Asim Atreya
Hannah Avenna
Bergen Battiston
Ryan Bell
Samuel Benet*
Andre Costa
Rosa-Maria Diez
Caitlin Dorsey
Edwin Fisher*
Eilish Flaherty
Luke Flege
Alexander Floyd*
Gwendolyn Geisler
Carly Gorman
Jordana Graveley
Bryce Halter
Faith Haverty
Michael J.Hennessey*
Ajay Jagivan
Syed Ebadulah Kaleem
Syed Jawad Kaleem
Ava Karp
Leah Kelly
Henry Kneidel
Shannon Ledwith
Thomas Link
Natalie Lynch*
Sam Morgan
Maggie Murray
Hunter Nager
Paige Pierce
Andrew Placzek
Nicole Souza
Olivia Starr
Alanna Uthgenannt
Peter Wilson
Kirsten Youngstrom
*INDICATES STUDENT OF ANCIENT GREEK
The members of the Conard Confucius Classroom Chapter of the Chinese Language
National Honor Association are:
Eric Boccaccio
Yubo Dong
Dillon Forstberg
Gretchen Hambrecht
Danielle Hartshorn
Elle Hartshorn
Andrew Lau
Uen Lee
Brian Lin
Roger Lin
Sandy Lin
Shu Lin
Wei Lin
Anna Liu
Connie Liu
Sunna Liu
Raymond Lu
Zheyuan Lyu
Lauren Michaels
Emily Miller
Syeda Naqvi
Khanhvy Nguyen
Dana Sklar
Ruth Tian
Samantha Tran
World Language Department News
EN FRANCE
35 Conard and 5 Hall French, Latin and Art students traveled to "Roman France" from Thursday, April
9th to Sunday, April 19th, 2015 with chaperones Mr. Coleman, Mr. Jacobs, Mrs. Racz and Mrs. Ellis.
Sites and activities in Paris included: the Quartier Latin, sightseeing boat ride on the Seine, the Musée
d'Orsay, Napoléon's Arc de Triomphe's, Montmartre, the Louvre, La Tour Eiffel, Notre Dame de Paris
(where some climbed the towers), the Luxembourg Gardens, Canal St. Martin. After the TGV trip to
Lyon, the group visited the Musée Gallo-Romaine, Basilique Notre Dame de Fouvière, walked the
Chemin Rosaire, Cathédrale St. Jean, Musée Beaux
Arts, and Pont du Gard. In Nîmes, the Temple of
Diana" Maison Carée, Amphithéâtre, Gate of
Augustus. Then in Carcassonne, the medieval
Fortress with an excursion to St. Sebastián via SaintJean-de-Luz and a walking tour of Le Vieux Port.
Student feedback included: "I learned about the
French culture and how it varied as we moved
throughout France.""Amazing!""Especially
interesting was learning about the gladiators in the
amphitheater in Nîmes.""It was especially
interesting to learn how architecture impacted the country."" "Very fun and busy which was great
because we got to go to so many places in a short time." “Something especially positive that I learned
was speaking and communicating more fluently in French."
CHINA
5 Conard students were among the 33 total West Hartford students who traveled to China from
Wednesday, April 8th to Sunday, April 19th, 2015
with chaperones Mr. Liu, Mrs. Drazen, Mrs. Huang,
Dr. Nicklas and Mr. Simon. Sites in the following
central and southern Chinese cities included: the
capital Beijing which included a Hutong Tour, The
Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Great
Wall of China; the rice paddies and the village of
Kaili; the old river town of Zhenyuan and its Black
Dragon Cave; and the buildings of the Bund in
Shanghai along with the Buddhist Temple, its Old
City, Yuyuan Garden and the Huangpu River
Cruise. The trip ended with a visit to the Shanghai
Foreign Language School which we anticipate will
be our sister school in China.
Gretchen Hambrecht with students in China
Student feedback: "This trip truly changed my view of the world, and of China and its people. The
experience was priceless." "Although the trip was only ten nights, it felt so much longer...I loved
having a schedule that was so crammed we didn't even have time to go to the bathroom!" "I am
certain that this is not my last trip to China...I've got the China bug."
AU CANADA
In front of the Basilique Saint-Anne-de-Beaupre', just
Northeast of Quebec city one of the most visited
churches in North America, known as the "place of
miracles".
22 Conard and 1 Hall French students traveled to Québec
and Montréal with Mr. Hegarty and Mrs. Peake from
Friday, April 10th to Tuesday, April 14th, 2015. They
visited Old Québec, Le Château Frontenac, Place Royale,
Le Musée du Fort, a maple sugar shack, Ste Anne de Beaupré Church, Montmorency Falls, Huron
Village. In Montréal, the group visited the Notre Dame Cathedral, Archaeology Museum, Bio-Dome
and Olympic Park Observatory, Radio Canada TV, and the Montréal Mall.
Student feedback: "Fun and interesting!"'How different Quebec is from the US in language and culture
despite being so close.""Positive=Olympic Stadium""Canada's history was interesting."I'd recommend
the trip because we did lots of fun activities, like the sugar shack.""There is a 'Notre Dame' in every
French speaking town!"It was interesting to apply the French that I learned to a real life
situation.""Awesome!"
CONNECTICUT LATIN DAY
36 Conard students participated in this statewide event on May 1st, 2015 at Holiday Hill, Cheshire,
where approximately 2000 students and teachers were dressed in togas/tunicas and participated in a
wide variety of activities. Athletic contests (Conard tied for first place in the soccer tournament),
written tests on grammatical topics (still waiting for the results) and other academic contests, Roman
culture, cooking competitions, beekeeping, military dress and tactics, and the Certamen competitions
(Jeopardy style quiz bowl).
Conard's Certamen students were a top ranked team.
Pictured: Jamie Kurowski, Mr. Jacobs, Nicole Souza,
Maryonna Shimonei, Anna Baker, Leah Dollar
ANCIENT GREEK DAY
Ancient Greek Students attended Ancient Greek Day at the Center For Hellenic Studies at UCONN
Storrs campus. They attended a lecture by a professor of archaeology on the Trojan War, took a tour
of the Greek theater modeled on the famous theater at Epidaurus, toured the Greek Orthodox
Chapel, Conard's Ancient Greek students presented en masse the opening lines of Homer's Iliad. Our
students participated in the "Agon" academic competition, a college bowl like the Latin certamen.
Conard TSA Club Scores BIG at the Connecticut
Technology Student
Association STEM Conference
On Saturday, April 25th students from Conard’s TSA club competed in the 2015 TSA State
Competition at Killingly H.S. These students competed in high school STEM events and were the talk
of the championships as Conard took home 14 trophies in total. This amazing group of Technology
and Engineering (T&E) students dominated the high school engineering, game design, dragster design
and technology events.
Congratulations goes out to T&E teacher Anthony Truss and the following STEM State Champions;
Structural Engineering 1st Place
Mike and Rachel Hennessy
Video Game Design 1st Place
Dylan Wu, Jackson O'Sullivan, Charlie Hosek, Ben Ratchford, Trevor Ractchford
C02 Dragster Design / Performance 1st Place
David Giles
Tech Bowl 1st Place
Trevor Ratchford, Ben Ratchford, David Giles
Tech Bowl 2nd Place
Charlie Hosek, Jackson O'Sullivan, Dylan Wu
From the Conard Science Department:
You asked and we have listened. Conard is looking to expand its current course offerings in the
Science Department for the 2016-17 school year. In the fall science teachers were surveyed about
potential elective courses that we could consider offering in the future. Based on this information, a
student/parent survey has been developed so we can gauge the interest of parents and students as to
what offerings would be most engaging and beneficial to our students. The courses we are asking for
feedback on are: Anatomy & Physiology, Forensics, Genetics, Botany, and Meteorology/Climatology.
At the end of the year we will review this survey data and determine which courses we will pursue for
addition to our current program of studies. If you are interested in participating in this survey please
email or child's teacher or use the following link: https://sites.google.com/a/whps.org/standardearth-science/
We thank you in advance for your input and for helping us continue to make Conard a great place for
learning.
Notes from the Conard English Department – Summer Reading
At this time of year, many families begin making
plans for summer vacation and a well-deserved time
together filled with fun activities, relaxation and
hopefully, rest. The Conard High School English
Department recognizes that students appreciate the
difference between reading for a school assignment
and reading for pleasure. Reading for pleasure is
one of the foremost pastimes we enjoy as English
teachers. Students should read what they enjoy for
pleasure at their own pace and at the appropriate
level of challenge to stimulate their minds and
spirits. We also see it is a necessary development of
students’ awareness and practice with informational
texts that they read newspapers, periodicals, online articles, and forums to gather new ideas and
develop their understanding of local, national, and world events. In doing this, students who read
books, print or online text normally outside of school will fulfill the summer reading requirement for
many classes at Conard.
We also recognize that students who do not read over the summer will see a decline in their reading
skills and a lack of vocabulary development. Studies indicate that lack of reading experiences over the
summer is a primary contributor to the achievement gap in schools. Please take a moment to read
about the effects of “Summer Learning Loss” in this review of studies:
(http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED536514.pdf)
Over a student’s academic career, this effect is alarming. For this reason, all students are required to
complete a summer reading assignment for their English class. For most classes, students may choose
their own texts as long as they are at an appropriate length and reading level for the student.
Students in Honors classes or entering their junior or senior years will find that selected texts for
summer reading are assigned to specific courses. Students will be provided with these details for
summer reading assignments by their English teacher.
While we hope that all students will enjoy the experience of reading the text or texts assigned to their
course, we expect that some students may simply view this as an assignment they will need to
accomplish during their vacation. We recognize that some will want to wait until the end of the
summer to take on their reading assignment, and we advise them to organize their time effectively to
accomplish this task. If you have any questions about the summer reading assignment for your child,
please feel free to contact me at 929-5053 or by email at [email protected]
Solo Choir
End of the Year
Concert
Sunday, June 7th
7:00 pm
Immanuel Congregational Church
10 Woodland St, Hartford
For Parking Instructions: www.iccucc.org
Free Admission
Suggested Donation $5
From the Math Department
Please join the Mathematics Department in congratulating the
following students who are deserving of our recognition for their
superb performance in the American Mathematics Contest (AMC):
1) Vinh Kha Le - Winner of the AMC 12 contest
2) Andre Costa & Christopher Stimson - Winners of the AMC 10 contest
3) Yash Nair and Vinh Kha Le - qualified to participate in the American Invitational
Mathematics Examination
Only the top 5% of AMC 12 test-takers are invited to participate in this competition!
From the Art Department
The Art Department would
like to invite all parents of
Art Students to our Annual
Art Exhibit which will run
from May 28 to June 3, in
the back of the Conard
Cafeteria. A closing
reception will be held
on June 3rd from 5:30 pm
until 6:45 pm in the back of
the Cafeteria prior to the
Junior, Senior Awards in the
Auditorium. The Art Award
Ceremony will begin at 6:00
pm and all Conard Art
students are required to be present for this event. We are very excited to show off the
fabulous skills and creativity of our art students. We are looking forward to seeing you there.
At the show The Art Department will also be selling painted tins and artwork
to raise money for Nepal Relief.
Athletics News
Spring Sports Awards Night
Spring sports awards night will be held on Monday, June 8th at 7 pm in the auditorium.
Individual teams will hold awards nights before and after the main presentation. Please check
the athletic website for details.
Fall Sports Registration Information
Fall Registration – Begins July 1st and ends
Friday, August 21st. To register go to whathletics.org.
A physical form must be printed out and returned to the athletic office or mailed to:
Conard Athletics
110 Beechwood Road
West Hartford, CT 06107
All student-athletes must register with the athletic office each season. Registration is done online,
please see below and visit our website for more information.
**Please note the system is the same one used by summer school and continuing education. If you
already have an account, please login with that information.
Registration Process1. All parents must create an account to register their student-athletes. After creating an account,
please add the information for your student and then add the student to a sport and pay by credit
card online. If paying by check, create the account and add the student(s) to your account. The sport
is added in the athletic office after receiving the check and required forms. Fee waiver applications
are also available.
2. Students must also have an up to date physical on file with the school nurse. A student-athlete’s
physical from a physician must be signed and dated after 1/1/2015 to be valid for the 2015/16 school
year. Please note:
• Students must use the State of Connecticut Health Assessment Record ‘HAR-3 Rev. 4/2012’
(attached blue form) for a physical. It is available in the main office, nurses’ office, your
doctor’s office, or on the website.
Questions? Call the athletic office at 860-929-5042.
Conard School Counseling Department
Grades 9-11
Students have met individually with their counselors to discuss next year’s classes, review progress
reports and encourage extra-curricular involvement. If a student needs to see their counselor please
schedule an appointment through Mrs. Hall, the guidance secretary.
Counselors will be sending passes to any student who has a schedule conflict for next year. Please
remind your child to see their counselor when they are given a pass. It is very important and prevents
potential conflicts that may be impossible to resolve if the matter is not attended to in a timely
manner. All scheduling issues need to be completed BEFORE the start of the 2015-16 school year.
Summer School begins on June 29th @ Conard High School and consists of two three week semesters,
the last day of which is August 6th. Summer school is a good time to get ahead or catch up on missing
credits.
Grade 9
Freshmen are encouraged to explore summer opportunities. Summer is an important time to develop
skills and interests that can enhance a resume. Ideas for volunteer and community service can be
researched with Mrs. Davis, the Activities Director, in the Career Center.
Reading is the single most important skill needed for doing well on all college standardized testing.
This summer we encourage your child to read for pleasure. The PSATs are scheduled for the fall and
all tenth grade students will be taking the exam. The more they read, the better they will do!
Grade 10
Counselors have met with sophomores through their English for a Career/College Research
assignment. Students were introduced to Naviance along with a new website link MYNEXTMOVE.
Students completed an interest profile and researched careers within their stated interest. Students
then researched colleges through Naviance based on their potential major or career interest. All
sophomores completed career /college research projects as part of their tenth grade English
curriculum. Naviance is a great research program we strongly encourage the students to use in their
post high school planning process. Naviance can be accessed by going to the Conard website under
For Parents or For Students. Students have been assigned usernames and passwords. If you are
having any difficulties logging on, please contact your counselor.
The PSAT will be offered for free to all sophomores in October. Juniors must register and pay to take
this test in the fall. You can prepare by reading for pleasure. Remember to READ, READ, and READ!!!
The faster you train yourself to read and comprehend the easier the exam will be.
Grade 11
Counselors have completed the individual junior planning sessions along with the Junior Workshops
with their juniors. During the quarter-long Workshop, juniors registered for SATs/ACTs, completed
college searches on Naviance, reviewed the Common Application, worked on their student brag
sheets, and completed resumes. Juniors also participated in a “mock admissions day” and a “Careers
in the Middle” career fair.
All juniors attended a presentation on interviewing skills by Superintendent of Schools, Tom Moore
on March 11th. Students were offered the opportunity to have a practice interview after the
presentation. Many juniors have requested interviews. These juniors are currently participating in
mock interviews with school administrators as a way of gaining authentic experiences which will help
them in the future.
All juniors attended a presentation on Financial Aid on March 25th. Ashley Dutton, the Director of
Financial Aid at the University of Saint Joseph, gave an overview of the process and steps students
need to be aware of as they plan on financing college.
The workshops are a valuable part of the School Counseling curriculum. The “hands-on” approach
allows juniors the opportunity to work alongside counselors regularly and provides a classroom
environment to complete the majority of their responsibilities in school. Students and parents are
reminded to complete the parent and student brag sheets (located on Naviance) and update resumes
as soon as possible. Counselors will begin to write college letters of recommendation and will need
these documents to write a more meaningful letter.
Summer is the time to continue to research colleges, firm up schools of interest and either visit or
revisit them before September. Students are urged to research their ‘Target’ and ‘Likely’ schools as
thoroughly as their ‘Reach’ schools. This includes college visits and possible interviews.
College Board exams (SATs) will be offered in the fall in October, November, and December. ACTs will
be offered September and October. Please check the CollegeBoard and ACT websites for the dates
and deadlines. Any student considering early action or early decision should have all their
standardized testing completed before their early application deadlines. Reminder, all SATs or ACTs
scores need to be officially sent to colleges by the family from the testing websites. Student
application decisions can be delayed if this step has not been completed. Counselors are not able to
send scores to colleges.
Students should begin work on their applications/essays this summer. The Common Application is
used by many colleges and can be started during the summer. The more students do before school,
the lower their stress level will be. All students will be encouraged to apply to their
colleges/university early in their senior year, especially if they are applying to any state schools. This
past year, students who applied later in the school year were at a disadvantage in the admissions
process.
Parents of current juniors need to be aware of future expenses as the college process can quickly add
up. SATs cost $52.50 per test date and reports sent to schools cost $11.25 per college. College
applications cost roughly $40.00 to $80.00 per school. The School Counseling Department encourages
parents to keep an eye on costs and plan accordingly. Financial assistance is available for
students/families who qualify. If there are any questions, please see your counselor.
Grade 12
Seniors must inform their counselor or the guidance secretary of their post high school plans (name of
College, Vocational School, Gap Year program they plan to attend, employment plans, etc.). Seniors
also need to update their counselor on all admissions decisions so we can keep accurate records.
Colleges require a final transcript and it will be sent automatically, only if we know a student’s final
college decision.
Do not allow the nasty bug, SENIORITIS to hit. Colleges will be reviewing the final semester’s results
and they have been known to place a freshman on academic probation, or even worse, withdraw a
student’s acceptance letter. With graduation day quickly approaching, keep working. You are almost
there!
From the Nurses
GRADE 10 PHYSICALS: All grade 10 students are required by state law to have a physical exam done by
their primary care provider and to provide the completed State Health Assessment (blue form) to the
school nurse. Any physical exam done since July 1, 2014 will fulfill this requirement for students who
will be in grade 10 for the 2015-2016 school year. We will be sending out letters and forms soon to all
present grade 9 students. Please plan ahead and make appointments with your primary care
providers if necessary. Call the school nurses at 860-929-5015 if you have questions about this
requirement.
SPORT PHYSICALS: Students planning to participate in fall sports should check the Conard Athletic
website for information about registration, physical examination requirements and the schedule for
school sport physicals.
SEASONAL ALLERGIES: Spring has finally arrived! Unfortunately the nice weather is accompanied by
allergy season as flowers, trees, grasses and weeds release their pollens into the fresh spring breezes.
Common allergy symptoms include sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose, frequent throat clearing and
nasal congestion. The health tips below may help to minimize these symptoms:
1. Limit outdoor activities in the morning when pollen counts are highest, as well as activities
on newly mowed lawns.
2. Do a thorough spring cleaning- dust and mold collected during the winter can provoke
symptoms.
3. Keep windows closed, especially in bedrooms. If possible use air conditioning when
pollen counts are high. Pollen count information is available on the internet.
4. Talk to your primary care provider about allergy medication that won’t make your teen
sleepy.
5. Shower (or wash face and hands) and change clothes after being outside for extended
time.
6. Wash hands after petting animals that have been outside (pollen settles on their fur).
7. Try to separate “indoor” shoes from “outdoor” shoes to limit tracking of pollen
throughout the house.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of assistance in any way.
Beth Vossler RN, MSN Email: [email protected] Phone: 860-929-5016
Mary Andrews RN, BSN Email: [email protected] Phone: 860-929-5015
Fax: 860-929-5017
West Hartford Special Education PTO will be presenting:
Christine Levine, MS, JD, BCBA, and MSW. Ms. Levine will be speaking on: "Promoting better
communication, social skills, play and leisure skills and increased flexibility in children with Anxiety
Disorders, Autism, ADHD, Learning Disabilities and related disorders.”
It’s up to us to teach our kids how to play and be socially appropriate, but how do we do it? Please
join the Wet Hartford SEPTO and Christine Levine in discussing the important needs of our children in
communicating and socializing in our society.
Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at Sedgwick Middle SchoolSEPTO needs your help!
West Hartford SEPTO (Special Education Parent Teacher Organization) is seeking volunteers to work
in two-hour shifts to help sell water and soda at SEPTO’s booth at Celebrate! West Hartford, a two day
fair held Saturday, June 6 (10am -6pm) or Sunday, June 7 (12-6pm).
If you can’t give your time please consider a donation of money to purchase or buy cases of soda, iced
tea, lemonade or water yourself. Please contact Randi Leopold at (860) 874-3533 or via email at
[email protected] to help.
You can mail or drop off your donations to Randi Leopold, 54 Bainton Rd. West Hartford, CT 06117.
SEPTO thanks you in advance for your participation.
DO YOU FEEL YOUR VOICE IS
BEING HEARD IN WEST
HARTFORD?
• Would you like to change something in town?
• How can West Hartford help to make your life better?
• Does West Hartford feel like a welcoming town?
West Hartford Community Connections (WHCC) invites you to
meet with us individually to share your thoughts about West
Hartford as a changing community.
If you’re interested, please contact us to set up a time and place to meet:
Gale Shapiro – [email protected] or 860.232.6958
Additional information:
1. What is West Hartford Community Connections?
About Us
West Hartford Community Connections is a grass-roots initiative to facilitate and connect
community-building efforts in Town. We acknowledge and celebrate the diversity of our
population, including differences of race, ethnicity, income, sexual orientation, education,
religion, political persuasion, age, physical and mental ability, and more. We believe these
differences add to the vibrancy of the community. This initiative, created as a result of The
Community Conversation (West Hartford: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) in 2010, brings
about openness and increases good citizenship among our adults and children.
Vision
We envision a West Hartford community that excels in:
• Encouraging participation and a sense of belonging
• Embracing diversity
• Providing opportunities for cross-group experiences
• Responding to the needs of all residents
• Using community organizations and government effectively
Mission
Our mission is to foster inter-group educational, entertainment and transformational
experiences for all segments of the community.
2. What do you mean by Dialogue to Action Initiative?
A Dialogue to Action Initiative is an approach to community changes that starts with smallgroup, facilitated dialogues. The dialogues bring different kinds of people together around a
public concern and create a space that enables constructive, respectful conversation using
agreed upon guidelines. Groups of 10 to 12 participants meet for four sessions, develop
trusting relationships, and share understandings of the issue under discussion. During the
fourth dialogue session, participants brainstorm doable action ideas and plan next steps.
West Hartford Community Connections is excited to work with Everyday Democracy. They
bring national experience and resources to conducting small Dialogue to Action groups. The
dialogues reach a depth that forums, public hearings, focus groups, and town meetings
cannot.