November 2019 Newsletter

To DHHS Parents/Guardians:

I am pleased to share that the 2019-20 school year has been off to a great start. The half-way point of trimester one has already passed and the teaching and learning taking place in the classroom has been exciting to observe. One of the most energetic days of the beginning of the year is spirit day. This year’s spirit day took place on Friday, September 13^th. A very high percentage of the student body dressed in class colors and many of the staff wore black and gold to show their school spirit. The band started the day with a thunderous “wake-up call”.  Most, if not all, seniors dressed in blue and displayed incredible energy throughout the morning, during the blue pictures, and while attending their picnic. The school day ended with the most energized pep rally that I have ever witnessed.

For planning purposes, trimester one exams are currently scheduled on, December 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th. The start of trimester two begins on Friday, December 6^th. These days will be adjusted if school is canceled for any reason. In our continued effort to be environmentally friendly, we will not be issuing paper copies of trimester two schedules. Students can access their schedules via Infinite Campus.

On a different note, the fall play, “The Canterbury Tales” is scheduled on November 21^st, 22^nd, and 23^rd. I am looking forward to attending the performance on the 23^rd, under the direction of Joy Grabow; Assistant Director, Clare Stone; and Crew Director, Eli Sherer. I am certain it will be an amazing event! Also, mark your calendars for the exciting spring musical that is scheduled on April 16^th, 17^th, and 18^th.  There will be a 7:00 p.m. performance each night and a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Saturday. If you want to know the title of the spring musical, attend the Saturday performance of the fall play where you will hear Joy Grabow make the much anticipated announcement. This tradition is one of the many reasons why attendance during the Saturday performance is so high. On a similar note related to student performances, if you are looking for some especially high-quality entertainment in December, consider attending the chorus concert that is scheduled on the 10^th. The concert will be held at The First Congregational Church with a beginning time of 7:00 p.m. Based on past performances, I can assure you that the concert will be wonderful under the direction of our Choral Director, Mr. Soja.

One of the many positive aspects of our students’ lives is involvement on an athletics teams. Our student-athletes participate in the very competitive Southern Connecticut Conference and sincerely appreciate our support when we attend their competitions. I personally enjoy attending sporting events and look forward to attending many events over the course of the school year. Although attending sporting events is usually enjoyable, at times, spectator behavior at these events does not always comply with our expectations. We continue to communicate our spectator behavioral expectations openly to the entire student body. More specifically, we expect there to be a great deal of positive and respectful energy at all sporting events, no matter the outcome of the competition. We will continue to address this over the course of the school year and ask for your assistance with communicating these expectations to your children, as well as serving as role models yourself at all our events. I have been very pleased to see a large student section at many of our athletic events already this year. The student body has embraced a challenge to support their peers and they have been doing so with great energy and positive messages. I have encouraged our students to continue to support their peers over the course of the school year by continuing to attend athletic events, and by also attending musical, theater, and art performances.

It is a pleasure working with such a high-quality staff and incredible students. Additionally, the ongoing support and communication we receive from the community is greatly appreciated.  Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter article. As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Anthony R. Salutari, Jr.
Principal

Please join me in congratulating the students below on being accepted into the National Honor Society.  Many thanks to those faculty members who took the time to provide us feedback on the applicants, and especially to those awesome folks who serve on our selection committee.  The students were inducted on Wednesday, November 6th, at 7:00 pm on the Bridge.

• Isabel Craven
• Matt Fermo
• Stefanie Guo
• Spencer Hartmann
• Isabella Larizza
• Molly Meyer
• Catherine Noonan
• Olivia Oehrle
• Samantha Riordan
• Darby Rogers
• Leo Rupp-Coppi
• Mark Tananykin

College and Financial Aid Night – The Guidance and School Counseling Department hosted their College and Financial Planning Night on Thursday, September 26^th. All parents/guardians were invited to hear from School Counselors who discussed the post-secondary application process followed by Southern Connecticut State University’s Coordinator of Student Financial Literacy & Advising’s presentation, ‘Paying for College’.  If you were unable to attend, we have printed copies here in the Office.

College Fair – On October 24^th, Daniel Hand High School held their annual College Fair with nearly 100 college, career, technical and post-secondary representatives available to meet with students and parents/guardians.  The evening was a great success and we thank everyone who attended.

PSAT Testing – DHHS had 340 sophomores and junior students take the PSAT on Saturday, October 19^th.  The results of the PSAT will be available to students sometime in December 2019.

Open House for Prospective Students – The School Counselor Department will host an Open House for prospective incoming freshmen students on Thursday, January 7, 2020.  The students will attend classes, tour the school, and they will be given information about the courses offered, clubs and sports available at DHHS.

Freshmen Group Meetings – All 9^th grade students were recently introduced to their School Counselor during small group meetings to learn about a wide variety of information while studying here at DHHS.

Junior Family Meetings – Over the next several months, the School Counselors will be scheduling personal meetings with each of their juniors and parents/guardians.  During these meetings, the post graduate plans and/or college application process will be discussed.  An appointment will be scheduled and sent to you; if you have a particular need, please feel free to call the Guidance and School Counseling Department at, 203.245.6360.

Senior Information - All Seniors have met with their counselors to review and prepare for post-Hand options.  In particular, how students best navigate Naviance and the Common Application.  To date, Naviance already shows 1,978 active applications to 361 colleges world-wide!  Please return Blue Forms (The DHHS Request for Transcript forms) no less than 1 month prior to your application deadlines.

Naviance – we are encouraging all students, parents/guardians to use Naviance for its breadth of important resources.  All freshmen parents were recently mailed log-in information.  All other parents may call the Guidance and Counseling Office, 203.245.6360 for assistance.

PreACT Testing – The PreACT simulates the ACT testing experience within a shorter test window in four ACT test subjects.  Although registration closed for the November 9^th test on October 29^th, any further interested students may come to the office to see if there are additional test booklets available.

ASVAB Testing -The ASVAB is a multiple-aptitude battery that measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success in the military. It will be administered this year on December 12^th.  Information was mailed early November to all junior and senior students and parents/guardians.

In order to protect the health of all students & staff, we ask parents/guardians to keep their children home when they are ill.
Students must stay home from school if they: 

• Have a fever over 100; recorded by a thermometer
• Have a severe cough
• Have an undiagnosed rash; 
• Have vomited in the past 24 hours; 
• Have more than one episode of diarrhea; 
• Have copious yellow/green mucus discharge from nose; 
• Complain of severe earache, with or without fever; 
• Until treatment for conjunctivitis is initiated; 
• Have an active infestation of head lice; 
• Have a communicable illness.

And communicate with your child’s medical provider for advice.

The flu season is approaching - please encourage your children to:  

1. fuel their system in the morning with a good healthy breakfast/fluids, 
2. get plenty of rest, 
3. wash their hands frequently.  
4. Contact your medical provider for guidance regarding the flu vaccine

Washing hands is one of the important means of preventing the spread of infection.  FLU info from the CDC

Tenth Grade Physical Exams: Connecticut State law requires each student in grade 10 to have a physical examination performed by a MD, APRN, DO, or PA.  Tenth grade physical examinations are due before entry to the eleventh grade.  Forms (State of CT, blue, HAR-3, rev 7/2018) are available online and in the DHHS Health Office.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Donna Konarski, RN or Mrs. Pat Drake, Health Paraprofessional II at 245-6370, DHHS Health Office.  

Nite In Hand is a fun, safe, substance-free night of celebration for graduating seniors which takes place the night of graduation. For every parent of a graduating Senior, whether here in Madison or across the state and country, avoiding unforeseen tragic accidents and finding a safe place for graduates to gather at a special evening of celebration has become a community gift of love.  You may think that if you don’t have a senior, then you can’t participate.  That assumption is wrong.  For years the Madison community, elementary school parents, middle school parents, DHHS underclassmen parents, and parents of DHHS graduates all come together to make this a memorable night for the graduates.  Our Seniors look forward to the event with great anticipation!

We have begun planning for the DHHS Class of 2020 Nite In Hand.  This tradition can only be successful if we have support from all parents. We need your involvement!  Come to our next meeting Tuesday November 12, 2019 at 7:00 pm at DHHS Library/Media Room.  We will be discussing this year’s theme and laying out the groundwork for a successful Nite In Hand.

For up to date information related to NIH and volunteering opportunities, please visit the Nite In Hand webpage  www.madison.k12.ct.us/NIH or the Nite-In-Hand Facebook page. If you would like more details contact Joan Walker via email.

The Canterbury Tales will perform Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 21, 22 and 23 at 7:00 pm at DHHS.  Your adventure begins at The Tabard Inn. Here you will meet our actors (your guides) who’ll prepare you for your pilgrimage to Canterbury. Soon you will find yourself in the midst of a story-telling contest. Four of Chaucer’s colorful and entertaining tales of love, infidelity, intrigue, courtship and death are brought vividly to life as you make your journey through the recreated medieval scenes and listen to our actors as they guide you through the stories. This exciting adventure through a literary classic will appeal to all ages!

Performance Dates: November 21 – November 23, 7:00 pm

Daniel Hand High School, Dining and Assembly Hall. Ticket Prices: Adults $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Advance-sale tickets available until 5:00 pm the day of the show.  Tickets are available at R.J. Julia Booksellers and the DHHS office.

For more information call (203) 245-6350.

Senior Portrait Pose Selection: After you receive the photo proofs in the mail, select one of the images for the yearbook. The selected image must be one with a blue background, and no hands can be showing. (You are, of course, free to purchase any of the pictures, but these specifications are for yearbook purposes.) The information needed to select a yearbook pose will be included with the proofs. You must make this selection by November 16th. If a pose is not chosen by that point, the yearbook advisors will select one for you.

Purchasing Yearbooks: If you have not yet purchased your student’s yearbook, you can do so at jostensyearbooks.com. Please note the following important dates:

• Order by Friday, December 20th for a $5 discount.
• As of December 21st, books will be available for the regular price of $80 (pre-tax).
• The deadline to personalize a book is Friday, February 14th. After that point, books will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Yearbook Recognition Ads (Grad Ads): These are sold directly by our publisher, Jostens. As with yearbooks, you will save money if you order early. A $20 discount is available to those who submit their ads by November 15th. Order yours at jostensadservice.com. The price is the same regardless of whether the ad is black and white or color. 

• ½ page $225
• ¼ page $125
• ⅛ page $75

The aforementioned prices reflect the $20 discount. Ads can still be purchase after this “early bird” deadline; the absolute final deadline is Friday, February 1, 2020.

Business Ads: If you would like to advertise your business in the yearbook, please contact one of the yearbook advisors.  The yearbook typically reaches over 700 homes each year.  We greatly appreciate your support!

Gift-A-Yearbook Program: The yearbook club is committed to ensuring that every senior who wants a yearbook receives one.  If a family cannot afford one, the club absorbs the cost. Three years ago, one local family began the tradition of anonymously purchasing a yearbook for a student with financial need.  If you would like to do the same, you may do so directly on the Jostens site.

Any questions concerning yearbook should be addressed to one of the advisors:  Julie Johnson (rm 310) and Josh Young (rm 328).

A review course will be offered at Daniel Hand High School to prepare students for The SAT and ACT.  The class will meet immediately after school for 10 sessions, Monday – Thursdays. The first class will be on Monday, March 9^th, and last class will be on Tuesday, March 24^th.  The fee for the course is $150. For more information send an e-mail to millerr@madison.k12.ct.us. Interested students should sign up in the main office with Mrs. Evans. Payment is by check only. Checks for $150 should be made out to “DHHS”. Class size is limited to 30 students.

Driver’s education classes are now being offer by The Next Street. Classes are held at the high school. For more information call 203-533-1416 or visit www.thenextstreet.com/danielhandhs.

Our primary purpose is to graduate successful life-long learners who are responsible citizens in the global community. Daniel Hand High School students, in collaboration with educators, parents, and the Madison community, will develop as motivated, self-reliant, creative, and ethical individuals who respect differences in others.

Core Values and Beliefs Statement:

The Daniel Hand High School community believes that the mission of our school is to support all students by providing them with challenging educational opportunities which will prepare them to be globally aware citizens of the 21st century.  To succeed in this mission, we recognize that our students must demonstrate competence in oral and written communications; understand effective and responsible use of technology; and develop critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. In addition, it is critical that our students respect and contribute to the diverse, multicultural community and international community in which they live.