Newington High School Principal's Newsletter
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Good afternoon,
Happy Friday! It's been a great week at NHS as winter sports had state games/meets/events and students engaged in a variety of activities.
I am very excited to see the musical tonight. I was not surprised to hear such wonderful things about it last night. Please see below for more information on how to get tickets!
This week's learning: STUCO made the sign above along with several shamrocks that included the names of EVERY member of our Family of Learners; our math team officially qualified for the state competition; our math department celebrated pi day (3.14) today since it falls on a Saturday with a variety of delicious pies; students traveled to The Hartford Stage to see "Death of a Salesman"; and guest speaker Stephen Hill shared his story which led to an unforgettable message about mental health and substance use prevention (see pictures to the left and below).
All my previous newsletters are posted on the website.
We value your feedback, so please reach out at any time with any highlights, questions, or concerns.
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Schedules, school calendar, important links
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BELL SCHEDULES: Click HERE to view all our bell schedules.
DAY CALENDAR: Click HERE to view our NHS 2025-26 Day Calendar. (UPDATED 3/4/26)
REPORT CARD SCHEDULE: Click HERE to view the Report Card Schedule for our 2025-2026 school year. Please note that snow days will impact this schedule. (UPDATED 3/4/2626)
ANNOUNCEMENT SLIDES: Click HERE to view our announcement slides. (updated daily)
CLUB DIRECTORY: Click HERE to view our club information. (get involved!!!)
ATHLETICS: Click HERE for the Winter Sports Schedule
Next week's schedule:
Monday, March 16: A day
Tuesday, March 17: B day - Early release
Wednesday, March 18: O day
Thursday, March 19: E day
Friday, March 20: No school/Offices Open
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March 17 - Early release day
March 19 - Themed Thursday - Sport Jersey Day Upload pics HERE
March 19 - Spring registration closes (www.newingtonathletics.com) It's as easy as: Register, Physical, Pay ($115) . The season starts March 21.
March 20 - Eid al-Fitr/No School/Offices Open
March 24 - Early release/*Day Progress Conferences (12:55 pm - 2:40 pm)
March 25 - SAT day (seniors do not report to school)/*Evening Progress Conferences (5:00 pm - 8:00 pm)
**Progress Conference information went out to families on TODAY at 9:00 am from individual teachers*** If you did not receive information, please email me.
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FAMILY OF LEARNERS HIGHLIGHTED |
Matthew Cook finished 10th in Class M Diving.
CIAC Boys Swimming CIAC Championship Highlights: Top performances by Oliver Lukin, Nathan Lu, Kobi Foster-Salters, Gerick Napuli!
Congratulations on a great season!!!
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Congratulations to Alexia Interlandi (12) for being named March' s Superintendent's Outstanding Student of the Month. Alexia will be honored with the other district winners in a ceremony on Monday, March 30th. |
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Newington High School XC/Track Athlete, Santiago Rodriguez, Registers with Sporting Clube de Portugal as Federated Steeplechase Athlete
Santiago has officially registered with Sporting Clube de Portugal as a federated steeplechase athlete, marking a significant milestone in his athletics career.
Last summer, Santiago competed at the prestigious Nike Outdoor Nationals in Oregon, United States. His performance in the 2000-meter steeplechase earned him automatic qualification for the Portuguese Under-20 National Championships, scheduled to take place in July in Portugal.
Following extensive discussions and careful consideration, Santiago chose to represent Sporting CP, one of Portugal’s most historic and successful athletics clubs. He is expected to compete for the club at the Under-20 National Championships later this summer.
Representing Sporting’s iconic green and white colors, Santiago looks ahead to the next stage of his competitive journey at the national level in Portugal.
“This is a moment of great pride for our family and community” his family said. “We are incredibly excited for what lies ahead for Tiago. Força Sporting.”
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Congratulations to the Boys Basketball Team for the following:
1) Coach Scot Wenzel who celebrated 300 career victories
2) Thursday night’s game landed on ESPN’s Top 10 on SportsCenter thanks to an incredible buzzer-beater that pushed the team past Hillhouse and into the state quarterfinals. Click this link---> Newington Basketball ESPN Top 10 to watch the moment.
3) Josiah Sims (12) who became the first player to reach 1,000 career rebounds Monday night. Josiah became the first plalyer in program history to reach 1,000 points & 1,000 rebounds!
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Congratulations to Olivia Canepari who committed to run at Providence College!!! We joined Liv, her family, her coaches, teammates and friends in a ceremony yesterday afternoon. |
Newington Deca a trip to NYC this past week with members of Maloney Deca to explore Marketing. On Thursday, they toured Citi-field learning about the pricing options of different seats, amenities available and ways to keep fans engaged. They walked around Chelsea Market and Times Square to see the variety of food and how products are displayed more extravagantly. The evening ended with the broadway show “& Juliet” and meeting some of the actors to get autographs. The final stop for Krispy Kreme reinforced co-branding strategies.
On Friday DECA started off their day at a Broadway Marketing Workshop where they learned about the behind the scenes work and timeline and funding needed to launch a production. . Then they went to Dave and Busters for some games and lunch. Afterwards, the group went to Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. At the Museum they attended a Marking workshop about the wax figures, customer retention, market research, mixed branding strategies, as well as how they market their figures and change the displays to stay current and keep customers coming back. For dinner that night the group went on a dinner cruise where they enjoyed the city skyline at night,the Statue of Liberty, and lots of dancing and fun with other high school groups.
On the group's final day in New York they went to Pop Up Bagels for breakfast which is well-known for their rotating schmear options and this did not disappoint. At Madison Square Garden we learned how they convert the arena from ice rink to basketball court in under 4 hours, pricing options, the variety of amenities, as well as the impact of the recent renovations to add seating and improve the experience. While in the locker room, they explained that it is shared by the Rangers and Knicks so they replace all the murals and decorations based on who is using it. At NBC we learned about the different shows and how they maximize the space by using other sets for storage as well as careers and marketing of NBC shows. At Radio City, we learned about the history of the building, how the elevators for the stage were very high tech and admired by the US navy to use on their aircraft carriers, the intense training and schedules of rockettes, and then met a rockette for a quick Q&A. The group then headed to 5th Avenue to check out some of the marketing used at famous designer stores and the outrageous displays as well as the guerilla marketing at Louis Vuitton. They closed the trip with the musical Six.
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Don’t miss the magic of Anastasia at Newington High School!
Join us THIS WEEKEND as this beautiful story comes to life on stage — featuring an incredible cast and unforgettable music.
Show Dates:
• Friday, March 13 – 7:00 PM
• Saturday, March 14 – 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Tickets are on sale now:
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American Savings will be awarding over 100 new scholarships to students from our 64-town service area. Scholarships are renewable for up to 5 years. High school seniors, current college students, and non-traditional adult students have until Tuesday, March 31 to apply. More information about our program and the application can be found at www.asfdn.org.
Click this link ---> ASF Scholarship for the flyer about the American Savigns Foundation Scholarship Program
Thank you,
Akeisha
Akeisha Latch
Scholarship Program Assistant
Office: 860-357-4004 Ext 106
Scholar Texting: 860-269-5809
New Britain, CT 06051
Follow us on Facebook & LinkedIn - @AmericanSavingsFoundation
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The SAT is a state-mandated test for all 11th graders enrolled in Connecticut public high schools. On March 25, 2026 all Newington High School students in grade 11 will be administered the SAT. Students in grades 9, 10 and 12 will not report to school on this day.
Some important details about the 2026 SAT:
- The School Day SAT will be Digital this year.
- All 11th grade students will have to use a school provided device. They can NOT use a personal device.
- Students will take the SAT in their Advisory classroom, unless otherwise notified.
- Any grade 11 student who does not report for the SAT on March 25th will be scheduled for a make-up test. Please make every effort to have your grade 11 student attend school on the SAT testing date (March 25, 2026) to avoid make-ups.
- Testing will begin at 7:34 a.m. and will end at approximately 10:55 a.m. for all grade 11 students at Newington High School. Following the test, students will have a lunch period then be dismissed from school and should either be picked up or take the bus home.
- Students can go here to find the SAT Practice Quick Start Guide to practice and become familiar with the digital SAT interface
- During Advisory on March 4th & 5th 11th grade students will participate in a pre-administration session for the Digital SAT School Day Test. During that time they will have the opportunity to pick four schools to send their SAT scores for free.
- Students can go here for the "SAT School Day Student Guide.”
- Linked here is the SAT “Parent/Caregiver's Guide: Preparing Your Student for the SAT".
- Please see linked parent/guardian letters (English or Spanish version) for further information.
All information about testing and specific test schedules will be posted throughout the building and on the NHS website in the coming weeks.
If you have any questions, please reach out to main school counseling.
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This past week, School Counselors facilitated the 2nd round of Sophomore Career Workshops in Health classes & Junior Postsecondary Workshops in Physical Education II classes. In the Career Workshops, Sophomores explored personal values related to jobs and careers creating a vision board (see vision boards here); career exploration through the SchooLinks platform taking the “Top Skills”,“Would You Rather” and “Game of Life” assessments to research different career cluster options based on the results they received. In the Post-Secondary Workshops, Juniors were introduced to a variety of post-secondary options that included, but was not limited to: 4-year college, Community College, Military, Vocational/Trade School and a Gap Year. Juniors also used the “School Search” and “Learning Hub” features in the SchooLinks platform to start exploring their post-secondary options. At the end of the Workshop, Juniors received a Planning Calendar to provide information about important tasks to complete before the beginning of Senior year (click here for a copy).
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Sharing Anonymously For Everyone ( S.A.F.E) - This form can be used to report concerns to the school including but not limited to: concerns for the safety and well-being of others, acts of bias or prejudice by students or faculty, and other incidents (such as harassment) safely and anonymously.
Please fill out this information to the best of your ability so we can address the issue, providing as much detail as possible.
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Kindness Is Something Simple (K.I.S.S) is a way to recognize the kind acts of others. You may complete the form so that a staff member or student receives a Hersey's kiss attached to a K.I.S..S card. Take a few seconds to recongize someone anyday of the school year!!!
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All drop offs should occur at the west side of our building (in the back by the Event Center, prior to making a right onto Veteran's Drive). Students who are being dropped off should enter from the north side of our building, by the student parking lot. Doors will open at 7:05 and close at 7:34. After 7:34 am, all students will need to enter the building through our main entrance.
All pick ups should occur in the same location.
The map below outlines the student drop off in blue. You will note the "student drop off section" and the blue star(*) which indicates where the students will walk to get to the North entrance. We are asking you to abide by our protocols to keep everyone safe. Thank you!
There is absolutely NO student drop off at the gym entrance or along the cones that indicate "no parking/no drop off".
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A Few Important Things to Note:
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Attendance - Join us in emphasizing the importance of being in school. Attendance is critical to the success of our students. It not only contributes to academic success, but fosters relationships between students and teachers and students and their peers. NHS course work is rigorous and moves at a fast pace, so every lesson is vital to a student’s learning. When students miss school, they miss opportunities to ask questions, deepen their learning, participate in class discussions, and build connections.
We hope that families vacation during school vacation time and do their best to schedule appointments outside of school hours, or at the very least, have their student attend school prior to or immediately after an appointment. When students are pulled from school, it puts them at a disadvantage. If the choice is made to vacation during a time when school is in session, students will only be given one day per absence to submit their work.
If a student is going to be absent a Parent/Guardian must either call Magee House Office on extension 1525 or submit a note through ParentSquare directly to Corina Muir. If a note is submitted through ParentSquare a phone call is not necessary. If a call is made, a note will need to be entered in ParentSquare or brought to the Magee Office to be considered excused (for the first 9 absences for state reporting purposes. These absences, unless extenuating and cleared by administration, will count toward the loss of credit). For any absence beyond 9, a medical note, court documentation, etc. must be presented in order to be excused (for state reporting purposes only. These absences, unless extenuating and cleared by administration, will also count toward the loss of credit).
If a student is absent for medical purposes, medical documentation needs to be brought to the Magee Office office when the student returns to school. Once processed by the Magee Office, the documentation will be given to the nurses.
If a student is tardy, they must enter through the main entrance, sign in on the tardy kiosk and bring their pass to class. For delays or special schedules, they must report to the Magee Office to receive a tardy pass to get into class.
If a student is being dismissed early, a note must come from a Parent/Guardian either through ParentSquare or with a physical note brought to the Magee House Office.
NHS sends an automated message every morning at 9:45 am alerting families of any attendance change. This includes absences, late arrivals, early dismissals, and any message sent via ParentSquare. Therefore, we ask that you do not call if you receive this alert from ParentSquare if you have sent a message to Mrs. Muir via ParentSquare, only if you have not sent a message.
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Electronics - Given the distraction electronics can cause and the potential for inappropriat use, here is our policy:
- Electronic devices are to be used responsibly. Students should follow the individual teacher's classroom rules. Students should NOT have them out in class unless directed by the teacher. If a student is caught with a cell phone or electronic device in violation of our policy while in a classroom, the teacher will confiscate the phone or device, it will be brought to the house office, and it will not be returned until a parent/guardian comes to school to claim it. If a student refuses to turn over their electronic device they will be sent to the main office and the device will be confiscated by administration. Refusal to turn devices over to administration will result in the student being sent home.
- Unauthorized audio/video taping of images (including staff), student altercations, internet postings, and use during emergency drills and procedures (ie. lockdowns, shelter in place, fire drills, etc.) will result in immediate revocation of privileges for the student. The parent/guardian will be notified and appropriate disciplinary consequences will be issued.
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Parent Square - click HERE to obtain all the information about our new School Messenger.
Academic Integrity - Academic integrity is an integral aspect of any institution of education. Students are responsible for demonstrating their understanding of content standards and skills in an ethical manner. Academic dishonesty occurs when a student cheats, plagiarizes, shares assignments, or otherwise misrepresents someone else’s work or ideas as their own.
Cheating includes but is not limited to providing another student with information regarding assessments, copying another’s work, having prior knowledge of assessment materials not provided by the teacher, having unauthorized assistance in answering questions, and/or submitting work that another has completed on a student’s behalf. Plagiarism is a form of cheating that results from misrepresenting words or ideas that are not one's own. This includes the use of technology including artificial intelligence (AI). Students are subject to disciplinary and academic consequences that may impact acceptance into various national honor societies.
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School nurse information:
Names: Callie Lawrence and Audra Rappoccio
email: hsnurses@npsct.org
phone number: 860-666-5611 x 1163 or 1164
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If you have any questions, concerns or highlights, please don't hesitate to contact me. You can reach out via the following ways:
- phone: (860) 666-5611 x 1190
- email: ttigno@npsct.org
Proud Principal,
Terra A. Tigno
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