Newington High School Principal's Newsletter
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Good afternoon,
Happy Friday! Today you are off from school for Eid al-Fitr which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Today is also the March Equinox which marks the first day of spring.
This week's learning: students enjoyed their trip to the Yard Goats to see how they operate their culinary; Unified Sports participated in a basketball tournament at Maloney High School where they demonstrated their skills be scoring almost every time they went down the court (see picture below); students answered challenging question during rounds of "grudge golf"; and students worked on an engineering design to construct an Asteroid Lander; and Erin Stewart, former mayor of New Britain, CT, spoke with students about the role public speaking played in her life as both a public figure and a gubernatorial candidate.
Congratulations to Themed Thursday winners: Mr. Salnonia's Advisory as well as staff member, Mr. Cianflone. We enjoyed seeing so many people in their "jerseys". (see picture to the left).
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 23: A day
Tuesday, March 24: B day - Early release
Wednesday, March 25: SATs - only Juniors report to school
Thursday, March 26: O day
Friday, March 26: E day
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MARCH & APRIL IMPORTANT DATES |
March 23 - Honor World Down Syndrome Day (3/21) which symbolizes the "3 copies" of the "21st chromosome" that causes the condition. Officially recognized by the United Nations since 2012, this global day raises awareness, promotes inclusion, and advocates for the rights of people with Down syndrome.
Join us for "Sensory Comfot Day by wearing comfy clothes AND CRAZY MISMATCHED SOCKS!!!
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)
April 3 - Good Friday - Schools/Offices closed
April 7 - Early release/Voices of Change program (make up day)
April 13 - 17 - Vacation week/Schools Closed/Offices Open *any student who needs a space to make up work can come in. Please email me at ttigno@npsct.org to arrange.
April 21 - Early release
April 30 - Themed Thursday = Monochrome Day. Upload pics HERE for a chance to win a free breakfast. |
FAMILY OF LEARNERS HIGHLIGHTED |
Our Unified Sports Team has been invited to play at halftime of the prime time CIAC Championship game at 6:30pm this Saturday, 3/21 at Mohegan Sun Arena. We will play Greenwich High School.
This is an amazing opporutnity for our unified team and we are so proud of all their hard work. A special shout out to advisor, Mr. Greenberg!!!
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Congratulations to the following winter athletes who made All-Conference:
Jalen Douglas - Boys Basketball
Josiah Sims- Boys Basketball
Maggie Krusewski - Girls Basketball
Avery Cucinella - Cheerleading
Quinn Devoe - Cheerleading
Makar Blazhkevich - Wrestling
Brooklyn Crawford - Indoor Track
Makayla Rivera - Indoor Track
Ariadne Stergakis - Indoor Track
Jack Vendetti - Indoor Track
Olivai Canepari - Indoor Track
Santiago Rodriguez - Indoor Track
Caiden Crichlow - Indoor Track
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National Honor Society officers—President Alexandra Taschuk, Vice President Kripa Jacob, Secretary Sam Jacob, and Historian Sofia Guida—participated in JonaTHONs, a statewide initiative connecting K–12 schools to UConn’s Miracle Network.
For their service project, the officers partnered with the UConn JonaTHONs team to plan and run a fundraiser. Through this experience, they developed skills in event planning, organization, teamwork, communication, and philanthropy.
Their volleyball fundraiser raised $1,110 for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Way to go!
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Congratulations to the following students who were inducted into the National English Honor Society this week:
Jason Bentley, Julya Neves, Vinh Ky, and Eduarda Nogueira (pictured above with advisors Mrs. DiBernardo and Mrs. Narowski)
Way to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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81 students from NHS FBLA joined FBLA Advisor Julia Dennis and several staff members at the state FBLA conference at the CT Convention Center in Hartford, CT.
46 students earned awards during the award ceremony! This year our chapter has earned the most awards we've ever earned! Great job to all!
Dr. Miguel Cardona, the 12th U.S. Secretary of Education gave the keynote address.
This was Mrs. Dennis' first conference as state advisor and it was the largest in history with over 1,300 students from the state. She couldn't be more thankful to all the students and staff that supported her and helped out (See picture below).
State Officer, Parliamentarian: Daniel Bieszczad
Business Achievement Award Recognition: Daniel Bieszczad, Kevin Brown, Taylor Lyons, and Ella Rossi
Who’s Who Award: Ella Rossi
Member of the Month Award: Taylor Lyons
NHS FBLA also earned the Champion Chapter - Gold Award, the highest level of recognition for chapters!
Competitive Event Winners below:
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Zachary Dabre: Networking Infrastructure, 2nd place and Business Communications, 4th place
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Ashley Kuwaye & Gavin Dusel: Coding & Programming, 3rd place
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Kevin Brown, Ella Rossi, and Addison Stafford: Community Service Project, 3rd place NHS Stuff a High School Annual Gift Collection
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Krishna Mishra: Computer Applications, 1st place
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Jakub Watras: Computer Game & Simulation, 2nd place
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Kripa Jacob & Angel Shaji: Data Analysis, 5th place
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Murtaza Ather, Sam Jacob, and Zaid Khan: Financial Planning, 5th place
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Jalen Douglas: Future Business Educator, 3rd place
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Matthew Brown: Healthcare Administration, 3rd place
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Brayden Karanian: Hospitality & Event Management, 4th place
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Michael Byrnes: Insurance & Risk Management, 2nd place
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Emma Ribeiro: Introduction to FBLA, 4th place and Introduction to Supply Chain Management, 4th place
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Usman Munawar: Introduction to Information Technology, 2nd place
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Aiden Joseph: Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure, 5th place
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Sara Bucior: Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure, 3rd place
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Leah Mazzaccaro: Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure, 2nd place
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Quinn DeVoe: Introduction to Retail & Merchandising, 3rd place
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Kripa Jacob, Zaid Khan, and Angel Shaji: Local Chapter Annual Business Report, 3rd place
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Cole Dow, Ryan Linda, and David Sarnacki: Management Information Systems, 2nd place
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Victoria Bucior: Marketing, 4th place
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Sebastian Nowak and Alex Sarubbi: Network Design, 1st place
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Michael Tekien: Networking Infrastructures, 1st place
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Charles Ramos: Networking Infrastructures, 5th place
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Jerry Gong: Organizational Leadership, 5th place
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Daniel Bieszczad, Ryan Hughes, Abigail Pratt, Makayla Woods: Parliamentary Procedure, 1st place
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Gabriel Lapin: Public Administration & Management, 4th place
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April Handal, Carley Vumback, Julia Waldinski: Public Service Announcement, 2nd place
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Minyoung Lee, Charles Pham, Victor Wronka: Sales Presentation, 2nd place
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Dorothy Nguyen: Securities & Investments, 3rd place
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Evanie Benoy & Sydney Blueford: Visual Design, 5th place
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Do you want NHS spirit gear for you and your kids? You’re in luck! The school store will be open before, during and after conferences on Wednesday only. Stop by The Storm Supply in the cafeteria to see our school spirit items. We sell everything from T-Shirts to Water bottles! Cash and Checks accepted. See you there! Fill out a ticket for a chance for a free T-shirt. |
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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