WHS THE WORD

Monday, November 4, 2019

ISSUE #6
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Coming Up (WHS Calendar)

Events occur at WHS, unless other noted. 

A Letter from the President's Desk

Dear WHS PTO members,

Hello November and the second quarter! We had a productive General Meeting this past Friday morning which included the approval of up to $12,000 of "investments" in the high school to enhance the educational experience at WHS. Please be sure to read about these exciting philanthropy items in Kristana Esslinger’s Philanthropy section below. Our program speakers Officer Joe Mogollon, the WHS Security Resource Officer and Laura Cleary, Director of Weston Youth Services led us in an interactive discussion on the ubiquitous topic of vaping and its impact on our community. If you were unable to join us for this program, there is still an opportunity for you to attend an evening program on the same topic this coming week. Please check out our Program Chair Angela Zielinski’s section below for the details.

On the fundraising front, the PTO wrapped up its annual Pie event on Friday. We owe a special thank you to Chairperson Debbie Sollinger for all the effort and energy she put into this fundraiser. At last count, Debbie had more than doubled the number of pies and baked goods sold compared to last year. If you purchased one of the delicious Grandma Miller’s baked goods, thank you! If you missed out, you have another chance to buy a sweet treat to support your PTO!  Tomorrow, the PTO will be holding its annual Election Day Bake Sale, thanks to Kerri Steele Rubin and Patricia Manea. Stop by their booth, located just inside the entrance to the Middle School polls, and pick up some delicious baked goods made for you by some very generous PTO parent volunteers. The more we raise, the more we are able to support the high school in its endeavor to make your child’s high school learning experience the best it can be!

Based on the great success of our newly formed Spirit Committee in its collaboration with the school and student government to pump up the spirit around Homecoming, the PTO would like to work to fan the spirit flame all year long. If you are interested in joining this energetic committee, please reach out to me, Kristana Esslinger, Maggie Kins, Jen Meir or Jenny Walsh. Go Weston!

Warm regards,

Anne Troxell

Student Government Update

The High School Student Government has very busy lately! A few weeks ago, the group had their annual Homecoming Week, filled with spirit dress-up-days such as College Day and Jersey Day, their annual Powderpuff Football Game featuring junior and senior girls, night events like Trivia Night, and more! The PTO sponsored the group in a new tradition where they presented four homecoming floats at the Homecoming Game on the last night, which was very well received by students and community members alike. Fresh off their successful homecoming week, Student Government is moving on to their philanthropic projects; the group is planning projects such as upcoming food drives and working on ideas for the annual "26 Days of Kindness", 26 days that recognize the 26 lives lost in the Sandy Hook Tragedy. We're excited to see what they do next! 

-Lindsey Greenberg & AJ Sollinger

Spirit Committee

Homecoming Week:

Overall the collaboration between the SGA and the WHS PTO helped make Homecoming Week a success! We hope many of you were able to attend the Homecoming Game to see the student's efforts in action! (some pictures attached)

- The Kickoff Rally was sadly affected by Mother Nature. There was a band (Caravan),  food trucks and lawn games  - and rain. Those that attended made the best of it. That said, the SGA is still VERY appreciative of our support and effort and believe if weather had cooperated it would have been a big success.

- Floats!! It was amazing to see what each of the classes were able to put together in such a short period of time. While at first most were unsure what this was all about, by the end when they were walking alongside their masterpieces, they got it! Some are already thinking about next year. Kudos to all.

- Other memorable moments! We had the Pep Band in attendance again adding some musical spirit. We had many levels of cheerleaders during our halftime show as well as our first Alumni walk in quite some time. And a big win for the football team! 

What's Next?

Spirit does not end with Homecoming.  

- We will continue to advertise football and fall sport playoff games

- We need to start thinking about winter and spring. PLEASE THINK ABOUT 'SPIRIT' IDEAS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR AND SEND THEM TO US!

- Consider joining our committee! It's fun!

-Kristana Esslinger (kristana.esslinger@gmail.com), Maggie Kins (maggiebkins@gmail.com), Jennifer Meir (jammi2006@gmail.com) & Jenny Walsh (JennyWalsh_2002@yahoo.com)

School Start & End Time Focus Group

The Weston Schools have been considering the idea of changing school start/end times. A task force has been created, Jenny Walsh has been appointed the PTO Rep for Upper Schools Perspective. She will be hosting a focus group of 15 parents this Wednesday, November 6th at 7pm to discuss the potential change & wants to hear all perspectives & thoughts. There are a few spots left, so please contact her if you're interested in participating, JennyWalsh_2002@yahoo.com. 

BOE Report

Click HERE to read the WHS PTO BOE Representative, Laura Schlossberg's report from the October 21 BOE meeting. This report includes detailed notes and links to the recorded meetings.

Philanthropy

At the WHS PTO General Board meeting on 11/1 we approved the following 3 requests:

1. Instrument Repairs ($875) - Last spring the PTO approved the repair of WHS instruments but the receipts we not submitted until later.  Today we approved to reimburse those expenses.

2. Virtual Reality Goggles ($1000) - Today we approved the purchase of 2 classroom sets (50) of virtual reality goggles to primarily be used in our Humanities classes to experience places and things that are discussed but not practical to visit. Through educational applications, teachers will be able to virtually have students travel and experience these topics and thereby enhancing the student's learning environment.  This is a prime example of differentiated education - to use in conjunction with other teaching styles. 

3. TV Studio Desk and Backdrop (up to $10,000) - Today we approved the purchase of a TV Studio desk and money towards a backdrop.  WHS has never had a proper set for a news studio.  This upgrade will enhance all of their productions.  Students in Videography and Sports Broadcasting classes as well as those who produce the morning news shows and programs will benefit from this upgrade.  The studio can also serve as a resource to other class and co-curricular programs.

-Kristana Esslinger, Philanthropy Chair

Upcoming Programs

-Angela Zielinski, Vice President

Reminders & Other Notes

Join the PTO:

If you are reading this and haven’t already, please join the PTO. You will not receive important mailings and information if you are not a member. It's free for WHS families! CLICK HERE to join. 

Comments, Questions, Suggestions?

We love to hear from our members, so don't hesitate to contact any of your Board members or email us at whsptocommunications@westonpspto.org. 

Newsletter Submissions:

The WHS PTO newsletter is distributed biweekly on Mondays (except holidays & vacations). Please send your WHS-related submissions by the preceding end of day Thursday to Amy Jansen, the Communications Chair, at whsptocommunications@westonpspto.org. The Fall 2019 schedule for newsletter publications is 9/23, 10/7, 10/21, 11/4, 11/18, 12/2, and 12/16 (subject to change). Any submissions received after that time may be delayed until the next newsletter.

Community or "About Town" news (and any information not directly related to WHS) will not be included in regular weekly newsletters. This type of information and news will be sent out monthly in a supplemental edition of the newsletter on the THIRD Friday of each month. Please send submissions by the preceding Wednesday (late submissions may not be included until the next month). Please send questions or submissions to whsptocommunications@westonpspto.org.

Parking & Security at WHS:

When visiting WHS please remember to bring your driver's license for identification. Security will scan your license and issue you a visitor badge. The badge must be worn at all times while in the building and returned to security when you leave. 

Visitor parking is on the street opposite the Main Entrance and on the access road between WIS and WHS (stadium field side only). Please refrain from parking in any parking lot or numbered space. These spaces are reserved and have been assigned to students and staff members. An empty space in a parking lot does not mean it’s an available space.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation.