Dear Weston High School Parents,
I find it hard to believe that this is my last President's Message to all of you. To those of you that have read our newsletter this year, I thank you!
This morning. PTO volunteers were there before school to wish our students "Good Luck on Finals" sharing sweet and salty treats with them. This year flew by and in a week it will be graduation for our seniors and the 9th-11th graders will be rising sophomores, juniors and seniors!
There is so much to look back on this year.
- We had very engaging speakers during our General Board meetings this year. We brought Curriculum Leaders in to tell us more about what our students are learning in the classrooms. We had a school social worker share with us information about executive functioning skills and different types of "learners". PhD Michele Albright spoke to us about Social/Emotional Learning and other mental health issues followed by a Q&A.
- Interim Principal Givoni shared interesting presentations regarding School Safety, Portrait of the Graduate and an explanation of DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) and what it is and what it is not.
- We focused on mental wellness of our students - our Sophomores who coming into this year had never had anything "normal", more open discussion of the issues with the school, the BOE and the town, Reading Day before midterms and finals, Care Packages, and a viewing of Screenagers: the Next Chapter which focused on the issues of screen time and mental health issues in teens.
- Philanthropy - We continued to support the Spirit Fund for students, funds towards the December Day of Service, and new drafting tables for the Art department to name a few.
- Fundraising - We were able to hold our bake sale this year followed by pie sales. The ACT/SAT prep classes continue to be very popular. And after a 3 year in-person hiatus, we held our Annual Memorial Day 5K which raised over $20K.
- While not PTO sponsored events, we were thrilled to see Prom and Evergreen back for our students!
I want to thank the current PTO Board for all of their hard work this year. As I pass the President's baton to Christine Harris, I am excited to serve one more year on the board as the Past President.
I want to wish everyone a healthy, relaxing, and fun-filled summer!
Best,
Kristana Esslinger
WHS PTO President