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Dates to Remember

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Visit the DATES TO REMEMBER Web Page.

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PRINCIPALS CORNER

MHS Main Office
Phone: 860-848-9208
Fax: 860-848-3872
Hours: 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Past Issues:

• October 2007
• November 2007
• February 2008

Parent Advisory Group

We were all very encouraged by the turn out at the PAG meeting on Tuesday night, October 2. Among the topics discussed were the building renovation project, Focused Monitoring, which deals with suspension rates for special ed. students and strategies to address this issue, NEASC and our Two Year Report which is due October 1, 2008, SAT/CAPT scores, and the status of the position of our School Resource Officer.

We also reviewed the new Board of Education policy regarding the use of PAS (Passive Alcohol Sensing) devices at all school dances and demonstrated the manner in which the devices will be utilized. We ended the meeting with a tour of all new and renovated areas in the school.

I would strongly urge all of you to come to our next meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening, Dec. 11th. It is a great opportunity for parents to ask questions, express concerns, and get a true understanding of all that is happening at Montville High School. We would welcome your attendance.

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage your participation in the Parental Advisory Group in existence at MHS. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of the importance/signifigance of this group until late last year - but, since that time I've been an active participant in their meetings.

These meetings are conducted by Tom Amanti, our Principal and are very informative. We, the parents, are given the opportunity to discuss our opinions on subjects at hand (ie: breathalyzers), bring up any concerns/issues we may have, kept abreast of issues at hand, informed of topics such as re-accredidation, SAT scores, CAPT scores, etc. I feel that Tom is giving us the opportunity for input into decisions that will directly affect our child(ren), so why shouldn't we be involved?

The meetings don't last long - only about 1 1/2 hours - and are held monthly if there is enough parental participation. I must admit, that when I first started attending these meetings last year, I was shocked to only see 2 other parents in attendance. But, I was just as guilty prior to that time too! These are our children - we need to be involved in decisions that directly affect them.

Want your voice heard?
Then please consider attending the next PAG meeting!

Joan Stearns

SCHOOL COUNSELING CORNER

Dr. Theodore H. Phillips, ED.D,
Director of School Counseling

School Counseling Office
Phone: 860-848-1285
Fax: 860-848-8067
Hours: 7:30 AM – 3:00 PM

University of Connecticut Early College Experience
(ECE) courses

UConn ECE is a concurrent enrollment program that provides an opportunity for high school students to take actual UConn courses taught by Montville High School who have been certified by UConn faculty as adjunct professors. ECE students are non-degree UConn students, eligible for a variety of benefits. Credits earned transfer seamlessly into UConn and many other institutions. UConn ECE students begin their transition to college in the familiar environment of high school. A fee of $25 per credit is charged for the maintenance of the program, including on site trainings for instructors and students, electronic resources, UConn faculty mentoring and professional development, and administration of the program. UConn will invoice students directly in late summer for this fee – no money is processed through the high school. All registration forms, however, must go to the high school Counseling Office no later than May 30.

UConn ECE is not the same as Advanced Placement, or AP. While in some cases it is possible for an instructor to teach a UConn ECE course while preparing students for AP exams, instructors follow UConn course curriculum and are considered to be UConn adjunct professors. Students study the same material and are assessed in the same manner as the UConn campus sections of their courses. If your son or daughter is signed up for an ECE course for next year, you may wish to review the UConn ECE website (www.ece.uconn.edu). Further information specific to your son’s or daughter’s ECE opportunity is available in the School Counseling office. Montville High School will offer the following ECE courses in 2008-09:

Advanced Placement testing will take place in May according to the schedule below. AP tests must be taken at the time and date indicated. AP tests have been ordered only for students who have signed up to take the AP test and whose participation in the test has been confirmed by the subject teacher. Please call me at 848-1285 if you have any questions.

Many scholarships are being posted at this time in the Counseling and Career News.

Copies are in the Counseling office, Career Center, main office, library/media center and at www.montvilleschools.org (go to schools, high school, newsletters). Keep in touch with us at 848-1285. The two scholarships listed below are only two of very many listed and updated daily in the Counseling and Career News.

The 2008 Isaac Emerson Palmer Scholarship applications are now available to residents of Montville. The scholarship was founded by Townsend Palmer in memory of his father, Isaac Emerson Palmer, who resided in Montville in the middle 1800’s. Eligibility requirements are:
• Be a bona fide resident of the town of Montville, CT
• Be under the age of twenty five
• Be a graduate of Montville High School or a school of equal category
• Apply to or currently be attending a career school, college, or university full-time.
The scholarship awards are made on an objective non discriminatory basis. Applications are available at the Montville Town Hall, Mayor’s Office, Office of the Superintendent of Schools, and the Montville High School Counseling Office. Applications and all supporting materials are due March 28, 2008 to: Dr. Theodore H. Phillips, Director of School Counseling, Montville High School, Old Colchester Road, Oakdale, CT 06370, (860) 848-1285. Former recipients of Palmer Scholarships who will continue in college full-time next year may re-apply, but they must complete the entire application again.

The Montville High School Scholarship Application Form. This application covers many local scholarships. Seniors cannot be considered for any of them without this form. The deadline is April 11.

Teachers and counselors may be reached via email by using the first letter of the first name followed by the last name and @montvilleschools.org (example: tphillips@montvilleschools.org), or by phone at 848-1285. Faculty first names are in the Educational Program booklet. Remember to read the Counseling and Career News.

(update: 3/4/08)

PAST ARTICLES:

• October 2007
• November 2007
• February 2008
• March 2008

Art & Life Management Department

Past Issues:

• November 2007

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.
Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Okay, so it may not be the beginning of the school year and New Year’s Eve is months away, but here in the Art and Life Management department at MHS, it’s a new year and we have a new outlook and many exciting changes.

We welcomed new staff to both the Art and Life Management departments this year. Bethany Bonner, who has been teaching at Tyl Middle School, took Sue Parish’s position in the Art department. Ms. Bonner brings her artistic talent and vision to teaching the MHS digital imaging classes. We wish Ms. Parish well in her retirement. New to the Life Management department is Deborah Migani who recently completed her teacher certification and brings a great deal of enthusiasm, energy, and innovative ideas.

Both departments moved into a new wing at the high school over the summer. The rooms are spacious and well-equipped and incorporate state-of-the art labs. The new culinary lab is designed to support the new “Culinary Café” that will be starting in the Spring as well as the broad range of other culinary classes that are offered. These classes are valuable for all students, whether they are considering a career in the culinary field or learning to cook healthy foods for themselves. The new Child Development Lab will be used by students teaching the preschoolers in the “Playschool”. Additionally, tech-prep and college credit is available through the Advanced Child Development class and the new UCONN ECE Human Development.

The art teachers have been actively modeling their life-long joy of art through exhibitions of their work. Carolyn Olczak had an oil painting juried into the Mystic Art Center’s annual regional show and Beatriz Fain exhibited at the Mystic Art Show. Bethany Bonner will be exhibiting student work at the Dime Savings Bank in Uncasville and is planning a display of student work in the CEA Building in Hartford.

Newness and change is reflected in all the Art and Life Management instruction that strives to provide students with the skills and knowledge they needs for a rapidly changing world. In our content areas technology is changing how we view art and new art materials are emerging; marriage is changing and globalization is infused into the American lifestyle. Real-life application of learning is at the heart of both departments. Always seeking ways to improve on this, both departments are working on new curriculum. Living Green, an independent living class with a ecological twist is in the planning stages in Life Management and a 3-Dimensional/Sculpture class is being explored in Art. Whether it is for a career or personal enrichment, please encourage your child to elect one of the many wonderful classes that are offered in these departments.

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ANNE FRANK

(Posted 11/1/07)

English Department “Notes”

Past Issues:

• October 2007

Welcome back to a new school year and our almost new building. The anticipation is building and we are looking forward to the time when we’ll have a ribbon cutting event to celebrate the updates- new, modern classrooms, and all the refinements that go along with them.

Department update:

The English Department has added a Journalism class this year to its roster. It is hoped that with the help of this class and the after school committee that Montville High School will continue to publish the Chieftain on a regular basis. Mrs. Anthony assures that it will be well crafted, full of interesting articles, stories, and the “news”, as well as pertinent information about what is happening within the school itself. The students are looking forward to making each and every edition a great event. Keep on the lookout for this publication.

As a quick reminder, if you or your student requires any assistance, please contact your child’s teacher. Everyone is ready and willing to help however they can. You can contact any teacher through a note or a phone call. They will be quick to respond and offer help. Members of the English Department are: Mrs. Laureen Anthony, Mrs. Penny Baril, Mrs. Noreen Bibee, Mrs. Kelly Brooks, Mrs. Wendy Halsey, Mrs. Susan Laurencot, Mr. Ted Richmond, Mr. Alex Rousseau, and Mrs. Allyson Salazar.

We all hope that you and your student have a successful year. A year that is full of reading and writing experiences that keep the imagination on the go.

LIBRARY / MEDIA

Kristie Foss
District Library/Media/Technology Coordinator
848-9208 ext 2138

Julie Perry
Library Media Specialist

Past Issues:

• February 2008

You are invited to come see the new Library Media Center at Montville High School. The new center, located on the far side of the new high school main offices, is bright, pleasant and welcoming.

Physical changes are evident first. The media center has a high central ceiling and windows opening on to the outside. New seating arrangements facilitate classroom, small group, and individual student use. There is also a twenty-four station computer lab with a teaching station, ceiling-mounted projector, and Smartboard. This equipment enables full-class instruction, on-line research, and interactive presentations.

Other changes are evident. First and foremost is the new library/media specialist, Julie Perry. Julie was hired in July 2007, to fill the spot vacated by former library/media specialist, Joan Warren, who retired at the end of last school year. Julie worked in Montville as a library assistant before leaving to obtain her library/media specialist certification. She comes to us from her most recent job as library/media specialist in the Norwich Public Schools. We are delighted to have her back in Montville.

Special mention needs to be made regarding the volunteers who gave of their time and energy in the late summer to help get the library ready to open for student and staff use. These individuals worked long and hard, and their contributions are greatly appreciated.

When you visit, be sure to browse through the 20,000 item collection, read a magazine or newspaper, or use one of the computer stations to access the Internet. The library is open for student use until 4:00 pm Monday – Thursday, and 3:00 pm on Fridays. Additional hours for community members as well as students are held on Monday and Thursday evenings from 4;00 pm to 8:00 pm.

We hope you will drop by soon.

(Posted 2/8/08)

SCHOOL NURSE

Ms. Debbie Piacenza, R.N.
860-848-9208 Ext. 3

Past Issues:

• December 2007
• March 2008
• April 2008

Emergency Health Forms: a current emergency health form for each student must be on file with the school nurse. This form provides important information regarding your child’s health as well as names and contact numbers for persons other than parent/guardian who may dismiss a child in case of illness. Permission to dismiss a child to anyone other than a parent/guardian must be in writing and will not be accepted by phone. If you are not sure that your child has an emergency health form on file, please contact the school nurse.

Grade 10 Physicals: All students in grade 10 require a current physical on file with the nurse before entering grade 11. This physical must be done during the 10th grade school year. If you are not sure if your child has a current physical on file, please call the school nurse. Students not in compliance may be excluded from entering grade 11. Parents are encouraged to keep a photocopy of your child’s physical for your records at home.

Bee Sting Allergies: Spring has arrived and soon the bees will be buzzing. If your child has a life-threatening allergy to bee stings, please be sure that this information is on file with the school nurse and athletic coach. Remember that the nurse is not available during after school activities. If your child requires an Epipen and stays after school for sports or other activities, please be sure you have a physician order on file with the nurse and that your child keeps an Epipen on their person for self-administration.

(04-04-08)

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

Past Issues:

• March 2008

Speaking of technology, the science department has a newly revised web site and teachers have been taught how to set up a web page in order to post homework and other information for students and their parents to access at home. Hopefully this will be very helpful for students who are absent or simply forgot to record their homework.

We welcomed two new teachers to the science department this year, Mrs. Pelletier (teaching freshman coordinated science and half year electives) and Mr. Levasseur (teaching physics and sophomore coordinated science). They both bring new skills and have areas of expertise which compliment the department nicely. Our science students have participated in a number of field trips, from Project O boat and shore trips, to trips to Mystic aquarium, the Boston Museum of Science, and the Bodies Revealed Exhibit in Hartford. Chemistry and AP Chemistry students are currently preparing activities for a district-wide Family Science Night to be held at MHS on April 3. Elementary school students and their parents will be invited for an evening of hands-on science experiments and demonstrations.

As I’m sure you are aware, we have been working our freshmen and sophomore students very hard in preparation for our grade nine mock CAPT and the grade ten CAPT testing which is currently taking place. Over the course of two years, the students are required by the state to complete ten weeklong research tasks in their science classes and cover a comprehensive biology, chemistry, physics and earth science curriculum. We feel the students have been well prepared and will anxiously await their scores.

This spring will bring more moves for the science department as we close the five labs in the 400’s hallway at the end of the school year. Over the summer and early fall, these five labs will be rebuilt into four larger labs which will each accommodate 12 student lab stations. As our program focuses on hands-on, inquiry based learning, the new labs will be a very welcome addition.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Past Issues:

• December 2007

On behalf of the Social Studies and Business Departments I’d like to wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season. Both of the departments have adjusted well to the demands of a changing student population and the continued challenges of a building under construction. The Social Studies department continued its history of providing a student teacher an opportunity of working with two of our more experienced teachers. Mr. Marelli and Mr. Wainwright worked with Ms Danita Courtney in Civics and United States History. Ms Courtney has now finished her assignment and the classes are once again under the direct supervision of the regular teachers. In the Spring semester the University of New Haven has requested the placement of another student teacher and this placement is being considered by Mr. Orbe and Mr. Finnegan. All of our teachers in both departments believe that bringing in student teachers is a practice that is beneficial to all parties concerned and we have remained proactive in this area.

There have also been staff changes in both departments as we have expanded our offerings and work with the district to keep class sizes as low as possible. In the business department Mr. Douglas Wheeler is now the School To Career Director and is the Senior Internship instructor. The Business Department has also added an additional teacher, Mr. Christopher Zyrlis who is teaching Marketing I, Business Management I, and Computer Applications. The new school store, under the direction of Mr. Wheeler and Mrs. Burdick, is now in full operation and serving student needs on a regular schedule by providing a variety of products. In addition the business department is exploring the possibility of establishing a Savings Club at the middle school which will include a partnership with one of the local banks. Initial discussions have been held with Mr. Giard at the Middle school and the Chelsea Groton Bank. The department continues to work to establish guidelines and procedures which will be needed if this undertaking is to be successful. Mrs. Burdick and Mr. Zyrlis are also working with the Life Management Department as Dr. Greenstein gets ready to open a food service operation and continues their Child Development Pre-school Program. Mr. Zyrlis’ Marketing I class will work with the Pre-school program to provide the marketing ideas and Mrs. Burdick’s Marketing II/Business Management II class is going to be working with the food service operation to provide a business plan and marketing for this new initiative of the Life Management program.

The Social Studies Department is looking to offer an ECE United States History class to juniors as an option to the AP U.S. History class. The department is currently involved in discussions with the University of Connecticut. The department can offer this without the need for additional staff or creating a new teaching assignment as we currently offer an Honors U.S. History as part of the American Studies Program. This Honors section could easily become the Early College Experience course. The Senior ECE courses, American Studies II and Maritime History continue to have high enrollments and providing our students with the opportunity to earn University of Connecticut credit while still in high school. We are also looking at developing an elective course in local history offered to sophomores, juniors, and seniors which would be available to students at all academic levels.

Both the Social Studies and Business departments remain committed to providing our students with the best possible experiences which will ready them for the competitive world which awaits them.

SPECIAL SERVICES

Eileen J. Richmond
Special Services Program Leader
Montville Public Schools

Past Issues:

• April 2008

This school year the study skills course at Montville High School was revised. The goal of the course is to foster special education and 504 students who are independent learners, understand their learning styles, and advocate for themselves regarding their learning difficulties, and to meet classroom expectations through self-determination and self-awareness. A Planning and Placement Team or 504 meeting is required to place a student into the program, as well as to exit the program. . A full credit is given for this course. A portion of the grade that each student earns is determined by their application of the skills to content area classes

A specific study skills course is designed for each grade level. The class focuses on the content that is most appropriate for the students at that particular grade level. Classes are limited in size to twelve students to ensure an optimum learning environment.

Each student has an individualized goal plan based upon his/her academic needs. The students share these plans with their content area teachers. Through doing this the teachers can then provide opportunities for students to practice the identified skills in the classroom setting. Copies of work that are completed in the classes are then brought to the study skills teacher as a way to document the student’s progress towards completion of their goals.

General goals for students who take the study skills class include:

• setting and achieving realistic goals based on the students’ strengths and weaknesses
• advocating for their classroom modifications by identifying their learning strengths and weaknesses
• exploring a variety of learning strategies that can be applied to all classroom settings
• learning how to effectively organize time by establishing priorities, goals and responsibilitie
• learning how to organize school materials (agendas, notebooks etc.)
• practicing and reinforcing concepts covered by the CAPT and SAT through becoming familiar with the content, style and format of those test
• exploring post secondary options through career interest inventories and utilizing the career resource center and job exploration web sites.

Specific topics that are included are listed below as well as some ways in which the topics are covered.

1. Organization and Time Management – emphasizes the tools needed for organization (notebook, agenda book, storage of writing utensils, and folders to hold work) and how to manage time through prioritizing activities, completing a time-analysis sheet of after school and home activities, and analysis of student’s study environment.
   
2. Self-Awareness - consists of a variety of activities designed to increase each student’s personal qualities, study habits, learning styles, and classroom performance.
   
3. Strategies and Accommodations – intended to aid in developing compensatory skills to address learning difficulties as well as understanding the specific modifications for each student in the classroom environment. Activities consist of units involving note-taking, test-taking mnemonics, reading, and writing based on general education standards and expectations.
   
4. Self-Determination – consists of activities intended to foster a student’s self-worth and academic capabilities. Activities are designed to increase each student’s ability to set and achieve realistic goals, evaluate their own skills and performance, and increase effective communication with teachers regarding expectations and work performance.
   
5. Self-Advocacy – this unit is intended to increase each student’s awareness of his own unique learning style and advocate for his learning needs as documented in the student’s Individual Education Plan or 504 Plan.
   
6. Career and Transition Planning – designed to explore post-secondary options available to each student.
   
7. CAPT/SAT – this unit provides students with the opportunity to practice and reinforce concepts covered in CAPT.

The present study skills course was designed to take the best of what was presented in the previous study skills/resource room program and expand upon it. Thus far, this year, the teachers of the course feel that the majority of students have done well as exemplified by an overall improvement of grades.

(4/22/08)

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