Bobcat Bulletin
SWHS Newsletter December 2022
Welcome to the Bobcat Bulletin!
Message from the Principal
Dear SWHS Families,
From all of us at SWHS, we hope all of our students and their families have a safe, warm, and enjoyable holiday season and a Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Frank Rizzuto
This issue contains information on the following topics:
- Spirit Week: December 19 - 23
- Midterm Exam Schedule
- SWHS on Facebook & Instagram
- School Counseling Information
- Athletics News
- Message from SWHS Family Engagement Specialist
- Message from SWHS Social Workers
- SW Veterans Banner Program
- Important Dates/Events
Spirit Week: December 19 - 23
Student Council is sponsoring a Spirit Week from December 19 - 23. Students and staff are encouraged to participate! The spirit days are as follows:
Monday, December 19: Holiday Colors Day
Tuesday, December 20: Holiday Ugly Sweater Day
Wednesday, December 21: Comfy Groutfit Day (wear comfiest grey sweatpants)
Thursday, December 22: Holiday Hats & Socks
Friday, December 23: Holiday Pajamas Day
Midterm Exam Schedule
For the convenience of families and our students, please CLICK HERE to view the midterm exam schedule for January, 2023.
SWHS on Facebook & Instagram
South Windsor High School is now on Facebook and Instagram. We hope that these will be helpful for SWHS students and families. The Facebook page is SWHS Bobcats and the Instagram account is swhs_bobcats.
School Counseling Information
Grade 12: The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving (HFPG) offers a generous scholarship program to students who live in or attend school in the Greater Hartford area. South Windsor High School seniors are eligible to apply. HFPG has opened the application process for this season. There are some important facts and key dates to keep in mind...
Seniors planning to attend a four year college or university can apply now to the largest pool of scholarships using just one application that qualifies them for over 65 awards. These are $3,000 renewable scholarships, meaning students will receive that amount each of the four years of an undergraduate education. These awards are administered by Scholarship America, and students must apply by January 16, 2023 at 4 pm to be considered. Students will be contacted by late March if they are finalists for any scholarship, at which time they will be interviewed. Additionally, HFPG offers over 60 individual scholarships, each with its own unique criteria. These scholarships may be used at both two and four year colleges as well as vocational programs. These applications are due February 2, 2023.
To learn more about the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving's scholarship programs, visit https://www.hfpgscholarships.org . Applicants can create an account to have access to the complete list of scholarships. This program is also listed in Naviance, where more scholarship information will be posted and updated throughout the winter months.
Grades 10-12: SWHS will be administering the ASVAB Career Exploration Program (CEP) again this year. The test will be held on Wednesday, December 14th at 8:00 am in the Seminar Room at SWHS. Whether you are planning to go to college, a vocational school, or the military, or are just not sure what to do yet, the ASVAB CEP can provide students with important information about skills and interests--and help get you on the right path toward a satisfying career. There are a limited number of seats available, so registrations will be first come, first served. If you would like to take the ASVAB CEP please email Mr. Briggs at nbriggs@swindsor.k12.ct.us or stop by the School Counseling Office.
Grades 9-11: PSAT scores will be released around December 6th. Please check the email that you used when you created your CollegeBoard account. If you have not created a CollegeBoard account yet, it is recommended to use the "Forgot Username" function on the CollegeBoard website to ensure that you did not already create an account. Creating a duplicate CollegeBoard account can severely complicate your future post-secondary application process. School counselors will meet with all students in the near future to discuss and explain PSAT score reports.
Athletics News
Winter Sports Update: Winter sports at South Windsor High School began this past week with tryouts and practices. Regular-season games will begin as early as December 12th for some winter sports with other winter sports playing soon after.
Fall Sports Recognition: Congratulations to the student-athletes below who have been recognized as All-Conference players. In addition, Kyle Sullivan from the boys' soccer team also earned All-State recognition. Congratulations to all these student-athletes!
Girls Cross Country All-Conference
Alyssa Ella Drenga
Sofia Holovatska
Grace Smith
Boys Soccer All-Conference
Kyle Sullivan* All-State and All-Conference
Aadi Dey
Drew Monteserin
Ben Tortora
Owen Verzella
Girls Soccer
Emerson Iacovelli
Megan Martin
Field Hockey
Julia Craig
Sophie Finer
Football
Joe Della Ripa
Nathan Tenney
Girls Swimming
Luciana Figueiredo, Alyssa Nguyen, Anamitra Rawat, & Amber Zeng, Medley Relay
Amber Zeng - Inter-Medley
Luciana Figueiredo, Alyssa Nguyen, Katherine Vieira, & Amber Zeng - 200 Free Relay
Amber Zeng - Breast Stroke
Girls Volleyball
Sarah Eldredge
Blossom Iweka
Olivia Liegl
Message from SWHS Family Engagement Specialist
Volunteering During the Holidays as a Family
The holiday season provides for a great opportunity for families to get together to give back to their community. There are a number of charities that work to address the needs that go unfulfilled throughout the community, whether it be food, shelter, toys, or other necessities.
Giving, especially during the holiday season, is a selfless act that can greatly benefit the community that you live in. Research shows that giving back can lead to improved physical and mental health. Volunteering can help with the effects of stress, anxiety and depression. It can also help you feel confident while providing a sense of purpose. Volunteering as a family is a great way to bring you all closer together while also giving back to another family that is in need.
Here are a few volunteer ideas:
- Sponsor a Family: Your family can adopt a local family or get matched with a family in need by a local agency. When you sponsor a family, you can assist in getting them gifts and necessities.
- Pass the cards: Work together as a family to make homemade cards to donate to local nursing homes, Veteran’s hospitals, or children’s hospitals.
- Local Projects: Some local organizations need volunteers to help them collect food, blankets and clothing while others may need volunteers to help them pack up supplies for a drive.
- Pay a visit: There are over 3 million people confined to hospitals and care facilities who do not receive visitors. Your family can help change this by sharing your time with someone.
- Toy Drive: Many local organizations collect unwrapped toys to provide to families in need. Your family can find a local agency or Toy for Tots location to donate toys.
Volunteer Opportunities available this holiday season:
- Connecticut Foodshare - Hartford County
- Cornerstone Soup Kitchen - Vernon
- Salvation Army - Throughout CT
- Susan B. Anthony (Sponsor A Family) - Torrington
- Hands-On-Hartford - Hartford
- Project Santa - Windsor
- Connecticut Children’s Hospital - Hartford
- Toys for Tots - Various Locations
Your family can also be creative by creating your own food or toy drive to donate goods to your local agency. You can also collect blankets, hats and gloves along with friends and give to your local shelter.
Additional Information for families in need:
2022 Holiday Toy Giveaway
Saturday, December 17
Hartford City Hall: 11AM - 2PM
Registration will begin at UCONN Hartford
10 Prospect St at 10AM
Message from SWHS Social Workers
Attendance Overview: Regular and punctual student attendance in school is essential to the educational process. Connecticut state law places responsibility for ensuring that students attend school with the parent or other person having control of the child. Connecticut state law requires parents to make sure that their children between the ages of 5 to 18 attend school regularly.
Reporting an Absence or Dismissal: There are two options for reporting a school absence...
- By Telephone. Parents may report an absence by calling the school’s attendance line, and providing the student’s full name, reason for the absence, and a phone number where the parent/guardian can be reached. (Telephone reporting should be followed up with written documentation, as described below, in order for an absence to be considered Excused);
- ECollect through Parent Portal. Parents may fill out the Attendance Form through ECollect in Parent Portal to report a child who will be absent or late for any reason.
Additional information and specifics regarding attendance can be found in the 2022-2023 Student/Parent Handbook.
Chronic Absenteeism. A student whose total number of absences at any time during a school year is equal to or greater than ten percent of the total number of days that such student has been enrolled at such school during the school year is considered to be a “chronically absent child.” (For example, a student enrolled for the entire 182-day school year would be considered chronically absent if he/she was absent for 18 days or more.) Such a student will be subject to review by the attendance review team and the chronic absenteeism prevention and intervention plan developed by the State Department of Education.
Truancy. Any student between the ages of 5 to 18 who has four (4) unexcused absences in one month or ten (10) unexcused absences in a school year will be considered truant. Truancy may be cause for disciplinary action or involvement with state agencies.
School Social Workers
Heather Brindisi hbrindisi@swindsor.k12.ct.us
Saraphina Mwangi smwangi@swindsor.k12.ct.us
Please complete the brief Feedback Form (Parent Feedback Form)
SW Veterans Banner Program
The South Windsor Veterans Banner Program recognizes veterans currently living in our community for their service. The program is overseen by the South Windsor Patriotic Commission and a student from South Windsor High School, whose idea conceived the project. The organizers strongly believe it is important for current and future generations to understand sacrifices made by veterans enable our freedoms today. To date, 48 veterans from WWII and the Korean and Vietnam Wars have been honored with banners displayed from Memorial Day through Veterans Day at the South Windsor Community Center and South Windsor Town Hall.
Plans are underway for 2023 nominees. If you know of any veteran from these eras who is a current resident of South Windsor who is willing to be nominated, please call Patriotic Commission members Herb Asplund (860-644-0881) or Daria Plummer (860-432-8403). Please use the following link for information.
Important Dates/Events
Early Dismissal: Monday, December 5 (Dismissal at 11:25 am)
Winter Choral Concert: Wednesday, December 7 @ 7:00 pm (snow date: December 8)
Early Dismissal: Monday, December 12 (Dismissal at 11:25 am)
Winter Band Concert: Wednesday, December 14 @ 7:00 pm (snow date: December 16)
Winter Orchestra Concert: Thursday, December 15 @ 7:00 pm (snow date: December 16)
Early Dismissal: Friday, December 23 (Dismissal at 11:25 am)
Winter Recess: No school December 26 - January 2