Weekly Cougar News
ConVal High School Happenings - October 8, 2021
Message From Principal McKillop
We have finished our first full week of October as a school community. We have had active classrooms that have been engaged in some wonderful work. Please see stories below on the following classes: Automotive Tech II, AP Language, Biology, German IV, and Aesthetics and Ideas. Our students and teachers are working hard every day as we partner together to challenge ourselves, grow, and learn.
Outside of the classroom, our students are active in the community and on campus through various clubs and activities. I look forward to attending the fall festival co-hosted by the classes of 2022 and 2023 outside on campus tomorrow at 4:00pm.
Please consider attending one of the in-person productions of Infinite Black Suitcase presented by ConVal Theatre Arts. Information on how to order tickets in advance is included below.
As a reminder, next Monday is a professional development day for all staff. We look forward to welcoming students back to the building on Tuesday, October 12.
We have many home athletic games on campus today. Best of luck to all teams!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Heather
Email: conval.highschool@conval.edu
Website: cvhs.convalsd.net
Location: 184 Hancock Road, Peterborough, NH, USA
Phone: (603) 924-3869
Upcoming Important Dates
October 9, 2021 - Fall Festival 4-6pm on JV Field (see below)
October 11, 2021 - Professional Development Day (no school for students)
October 13, 2021 - PSAT / National Merit Scholarship Test
October 21, 2021 - CVHS Drama Production 7:00pm (see below for details)
October 22, 2021 - CVHS Drama Production 3:00 & 7:00pm (see below for details)
October 23, 2021 - CVHS Drama Production 7:00pm (see below for details)
October 26, 2021 - Picture retake day
October 29, 2021 - Deadline to register for the Community College DualEnroll
Fall Festival (This Saturday)
The event will take place on the JV Field and all ConVal students are welcome. If you would like to bring a guest that is not a ConVal student you may pick up a form from the main office, which is available as of today.
Please come and join the fun!
ATC: Automotive Tech 11 Class
Students in the Automotive Technician II course at Mascenic have been focused lately on completing the frame build of the SWITCH electric vehicle. While not yet drive-able, the students are well on their way to building a road-worthy vehicle!
ATC: Running Start Information
Students participating in Running Start classes with the Community College System of NH have started the process of registering to earn college credit through DualEnroll.com. The deadline for the registration for DualEnroll is Friday, October 29, 2021. Students watched this video in their classes with their teacher to get the ball rolling; if you are new to Running Start and dual enrollment, you should watch too. Patrick McGinnis of Nashua Community College explains the whole process. Parents/guardians do need to approve their student’s participation, so watch your emails for this step; your students will be entering in the parents’ email addresses. Please remember: Running Start classes are free, and you will not be billed. The first two RS classes a student takes this year that are either STEM or CTE are covered through the Governor’s Scholarship. After this, the cost is paid for by the ConVal School Board.
Counseling Information/Update
- As you look over the last few months, what has your child accomplished that has been a real highlight?
- What challenges or struggles have you observed your child facing? Are you able to think of an example of a time when your child was faced with a challenge and he/she was able to successfully resolve the issue on his/her own?
- How do you know when you need to step in, be supportive or let children struggle and find solutions on their own?
- What are some of the values you have worked to pass along to your children? How have you seen your child practice/develop those values over time?
Next week we will share information about another ASCA Mindset!
ConVal Theatre Arts Production
Athletic and Co-Curricular Information/Updates
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s NH Tackles Hunger event. The ConVal community donated 822 pounds of food and $233.00 to the Peterborough Food Pantry.
Congratulations to volleyball player Emma Rodenhiser, field hockey player MacKenzie Anderson and soccer player Jake Daniels for being named "Keene Sentinel Players of the Week" this season.
All of our fall athletic schedules & updates can be found on the ConVal athletics website. Please come out and support our athletes and their coaches.
FamilyID is open for winter sports registration. Please click here to register.
If you have any questions, please contact Director of Athletics and Co-Curriculars
John Reitnauer at jreitnauer@conval.edu.
AP Language Students Present their Name-Drop Astonishments
Mrs. Cooper’s AP Language students presented their Name-Drop assignments to their classmates this week. Inspired by the advice of writer Annie Dillard, “You were made and set here to give voice to this, your own astonishment,” each student explored the works of a particular, famous creative person to determine that artist’s astonishment. This could be any recurring theme, stylistic technique, or something that fascinated the artist. The artists whom the students researched and their astonishments included: Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift (vivid storytelling), YouTuber Jake Paul (the importance of being well behaved and having good manners), Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman (justice and unity), and Musician Thomas Rhett (the value of family). Below are Slides from Eva Calcutt’s presentation about one of her favorite musicians and songwriters, Noah Kahan.
Class of 2022 Pasta Fundraiser
Please consider buying pasta to support the class!
If you would like to place an order,
please click here
and if you have any questions or concerns contact aharris@conval.edu.
The fundraiser will end this Sunday, October 10, 2021.
Biology Class Assesses Freshman Pond Ecology
Over a two-day period, students in Mr. Stetzer’s Biology class conducted an assessment of Freshman Pond as part of their study of ecology and ecosystems.
The first day was devoted to a chemical analysis of the water quality. On the second day, students sampled for macroinvertebrates.
“In the end, we are comparing the tested elements of water quality — the chemical testing — with species richness, i.e. the amount of critters we found,” said Stetzer. “We want to see if Freshman Pond is a vibrant ecosystem, or if it’s one with little diversity.”
ConVal High School Online School Store
The ConVal School Store has an online sale until Thursday, October 21, 2021. Click here to place your order from Blueberry Hill Design Works.
Visitors can find everything from ConVal-branded t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants and joggers, jackets and anoraks, hoodies (flipover and scuba-style), hats, camo caps, and even a CV-branded face masks!
Fall orders are accepted until Thursday, October 21, 2021. After that date, all ordered apparel is printed or embroidered, and completed orders will be delivered to ConVal High School.
Class Zooms With Engineers In Germany To Learn Coding
Frau Hodgdon’s German 4 class recently had a unique learning opportunity, thanks to an initiative by the German Goethe Institute and PASCH, Germany’s “Schools: Partners for the Future” program.
Live-linked via Zoom to engineers and app developers in Germany, students learned to code — in German — Calliope mini-computers using the Open Roberta® Lab app creation software.
ConVal High School was one of just three schools across the nation to receive class sets of Calliope mini computers. The Roberta® open source development platform uses drag-and-drop instructions which allow students to put together complex programming steps in an intuitive and easy-to-execute way.
National Custodian Day
MacDowell Fellow Speaks To Aesthetics & Ideas Class
Chana Porter is an emerging playwright, speculative novelist, and education activist. She talked to the class about her work and her own educational pathway. She received her undergraduate degree from Hampshire College before undertaking non-residential graduate studies at Goddard College so she could continue writing. Her current interest is the development of a screenwriting project in Los Angeles.
According to the New York Times, Porter “uses incongruity and exaggeration to suggest some midnight-dark truths about human life and endeavor.” Her most recent work is the novel The Seep (2020), a unique alien invasion story that focuses on the human element and the myriad ways in which we see, and do not see, our own world.
Class of 2024 News
This is the last week to support the Class of 2024 through our Rada Cutlery Catalog fundraiser, which ends October 15! The catalog includes cutlery, dips & seasonings, and other kitchen gear. Your purchase supports the students by helping fund class activities, including big senior events like prom and the senior trip. The class keeps 40% of what they sell! Please consider doing some holiday shopping for yourself and family and supporting the Class of 2024 at the same time!
The Class of 2024 is excited to serve the community that supports us, and we hope you will be too! Join us in community service Sunday, October 24 starting at 10:30 AM as we clean the stretch of highway near the high school. Interested students can sign up with their TASC teachers; families are welcome too! Vests and bags are provided; participants may want to bring their own gloves, bug spray, and “trash grabbers.”
“Shoe Us Your Love” Shoe Drive To Support Dollars For Scholars
Do you have shoes, sneakers, and boots you are looking to get rid of?
ConVal Community Dollars for Scholars will be running a shoe drive from Monday, October 4 to Wednesday, November 17.
Our goal is to collect 50 bags with 25 pairs of shoes per bag! All money raised from this fundraiser will help us to award scholarships to those who have faced life challenges and demonstrate a financial need. So clean out your closets and make a difference locally and globally. Thank you!
Chris Heider (cheider@conval.edu) and Rebecca Dunn (rdunn@conval.edu) serve on the Board of Directors for ConVal Community Dollars for Scholars and are happy to answer any questions you might have.
NWEA Testing Rescheduled To Thursday, October 14
CVHS Holiday Craft Fair
The CVHS Class of 2022 is pleased to continue the tradition of hosting a holiday craft fair here at the high school. The event will take place on Saturday, November 13 from 9-2, with vendor set-up beginning at 7 AM.
We welcome crafters and makers of all sorts as well as direct sales vendor. Please note: we will only accept one vendor from each company, first registered, first served.
Costs for registration and additional services are as follows:
*6'x10' space - $30
*10'x12' space - $50
*Table rental - $10 per table (Tables will be placed in your assigned space prior to your arrival.)
*Preferential placement (to include access to electricity, specific space preferences, etc. This will be accommodated as available; if we can't accommodate your preference, this fee will be returned) - $20
*Assistance moving your supplies into and out of your assigned space - $10
Fees are payable via cash or checks made out to the CVHS Class of 2022 only. We plan to have a food court available at the event.
Interested in reserving your space? Please fill out this form or use the above QR code. If you have any questions, please email Jen Kiley at jkiley@conval.edu