Bobcat Bulletin
SWHS Newsletter November 2020
Welcome to the Bobcat Bulletin!
Message from the Principal
Dear SWHS Families,
It is hard to believe but approximately 25% of the school year is completed and, albeit strange, a routine has developed for both students and faculty and staff. I am grateful for the extremely hard work the SWHS teachers continue to do in order to educate and support our students during this challenging time. Similarly, I continue to be grateful for the efforts and hard work of our student body—students are trying to manage their classes, make the best out of the present situation, and continue to demonstrate resilience and a positive outlook regarding this very unique school year.
Please know that though these are challenging times, providing the highest quality education in a supportive and safe environment continues to be our goal. To this end, I wanted to update SWHS families on a couple of important items as we begin the second quarter...
Lesson Duration: As you know, teachers have been simultaneously providing instruction to those students who are attending classes in person and to those who are attending virtually. During the first marking period, many teachers were providing instruction through a “gradual release model.” Essentially, teachers would provide a concentrated lesson (10 – 20 minutes) and then release students to work independently (or in groups) on an assignment/activity for the remainder of a class. While this model will continue to be utilized, with an increased comfort level by both teachers and students of our present learning environment, the amount of direct instruction per lesson will increase in the days and weeks ahead in many classes. The amount of time may vary from course to course, but I wanted to ensure families were aware of this.
Late Work Submission: For the first marking period, two “checkpoints” were allowed for students to submit late work to their teachers without penalty—the midpoint of the quarter (for all assignments given in the first half of the marking period), and the end of the quarter (for all assignments given during the second half of the marking period). This was designed to provide for an adjustment period for both students and teachers at the beginning of the year and to account for potential hardship circumstances as experienced by families during this unprecedented time.
For the second marking period, late work will no longer be accepted two weeks after the original due date of an assignment (not surpassing the conclusion of the marking period). The intent of this modification is to encourage our students to stay as current as possible with work completion in order to maximize success with culminating projects, assessments, and learning activities. At the same time, we hope this flexibility is helpful for those experiencing hardships as a result of our challenging circumstances. If students are experiencing hardships or difficulties, we encourage direct communication with their classroom teachers or school counselors to see how we can be of assistance.
November & December Calendar: Early next week, SWHS families will be provided an updated November calendar containing the virtual bell schedule for Monday, November 23rd and Tuesday, November 24th. In addition, a December calendar will be provided reflecting the incorporation of classes on Wednesdays (beginning the week of November 30th).
Thank you again for your support and partnership in what continues to be a very unique school year experience for all. Be well, be safe, and be Bobcat Strong!
Frank Rizzuto
This issue contains information on the following topics:
- School Counseling News
- Library Media Center News
- Athletics News
- South Windsor Operation Graduation (SWOG) Fundraiser Information
- Veteran's Day Recognition 2020
- Good News: Congratulations to Emily Clifford
- Native American Heritage Month
- Tech Tips & Links
- COVID-19 SW Board of Education Policies
- Chartwells Information
School Counseling News
PSAT scores will be available to students in grades 9, 10 & 11 on December 8, 2020. To access scores, students should log into their CollegeBoard account and view their score report. School counselors will be giving score reporting lessons later this school year outlining score relevance, and ways to improve one’s score for future CollegeBoard testing. Students should avoid creating a 2nd/duplicate CollegeBoard account, as it will create many difficulties later in the student’s high school career. It is highly recommended that students exhaust the forgot username/password feature if they are unsure if they have a CollegeBoard account.
School Counseling will offer the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) test on December 9, 2020. This career exploration inventory is the US military's skill assessment test, which helps students reveal their strengths for careers within and outside the military. This test is free, takes approximately 2.5 hours, and will include a distribution/explanation of results later this school year. Interested students should contact their school counselor as soon as possible, as space is limited.
Mrs. Laurie Carty in the Career Center has created a School Counseling blog in which she posts updated COVID-19 related policies and opportunities sent to her from agencies such as CollegeBoard, local universities, military branches, various employers, etc. Mrs. Carty also includes helpful student information and building based announcements. Please add the blog to your favorites at https://swhscounseling.blogspot.com
Library Media Center News
The Library Media Center Virtual Library provides students with access to over 40 paid subscription databases. Visit the library homepage to access these great resources for research. Need to cite your sources? All students have accounts with our citation manager NoodleTools. Look for the app in Drive. Remember to select South Windsor High School when updating your profile. Tutorials for how to cite in NoodleTools can be found on the library homepage or email Mrs. McCool for help.
Looking for a good book to read? Check out the newest ebooks and audiobooks available for download on the library media center homepage. Email Mrs. McCool with any questions or requests.
Athletics News
Fall Athletics Update: The fall athletic regular-season has concluded and teams are finishing up their regional postseason experience this week. The post-season afforded all sports two guaranteed games, (with the exception of cross country and girls swimming/diving as noted below).
Girls Cross Country record was 2-5 and Boys Cross Country had a record of 1-6. Both teams competed in a postseason dual meet with Tolland on Saturday 11/7 and had their times compared with the other 7 schools in our region.
Field Hockey finished with a regular-season record of 7-5.
Girls Soccer finished the regular-season with a 9-2 record and won their first postseason game vs RHAM 2-1. They will now take on #1 seed Glastonbury on Friday 11/13.
Boys Soccer finished with a 5-2-5 record and lost two close postseason games to East Hartford (3-2) and Manchester (2-1).
Girls Swimming/Diving Team had a record of 4-1 and had a postseason dual meet @ Windsor Locks Pool for our swimmers on 11/11 and an 11/11 Dive Meet vs Windsor at Star Hill Pool in Tolland. Times and scores were compared to the other schools in our region to determine placement.
Girls Volleyball had an 11-1 regular-season record and won their first postseason match vs. Tolland 3-1. They will take on #1 seed RHAM on Friday, 11/13 at 5:00 pm.
Football participated in the regional 7 on 7 touch football league which consisted of 6 games over six weeks. It also allowed for some lineman combine activities.
SWHS Cheerleading performed this fall at boys’ and girls’ soccer games as well as our home 7 on 7 touch football game vs. Glastonbury.
South Windsor Operation Graduation (SWOG) Fundraiser Information
Veteran's Day 2020
In recognition of Veterans Day this year, students at SWHS viewed a virtual Veterans Day ceremony in all Social Studies classes on 11/10 and 11/12. Additionally, students had the opportunity to view and listen to pre-recorded interviews with Veterans in the community. This opportunity was made possible due to an on-going partnership with the South Windsor Patriotic Commission and the American Legion Post 133. Thank you to all of the Veterans in our community and beyond for your service and sacrifice!
To access our Veteran's Day portion of the website (which includes a Veteran's Day video), please CLICK HERE.
Congratulations to SWHS English Teacher Emily Clifford!
Congratulations Ms. Clifford!
National Native American Heritage Month
November 1st marked the commencement of the celebration of National Native American Heritage Month nationally, and in the South Windsor Public Schools. In honor of that we’d like to acknowledge and honor the Podunk people’s and the homeland that we gather on daily when we attend our schools, as students, staff, and a community. This land acknowledgement is something that is traditionally done by indigenous peoples to honor their territories and land as a way to pay respect to the history and tradition of their ancestors.
Mary Lyons of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe stated: “When we talk about land, land is part of who we are. It’s a mixture of our blood, our past, our current, and our future. We carry our ancestors in us, and they’re around us. As you all do.” As we move forward as a district grounded in equity and inclusion, it’s important that we celebrate our history in a way that honors those that came before us, and those that have been historically marginalized. This month will give us an opportunity to reflect, honor, and celebrate our Native Americans and indigenous peoples, and what they mean to us as Americans.
Our schools will be celebrating the month through their morning announcements, literature, activities, and programming. We ask you, and hope that you will take time to reflect, and research not just the Podunk People on whose land we stand, but other indigenous people in our country. Consider their sacrifices, their struggles, past and present, and how we, as a community can help uplift the awareness of these struggles in order to better educate our students as social change agents.
Thank you,
Tech Tips & Links
COVID-19 SW Board of Education Policies
Please be advised that on September 22, 2020, the South Windsor Board of Education approved and adopted a COVID-19 Temporary Policy Packet which serves to temporarily amend existing policies and administrative regulations. The introductory policy entitled “Policy Concerning the Temporary Policies and Regulations Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic” authorizes the temporary amendment and addition of these policies with certain sunset dates. The new COVID-19 policies will control in cases where there is a conflict between the existing policies and adopted temporary policies. Unless otherwise indicated, all of the following temporary policies expire on June 30, 2021. The policies can be viewed on the district’s website.”
Chartwells Information
Please CLICK HERE for more information on free breakfast and lunches for all SW students.