Weekly Cougar News
ConVal High School Happenings - October 9, 2020
Message From Principal McKillop
Please remember that on Monday, October 12, students will not be attending classes due to the Columbus Day holiday.
On Tuesday, October 13, we are excited to welcome into the building all Gold Cohort students who have decided to join us for in-person learning.
As a reminder, if a student has a class outside, please make sure they have checked the weather and are wearing the appropriate attire for the elements.
Teachers continue to do a great job engaging with students in-person and those at home learning remotely. Our students have been AMAZING adjusting to the changes the year has presented. Please see the web post here.
On campus, we had a great week utilizing our new tents for outdoor learning. I have included some pictures below. Please see also the web post here.
Have a great weekend!
Heather
Email: conval.highschool@conval.edu
Website: cvhs.convalsd.net
Location: 184 Hancock Road, Peterborough, NH, USA
Phone: (603) 924-3869
Reminder: Wednesday, October 14, 2020 will be a remote day for all students except for 12th grade students who will take the SAT
Upcoming Important Dates:
- October 12, 2020 - Columbus Day — no classes for students, PD for teachers
- October 14, 2020 - SAT Testing- REMOTE LEARNING DAY FOR ALL OTHER STUDENTS
- October 17, 2020 - PSAT Testing
- October 21, 2020 - Viewing of Upstanders
- October 22, 2020 - NHHEAF Financial Aid Virtual Presentation
- October 29, 2020 - Gold Cohort Picture Day (see below for more information)
- November 5, 2020 - Blue Cohort Picture Day (see below for more information)
Reminders to our ConVal students
- Tuesday, October 13: All of the Gold cohorts students come to school.
- A reminder to ALL STUDENTS & FAMILIES: The SATs are being held for 12th graders on Wednesday, October 14, at ConVal High School. For students not testing that day, it will be a remote learning day.
- Please remind your student to have their Chromebook fully charged for their school day.
- Please remind your student to check emails regularly for updates from their teachers.
- If your student has a class outdoors, please remind them to dress appropriately as temperatures may vary.
- All students should wear a face covering (mask).
- Please help remind students that when on campus they should physically distance.
School Picture Information
School pictures will be taken at ConVal High School by Lifetouch Photos on October 29 (Gold Cohort students) and November 5 (Blue Cohort students).
Please mark your student's day on your calendar. Lifetouch will be sending out emails with information on ordering picture packets.
Please see the below schedule for school photos:
October 29
- 8:00 am – 12:00 noon - All Gold Cohort students
- 12:00 noon – 2:00 pm - Remote Students designated in the Gold Cohort; this includes students who live in Peterborough, Sharon, Dublin, and Temple.
November 5
- 8:00 am – 12:00 noon - All Blue Cohort Students
- 12:00 noon – 2:00 pm - Remote Students designated in the Blue Cohort; this
includes students who live in Antrim, Bennington, Francestown, Greenfield, Hancock, and Tuition
Students.
Remote students must provide their own transportation and come during their scheduled time. Students will only be allowed to enter the designated outdoor photo area. After their photo has been taken, students must leave the premises.
Class of 2024 Fundraiser
The CVHS Class of 2024 is looking forward to holding many amazing activities and events over our four years at ConVal. Please help the class by supporting them with purchase of a CVHS mask! You can order online and have them shipped to your home or to the school. Plans are in the works for personalizing the masks in a physically distanced way. If you’re interested in purchasing a mask, please go to the class fundraiser's Custom Ink site. Thank you!
School Counseling Department
Mental Health Trilogy
In conjunction with Stand Up with Courage day, and October being Anti-Bullying month, the mental health trilogy series kicks off with Upstanders, a documentary that highlights the power of resilience and connection to combat bullying – followed by a panel discussion. Parents are strongly urged to view the films with their student. The film and panel discussion will be streamed on Wednesday, Oct. 21st at 6pm. To learn more about the program and to register for the viewing click here.
Stand Up with Courage
Wear orange on October 21 to Stand Up with Courage in solidarity against injustice, hatred, bullying, violence. Whatever the cause that moves you, we’re asking students and staff to wear orange to show strength, courage, and solidarity.
SATs Wednesday, October 14
All seniors, aside from those who have opted out from testing, are schedule to take the SATs on Wednesday. All students that are not testing (including grades 9-11) will have a remote learning day on the 14th. Blue Cohort students must be in their testing rooms by 7:30, so should plan to be on campus by 7:15 in order to be screened. Gold Cohort students need to be in their testing rooms by 8:45, so should plan to arrive on campus by 8:30. Testing will end at 1:00 and 2:15 for the two groups, respectively. Students with approved testing accommodations will be testing with those accommodations unless otherwise arranged. All students will receive a separate email with details about test day, including test room location, what to bring, etc. Students should review the SAT Student Guide here.
PSATs Saturday, October 17
Registration has closed for the PSAT that will be taking place on Saturday, October 17. Payment for the test ($17) was due by Friday, October 9. We will continue to accept payment on Monday in the counseling office, any student who we have not receive payment for by Monday will not be able to test. A detailed email will be going out at the beginning of the week with more information regarding the test date. Students testing should review the PSAT student guide that can be found here.
Remote Only Students taking the SAT or PSAT
Remote-only students intending to take the SAT or the PSAT will be grouped in testing rooms with their geographically based cohort and will report to the building at the same time as students from their cohort. Again, detailed information will be going directly to students regarding test day logistics.
Naviance College Visits
College Admissions Reps are actively meeting with students via virtual college visits that they schedule exclusively for ConVal High School students through Naviance. Juniors and Seniors should be reviewing the list of college visits and signing up for virtual visits for colleges that interest them. These meetings are held in a small group format with the admission representative who reads applications for our high school – so it’s a great opportunity to ask questions, demonstrate interest, and learn more about the colleges. Students should log into their Naviance Account here. To access College Visits click “Colleges” > “Research Colleges” > “College Visits”. Once signing up, the link to access the virtual visit is sent to students 15 minutes prior to the session. Some upcoming college visits include: Franklin Pierce University, Plymouth State University, Rivier University, Stonehill College, the University of Maine, and the University of New England. For more information or help with Naviance Login, students should see their school counselor.
Region 14 ATC
Engineering Students Create Cement Boats
Engineering instructor Karen Fabianski shows her students that, what some may call impossible, actually IS possible when you know the impact process and design make. Case in point: her Engineering II and III students are in the process of building cement boats that will (hopefully) float.
Fabianski says: “Students in Engineering are exploring the concept of using unorthodox materials to build water faring vessels. This concept was first introduced to me about ten years ago after visiting the University of New Hampshire Engineering program. Students there were building cement boats. I thought 'what a great idea,' and used this as a fun way to investigate aeronautics and fluid dynamics (displacement and buoyancy data collection) to high school students."
"After doing a bit of research trying to bridge the academic world with the 'real world,' I learned that building cement ocean-faring vessels is a real thing. In both World War I and World War II, cement ships were produced versus steel ones due to the depletion of steel used to build firearms and equipment for US and allied forces.”
Both in-person and remote students are participating in the project. All students received a plastic case with the required materials. Students were also issued a laptop, purchased with Perkins funding, that allows them to use SolidWorks, a solid modeling computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE) computer program that is used in industry.
Students are getting a lot out of the project, too. Senior James McGuiness said, “While assembling the project, it had me thinking about the history behind it, specifically the world war. When we used all our steel and nothing to make boats out of, they had the revolutionary idea of using old technology with new. And in making these concrete boats by studying buoyancy and how air pockets interact with water, we opened up new paths to alternatives in many fields.”
Senior Caleb Engaldo agreed: “The cement boats show that floating isn't based on the material's density; it's about how you spread it out along the surface area of the boat.”
See the photos immediately below that chronicle some of the engineering design process.
Cement Boat Design
Cement Boat Design
Cement Boat Design
Applied Technology Center (ATC) Scholarship Opportunities
2020 Horatio Alger Career & Technical Scholarship - up to $2,500 - deadline: October 15, 2020 at noon
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Vocational Scholarship provides an opportunity for American high school graduating seniors to spend the year after graduation in Germany. This opportunity offers students a chance to pursue vocational interests, such as:
Architecture
Culinary Arts
Education
Engineering
Veterinary Science
Graphic Design
Information Technology
Health Care
International Business
Forestry
Applications are due January 15, 2021. See Mrs. Kiley if you need assistance.
Wood Working
Digital Photography
Welding
Running Start Program
Running Start Enrollments Begin Soon
One of the exciting opportunities available to students of ConVal High School and the Region 14 Applied Technology Center is the option to take dual enrollment or Running Start classes where students earn transcripted college credit at the same time that they earn their high school credit. Students who elect the Running Start option will be following a curriculum that matches with the related course taught at either Manchester or Nashua Community College.
This year students will be viewing a recorded presentation from the community college with their class in early October. At that point, they will be given information to sign up online for the Running Start credit.
The tuition is covered by the ConVal School District. Students and their parents/guardians must opt in to earn the credit. Registrations will close on October 30, and there will be no retroactive enrollments. Credit is available only to students in grades 10-12.
For the Fall semester, the following classes are eligible for Running Start credit:
AP Biology is being offered this school year for Running Start credit, not AP Chemistry.
AP Calculus
Automotive Technology II (at Mascenic High School)
Careers in Education I
Careers in Education II
College Composition
Computer Networking I
Computer Programming & Software Development I
Engineering I
Engineering II
Engineering III
Graphic Design II
Human Growth and Development