Weekly Cougar News
ConVal High School Happenings - May 6, 2022
Message From Principal McKillop
We have celebrated staff this week for educator appreciation week. A BIG thank you to our parent volunteers for hosting a lovely luncheon for our staff today. There will be a piece about this in the newsletter next week with some photos. We are lucky to have a committed staff that go above and beyond to help our students!
I have enjoyed attending games on campus this week and attending the ConVal film festival last night with fellow administrators Jen Kiley, Deb Riley, and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Ann Forrest. The LHT was full, and I was so proud of our students! Please see more about the film festival included below.
When you scroll below you will see a new section of the newsletter that will be included whenever there are updates. The "parent corner" is authored by parent volunteer Melissa Gallagher. The first story highlights the FCVA (Friends of ConVal Athletics Association) and our school sports volunteers.
Please see some of the interesting things happening in our classrooms by reviewing the snapshots of the week from some of our classrooms included in this newsletter.
Happy early Mother's Day to all moms everywhere, for everything you do!
Best,
Heather
Table of Contents
- Upcoming Important Dates and Events
- ConVal Summer Academy
- Classrooms at ConVal
- Applied Technology Center Programs
- Athletic and Co-Curricular Updates
- May 12 ConVal Community Forum Agenda
- FCVA Sign Up!
- Con Val Senior Prom
- May School Counseling Center
- Featured Alumni
- Parent Volunteers for the Concession Stand
- Breakfast and Lunch Menus
- Covid 19 Update
Upcoming Important Dates and Events
- May 9: AP Calculus Exam
- May 10: AP English Language Exam
- May 10: AP Physics Exam
- May 11: National Technical Honor Society Induction
- May 12: AP World History Exam
- May 13: AP German Exam
- May 13: Great East Music Festival
ConVal Summer Academy
ConVal High School will be hosting Summer Academy again this summer! We are offering graduation requirement courses with a focus on hands-on, project-based assignments. Class sizes will be small, and students will have opportunities to be outside. Classes are free and will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
Here are the logistics:
Who: Students who struggled academically during the school year or who want to get a head start on the upcoming school year.
Where: ConVal High School
When: July 5 - August 4, 2022; Session 1 will run from 8-10 AM, and Session 2 will run from 10:15 AM-12:15 PM. Summer Boost will run Monday-Thursday, with the exception of the first week, which will start on a Tuesday.
How: Transportation and meals will be provided. Students will register for one or two sessions based on their needs. Buses will arrive prior to Session 1 and will depart after Session 2; there will be no mid-morning bus run.
Class descriptions and registration will be released next week, so be on the lookout!
Please direct questions to Mrs. Jen Kiley at jkiley@conval.edu.
Classrooms at ConVal
Snapshot of the week
May is Mental Health Awareness month, and school counselors Rebecca Dunn and Amanda Haley present the the SOS Signs of Suicide program to Ms. Carey’s and Mr. Gagne’s Block 2 Health and Wellness students on Tuesday. The SOS program focuses on the topic of suicide prevention with goal of teaching students how to seek help if they are concerned about themselves or a friend. The program teaches students about difficult topics and encourages them to seek help.
Algebra with Matt Harris
Students in Mr. Harris’s Algebra 1 Part 2 class were practicing their skills with solving quadratic equations using the quadratic formula. Some students urged Mr. Harris to play the quadratic formula song to the tune of “Pop Goes the Weasel”; he challenged them to continue to focus on building their skills through working their way through the problem with him on the board.
Into to Business - Deb Coyne
Students in Mrs. Coyne’s Introduction to Business class are working through a business community simulation in an exciting, integrated approach to reinforcing basic business concepts as well as developing student competencies in the areas of problem solving, decision making, adjusting to work pressures, developing a positive attitude on the job, and working with others. Some of the businesses included are a post office, bank, investment company, trucking company, newspaper, advertising agency, Clothing store, office supply store, telephone company, and a community center. Using templates on the computer and paper forms, the students will create invoices, purchase orders, business letters, freight bills, payroll registers, checks, and check registers. This fictional town has 15 different businesses that the students manage. The simulation gives students a broad view on the topics that will be covered in the five courses that are a part of the Business CTE program sequence.
Careers in Education - Sarah Grossi
Students in Careers in Education I explored the concept of student skill-building through art as they explored different stations in their classroom and considered how they might use the available materials to foster creativity with their students and also work on valuable fine motor skills. Students created collages, drew self portraits, and created new objects out of recyclable materials. Each station was connected to one of the NH Early Learning standards, which the students have worked with all year.
Film Festival with Lance Levesque
Students in Digital Video 2 shared their creative efforts with the community at the ConVal Film Festival during the evening of May 5. Visitors were invited to stroll the red carpet before the event began and show off their fancy wear. Audience members were then treated to short films including CommandBlockKid, California Dreamin’, and Trans Life. The films crossed multiple genres and elicited lots of laughs from the audience as well as some thoughtful moments. Also featured were three films selected by the board of judges for the NH High School Short Film Festival as outstanding in the field: Storrs Hill by sophomore Jennifer Hopkins, Everest to End Duchenne by senior Fletcher Maggs, and Second Chance Ranch by senior Caitlyn Witt. Only 23 films were chosen out of 81 submissions, and ConVal students created and directed three! Congratulations to all of the students for their hard work!
3D Studio Art
Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! Students in Mrs. Mitschmyer's 3D studio Art classes are working in teams to make giant bugs to be displayed at the Children and the Arts Festival on Saturday May 21st. Each team planned, collaborated, and constructed their giant bugs from wire, cardboard, and paper mache. Join us in the fun by completing the scavenger hunt for each bug the day of the festival.
Mr. Wickham's Band Class
Students in Mr. Wickham’s Band class are busy preparing for their Pops concert on May 26. Mr. Wickham took the time to work with the trumpet line Wednesday to capture the vibrancy of the song they were practicing. Junior, Zach Cassidy, is taking a turn at being a student conductor this year, an opportunity for him to both learn from and teach his peers.
Athletic and Co-Curricular Updates
All of our spring athletic schedules & updates can be found on the ConVal athletics website. Please come out and support our athletes and their coaches.
If you have any questions, please contact Director of Athletics and Co-Curriculars John Reitnauer at jreitnauer@conval.edu.
ConVal National Honor Society is hosting a paper product and cleaning supplies drive during the week of May 9th through the 13th. The students have organized a school-wide competition between TASC homerooms to see which homeroom can bring in the most paper products. These products include paper towels, tissues, toilet paper, as well as toothpaste, soaps, detergents, and more! These products will go to Shelter From the Storm, a Jaffrey-based organization aiming to provide support to the homeless. Please consider bringing in supplies to help out with our donation!
ConVal Community Forum #3
May 12th, 2022 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Please see agenda below.
Featured Alum: From ConVal to Vanderbilt — Hannah Garfinkle (Class of 2017)
After graduating from ConVal High School in June 2017, Hannah Garfinkle completed a Bachelor of Science degree at UNH. She currently works at Vanderbilt University as a Program Coordinator in the School of Medicine. There she collaborates with faculty members and healthcare professionals to offer interprofessional learning opportunities to over 80 students studying Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Counseling, and Social Work. To read more about Hannah (Hannah on right, with fellow ConVal alum Karlee Sell) and how ConVal prepared her for her career, click here.
Parent Volunteers helping at the ConVal Field Concession Stand
Parent Corner - By Melissa Gallagher
Hello ConVal Families! We're starting a parent/caregiver corner as a feature of the CVHS weekly newsletter with a focus on how parents can get involved and feel more connected to the activities at ConVal High School! My name is Melissa Gallagher, and I am a new parent to ConVal High School. I have been part of a group of parents meeting monthly with Heather McKillop and other administrators at the high school. One of our goals is to find ways to support the teachers, staff and administrators at the high school and give back in whatever way we can. On that note, I want to give a special shout-out and thank you to all of our teachers during this Teacher Appreciation Week!
This week's focus is on the Friends of ConVal Athletics Association and our school sports volunteers! Attending and supporting our athletes and games is a great way to give back and show community pride and spirit. I asked a few of the parent volunteers why they get involved and what they get out of it. ConVal parent Jeanne LaFleur, the FCVA fundraising chair summarizes it well: "It takes a village. "I want to make a difference for our students, staff and community". Parents Heather Whipple Simard and Carrie Klonel love the fun factor: Says Carrie: "It's fun to get to know other parents, watch other students grow and mature and help support the sports teams do some fun things outside of direct competition." Heather notes that you can make friends for a lifetime getting involved as a volunteer at the games! Jen Bergeron, FCVA Volunteer Chair summarizes, "It's a wonderful feeling to serve those cheering on our athletes while knowing that every dollar raised is going to our teams. I highly recommend everyone volunteer for at least 1 game. Again, it's social, rewarding & fun!"
If you want to learn more about getting involved as a volunteer with FCVA and supporting our student athletes, please contact Jen Bergeron at fcvavolunteer@gmail.com.
Stay tuned for our next feature!
Breakfast and Lunch Menus
COVID-19 Update
ConVal Regional High School
Location: 184 Hancock Road, Peterborough, NH 03458 (map)
Phone: (603) 924-3869
Email: conval.highschool@conval.edu
Website: cvhs.convalsd.net