It’s that time of year; time to think about summer reading!
Depending on whether you are enrolled in a college prep or honors/UConn English class for the 2019-2020 school year,
you will be responsible for reading either one or two books over the summer and taking high quality notes to be used in
a Socratic Seminar. It is crucial you do this assignment well, since your summer reading Socratic seminar(s) will be your
first grade for the 2019-2020 school year.
Enjoy your summer reading, and get off to a great start for the new school year!
Assigned texts:
Incoming Freshman (Current 8th Graders)
Incoming Sophomores (Current Freshman)
Incoming Juniors (Current Sophomores)
Incoming Seniors (Current Juniors)
You are free to use any edition of the assigned texts, including Kindle or e-books. The town library has many copies of
these texts. If you wish to purchase a text, you may do that as well.
Whatever edition of the text you read, use the 2019 Summer Reading Socratic Seminar Packet to complete your notes for the Socratic seminar.
Students recently attended a "College Experience Day" and were able to visit the video production booth.
Great job by the WHS Concert Band and the WMS 8th Grade Band on their collaborative performance on Wednesday, March 13 - bravo to all!
Chorus student Linda Nelson auditioned and was selected to perform in the Treble Choir at the CMEA Southern Region Music Festival. Linda sang on January 12th and had an outstanding performance!
Each year, two high school students are recognized by the Superintendents’ organization, CAPSS, for leadership, scholarship, and community service. The two deserving high school students are Katelyn Wallace and Finian McGannon. These students were recognized on November 26th at a luncheon at the Saybrook Point Inn.
Westbrook High Teen Leadership/School Climate Students presented at the National Education Association New England Aspiring Educators' Conference on Sunday, October 21st at the Heritage Hotel in Southbury, CT.
The 9th grade attended Camp Hazen for a team building and leadership skills training program.
The Science Club shows off their cardboard boat for the UConn Cardboard Boat competition.
Westbrook High School is committed to educating all students to achieve their unique potential as 21-st century learners. Faculty and staff value collaboration and reflection in order to provide instruction that engages all students in an equitable learning environment.
Westbrook High School believes that students learn best when they are actively engaged in their learning experiences and encouraged by a safe, supportive school climate that nurtures social connections, emotional well-being, academic skills, and personal integrity.
Students will meet expectations by:
Academic
Social
Civic
Bus routes have been made available within the parent and student portal of PowerSchool. To view this information, please login to the PowerSchool portal and and look for the section labeled "Bus Information" on the main screen. For bus route questions, please contact the main office of the school where your child is enrolled.
July 1 presents us with many new laws. Of those that are effective on July 1, the laws briefly described below, referencing sunscreen and access to HIV prevention drugs, impact the health and well-being of our school-aged children.
Sunscreen for school children
Students who are 6 and older will now be allowed to carry and apply sunscreen before outdoor activities at school — provided they have a written note from a parent or guardian. Prior law treated sunscreen the same as other over-the-counter medications, meaning it required a doctor’s note and had to be administered by the school nurse. “Use of sunscreen at a young age is a critical and necessary component of skin cancer prevention,” the SUNucate Coalition, which advocated in favor of the bill, wrote to legislators. Connecticut joins 22 other states that have similar laws, according to the group.
Youth access to HIV prevention drugs
Minors will no longer need parental consent to obtain HIV prevention medication, commonly referred to as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, and sold under the brand name Truvada. State law already allowed minors to be treated for HIV or AIDS without their parents being notified. Youth ages 13-24 account for 22 percent of all new HIV infections in the U.S., according to Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan, one of the bill’s chief sponsors. If youth are required to receive parental consent to obtain PrEP “we are effectively requiring that they choose between their right to privacy and their right to medical treatment,” Rep. Jeff Currey, an East Hartford Democrat and another co-sponsor of the bill, wrote in testimony submitted to state legislators.
Dear Westbrook Families:
A very recent sighting of a small bat in the lower parking lot of Daisy Ingraham reminds us that there are simple steps to follow to be safe when any small or large animals or birds are found to be out of their habitat, sick or infirmed. The first step is never to approach or touch any unfamiliar animal or bird and to report its presence to the authorities. While we have had no reports of any children or parents touching the bat in the parking lot, the potential for any safety concerns prompts us to share the information that our medical professionals would advise. For more information regarding keeping yourself or your children safe when in the vicinity of any unfamiliar animals during the day or at night, please click on the link recommended by our medical professionals . Thank you.
https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html
Patricia A. Ciccone
Superintendent
860-399-6432
This past weekend, 49 WHS performing arts students traveled to New York City for three days of arts and culture. Among the highlights were an organ demonstration at St. John the Divine Cathedral, Mozart's Requiem performed by the NY Philharmonic at Lincoln Center, the 9/11 Museum and Freedom Tower Observatory, "Dear Evan Hansen" on Broadway, and a backstage tour of Radio City Music Hall. View the photo gallery at https://whs.westbrookctschools.org/2019_music_trip?fbclid=IwAR1_Wm4-lSWUC3-iv47lQRdJ-_wezz8tRtlw-QSgCD1A1b6Wu8bLR_0bneI.
The 2019-2020 School Year Calendar has been published. It is available at https://www.westbrookctschools.org/20192020_school_year_calendar or by clicking the "2019-2020 School Year Calendar" link in the calendar menu on the district website.
Regular School Day
(860) 399-6214
It is an honor to recognize Katie Wallace for her outstanding academic achievement and performance in the American Legion Oratorical Regional Competition. Katie has represented Westbrook High School for the past three years.
In October, Westbrook High School renewed its New England Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation. Read the newspaper article written about the visit, as well as NEASC's final report, both available below.
