Wolcott High School Newsletter

Wolcott High School - 457 Bound Line Road - Wolcott, CT 06716 (203) 879-8164 https://wps-pschool.wolcottps.org Mr. Joseph E. Monroe, Principal --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mr. Walter J. Drewry, Assistant Principal ----------------------------------------------- Issue II Mrs. Deborah Osvald, Assistant Principal ------------------------------------------ October 2015

WHS MISSION STATEMENT: To promote the academic, social, and emotional development of all

students to become contributing members of the global community.

Principal’s Message Dear Parents/Guardians and Students, As we turn the calendar to October, fall is in the air. I’d like to take a few minutes to talk about the many good things that are happening at Wolcott High School. I want to thank all the parents who attended our Back to School Night. This was an excellent opportunity to talk to our teachers about the progress of our students. Our College Fair was also a huge success for the students and parents. A great job was done by our guidance department and the many volunteers. Students also enjoyed our Spirit Week and Pep Rally which were held during the week of September 21st - 25th. I would like to thank Mrs. Riggi for coordinating the events for Spirit Week and the Pep Rally. The 9th, 10th and 11th graders will be testing on October 14th. Freshman will be taking the 8-9 PSAT’s and the sophomores and juniors will be taking the PSAT’s. These tests will be instrumental in helping our students with future planning. Congratulations to Matthew Stojanov for receiving a Letter of Commendation for being recognized for his outstanding performance on the SAT/National Merit Qualifying Test. Matt is one of 34,000 around the country to receive this honor. Wolcott High School would like to announce this year’s recipients of the Superintendent’s Award. This year’s recipients are Jessica Adams and Mike Rapisarda. These students will be honored at an Awards Banquet, which is scheduled for Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at the Cornucopia Banqueting Hall in Torrington. The Volleyball team and the Relay for Life team joined together to host a "Think Pink" game on Friday, October 2nd. Thank you to both of the teams who played and all who came out and supported the cause!! The proceeds that were made will be donated to the Making Strides

Against Breast Cancer High School Competition. The Relay for Life team will be walking in the Making Strides event on Sunday, October 18th at 1 p.m. at Library Park in Waterbury, CT. They also encourage everyone to come out that day and walk with them in the fight against breast cancer! Monday, October 5th the Board of Education appointed Dr. Anthony Gasper to be our new superintendent. He will be starting as the superintendent on Nov. 23rd. Until then, Thomas M. Smyth Jr. will continue as the interim superintendent. We wish Dr. Gasper the best of luck and welcome him to the Wolcott Public Schools. As many of you know we lost our close friend and co-worker Phyllis Jones this past June. We would like to do something to honor her memory. We will be sponsoring a ziti dinner on Tuesday, November 17th from 4:30-7:00pm in the Wolcott High School Commons. Tickets will be $10 for Adults and $5.00 for children (12 and under). The proceeds will go to a scholarship in her name as well as a donation to an Animal Shelter. Enjoy the rest of the month.

Go Eagles, Joseph E. Monroe Principal

Save the Date

October

Oct. 13 PAC- Parent Action Council Meeting 6:30pm in the RC Oct. 13 Board of Ed Meeting

Oct. 14 Grade 9, 10, & 11 PSAT (during the school day)

Oct. 14 Grade 12 College visit day

Oct. 16 Deadline- Senior Yearbook photos

Oct. 16 WHS student theater One Act

Festival 7:00pm

Oct 26 Board of Ed Meeting

Oct. 30 Last day of 1st Marking period

Oct. 30 Senior Dress-up day

Oct. 30 Think Pink Football Game

November

Nov. 3 No school- Election Day

Nov. 4 2nd annual Pizza Wars 6:00pm

Nov. 5 WHPMA meeting 7:00pm

Nov. 10 PAC- Parent Action Council Meeting 6:30pm in the RC Nov. 14 FIRST LEGO League Robotics Competition 8:00am-4:00pm Nov. 16 ASVAB (during the school day) Nov. 17 Phyllis Jones Memorial Ziti Dinner Fundraiser 4:30-7:00pm Take out Available (snow date Nov. 18th) Nov. 19 8th Grade curriculum & activites Night Nov. 20 WHS Theater Fall Play 7:00pm Nov. 21 WHS Theater Fall Play 7:00pm

Nov. 25 Half Day-Thanksgiving break Nov. 26-27 No school-Thanksgiving break

Can’t Remember the Date? Look on the Wolcott High School Calendar

Need to know a date or time of an event at Wolcott High School?

Go to the Wolcott Public Schools website http://www.whs.wolcottps.org/

Click on Schools

Wolcott High School

In the left hand column click on Calendar (left hand column under news & events)

Also, if you click on the event additional information will come up about the event.

To view District Events such as days off and Board of Ed. meeting dates:

Go to the District home page of the Wolcott public school’s site

Click on Upcoming Events and the District Calendar will appear

Wolcott Public School-Website/Social Media

The School calendar, Junior Packet, Newsletter, athletic schedule, lunch menus, student handbook, course of studies and much more can be found on the Wolcott Public School’s website www.wolcottps.org . From school closings to news events to announcements, we will be posting on these social media sites on a regular basis...

Check us out on www.wolcottps.org

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WolcottPublicSchools

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WolcottSchools

Follow WHS School Counseling on Twitter @wolcottguidance

WHS Television Broadcast:

Comcast- CH 16

Frontier- Channel 99 on their guide and do a search for Wolcott Educational Access. In cooperation with our social media networks, we encourage you to check out the Wolcott Police Department for important news information for our Town. Check it out on www.wolcottpd.org Like it on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WolcottPoliceDepartment Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WolcottPolice

Have you created your Powerschool

Single Sign On account?

What is a (SSO) Single Sign on Account? Hopefully you have used the Powerschool parent portal in the past to look at your child’s grades. In May of last year Powerschool/Parent portal was updated. Parents and guardians needed to each create their own (SSO) Single sign on account.

With the Single Sign On account Parents are able to create their own Username and their own Password making it much easier to remember than the assigned one. Once you create your own username and password you will no longer need to use the old assigned one.

Once you set it up, if you have more than one child in the district, you will be able to view each of your children’s grades by signing into this one account.

If you have not created your (SSO) Single Sign On account please follow the instructions below to create one.

Next Complete the Create Parent Account Section– Use parent name/email and create your new Username and Password List each child and the original/old Powerschool Parent portal Access ID and Access Password for each child. Relationship is Mother, Father or Guardian in this section. Once all children are entered hit enter.

Going forward, you will use the new username and password that you created to access the parent portal. **If you have any problems creating your single sign on account, please email the help desk and be sure to include your childrens name(s). wpssupport@wolcottps.org

Powerschool Parent Portal allows access to:

Click on Grades and Attendance- you are able to check your child’s grades and if you click on the specific grade in a certain class you will be able to see missing assignments and grades on tests and quizzes. Click on Email Notification to specify how often you would like grade reports emailed to you. Please note: You may need to reset this section after creating your Single Sign on account. Click on School Bulletin to view the Daily student announcements.

Wolcott Public Schools Website The School calendar, Junior Packet, Newsletter, athletic schedule, lunch menus, student handbook, course of studies and much more can be found on the Wolcott Public School’s website www.wolcottps.org .

Interim Reports/Grades-Parent Portal

Interim Reports are no longer mailed home but are made available electronically. You can access your child’s grades any time during the school year by accessing the PowerSchool parent portal. The parent portal is password protected. If you have not created your new single sign on password, see the instructions above. You can access your child’s, attendance, grades and email teachers using the PowerSchool Parent Portal. The website location is: https://wps-pschool.wolcottps.org/public. Please contact the guidance office if you have any issues accessing your child’s information.

Late Bus

Late buses are provided for students who remain after school for extra-curricular activities,

receive extra academic help, or to serve detentions. The late bus will depart the high school at

approximately 4:00 p.m. The bus will pick students up in front of the main entrance. All students

are required to have a pass signed by an advisor, teacher, or monitor to ride the late bus. NO

EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE. All bus conduct rules apply.

Tutoring Available for Students

Math & English certified teachers are available during the school day in the Instructional Center (RC) for any students needing assistance.

Math with Mr. Bergin - Tuesday 8:30-3:00 & Friday 7:30-2:00

Math with Ms. Depara- Monday, Wednesday & Friday: 7:30-9:30 and Tuesday & Thursday 7:30-1:00

English & History Ms. Tata- Mon.-Friday 7:30-2:30

In order to receive a pass students should ask their teacher, counselor or the Instructional Center tutors. Students are encouraged to go to the Instructional Center for assistance.

Memorial Fundraiser to Honor Phyllis Jones

We lost our close friend and co-worker Phyllis Jones this past June. Phyllis worked for the

Wolcott school system for 25 years. She was the Wolcott School District’s Health Office

Secretary, located in the Nurse’s office at Wolcott High School, for almost 21 years.

She loved all the students and staff with whom worked and loved what she did. According

to her daughter Heather Jones, “She loved her job just as much as she loved her family.”

This was one of the places where she loved to be.” She could have retired years ago

but enjoyed her work with the students and staff so much that each year she would say “I

am not ready to retire yet … maybe next year..” She was also the Secretary for the

Summer Studies Program for several years. Students would often look for excuses to

come to the summer studies office to talk to her or show her a piece of artwork. Phyllis

kept a steady supply of candy available as a small reward for all who visited.

She truly cared about all the students - from Pre-K to high school seniors. Through the

years, she touched the lives of thousands of students and their families. She was always

there to listen and give a helping hand to anyone in need. In addition, she had a huge

place in her heart for all of her dogs. While living in Italy, she even rescued a dog and

brought it back with her to CT.

Because she touched the lives of so many of our students, staff, and members of the

Wolcott community, we would like to honor her memory by holding a ziti dinner fundraiser

for a scholarship for a Wolcott High senior and a donation to an animal rescue

organization both in her memory.

A ziti dinner and raffle will be held on Tuesday, November 17th from 4:30-7:00pm in the

Wolcott High School Cafeteria (snow date - Nov. 18th). Tickets are $10 for adults and $5.00

for children (12 and under).

Raffle Donations Needed

We are asking for raffle donations from the community. The donations (monetary or gift

baskets) can be brought to the Main Office of Wolcott High School (during school hours

7:30-3:00pm) where tickets for the dinner can also be purchased.

Take-out will be available and tickets may be purchased at the door. If you would like to

help or have any questions, please contact Nancy Cyr at ncyr@wolcottps.org or (203) 879-

8164 ext. 30.

Attention Seniors: Yearbook Payment Information

Attention Seniors: It is time to purchase your 2016 yearbook! Payment due date is December

21, 2015. After that date, the price of the books will increase. This year we have new package

and payment options!

Payment options: The attached form MUST be completed in order to process ALL yearbook

purchases. No payments will be accepted without the completed form.

Pay online at ybpay.lifetouch.com

Pay by check (make payable to Wolcott High School) or cash

(bring in to school and give to Miss Klemeshefsky or Mrs. Ferguson)

Pricing and Packages Explained:

Yearbook: $75.00

Gray Package: Yearbook with your name on the cover: $82.00

Scarlet Package: Yearbook with your name AND text of your choice on the cover: $86.00

Eagle Package: Yearbook with your name, text of your choice, AND an icon of your choice on

the cover: $90.00

*Please email the yearbook advisors at whsyearbook@wolcottps.org with any questions or concerns.

Consider Joining WHS Parent Action Council (PAC)

PAC is a vital link between the school, community and the parents it serves. Thus, parents are urged to join and take an active part in the PAC. It’s never too late to join. Please see the Membership form below:

Wolcott High School Parent Action Council

We meet the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm in WHS RC.

Next meeting Tuesday, October 13th

*What is PAC? PAC is similar to PTOs at other schools. We meet on the second Tuesday of every

month during the school year at 6:30 p.m. in the Resource Center. We limit our meeting time to

one hour. We do not meet in December. By attending a WHS PAC meeting, you are given an

opportunity to meet other parents, communicate with school administrators, and to participate in

planning for school related programs, events, etc. In essence, the PAC is your opportunity to be

involved in your child's education.

100% of our PAC membership dues are returned to the students, so if you have not already

become a member, we encourage you to join. As a member, you will receive regular updates on

what is happening within the school and most recently we have been including minutes of our

monthly meetings for those who cannot attend. In the past, we have been able to award several

significant scholarships to graduating seniors attending institutions of higher education. We have

also sponsored or contributed to activities for each class. For each year that you are a member of

PAC, your son or daughter will earn points towards the PAC scholarships which are awarded to a

limited number of Wolcott High School graduating seniors. Please note that for a graduating senior

to be eligible for a PAC scholarship, their parent or guardian must be a member of the Parent

Action Council.

Thank you for your support!!

For more information please contact Theresa Marin at 203-465-9092 or via email

terimarin1@aol.com.

To keep up to date like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/whspac.

Sincerely,

Kelly Flynn Theresa Marin PAC President PAC Advisor

Project Safe Graduation

Wolcott High School Student Theater Proudly Presents:

November 20th & 21st at 7:30pm

Please join WHS Student Theater as we celebrate our 5th annual Fall Play with the thrilling

“Who Dunnit” murder mystery “The Mousetrap” by Agatha Christie. This fantastic play

centers around a group of eccentric characters snowed in at a desolate Inn in England

late at night with a killer on the loose. They soon come to learn that the murderer is among

them. However, we spend the whole show wondering “who is it?” In classic Agatha

Christie style, the story takes many twists and turns and will keep you guessing until the

very end!

This show will be a production by our senior International Thespian Honor Society

Students who are already working extremely hard to put together a wonderful show! Billy

Nicol will be directing, Jessica Irizarry will be the Production Stage Manager, Mike

Rapisarda the Stage Manager, Jessica Adams will be the Technical Director, Caitie Barry

will be the Producer, Jenna Swatt will be the Producer, Daria Filar will be the Props

Master, and Lily Briggs is our Lighting and Sound Designer.

Please join us on November 20th and 21st for this wonderful show!

Contact Laura Solocius at LSolocius@wolcottps.org for tickets!

Wolcott High School Parent Music Association -WHPMA

Thank you to the parents who were able to join us in October for our first

meet and great! We had fun meeting you and hope to see you all at the

November 5th meeting at 7pm. Remember to join WHPMA by the end of

December to qualify for scholarships and voting rights!

Watch for information on our Gift of Song fundraiser in December.

Just Listen...Our Students fill the World with Harmony.

ASVAB offered at Wolcott High School- Sign up Now

Are you not sure what career direction to follow? On Monday November 16th the ASVAB (Armed

Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) will be administered at our high School. Taking the ASVAB

and completing the workbook which accompanies the results will provide you with information that

will help to determine a career direction. The test is administered at no cost to you. Please note

that you are under NO military obligation of any kind if you decide to take this test. If you are

interested in this valuable career exploration program, please sign up in the School Counseling

Department.

Remember, the ASVAB is the most widely used aptitude assessment program in American school

today.

SIGN UP IN GUIDANCE

Relay for Life “Think Pink” Football Game Oct. 30th at 7:00pm

THINK PINK! In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, the Wolcott Football team and Relay for Life team will be hosting a “Think Pink” game on Friday, October 30th at 7:00 p.m. There will be a 50/50 raffle and we will be selling “Think Pink” shirts for $10 the proceeds will be going toward Making Strides Against Breast Cancer (American Cancer Society).

Please come out and support this awesome cause! If you’d like to help in any way with the event,

please e-mail sstabile@wolcottps.org. Hope to see you there!

Relay for Life “Think Pink” Thank You!

THINK PINK! October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. On Friday, October 2nd, the volleyball and Relay for Life teams hosted a Think Pink event to support the fight against

breast cancer!

A big thank you goes out to Mrs. Riggi (the athletic director), Kaity Craig and Briana

Daniele (volleyball coaches), both teams and those who joined us and made this

fundraiser such a great success!

The money raised will be donated to Making Strides, the breast cancer branch of the

American Cancer Society. Wolcott High is part of the high school competition in the

Greater Waterbury area. If you would like to make a donation, please visit

www.makingstrides.com and donate towards the team “Wolcott Eagles”. Your generosity

is greatly appreciated!

The Relay for Life team would also like to encourage anyone and everyone to join us on

Sunday, October 18th at 1 p.m. at Library Park in Waterbury, CT for the Making Strides

event!!! Please e-mail sstabile@wolcottps.org if you have any questions. Thank you!!!

Second Annual Pizza Wars

Wednesday November 4, 6-8 PM

Run By the Wolcott High School Max Robotics Team

All Proceeds go to the Relay for Life Team

Local pizza restaurants will battle to see who comes out on top! We have the categories of Best Overall Cheese Pizza, Best Overall Variety Pizza, Cheesiest Pizza and Best Crust.

Tickets:

$10 in advance

$12 at the door

Tickets sold at the door for more or see your local robotics

member, relay for life member or Mr. Cormier

Counseling Corner We would like to thank all students and parents who attended our annual College Fair and Financial Planning presentation and hope that the evening was informational and helpful. We had about 80 parents attend our financial planning presentation with Craig Breitsprecher, and well over 250 students and parents attend our college fair portion of the evening. We had about 100 colleges and programs represented. A special thank you to the counseling department for their help. Special thanks to Mrs. Alyssa Giedra (school counselor) and Mrs. Nancy Cyr (career center specialist/Naviance) for organizing the entire event and making it a success from beginning to end. Thank you to Mrs. Villano-Corso for organizing the financial portion of the evening. If you are interested in meeting with Craig Breitsprecher to discuss paying for college, please contact him at (860) 218-2048. We also thank Mr. Tutalo and the culinary students for providing our college representatives with a delicious dinner and cookies to take home. We can always count on them and we are always pleased with their work.

Thank you to all of the parents who attended our College Process evening on September 15th, during the back to school night. We have posted our presentation on our school counseling link for you to view. Seniors are now logged on to the Common Application to begin their application process. We have some seniors that have already sent out their applications to colleges. Seniors should be updating their activity sheets, asking teachers for their letters of recommendation, and checking items off on their senior checklists. Please be aware of deadlines. Students need to request transcripts in a timely manner (one week notice to guidance is required). In addition, they need to give their teachers at least two weeks’ notice to write a letter of recommendation. We encourage students to have a face to face conversation with their teacher to request a recommendation. A thank you note after a letter has been giving is also a nice gesture. We have some thank you cards in guidance if students would like one of ours. Naviance is full of useful tips for seniors on what they should be working on at this time. Mrs. Cyr has many quick links for students to keep them on track. There are computers in the Career Center for students to work on the application process during their free periods. In addition, seniors must make appointments with their counselor regarding the application process. Additionally, all 9th-11th grade students will be taking the SAT’s on PSAT Oct. 14th, 2015. The seniors have an opportunity to be excused from school to visit a college/program of their choice. We are anticipating most of our seniors taking advantage of this great opportunity on October 14th.

On Friday October 23rd we will host our first Coffee with the Counselors event for this

school year. This event is open to parents of freshman and sophomore students. This

event affords you the opportunity to meet your child’s school counselor, and learn about

the types of lessons, and services your child will receive this year through the school-

counseling department. If interested in attending, please RSVP by calling (203) 879-8157.

Please remember to visit our school counseling link for information and event dates as well http://www.wolcottps.org/schools/highschool/guidance.aspx .

Upcoming dates to remember:

October 14th PSAT day (9th-11th grade)

October 14th College visit day (12th grade)

October 23rd Coffee with the Counselors (9th-10th grade parents)

November 16th ASVAB Sincerely, School Counseling Department

College Admission Tests 2015-2016-SAT and ACT

Most colleges accept scores from either the SAT or ACT. Most students begin taking the tests in

their junior year and can take the test as many times as they like.

The SAT is an aptitude test, testing reasoning and verbal abilities while the ACT is an achievement

test measuring what a student has learned in school. In addition, the ACT is scored based on the

number of correct answers with no penalty for guessing while the SAT takes off for incorrect

answers.

**IMPORTANT: Be sure to check if Subject tests are required by the colleges you are interested

in.

NOTE: If you have Free or Reduced lunch you may be eligible for a fee waiver-see your counselor.

Test dates are listed along with registration deadlines in student planners (yellow page) or you can

go directly to the test web site below:

SAT

To register for the SAT go to www.sat.org/register . Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors have

already created a CollegeBoard account during a guidance lesson. During this lesson they saved

their collegeboard login info in their Naviance account (about me tab->journal->click on college

board under the subject area to be able to view it).

DO NOT CREATE A NEW COLLEGEBOARD ACCOUNT

(CAUTION: If the student already has a CollegeBoard account and can’t remember the user name

and/or the password, DO NOT create a new account as it will not allow the student to register for

the SAT with two accounts. Please use the forgot username/password options.)

Still can’t log in call SAT:

If you cannot use online options to retrieve information and you no longer have access to an

email address to retrieve the information, please call customer service for help. They'll

verify that you are you and help you access your account. SAT Services can be reached at

866-756-7346 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern Time).

Be sure to keep your email address current, because College Board will use it for critical

communication about your account and services.

A new security procedure requires students to upload a photo when registering for the SATs. For

a detailed description of the new security procedures go to

http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/photo-requirements . IMPORTANT Note: Even though the

student’s photo is on the admission ticket, students still need both their admission ticket and also

a photo Id on test day.

CollegeBoard is a great resource for college bound students. There is so much information on

SATs, SAT practice, colleges, majors, careers etc. A College Board link

http://www.collegeboard.org/ is on the homepage of the student’s Naviance account.

SAT

Test Date Registration Deadline Late Registration Deadline (late fee)

Nov. 7 Oct. 9 Oct. 23

Dec. 5 Nov. 5 Nov. 20

Jan 23 Dec. 28 Jan 8

March 5 Feb. 5 Feb19

May 7 Apr. 8 Apr. 22

June 4 May 5 May 20

***Note: The March SAT is offered here at Wolcott High school. The SAT on other dates are

offered at other area High Schools.

ACT

To register for the ACT go to www.actstudent.org . ACT writing portion is optional; however, most

colleges require the writing portion.

Test Date Registration Deadline Late Registration Deadline (late fee)

Sept. 12 Aug. 7 Aug. 21

Oct. 24 Sept. 18 Oct. 2

Dec. 12 Nov. 6 Nov. 20

Feb. 6 Jan. 8 Jan. 15

April 9 March 4 March 18

June 11 May 6 May 20

Test Prep

Students have access to free test prep on their high school Naviance account at

www.connection.naviance.com/Wolcott , www.sat.collegeboard.com/practice and

www.actstudent.org. During our guidance lesson students were shown SAT practice tests on

mycollegequickstart on Collegeboard. There is a link on the student’s Naviance home page. In

addition there is Free SAT test prep on Khan Academy www.khanacademy.org .

There are links to mycollegequickstart, Collegeboard and SAT registration and ACT registration

right on the students Naviance homepage: https://connection.naviance.com/family-

connection/auth/login/?hsid=wolcott .

For more useful information, sites and checklists, visit the Wolcott High School Counseling

Department site, http://www.wolcottps.org/subsite/whs/page/whs-guidance-927 .

As always, if you have questions please ask your counselor.

***Important Scholarship Information***

Scholarships do not have to be paid back. They are awarded on the basis of merit, skill, or unique characteristics. Scholarships can be found online, through community organizations, and through the COLLEGES DIRECTLY.

Local scholarships are listed in Naviance:

To find our list of local scholarships in Naviance: Click on your Naviance colleges tab Click on scholarship list at the bottom of the page

Click on the scholarship you are interested in and determine if you are eligible. You will be directed to a website for the application or will be able to download the application.

How to Apply for Scholarships…..

The Experience

Applying for scholarships is a unique experience, especially when you take into consideration just how many types of scholarships that are out there. First, determine if you meet the scholarship eligibility requirements. Because there are so many types available, not two application experiences will ever be the same. That’s why one of the first things you need to do when preparing yourself for applying for scholarships is to accept that all applications will be different and that you will need to pay equal time to each.

Read Everything (And Read It Again)

Following the directions isn’t enough. Before you let pen hit paper, or fingers hit keys as the case may be, you need to read every little word on the scholarship application. Read everything not once, but twice.

This may seem excessive, but it’s absolutely necessary and I’ll tell you why. Many applications are discarded simply because they failed to follow the directions. It could also be submitting information not requested. Regardless of what the oversight is one mistake can cost your shot at winning the scholarship.

By submitting a flawless application, you are already doing better than much of the competition. Taking the extra time to make sure you’re doing the right things in the right ways is worth it if it will get your application closer to the top of the pile.

What happens if the only requirement is an essay to be submitted by email? Do you know that about 5% of the students that apply for these awards don’t include their name or contact information? Another 2% don’t include the actual essay. Another small number submit the essay in a rarely used format and the committee won’t be able to open it.

Don’t lose out by not completing the requirements as requested. Each scholarship will be different in some way so read everything (and read it again.)

Also, be sure to meet the scholarship deadline. You may be the highest qualified student for a particular scholarship award, but if your application was submitted late, you most likely will not be considered as an eligible applicant. Know the application deadlines for each scholarship application you’re filing, and turn them in on time. Be sure to pay attention to the Guidance Deadline. A full weeks notice is required for Scholarship transcript request deadlines. Don't come to guidance on the day the scholarship is due to request a transcript. You don't want to let all your hard work not be considered because the transcript won't arrive in time.

As new scholarships become available we will add them so be sure to keep checking the local scholarship list periodically. *** BE AWARE OF GUIDANCE DEADLINES***

Please remember there are a variety of places to find scholarships: Scholarships can be found online, through community organizations, and through the COLLEGES DIRECTLY. Here are a few Scholarship websites:

• www.scholarships.com

• www.finaid.org

• www.fastweb.com

• http://www.wolcottps.org/schools/highschool/2011-2012Scholarships.htm

• http://studentaid.ed.gov

• www.collegeboard.com As always, if you have any questions or problems see your counselor or stop by the Career Center.

Don’t pay anyone to find scholarships for you!

Mrs. Boulanger’s Nutrition/Fitness Tip of the Month

A healthy recipe to help bring autumn into your kitchen

October’s is here! What a way to ring in autumn with this delicious butternut squash recipe. (You can also use half beets, half butternut squash).

Total time to prepare: 15 min. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 lb. butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

2 Tbs. pomegranate juice or orange juice

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

3 Tbs. dried cranberries

Directions: 1. Steam the squash until tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain any water. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, juice, salt, and oil. 3. Toss the squash in the bowl with the dressing. 4. Sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds and cranberries. Nutrition Information: Per Serving (3/4 cup):

Calories: 190

Fat: 12 g

Saturated Fat: 2 g

Protein: 4 g

Carbs: 19 g

Fiber: 3 g

Sodium: 150 mg

Source: http://www.nutritionaction.com/daily/healthy-recipes/butternut-squash-with-pumpkin-seeds-and-

cranberries/

Go Eagles!! WHS Athletics-Spirit week Spirit week Pep rally photos taken by Kim Cote from Treasured Moments

Spirit Week- Pep Rally – Homecoming

Lisa A. Riggi Athletic Director

Wolcott High School 457 Boundline Road, Wolcott, CT.

Phone: (203) 879-8173 Facsimile: (203) 879-8167 Email: lriggi@wolcottps.org

GO EAGLES!

EXCEL Club Elects New Officers

The Excel Club recently elected new officers. Ryan Pawlak - President, Ani Haka - Vice

President, Jenessa Teta - Secretary, Cole Phelps - Treasurer, Jessica Brown - Publicity

Committee Chair, Janna Marnell - Social Committee Chair, and Justin Darley - President

Elect.

EXCEL Club is a group of Wolcott High School students dedicated to improving our school

and community through volunteerism. Members develop valuable leadership and

communication skills through community service projects, fundraising for charity, youth

activities and working toward a common goal: the prevention of child abuse. Our members

decide how to serve our school and community and get actively involved. All Wolcott High

School students are welcome to join the Excel Club which meets 1-2 times a month directly

after school in room B115. See any officer or Mrs. Devaney – Advisor, for more information.

Our next fundraising event :

Chicken parmesan dinner at La Fortuna Restaurant

Thursday, October 22nd from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. All proceeds raised by Excel at this event

will assist families in need this holiday season.

Summer 2017 International Tour-Germany, Austria, & Switzerland Informational meeting

Attention Wolcott High School Freshman and Sophomores:

The international tour for the summer of 2017 will be to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We will be holding an informational meeting on Monday, November 9th, 2015 at 6:30 P.M. in room B110. This will be the only meeting for the first semester. If you are interested in attending this trip, please contact Miss Hart (HartS@wolcottps.org) for more information.

Community Service Opportunity-Save the Date

My mother Carole Rinaldi was a Paraprofessional in the Special Education department at Wolcott High for a little more than 9 years, until she passed away from lung cancer. It was the second time my mother had

gotten cancer, and she was an 11 year survivor before getting diagnosed again in 2010.

I can’t tell you how much my mother enjoyed working at

the school, and helping the children, and she truly felt

that the people who worked at the school were her

second family. Every time I would speak with her and

ask her about her day, she just absolutely loved

everyone she worked with and helped.

As my mother was going through here treatments, she

continued working, even as she wasn’t feeling well,

because she disappoint the children in her class, but it

also gave her hope that she could get better and beat

the cancer again, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be.

The outpouring of support she received, and the all the people that came by the wake to

pay their respects told me that she was truly loved. I am trying to organize some sort of

benefit or outing in my mother’s name. As I mentioned, she truly loved all the students, not

just the ones she worked with, and I thought it would be a great idea on where the

proceeds could go to the various programs and needs of the special education program.

So the idea of a “Bowl a Thon” was discussed, and we all thought it was a great idea. The

reason being is that it was something that the students in the special education program

could participate in, but also all the students in the high school, and also possibly even

students in the middle school and elementary schools as well.

This is going to be very exciting, because the proceeds from this Bowl-A-Thon, and

subsequent Bowl-A-Thon are going to benefit two organizations. The first is the Special

Education Department within the school system, and the Commission for Individuals with

Special Needs within the Town of Wolcott.

Another reason why some of you might want to get involved would be for those students

who are getting ready to attend college in the near future, and are looking to build there

up there profile with community services hours.

I am learning about this first hand, as my oldest who is a junior in high school, and we are

starting to look at colleges now, and it is not just about getting good grades any more, but

what extracurricular activities and organizations are you involved with.

My personal goal is to build this into a yearly event, where the whole town gets involved,

and where we get the opportunity to give back year after year, and help out those who are

not as fortunate and probably not going to have the same type of opportunities that are

going to be in front of you as you move on from here.

We are starting to move forward in getting things off the ground, we need your help and

wouldn’t it feel great to know that you were part of starting something that is going to help

so many people for many years to come.

So if you interested in helping, I would ask you to join us in doing something truly special

for the community.

Sean P. Rigsby, CPC Email: srigsby@rigsbysearch.com