Sept 3, 2021
Good Morning, Parents & Guardians, Students, CHS Staff and CHS Community,
So our first week is in the books, and we are off to a good start. Some of you are aware of the challenges we have had with finding new staff during the spring and summer. We have filled all of our positions except one. We are still trying to find a Spanish teacher. If any of you have any connections to former Spanish teachers who might be interested in returning to the classroom for full or part-time work, please feel free to forward them along to me or Mike Perez or to the District HR Website. We are competing in a tight market, and there have been no candidates since the early summer. We are covering classes with our new hire, Sr. Giampaolo who is taking on a sixth class and with Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Director Mary Widman taking on instruction until we hire a new teacher. Please be patient with us as we try to resolve this challenge. One of the nice things about coming back to school is that we often hear from former students about their experience. One of them reached out to Marketing and Accounting teacher, Dana Bourassa, and said the following: “I just had my first Intro to Accounting and Financial Information class today. I actually know what I am talking about thanks to you! I’m very happy I took your class and wanted to thank you for preparing me…” That personal connection and reflections on learning are what we aspire to across the disciplines here at CHS. As with any start of the school year, there are new announcements on a weekly basis. Please make sure to review the newest announcements below as there is some important parental information. I hope you all have enjoyed the long Labor Day weekend! Bill Lonergan, CHS Principal
From the Superintendent:
Good Evening,
Please take a look at the Reopening plan that we sent out last week. The Re-opening Plan for the 2021-22 school year can be accessed HERE. On page 2 under "Masks" there is a link to the chart we are using to determine the masking status in each school. Based on the current local conditions and the spread of the Delta variant, masks are certainly encouraged and in classes/situations where we cannot guarantee 3 feet of distance, they are required while we are in the “Targeted” state. Wearing a mask helps to protect all members of the school community from airborne particles. Thanks for your help in keeping our students and staff safe.
Be well, Mike
Superintendent of Schools
Student Schedule for the Week of September 6- 10
Mon, Sept 6 - OFF Labor Day
Tues, Sept 7 - Day 1 Blocks A, B, C, & D
Wed, Sept 8 - Day 2 Blocks E, F, G, & H
Thurs, Sept 9 - Day 1 Blocks A, B, C, & D
Fri, Sept 10 - Day 2 Blocks E, F, G, & H
The Schedule for the Week of Sept 13 - Back to our normal five day schedule:
Mon, Sept 13 - Skinny Monday (All Blocks) A, E, B, F, C, G, D, H
Tues, Sept 14 - Day 1Blocks A, B, C, & D
Wed, Sept 15 - Day 2 Blocks E, F, G, & H
Thurs, Sept 16, - Day 1 Blocks A, B, C, & D
Fri, Sept 17 - Day 2 Blocks E, F, G, & H
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS:
New Bus Tracking Software: Please take a look at the information in the following link. In continued partnership with First Student, we are launching FirstView®, a bus tracking and parent communications app.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RIcJPaJlduSO7_k96uBY8pEfLZ8Iv9fDzk1x_QJm4f8/edit?usp=sharing. This app provides the following for Litchfield school district buses:Live Tracking, Predictive Stop Arrival Times, Custom Alerts and Messages, Multi-Stop View, Additional User Notifications, Available in Multiple Languages, Secure and Easy Access, Dedicated Customer Support.
Health Office News: The Health Office section of CHS website will be updated soon with new medication forms that were approved by the school board in May. Every student must have a signed consent YEARLY for Tylenol/ Motrin. If your child must take prescription medication at school, you will need to provide physician orders YEARLY for routine medication taken daily and Epipens and inhalers at school. Students are not allowed to take these at school unless they are provided through the health office. With inhalers or Epi-Pens, students may carry and use these, but they still need to be cleared through the health office.
From IT: Returning Student Forms: We have opened our returning student forms for parents to sign off on electronically. These can be signed off on from September 6 through October 1. (This will include the Over-The-COunter Medication form.)It is likely you have already received an email from IT on this, but here is the link in case you missed it: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ew1Dck928Y-DXgYs1j1y2nZie6-pXQJ-/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112925213459560212484&rtpof=true&sd=true
During this time, our on-line registration forms for students enrolling at CHS will be closed. Please pass along to anyone you know of who is registering a new student that this needs to be done through the Registrar-Terrie Taylor in the Counseling Office.
School Photos: On Friday, Sept 10, our 9th, 10, and 11th grade students will have their school photos for the yearbook and for PowerSchool taken in the CHS Auditorium. If your child will not be in school that day, they can have it taken on the Retake Day on October 22. Seniors who are not going to be scheduling their Senior Photos at Barksdale can have their yearbook photos taken on this day. Barksdale Photography will be our school photographer again this year. Students will be called down by grade level during the school day in order to get this done. It is always nice to have these to look back on, and there is no obligation to purchase.
School Phone Number: We have a new telephone system here at CHS. There are concerns that calls may not be getting through to staff members. Please use the same phone number 546-0300 and then follow the instructions for contacting the appropriate office or staff member.
21-22 CHS Late Bus: Our Late Bus is available for all CHS students, and it departs CHS at 3:30 pm every day from the front entrance of the school. If your child needs to stay after school to work with a teacher or get help from the HW Club or for some other reason, they will have bus transportation available.
CTE Programs at Alvirne and PA: Alvirne and Pinkerton have notified us that students who attend their CTE Programs do need to wear masks at their schools. For those enrolled there, you should have received a message from the schools as well as from their teachers. Please reach out to them if you have questions. They will be sending out regular updates on their masking status. Alvirne: https://cte.sau81.org/ Pinkerton: https://www.pinkertonacademy.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=373131&type=d
For Parents Dropping Off & Picking Up Students: We have noticed a significant back-up on Albuquerque particularly in the morning. If students arrive closer to 7:30, there is a greater likelihood of them being late to classes and missing instruction. We appreciate you planning accordingly to avoid the only place in Litchfield where there is a “traffic jam” We do open the building at 7:15 for students and they can access the cafeteria or the Learning Commons if they have time for homework completion or socializing. Currently we have all of the buses using the bus gate at the back of the football field, and this is intentional to prevent buses being in the lot and adding to the congestion. Our hope is to avoid overcrowding, minimize challenges, and eliminate safety concerns there.
Litchfield Music Department Fundraiser: The Litchfield Music Department is excited to announce they will be hosting their annual one-day Mattress Fundraiser on Sunday 9/26 from 10am - 5pm. There will be 20+ different styles of beds on display for customers to try. These brand new, brand name mattresses are made to order, have full factory warranties, are available in all sizes, and are priced below retail. In addition to beds, there will also be premium pillows, luxury sheets and even adjustable power bases!! Delivery & financing are available. Visit the Facebook event and click “GOING”, INVITE YOUR FRIENDS! SHARE OUR POST AS WELL! FACEBOOK EVENT LINK: https://fb.me/e/2B26oL8m4
21-22 CHS Yearbook Info: Order your CHS yearbook early for the best price & free icons during thr Back to school promotion 4 free icons when Personalization is purchased. This is the form to purchase your CHS yearbook now Sale pricing ends 9/24/2021. Any questions or to pay by check see Mrs. Green or stop by the front office.
From the PTO: Please consider joining the CHS PTO. It is a great way to stay engaged with the CHS community and give back to the teachers and students. Envelopes should have come home this week or you can fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/khDPHKk9TYhsnYWK9. Thanks from the PTO!!!
From Counseling: We have been very busy up in the Counseling Suite this past week. It has been wonderful having students back in the building! Please remember to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns! We are here to help! Here are our School Counseling Upcoming Events:
September 7 Last day to Add/Drop classes
September 17 Last day to submit Honors Option form:
Sept 16 6:00 pm Open House
Sept 21 6:30 pm Senior/Parent College Financial Aid Night: (VIRTUAL) Stay tuned for the link to join!
Sept-Nov College Rep Visitations
Oct 13, 2021 PSAT8/9, PSAT Testing - 9th, 10th, and 11 Grade Students
This Week’s Athletic’s Schedule:
9/7 - Girls Soccer vs. Bishop Brady 4pm
9/7 - Golf @ Conant, Shattuck GC 4pm
9/8 - Boys Soccer @ Bishop Brady 4pm
9/8 - JV/V Volleyball @ West 4:30pm/5:45pm
9/10 - JV/V Boys Soccer vs. Gilford 4pm
9/10 - JV/V Volleyball vs. John Stark 5:15pm/6pm
9/11 - XC @ Oyster River 8:30am
9/11 - Football vs. ConVal 11am
Upcoming Events:
September 6 Off-Labor Day
Sept 8th *** Athletic Boosters in the CHS Library - 7:00pm: *** This is a date change
September 7 Last day to Add/Drop classes
September 10 School Photos for grades 9, 10, and 11
September 13 First Full Week of Classes (Skinny Monday and alt Day1 & Day 2 classes)
September 14 PTO Meeting CHS Learning Commons 7:00pm
September 17 Last day to submit Honors Option form
September 16 Open House 6:00-8:00
September 21 Senior/Parent College Financial Aid Night (VIRTUAL) Link to be shared in next Weekly Update!
September 21 FOPA - CHS Learning Commons 7:00 pm
October 6 Coffee with Administration Learning Commons 7:00 am Here is the meet link: https://meet.google.com/ycm-duws-jcz?hs=122&authuser=0
October 22 School Photo Retakes
Recognition & Appreciation:
A big thank you goes out to our new Spanish Teacher, Senor Giampaolo. He is taking on a sixth class, and he is assisting in supporting our other classes to make sure we keep our instruction moving forward. Thanks Dana
Also thanks to Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment Director Mary Widman for assisting us in our Spanish classes as we seek to hire a teacher.
Dan DelGreco, our daytime custodian has been so supportive of all of our back to school needs. Whether it is finding desks for larger classes, or setting the clocks in the school, or doing anything we need to start school off right, he has been the man!!! Thanks Dan.
To Shawn McDonough and his Student Council members, your hard work supporting the 0th grade students on their Freshman Welcome Day is always so important to making certain they transition well into the CHS community.
I’ve mentioned several groups of staff who have continued to go out of their way to support hiring and transitioning in our new teachers. Bill Pothier and Joanne Ray have been outstanding in working to transition in our new Chemistry teacher, Kurt Virkaitis, and Social Studies members, Dave Gingras, Noah Benoit, and Nick Sica have been similarly committed to bringing in our new Social Studies teacher.
A huge thanks goes out to our administrative assistants. They have been so supportive across all of the offices. Kudos to Terrie, Stacie, Sally, and Jenn as they have kept this ship afloat on a couple of occasions already!
Shout Outs from the staff!!!
To Joanne Ray and Bill Pothier: I have stepped into a big responsibility as a temp starting day 1, Joanne and Bill really jumped in and helped me get materials together and provided support for the classes I had to teach. Real team effort where clearly the students benefited! - Win
I would like to give a big shout-out to Nicole St. Jean for her cool composure and professional demeanor as she takes on her new role as an English teacher at CHS. It is already evident that she is going to be a huge addition to our team and Aimee, Sabrina, and I are so excited to welcome her aboard. Also, a big shout out to Sabrina and Aimee for being so welcoming and eager to embrace Nicole as a team member. I am very grateful for my department colleagues! - Patrick
Dan, Manny, Bryan for doing an awesome job keeping everything cleaned while being extremely shorthanded. They do everything with a smile and they're appreciated!!!! - Lauren
A big SHOUT OUT to all our new staff including Val, Bob, Lisa, Dana G, Kurt, Sue, Dennis, Nicole, and Terrie in Counseling. for your first week @ Campbell! Each of you are sharing your gifts & talents and are making us the best version of Campbell High School that we can become. It is a pleasure to have you join our CHS family! - Shawn M
I'd like to give a shoutout to our excellent English teachers for inviting a lonely, wayward Spanish teacher to lunch with them. And a general shoutout to the CHS Staff for being so welcoming and helpful during my hazing, er, onboarding as a new CHS teacher. - Dana G
Terrie Taylor has jumped right into the Counseling office and gotten up to speed with all of the insanity that the first days of school bring. We are so lucky to have her! - Carrie J
Ann Fisher cleaned the sink in the teacher's lounge. Thanks Ann! - Reed
PARENT GROUPS:
CHS Athletics Boosters Organization: The first Boosters meeting is scheduled for the first Monday of the month at 7:00 pm. These are virtual and the following link will connect you to that meeting. The first meeting is on September 8 and will be live in the CHS Learning Commons. Campbell Athletics Store: If you are interested in purchasing CHS gear for your student or family members, please check out our website and support our programs! https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/new_hampshire/litchfield/campbell-high-school
CHS Parent Teacher Organization: The first meeting is scheduled for September 14 at 7:00 and will be at the Learning Commons at CHS. Normally PTO meetings are the 2nd Tuesday of each month. If that changes, we will let you know. To contact the PTO, use the following email address: [email protected].
CHS Friends of Performing Arts (FOPA): FOPA meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, and their first meeting is Thursday, September 21. That meeting will take place here at CHS in the Learning Commons at 7:00 pm. The future meeting schedule will be determined at that meeting.
Employment Possibilities in the Litchfield School District: We are still looking for staff. Please check out the following link if you or anyone you know might be interested in job opportunities in the Litchfield School District. https://sau27.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx This is a great community to work in, and we would love to have you join us at SAU 27.