January 5, 2025
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a restful and joyous holiday season and break. As we return we are gearing up for midterms. The schedules, tips sheet, and extra help session information are all below. Please take a moment and map out your schedule for the weeks ahead to make time for studying, extracurricular activities, extra help if necessary, planning out your midterm week, and of course sleep!
As I shared in a previous Week Ahead 84% of our students responded that they keep their cell phones in their bedrooms overnight. These next two weeks are the perfect opportunity to challenge some of the habits around cell phone use. Please take a moment as a family to assess technology use. The research has shown that just having the cell phone in the room can be a distraction to concentration, effective studying, mindfulness, and our memory. Challenge yourselves to separate from your phones, whether it be overnight (ideal), or by having your phone in another room while you study. Small changes can have a big impact when it comes to our memory and focus.
Midterms
In an effort to continue to support the needs of our students, and hopefully relieve a little bit of stress from midterm week, we have adjusted our midterm schedule this year to allow for our review days to take place closer to the dates of exams in those classes. Please click the link here to see the overview of our Midterm schedule which begins with a January 10th review day and ends on January 21st with a Makeup day. Please click here to view the detailed schedule of the review days and exam days with class and break times. Additionally, we are instituting two (2) reading days on January 8th and 9th leading up to midterms during which teachers have committed to not giving assessments prior to the start of our midterm schedule.
Midterm Study Tips & NHS Study Sessions
Ms. Swezey has put together this handy midterm study tips handout. Not only does it have a space for students to make their individual plan for the weeks ahead it also provides study tips and strategies. Our National Honors Society students will once again be offering study sessions when we return from break in preparation for midterms. Students can come to the library after school to access these sessions.
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January 6th- Afterschool Science
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January 7th- Afterschool Math
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January 8th- Afterschool World Language
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January 9th- Afterschool Social Studies
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January 10th- Afterschool All Subjects
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January 15th- Afterschool All Subjects
Midterm Refreshments Are Back!
Due to popular demand, following two great years, the PTO is bringing back this fun service to our students during Midterm Exams 2025. If you'd like to help out during this very fun volunteer event, check out the opportunities at our sign up genius link here. Refreshments will be offered during the break period between exams from 9:30am-10:30am on January 13th, January 14th, January 16th and January 17th. Let your students know to drop into the lobby during the break period on those days for a treat from your PTO! This is a
great way to get involved in the high school!
Seniors - Class of 2025
This week, the Senior Class was emailed with a link to order their cap and gown. Please remind your seniors to order if they haven’t already done so. They just have to click the link, create an account, and place the order. The last day to do this is February 14th, 2025!
Weston Robotics
Congratulations to our Weston Robotics high schoolers and Mrs. Kaplan who led a very successful tournament yesterday. Team 17814W took home the judges award and they also won in the tournament finals.
Essay Contest
Senator Murphy’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest asks students from elementary, middle, and high schools from across Connecticut to participate in honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by submitting essays that reflect on Dr. King’s dream, their own aspirations, and the importance of what Dr. King means to them.
Submissions are open and must be received by Saturday, January 11th at 11:59 PM. Essays can be submitted online via Google Form or mailed to our Hartford Office. Essay instructions, the writing prompt, word limits, and FAQs can be found on our website.
Domestic Violence Crisis Center Supply Drive
10th grade student government is holding a supply drive for the Domestic Violence Crisis Center (DVCC). Donations go to the DVCC’s safe house residents. Donation bins will be in the lobby of Weston High School from Dec 16 - Jan 10th. The DVCC is in urgent need of the following items:
BABY ITEMS: Diapers size 4, 5, 6, 7, Baby wipes any type, Baby lotion, Baby shampoo
Self Care items FULL SIZE bottles please: Shampoo, Body Wash, Deodorant
Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Nail cutters, Polish, Nail Files, Cotton Buds
For more information on the DVCC visit:https://www.dvccct.org/
Book Drive
During the holidays WHS DECA organized a Community Service Campaign called "Give the Gift of Reading" to benefit Darien Book Aid. They aimed to promote literacy by collecting 500 books. Thanks to the incredible generosity of students and the local community, they exceeded their goal significantly, donating over 2,000 books.
Emerging Innovator Awards
I’m excited to share a brand NEW opportunity to celebrate and empower leaders in our student community! The Emerging Innovator Awards will recognize the top-100 high school students from around the world whose extraordinary efforts are making positive impacts on their local communities and helping to drive societal advancement.
This recognition not only celebrates achievements but also provides honorees with valuable resources to advance their innovative efforts and make an even greater impact. Recognition as an Emerging Innovator honoree includes:
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A chance to win part of the $20,000 prize pool, including a top prize of $5,000 for the Emerging Innovator of the Year.
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An invitation to the Limitless World Summit on May 1–2, 2025, in Wilmington, Delaware.
Any high school student in good academic standing is eligible to apply by January 31, 2025. The application includes further details on the award process and timeline and will ask applicants to submit a candidate profile, a 2-minute leadership impact video, and a statement of support. Full details on the submission, timeline, and prize pool as well as the application link can be found here: Emerging Innovator Awards. For any questions, feel free to reply to me directly or email limitless@udel.edu.
Important Reminder!
A reminder about the delivery policy (taken directly from the student handbook). To reduce the number of visitors on our campus and ensure the safety of our students and staff, deliveries of any kind must be directly related to school business and approved by the building administration. Food deliveries will not be permitted on the Weston Public Schools campus. Failure to comply with this expectation will result in confiscation of the delivered item(s) and a 1-hour detention. Weston High School food services provide healthy, nutritious, and delicious lunch and morning snack options. We kindly ask our families to refrain from sending food and beverage deliveries to our students during the day.
Pickup & Dropoff
A reminder to please continue to use the access road for picking up and dropping off students. We also must keep the fire lanes clear on each side of the crosswalk, especially at the end of the day, with so many students pouring out of the building. We want to make sure we aren’t inhibiting anyone’s line of sight, especially our security guards, as they man the crosswalk. In addition, please make sure you do not use any parking lots to drop off students. I have recently received some feedback that parents are parking in student parking spots while dropping off their students. Please understand that this creates a lot of confusion in the parking lot AND makes the student whose space you park in late! Thank you to all who support our students' safe entrance and exit.
Communication Protocol
Please remember we have a Communication Protocol to help you navigate the common occurrences in the daily lives of students, families and staff. For many of your concerns this protocol will let you know how to proceed.
Previous Letters:
December 15, 2024
December 8, 2024
Upcoming Events:
January 6: BOE Special Meeting - Budget Presentation (Zoom)
January 7: PTO Executive Board Meeting (Zoom)
January 8-9: Reading Days
January 10: Midterm Review Day
January 15: Midterm Review Day
January 15: BOE Meeting Public Forum
January 21: Midterm Makeup Day
January 21: 8th Grade Students visit to the high school
January 30: School Climate Meeting
February 12: 8th Grade Transition Night
As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please call the main office, and we can provide you with support to find the information or person you need to speak with.
Kindly,
Meghan
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