PTA News and Announcements

Dear SHS Families,

Parent volunteers are still needed to make this year’s “Invest in Yourself” event a success. This revered annual event allows seniors the opportunity to further their knowledge of personal finance and life issues. To learn more, please visit the Senior section below or click here to sign up. 

Important Upcoming Dates

STAPLES SCHOOL NEWS

The School Counseling Department News:

• Senior Parents: Scholarship Deadlines, Financial Aid, and Updating Scoir
• Virtual International Admissions Panel
• Sophomore Parent School Counseling Presentation: Introduction to Post-High School Planning, Thursday, April 11th, 9-10am in the Staples Cafeteria
• College Admissions Testing Presentation
• College Night for the Visual and Performing Arts
• Junior Post-High School Planning Meetings
• Verso Fest
• Southern Connecticut College and Career Fair

ATTN SENIOR PARENTS

Senior Carnival
Let’s celebrate our Seniors! Please click here to learn more about our Class of 2024 Senior Class Carnival and how you can contribute to this year’s graduation festivities. 

Invest in Yourself Event
This revered annual event allows seniors the opportunity to further their knowledge of personal finance and life issues. During the financial reality fair portion of the day, students will be tasked with choosing a job and deciding how to spend their salary by walking from table to table around the gym, deciding among options for transportation, housing, food, etc. 

The program’s success is dependent on volunteers like YOU! This unique opportunity allows parents and caregivers to interact with students and provide guidance as they make important "life decisions." Parents & staff volunteers will be assigned to tables and help students choose their real world options. It is a single commitment (4/10 from 8:30am-1pm) and requires no special training. However, we are specifically looking for parents with finance backgrounds to help in the "financial counseling session" at the end of the fair.

Click here to sign up to participate. Questions? Contact SHS PTA VPs Volunteers, Stefanie Shackelford and Sandy Srihari at staplesptavolunteers@gmail.com.

Lawn Signs
It’s time to order your class of 2024 lawn signs! Please click here to view the SignUp Genius and place your order.  All orders will be due by Wednesday, April 15th. Any questions? Please contact Valerie DiPrato and Jannette Kinnally, Senior Class Parent Reps, at stapleshighschoolclassof2024@gmail.com. 

Prom
It’s almost time for Seniors to purchase prom tickets. Prom will be held on Saturday, 6/1 from 7-9pm at the Greenwich Hyatt. Learn more about ticket purchasing here and access the Senior Prom Contract here.

Additional Senior Information
Please click here.

STAPLES COMMUNITY NEWS

Westport Youth Commission
Is your teen looking for a summer job? The Westport Youth Commission is promoting QuadJobs, an online job platform, that is connecting Westport students to flexible, part time jobs. It is available for free to all Westport High School students and requires a school email address to make an account. Please click here for more information and link to the website. 

SLOBS Update
SLOBS next meeting is on Wednesday, April 10th at 7:30pm (7:15 arrival) in the Staples Cafeteria. Please reach out to president@shsslobs.com with questions. 

SPED Update
Please join Westport SPED for their Spring Coffee and discussion: Executive Functioning: Tools for Schools and Home. A panel of educators will discuss topics such as what is executive functioning, how to teach these skills at each level, and how can parents foster these skills at home. The meeting will take place at Greens Farms Church (71 Hillandale Road) on Friday, April 26th at 10am. All parents are welcome. Please click here for more information. RSVP and questions: westportspedpta@westportps.org. 

PTA Council Needs You
Westport PTA Council is working on filling the slate for our town-wide PTA Council. This is a great way to get involved and to meet people outside of the your own school! The PTA Council is seeking volunteers from any school i the District who may be interested in overseeing the Directory which is an invaluable resource for parents. If you have an interest in learning more about the position, please reach out to PTA Council past president Tami Benanav at tbenanav@me.com or to your school PTA President. We have a job description to share and can put you in touch with current reps to share more about the positions.

SDEIB Update
April is Arab American Heritage Month! It is a time to celebrate and recognize the many ways Arab Americans have helped and continue to shape U.S. society. Although celebrated sporadically in the U.S. since the 1990s, the Arab American Foundation and Arab America began an initiative to have a national Arab American History Month in 2017. In 2019, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan.) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), introduced a resolution to Congress to proclaim April as National Arab American Heritage Month. Arab American Heritage Month was federally recognized by President Joe Biden in 2021. Click here to read President Biden’s letter commemorating this heritage month. For more information on Staples DEIB, please contact tabitha.nguyen31@gmail.com or sarahaadair@gmail.com.

Chartwells Cafeteria Update
Click here to see what’s new in our SHS cafeteria. 

SHS Library Update
Click here to see what’s happening at the library.

Coleytown Company Presents Footloose, April 5-7
It’s almost time to cut loose and kick off those Sunday shoes! Coleytown Company is excited to bring Footloose to its stage in a few weeks!  This high-energy, pop-rock musical is an adaption of the original movie that premiered in 1984 - celebrating its 40th anniversary this year!  Tickets are on sale NOW here!

Toquet Hall
Find out what’s going on at Toquet Hall for April. Highlights include Classic Game Night, Paint Along with Toquet Hall and Lighthouse, and Coachella Livestream. 

Cereal 4 All Cereal Drive
Cereal 4 All, a youth run non-profit, will be hosting a cereal drive outside the entrances of Westport Stop & Shop this April 7th, 9:30am-4pm.  All cereal donated will be given to local food banks and charities.  Monetary donations can also be made at https://cereal4all.org/donate/.  Volunteer opportunities are available through SLOBs. Any questions, please contact Laurie Fortunoff at laurie0818@aol.com. 

Show your WRECKER PRIDE & support our teams at STAPLES SPORTING EVENTS! 

*For up-to-the-minute SHS sports info, follow @stapleswreckers_ad on instagram.

**Are you a booster club manager who would like to advertise your team’s upcoming events? Please submit your write up to shs_pta@westportps.org by Friday at 5pm. Please send all information as you wish it to be displayed, with any pertinent links. Announcements will be included in the following week’s Tuesday PTA Planner.**

Elena Caggiano & Jodi Harris
SHS PTA Co-Presidents
shs_pta@westportps.org