On Monday evening, the night before school started, LOLHS welcomed the new class and all newcomers to LOLHS with a wonderful picnic. Once everyone had a chance to enjoy the BBQ the parents adjourned to the auditorium for a presentation while the students toured the building. It was a great evening!

On Monday morning we began the week with the annual Convocation Assembly. The entire staff of District 18 descended on LOLHS for a wonderful breakfast prepared by our Chartwell's (including a omelette station!). After a breakfast we convened to the auditorium were we where given a warm welcome back by our BOE chair, Jason Kemp; the district's new hires were announced, as well as the incoming Teacher and Employee of the Year. LOLHS is proud to announce that this year, the Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools has passed on this well-deserved honor to Mr. Will Allik as our Teacher of the Year! To close out the event, Mr. Neviaser asked all past alumni who are currently employed by Region 18 to join together on the stage. Take a look at how many returning students we have working for this amazing district! Quite impressive!

​In AP Chemistry today, students were charged with determining the number of oxygen and hydrogen atoms in a sample of water, determine the average "atomic" mass of "Pennium" (made up element), and separate a sample of salt and pepper to determine the percentage of each and the number of chlorine atoms in the salt collected. These challenges all draw on lab skills and content knowledge from L1 Chemistry and set the stage for lab work in AP Chemistry.  
 
In L1/ L2 Chemistry we will be investigating samples of skittles to highlight observations, calculations, graphing and communication in "A Dozen Skittles Questions". (I am doing this during period 3 today)
 
Happy First Day of School!

Thursday morning we began our first day or PD with a faculty meeting welcoming in our new wildcats: Ms. Hudak in Math; Mrs. Brouwer, Mr. Watts-St.Germain, Ms Welch in Special Education; and Mrs. Regan in PE/ Health. While sharing the new and good from the summer with everyone, we learned that we had one faculty member, Mrs. Lefevre, who went to the 2024 Olympics in Paris not only to be a spectator, but also to participate in the competitive marathon. This marathon travels the same route of the olympians but takes place at night. This segued seamlessly into a Zoom meeting with our our Wildcat alum, Liam Corrigan, who chatted a bit with us from Montreal sharing his Gold Medal experience. It was a great way to get us geared up for an exceptional year!

I hope you have all had well-deserved, enjoyable summer break and you are getting ready to come BACK TO SCHOOL in about a week! We have spent the summer  planning and preparing for your return and thanks to our hardworking Maintenance Crew and Student Work Crew, our school is getting in tip-top shape and will be ready for your first day on Tuesday, August 27th. Take a minute to review the information below so you well-informed and ready for a FABULOUS 2024-25 school year
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WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS YEAR:​
First Two Days of School: We have a special schedule for Tuesday (A day) and Wednesday (B day) but we will begin each day in homeroom followed by a class meeting or advisory. Below you will find the bell schedule with more details. 

Exciting tech news! Every student at the High School will be issued a new Chromebook at the beginning of this school year.  Current Chromebooks/chargers will be collected, and new ones issued during the homeroom block either the first or second day of school, depending on grade level. Some important things for you to know:

• 9th grade students turned in their devices at the end of last year. Students in 10th -12th grade should bring their current Dell Chromebook AND charger to school on the first day.  

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• In order to receive their new device, the Back to School Form for Technology needs to be filled out by you and your student. The form is located in PowerSchool (see the "Forms" link in the left-hand navigation, then find "Back to School Form for Technology Staff").  Here are directions if you do not currently have a PowerSchool account.  

• Please note that all current devices will be collected, even in the case where the form has not been filled out and a new device cannot be issued.

• Returned Chromebooks are going to be passed down to elementary students, so they need to be in good working condition. We will assess for any significant damage after collection (normal wear and tear is ok). If fees are incurred, it may take a few weeks for them to be communicated to you.

• Missing/lost chargers will incur a fee of $20, which will be added to your student's account and can be paid at a later date.

• The new Chromebooks may not have a charged battery. Students should take them home and charge them overnight.

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• Please encourage your student to take good care of their new device. It may be a good idea to get a case for added protection.

Last year we launched Parent Square which has been met with much success. We would like to engage our students with better communication from the school community by download and using the Student Square App. Watch the video above! 

Summer Reading Reminder from the English Department 
📚During the summer months, it is important for students to continue to apply and develop these skills. To that end, the English department highly encourages all students to read at least one book of their choice over the summer. 
📚Students taking Honors, AP, or ECE English have required titles to read and will participate in activities and assessments at the beginning of the school year. 

As we get closer to a new school year, we are thrilled to announce an incredible opportunity for LOLHS students through the new Regional Remote Learning Program. In collaboration with the East Lyme, LEARN, New London, Old Saybrook, and Waterford school districts we are now offering a variety of credit-bearing courses that will enrich our students' education. These courses are in addition to a student's regular programming and are entirely optional.  This innovative program allows students to connect and learn alongside peers from across the region, broadening their horizons and expanding their academic possibilities.
We look forward to the incredible growth and success this program will bring to our students and our community.  To learn more about this exciting opportunity, please watch the video above.
On or around the first day of school, LOLHS students will be sent an email survey which will ask them to choose the regional remote learning courses in which they wish to enroll.  We ask that you encourage your child to complete this survey by September 3, 2024.
Should you have any questions about this program, please direct those to your child's counselor.