Knightly News - EHS Newsletter 10/2/26

Good Afternoon EHS Students and Families,

I want to start by shouting out our amazing custodial staff on Custodian Appreciation Day - Ray Clark, Mariah LeBron, Sol Leite Olivera, Gage Thibodeau, Matt Kwapien, Mark Lurry, and Cody Luksic. This group works tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our building looking beautiful! Thanks for all you do!

Next week will be very busy here at EHS. Monday is picture day, and the first day of Spirit Week! The theme for Monday is "Dress to Impress," so dig out those fancy clothes this weekend! Tuesday's theme is "Adam Sandler" day, and we will also be following a block schedule for the first time, where blocks A, B, C and D will meet for about 90 minutes each. Wednesday is PSAT testing where grades 9-11 will be taking the exam and dismissed on a half day schedule, while our 12th graders will have a remote learning day. Thursday is another block day (E, F, G, H blocks) with Open House at night! Our busy week ends with a pep rally and Powder Puff game with a half day dismissal for students. Be sure to refer to our Annual Bell Calendar with any schedule questions.

I look forward to seeing families on Thursday night at Open House! 

Have a great weekend,

Jon Mitchell

Principal

EHS students grades 9, 10, & 11 will be taking the Fall ‘26 offering of the PSAT during the 

morning of October 7th.  

Students enrolled in UCONN Early College Experience (ECE) courses should have completed the course registration process in their ECE classes. All students looking to earn college credit will need to complete the UCONN ECE application and course registration to be eligible for the credit. Parents are required to provide consent for their student’s participation in the program as well as online payment for each course. Once students complete the course registration in class, parents will receive an email or text to complete the steps for consent and payment. Parents will receive an email or text for EACH course their student is enrolled in and are required to provide consent to EACH course separately. For example, if your student is taking three ECE classes at EHS, you will be required to respond to three separate emails or texts to provide consent and payment for each course. If your student is currently enrolled in an ECE course, please be sure to check your email or text. The deadline to complete all steps of the registration process, including parent consent and payment, is October 16, 2026. No late registrations will be accepted. 

**Please note: Students do NOT need to be attending UCONN to utilize the college credit. Over 80% of colleges nationwide accept the transfer credit. Please reference this database to search for transfer credit acceptance by university/college. This is a great way for students to get a jump start on college credits at a fraction of the cost!

As part of our 10th grade school counseling curriculum, students participated in a lesson focused on meeting their new school counselor for grades 10 through 12, the resources available for academic success, creating academic, personal, and career goals, and developing a formatted resume to build on. Students used SchooLinks, our career and post-secondary planning platform, to capture their goals and develop their resume. Students were encouraged to continue to be involved in a variety of extracurricular activities to explore their interests and build their resume. There is an EHS Activities Fair coming up on October 14th during the lunch waves, so this is the perfect opportunity to get involved! At the end of the lesson, students completed a Sophomore Questionnaire to share more about themselves with their counselor. School counselors will continue to visit 10th grade classes throughout the year to build on career exploration. Please reach out to your student’s school counselor if any questions or concerns arise throughout the school year.

College, trade school, and military representatives have begun! Representatives from a variety of colleges and programs across the country offer a 30-minute information session and an opportunity for students to ask individualized questions. Upcoming rep visits are posted weekly in the School Counseling Google classrooms and in the daily announcements. Students may view upcoming rep visits and must register in advance to attend a visit through Schoolinks, our college and career readiness platform. 

If your plans after high school include attending a four-year college, the Common Application system is now open as of August 1st. Students may now create an account (use a personal email address, NOT your school email address) and begin work on their applications. School counselors will meet with seniors in the first few months of school to assist in the application process. Please click here to create an account and begin loading your colleges into the system.

The college application checklist is now posted in the Class of 2027 School Counseling Google classroom. Students who are planning to apply to a four-year or two-year college should utilize the checklist to manage their college application tasks. Detailed “how-to” presentations are also posted in the Google classroom to assist students in navigating the behind-the-scenes steps such as requesting letters of recommendation, matching the Common App to Schoolinks, reviewing CT automatic admissions and/or direct admissions offers, and completing the FERPA release on Common App. 

Ellington High School is now requiring all seniors to have a parent/guardian-signed release of information form on file to allow for release of records to post-secondary institutions, employers, the military, or other organizations as needed. Records will not be released without a student specifically requesting them, however, the counseling office will require a signed release form on file prior to submitting any documentation for students. Records will NOT be sent without a release form on file, so students and parents/guardians will need to plan in advance of any college application or other documentation deadlines to ensure timely submission of records. It is the responsibility of students to keep track of deadlines. Please allow at least one week’s notice for document submission. Records released may include transcripts, letters of recommendation, letters confirming enrollment, letters confirming graduation date, scholarship forms, etc. Student transcripts list all of the courses taken for high school credit beginning in the eighth or ninth grade, final grades earned in those courses, and all summer school courses taken for credit. Scores of college entrance tests such as the SAT are NOT included on the transcript and must be sent separately through a student’s College Board account. EHS does not include any information regarding discipline matters on the transcript or other documents. Students over the age of 18 may sign the release form for themselves. 

We are requesting that parents complete the release form as soon as possible, but no later than October 1st. This will ensure a form is on file prior to any deadlines. 

The release form is available for completion through the school store in Infinite Campus. Please log in to Infinite Campus, and follow the below steps:

All students in the class of 2027 including any students who plan to attend a four- or two-year college will be required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for any college they attend. The application opens October 1st, 2026 for students and families to create their accounts and complete the application.

A financial aid advisor from CT State Asnuntuck will be joining us on Monday, November 2nd to provide assistance in understanding the financial aid process and completing the FAFSA. Students do not need to be attending CT State Asnuntuck to attend. The workshop is open to all EHS families who would like assistance completing the FAFSA for their student. Both students and parents should plan to attend together to complete the entire application process.

When:  Monday, November 2nd, 2026

Time:  6:00 p.m.

Where:  Ellington High School Library

Who:  Any EHS family 

Do you plan to attend a two or four-year college after high school? If so, students and their parents should plan to attend our virtual College Planning Night where school counselors will provide an overview of the college planning process. Representatives from several colleges, including UConn, Western New England University, Eastern CT State University, Quinnipiac University, and Asnuntuck Community College will also present admissions information. 

The workshop will take place virtually on Thursday, November 5th at 6:00 pm. A link to the event will be emailed to all juniors a week before the event. If you have any questions regarding this event, please see your school counselor.

If your student is enrolled in an Advanced Placement (AP) class this school year, they must register and pay for their May AP Exam by November 6th. As a reminder, students must take the AP Exam for their course in order to earn the AP weighting towards their GPA. 

By joining AP Classroom, your student has already registered for their exam. Parents/guardians will need to pay the exam fees through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Instructions are detailed below.

Cost: $102 per AP Exam* Late registrations (after November 6th and before March 5th) will be charged an additional $40 per exam. No exams can be ordered after March 5th.

*Students who qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch will be charged a $40 refundable deposit. The fee is refunded once the student completes their exam in May. Students who do not take the exam will not receive a refund. (Online applications for Free/Reduced Meals are available through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. More information about eligibility can be found here.)

Exam Cancellations: Exams canceled before March 5, 2027 will receive a partial refund of $58. Exam cancellations after March 5th and/or “no shows” for the exam will not be eligible for a refund. 

Log in Infinite Campus Parent Portal

  

Questions? Please contact Courtney Heuitson (cheuitson@ellingtonschools.net) or Ryan Anderson (randerson@ellingtonschools.net).

View the latest round-up of community events and flyers in the Community Connection - Bringing Community Events and Flyers to the Ellington Family!