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Weekly Announcements

HHS Principal's Weekly, September 26, 2025

Important Dates

10/6- Pep Rally
10/9- Open House
10/10- Workshop Day! No School for Students
10/13- No School
10/16 Financial Aid Night
10/22- PSAT Day in School- No School for non-test takers
10/24- Picture Retakes

From Our Principal

Hello All,
 
Below is an explanation about religious and cultural celebrations and how we handle the need for days off to honor these moments.
 
  • We have people of many different faiths at Hanover High School. Our calendar does not align with the majority of the world's religious and cultural celebrations. We however understand it is those traditions that create a sense of belonging and bring many of us strength. With that in mind and since we are a community of many different faiths, I wanted to be explicit about our position surrounding religious observances as the school year gets under way, this would also apply to cultural observances.
  • We are a public entity that is expected to uphold the laws of our country. Our first amendment states that:
    • “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…
  • In order to honor the free exercise part of this clause, and to ensure that we are respecting the spirit of our Constitution in regards to religious practices, our Council passed the following motion on 5/3/23 and it was approved by our Administration on 5/15/23:
    • At Hanover High school, staff members will work to accommodate students if the observance of a major religious holiday interferes with a student's academic work. If a student is unable to attend a class, participate in a test or quiz, be present for a presentation, or complete an assignment on a specific day because of the observance of a religious holiday, the student will be allowed one week from their return to make up assignments due on the holiday or the day following. Students will notify their teachers at least 48 hours prior through school email or in person of the religious observances that conflict with their classes. We recommend and hope that staff would be given a reasonable extension for grading when occurring over holidays. 
  • Hanover High School staff have been accommodating to religious observances for years and this motion wanted to make our position clear and available to the community. 
  • Here is a resource that lists the religious holidays for a number of faiths: https://chaplain.yale.edu/sites/default/files/2025-08/Multi%20faith%20calendar%20dates%202025-2026_0.pdf
  • We understand that this is not exhaustive and students need to inform teachers if there is an observance they are not aware of that impacts the student.
  • We also post religious holidays with brief explanations on screens around the school. We hope this will help all of us develop a deeper understanding of each other.   
  • We expect that this will go smoothly as teachers accommodate requests all the time, but if you or your family have questions or concerns please reach out to your counselor for support. 
 
Julie Stevenson

School News and Information

 

RMS Tutors Needed

RMS students are looking for tutors.  It's a great way to help others and earn community service/volunteer hours while you're at it.   If you are interested or want to learn more, please fill out this form. We currently need volunteer tutors in all subject areas, including general organization/study skills.  Volunteering takes place after school at RMS on Mon, Tues and/or Thursday afternoons.

 

Peer Tutors

Did you know that HHS has its very own peer tutoring center? This year, 27 amazing student tutors from grades 10-12 are volunteering their time to make learning easier and more enjoyable for everyone. That’s a whole team of brainpower ready to help out!

Whether you’d like to just drop by, set up a regular session, or even bring a small group of friends to study together in our newly designed space, you’re always welcome. 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Matt Buck to point you or your student in the right direction. 

 

Outdoor Family Movie Night Saturday 10/4

Support the HHS Class of 2028 by joining us to watch Zootopia on Saturday October 4th on the HHS turf field starting at 7pm. $7 entry fee/person and concessions by donation. Don’t forget to bring chairs and blankets! Direct questions to cehourdequin@gmail.com. 

 

Youth-In-Action

Each and every HHS student is invited to participate in community service through Youth-In-Action. This year, our goal is to have every member of our student body participate in one way or another! Please encourage your student to look at our upcoming events (must be logged in to HHS account to sign up) and consider giving back to the Upper Valley community. Tonight and tomorrow we are painting faces at local events!

 

Health Office Notes: Influenza Vaccine Information

For the first time in 20 years we will not be having a student influenza clinic.

We have been informed that the school based influenza clinics are not being held due to:

  1. Lack of funding for the vaccine

  2. Lack of volunteers to administer the vaccine

We are following the American Academy of Pediatrics Vaccine Recommendations in promoting all students to be vaccinated for both influenza and the updated COVID vaccine unless they have underlying health conditions which contradict this.

There are many free influenza clinics. All clinics hosted by DHMC are free but ask that you try to schedule an appointment. Either schedule via mydh.org. or if you do not have a mydh account call 603-653-3731 to make an appointment. Parents can receive shots alongside their children. Appointments are available Monday through Friday 7AM-5PM and Saturdays 8AM-12noon, September 8th-Dec. 20th. There is also a clinic Sundays from 8AM-12noon until Oct. 26th.

There is a Public Health Council of the Upper Valley that will be holding free walk-in clinics.

Call 603-523-7100 for more information or see below:

https://uvpublichealth.org/2025-free-community-flu-vaccine-clinics/

A variety of local pharmacies have the COVID vaccine now. Check with them to make an appointment to receive the vaccine.

Get vaccinated for your own protection and also to protect others, especially immunocomprised individuals.

Let us know if you have any questions or concerns.  

Candace Nattie
Lynn McRae
Jen Swabowicz
HHS Nurses
 

Counseling Department Updates

  • AP Exam Registration is open Monday, September 29 - Friday, October 31. 

    • As a courtesy to students who wish to demonstrate mastery of AP course content, HHS is an AP testing site. AP Exams are Monday, May 4 - Friday, May 15.

    •  Hanover High School does not offer AP courses, and students do not have access to the College Board’s AP course materials. Each test costs $101 and must be paid for electronically by selecting the test(s) from MyMealTime. Fee waivers are available for students with financial need. To register for an AP test, download and complete the AP exam registration form and return it to Jessie Papatolicas in the Counseling Department.

  • School Day PSAT: Wednesday, October 22  (no school for grades 9, 10 and 12) 

Senior Family Events and Information 

  • Paying for College Presentation by Granite Edvance: October 16 at 6:00 PM on Googlemeet. A Granite Edvance representative will present essential steps to take and resources available to fund your student’s college education. Here is the financial aid information that was emailed to all students and families earlier today.

  • Senior Family College Night was Thursday, September 11. Here are the slides we reviewed. Topics included: student, caregiver, and counselor roles, the components of the college application, navigating the SCOIR and CommonApp platforms, and important dates and deadlines. The video recording will be posted to the Principal’s Weekly as soon as it is available.
     

College Application How-to Materials

Please reach out to your school counselor with any questions about your application process!

 
Important dates and deadlines for the college application process:
  • Friday, October 10: Finalize your senior second semester schedule.
  • To give HHS time to send the required application materials, seniors must add/move college(s) into the “Applying” column in SCOIR in advance of the application deadline. For each application deadline (left), seniors should put schools in the “Applying section by (right):

  • Application Deadline - November 1, Add to "Applying" in SCOIR by October 11
    Application Deadline - November 15, Add to "Applying" in SCOIR by October 25
    Application Deadline - December 1, Add to "Applying" in SCOIR by November 10
    Application Deadline - December 15, Add to "Applying" in SCOIR by November 19
    Application Deadline - January 1, Add to "Applying" in SCOIR by December 9

Upcoming College Visits

Throughout the fall, colleges and universities host information sessions at HHS. Your student may register to attend these sessions through SCOIR. To attend a session during a scheduled class, a student must register in SCOIR and then obtain their teacher’s permission in advance. In-person meetings will take place in the Counseling Office Conference Room or Digital Arts Lab. Updates to the visit schedule will be posted in Schoology every Thursday. 

 

School Day College Visits to the HHS Counseling Department

Monday, 9/29/2025

12:00-12:40PM      Columbia University
 

Tuesday, 9/30/2025

8:00-8:40 PM         Boston University
8:45-9:25 PM         Bowdoin College
11:10-11:50 PM     Sarah Lawrence College
2:20-3:00 PM         McGill University
 

Wednesday, 10/1/25

10;15-10:55 AM     University of New England
11:00-11:40 AM      Brandeis University 
1:25-2:00 PM         Champlain College
 

Thursday, 10/2/2025

8:00-8:40 AM         Southern NH University 
8:00-8:40 AM         University of Southampton ONLINE
10:20-11:00 AM     Trinity College
11:10-11:50 AM      Vassar College 
12:45-1:25 PM       Furman University 
2:20-3:00 PM         St. Lawrence University 
 

Please also check the College Scholarships page for upcoming deadlines.

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