Freshman Parent Connections

Welcome to Clayton High School and the 2025-2026 School Year! We are your PTO Parent Connections Co-Chairs. At Clayton High School, Parent Connections is a little different than at Wydown: we are here to be the liaisons between parents, the PTO board, the counseling department, and faculty sponsors of their class. We will organize and host two Parent Connections grade-level events. We are working on our first one, a social event, this fall and we will be in touch with more information. The second event will be in the spring.

Additionally, our goal for this year is to help you become better acquainted with CHS and the PTO. Whether this is your first child at Clayton High School or your fifth, we want to help you feel welcome and informed during your child's high school experience. That’s not to say that we don’t want your student to be self-sufficient and figure things out on their own—we do!—but we also want to make sure you have all the information you need to feel comfortable, connected, and included during this exciting time.

Below is an outline of some important dates as well as some helpful information for you and your incoming freshman (Student Planners, Student Handbook, Principal and PTO Newsletters, Driver’s Ed, National Honor Society). If you haven’t already, we strongly recommend that you download the CHS academic calendar to your mobile device. Click here for instructions on how to do so.

In the meantime, when important events come up or we feel like there is something freshman parents would benefit from knowing, we will send an email. We are also going to keep the CHS PTO website updated with current information. So please make a habit of checking that regularly too.

We hope to make this transition to high school as seamless as possible and hope you are equally as excited as your incoming freshman!

Lori Hausladen, Jackie Stavros, Michela Henke

Freshman Parent Connections Co-Chairs

chspto@claytonschools.net

Calendar

August

August 11 - Fall Sports Start

August 18 - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

August 28 - Freshman Parents Night, 6 pm; Open House, 7 pm

September

September 10 - PTO meeting (12-1 pm; Location: Admin Board Room)

September 26 - Homecoming Pep Rally (Gay Field) *

September 26 - Homecoming Bonfire (Gay Field) *

September 27 - Homecoming Parade (10am) *

September 27 - Homecoming Football Game (Gay Field 11am) *

September 27 - Homecoming Dance (Stuber Gym, CHS) *

*Stay tuned for the parents guide to Homecoming for more information on the festivities

October

October 3 - Principal’s Coffee (9am)

October 13-16 - Parent Teacher Conference Week

November

November 3 - Winter Sports Start

December

December 17-19 - First semester exams

January

TBD - Class Registration Begins

TBD - Summer School registration

February

February 27 - Principal’s Coffee (9am)

March

March 2 - Spring Sports Start

March 10-13 - Parent Teacher Conference Week

TBD - PSAT

April

TBD - Parent Connections Meeting 

April 28 - Awards Ceremony

May

May 27-29 - Second semester exams

TBD - PSAT scores are released. Students can log into their account to find out how they did.

Helpful Information

Student Planners

A free CHS Planner which will be provided to all students on the first day of school.

Student Handbook

Please review the school policies which can be found in the Student Handbook:

https://www.claytonschools.net/Page/15025

Principal’s and PTO Newsletter

Dr. Gutchewsky will send a principal’s newsletter once a month. Here you will find his monthly message, CHS news, upcoming events, and more. Additionally, the CHS PTO newsletter (PTO Postcard to Parents) is emailed once a month to inform you of upcoming PTO events and information on how to get involved. CHS PTO will hold monthly meetings on the second Wednesday of the month from 12-1 pm at the Center of Clayton (Meeting Room C).

If you would like to get involved sooner or have any questions, please email chspto@claytonschools.net.

Drivers Ed

The Drivers Education Program sponsored by the School District of Clayton includes the following components:

● Parent/Student Orientation Meeting

● 12 hours of class instruction/discussion

● 6 hours of individual driving instruction

● 6 hours of driving observation

Eligibility: Students must be 15 years of age before the first day of class.

*This is a state law and no exceptions can be made

A parent/student orientation meeting will be held in the CHS Auditorium on the first day of class. Click here for more information (including cost and calendar of dates).

National Honor Society

The National Honor Society is a national organization recognizing high school students who have demonstrated strong character, excelled academically, and taken active roles in leadership and service. Membership in the Clayton High School chapter of the National Honor Society is a faculty-awarded honor. It is important that students interested in applying review the requirements starting in 9th grade. Students who have exemplified outstanding character, academic achievement, leadership, and service will be invited to apply in the fall of their sophomore, junior, and senior year. Click here to learn more.