Athletic director: about 70% of New Canaan students participate in school sports; meet-the-coaches and summer programming noted

At a grade-transition meeting for families, New Canaan High School’s athletic director described robust extracurricular opportunities, saying roughly 70% of students participate in athletics at some point during the school year and outlining logistics for parents who want to plan for fall participation.

Jay Egan, the athletic director, said the school runs 31 programs with about 102 coaches and plans a ‘‘meet the coaches’’ night around June 2 where families can meet head coaches and learn about each sport’s expectations. He also noted a recent change in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) out‑of‑season rules that allows optional summer programming for teams; the school said the summer work is not mandatory.

Season timing and logistics: Egan gave specific start dates — golf begins Aug. 11 and most other sports begin Aug. 18 — and urged families planning to participate to be present for the listed start dates when possible. The school streams many events and posts coach contact and ticket information on the athletics website (ncs.com), officials said.

Participation and expectations: The athletic director emphasized that athletics are one of several engagement options and encouraged families to ‘‘trust these adults’’ — coaches, counselors and teachers — to support students’ development. He noted the school’s focus on quality across freshman, JV and varsity levels and on adult supervision at contests.

What families should do next: Attend the June meet‑the‑coaches night if possible, review the athletics web pages for schedules and contact info, and plan around the published start dates if the student intends to play. The athletic office said more details and contact lists are posted on the school athletics website.