Good News! Opt-in to Asymptomatic COVID-19 Testing at Newton South

Some Good News!
Newton Public School’s partnership with JCM to provide Asymptomatic COVID-19 Testing at South started on March 8th.  In the first two weeks of Newton’s new FREE asymptomatic COVID-19 testing program, Newton high school students took 1,519 tests and there were ZERO positive cases among students!   Thank you to all who participated in this program!

But 30% participation from NSHS families is low compared to some neighboring district seeing 75% participation.

Now for Great News!
You can still sign up your child in a few easy steps.   Pool testing is available to any in-person student and distance learning student who come to school for regular events (e.g sports, theatre, preschool, etc).

5 Easy Steps to Stop the Spread of COVID-19 and Get Started:

Step 1: Sign the consent form here to give your consent once.  The consent form can be found in the Aspen Student/Family Portal.

Step 2: Create an account at JCM Analytics (testing vendor) website at https://workflow.jcmworks.com/  PLEASE NOTE: once you sign the consent form, there is a brief lag time before your consent is uploaded to JCM.  You will NOT be able to create an account until your information is uploaded. Data will be uploaded on Monday and Thursday mornings by 8:30 a.m. You can access JCM after this time to create an account.

Step 3: Get the QR Code from JCM – you get code once, save it on your phone or print it out.

Step 4: Pick up Nasal Swab Kit at School

Step 5: Bring the Swab Kit with QR back on his/her designated cohort day. Get a new kit for the following week. No news is good news!

Highlights & Benefits to Asymptomatic Testing. While testing is optional, it is strongly encouraged.  The higher the participation rate, the better in identifying asymptomatic cases sooner and stopping the spread of COVID-19. Surveillance testing is considered a key pillar for detecting cases early and preventing silent spread and as we anticipate full-in person learning on April 26, it is more important than ever to participate in this FREE program.

  • The testing program is able to immediately test and identify the positive sample in a pool (reflex testing), so there will be no need to quarantine entire pools.
  • The nasal swab is completed done at home on the morning of testing.
  • Submitting the test kit takes less than 5 minutes.
  • Surveillance testing for COVID-19 is a critical measure as we combat the spread of this virus in our community.
  • Surveillance testing also works best with a high rate of participation.

If your child(ren) forget to conduct the test at home or just forgot, just go to the South main office and pick up a kit, go into a bathroom to conduct a test, and then bring it by the faculty dining room during B (lunch) block on Monday or Thursday (or 3:45 to 4:30 on Thursday if you are an eligible distance student). Students will then pick up a new test each week when he/she leave the testing center.

If your child forgets their QR code, we will have copies of their code too in the faculty dining room.

Please Sign up today and help us stop the spread of COVID-19. Wishing you and your family good health and stay safe!

For more information, please visit: NPS COVID-19 Dashboard, Testing Program FAQ, and NSHS COVID-19 Testing FAQ