Newton South Students and Families,

This week marks the midpoint of term 3. We anticipate posting midterm comments to Aspen at some point this week, and you will receive a separate email once they are posted. Note that the term ends on Friday, March 31.

March marks the beginning of Women’s History Month. During this month, we celebrate the many contributions of women to our world and pause to reflect on the many barriers they have overcome to achieve their goals. While we will shine a spotlight on the amazing work that has been done, the many achievements of women throughout history cannot and should not be condensed to this month alone. We still have more work to do and will remain committed to our goal of creating a more just society that both advocates for and champions equity and excellence for all.

Here are this week’s highlights:

Principal Stras released a newsletter on Friday, February 17.

If you missed it, you can view it again here.

Newton South High School’s 2022 Report Card is now available. Please see here for our letter explaining the report card.

On February 27, from 7:00 – 8:00 pm, please join members of the Newton North and Newton South Community for a virtual conversation about Excellence and Equity in our high schools, hosted by Families Organizing for Racial Justice (FORJ) NNHS.

Newton North and Newton South Principals Henry Turner and Tamara Stras will moderate a panel discussion among teachers and students from both schools. They will discuss their varied classroom approaches and their experiences and understanding of pursuing equity and excellence.

Please RSVP here to receive the Zoom link prior to the start of the meeting. Feel free to pose your questions to the panel in the registration form.

Here’s to another week at South! Let us know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Jason Williams (he/him/his)

Vice Principal

Newton South High School

Students: please clean up your spaces after you are done eating. We have seen an uptick in trash being left on lunch tables, benches, and the hallways. This creates an unsanitary environment that:

• Is unfair to other students in the building who use these spaces after you do.
• Is unfair to our custodial staff as it creates additional work for them and makes it more difficult for them to respond to other issues

Please note we have also seen an uptick in rodents in the building over the past several weeks. We work with a pest control company who will come out every 2-3 weeks to help treat spaces and deter them from coming in. That said, we must all do our part in ensuring that our school is clean to limit how much we attract them to our space. Please be diligent in cleaning up your eating spaces.

Students are allowed to eat lunch in the following areas:

• The Student Center
• The Wheeler, Goldrick or Goodwin Commons
• Field House Lobby
• The tables outside the auditorium
• Any supervised area where staff give express permission

A couple of notes:

• Students are not allowed to eat on the floor. This blocks hallways, accessible ramps, and stairs, and makes it more difficult for people to traverse the hallways. Hallways need to remain clear to avoid creating fire and egress hazards.
• Campus aides and other staff members will continue to ask students to relocate to one of the areas above, especially if they are blocking an egress, stairwell, ramp, or hallway.

We appreciate your cooperation as we work together to maintain a safe, healthy environment for all.

We have had an increase in cars that are not legally parked on campus. Please note the following from the Orange Lion, our student handbook, regarding student vehicles on campus:

• Seniors who gain a spot through the lottery may park in a designated, yellow-lined space
• White-lined spaces are for staff and visitors (Visitors must sign in through the main office)
• No other students may park on campus

The first violation is a warning ticket. The second violation and beyond will result in the car being towed at the owner’s expense. We reserve the right to tow a vehicle regardless of violation count if it is parked in an area that causes a safety hazard or is blocking a fire lane or egress.

Teachers will spend this week recommending courses for students and put their recommendations into Aspen. At the end of the week, these recommendations will turn into requests, and students and families will be able to see (but not edit) these requests.

Course registration documents can be found here on our school website.

The 2023-2024 Program of Studies will be uploaded to the school website as soon as it is ready. We apologize for the delay. We expect to have an electronic copy available by time students need to select their elective courses starting on Monday, March 6.

Between March 6 and 13, students will be able to request additional courses in Aspen that do not require a teacher’s recommendation. They will also be able to see recommendations that their teachers have entered.

Here is a full overview of the registration process:

The next School Council Meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. A link to the agenda can be found here. If you would like to attend for public comment, please email strast@newton.k12.ma.us directly.

The WISE Senior Project/Internship Program offers seniors the opportunity to work outside the classroom during term 4 on a substantive educational undertaking of their own choice. It is an exciting opportunity for students to work on an intensive project of their choosing focusing on one of four areas – academic, creative, community service, and/or career exploration. We will be providing information about this opportunity for juniors at the following times:

Students: We will be holding an assembly in the Auditorium during WIN on Friday, March 3 for all juniors. During this WIN, we will be providing information on the WISE Senior Project/Internship Program, as well as how to register. Juniors have been automatically added to this WIN, but can choose to opt-out and sign up for another WIN if they are not interested.

Families: We will hold a virtual information session for junior families on Wednesday, March 8 at 7:30pm. More details will be provided in an email to families of juniors on Monday morning.

Superintendent Kathy Smith will join Principal Tamii Stras and School Committee members Tamika Olszewski and Emily Prenner for a PTSO parent coffee on Thursday, March 9 at 8:30am. We will hold this meeting in the Lecture Hall. We welcome families to stop by and hear from our Superintendent and principal, and ask questions.

The city is holding a Career Pathways Event on Wednesday, March 15 at 6:30pm. Newton’s young people and their families are welcome to explore various post-secondary programs that can help students get ready for rewarding careers. See the attached flyer and click here for more information.

Sophomores! Mark your calendars! Celebrate the school year and the end of MCAS and Term 3 with the “Black Light Bash”. On April 1st from 7-10PM, join us in the NSHS student center for a glow-in-the-dark party with dancing, lots of neon, food, and more! Attire is white semi-formal clothing to really put the DJ’s black lights to work, so start getting your outfits together! More information to come about ticket sales and dance details.

Dear Class of ’24 & ’25,

Come learn about One to One Mentoring, a Newton Public School class and program modeled after Big Brother Big Sister. This is a class open to rising juniors and seniors who have a strong academic and attendance record and are able to make a year-long commitment. There is one class a week and the expectation of a match visit with your mentee about 2 hours each week after school or on the weekends (November – May).

This is a class for students who:

• Enjoy kids!
• Are thinking about a career in education!
• Have experience babysitting or coaching!
• Want to give back to your community!
• Want to learn more about child development.
• Want take on a new kind of responsibility.
• Want to learn about a child and their family and lend a hand.

Check out our one minute video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LH1e6PLOQ9DDMBEAUywct7-a2ixI7TbH/view?usp=sharing

This program gives you an opportunity to be a community-based mentor to a Newton elementary or middle school student. If you live in Boston, you would be matched to a Newton student who also lives in Boston. The weekly class meets throughout the school year to provide education, guidance and support throughout the mentoring experience.

During Sept/Oct/early November class members go through a mentor training, application, CORI/SORI process. During that time, families and school social workers identify elementary age students throughout the district who are in need of a caring and consistent teenage friend. In November the class shifts focus to a match support model and continues to meet weekly.

This year the program has 45 student mentors across the district. We hope that next year we will have 50+ mentors in this class for 2022-23. Students have the option to stay a part of the program for 2 years. Many mentors continue in the program for a second year.

Interested students should plan to attend one of the upcoming information session:

• March 1 (Wed)- Sign up for WIN (Location: Lecture Hall)
• March 2 (Thurs) – One to One Virtual Info Session 4:15 – 4:45pm. Google Meet joining info:
  • Video call link: https://meet.google.com/tce-ejyi-oje
  • Or dial: ?(US) +1 470-616-0572? PIN: ?412 952 711?#
• March 10 (Fri) – Sign up for WIN (Location: Lecture Hall)

Please contact me, Rebecca Young, with any additional questions. I hope to see you at an information session!

Rebecca Young, LICSW

youngr@newton.k12.ma.us

Newton South High School is seeking proctors for the 2023 AP Exams. Exams will be administered in person at Newton South High School May 1-5 and May 8-12. Morning exam sessions begin at 8AM; Afternoon exam sessions begin at 12PM. Exam sessions are generally between 3-4 hours, with the exception of students testing with accommodations. Exam sessions will be assigned based on the proctor’s availability. Payment rates are below:

• Standard Time: $125
• Extended Time (+50%): $185
• Extended Time (+100%): $250

AP Proctors must be responsible adults who can guard against attempts at cheating. Responsibilities include:

• Reading the exam administration script
• Distributing and collecting exams materials
• Familiarizing themselves ahead of time with the administration and exam security procedures
• Reading all of the general and appropriate subject-specific exam administration instructions to understand the flow of the administration
• Supervising the testing room at all times

Please note, an individual may not proctor an AP Exam in the year in which an immediate family or household member may be taking that exam. Proctors may not be employed at a test preparation company.

Interested candidates should contact the Newton South AP Coordinator Paige Perkinson at perkinsonv@newton.k12.ma.us

The district released a newsletter on Wednesday, February 8. You can find it here.

Career Exploration Event Series

Upcoming Thursdays, 6:00pm-7:00pm

Dates: March 23, April 27, & May 18

Newton Free Library, Druker Auditorium

Join Newton Youth services and the Newton Free Library for a four-part series exploring careers through in person discussions with professions working in the industry. Industry exploration includes STEM (February), Medical (March), The Trades (April), and Human Services (May).

Click HERE to register.

MBTA Youth Pass

The MBTA and the City of Newton’s Youth Pass program helps provide affordable transit access for young people with low-income. The Youth Pass is a card that can be used by eligible young adults with low incomes to purchase roughly 50% reduced one-way fares for Commuter Rail, Express Bus, and ferry. For additional details CLICK HERE.

Think Globally, Act Locally

Are you passionate about international travel and global understanding? Do you believe in making a difference right here in your hometown? Help open international doors for our students by getting involved with the Global Education Leadership Fund (GELF). GELF will have a dinner fundraiser on Saturday, April 29 at 7 PM. Formal invitation to follow. Reach out to Star Lew (lewy@newton.k12.ma.us) if you would like to help plan, organize and get to know more families who share the same passion!

Tuesday, February 28, 6pm: School Council

Wednesday, March 1: Midterm Comments Due (reports will be posted to Aspen by 3/3)

Thursday, March 2 – 4, 7:30pm: Cabaret (South Stage)

Thursday, March 9, 8:30am: PTSO/Superintendent Coffee (Lecture Hall)

Thursday, March 9, 6:30pm: Grade 8 Family Night

It’s never too late to get involved at Newton South!

Want to catch a game? View the athletic calendars here: Newton South Athletics Calendar

Want to join a club but don’t know where to start? Here are a list of clubs at Newton South