Please click  here to view the Facilities Update Presentation reviewed by the School Committee on September 2, 2020.

Facilities Update includes ventilation, cleaning protocols, PPE supplies, classroom social distancing.

To view SC meeting on the presentation, please click here.

Welcome to new families and welcome back to returning families to Newton South! We hope this email finds you and your loved ones doing well!

We know how challenging and complex the return-to-learn decision and process has been for everyone in our community. As we start this unprecedented school year, the PTSO will continue to work with South Administration and staff to communicate information in a timely manner, help support and engage our community for input and ideas, and to stay connected even when we are apart. Please click here to subscribe to the PTSO Newsletter.

As we all prepare to return to school this year, it’s important that we remind ourselves of the impact that COVID-19 has had on each of our own decisions on how to live day to day with the presence of COVID-19. We all need to continue to do our part in keeping our community safe and healthy whether we are in distant learning or in-person activities.

• Encourage our children to stay connected with friends and classmates, and embrace the opportunity to meet new classmates and teachers this school year, even when we are distant and apart.
• Reinforce the importance of wearing the mask and following social distance protocols with masks and staying 6 ft apart to keep everyone safe – friends, family, teachers, adults, teammates, etc.
• Remind our children to stay vigilant with hand-washing, not touching any surface than those necessary, keeping hands away from their face is essential to keeping the spread of COVID-19 so we can ready to return to in-person events and activities.

Together, we can support each other and our community during these uncertain times. The PTSO will look to host virtual events and in-person activities with social distance protocols, and fundraise so we can support programs for all departments at South as they find new ways to teach, engage and connect with our children.

As we kick off our 2020-21 school year, the PTSO is launching our School Directory Confirmation process and our annual Dues Campaign.  Look for an email next week.  Every family must confirm their information to be included in the online and printed version.   You will have an opportunity to contribute to our annual Dues Campaign when you confirm your information.  Your annual Dues donation is used 100% to support our school community and enrich the experiences of our students at South. The PTSO relies on annual donations from each Newton South family.  For this unprecedented school year, we are reducing our Dues Campaign to $44,000.  A surplus of $13,500 will be used for the remaining expenses in our 2020-21 budget of $57,500.

We also plan to start our newsletters with a tip of the week for families this year.  Please send us your favorite quote, a cartoon, – something that got you through your day. We look forward to working together and encourage you to send us your ideas for making our students’ experience at South the best it can be to newtontogether@newtonsouthPTSO.org.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@newtonsouthPTSO.org.  Stay tuned for more news as we prepare for the start of the school year on September 16, 2020.

Stay well and enjoy the rest of the summer days!

NSHS PTSO Board,
May Chiu, Helen Haley, Lisa DePalma, Jen Tomaneng and Wayne Fitzpatrick

Message from Interim Principal Aronson and Athletic Director Pat Gonzalez.  For updated information, please visit NSHS Athletics.

Dear athletes and their families:

You’re Invited:
Q & A for Parents/Guardians New to Newton South

Parents/guardians who are NEW to Newton South are invited to join the PTSO for a Q & A session with Interim Principal Aronson, Vice Principal Hardiman, and Staff.  These small group sessions are specially designed for parents/guardians of students who are NEW to Newton South High School.

Bring your questions specific to Newton South to one of the following sessions via Zoom.  Please click on one of the following dates to register.  Zoom links will be shared to those participants who register.

Wednesday, September 9 at 8 AM

Thursday, September 10 at 7 PM

Hello NSHS Families,

Please mark your calendars for NSHS FAQ Session on Wed, Sept 2 at 8 AM.  See details below from Vice Principal Chris Hardiman.   Several parent emails have bounced back, so please check your ASPEN contact information to update email and phone numbers.  Click to log in to your account here.  If you have problems logging in, please contact the school main office at 617-559-6700.  Thank you.

Details of NSHS FAQ, email from Vice Principal Chris Hardiman on 8/27/20

Dear Newton Families,

We know that many of you have questions related to the start of the 2020-21 school year so we will be conducting a one hour webinar on Wednesday, September 2nd at 8:00AM. A panel consisting of South administrators will give a short presentation and we will enable the Q & A feature for you to ask your questions. We will do our best to answer as many questions as we can in the time allotted but for any that we don’t get to, we will compile them into a FAQ document to be shared later. We will also record the meeting for anyone who is not able to attend.

Below is the link to attend the webinar. We hope to see you there.

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Sep 2, 2020 08:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: 2020-21 NSHS Parent Q & A
Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://newton-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/91654342550
Passcode: South

Thanks,

Chris Hardiman
NSHS Interim Vice Principal

Hello NSHS Families,

Please mark your calendars for NSHS FAQ Session on Wed, Sept 2 at 8 AM.  See details below from Vice Principal Chris Hardiman.   Several parent emails have bounced back, so please check your ASPEN contact information to update email and phone numbers.  Click to log in to your account here.  If you have problems logging in, please contact the school main office at 617-559-6700.  Thank you.

Details of NSHS FAQ, email from Vice Principal Chris Hardiman on 8/27/20

Dear Newton Families,

We know that many of you have questions related to the start of the 2020-21 school year so we will be conducting a one hour webinar on Wednesday, September 2nd at 8:00AM. A panel consisting of South administrators will give a short presentation and we will enable the Q & A feature for you to ask your questions. We will do our best to answer as many questions as we can in the time allotted but for any that we don’t get to, we will compile them into a FAQ document to be shared later. We will also record the meeting for anyone who is not able to attend.

Below is the link to attend the webinar. We hope to see you there.

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Sep 2, 2020 08:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: 2020-21 NSHS Parent Q & A
Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://newton-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/91654342550
Passcode: South

Thanks,

Chris Hardiman
NSHS Interim Vice Principal

Please find the latest news from NPS about COVID-19 Health Guidelines that we send to all parents enrolled in NPS.

August 26, 2020

Dear NPS Families,

Below please find links to the COVID-19 health guidelines developed by the Newton Health and Human Services Department for the Newton Public Schools. Key information in the documents include:

• Definitions (close contact, quarantine, contact tracing, and more.)
• Scenarios of COVID-19 infection or close contact in schools
• Notification procedures
• Masks/face covering protocol

Here are the links to the documents:

COVID-19 Plans for the Newton Public Schools

Health Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions

Masks/Face Coverings Protocol

All school re-opening information can be found on our webpage here: www.newton.k12.ma.us/returntolearn

Update from Mayor Fuller.  To subscribe to Mayor Fuller’s emails, please click here.

Excerpt from Mayor’s Email Update – Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020

COVID-19 Testing for School Community, Vulnerable Residents
The City of Newton and Newton-Wellesley Hospital (NWH) are pleased to announce
a new partnership to provide safety net COVID-19 testing for school community
members and vulnerable residents.

Newton’s Health and Human Services staff will refer eligible members of the Newton
school community or social service clients to NWH for COVID-19 testing. People will
be eligible if they have relevant symptoms or have been a close contact of someone
who has tested positive. This service is specifically for those who lack access to a
primary care physician or have other extenuating circumstances that make obtaining
a test challenging. People should start with their own healthcare provider if they
have one, and turn to the Health and Human Services Department if they need more
help.

This rapid and easy access to testing, for those who would otherwise struggle to
access these services, will help protect everyone in our community and ensure that
those tested have complete and relatively quick information about their COVID-19
status. While we still have to complete the paperwork, we’re both excited about this
opportunity.

Warmly,
Ruthanne

Dear Newton South Families,

On August 25, 2020, the NPS recommended a change for High School model from hybrid to distance learning model, indefinitely. Click to view Return to Learn SC Presentation Update – 8.25.20.  The High School Distance Learning model starts on page 18.   The majority of students (except those with high needs) will be in the Distance Learning model.  There is no longer a DLA for High Schools.

The School Committee will be voting today at their meeting on August 26 at 7PM on the updated proposal by NPS.   To view the meeting, click here.  For the latest updates on NPS Return to Learn, click here.

We know how difficult and complex the return-to-learn decision has been for all of us. The PTSO will continue to work with South Administration and staff to find ways to communicate information in a timely manner, help support and engage our community for input and ideas – and to stay connected even when we are apart.  Together, we can find ways to enrich our students’ experience and to support our teachers and staff at South during this unprecedented school year.  Please click here to subscribe to the PTSO Newsletter.

NPS, South Administration, and Athletic Department are working and assessing Fall Sports.  More news to come per recent email from Principal Aronson.

Stay well and healthy and enjoy these summer days!  Look for more news in the coming weeks as we get ready for the start of school on September 16, 2020.