Dear Families

Hello NPS Families,

Many in Newton are struggling to put food on the table right now. If your income has changed as a result of COVID-19, you may be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as well as Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefits. SNAP is a federal entitlement program  and anyone who is eligible will receive benefits. P-EBT provides households with an EBT card containing the dollar value of free school breakfast and lunch reimbursement rates for the days that schools are closed to help them purchase groceries. We also continue to run our grab-and-go meal distribution at three sites; see below for additional information.

P-EBT

If your income has recently changed, you are encouraged to apply for Free & Reduced Lunch. If approved, you may become automatically eligible for P-EBT benefits provided directly from the state.

How to apply online: The online application is easy to complete and is the quickest and most efficient way for you to confirm your eligibility and to enroll your student(s).

How to call for assistance: Please leave a message at 617-559-9038 with return phone # and a representative will reach out to assist you in completing an application.

SNAP

SNAP benefits are given each month on a plastic card called an EBT (electronic benefits transfer) card which works like a debit card. SNAP benefits can be used to purchase food at grocery and convenience stores and some farmers’ markets and co-op food programs. You can give your EBT card to a trusted family member or friend to shop for you.

Click here for a 10 second screening to see if you might be eligible.

How to Apply Online: Apply for SNAP benefits today online through DTA Connect.

How to Call for Assistance: If you have questions about your eligibility or how to apply for SNAP benefits, Project Bread has many resources including a confidential Food Source Hotline at 1-800-645-8333 where counselors assist callers in 160 languages. It’s open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can also reach out to Newton’s Health and Human Services Department at 617-796-1420.

Grab-n-Go Meal Sites 

All Newton residents, regardless of age, may pick up meals at the following three sites. Meals are provided free of charge and include breakfast and lunch items. All sites are open Monday-Friday from 10AM-12PM.

• Newton North High
• Newton South High
• NECP (150 Jackson Road)

Thank You,

Stephen Marshall

Director of Business Services

LOOKING FOR SPIRIT GEAR?  Most of the inventory is inaccessible in the school, but I happen to have lots of Newton South socks (orange and blue with a lion – $12), baseball hats (trucker hats are $20 or canvas hats are $15), and lanyards at my house.  I do have one box with a few pairs each of T-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, jogger pants, 1/4 zip pullovers, and sweatshirt blankets.  If you want to place an order, email the details of your order to Wendy Woodruff at wrwoodruff@yahoo.com, and I can let you know if I have it.

In an effort to continue to increase the security of zoom meetings for students, NPS is now giving teachers the ability to require students to use their NPS accounts when logging into a zoom meeting with their teachers/classmates.

Once a teacher activates this feature on their account, students MUST “Sign-in with Google” and use their NPS Gmail account and password to access a zoom meeting with their teacher/class from now on.

Though we aren’t exactly sure when we will be able to allow students into the building to retrieve their belongings, we do need to plan for the important end of year tasks of both returning books, etc. and emptying lockers.

There is a team of staff from Newton South and the District who are beginning to plan for these efforts. A few minutes of your time will greatly aid our planning activities. Please have your child(ren) complete this form as soon as possible:  https://forms.gle/kVRbGzPPNCEE2u9A9  Thank you!

Typically, we would be hosting college reps to Newton South’s campus to meet juniors and share information about their institutions. This year, as we know, we need to do things differently.

Virtual College Rep Meet and Greet is here.  Our first virtual meeting is with George Washington University this Monday, May 4 at 1-1:30PM.   Meet/Greet every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday until June 17, college admissions representatives will be meeting with juniors at 11am and 1pm. 

If you are interested in attending, join the meeting at this link: https://gwu.webex.com/meet/lkskeens

Monday  5/11    11am         Emerson College

Monday 5/11       1pm         U Colorado, Boulder

Tuesday 5/12     11am        Simmons University

Tuesday 5/12       1pm        Syracuse University

Wednesday 5/13     11am    Bryant University

Wednesday 5/13      1pm     Bard College

Any questions, please contact me.
Best,
Ms. Sabet
sabetk@newton.k12.ma.us

As we all continue to cope with our new normal during this unprecedented time of school closure, we would like to come together virtually to say “THANK YOU” to all of our Newton South teachers & faculty.

Consider making a video or submit a photo to show your appreciation.  Please submit your mp4 format video (up to 10 seconds) and/or .jpg ‘thank you” photo of poster/card to newtontogether@newtonsouthptso.org by May 8.  Please specify your Grade in the Subject.  Thank you!

Go South, Go Lions!

The Newton COVID-19 Care Fund helps families and individuals who have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The GELF offers life-changing, need-based scholarships to students participating in Newton North & South travel programs. Support both causes with a special cooking class on May 9! Proceeds will be split between the two organizations. This year, GELF made many financial scholarship commitments for travel that it was unable to recover and was additionally unable to hold its annual fundraiser, so you can help in a big way by joining the fun online!

Join Newton North parent and chef extraordinaire Katya Salkever for a unique Zoom DIY cooking broadcast. Chef Katya will show guests how to prepare some of her most popular dishes from GELF Benefit Dinners over the last 11 years so that you can enjoy GELF cooking at home! The menu, Zoom link, and a list of ingredients will be sent out to all registered participants one week prior to the event date. 

Event Details:

LIVE Virtual Cooking Event with Chef Katya Salkever via ZOOM

Learn to Cook Top GELF Dinner Hits!

Saturday, May 9

3-5:30PM

Ticket Price: $50 Minimum Donation to Join

REGISTER HERE!

The event is limited to 100 members, so reserve your spot today!

Don’t want to cook but still want to donate to the Fund? Head here to make your donation today. 

BONUS: We’ll also feature a specialty cocktail recipe called “The Globetrotter!” to help celebrate this fun event. 

All proceeds of the event will go to support the Newton COVID-19 Care Fund and The Jennifer Price Global Education Leadership Fund (GELF), and its ongoing efforts to ensure that no students are left out of these experiences, regardless of their financial means. 

Hope you’ll join us on May 9!

Next week we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week!

Please join us to say thank you to all NPS teachers by submitting a thank you card, photo or video. Use this form to submit your creation and look for it on our social media channels next week!  https://forms.gle/65Wao2kNJHcShX6F7

Most of the inventory is inaccessible in the school, but Ms. Woodruff happens to have lots of Newton South socks (orange and blue with a lion – $12), baseball hats (trucker hats are $20 or canvas hats are $15), and lanyards at her house.  She does have one box with a few pairs each of T-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, jogger pants, 1/4 zip pullovers, and sweatshirt blankets.  If you want to place an order, email the details of your order to Wendy Woodruff at wrwoodruff@yahoo.com, and she can let you know if she has it.