This may be our last chance to raise money for the teams at Newton South this year. Please help us out by getting yourself some new sheets. They would make a nice graduation present for anyone who is getting their first apartment or going off to college!

We partnered with a company, CoZzzy Comfy – The Bed Sheet Fundraising Company – to do this fundraiser online. We are selling 1800 thread count bed sheets sets for only $40! These sheets are wrinkle free, moisture wicking, anti-pilling, and INCREDIBLY soft. They are also money back guaranteed!
IF YOU HAVE A STUDENT HEADING TO COLLEGE IN THE FALL, THEY DO HAVE EXTRA LONG TWIN SHEETS!

Please follow this link to order: Online Store | Cozzzy Comfy

Use our group code: Newton 1- 2020
Order by: May 31.
Choose direct ship to have the sheets sent directly to your home

The Lion’s Roar, one of Newton South’s student-run newspapers, has temporarily moved online to continue informing the South community while school is closed. Read about the effects of COVID-19 on local businesses, changes to course Verification Day, Tom Brady’s departure from the Patriots and more at https://nshslionsroar.com.

THE LAUNCH OF #NEWTONTOGETHER  – Let’s stay connected as a community in the face of COVID-19!

On Patriots’ Day/Marathon Monday, April 20, we invite all Newtonians to make handmade #NewtonTogether signs and display them in your windows. Get creative and share the incredible joy, strength, and resiliency of Newton. Just because we can’t gather for the Marathon this year, doesn’t mean we can’t connect!  Tag your creations in the Facebook event or on social media with #NewtonTogether.  For more information, click to view flyer HERE.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:  
You can do two things to make this a success:

1. Help spread the word — share, post, tag, etc. — to make sure all Newton residents know about it.
2. MAKE SIGNS.  Then put them up to show your Newton pride!

Facebook event April 20th: https://www.facebook.com/events/875153109665686/

#NewtonTogether flyer: http://www.newtonma.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?t=72091.33&BlobID=102892

Seniors… Almost 300 Newton South alums have volunteered to be the voice of their colleges for you. Email Ms. Sabet at sabetk@newton.k12.ma.us for details and get the facts to help you make your college decision.

To view list of colleges, click here: NSHS Alumni College Ambassadors 0420

Also, please check individual college admissions’ webpages for details on deposit deadline extensions from May 1 to June 1.

The Lion’s Roar, one of Newton South’s student-run newspapers, has temporarily moved online to continue informing the South community while school is closed. Read about the effects of COVID-19 on local businesses, changes to course Verification Day, Tom Brady’s departure from the Patriots and more at https://nshslionsroar.com.

Announcing the Faculty and Staff Variety Show on Zoom!
Saturday, April 18th, at 7:00 pm.

See Newton South faculty and staff members sing and dance (mostly sing) for an evening of joy and humor to celebrate our community, even at a distance.

Click Here on Saturday night for the show–from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.

[If clicking “Here” doesn’t work, here’s the link to the show: https://zoom.us/j/935708886?pwd=cGZMem9mc0toclNzb21MYlNabi81Zz09

Your enthusiastic hosts,
Rachel Becker, Tori Parker, and Alan Reinstein

Dear Newton South Families,

Hello everyone (click here for a NSHS hello!). I hope you and yours are well, and that you were able to celebrate holidays with your family.

It’s been a month.

That’s both a measure of time and an emotional statement!  It feels like a new world, or a different era altogether. I so feel for our students. They are brave and resilient, yes, and also experiencing a drastic sudden change to their world that only exists in times of crisis. Not in recent memory (and for our students, never) has our big, powerful country been brought to a standstill, where the goals of life after Newton South (college, work, etc.) have become unknowns so quickly. 

I say all of that to say this: it is vital that we take care of our (students, adults – all of us!) emotional health first, middle, and last. School has always been about community and connection, and we aim to capitalize on that more than ever in the days to come. Below you’ll see opportunities we have created for students to connect, as well as our strategy to reach out to families and students who may need additional supports. I am sure that different households experienced our transition to more structured learning opportunities differently. Our teachers continue to learn as we go, and we will be making adjustments as we come to understand what is working and what needs to change. Later this week will share a survey with students and families to hear their thoughts and suggestions for how we are proceeding.

I want to close by expressing my continued pride and appreciation for our faculty and staff. They are truly rising to the extraordinary challenge of leading distance learning, and are embracing new technologies, ideas, and strategies in efforts to connect with all of our NSHS students. I want to commend our students for doing their part: trying their best to navigate this new way of doing school.  

And, as always, thank you for your partnership.  Below are some specific updates.

Best regards,

Joel Stembridge

Principal, Newton South High School

We have organizational support available for students: We are directly contacting students who are part of our many support programs (after school program, small studies, peer tutoring, special education, etc.) to offer help. In addition, we will be hosting general Monday office hours for students who would like help – please contact your guidance counselor to sign up for these.

We also offer this guide to “HOW TO GET ORGANIZED ON MONDAYS” There is no “one-size-fits-all” organizational plan that will work for all students; herein are options for you to consider – feel free to use, modify, or not use, depending on what works.

We have opportunities for students to connect for fun: Newton South Community Gatherings – April 2020. In addition to clubs, teams, and casts who have been connecting online, we are offering community gatherings (including lunch chats, mini-classes like journaling or cooking, and dancing/singing!) for students, hosted by NSHS students and staff- see the current offerings here!  Don’t see what you are looking for? Contact Mx. Parker and make a suggestion!

End of the Year Activities: we continue to wait for guidance from the state for if/when we will return to school. We should hear in the coming week or two, as the current return date of May 4th is getting closer. We will start working next week with our senior class officers and the senior class to develop alternate plans in the event that we are not able to return to school this spring.

Dear Newton South Families,

I don’t know for sure the origin of the phrase, “May you live in interesting times”, but boy have the past few weeks been…well…interesting. As we’ve all been challenged to adjust our lives and routines, I hear people left and right using phrases like “new normal” and “unchartered territory”. I also have been hearing a lot of folks saying “we’ll get there” or “we’re not there” yet. It’s enough to make me wonder where “there” is anyway?

All of the changes to our lives are requiring us to adjust not only our routines, but also our goals and our vision. When I think about how we assess the success of distance learning, it strikes me that getting “there” is primarily about engaging students to feel ownership of and responsibility for their learning. With ownership and engagement as the goal, the content becomes a vehicle to get there, rather than the goal in and of itself.

This paradigm shift is a radical change for many of us. Regardless of whether you support this change or you are highly skeptical of deviating from traditional classroom instruction, our community is transitioning to distance learning. The more quickly students can embrace change and adopt a curious mindset, the more likely they are to develop new routines that will support success.

You may be wondering what you can do to help your child to adjust to schooling from home. Talking to your student about how they are feeling about the disruption to their school lives and this unfamiliar format is an important step. Acknowledging the range of emotions that accompany the uncertainty of the moment may help students to move from a feeling of loss to a feeling of acceptance

You will find a list of strategies in this article – That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief  that you can implement at home to support your students. If you have the time as a family – and it seems as though we all have a little extra time on our hands these days – I encourage you to take the time to watch this webinar that presents strategies to support healthy emotional regulation during stressful times. As always, please be in touch with your student’s school counselor and/or dean if you have any questions or concerns.

Dan Rubin, Department Chair Newton South Guidance

Dear Newton South Parents/Guardians,

We hope this letter find you and your loved ones healthy and well. The COVID19 situation has impacted all of our lives in ways none of us could have imagined.

As home learning phase 2 outlined in April 2 Update from Superintendent Fleishman and recent April 3 Update from Principal Stembridge, rolls out on Monday, we wanted to remind everyone that this home learning  is unprecedented and teachers are also working on the fly to work out the kinks.

First we want to thank the teachers and administrators for everything they are trying do for home learning. We know no one signed up for this and we know there are significant challenges to support our diverse learning student community at South. Many parents have learned in the recent weeks that their version of home learning is overwhelming for both student and parents.

Teachers have already been engaged with students and provided:

• Non-graded problem sets, writing options, or similar assignments;
• Reading material or items of interest related to class topics;
• Links to videos and other online material;
• and most recently, virtual meeting schedules.

If your child is not checked Schoology, they need to now. In the coming days, look for more specific assignments and instruction from teachers.  

Also, a reminder that course verification for 2020-2021 school year needs to be done by April 8.  Please review the Course Verification April 3 Mr. Hardiman. Students need to log in to Aspen.

Home learning and structure online learning will take shape in several forms. Teachers have already engaged students and setting expectations, weekly assignment due dates, virtual class schedule and office hours (like J block).

We all know how stressful and rigorous high school academics are in a normal school environment. Now forced into a home learning scenario, students and parents should not expect this change to be seamless.  In collaboration with NSHS Guidance Department, we have a few reminders and tips that we hope will help with home learning. 

Home Learning Reminders and Tips:

• Be dressed and ready for virtual meetings with teachers or online classes – still a safe zone and wear what’s comfortable
• Keep Chromebooks, calculators charged 
• Remove distractions like radio, tv, phone during structured learning time – just like school.
• Student should get their daily planner out, or make a list of tasks for the day and week. Help and guide your teen(s), as needed as they are still developing their executive function skills. 
• Create a work space – A spot at the kitchen/dining table, a corner on a couch, or a desk. Allow different spaces – whether lying on the ground or sitting at a table – whatever works best.
• Schedule breaks –  breaks are a natural part of the school day.
• Let them keep in contact with friends, virtually – Encourage teens to lean on their friends, at a social distance. Being social is still important!
• Check in but let your teen, where possible to take control of their own learning and not rely on you.

Simple structure is more valuable than you think – wake up/bedtime schedule, home learning blocks, time for family meals and interaction. Life often teaches the best lessons – COVID19 is a major hurdle. As parents/guardians, we can help our teens understand how this world pandemic has changed our lives – all lives and businesses. Remember that home learning is just one small part of their learning now.

Hang in there! WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

May Chiu, Michele Rosenthal
co-Presidents, Newton South PTSO