The latest announcements from the Principal, PTSO, and NPS...

Newton South 2020 Graduation Celebration Lane June 7

Posted on May 17, 2020 by PTSO CoPresident in For Seniors

May 15, 2020

Dear Newton Seniors and Families,

We know how challenging this time has been for all Newton students since our schools closed abruptly on March 12. This closure has been especially difficult for you, our Newton high school seniors, and families. Instead of saying good-bye with the normal traditions, ceremonies, and celebrations, you left school not knowing how the final year of your time in the Newton Public Schools would play out.

We need to find creative and fun ways to celebrate you this year when a lot of usual traditions and ceremonies are not currently available to us. We are grateful to all who have quickly pivoted to plan creative and celebratory ways to honor our graduates and today we are excited to jointly invite you to one of two additional special community celebrations to honor the Class of 2020.

We will host two separate “Celebration Lanes” at Newton North and Newton South on the afternoon of Sunday, June 7 (exact times TBD and rain date Sunday, June 14). At Celebration Lane, Newton Public Schools administrators, principals, faculty, and staff, as well as our City leaders, will be welcomed to line the designated street by your school to celebrate you (in an appropriately physically distanced manner!).

We invite you and your family to drive (or bike or walk) through the “Celebration Lanes” to say “see you again soon” and to give us the chance to say “thank you and best wishes!” Show your school spirit – decorate yourself and your mode of transportation, make joyful noise and be acknowledged for all you have accomplished during your high school years. It may not be a “normal” tradition but let’s make it one we will long remember for its show of resiliency in the face of challenge and hope and positivity in the face of hardships.

We hope this special celebration will be a positive moment you can add to your memories of this truly unprecedented time. See you at “Celebration Lane” and congratulations on all of your accomplishments!

Sincerely,
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller & Superintendent David Fleishman City of Newton

P.S. More details on the “Celebration Lanes” are forthcoming through your school PTSO and administration. Stay tuned!

P.P.S. Please note that the “Celebration Lane” is in addition to the two-pronged graduation celebrations being planned by the high schools. We look forward to the Virtual Celebrations on June 10 and June 11 and to any in-person diploma ceremony that we may be able to hold later in the summer.

Translated versions are provided through Google Translate and may contain awkward phrasing and structure.

Graduation Celebration Event – Chinese Translation

Graduation Celebration Event – Hebrew Translation

Graduation Celebration Event – Japanese Translation

Graduation Celebration Event – Korean Translation

Graduation Celebration Event – Portuguese Translation

Graduation Celebration Event – Spanish Translation

Graduation Celebration Event – Russian Translation

Lion’s Roar Honor and Celebrate NSHS 2020 Seniors

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Aparna Singamsetty in For Seniors

Congratulate our 2020 graduates in South’s only print newspaper, The Lion’s Roar. A special Graduation Edition devoted to the Class of 2020, will be distributed to seniors and their families at their homes in early June.

If you would like to include a tribute, our staff will design the ad for you at no additional cost. Photos can be scanned and emailed to The Roar’s adviser, Ashley Chapman (chapmana@newton.k12.ma.us ) and Volume 36’s Editors-in-Chief, Dina Zeldin (dinazeldin@gmail.com) and Jennifer Wang (jennifer123wang@gmail.com) and Peri Barest (pbarest4@gmail.com)

For pricing and additional information, go to:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wFvPZXl7hmTz2ft0QJTquEYzL341YMIZ5LhVajf_fKY/edit 

For questions, please email Ashley Chapman or Dina Zeldin.

FORMS AND PAYMENT ARE DUE ON FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2020.

 

 

 

Celebrate Angier Principal Lamberti Retirement

Posted on May 17, 2020 by PTSO CoPresident in From the PTSO

Join Angier Families and Alumni to celebrate Principal Lamberti’s retirement.  See details below of the tribute planned by Angier Elementary’s PTO Newsletter.

We’re sure all of you adults and caregivers have a great deal of gratitude and appreciation for Loreta’s tremendous service to Angier for over 30 years. She’s really blown us all away with her contributions. Whether she’s touched you and your family personally and directly, or her legacy that has shaped Angier to what it is and what it will be has indirectly positively effected your family we owe a great deal of thanks to all of it.

So with the remaining Greensheets for the year we are adding a special section called “Gettin’ Wordy for Lamberti”. The community can submit words of appreciation, favorite stories, or anything you want to share about your personal experiences with Loreta over the years. You can contribute as much as you want and write like you’re running out of time or a simple “thank you” and That Would Be Enough. Click here to be taken to the form. You will also have the option to write and not have it published in the Greensheet in which case it will be delivered to Loreta with all submissions at a later date. How can anyone Say No to This? Please submit, share for the benefit of everyone, and do not throw away your shot. We thank you all in advance!

Newton South Booster Club Fundraiser

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Aparna Singamsetty in Athletics, From the PTSO

NEED A SPRING REFRESH? OR A GRADUATION GIFT?

Please help out the Newton South Booster Club 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

 

Seniors Download Files from Googledoc Account

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Aparna Singamsetty in For Seniors

Congratulations to your 2020 Graduate(s)!

Please remind them that if they want to keep any of their files from their Googledocs account, they should download them now.  NPS will remove those accounts after this school year.

GELF Raises Nearly $4,000 for Newton COVID-19 Care Fund & Travel Scholarships!

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Aparna Singamsetty in From the PTSO

This past Saturday GELF held its cooking class fundraiser with Chef Katya Salkever. Thanks to generous support from the Newton community, the cooking class raised nearly $4,000 for the Newton COVID-19 Care Fund and GELF!  These funds will go to much-needed community relief due to COVID-19 and to travel scholarships for students who can’t afford school-sponsored international trips. In these times, coming together as a global community feels more important than ever.

A huge thanks to Chef Katya Salkever who donated her time, sous-chef Jennifer Price, and tech director Elsie Salkever. Much fun was had by all, the dishes were reported to be a hit even with the pickiest of eaters, and rumor has it another cooking class might come along soon!  Stay tuned.

Missed the cooking class but still want to donate? You can do so here.

Updated Thursday/Friday School Schedule

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Aparna Singamsetty in From the PTSO

A quick note to let you know that due to feedback from students and teachers that the Thursday and Friday class meetings were not long enough, these times have been extended by 10 minutes. Class meetings on Thursday and Friday will be 30 minutes each starting this week, and will continue through June 18.  Tuesday and Wednesday meetings will continue as before.

Newton South High School

Updated Thursday/Friday Class Meet Schedule

Effective May 14 onward

Thursdays (All 1/3 Blocks) Fridays(All 2/4 Blocks)
10:00-10:30 A13 A24
10:40-11:10 B13 B24 
11:20-11:50 C13 C24
12:00-12:30 D13 D24
12:30-1:15 Lunch
1:15-1:45 E13 E24 
1:55-2:25 F13 F24
2:35-3:05 G13 G24

Updated NPS Learning Plan and Summer/Fall Plans

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Aparna Singamsetty in From the PTSO Tagged , , |
Dear NPS Families, I write to share two important updates with you. The first is an update on our distance learning plan based upon both updated guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and survey feedback from families, staff, and high school students. The second update is on planning for summer and the 2020-21 school year. Distance Learning Thank you to all families who took the time to provide feedback on our distance learning plan. Below are some key takeaways from the staff, family, and high school student surveys: Key Survey Findings
  • For staff, one of the significant challenges of distance learning is concern for vulnerable students and ensuring equitable access and engagement for all students.
  • The majority of parents/guardians responded that the amount of time that their child is interacting with teachers in real time is not enough.
  • The majority of parents/guardians at elementary and middle school responded that the amount of time their child is doing work or activities provided by teachers is just right. At preschool, the majority said it is not enough. High school parents/guardians were closely split between not enough and just right.
  • For high school students, 84% found the amount of work being provided as either just right or a bit too much. 58% of students are spending 2-4 hours per day “doing school.” 76% of all students find the challenge level of learning activities just right.
Updates to Distance Learning Plan Given the state guidance, along with the feedback above, and working closely with our NTA partners, below is a list of the key changes that will be implemented as we proceed with our distance learning plan:
  • As many have already begun, teachers and staff will give students opportunities to learn new content and skills, while continuing to review and reinforce key concepts. The focus will be on a limited number of key topics and skills to prepare students for the next grade.
  • In our elementary schools, weekly schedules will be revised so that students will have at least four opportunities per week to connect live with a staff member, one of whom will be a specialist.
  • In our middle schools, we will add a weekly advisory or community meeting of 30 minutes at all schools to promote engagement and connection and to support students as they organize their work for the week.
  • At the high school level, the class schedule will be adjusted to allow classes to run for up to 30 minutes as educationally appropriate.
Our distance learning plan continues to place connection with school and social emotional support for students as a top priority. We know that families continue to experience this pandemic very differently and we seek to respect those differences. Providing regular connections with teachers and staff, as well as meaningful academic work, will be the focus of our plan for the remainder of the academic year.  Summer and Fall Planning We know that you have many questions about plans for both summer programming and the 2020-21 school year. While there are more questions than answers at this point, please know that our primary consideration will be the health and wellness of our students, staff, and school communities. We will be working closely with health officials to plan for school opening, while understanding that our plans will need to be flexible given the unknown duration of this public health crisis. For the summer, we are awaiting state guidance on school programs, camps, and other services. We expect that some of our programs will need to be remote, with potentially some opportunity for in person interaction. We will provide you updates and information as we receive guidance and determine what is possible. For the fall, we are creating planning teams to prepare for the many possible scenarios. One area of focus will be operations, including building cleaning protocols, bussing, food service, social distancing protocols, among many others. A second key area of focus will be our educational model and how public health considerations will impact scheduling, course content, and social-emotional support for our students. This team will develop a range of scenarios to accommodate the various guidelines that may be put in place to protect public health. We will continue to keep you updated as our planning moves forward. As we embark upon the final six weeks of this truly unprecedented school year, I am struck by the creativity of our staff, the resilience of our students, and the kindness of our school community. While the past 8 weeks have been incredibly stressful, sometimes frustrating and sad, and always uncertain, I am hopeful that some of the life lessons learned by our children will serve them well. I hope you and your family are healthy and well. Sincerely, David Fleishman Superintendent of Schools

Updated Thursday/Friday Schedule

Posted on May 12, 2020 by PTSO CoPresident in From the Principal

A quick note to let you know that due to feedback from students and teachers that the Thursday and Friday class meetings were not long enough, these times have been extended by 10 minutes. Class meetings on Thursday and Friday will be 30 minutes each starting this week, and will continue through June 18.  Tuesday and Wednesday meetings will continue as before.

Newton South High School

Updated Thursday/Friday Class Meet Schedule

Effective May 14 onward

Thursdays (All 1/3 Blocks) Fridays(All 2/4 Blocks)
10:00-10:30 A13 A24
10:40-11:10 B13 B24
11:20-11:50 C13 C24
12:00-12:30 D13 D24
12:30-1:15 Lunch
1:15-1:45 E13 E24
1:55-2:25 F13 F24
2:35-3:05 G13 G24

 

Lion’s Roar Honor and Celebrate NSHS 2020 Seniors

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Michelle Wetlaufer in From the PTSO

Congratulate our 2020 graduates in South’s only print newspaper, The Lion’s Roar. A special Graduation Edition devoted to the Class of 2020, will be distributed to seniors and their families at their homes in early June.

If you would like to include a tribute, our staff will design the ad for you at no additional cost. Photos can be scanned and emailed to The Roar’s adviser, Ashley Chapman (chapmana@newton.k12.ma.us ) and Volume 36’s Editors-in-Chief, Dina Zeldin (dinazeldin@gmail.com) and Jennifer Wang (jennifer123wang@gmail.com) and Peri Barest (pbarest4@gmail.com)

For pricing and additional information, go to:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wFvPZXl7hmTz2ft0QJTquEYzL341YMIZ5LhVajf_fKY/edit 

For questions, please email Ashley Chapman or Dina Zeldin.

FORMS AND PAYMENT ARE DUE ON FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2020.