2020 Yearbooks have gone to press. You can check your order or place new orders at www.yearbookforever.com.
Estimated delivery is mid-July. Pick-up plans (signing party with social distancing?) will be finalized in the coming weeks.
If you’re not sure if you’ve ordered a book yet, check this list.
Any questions, please contact Mr. Brian Baron at baronb@newton.k12.ma.us
Dear Families
We are all continuing to adjust to our new situation and now we know that school will not resume this year. I hope your family is finding its way during this time when all the usual routines in life are changed.
Pandemic parenting isn’t easy. There’s disruption of the family routines, distance learning, trying to respond to questions from kids when you may not have the answers, working from home and so much more. Life keeps going with birthdays and holidays that are “celebrated” in ways we never imagined.
It’s likely you are receiving many emails and links to all sorts of information. I hope you’ve found both the Health and Human Services Health (http://www.newtonma.gov/gov/health_n_human_services/public/covid19/default.asp) and Newton Public Schools COVID-19 (https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/covid19) pages already.
Even if you have, the information can be so dense that it’s hard to put your fingers on exactly what you’re looking for. Feel free to reach out to me when that happens and I will do my best to help you find what you need.
School nurses miss your children and we miss being in touch with you too. Please reach out to me by email for information or to request a call any time.
Additionally, I have set up dedicated call hours every Tuesday and Thursday from 9am – 11am when you can contact me. I’ll be monitoring my email at that time and if I receive a message from you, I will give you a call. Please know that the caller ID may identify as a blocked number.
I hope to hear from you – please reach out even for a quick hello. Be safe and stay well.
Gail Kramer, RN kramerg@newton.k12.ma.us Karleen Kiritsy, RN kiritsyk@newton.k12.ma.us (617)559-6775
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.
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.
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.
Dear Newton South Senior Families,
To celebrate the Class of 2020, the PTSO, with support of NSHS, will be providing congratulatory lawn signs for all 480 seniors & their family. Please sign up today at this link: https://signup.com/go/
Pick up information will be sent out in separately email. Thank you.
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/
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.
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@
Go South, Go Lions!
