Hello Newton South Students and Families:

Welcome to the third first day of the 2020-2021 school year! We wanted to send along a quick note to welcome you back to the building in combined cohorts, and for some of you, this will be your first time back at South since March 12, 2020 (406 days ago from today)! Here are a few helpful hints to think about as we head into the next chapter of the school year:

• On Sunday, April 25, please check your schedule, as the location/room numbers of your classes may have changed. Please use this process to access your schedule rather than downloading the pdf that we uploaded in September (which is outdated.)
  • On your schedule, you may notice some room numbers that you are unfamiliar with. We wanted to make sure that you knew what they were:
    • Cafeteria appears as “StudCent.”
    • Gym B appears as 5129
    • Lecture Hall appears as 7121
    • Field House appears as 5140
    • The Library appears as 7101
    • The Auditorium appears as 9160
  • Enjoy your first day getting to know or reacquainting yourselves with your peers and your teachers (at a safe social distance, of course). 🙂
  • There are several designated entrances into the building, all of which are open from

9:05 – 9:20:

• Main Entrance – For those arriving in time for breakfast (opens earlier, at 8:50 am)
• Wheeler House Doors
• Breezeway Doors to the Field House
• Breezeway Doors to Goodwin House
• Back Door to Cutler House
• For those of you just returning, the entry codes on the doors no longer work and all doors are locked after 9:20. If you need to enter the building after 9:20 am, please buzz in at the Main Entrance, where someone will let you in.
• When you get to each class, familiarize yourself with:
  • The space,
  • The norms, and
  • The safety protocols as presented by your teacher.
• Remember, that you must wear your mask at all times.
  • If you forget your mask or it breaks or gets dirty on the way to school, DON’T WORRY! We have extra masks at each designated entrance, in classrooms, and house offices.
• While the school may be new to some of you, you have plenty of time to get from class to class.
  • You cannot congregate in the halls. If you are congregating, please do not be surprised if a staff member approaches you and reminds you to proceed to class.
  • Please go directly to your next class, where your teachers will be waiting to greet you.
• For those of you who stay for Flex block, and are not with a teacher, our “overflow” space will be moving from the Field House to Gym B.

We are all so excited to continue working with you and seeing you all at South! For those of you staying remote for the remainder of the year, please know that we are here to support you. And don’t forget, you are always welcome to participate in after-school activities.

With Lions’ Pride!

The Deans

Each year, the Newton South PTSO organizes and funds SouthFest, an after-Prom celebration for all seniors and their dates at South.  While the pandemic has brought many challenges, the PTSO is focused on making this event happen for the senior class. With plans still being confirmed with the Mayor’s office, Parks/Rec and Newton Health & Human Services, we are moving forward to make this year’s SouthFest a safe, compliant, and most importantly, memorable evening for our departing seniors.

The PTSO and faculty have worked closely with Class Office and have submitted a proposed plan for a combined Prom/SouthFest event to Parks/Rec and Newton Health and Human Services.   The proposed event is planned for June 6 (rain date June 7).  In addition, we hope to provide year-end celebration events such as 21-Day Countdown celebration with food trucks; and a last day of school event with banner signing and ice cream truck.

The PTSO has spent an average of $14,000 for SouthFest over the years.  This year, we budgeted $10,000 with the uncertainty of the school year.  But given the planned return of students to campus, we are asking for your help to fund a gap of $4,000 so we can celebrate the senior class in a safe yet festive way. The donations will fund multiple tents to comply with current social distance protocols and entertainment activities. And this year, donated funds will also help offset Prom ticket costs.

Donate today
https://newtonsouthptso.org/southfest/donation/

If you would like to contribute in a different way, we encourage you to be an adult monitor during the event as it will require more oversight.  The Class of 2021 is grateful for your support.

Volunteer registration deadline TODAY for NewtonServes Day at NSHS on Sunday, May 2 from 12:30pm – 4:00pm!

Please sign up at the NewtonServes website by April 21st (scroll down to enter your name, and choose the “Newton South High School Grounds Beautification project”. Thank you, and we are looking forward to a great afternoon!

We will be cleaning lawns, fields, and garden beds, spreading mulch, and planting flowers around the school buildings.

Please bring gardening tools (rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, gloves, etc). This activity is part of the annual NewtonServes community event.

Dear NPS High School Families,

As you know, we have made every effort over the past several weeks to encourage voluntary participation in our COVID testing program. Unfortunately, our participation rates are not meeting expectations nor are they at the level at which the pool testing is significantly useful in terms of gauging infection rates. In addition, COVID cases are rising among young people and there have been outbreaks in other towns and cities linked to athletics. Given we are returning more students to the building beginning April 26, we have determined we need to take more significant action.

Therefore, we have made the decision to MANDATE TESTING for all high school extracurricular activities. This is a mandate not only for students participating in athletics, but for any students participating in in-person extracurricular activities.

If your student participates in any in-person extracurricular activity, they must be enrolled and participate weekly in our pool testing program. Here are the steps to enroll:

1. Complete the opt-in in Aspen (here’s the link)
2. High school students then create an account at JCM (do it here) for access to a QR code they use to check in their sample. PLEASE WAIT UNTIL MONDAY, APRIL 26 TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT WITH JCM.

If your student is not already enrolled, please complete the consent form by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 25th. Data will be uploaded to JCM on Sunday evening. Students will then begin participation the week of April 26th.

We recognize that this is one more ask of our students in what has already been a highly stressful and difficult year. However, we believe this decision is best for the health and safety of our students and our entire school community.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman

More details will be forthcoming from the deans later in the vacation week regarding the full return to school and updated protocols.