As Newton South prepares for a full in-person return to school after April vacation, we STRONGLY ENCOURAGE families to

Testing is one of the best ways we have to quickly identify infection and reduce the possibility of in-school transmission. 

Note: Testing is mandatory for HS extra curricular activities per April 16 email from NPS

Here are three reasons for students who either will be attending school or who are distance students involved in regular extracurriculars (i.e. athletics, theater, etc.) to enroll:

• It’s a quick process to enroll:
• Complete the opt-in in Aspen through the PARENT/FAMILY ACCOUNT (here’s the link!). 
• Students then create an account at JCM (do it here!) enter your NPS email, select “Forgot Password prompt”, follow the email verification process, log in and the QR Code will appear. You can then take a picture of your QR code and you will use that same code every week that you test.

1. 1. For the first time you are going to test, you can either go to the main office to pick up a test kit, or come to the faculty dining room at the times listed further down in the email below.
   2. If step b. above is too confusing or you get stuck, as long as your parent/guardian completed step a. above, you can just show up to the South testing center on the designated days (more info below) and a staff member will give you a test kit with instructions and we will also gladly give you your QR code that you will need each week when you come to test (taking a picture of the QR code with your phone is a common strategy that works since most students always have their phone with them).

• It’s painless! This is NOT the “touch your brain” swab! This is a sample that you will take from the front of your nose with a Q-tip like swab. It is very fast and, again, PAINLESS!
• It makes a difference! The more students who participate, the better data we have on infection rates in our community. This means that we can quickly identify infection, reduce the risk of school transmission, limit quarantines, and keep our schools, athletics and other important activities open for the rest of the school year!

Other updated pool testing info:

1. After vacation, since we won’t be restricted with times related to the two cohorts anymore, we will be moving our Thursday testing day to Tuesday. So the testing windows for students to choose from beginning on April 26th will be:

*UPDATED 4/16:

1. Mondays, B Block (lunch block) 10:45am – 12:55pm in the Faculty Dining Room (same as before)…located next to the cafeteria in the hallway near the lecture hall—AVAILABLE FOR ALL IN-BUILDING STUDENTS

• Tuesdays, B Block (lunch block) 10:45 – 12:55pm in the Faculty Dining Room (same as before)…located next to the cafeteria in the hallway near the lecture hall—AVAILABLE FOR ALL IN-BUILDING STUDENTS
• Tuesdays, Flex Block (3:10 – 3:55pm) in the Faculty Dining Room located next to the cafeteria in the hallway near the lecture hall–designed for students who are distance learning who are involved in extracurricular activities regularly at South
• As a way to incentivize participation in the pool testing program, we have purchased Dunkin’ gift cards that we have then placed into random test kits. When students come to submit a test and pick up another test for the following week, they may be among the lucky winners who pick up a kit that contains a gift card. Another reason to  SIGN UP FOR TESTING IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY!

If you have any questions, please see this NPS page: https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/3826 or if you can’t find your answer there, please reach out to Chris Hardiman and he will see if he can help or point you in the right direction. Thank you!

Term 3 report cards have been published to Aspen. Grades are available in two places:

1. 1. Grades are available via the “Academics” tab in Aspen. You can open each course and see the grade there. 
2. PDFs of the report card are available in the documents section. Remember that the report card may not download if you are using the latest version of Chrome. Try a different browser. 

If you have a question about a grade or a grade is missing, please contact your/your student’s teacher. *However, please be aware that since teachers are on vacation break as of 4:00pm Friday, you may not receive a response until school resumes on Monday, April 26th. 

3. Any teacher grade corrections or errors will be processed by the records office through 3:00pm on 4/27 and all report cards will be republished to the documents section of Aspen by 5:00pm on 4/27 to reflect any of these changes. I will send an email reminder at 5:00pm on 4/27 when they are republished. Any term 3 grade corrections made AFTER 3:00pm on 4/27 will just appear on the Academics Tab in the student’s Aspen account and students/families will need to contact their house office or school counselor if they want an updated report card at that time.

Finally, a reminder of our new grading system:

New Grading Explanation:

A: Mastery–Student has engaged fully with the material and with the classroom community, uses feedback to improve performance, reflects on growth, and demonstrates general mastery of skills

B: Basic Mastery–?Student has engaged significantly with the material and with the classroom community, uses feedback to improve performance, reflects on growth, and demonstrates a basic mastery of skills

P:? Emerging Mastery–student has engaged partially with the material and the class community, sometimes uses feedback to improve performance, reflects on growth, and mastery toward targeted skills is emerging.

NG: No Grade Student has shown limited to no engagement with the material and class community. There is not enough work to elicit meaningful feedback from teachers, providing little to no opportunity for growth, and there is no evidence of development of targeted skills.

Volunteers needed for NewtonServes Day at NSHS:
Sunday, May 2 @12:30pm-4:00pm

Volunteer registration is now open for NewtonServes Day at NSHS on Sunday, May 2 from 12:30PM-4:00PM!

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). This activity is part of the annual NewtonServes community event.

Please sign up at the NewtonServes website (scroll down to enter your name, and choose the “Newton South High School Grounds Beautification project”.

Contact [email protected] with any questions. We are looking forward to a great afternoon!

Congratulations to the Newton South Jazz Ensemble who are one of the 15 finalists nationwide for the 26^th Annual Essentially Ellington Festival, the most coveted distinction in Jazz education. Conductor Lisa Linde of the NSHS faculty and the students made magic despite the difficulties of masks and physical distancing.

Click here to hear a recording of the Ensemble’s submission of Duke Ellington’s Sugar Hill Penthouse.

Congratulations!

The Newton South Speech and Debate Team swept the State Championship Speech and Debate Tournament this past weekend, the first time any school has done so!

Click on the link for more details and a photo – Newton South Debate and Speech Team

From the Newton South High School Wellness Department

 Choose Kindness Program

Fostering community one act of kindness at a time!

 What’s it about?

The Choose Kindness Program was created to recognize members of our community for their random acts of kindness or maybe not so random!  These acts are not behaviors or actions that are considered normal or expected but a sincere effort to help others.  Holding a door for someone, picking up a piece of trash in the hallway, or saying “good morning” to someone are all very polite and nice gestures but are considered expected behaviors in our community.  Volunteering to help at a soup kitchen, tutoring another student who is struggling academically, and supporting someone who is in crisis are acts of kindness that deserve recognition and help strengthen our community. 

 What do I do?

It’s easy!  Complete the Google form below.

 What happens after I nominate someone?

I will be displaying all nominations on the Choose Kindness Program wellness board.  The board is located in the field house lobby, just look for the large smiley face!  Each month I will choose recipients of the Choose Kindness Program of the month award.  This award will give recognition to one faculty/staff and one student. 

 Choose Kindness Program – April Nomination Form