Newton South CLUB FAIR DAY – virtual live event on Friday, September 25th.  There will be no school that Friday.  Details and live event links coming shortly.

If your child is involved, or lead a club at South, please let them know that the PTSO can post their Newton South Club announcements to help connect our students.   The announcement should include a description of the club, webpage if any, the event date/time, link to signup forms, contact information and/or meeting if available.

If you are a teacher or student, please send your announcement to [email protected] by Thursday of each week.  Your announcement will be posted on our weekly PTSO Newsletter on that following Sunday at 6pm.  The PTSO will also add your event to our calendar. Thank you.

If you have any questions, please send an email to [email protected].

Student Schedules with blocks were released Monday 9/14 on Aspen.  Please have your child log in to their Aspen account.   Teachers will be emailing students by Tuesday evening to welcome them with Zoom links to their class. Please have your child check their school Gmail account.

If you have questions or errors on your child’s schedule, please contact your child’s counselor, which is listed on their schedule.

CLICK to VIEW FIRST Day of School SCHEDULE

See details of the email from Vice Principal Hardiman on Sept 14, 2020.

Hi Students and Families,

Your schedules with blocks and teachers are now available in Aspen. A reminder that if you filled out the course error google form and your class list has NOT changed since Friday, this means that we were not able to fulfill your request because it did not meet the criteria or did not fit into your schedule.

Here are code descriptions in the Term Column of your schedule:

FY = Full Year

S1 = Semester One, S2 = Semester Two 

Each semester has two quarters:

S1 has Q 1 = Quarter/Term 1, Q2 = Quarter/Term 2

S2 has Q 3 = Quarter/Term 3, Q4 = Quarter/Term 4 

For the Track ID column in your schedule, the letters are the blocks that your class will meet during the week (NSHS Student Schedule with Blocks)

One important clarification from the email that was sent on Friday:

Classes that were 2 x week for the full year in the past are actually 3 x week for a semester, NOT 2 x week as previously mentioned. Similarly, classes that were 2 x week for one semester in the past are actually 3 x week for a term, NOT 2 x week as previously mentioned.

If you have any questions about your schedule, please do NOT reply to this email. Please contact your school counselor (if you don’t know who your counselor is, her/his name is at the top of your schedule).

Attached is the block schedule for the first day of school on Wednesday and the rest of the week, going forward.  A reminder that the Wednesday permanent block schedule is still being finalized and will be shared as soon as it is approved. Community block is similar to our old advisory system. Exact details regarding flex block are still being finalized but expect that it may be used for things like extra help from teachers, guidance seminars, special events, and the like.

Finally, here again is information on the first day of school.  Teachers will be email all their students by Tuesday evening.  Please have your child check their school gmail account to read an email from your teachers welcoming you to their class and providing zoom links for you to access on Wednesday.

Mr. Hardiman
NSHS Interim Vice Principal

Hello NSHS Parents/Guardians,

You are invited!  – Join our meeting and get involved to support our students, parents and teachers this year at our first meeting on Monday, September 21 from 7-8PM.

The meeting’s goal is to get your input for programs and events to support in-person and remote connections for our students and parents.  Some ideas include:

• Grade-level Coffees for Parents/Guardians
• Webinars for Parents/Guardians – what topics interest you?
• Trivia Night for Students, Parents
• Student Mentoring for Freshman or New Students with Juniors/Seniors
• New Family Connection from South Families willing to be a resource on Newton & South
• Virtual Field Trips like Virtual Safari on Facebook

PLEASE JOIN US, meet new parents, connect with old friends and come share your Ideas!

Topic: PTSO Welcome
Time: Sep 21, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81913459054?pwd=OUhzbEVybUk5TjhVeUdZN2pZV1dpdz09

Meeting ID: 819 1345 9054
Passcode: NSHS2021

Dial by your location
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kyCp5QPDw

All families should have received the email from Vice Principal Hardiman regarding student schedules released today.

Please note the deadline to submit corrections is Monday, Sept. 14th at Noon. Final student schedules will be available on Aspen on Monday, Sept. 14th at 5PM.

Hello Students and Families,

A list of your classes for the 2020-21 school year can now be found on Aspen. A list of teachers and blocks will be published on Aspen at approximately 5:00pm on Monday, September 14th. I will send another email then with instructions/reminders.

Here are some important changes to courses and schedules during distance learning this year that you will want to be aware of:

1. Courses that previously were 2 x week full year will now be 2 x week for ONE SEMESTER ONLY.

2. Courses that previously were 2 x week for one semester will now be 2 x week for ONE TERM ONLY.

3. There are several art courses that were combined to better suit the distance learning model. For example, mixed media and ceramics courses have combined into 043 3D Exploration, art and design courses have combined into 2D Exploration, photo classes have combined into Photo Exploration and acting and improv courses combined into Acting Explorations.

4. The following junior and senior wellness classes have been combined into one course called “Junior and Senior Wellness”: Lifetime Pursuits, Centered Self, Global Games, Yoga/Pilates and Personal Fitness”. Sports Nutrition remains it’s own class.

Now, for instructions on the next steps:

a) If all of your classes were ones that you requested (including alternates that you chose), no need to do anything….just wait until Monday for a list of your teachers and blocks.

b) IF, any of the following apply to you, please fill out this google form. The deadline to fill it out is NOON ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH:

• you are missing a core academic class or a wellness class
• you have a course on your list that you did not request at all
• a class is listed twice
• you are listed in the wrong level of a course
• you are underenrolled

On Monday at approximately 5:00pm, your updated classes and schedule will appear on Aspen. If you request a change that does NOT meet the criteria above, your classes will stay the same as you see today.

Finally, here is the Opening Day Schedule for next Wednesday, September 16th and important information like how to access teacher zoom links, etc. I will share more about the block schedule, including community and flex blocks, when you receive your actual schedules on Monday.

Have a nice weekend,

Mr. Hardiman
NSHS Interim Vice Principal

Please find the updated FAQs below.  You can also find them on the PTSO website at https://newtonsouthptso.org/frequently-asked-questions/general/.

• NSHS 2020-21 Freshman Virtual Step Up Day 

• NSHS FAQs from September 9-10, 2020 New Families  Q&A

• Newton Athletics Fall Sports to SC on September 10, 2020

• HHS COVID Health Manual presentation September 2020

• Health and Human Services (HHS) COVID-19 Manual for Schools

Update from Vice Principal Hardiman on September 10, 2020

South needs 140 Chromebooks for incoming Freshman.  If you have an unused working NPS Chromebook, please drop it off at Newton South on Friday, 9/11 from 8:30-3PM.

Please see the details below to determine if you are able to return your NPS Chromebooks.  Thank you!

Hello NSHS Families of Students in Grades 10 through 12,

As you may have heard, despite our best efforts, there are shipment and delivery delays for the chromebook devices ordered by the district. This includes the fact that the new chromebooks that are on order for students in grade 9 will not be arriving until January at the earliest. Based on a recent survey sent out to ninth grade families, we have 140 freshmen who are in need of a device to start the school year.

Therefore, if your student(s) in grades 10 through 12 does not need your NPS issued chromebook because you have access to another device (preferably with a touchscreen), please return the NPS issued device and charger to NSHS (logistics below). Unfortunately we are unable to refund insurance paid on the device.  If your device is broken, please do not return it for repurposing, please fill out the High School 1:1 Chromebook Repair Request Form so we can get this fixed for you.

Thank you VERY much in advance for your community support at this challenging time,

Chris Hardiman
NSHS Interim Vice Principal

Question: What type of device does our child need to have to access NSHS schoolwork?

• NSHS students can use a chromebook, Apple iOS laptop or desktop, or a “PC” laptop or desktop. An iPad or Android tablet with a keyboard would also work.
• All devices need to have a camera and speakers/sound.
• Touchscreen is a preferred feature though this year we do understand that not all students will have access to a touchscreen device and we also know that not all students take advantage of the touchscreen capabilities.

Question: When can I return our NPS issued chromebook to NSHS?

• There will be carts and tables right inside the lobby of the main entrance at NSHS to put the chromebook and the building will be open to receive them from 8:30am until 3pm, tomorrow, Friday 9/11.
• If you are unable to come tomorrow but still want to return a chromebook, please send me an email and we can arrange a time on Monday for dropoff.

Question: How do we make sure that our returned chromebook will be properly accounted for?

• Feel free to write your name on a sticky or piece of masking tape and attach it to the device AND charger before return. We will cross-reference and verify it is checked in properly. Please remember to return the charger as well!
• All devices will be reviewed for damage before they are re-issued to students in grade 9.

Question: Our family also includes a freshman in grade 9 who needs a device, when will we hear about pick-ups?

• Devices will first be issued to those freshmen who have already reported a need for a device (through the Google Form that was sent to ninth grade families from the IT department.)
• Our plan is to have pickups of chromebooks for ninth graders who need them on Tuesday but more details will follow if this applies to you.

Question: We turned in a chromebook for repair and have not received another device but will definitely need one?

Please complete the form, Chromebook Needed due to Repair, so we can get you a machine.  Details will follow for those completing the form.

Please click here to view the newly released Newton Health and Human Services (HHS)  Covid Manual for mitigating COVID-19 Infection in the Newton Public Schools.

You can also visit the NPS website to view all health and safety guidelines and protocols for our schools:  https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/3730