Overdue: Confronting Race and Racism in Newton virtual conversation with Professor Ibram X. Kendi followed by a discussion about race and racism in Newton. This event will be moderated by Dr. Brandon T. Crowley, Pastor of Myrtle Baptist Church.

Please log in at 6:20 PM as we will be starting promptly at 6:30 PM. Because the event has been fully subscribed (3000 attendees), please be logged in no later than 6:40 to secure your entry before the link is shared with people on the wait list.

Unfortunately we are not permitted to release the recording of the event afterwards, in case you are late or unable to attend. While this is a wonderful opportunity for our community, this particular event is ‘ephemeral’ in nature.

We are so glad you can join this important conversation. This event is the start of our journey towards dismantling racism and there will be many opportunities throughout the year to continue learning and taking active steps towards antiracism.

Zoom information is as follows:

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://newton-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/97342798891
Meeting ID: 973 4279 8891
Passcode: 455568
* Please note that you will be prompted to enter the passcode when you click on the link above. Be sure to have it handy as you log on to the event.

Join Zoom webinar by phone:
1-646-558-8656
Meeting ID: 973 4279 8891
Passcode: 455568

Closed captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided.

Overdue: Confronting Race and Racism in Newton is a coalition of organizations and individuals that aims to equip and empower our community with the understanding, knowledge, and skills to actively fight racism both in Newton and beyond. We provide residents with opportunities to listen, to learn and to act in order to dismantle systemic racism within our city. This series of events will challenge us to do better and to examine the way we treat each other in order to make Newton a more welcoming place to live.

Questions about this event or other parts of the Overdue series? Contact [email protected]

Hello NSHS Families,

We hope you are having a wonderful summer.

As we get closer to the start of school, even though our building is still officially closed and we are not allowing visitors to the building, we will now be able to staff our main office and our house offices on a more regular basis beginning on Monday, August 17th. To better assist you with any questions you may have, a rotating group of administrative assistants will be answering the phones at South from 9AM to Noon each day.

Please follow the protocol below:

• Start by calling the main phone line, 617-559-6700.
• If no one answers in the main office, please call your house office:
  • Cutler House: 617-559-6551
  • Goldrick House: 617-559-6552
  • Goodwin House: 617-559-6555
  • Wheeler House: 617-559-6558
• If you don’t reach someone at either the main office or the house office, please leave a voicemail on the main office line as that will be checked daily from 9am to Noon each day.

The administrative assistants are working together collaboratively to meet your needs at this time while maintaining social distancing and keeping everyone safe.

Thank you,
Chris Hardiman
NSHS Interim Vice Principal

Dear Newton South Families,

My name is Anais Mobarak, a rising senior at Newton South, and along with my siblings Diego and Gibran, I started the Kibbeh Kitchen, which sells authentic, homemade Lebanese platters and delivers them to your home. 100% of the proceeds are channeled directly to the Lebanese Red Cross. The Kibbeh Kitchen not only aims to raise funds for the Lebanese Red Cross, which is offering on the ground support
in the wake of the two explosions that devastated Beirut, but also raise awareness about the three overlapping crises ravaging Lebanon.

Our menu consists of a family platter and an individual one, both containing beef or butternut squash kibbeh, tabbouleh, man’oushe, and hummus with pita. For more information on each dish and how to order, please visit our website at kibbehkitchen.org and Instagram @kibbeh_kitchen.

Thank you for your support!

Please join NWH and the City of Newton Health and Human Services Department on Thursday, August 20^th for our virtual event of ‘If They Had Known’, a documentary that focuses on today’s party culture and the risks of recreational mixing prescriptions drugs with alcohol. Screening to be followed by presentations and Q & A with our expert panelists including clinicians from the NWH Child Psychiatry and Substance Use Services Teams, a Recovery Coach and a Pharmacist/Parent.

Please click link below to register and kindly forward to students, parents and other members of your organizations and communities.

https://partners.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Y3VNfmJdReOKxP6j3jYOFg

Thanks in advance – Please respond to the NPS Survey by July 13th.
See details in the letter below from Superintendent David Fleishman on July 6, 2020.

Dear NPS Families,

I hope you had an enjoyable holiday weekend. On June 25th, I provided information on the state guidance for re-opening in the fall. As I noted, part of our success in re-opening will be dependent upon your feedback. Below you will find the first of several surveys you will receive this summer that will inform our work. Your feedback is essential given the health and safety requirements that must be in place to re-open our school buildings. As part of this process, we will also be surveying our faculty and staff this week.

The survey should take approximately five minutes and it would be most appreciated if you could complete it by July 13th. You will find the survey link here: https://forms.gle/PCFZGZArkMqAfAX77.

In addition, earlier this month we launched our online bus registration. While we do not yet know what transportation will look like in the fall, spacing and number of riders will be important. To that end, we ask that if you intend for your child to ride the bus in the fall, please register by July 15th. You may do so by visiting our transportation webpage here: www.newton.k12.ma.us/transportation.

We will provide information through the COVID-19 section on our website found here: www.newton.k12.ma.us/COVID19, as well as through our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). We will also continue to provide regular updates to you as we plan for a safe and healthy school opening in the fall. Thanks so much for your help with the survey.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools

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This message is for students who ordered yearbooks.  Please disregard if you didn’t order a yearbook.

Below are the details for picking up yearbooks.

Monday, July 13 — 1:30-4:30pm — Students from Wheeler and Cutler houses can pick up yearbooks in the athletic lobby outside of Gym B.

Wednesday, July 15 — 1:30-4:30pm –Students in Goldrick and Goodwin houses can pick up yearbooks in the athletic lobby outside of Gym B.

If you haven’t purchased a yearbook yet and would like to, there are a limited number available online at www.yearbookforever.com. There will also be a handful of books to sell in person at the times above for $100 — cash or check made out to Newton South.

If you are not sure if you’ve purchased a yearbook yet: check the list HERE.

A reminder that everyone must wear a face covering when they come to pick up their materials.

For any questions about yearbooks, please contact Mr. Baron: [email protected]

Thanks.

Newton South High School plans to have a Diploma Ceremony on July 20 at our stadium.   Vice Principal Chris Hardiman is looking for parent volunteers who have A/V experience to help with set up on sound and staging for the event.

If you are interested in helping out, please contact Vice Principal Hardiman directly at [email protected]

Message from Mr. Baron, NSHS English Dept  Head.

Yearbooks – Yearbooks have arrived at Newton South, and we’re planning to have them ready for pick up at school the week of July 13. Specific details to follow about when and where to go.

Still want to buy a book? We have 34 more to sell online at www.yearbookforever.com. That portal will be open while supplies last.

Not sure if you’ve purchased a book? Check this list of people who’ve ordered already.

June 25, 2020

Dear NPS Community,

As many of you know, today the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released initial guidance for school re-opening in the fall. The guidance prioritizes the safe return to in-person school settings to address the academic, and social-emotional health of our students. I fully support this priority, as I shared in a piece that ran in the Boston Globe this morning. This return to in-person school will be accompanied by a comprehensive set of health and safety requirements to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 exposure or transmission.

The official news release can be found by following this link. The initial guidance can be found by following this link.

I am pleased that the guidance is firmly grounded in medical expertise and was developed in consultation with, and is supported by, the Massachusetts medical community, including the MA chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The guidance was developed after thorough review of medical and scientific literature as well as an assessment of the current public health data and COVID-19 trends.

As educators and as parents, we know that there is no substitute for in-person school both for educational progress, as well as for the social and emotional health of our students. We have already begun planning to address the health and safety requirements necessary to bring our students back into our buildings where they learn best. The DESE guidance provides more specifics on the requirements, including physical distancing, classroom configuration, and use of face coverings, among others. I encourage you to read the guidance for the detailed information we will be utilizing to develop our plans.

DESE also recognizes that this initial guidance is based upon the current positive public health metrics and we know that these could change. To that end, DESE is requiring that all districts develop three plans for the fall:

• In-person school with necessary health and safety accommodations
• A hybrid model of in-person and distance learning
• Full distance learning

Our planning teams in the Newton Public Schools have already begun working on these three plans. We also expect additional guidance in other areas of essential school operations, such as transportation, later this summer, as well as any adjustments to this initial guidance based upon public health data. We anticipate our plans for the fall will be finalized by the week of July 20.

Part of our success in re-opening school this fall will be dependent upon your feedback. To that end, in the next few days, and over the course of the summer, we will be sending you short, but very important surveys regarding your plan for your student(s) in the fall. We ask that you please take the time to complete these surveys so that we are developing plans that address areas such as transportation and classroom configuration. Please look for the subject line “NPS Re-opening” in your email for this very important information.

We know you have many questions and concerns and we will develop a range of communication tools to address them. I hope you have a safe and enjoyable start of summer.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools

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

DESE Guidance_Chinese Translation

DESE Guidance_Hebrew Translation

DESE Guidance_Japanese Translation

DESE Guidance_Korean Translation

DESE Guidance_Portuguese Translation

DESE Guidance_Russian Translation

DESE Guidance_Spanish Translation