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Dear Brown MS Community,

I hope you are noticing that the daylight hours are increasing with each day. I will be happy when my commute to and from Brown is during daylight hours once again! This week was a very full one with Lunar New Year celebrations, Urban Improv workshops, Honk! rehearsals, basketball games and the PTO coffee this morning. There are details below about some of these events, so please take a look.

We have reached the middle of the school year, and in the coming weeks, teachers will be completing Midyear Feedback Reports for each student. These reports will provide students and their parents/guardians with information about progress with academic, organizational and social emotional skills. They will be sent home either at the end of this coming week or the beginning of the following week. The goal of these reports is to get students and families talking about what is working and what needs to be the focus for the second half of the year. We work hard to demonstrate a growth mindset for all of our students. By setting some concrete goals and providing support from both school and home, students can push themselves out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves to do and be their best. This time of year it can be hard to accomplish this. Students are tired and expectations for more independence increases as the year continues. Helping students self-reflect allows them to play to their strengths and focus on developing in areas that aren't a strength... yet.

Enjoy the weekend,

Kim Lysaght, Principal

This morning we acknowledged International Holocaust Remembrance Day which commemorates the victims of the Nazi regime and promotes Holocaust education throughout the world, rejecting any form of Holocaust denial. Each year the UN designates a theme for the annual commemorations; the theme of 2023 is “Home and Belonging”

"The theme "Home and Belonging" highlights the humanity of the Holocaust victims and survivors, who had their home and sense of belonging ripped from them by the perpetrators of the Holocaust. The violence of exclusion began with disinformation and hate speech that lent support to systemic injustice and discrimination, and marginalization and ended with genocidal killing. The theme reminds us of our responsibility to respond with humanity to the victims of atrocity crimes, to counter hate speech, antisemitism, Holocaust distortion and denial, and prejudice – to do all we can to prevent genocide."

Adopted from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the United Nations website UN.org.

Feb. 2 will be a full day of school (8:20 - 2:50). The middle school early release day is cancelled.

February 14 & 15 (evening)- Brown MS Musical - Honk, Jr.

February 18-26 - School Vacation Week

Please note! There has been a change to the calendar for NPS middle school students. There is NO early release for middle school grades 6-8 on February 2, 2022. It will be a full day of school. (February 2, 2023 is still an early release for grades PreK-5 and 9-12.)

Brown will have a regular school day from 8:20 - 2:50 on February 2.

This morning the PTO sponsored a coffee for parents with Mayor Fuller, Interim Superintendent Smith, School Committee Chairperson Tamika Olszewski and School Committee Member Kathy Shields. They shared information about the superintendent search, the NPS budget and implications of the override vote coming up in March. There was an extensive question and answer session during which we discussed academic excellence, equity for all students, social emotional support and school safety.

I want to thank Denise Dandrea, Yvonne Chen and Janelle Phillips for all their help to organize this event. We had about 25 people in person and close to 20 on zoom. The full video of the meeting is below. As a reminder, all meeting presentations and background information on the override can be found on the City of Newton website: City of Newton Override Webpage

Today during all lunches our 7th grade Chinese class did a performance for their classmates. They practiced earlier this week with their teacher, Ms. Mao, and did a terrific job. We had a martial arts demonstration, a fan dance and a lion dance. Thank you to all who performed!

The cast and crew of Honk! are hard at work each afternoon preparing for the upcoming show. I can hear their voices and see the enthusiasm growing each afternoon as they rehearse. Please come to see the show and support their hard work! Dates are listed below. Tickets will be on sale during lunches in the weeks leading up to the show.

Honk! Performance dates:

Tuesday, February 14 at 7pm

Wednesday, February 15 at 7pm

Snow Date - February 16 at 7pm

We were lucky to once again welcome Urban Improv to Brown MS this year. This morning our Red and Coral teams engaged in this interactive workshop. Our purple team students will see Urban Improv on February 10. During the improvisational workshop students learn skills for self-reflection and positive decision making. They learn what microaggressions are and how they impact individuals as well as explore how to respond in difficult situations.

February is Black History Month. While we celebrate people of all races throughout the year in our classrooms, we will acknowledge the rich history of influential Black Americans with displays and discussions throughout the month. More information will be shared in February.

There are a lot of opportunities for students to get involved in after school activities. This is a great way for them to explore new interests and expand their friendship groups. Click here to view the schedule of after school activities.

Wednesday January 17 the the ESL teachers invited parents and guardians of English learners (from Chile, Russia, Ukraine, China) and the PTO Liaisons Linda Lai from (first on left) and Joelle Tomb from (second from the right) enjoyed home baked goodies, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and lots of great conversation.

There will be a virtual parent meeting for current 8th grade parents/guardians about transitioning up to the high school on Friday, February 10th from 9:00-10:00 (inclement weather date will be Friday, February 17th at 9:00). Link to be sent out closer to the time.

Please let your parents/guardians know about the date/time we would appreciate it. We will be recording

Zooming to Success: Leveraging Virtual Technology for Career Growth and Development (grades 6 and up)

Tuesday, January 31, 2023, 7:00pm-8:00pm

Free, Virtual Event for All Ages and Career Levels

Presented by Newton Wellesley Hospital, learn tips and strategies to boost your career using modern technology. Topics include virtual networking, leveraging online platforms such as LinkedIn, and mastering the virtual interview to land the job.

Free, Virtual Event for All Ages and Career Levels

Click Here to Register.

Let’s Get to Work (ages 13.5 – 18 years old)

Tuesday, February 21, 2023, 10:30am-12:00pm

Thursday, February 23, 2023, 1:00pm-2:30pm

City Hall, War Memorial, 1000 Commonwealth Ave.

Join Youth Services for two employment-focused workshops in preparation for summer and post high school employment, as well as internship opportunities. Interested young people do not need to register for both dates.

• Tuesday, February 21st

• How to apply for a job
• Cover letter & resume review
• Preparing for an interview

• Thursday, February 23rd

• Offer letters & onboarding documents for employers
• Obtaining a work permit

Click HERE to register.

Career Exploration Event Series (grades 7 – 12)

Upcoming Thursdays, 6:00pm-7:00pm

Dates: February 16, March 23, April 27, & May 18

Newton Free Library, Druker Auditorium

Join Newton Youth services and the Newton Free Library for a four-part series exploring careers through in person discussions with professions working in the industry. Industry exploration includes STEM (February), Medical (March), The Trades (April), and Human Services (May).

Click HERE to register.

MBTA Youth Pass

The MBTA and the City of Newton's Youth Pass program helps provide affordable transit access for young people with low-income. The Youth Pass is a card that can be used by eligible young adults with low incomes to purchase roughly 50% reduced one-way fares for Commuter Rail, Express Bus, and ferry. For additional details CLICK HERE.

The Department of Mental Health has launched a new Behavioral Health Help Line that people can call or text at 833-773-2445. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in more than 200 languages. The help line can help individuals and families navigate the behavioral health system and access treatment, including mobile crisis services. District and school leaders are asked to please share this resource with staff, families, and students, where helpful. For more information, please see the FAQ. Anyone with questions or concerns about the help line can email the help line director at Mio.Tamanaha@mass.gov.

Dates for the administration of the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) have been set as follows:

English Language Arts:

March 28 & 29 - 7th grade

April 10 & 11 - 6th grade

April 12 & 13 - 8th grade

Math:

May 15 & 16 - 8th grade

May 17 & 18 - 7th grade

May 22, &23 - 6th grade

Science & Technology/Engineering:

May 24 - 8th grade only

The decision to close or delay school is made by the superintendent, in consultation with the Police Department and the Department of Public Works. You will be notified of school closing via email, text, phone, website, television news, and social media. Please make sure your contact information is updated in Aspen so that we are able to reach you in a timely manner (Aspen Login Link) If you do not remember your Aspen login information, please email: aspen@newton.k12.ma.us

Please visit this webpage for additional details: School Closings Due to Weather Webpage

As you shop for the holidays, please consider using amazonsmile. This program donates a portion of the proceeds to Brown PTO. Just designate Charles E. Brown Middle School PTO as your charitable recipient. The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of your purchase price for eligible purchases towards our PTO. Click the picture below for a direct link to the site.

For more information about how this works, click this link to the PTO website.

NPS has recently updated their non-discrimination protocol and reporting process. Here is a link to a document that gives an overview of the process and how to report incidents. If you experience an incident that you feel needs to be reported, you can contact the school directly or you can fill out this Online reporting form.

• What is discrimination?

  Discrimination includes, but is not limited to, excluding from participation, denying the benefits of, or otherwise discriminating against individuals on the basis of a Protected Class, or any other category protected by state or federal law.

  
  

• What is harassment?

  Harassment includes, but is not limited to, unwelcome, inappropriate, or illegal physical, verbal, written, graphic, or electronic conduct that relates to an individual’s actual or perceived Protected Class, that has the purpose or effect of creating a hostile education or work environment. Examples of harassment include, but are not limited to, conduct that denigrates, demeans, or stereotypes a person and/or group based upon disability, gender identity, national origin, ethnic background, ancestry, race, color, religion, or sexual orientation. Sexual harassment is also included in this category.

  
  

• What is retaliation?

  Retaliation includes, but is not limited to, coercion, intimidation, interference, punishment, discrimination, or harassment against any member of the school community in response to that member’s oral, written, formal or informal reporting or filing a complaint, cooperating in an investigation, aiding or encouraging another member to report or file a complaint.

If you have not already done so, please be sure to update your student information on Aspen. It is important that we have correct contact information for school to home communication. Click here for Student Information Update instructions.

School Hours:

8:20AM - 2:50PM - Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri.

8:20 AM - 2:05PM - Wed.

Click here for the NPS 2022-2023 school calendar.

Click here for the Brown Middle School 6-day rotation calendar for 2022-2023 with early release days and days of the cycle.

To report a student absence call: 617-559-6980

Brown Middle School

125 Meadowbrook Road

Newton, MA 02459

Absences: 617-559-6980

Main office: 617-559-6900