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Dear Brown MS Community,

We are in the long home stretch to the end of the school year! This coming week will be a busy one at Brown. We are excited to be welcoming 5th grade parents for a visit on Wednesday morning. On Thursday we will be marching with Oak Hill and Newton South High School to demonstrate solidarity in our 2nd annual "No Place for Hate" march on Thursday after school - ALL members of the community are welcome to join us. Thursday evening we will be zooming in with parents (PLEASE JOIN US!) to talk together about how to support our children to be upstanding members of the community. We will share the work we are doing with students, and discuss how parents can partner with us to combat racism, homophobia, antisemitism, transphobia, ableism and other "isms" that divide us. Please see below for more information on each of these events.

Next week is the beginning of May which is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. 7th grade students will be researching AAPI individuals in their advisories and creating posters to hang in our hallways to celebrate these individuals. History.com explains that "the month of May was chosen for AAPI Heritage Month because it commemorates the immigration of the first Japanese people to the United States on May 7, 1843." (Click here for more information about the month.) Brown has a large Asian population with many students who are happy to share about their culture. Throughout the month we will have presentations by some of our AAPI students at lunch (dances, table displays, etc.) celebrating the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. A big THANK YOU to Ms. Priya, French teacher, for her work in organizing these groups.

I hope you have fun plans for the weekend. Unfortunately, it looks like the weather will not be great, so any gardening I had hoped to do will just have to wait. Looking on the bright side, it is an opportunity for me to get a lot of chores done inside the house!

Enjoy the weekend,

Kim Lysaght, Principal

Wed., May 3: 5th Grade parent visiting 8:20 - 9:30

Thurs., May 4: No Place for Hate Walk (Brown, Oak Hill and NSHS). 3:00-4:00PM

Thurs., May 4: Parent Forum 7:00PM on Zoom - Supporting our Kids to be Respond to Racism, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Transphobia

Fri., May 5: Turquoise Team field trip to Edward M. Kennedy Institute

Fri., May 5: Spring Play - 7:00PM - Brown MS Auditorium

May 8-12: Kindness week at Brown

May 8-12: Teacher appreciation week

May 15 & 16: 8th grade Math MCAS

May 17: Orange team field trip to Edward M Kennedy Institute

May 17 & 18: 7th grade Math MCAS

May 22 & 23: 6th grade Math MCAS

May 24: 8th grade Science/Technology MCAS

May 29: No School - Memorial Day

This past Monday our 6th graders enjoyed a presentation by Egyptian-American Karim Nagi to introduce students to Arab dance and Arab music in a high-energy performance featuring exciting traditional dances, and soulful folk music played on a variety of traditional instruments. Karim used authentic costumes, maps, Arabic language, lots of audience participation, and humor, as he enlightened his audience about a captivating world beyond the headlines. A former faculty member of the New England Conservatory of Music, Karim now performs nationwide to great acclaim with the SHARQ Arabic Music Ensemble. He is a master percussionist and Arab dancer and had a lot of fun with our 6th graders.

5th Grade Parent visiting at Brown - This Wednesday, May 3 from 8:20 - 9:30. Please come to the cafeteria at 8:20 and sign in. We will have a brief introduction and then send you with a 6th grade guide to see some of our classes and the school.

Brown Principal and Counselor Visit Elementary Schools:

Monday, May 8 - Williams (8:20 - 9:00 parent meeting, 9:30 meet 5th graders)

Friday, May 12 - Mason Rice (8:20 - 9:00 parent meeting, 9:40 meet 5th graders)

Friday May 19 - Angier (8:20 - 9:00 parent meeting, 9:15 meet 5th graders)

Friday, May 26 - Countryside (8:20 - 9:00 parent meeting, 9:30 meet 5th graders)

Step Up Day (5th graders visit Brown) - Friday, June 9

Mark your calendars! This Thursday evening, May 4, after the No Place for Hate Walk, we will hold a zoom forum for all Brown MS parents. During the zoom we will share the work we are doing with students around building empathy to help them becoming upstanders when faced with racism, homophobia, antisemetism, anti-Asian sentiment, transphobia, ableism and other -isms. If you have not had conversations with your child before now about these issues, this is a good place to start. If you have discussed these issues, we value your input as we support one another in helping our children build empathy.

The culture of our Brown MS community goes beyond the walls of our school. It is important that we engage collectively with one another in these challenging conversations. Please join us for this important conversation.

Join Zoom Meeting - Thursday, May 4 at 7:00PM
https://newton-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/81129112611
Meeting ID: 811 2911 2611
Passcode: Together

This year for our Spring Play, Brown Working Theatre is putting on two one-acts: Governing Alice by C. Denby Swanson and 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse by Don Zolidis. In Governing Alice, an adaptation of the Greek tragedy Antigone, a rebellious high school student must respond to the sudden and shattering death of her older brother, the class valedictorian, who was shot while robbing a convenience store. Up against an unyielding principal and accompanied by a bookish Geek Chorus, Alice must find her own way through personal and classical tragedy. In honoring her brother, she'll probably break some rules. In 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, it's the end of the world and hordes of rampaging zombies are about to kill you. What do you do? Try your hand at martial arts against the undead? Attempt to reason with creatures that would rather eat brains than use them? Turn to this handy and hilarious guide to survive the apocalypse! (Hint: sacrifice the weak is step number one.) Both one-acts will be performed in tandem on Friday, May 5th at 7:00PM (Please note this is a correction from my last newsletter!) Tickets will be available at the door.

Please take a look at our spring extracurricular activities. There continue to be many opportunities for students to get involved. 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.

The week of May 8-12 we will be holding "Kindness Week" at Brown. The PTO presidents and a group of teachers have been meeting together with Brown's administration to come up with some activities, announcements and suggestions to help our students focus kind acts. I will share more information next week about our plans!

Last night the school committee voted on the final budget for NPS for next school year. There were some changes to the originally proposed budget with some more funding provided to help with class size. You can view the video of the presentation by clicking on the link below.

• School Committee Budget Vote (NewTV)
  

This year we are continuing the screening program in grades 8 and 10 related to the use of alcohol, marijuana and other substances. The goal of this program is to let students know that we are available to reinforce healthy decisions and to assist them in obtaining support if needed for substance use related problems.

Data from the Newton Public Schools Youth Risk Behavior Survey consistently demonstrates that by the end of high school, significant numbers of students report use of alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and other drugs: either having tried it or using it regularly. In order to help prevent students from starting to use substances, or intervene with early use, we will be conducting a verbal substance use screening program in grade 8 on May 9th.
The goals of this screening program are to:
• Reinforce healthy decisions
• Help prevent students from starting to use substances
• Intervene with early use
• Assist students in obtaining support if needed for substance use related problems
• Comply with state law M.G.L. Chapter 71, Sections 96 & 97

All screenings will be conducted confidentially by our school nurses or counselors in private one-on-one sessions. Student responses will not be shared with parents unless they rise to a specific level of risk, and the student signs the Consent to Disclose Confidential Information form as per state guidelines. Students who are not using substances will have their healthy choices reinforced by the screener. The screener will provide brief feedback to any student who reports using substances, or who is at risk for future substance use. If needed, screeners will refer students to school counseling staff for further evaluation. This program focuses on harm prevention and does not generate disciplinary action. Results of the screening will not be included in your child’s school record.

We will be using the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program that utilizes the CRAFFT II screening tool: the most commonly used substance use screening tool for adolescents in Massachusetts. This is a structured, evidence-based verbal screening that promotes prevention, early detection, risk assessment, brief counseling and, when needed, referral to treatment.

As with any school screening, you have the right to opt your child out of this screening. Please contact the school nurse if you have any questions about this program, or if you do not want your child to participate in this screening. Additionally, screening is voluntary and students may choose not to answer some or all of the screening questions.

We encourage all parents/guardians to talk with their child about substance use. For ideas on how to begin these conversations, please visit the SBIRT section on our School Health website for links to helpful resources: www.newtonma.gov/schoolhealth

Remaining dates for the administration of the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) are as follows:

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 City of Newton Health & Human Services Department, in partnership with Samaritans Inc., is hosting an in-person workshop for parents & teens titled, “Supporting Communication.” Join them for an evening to support the development of healthy communication between parents and teens by exploring feelings, and learning how to express them, practice honest talk and active listening and how to access resources and support.

Supporting Communication: A Mental Health Workshop for Teens & Parents

Date: Wednesday, May 10, 6:00-8:00 p.m. (check in/refreshments 5:30 p.m.)

Location: Newton Free Library, Druker Auditorium

CLICK HERE to register.

May 21, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Horace Mann Housing Complex

Along with our partners at the Newton Housing Authority and Newton Community Farm, Newton Neighbors is launching a project to plant container gardens for eligible seniors at the Horace Mann Housing Complex (corner of Watertown and Walker Streets, Newtonville).

This project is a great way to get outdoors, meet your neighbors, and help beautify the space at the Horace Mann Complex. It is also a great project for kids! We welcome volunteers of all ages and experience levels.

The project will take place on May 21, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. Volunteers can sign up for two-hour shifts at https://www.tinyurl.com/NNcontainergarden.

Please contact Susan Vaughn at susanv@newtonneighbors.org with any questions.

NPS is committed to preventing discrimination, harassment and retaliation. 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 should be reported, you can contact the school directly or you can fill out this Online reporting form.

• What is discrimination?

• What is harassment?

• What is retaliation?

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