Brown MS Weekly Update

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Dear Brown MS Community,

It has been a week full of special events here at Brown including music & drama, sports, yummy food and trips! Let me take you through just some of what went on this week:

• On Monday morning we brought back the annual tradition of having the 5th graders from our feeder elementary schools come to see our musical production (Honk! ).
• Monday afternoon the Brown Basketball teams took on Brown faculty players for a competitive game in the gym followed by an end of season celebration for the teams.
• On Tuesday our PTO brought over boxes of bagged, delicious cookie treats to give to our faculty. (THANK YOU!!)
• Tuesday and Wednesday evenings our official production of Honk! played to full audiences and rave reviews.
• Wednesday we had a visit from Dr. Anna Nolan as part of her finalist interview for the Superintendent position. She toured the school and was able to meet with a small group of students. (The Newton School Committee voted today to select her as the next Superintendent of Newton Public Schools. More information on this below.)
  
• Thursday our food services, Whitson's, hosted Guest Chef Tony who "wowed" students with Nashville Hot Kickin' Chicken.
• Also on Thursday, our 8th graders who are learning Chinese took at trip to the Peabody Essex Museum.
• During lunch on Friday we celebrated with our METCO honors luncheon.

All of this is in addition to the regular classes, meetings, clubs, work and learning that happen each day at Brown. I am grateful for the amazing adults who make all of this possible. We set a goal to build community this year and we are certainly making progress!

I admit I am thankful that vacation is here - we are all ready for it! I am looking forward to doing some traveling this week to warmer weather and seeing my daughter at college. I hope you all are able to unwind and relax in whatever way you enjoy best this week.

Best,

Kim Lysaght, Principal

February 18-26 - School Vacation Week. (School resumes on Monday February 27.)

March 7: 5th Grade Parent Information Night at Brown MS Auditorium 7:00PM

March 9: 8th Grade Family Information Night at NSHS, 6:30PM

March 23: Early Release Day (students dismissed at 11:20)

The Newton School Committee voted on Friday morning to select Dr. Anna Nolin as the next Superintendent of the Newton Public Schools. Dr. Nolin comes to Newton from the Natick Public Schools where she currently serves as superintendent. Dr. Nolin was selected by a unanimous vote of the School Committee, who emphasized her commitment to data-driven outcomes for students, collaboration with families and community partners, and serving as the lead teacher of a learning organization. The Newton School Committee will approve the appointment of Dr. Nolin, conditional on successful contract negotiations and acceptable background check.

“We are thrilled to invite Dr. Nolin to join the Newton Public Schools as our next superintendent. Her values as a data-driven leader focused on improving outcomes for all students align perfectly with the mission of the Newton Public Schools,” said Tamika Olszewski, Chair of the Newton School Committee. “We deeply appreciate her commitment to developing a strategic vision for our district that articulates the strength and skills we want for both our staff and our students.”

Dr. Nolin has spent nearly 20 years in the Natick Public Schools, first serving as assistant principal and principal of Wilson Middle School and then assuming the position of Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. She has served in the role of superintendent since 2018. In addition, she is an experienced graduate instructor in educational leadership and instructional leadership, serving in the doctoral program collaboration between the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents and Boston College. She is currently the president of the New England's Superintendents' Association representing superintendents from MA, ME, NH, RI, VT and CT.

Dr. Nolin impressed the School Committee with her collaborative approach to working with union leadership, welcoming diverse perspectives and viewpoints, and personalizing learning for all students. Feedback from the community and staff noted Dr. Nolin’s strong history of implementing social emotional supports and programs for students to address mental health needs.

The search for Newton’s next Superintendent of Schools began in fall 2022 and was led by a search committee composed of a diverse group of Newton stakeholders. Using feedback from community surveys and focus groups, the committee developed a leadership profile and identified desired characteristics for the next district leader. In January, the search committee reviewed applications, interviewed semi-finalists, and recommended three candidates to move to the final stage of the selection process. One candidate withdrew, while two finalists spent a full day in the district meeting with administrators, staff, community members, and the Newton School Committee. Feedback from the visits was collected and reviewed by the committee prior to their final selection. More details on the search process, including documents and timelines, can be found on this district webpage:

Newton Superintendent Search Process

Dr. Nolin is expected to assume leadership of the Newton Public Schools July 1, 2023, conditional on successful contract negotiations. The district is currently under the leadership of Interim Superintendent Dr. Kathy Smith after Dr. David Fleishmen left the district last summer following a 12 year tenure.

The cast and crew of Honk! put on an amazing performance this past Tuesday and Wednesday evening. Having a full production with students helping both on stage and off was heartwarming! We owe a huge THANK YOU to the following adults who made this opportunity possible for our students:

Lucy Kania, Elana Cutler, Diane Pollard, Becky Cohen, Elizabeth Messina, Peter Tordo, Jeremy Goldberg, Dolores Colletti, Isaiah Davidson-Weiss, and Mark Pisaturo.

The spring is coming, and it is time for our 8th graders to think about high school! Please click here for information regarding Newton South High School 8th Grade Family Night which will be on March 9th at 6:30PM. There will also be aNewton South Sports Night on March 16 at 7:00PM. Information regarding course registration will be shared with students in the coming weeks. Our counselors are available to answer questions regarding this process.

Thursday March 16, 2023

6:30 pm – NSHS Field House

The evening will focus on all of your athletic options at Newton South. You will have a chance to meet representatives from all athletic teams. Below are the important dates for the fall season and information on registration.

Friday, August 18, 2023: Pre Season for Football ONLY begins – All 3 Levels

Monday, August 21, 2023: Pre Season begins for ALL upperclassmen AND incoming freshmen playing fall sports

Please note the first day of school is Tuesday, September 6th!

Registration for all sports is online at:

https://www.familyid.com/organizations/newton-south-high-school

Online registration for fall sports will open on July 1st and close on August 18th.

A list of all of our athletic offerings as well as the link to register can also be found on the Newton South High School web page (click on Athletics):

http://www.newton.k12.ma.us

Any student playing a fall sport must have had a physical on or after August 18, 2022.

All Freshmen trying out for ANY sport will need to undergo a new ImPACT concussion test. Dates for testing are TBD and must be completed before tryouts or on the first day of Pre-Season. We will discuss this more at the info meeting.

Winter Season tryouts begin Monday November 27, 2023

Spring Season tryouts begin Monday March 18, 2024

Current user fees per sport per season (except hockey, football, & alpine ski) = $325 with a cap of $975

Hockey, Football, & Alpine Ski = $425 per season

Super-cap = $1500 per family (high school & middle school athletics & bus fees only)

Any questions please call the athletic office at 617-559-6599. We also send out updates and important info via Instagram and Twitter. Follow us at @NSHS_Athletics

ATHLETIC PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY: To provide each participant with sound physical, mental, moral, emotional and social benefits that will last a lifetime.

Julia Yin, scientist and parent of an 8th grader made a presentation this week for our ELL classes. This followed a student debate on animal testing: "Is it necessary?" Students are using what they learned to write essays on the topic. Thank you to Julian Yin, the students learned so much from our local expert!

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, March 15, 2023, 6:30pm-8:00pm

Newton South High School

We encourage Newton youth (grades 7-12) and their families to come learn about a variety of programs available after high school that can prepare young people for a valuable career. Participants include Trades Unions, Newton Fire, Newton Police, JobCorps, Year Up, Gap Year Programs, Mass General Brigham, Village Bank, McGovern Auto Group and so many more! To see a full listing of participants and to register, visit, Career Pathways Event 2023!

This event is hosted through a partnership between Newton Public Schools, City of Newton, Youth Services and MassHire Metro South/West.

The Greater Boston STEM Program (gbSTEM), is a non-profit enrichment program that delivers free introductory computer science, math, engineering, and science courses to elementary and middle school students in the Greater Boston area. Since March 2020, our team of dedicated high school volunteers have brought free lessons to over 1000 Massachusetts youth. Classes will be held both through Zoom and in-person, and we pride ourselves in our innovative curriculum and collaboration-based learning model.

We are delighted to announce that we will be offering a spring semester of gbSTEM to Brown students, which will run from March 12th, 2023 to June 10th, 2023!

The registration deadline is March 4th, 2023.

Information about our program and the registration form can be found at our website: https://gbstem.org

If you have any questions, please contact contact@gbstem.org. We are so excited to work with your family this spring!

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