Brown MS Weekly Update

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Dear Brown MS Community,

Welcome to the weekend and the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.! I plan to be at the Newton MLK celebration on Monday morning at NNHS (see above for details). The theme of the celebration this year is Justice. (Please go to Newtonma.gov/MLK23 for more information.) This celebration will be in person and I am excited to feel the positive energy of being together, united around racial justice. Please take some time this weekend to reflect with your families on what justice is and how we can all create positive change in the world one person at a time by standing up for those who have been marginalized in our society. The quote from Desmond Tutu below is something I try to remind myself of regularly.

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.

Earlier today the memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King named The Embrace was dedicated on the Boston Common. Below is a terrific video about the monument and what it means. The focus is on love - which is closely linked with justice and is something we all need to keep front and center in our daily lives. We will be showing the video below to our students next week during advisory as we continue to try and help our students speak up and stand up for one another with kindness and compassion. Middle school can be a hard time socially, and sometimes the desire to be popular takes precedence over taking care of others. Students need to hear the message repeatedly that we are a community, and when we care for and understand each other we are better, stronger and happier. As Jimi Hendrix said, "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

This weekend, I have the opportunity to see my college friends. They are coming into Boston for a short reunion (we plan to visit The Embrace while they are here) and we will eat at some terrific restaurants, laugh and reminisce. I hope your weekend brings you joy as well!

Best,

Kim Lysaght, Principal

Monday, January 16 - NO SCHOOL for MLK Day

Monday, January 16, 9:30AM - NNHS - Annual MLK Community Celebration

Tuesday, January 17, 7:00PM - Brown MS Choruses and Orchestra Concert

Thursday, January 19, 7:00PM - Brown MS Bands Concert

Friday, January 27, 8:45AM - Superintendent and School Committee meeting - Brown Library

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

Tuesday January 17, 2023, 7:00 pm - Brown Choruses and Orchestra - Brown MS Auditorium

Thursday January 19, 2023, 7:00 pm - 6th Grade Band, and 7th and 8th Grade Band - Brown MS Auditorium

Our wonderful PTO Music Liaisons have put together a sign up genius for POST-CONCERT RECEPTIONS. VOLUNTEERS and ITEMS NEEDED! – CLICK HERE to SIGN UP!

You can drop off food/drinks on the table prepared outside of the Auditorium at the times noted before the Concert. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support!

Thank you parent liaisons Star Lew, Christina Yee and Erica Rikki Nicolae for helping organizing!

Dear NPS Families,

As we begin the new year, one of the important tasks we have as a school district is to begin our planning for the next school year. A critical piece of this planning is the development of a budget that matches the resources available to us as a district. This year, the budget planning begins earlier than usual given that we must prepare two budgets – Budget 1 if the operational override is approved by Newton voters and Budget 2 if it is not.

On Monday, January 23, 2023, the district will present to the Newton School Committee two budgets. The first budget will show the impact of adding $4.5 million to the school budget via approval of the operational override. The second budget will show the impact if the override is not approved and the $4.5 million is not available to the district.

Over the next several weeks, the PTOs of each school will be sponsoring informational sessions so that I, together with School Committee members, can share information with you about the proposed override. I encourage you to attend a session at your own school or at a nearby school to learn more. As student needs evolve and we continue to address the impact of the pandemic, it is critical to have the right resources in place to support our students.

Please watch your email for notice of the PTO information sessions. You can also find detailed information about the proposed operational override, as well as the two debt-exclusion overrides for our Countryside and Franklin school buildings, on the City of Newton override webpage.

I look forward to seeing you soon and to answering your questions about the Newton Public Schools budget and our plans to support students now and into the future.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Smith, J.D.

Interim Superintendent

NOTE: Brown's information session with the Interiim Superintendent and School Committee will be held January 27th at 8:45AM in the library.

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

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.

We are lucky to once again welcome Urban Improv to Brown MS this year. Last year our students participated in their interactive improvisational workshop which teaches students skills for self-reflection and positive decision making. Students learn what microaggressions are and how they impact individuals as well as explore how to respond in difficult situations. All of our 6th graders will participate in these workshops at the end of January and beginning of February.

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

As we approach winter weather, we want to share information related to school closings. As a reminder, the decision to close or delay school is made by the superintendent, in consultation with the Police Department and the Department of Public Works. Safety is our number one priority as we consider the weather forecast, as well as street, sidewalk, and school parking lot conditions. We are very sensitive to the childcare challenges that you face when schools are closed and only do so if our analysis indicates we should.

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

In last week's update about our upcoming performance of Honk (February 14 & 15), I failed to mention that Elizabeth Messina is also an integral part of our production team, so a big thank you goes out to her in addition to the other faculty members I mentioned last week.

Also, I called the performance Honk Jr., however, our terrific cast is doing the full production of Honk. Please be sure to mark your calendars and come support this terrific group of young performers!

There have been some changes to our after school clubs and activities as the seasons change. Please click the link below to view the most up to date schedule. There may be a new activity that your child would enjoy! (There are late buses (4:15PM) available for any children that have a bus pass.)

• Click here to view the schedule of after school activities.

The middle school activity fee covers all school-sponsored, extracurricular activities within the middle schools, known as Triple E, not including athletics. The annual one-time fee allows students to participate in an unlimited number of Triple E activities.

$60 per student per year not including drama

$100 per student per year if student participates in drama

Payment Options

• Pay online at www.MySchoolBucks.com.
  
  Click Here for Directions.
  
  

• Mail the application and check to: Business & Finance, Newton Public Schools, 100 Walnut Street, Newtonville, MA 02460
  
  

• If you wish to apply for a financial waiver, please complete an application located in Aspen. For more information on financial assistance, visit https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/1072

If payment or financial waiver is not received at time of registration, an invoice will be issued to your student’s MySchoolBucks account.

Contact feepayments@newton.k12.ma.us or 617-559-9025 for assistance

7:30pm, Jan 19, 20 and 21 (in person and via livestream)
http://www.theatreink.net/shows/2021/Lostandfound22/index.html.

Time and time again, the stories of people of color are swept under the rug and lost. It is about time we found them.

Lost and Found is a cabaret-style show featuring stories of people of color and is a compilation of original and published poems, songs, monologues, and scenes. The goal of the process and show is to provide a space for students to express themselves and tell their stories through the performing arts.

Buy tickets here: http://www.theatreink.net/tickets.html

Want to go with a group? Brown FORJ is organizing a group to attend together on the 19th. Please email brownforj@gmail.com to join us!

Families Organizing for Racial Justice (FORJ) is a group of diverse Newton families helping our children learn about issues of power and inequality and how to stand up for racial justice. If you have questions, comments, or to join the mailing list please contact us at brownforj@gmail.com.

Please join (virtually) the Newton SEPAC and Georgetown professor and disabilities studies scholar Jennifer Natalya Fink, author of All Our Families: Disability Lineage and the Future of Kinship, for a presentation about her book and work, with Q&A to follow. In All Our Families, Professor Fink examines why disability is often described as "a tragedy, a crisis, or an aberration" rather than an ordinary -- 1 in 5 people have a disability -- and necessary feature of a healthy, vibrant society. All Our Families explores the roots of ableism ingrained in society, including efforts to eradicate disability and systemic inequities at the heart of our care economy, and advocates for "a reclamation of disability as a history, a culture, and an identity." All Our Families urges all of us to embrace our disability lineage and build more genuinely inclusive communities in the process.

We hope you'll join us on January 22nd. Please note that those interested in purchasing a copy of All Our Families can do so using the links and discount code provided below.

- Kim Gallaugher, SEPAC Liaison for Brown - momofiggy@hotmail.com

Join us on Zoom - January 22nd at 7:30 pm: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82952474787

Meeting ID: 829 5247 4787
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,82952474787# US (Chicago)

+16469313860,,82952474787# US

If your student is considering applying to private schools we are happy to support their applications. Please click here to read about the process for applying to private school. Following these guidelines allows us to meet your application deadlines.

Newton S.P.A.C.E. is a four-week summer enrichment program run by the Newton Public Schools from July 5th through July 28th. Students entering kindergarten through 9th grade in the Fall of 2023 are eligible to attend. We offer two programs - an upper camp (entering grade 5-entering grade 9) and a lower camp (entering kindergarten-entering grade 4).

LOWER CAMP - Campers are assigned into age appropriate classes led by certified elementary school teachers, through project based learning, challenges and activities which focus on our camp theme. Our theme for lower camp last summer was, “Our Planet”. Campers explored the wild places of our planet and learned about ways we can protect nature. Lower Camp has a co-taught model with two certified teachers and one counselor. Special attention is given to individual students by maintaining a low student to teacher ratio. Lower Campers will also attend various specials throughout the week led by certified staff. In past years, specials have included physical education, art, yoga, ceramics, boxygen, and music..

UPPER CAMP - Campers will create their own schedules by choosing from a vast amount of electives to design their own camp program. SPACE Upper Camp has over 50 electives for students to choose from including art studios, performing arts, athletics, STEM activities, and language arts.

Check out the S.P.A.C.E.website for more information or REGISTER NOW!

Questions? SPACE@newton.k12.ma.us

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