Newtown Public Schools

Happy Monday!

The feeling of October is beginning to creep in with cooler, crisp days and some leaves noticeably changing color. Our faculty capped off the last week of September with a full day of professional learning on Wednesday with topics that ranged from best practices in reading and math instruction to artificial intelligence. Our next full professional learning day will be Election Day, November 5th. Having these learning opportunities built into the beginning part of the school calendar allows our faculty to apply their learning at the start of the year when our students can most benefit. Our schools serve many purposes but the primary focus is always on teaching and learning so it is imperative that we constantly reflect on our practice and strive for continuous improvement. The professional learning opportunities offered to our faculty is integral to that work. During the next several Board of Education meetings, there will be presentations on our performance as a district, as well as on how our schools will be prioritizing their work for the year ahead in alignment with the NPS Strategic Plan. I encourage you to take some time to view our Board meetings either in person or virtually. You can find the link to this week’s agenda and livestream below.

Unfortunately, busing continues to be an issue in our district and I assure you that we are doing all that we can to address the situation. All-Star is still short drivers for the daily routes and currently does not have enough drivers to cover the shortages and this does not take into account when other drivers are unable to report to work . We fully acknowledge the huge inconvenience this is causing our families.

Below is the most up-to-date route information that has been shared with me. This does not necessarily mean that these buses will not run as All-Star is continually shifting things around in an effort to cover all routes. I share this in order to provide full transparency regarding the current status.

Bus 10 - Driver expected back October 7th

Bus 11 - Driver out indefinitely.

Bus 14 - Driver out indefinitely.

Bus 26 - Driver unable to drive in the afternoons for the foreseeable future.

All-Star currently has one spare driver to cover morning routes and who can occasionally cover afternoon routes. There are three drivers in the queue who will be trained on routes in the next couple of weeks. This will help significantly but we are still in need of drivers to serve as substitutes in order to ensure uninterrupted service to the community. We understand that it is difficult when the same routes are impacted however drivers are trained to drive their specific routes. We are working with All-Star to see if drivers can be cross-trained so that the same families are not repeatedly impacted.

We have been notified that a new depot manager has been hired and we are in the process of setting up a meeting for later this week. It is my hope that our meeting will be productive and that we can find ways to mitigate the frequency of parked buses until additional drivers are brought on board. Again, more drivers are the key to solving this problem. If you or anyone you know is interested in driving a bus, please see the flyer below. I will continue to share information in my weekly update until the situation is rectified.

Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Jewish New Year, begins on the evening of October 2, and ends on the evening of October 3. As a reminder, schools will be closed on Thursday, October 3, in observance of this holiday. To all of you who are celebrating, l’shana tovah!

I wish you all a peaceful week.

Anne

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! If you are interested in driving a bus, please reach out to All-Star for more information on how to become a driver.

Did you know that, according to the International Dyslexia Association, dyslexia affects approximately 15-20% of the population? This means that around 1 in every 5 individuals has some form of dyslexia. Additionally, it is estimated that boys are more likely to be diagnosed with dyslexia than girls.

If you are interested in learning more about the Connecticut State Deaprtment of Education's support in the area of dyslexia, please take note of the year-long offering of activities for both educators and families detailed in the flyer below.

The Newtown High School Marching Band & Color Guard are hosting the 28th Annual Joseph P. Grasso Marching Band Festival this Saturday at 5:45 pm in Blue & Gold Stadium. Eight area bands will be performing and our senior band and guard members will receive special recognition. Tickets are $12 for adults, $7 for students and seniors and children under 5 are free. Come on out and enjoy the show!

ALL parents and guardians in the district are invited to attend an evening informational session presented by the CT State Police on the topic of social media.

The Danbury Hat Tricks, our local professional hockey team, are again holding a Teacher Appreciation Night for educators (including paras and other school personnel), offering a free ticket for all educators! This is a very fun night, and all are encouraged to take advantage of this offer! Please click here for more information.

This is the 35th anniversary of Connecticut's Network for Children and Youth, meaning 35 years of after-school, and 35 years of supporting Connecticut's youth and working families.

Each program plans their own little party with some activities and snacks. Families, town officials, and school officials are invited to come and see what we do at our programs.

If you would like to stop by one of our sites, please RSVP to bases@edadvance.org or 860-567-0863 x1167.

The Dream Big! Competition is an exciting program offered by Connecticut's Office of the Treasurer. The competition is designed to help Connecticut families build better futures by giving them the opportunity to win money for future education. This year's competition features three grand prizes of $20,000 and more.

*For more information or to enter, please click here

The full district calendar can be found here.

Click on the link to view the agenda for this week's Board of Education meeting. To view this meeting, the livestream link is: https://vimeo.com/event/729428. To make a public comment, the call in number is 1-601-8614457. The PIN is 348 969 584#.

The district is piloting a food scrap recycling program at Sandy Hook School, which is supported through generous grant funding from First Light Sustains, and made possible with the help of the Newtown Public Works department. Legislature in Hartford has been driving increased composting and recycling initiatives statewide. The Town of Newtown has been developing, in line with state guidance, a robust and expanded food scrap recycling program, with a focus on efficient, cost-effective, and streamlined waste management processes.

Together with the Public Works department, and with help from The Housatonic Resource Recovery Authority (HRRA), we are working to bring expanded recycling and composting to Newtown Public Schools. The pilot program launched at the start of this school year at Sandy Hook School. Recycle stations have been set up in the cafeteria to collect food scraps, liquids, cardboard, plastics, and trash. A "Green Team", comprised of staff and students invested in conservation and sound environmental practices, is being established. Already, we have seen a reduction in trash down from 6-7 bags, to 2-3 bags daily. As with all pilot projects, there will be room for improvement, and we will continue to review and update the processes as we work to implement the program district-wide over the next several years. Our goal is to significantly reduce our carbon footprint and teach children that they can take steps to protect our natural resources and be good stewards of the environment.

The school district has moved to a paperless building use request system by FMX on July 1, 2024. This system allows for staff and outside organizations to schedule use of rooms within the school buildings. Once a request is submitted, it reserves the space and populates it on a district/school calendar. School administration can then approve, deny, or edit any request in their building. The system will not allow for double booking of spaces. A requester and District staff attached to a request get notified through email with any update or changes to their request. The school athletics department is also using the system to reserve use of athletic fields and gyms. CIAC calendar integration will also reserve scheduled games.

If you have the need to reserve space in our buildings you can contact the building office personnel who will be happy to assist you with submitting a request.

On Wednesday, September 25, teachers throughout the district took place in the first professional learning day of the year.

Unified Sports is alive and thriving at NHS. Soccer started up recently with a great group of athletes and partners. We caught up with them on the day the athletes were paired up with partners, and what a fun day that was! The team is gearing up for a busy tournament schedule. They will travel to a couple of away tournaments before they are back home with a big tournament on October 23rd at NYA! If you are in the area. Please stop by and cheer these athletes on!

Unified is in good hands with Kimya Knetch & Rebecca Miles leading the way!

Fun Fact: Half time is always a dance party, this is not to be missed.

Nighthawks giving back!

Boys and Girls Cross Country celebrated their Senior Night on September 24th. Not only did they honor their Seniors, they also collected food items for FAITH Food Pantry. Together they collected over 900 items! What a great group of Athletes and Coaches! Congratulations and thank you to our Seniors! Girls celebrated 12 Seniors and Boys celebrated 16!

Girls Captains: Grace Lyons, Isabella Rodgers, Britta Peterson & Annabelle Foley.

Boys Captains: Brian Sibley, James Walton, Soheib Dissa, Andrew Faircloth, Andrew Corey, Brady Brosius, Charlie Massett, Marty Dunn & Trevor Saunders

Fun Fact: Boys Cross Country Coaches are Husband and Wife duo

Carl and Sara Strait. Both are also Newtown Teachers.

Newtown High School is once again being awarded with the 2023-2024 Michaels Achievement Cup. This award exists to honor CIAC member schools that provide exemplary athletic programs. The Cup was created in the early 1980s in an effort to recognize outstanding athletic programs.

In 2008, the CIAC began direct oversight of the program. Then in 2017, the focus of The Cup transitioned to honoring schools for their commitment to sportsmanship, which coincidentally, is the first year NHS won this award.

The Michaels Cup honors exemplary athletic programs for their willingness to subscribe to the Class Act Sportsmanship standards, empowering students to take an active role in their school climate and their continued support for community service.

We spoke to Athletic Director, Matt Memoli and asked how he felt about receiving this award. " It's an amazing feeling, a complete testament to our coaches and athletes. We have very high standards for our Athletes and Coaches. We take sportsmanship very seriously. These high standards carry over to everyone involved in athletics. This includes our fans."

Mr. Memoli can be found daily walking up and down the sideline of a game, popping into a gym or field during practice; he is a constant reminder of the positive impact we want our athletes and coaches to uphold.

This will be the 4th consecutive year NHS has received this honor.

*Pictured: Dr. Kim Longobucco & Matt Memoli accepting the SWC Achievement cup this past spring.

A huge Congratulations to all 28 CIAC member high schools being honored.

Fun Fact: NHS won the first SWC Achievement Cup in 2023.

This award is a way to honor excellence in two pivotal areas: Sportsmanship and League success.

Over 40 NHS World Language students recently travelled with their teacher, Ms. Battisti, to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City to experience Verdi's heartbreaking masterpiece, Rigoletto.

Did you know that joining your PTA offers several benefits for both you and our school community? Our PTAs do many wonderful things throughout the school year that support and enhance the educational experience for our students. In addition to raising funds for educational programs and classroom resources, members have the opportunity to have their voices and ideas heard, meet new people and build connections within the school and greater community, as well as gain leadership skills that can be both personally and professionally valuable. In addition, being involved in your PTA gives you a closer look at what is happening in your child’s school by participating in or organizing events that foster a positive school culture.

You can find a link to each school's PTA by clicking on this link.

Thank you for your support!

Click here for more information