May 18, 2023

Dear NPS Families,

As we continue our efforts to be a more inclusive, welcoming, and culturally-responsive district, we have taken on the work of reviewing our school year calendar. We need to consider how our school calendar can and should reflect the diversity of our community. We have developed a survey that seeks to inform revisions to our school calendar. The survey seeks to:

• Identify religious and cultural observances observed by NPS families and staff and understand the nature of those observances.

• Understand the priorities of the school community in balancing days out of school for religious observances with the state requirement for days in school

• Utilize data to consider whether to add or subtract days out of school for religious observances.

The survey will be sent to families within a few days and should take no longer than 10-15 minutes to complete. In exciting news, our community partners are offering an incentive to complete the survey! Complete the survey by June 2, 2023 and you will be entered to win the following:

1. A ride to school on a Newton Fire Department fire engine (grand prize)

2. One of 25 $20-gift cards to Cabot’s Ice Cream donated by Village Bank

Please watch your email for the survey coming soon and thank you for your partnership in this effort.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Smith

Interim Superintendent

Dear Newton Community Members,

Hello! I am very excited to be officially joining you on July 1, 2023!

I have been working, however, behind the scenes to get to know staff, students, and some family/community members. I am so excited and energized! While the challenges facing all school systems and communities also confront us right now, the importance of caring for and educating our youth lifts us out of conflict and stress to look to the future on their behalf and holding them up as they make progress, work hard and find their future passions and life’s work.

It is my privilege to lead this work with you and will be my pleasure to connect with you this summer. I will be working to connect with as many families/caregivers and community members as possible this summer.

I have a few requests from the community that will make our connecting easier. Let me know if you can help! I will be running the 5K South High road race on Sunday, perhaps I will see some of you there!

Let’s Get Together. Bring me to your people and neighborhood. Would you be willing to host a neighborhood meet-and-greet? I could come to your cul-de-sac, your neighborhood get together, your book group. If you could gather 20 or more people together to meet with me to talk about Newton Schools and its future, I’d love to get acquainted and hear your ideas.

Form: Host a Meet and Greet with Dr. Nolin

Show Me Your Newton World. Bring me to your place of worship, community organization or fitness location/activity. I’ll come to your temple, mosque, chamber meeting, sports group, civic activity, fitness bootcamp group. If you have 20 or more people to meet with me, I’ll come and talk about Newton Schools and its future.

Form: Host a Meet and Greet with Dr. Nolin

Show Your Spirit: Visit our Newton Public Schools Spirit Store and Support our Community Engagement Programs!

Schools often talk to families about buying spirit wear (t-shirts, hats, jackets) that are school specific, but as a group, we are a school system, not just a system of schools. Let’s show our Newton Schools Pride and support our school system as a whole. Proceeds form this spirit store will fund parent and family/caregiver engagement opportunities to ensure all parent voices are heard!

Newton Public Schools Spirit Store Link

The store will be open until Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Items will be shipped to the Education Center at 100 Walnut St. and pick up will be arranged!

Be Heard. Your Unique Perspective Matters. Tell me your thoughts about our future.

We need your input on this question:

"What are some things we should stop, start, or continue to do in the Newton Public Schools?"

To gather your feedback, we're using a tool called ThoughtExchange. All of our voices matter, so your participation is crucial and valued. Below is the link to participate in our community Thought Exchange:

ThoughtExchange Link

You'll be asked to respond to the open-ended question noted above. Then, you will be asked to consider and assign “stars” (which means you like or agree with the ideas) to some of the ideas shared by others (20 to 30 is ideal). Your thoughts and stars are confidential. You can come back as often as you'd like to participate and, in fact, we ask that you do come back to star any new ideas shared since you first participated. We learn what's important to the group by looking at the ideas that receive the most stars. The ratings will help us understand the most important areas to focus on in the coming year. The survey is in three languages.

If you need technical help, please call ThoughtExchange at 1-800-361-9027 ext. 4 or email help@thoughtexchange.com.

Celebrate Our Staff. Finally, and most importantly, help me celebrate our staff on the Opening Day of School 2023-24. Share with me the stories of how our Newton Public School staff have demonstrated care, expertise and excellence in serving the children of Newton. (any staff: nurses, paraprofessionals, cafeteria staff, principals, teachers, behaviorists, counselors, psychologists, tutors, –ANYONE–). Complete this form to participate!

Form: Celebrate Staff on Opening Day

Thank you for helping me to get a head start on supporting, celebrating and improving our district functioning and communication. I look forward to meeting you and supporting your children.

Fondly,

Anna P. Nolin, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

The Newton South High School Booster Club will host its second annual Lions 5K, on Sunday, May 21 at 9:00 a.m. Join me at the race to also celebrate the new home address of Newton South High School to 1 Lion Drive! While made official in October, the street signs have now been installed and it’s a perfect day to celebrate the great spirit and community of Newton South High School.

The Lions 5K is open to the public and to runners and walkers of all ages. The race starts and finishes at Newton South High School (home of the Lions!). There will be food, fun, and prizes, including the most creative South spirit/lion-themed running costume!

Come out for a fun morning with your community.

Register today at https://raceroster.com/events/2023/72464/lions-5k

As a special treat, South Principal Stras and incoming Superintendent Dr. Anna Nolin will be participating in the race!

Mark your calendars for an important community forum on Gun Violence Prevention as we approach June - Gun Violence Awareness Month. The forum will be held on Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. - hosted by Newton Police, Newton Health & Human Services, and the Newton Gun Violence Prevention Collaborative.

Register here: Gun Violence Prevention Forum

Attend the forum to learn about strategies to keep kids safe, store guns safely, and explore the ways that red flag laws can protect our friends, family, and community. Details are below:

What: Community Forum: Gun Violence Prevention in Newton

When: Thursday, June 1, 2023

Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Where: Virtual (Zoom)

Register: Gun Violence Prevention Forum

The last day of school will be Wednesday, June 21, 2023. It is an early release day as follows:

• NECP - No School
• Elementary School - 12:10 p.m.
• Middle School - 11:20 a.m.
• High School - 12:45 p.m.

*Please note that there is no school on Monday, June 19, 2023 due to the Juneteenth federal holiday observance.

Bus registration for the 2023-24 school year will begin in early June. All students who wish to ride the bus MUST register for a bus pass.

There are significant changes to the fee structure for purchasing a bus pass this year. Please note the following:

1. The bus fee has increased to $400 per student, with a family cap of two passes ($800.)

2. All elementary students who reside LESS than 2 miles from their elementary school must now pay a bus fee. We expect this to impact the majority of elementary students.

3. Elementary students who reside MORE than 2 miles from their elementary school DO NOT pay a bus fee.

As has been the case in previous years, all students in grades 7-12 pay the bus fee.

6th grade students: All students in grade 6 who reside MORE than 2 miles from their school do NOT pay a bus fee. 6th grade students residing less than two miles do pay a fee. Please visit our NPS Bus Fee webpage for details.

Please use this link to determine your distance from your school.

When bus registration opens in early June, you will be notified via email. You will register and pay via MySchoolBucks. Installment payment plans will be available. More information on bus registration can be found on our NPS Bus Registration webpage.

Financial assistance is available for those who qualify. Please read below for details on how to apply.

As many of you know, the Newton Public Schools faced significant budget challenges this year. In order to arrive at a balanced budget, fees were raised for many services and activities. Below is a link to all of the fees that will be in place for the 2023-24 school year.

Fees for the 2023-24 School Year

The Newton Public Schools provides financial assistance so that all students can utilize bus transportation and participate in school activities, regardless of financial need. To facilitate this financial support, families need to apply for district-wide financial assistance EACH YEAR.

The application for the 2023-2024 district-wide financial assistance waiver is now available in Aspen. We encourage you to apply now so that your waiver is in place for registrations that may take place in the summer (bus, fall athletic fees, etc.) Visit the fee waiver information and instructions webpage to apply via the Aspen portal.

Dr. Joany Santa has been appointed the next Director of Human Resources for the Newton Public Schools. Dr. Santa comes to Newton from Falmouth Public Schools where she has served as the Director of Human Resources since 2017. Prior to her tenure in Falmouth, Dr. Santa served as principal of the Elm Park Community School, an elementary school in Worcester and as Director of Human Resources and Educator Quality in Fall River. She received her Doctor of Education degree in School Leadership and Administration from Johnson and Wales University.

Read more about Dr. Santa in this news release.

As described by Supt. Smith above, we have developed a survey that seeks to inform revisions to our school calendar. The survey seeks to:

• Identify religious and cultural observances observed by NPS families and staff and understand the nature of those observances.

• Understand the priorities of the school community in balancing days out of school for religious observances with the state requirement for days in school

• Utilize data to consider whether to add or subtract days out of school for religious observances.

The survey will be sent to your email in the next few days. Complete the survey by June 2, 2023 and you will be entered to win the following:

1. A ride to school on a Newton Fire Department fire engine (grand prize)

2. One of 25 $20-gift cards to Cabot’s Ice Cream donated by Village Bank

Thank you in advance for your input!

In fall 2022, Mayor Fuller allocated $100,000 in ARPA funds to hire a Consultant for an Underwood and Ward Facility and Enrollment Study. Both Underwood and Ward occupy buildings that are nearly 100 years old, and both schools are experiencing enrollment declines that are beginning to impact the educational experience of students.

Perkins and Eastman Architects has been selected as the consultant and a task force has been established. The consultant and the task force will work together over the coming months to help the district identify and examine options to address facility, educational, and enrollment challenges at Underwood and Ward.

The task force will be meeting monthly and meetings are public. There will also be meetings with the staff and families at both schools, as well as community meetings and opportunities for staff, family and community input.

To learn more about the Underwood and Ward Task Force goals, process, and timeline, please visit the Underwood and Ward Facility and Enrollment Study webpage. Task force presentations and meeting minutes will also be posted on the webpage.

Questions can also be emailed to npsunderwoodwardstudy@newton.k12.ma.us.

On Thursday, May 4th, each of the Newton Public Schools middle and high schools participated in our second annual No Place for Hate Walk. Students and families are encouraged to join our schools in standing in unity and solidarity against all acts of hate and discrimination.

Brown and Oak Hill walked to Newton South to join South students for a rally at Winkler Stadium. Day and Bigelow students walked to Newton North to join North students for a rally on Tiger Drive Field.

For the last several years, NPS leaders have been engaged in professional development and training to enhance culturally responsive instruction (CRI) in the classroom and beyond. NPS invited educator and author Lorena Germán to discuss a "Culturally Responsive Community" with a presentation on the history of our education system and the values of culturally responsive practices in our school communities. Her presentation was followed by a panel of NPS members: Arielle Burgos (2nd Grade Teacher at Bowen), Caelyn Quadra (11th Grader at Newton South) and Gabe and Lawrence McNeely (6th Grader at Bigelow accompanied by his father).

This conversation, watched by over 150 community members, was intended to help broaden our understanding of the values, components and impact of a culturally responsive school community which acknowledges and embraces ALL identities and learning needs represented within NPS. A recording of the first half of the presentation has been made available for those who were unable to attend.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VdXleXefXpmawJHQalhArLFlAhBUVdr3/view?usp=sharing

Has a teacher and/or staff member been an exceptional part of your student’s special education experience this past year? If so, please consider nominating them for a Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) Award. Submit a nomination through the nomination form. All celebratory nominations will be recognized. Thank you for your help recognizing the exceptional teachers and staff who work so hard to support special education students.

Any questions, please email newtonspecialeducationawards@gmail.com

Show your appreciation to your student’s teachers or school staff through the Newton Schools Foundation Honor Thy Teacher program. Say “Thank you” to one or more classroom teachers, education aides, fine arts or music teachers, coaches, counselors, or other school staff members who have made a difference in your student’s life.

Newton Schools Foundation provides grants that fund new approaches in the classroom, professional development for teachers, and programs that promote equity for all students. To learn more visit: NSF - Honor Thy Teacher

Go Green with your Transportation!

When we ride, walk, roll, or take public transit, we reduce carbon emissions and pollution by removing more gasoline-guzzling cars from our city streets.

Reduced fare Student Charlie Cards are available at all NPS middle school main offices, Newton North main office, and Newton South Cutler House.

Miss the bus? Too late to walk or bike? Carpooling also helps take cars off the road. NewMo, a shared ride option, is only $2! All drivers go through background checks, just like school employees. And the cars are hybrid or electric vehicles, producing reduced or zero emissions.

Thinking about driving electric or other home energy projects like solar, heat pumps, or insulation? Ask a neighbor about their experience at our Sustainable Street Tour of Garland Rd! Stroll down the street between Beacon and Homer to chat with resident experts and see installed equipment on Sunday June 4, from 12-4. Click HERE to learn more.

For more information on Green Newton School Connections, email: schoolconnections@greennewton.org

Did you know Newton has its own Energy Coach! Link to Newton Energy Coach site

Click HERE to take Action 4 Our Future!

Have you ever thought of opening your home and your heart to an international student? Not only can you make a huge difference in a young person’s life – it could be one of the best things you’ll ever do for yourself and your family?

Become a host family! Educatius is offering a monthly stipend ($1000) to host families for international high school students attending Newton South High School. Host families provide a shared or private room, meals, and transportation.

When you include a young person in your family, you make their dreams come true – and experience a new culture without leaving home!

Interested? Contact Joanne Routenberg at:

joanne.routenberg@educatius.org

617-820-8429

The City of Newton Public Works Department is excited to host a Community DPW Day in celebration of National Public Works Week. We invite you to join us for an exciting event at the War Memorial at Newton City Hall on Saturday, May 20, 2023, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with a rain date of Sunday May 21st.

It is great day for families to enjoy games, prizes, music, a touch-a-truck event, food for purchase from a local restaurant, and learn about how Newton is “Connecting the World Through Public Works”. Did you know that Newton’s Department of Public Works (DPW) is comprised of eight divisions including Streets, Sustainable Materials Management, Fleet, Engineering, Transportation, and Utilities? DPW divisions will be sharing project success stories and fielding your questions.

You can also support local families dealing with food insecurity by donating non-perishable items that will help DPW Fill a Truck. All non-perishable items will be given to the Newton Food Pantry.