Dear Brown MS Community,
This past Wednesday and Thursday teachers, custodian, administrative assistants and administrators worked together to prepare for the 2023-2024 school year. Classrooms were set up, desks were carefully arranged, posters were hung, papers were copied and teachers collaborated on their plans for introductory events and lessons. We are all excited to welcome our students on Tuesday. It is our goal that you and your child feel a sense of belonging as part of the Brown Bear Family - a very special community, indeed.
During the first teacher day, staff also enjoyed a delicious luncheon sponsored by the PTO (see pictures below). A big thank you to Janelle Phillips, Sheri Heywood, Lindsey Gulden, Debbie Kuronen, and Denise Dandrea. The food was delicious and so appreciated by all.
Thursday morning we greeted 6th grade students for a visiting hour. The excitement in the air was contagious! I saw so many smiles on the faces of students and teachers in the anticipation of what lies ahead. 6th graders were able to find their homebases and meet their team teachers to alleviate some of their anxiety as they enter into a new school environment.
We are looking forward to meeting all of our students next Tuesday, September 5. Students will report first to their homebase. (If you do not know your child's homebase, you can find it on Aspen. Please check my earlier newsletter now available on Brown's website for directions). There is important information below about the first day of school that you and your child will need to know. Please review it this weekend to be sure they are prepared.
The weather ahead looks terrific - fun, sun and one last hurrah for the summer! Enjoy the long weekend.
Best,
Kim Lysaght, Principal
Meals at NPS this School Year
Massachusetts will again provide universally-free meals for students in the 2023-24 school year. Please note the following
The FIRST breakfast and lunch are free each day
Please note that first meals are free for all students. However, second meals and a la carte items must be paid for with cash or with MySchool Bucks.
Paid Meal Pricing for Second Meals
The student charge for second meals is $5.25 for elementary students and $5.50 for middle and high school students.
How to use MySchoolBucks
Please create or check your family MySchoolBucks lunch account to ensure there are funds available if your child purchases a second meal or a la carte items (middle and high school only).
The district cannot allow negative balances in student accounts. Please ensure that your student's account has funds to purchase second meals or a la carte foods if you choose to allow this option for your student.
All student meals must be processed at the register
All student meals must have their meal scanned at the Point of Sale register - even though the first meals are free. This is necessary so that Newton receives the accurate federal and state revenue to operate the program.
Student ID barcode cards will be provided for all K-5 students, which will be waiting for them at school on the first day of school. The cards will remain at school, and each school will determine how the kids will access their cards each day.
Bus passes are now available and should be downloaded from Aspen. Here are the instructions for downloading the pass:
1) Log into Aspen: https://aspen.newton.k12.ma.us/
2) Click on Family Tab at the top
3) Click on Child's Name
4) Click on Documents Side Tab
5) Look for and download Bus Pass 2023-2024 document
Once the pass is downloaded and printed, it can be attached to your student’s backpack or bookbag. Some families use a luggage tag or a clear sleeve with carabiner to attach the bus pass. It can also be carried inside the backpack, though easy access to the pass is helpful.
Secondary students with a smartphone can download or display a screenshot of the bus pass on their devices.
Please do not board a bus without a bus pass.
If you have any questions about bus passes or new registrations, please contact the NPS transportation department at:
617-559-9051
bus_transportation@newton.k12.ma.us
Just a note that bus registration is currently closed while our staff review routes and ridership. Once we have assessed available space and confirmed routes, registration will re-open, likely in mid-September.
The week of September 18th Brown MS will celebrate Kindness Week. The PTO has worked hard to establish this as a regular practice at Brown. During the week, our community will focus on how we demonstrate and receive kindness. PTO parent volunteers will greet students in the front lobby each morning where they will display posters about how to demonstrate kindness. They will share and other treates with students as they arrive at school.
During advisory students will learn about the science behind the benefits of being kind and witnessing acts of kindness. Students will also create a chain of kindness by writing down examples they have experienced or witnessed during the week and linking them together.
We plan to hold a second kindness week later in the year as well.
This is a reminder that all visitors should enter Brown MS through the main entrance only (use the buzzer to be admitted) and check-in at the main office. Once there, you will sign in and get a temporary badge to use while visiting the school. If you have a lunch, project, athletic clothes etc to drop off, our administrative assistants will direct you to the drop off table (and you can leave without signing in).
Questions? Please come to the main office and speak with our amazing front office staff, Ms. TImperio, Ms. Golemi or Ms. Ross.
