Newtown Public Schools

Last week was a busy week with all of our schools wrapping up their Open Houses. It was wonderful to see such an incredible turnout and it speaks volumes about the level of engagement our families maintain with our schools. We hope that you found the experience helpful and informative.

On a more somber note, the past few weeks in our country have been riddled with several high-profile acts of violence. These events are always unsettling and can leave us feeling insecure. It goes without saying that safety is THE number one priority in Newtown Public Schools. We are fortunate to employ our own Security Director as well as an outstanding group of armed and unarmed guards at each of our buildings. Our local police are extremely supportive of our security efforts and provide our middle and high schools with school resource officers. We are further assisted by other town emergency services teams - including fire, ambulance and dispatch. Additionally, we meet quarterly with our District Security and Safety Committee that includes representation from each of these agencies, as well as our Board of Ed, teacher and administrator groups. Our meetings are dedicated to proactively reviewing and discussing existing practices, protocols and infrastructure to ensure our schools are safe. With all of that in place, often the most important aspect of safety is the “see something, say something” concept. If you are aware of anything that may be a potential concern, do not hesitate to report it to us or to the police immediately. Included in this Weekly Update is a section dedicated to our security teams. They are not often recognized but we are so grateful for all they do and proud to shine a spotlight on them this week.

Recently, we have been made aware of issues that some families are experiencing with bus transportation. You may also have heard that All-Star’s long-time depot manager has given notice of his resignation. I will be meeting with the regional manager tomorrow to discuss the issues that we are experiencing and will be expecting to find solutions. I appreciate your bringing forward your concerns and ask that you be patient as we work through them.

Tomorrow night at our Board of Education meeting, we will begin the first of several presentations designed to explain the cycle of continuous improvement that drives the work in our schools. Tomorrow night’s presentation will be by Kara DiBartolo, Director of Teaching and Learning, and will focus on defining measures of progress that will be used to evaluate this year’s progress. If you can’t attend the Board meeting in person, you can join virtually. The link can be found on the Board Agenda below.

I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Warm regards,

Anne

Newtown Public Schools is committed to embracing the diversity of our students and their families, and providing an equitable and inclusive environment for all. Above all else, we strive to ensure that all of our students have access to the highest quality learning opportunities, both in and out of the classroom.

As part of this goal, we join fellow Americans in recognizing National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th by honoring the history, culture and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans and their ancestors from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. A variety of activities have been planned in our schools - morning announcements that will highlight facts or famous contributors of hispanic/latino heritage, curated literature in classrooms and libraries, trivia contests and bulletin or digital boards with related displays. In many cases, students of hispanic/latino heritage will be contributors.

This observance originally began as Hispanic Heritage Week began in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan extended it to the full 30-day period that exists today. September 15th is notable as it marks the independence anniversaries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Additionally, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. Columbus Day, or Día de la Raza, on October 12, also falls within this period.

The Newtown Arts Festival is a 3-day art event happening from September 20-22. This event focuses on bringing the community together to enjoy local talent in art, dance, music, and food. In addition to the weekend festival, there are a few events happening in the week before. One of these is Risk a Verse, a poetry event in which Newtown leaders and residents are invited to read their favorite poem. This year’s event will take place on September 19th at 7PM at the Meeting House in Newtown and it’s a free event. Among this year’s guest readers will be Superintendent Anne Uberti and Newtown High School Principal Kim Longobucco. It will be a lot of fun and a good chance to hear a bit of poetry!

The CT Wheelchair Reform Coalition has been working to ensure Connecticut’s wheelchair users receive timely repairs. Together with legislators they worked on a bill that was passed unanimously and was signed into law this past June. The CT Wheelchair Repair Law PA 24-58 became effective 7/1/2024 and mandates that wheelchair and scooter repairs are completed within 10 business days (not including the time to receive insurance authorization or necessary parts).

Many wheelchair users are not aware of their rights under the new law. Help us spread the word to students who use wheelchairs and their families. For more information, please contact wcrepairct@gmail.com.

Newtown is a test center for the October SAT! Still time to register if you are close to a benchmark for a college scholarship requirement or admissions criteria!

October 8th. Starting at 5:30pm in the Lecture Hall A107. Counselors will be here to walk you through the college application process and what you can do to assist and ease your seniors process. Following the counselor presentation, we have Julie Savino from Sacred Heart University, financial aid director to share her expertise on the FAFSA process and all the changes from last year. You do not want to miss this evening!

If you are interested in broadening your student’s cultural experience by immersing them in a new culture, perhaps you can consider hosting an international student from Spain in your home in the coming weeks. This is a unique way to obtain a first hand experience of different cultures and traditions and we are still actively seeking host families.

Please review the information about the program, and complete the google form if you are interested.

Spain Application 2024-2025

Spain Informational Meeting

The full district calendar can be found here.

The 2024-2025 Newtown Public Schools Security Team consists of 8 armed school security officers (ASSOs) and 10 unarmed school security officers (SSOs) deployed throughout the district at all seven schools. We also have 3 substitute ASSOs, all of whom are retired law enforcement officers. All ASSOs must successfully complete a CT POST Academy training course each year plus a firearm qualification course. SSOs must maintain a security license (green card) in good standing. Under the leadership of Director of Security Mark Pompano, the security team consistently provides quality service in looking out for students and staff.

*Not Pictured: ASSO Substitutes- Thomas Connors, Nicholas Ortiz & Charles Shaw

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!

Newtown Sped PTA invites you to join them in Wilton for a joint event co-sponsored by SpedNet!

Click on the flyer for more information.

More photos from our Elementary School's Open House:

Congratulations to our National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists, Sadie Baimel and Aadit Jerfy.

They are among more than 16,000 Semifinalists in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. According to a National Merit Scholarship press release, “these academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offerred next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title."

Good luck to Sadie and Aadit!

Click on the link to view the agenda for this week's Board of Education meeting.