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Newtown Public Schools

Weekly Update August 5, 2024

NewtownPublic SchoolsWeekly Update August 5, 2024

Message from the Superintendent

Anne Uberti and Alison Plant, Chairperson of the Newtown BOE, shortly after Anne's appointment as Newtown's Superintendent of Schools

Dear Newtown Families, Faculty, and Staff,

I am thrilled to be writing to you from the Office of the Superintendent! As you may already know, on Monday July 29th, the Newtown Board of Education appointed me as your Superintendent of Schools effective today, Monday, August 5th. As I enter my twelfth year as a leader in Newtown Public Schools, I have had the great fortune of developing strong relationships with many of you over the years. For those of you I don’t know yet or who are new to the District, I look forward to working with you in the years ahead. As I shared with the Board during my appointment, I believe the people employed here at NPS, regardless of their role, as well as our students and families, make up the very fabric of our school community. Schools should be built on teamwork and we are lucky in Newtown to enjoy genuine collaborative partnerships that positively impact our potential for excellence.


One of my first goals as Superintendent will be to provide regular communication to our entire school community. You can expect to receive weekly newsletters like this every Monday, unless otherwise noted. These updates will provide a glimpse into the happenings in our schools to keep you informed and up-to-date. In the weeks ahead, we will be looking to expand our social media presence and streamline where information is found by updating our website. Stay tuned! I believe that all of us operate at our best when communication is honest, open and transparent. Therefore, if you have questions, concerns or ideas that you would like to discuss please do not hesitate to reach out to me. If I cannot be of help, I will connect you with someone who can.


I would like to acknowledge and thank Dr. JeanAnn Paddyfote who has been serving as Interim Superintendent of Schools and has provided the district with invaluable guidance and support during our transition. She will be staying on as Interim Administrator through November 1st while the search for a new Assistant Superintendent takes place.


I am truly honored and grateful to serve Newtown Public Schools in this new role and I am looking forward to a productive and positive school year ahead!


Warm regards,

Anne Uberti

Board of Education Meeting - July 29, 2024

Appointment of Superintendent, Anne Uberti

Administrators' Summer Retreat 2024

Our senior administrative team met for a two-day summer retreat to plan and prepare for the upcoming school year. The theme for our work this year is Reimagining Possibilities. We began by reviewing the Newtown Public Schools Strategic Plan, including revisiting the District’s Core Values and Strategic Priorities, and unrolling a new template that leaders will use to draft goals that will include action steps and deliverables. These will then be shared with the Board of Education in the fall and will lay the groundwork for the work ahead. Our working sessions included refining our District Learning Walks to make them more efficieint and rolling out “implementation look-for walks” so we can better understand and respond to our teachers' professional learning needs related to newly adopted programs. Further work centered on understanding and discussing each school’s capacity to bring our shared vision for inclusion, belonging and diversity alive in our schools. After 2 days of thinking and planning, we had some time for team-building by trying our luck at hitting the pins. All in all, our team left feeling “inspired”, “focused” and “reinvigorated” and ready for the year ahead!

Summer Enrichment Programming Wraps Up

Our summer enrichment programs concluded another successful session last week!



Throughout July, students in Kindergarten through grades 6 had the opportunity to participate in several different summer academic enrichment programs at Reed Intermediate School during the mornings.

Additionally, an extended day option, Summer Splash, was offered in collaboration with the Newtown Community Center. After wrapping up their academics in the morning, students were bused to the Community Center for lunch and an afternoon of fun that included games, crafts and, of course, lots of splash!


A variety of programs were also offered at Newtown High School including a summer academic camp experience for middle schoolers, SMART Camp (Summer Music and Arts) as well as opportunities for high schoolers to earn early credits in PE and Personal Finance.

Lastly, Mr. T's popular Outdoor Explorers program for students in grades K through 6 took place at Sandy Hook School. This is a hands-on program that promotes students connecting with nature by handling live animals, and exploring our woodlands and wetlands.


Shout out to Jenn Arnold, Director of Newtown Continuing Education, as well as to all our summer program administrators, teachers and assistants, for keeping our students happy and engaged during the month of July!

Thank you for reading!

We look forward to establishing a presence on social media in the coming weeks that will be linked to this page

Newtown Public Schools
www.newtown.k12.ct.us
3 Primrose Street

Newtown, CT 06470

(203) 426-7600