Newtown Public Schools

First and foremost, I want to thank those of you who have been impacted by busing disruptions for your patience and understanding. I’d like to provide you with the latest information:

• A new depot manager has been hired and is currently being trained on the Newtown operation. She comes from another Connecticut district where she accumulated significant management experience.

• All-Star has committed to providing more accurate and timely information to improve communication.

• Weekly update meetings between the depot manager, the NPS Business Manager and me will be held until all routes are fully staffed. Only then will we reevaluate the frequency of our meeting schedule.

• It has been communicated that other area towns serviced by All-Star are currently experiencing shortages, i.e. Brookfield and Region 14 are just getting by; New Milford ended last year short 9 drivers and still began the year short.

• Bus drivers are unionized and are not permitted to be cross-trained on routes unless they volunteer to do so. This may make it challenging to lessen the impact on the same routes repeatedly; however, All-Star will post for this to see if they can recruit any existing drivers to do this.

• All-Star has implemented new recruiting software which is providing them with more legitimate bus driver candidates which will hopefully improve recruitment of new drivers.

• All-Star is piloting a GPS system that would allow parents to be notified when the bus is within a certain radius of the bus stop. That would prevent parents and students from spending unnecessary time waiting for a late bus. Parents have expressed interest in something like this so we will continue to explore this for the future.

• Latest bus status by route:

• Bus 10 - Driver is anticipated to return to route full-time to route this week

• Bus 11 - Expect intermittent disruption; route must be backfilled with a spare when driver is absent.

• Bus 14 - Expect intermittent disruption; route must be backfilled with a spare when driver is absent.

• Bus 26 - Expect intermittent disruption; route must be backfilled with a spare when driver is absent.

• There are drivers coming on board during the next few weeks which will hopefully reduce the frequency of parked buses.

• The need for substitute, or spare, drivers continues. Having substitute drivers is the only way to avoid the possibility of parked buses when a driver needs to be out of work for any reason.

Moving on to another challenging topic, the 2024 presidential election is just around the corner. Understanding that this is a particularly contentious political time in our country, our administrative team attended professional development last week specifically designed to provide guidance to our educators. At NPS, any instruction related to the election will be aligned with grade level standards and will focus on the teaching of civic responsibility and process, i.e. branches of government, electoral process, role of political parties. During classroom discussions, faculty members are expected to provide age-appropriate balanced information, and avoid inserting personal opinions. In our upper grades, where the topic aligns specifically with certain courses, teachers will use primary sources, establish ground rules for discussion and encourage respectful debate.

Every person who interacts with our schools holds responsibility for fostering a positive, supportive environment. Our schools should nurture our students' understanding of the duty of civic engagement and to do so, we must teach our students that differences of opinion are part of what makes democracies work. I encourage families to model respectful discourse at home and help teach our children why others may hold differing viewpoints on many issues, including politics. Instilling the notion that even when we disagree, we can still be kind to each other, lays the foundation for respectfully disagreeing as adults.

Let’s also keep in mind that there will be winners and losers following November 5th. Further, recent history has shown that a definitive outcome may not necessarily be known on November 6th. Such a scenario may cause additional stress for some and will make it even more important for each of us to commit to maintaining respectful behavior.

I recently saw Newtown Police Chief David Kulgren’s message to the Newtown community, and I believe it is worth repeating, “it is essential to remember that we are a community first and foremost, united by our shared values and commitment to one another…Our strength lies in our unity.” I fully support these sentiments.

As always, we appreciate your partnership. Have a wonderful week ahead.

Warm regards,

Anne

We are pleased to share that Frank Purcaro has been appointed by the Board of Education as our new Assistant Superintendent.

Frank was selected as the candidate of choice from a pool of over forty applicants. He was one of two finalists who were asked to complete a performance task that involved utilizing our strategic plan to conduct a mock presentation for the Board of Education followed by a second round interview. Frank distinguished himself as the clear and best choice for this position.

Many will recall Frank's service as our Director of Teaching and Learning from 2019 - 2022 as he helped lead the district through the very difficult years of the pandemic. During that time, he forged trusting relationships with administrators, faculty and staff. He brings intelligence, integrity and a strong work ethic and his experience will help him hit the ground running.

Frank will be wrapping up his time as Assistant Superintendent of Amity Regional School District over the next two months and is expected to officially join Newtown Public Schools on December 2nd.

Niche recently released its 2025 school ranking information. Newtown Public Schools continues its tradition of excellence!

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.

Early detection can save lives, so regular self-exams and screenings are essential. Stay informed, support those affected, and encourage open conversations about prevention and treatment. Together, we can make a difference!

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 CSDE is presenting a three-part webinar series for parents and families titled: Supporting Your Child’s Health and Well-being During the School Year. The attached flyer contains descriptions of each of the webinars as well as registration links. The webinars will be presented in English, recorded, and translated into several languages. Links to the translated sessions will be shared in the NPS Weekly Update the week following each webinar for distribution to families and networks.

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.

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.

Code RED allows the Emergency Communications Center to provide information to the community in the event of an emergency.

Just text "Newtown" to 99411. You can also register online at https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/2F56F3CC3E96

For more information contact the Communications Director at 203.270.4296

Tuesday, October 2nd, was National Custodian Appreciation Day!

Many of our staff took time to write to our facilities director, John Barlow, to share words of appreciation for our custodians who always go above and beyond! Thank you for all that you do to keep our schools safe, clean and operational.

A very successful Joseph P. Grasso Marching Band Festival was hosted by the Newtown High School Marching Band & Color Guard last Saturday, a perfect fall evening.

The festival featured performances by the Newtown High School Marching Band & Color Guard and eight other area bands. The festival also included special recognition for senior band and guard members.

In October we wear pink!

Many of our fall teams choose a game in October to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. During this game they will hold raffles, bake sales, t-shirt sales and ask for donations. 100% of the profits will be donated to various charities in support of Breast Cancer research.

Many of our student athletes and families have been personally affected by Breast Cancer. Our hearts are with all those who have been impacted.

We have several "Pink Out" games this week!

Put on your pink and head down to NHS to catch a great game and support our amazing teams!

Monday October 7th - Field Hockey JV - 4:00, Varsity - 5:30

Tuesday October 8th - Volleyball, Dig Pink 5:30

Thursday October 10th - Football 6:30

Newtown's Unified Sports program is open for anyone to join, and it pairs special needs athletes with their partners who are classmates in order for all to have a fun athletic experience in high school.

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!

The Special Needs PTA represents the interests of our students with IEPs and 504s. Anyone from anywhere can join. We would like to have meet ups and speakers based on our families’ needs. If anyone is interested in joining, please click the link below.

Our website is newtownspedpta.com and would love to connect with you!

Click here for more information