Brown MS Weekly Update

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Dear Brown MS Community,

This coming Monday is Patriots Day, commemorating the first battle of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775, fought in the nearby villages of Menotomy (now Arlington), Lexington, and Concord. If you are interested in events that take place in the Greater Boston Area commemorating this historic day click here. Monday is also is the running of the 127th Boston Marathon. I imagine many of you will be out there along the 26.2 mile route cheering on the runners. (Click here for the Boston Athletic Associations guidelines for spectators.). One of my favorite parts of the Boston Marathon is seeing everyday people challenge themselves because of their commitment to a charitable cause. It reminds me how remarkable the human spirit can be when we are helping others.

Speaking of helping others, the Brown MS Annual Food Drive was a huge success! (See pictures below.) Over the past week our advisories collected items to to donate to the Newton Food Pantry. Thank you to everyone who donated, and special thanks to our organizers, Wendy Kritzer and Jen Carlisle, as well as the many parent volunteers who picked up the hundreds of items to transport them to the Newton Food Pantry. As students brought down their items this morning, it was great to hear their excitement. "Wow, that is a lot of food!" "Look at how many bags and boxes we filled!" "Did we reach our goal?" The answer is we certainly did reach out goal! We had hoped for 1000 items and ended up with a grand total of 1242! This is what can happen when a community comes together! Well done, Brown Bears!!

Vacation is (finally) here! After we cheer on the marathoners on Monday, my husband and I are headed to Asheville, NC. We plan to do some hiking, some sight seeing and explore what the Blue Ridge Mountains have to offer. We will end our trip with a visit to our daughter at Elon University. She only has one month left in her freshman year! I hope that each of you enjoys the coming week. When we get back on April 24 we will begin the final stretch of the school year - time certainly does fly... Rest up!

Enjoy the week,

Kim Lysaght, Principal

April 15-23: April vacation

April 27: Emerald Team field trip to Edward M Kennedy Institute

May 4: No Place for Hate Walk (Brown, Oak Hill and NSHS). 3:00-4:00PM

May 4: Parent Forum 7:00PM on Zoom - Supporting our Kids to be Respond to Racism, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Transphobia

May 5: Turquoise Team field trip to Edward M. Kennedy Institute

May 5: Spring Play

May 17: Orange team field trip to Edward M Kennedy Institute

This year for our Spring Play, Brown Working Theatre is putting on two one-acts: Governing Alice by C. Denby Swanson and 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse by Don Zolidis. In Governing Alice, an adaptation of the Greek tragedy Antigone, a rebellious high school student must respond to the sudden and shattering death of her older brother, the class valedictorian, who was shot while robbing a convenience store. Up against an unyielding principal and accompanied by a bookish Geek Chorus, Alice must find her own way through personal and classical tragedy. In honoring her brother, she'll probably break some rules. In 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, it's the end of the world and hordes of rampaging zombies are about to kill you. What do you do? Try your hand at martial arts against the undead? Attempt to reason with creatures that would rather eat brains than use them? Turn to this handy and hilarious guide to survive the apocalypse! (Hint: sacrifice the weak is step number one.) Both one-acts will be performed in tandem on Friday, May 5th right after school. Tickets will be available at the door.

Please take a look at our spring extracurricular activities. There continue to be many opportunities for students to get involved. This is a great way for them to explore new interests and expand their friendship groups. Click here to view the schedule of after school activities.

thank you to all members of our community that contributed to the Annual Food Drive for the Newton Food Pantry. All donations are greatly appreciated. In all we collected 1242 items!

If you were unable to participate, you can still help!

Wish List: The Newton Food pantry has created the option of ordering some of the most–needed items from their Amazon Wish List. The order will be delivered directly to the food pantry—just select ‘Newton Food Pantry’ as the delivery address upon checkout.

Mark your calendars! The evening of May 4, after the No Place for Hate Walk, we will hold a zoom forum for all Brown MS parents. During the zoom we will share the work we are doing with students around building empathy to help them becoming upstanders when faced with racism, homophobia, antisemetism, anti-Asian sentiment, transphobia, ableism and other -isms. If you have not had conversations with your child before now about these issues, this is a good place to start. If you have discussed these issues, we value your input as we support one another in helping our children build empathy. The culture of our Brown MS community goes beyond the walls of our school. It is important that we engage collectively with one another in these challenging conversations. We hope to see you there.

This week, Jennifer Wu, an 8th grade parent, demonstrated the Gungfu Tea ceremony to students in Chinese class. It was quite impressive and the students really enjoyed this cultural learning experience.

This past Monday Assistant Superintendents Ayesha Farag and Toby Romer presented to the school committee the impacts on elementary and secondary education based on the NPS budget (Click this link to view the slides from their presentation.) With the failure of the operating override, there will be significant cuts for our school district. You can view the video of the presentation by clicking on the link below.

• Budget Presentation Recording (NewTV)
  

5th Grade Parent visiting at Brown - May 3 at 8:20 - 9:30. Please come to the cafeteria at 8:20 and sign in. We will have a brief introduction and then send you with a 6th grade guide to see some of our classes and the school.

Brown Principal and Counselor Visit Elementary Schools:

Monday, May 8 - Williams (8:20 - 9:00 parent meeting, 9:30 meet 5th graders)

Friday, May 12 - Mason Rice (8:20 - 9:00 parent meeting, 9:40 meet 5th graders)

Friday May 19 - Angier (8:20 - 9:00 parent meeting, 9:15 meet 5th graders)

Friday, May 26 - Countryside (8:20 - 9:00 parent meeting, 9:30 meet 5th graders)

Step Up Day (5th graders visit Brown) - Friday, June 9

Please review this Food Allergen Notification Letter for important information on the notification process for allergens in meals served here in the Newton Public Schools. Clear communication is critical to us as we know the seriousness of food allergies for some of our students.

All ingredients for every meal served can be found on the FDMealPlanner website. If your student has a food allergy, we strongly encourage you to check the top nine allergen list and the full ingredient list as close to the day of the meal as possible. It is important to note that food vendors may change ingredients throughout the year.

This year we are continuing the screening program in grades 8 and 10 related to the use of alcohol, marijuana and other substances. The goal of this program is to let students know that we are available to reinforce healthy decisions and to assist them in obtaining support if needed for substance use related problems.

Data from the Newton Public Schools Youth Risk Behavior Survey consistently demonstrates that by the end of high school, significant numbers of students report use of alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and other drugs: either having tried it or using it regularly. In order to help prevent students from starting to use substances, or intervene with early use, we will be conducting a verbal substance use screening program in grade 8 on May 9th.
The goals of this screening program are to:
• Reinforce healthy decisions
• Help prevent students from starting to use substances
• Intervene with early use
• Assist students in obtaining support if needed for substance use related problems
• Comply with state law M.G.L. Chapter 71, Sections 96 & 97

All screenings will be conducted confidentially by our school nurses or counselors in private one-on-one sessions. Student responses will not be shared with parents unless they rise to a specific level of risk, and the student signs the Consent to Disclose Confidential Information form as per state guidelines. Students who are not using substances will have their healthy choices reinforced by the screener. The screener will provide brief feedback to any student who reports using substances, or who is at risk for future substance use. If needed, screeners will refer students to school counseling staff for further evaluation. This program focuses on harm prevention and does not generate disciplinary action. Results of the screening will not be included in your child’s school record.

We will be using the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program that utilizes the CRAFFT II screening tool: the most commonly used substance use screening tool for adolescents in Massachusetts. This is a structured, evidence-based verbal screening that promotes prevention, early detection, risk assessment, brief counseling and, when needed, referral to treatment.

As with any school screening, you have the right to opt your child out of this screening. Please contact the school nurse if you have any questions about this program, or if you do not want your child to participate in this screening. Additionally, screening is voluntary and students may choose not to answer some or all of the screening questions.

We encourage all parents/guardians to talk with their child about substance use. For ideas on how to begin these conversations, please visit the SBIRT section on our School Health website for links to helpful resources: www.newtonma.gov/schoolhealth

Remaining dates for the administration of the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) are as follows:

Math:

May 15 & 16 - 8th grade

May 17 & 18 - 7th grade

May 22 & 23 - 6th grade

Science & Technology/Engineering:

May 24 - 8th grade only

GELF opens international doors to students, many of whom have not left the United States, some of whom have never been on a plane and none of whom would be able to participate in these programs without financial aid.

We would like to invite you to come to the GELF Fundraising Dinner at 6:30pm on Saturday, 4/29, at the Wilson Chapel. It will be a fun night celebrating international travel experiences with families who share the same passion. The evening also highlights food from local restaurants, performance by Newton South Jazz Band, as well as stories from former GELF recipients and NPS administrators.

With your participation, we'll be able to provide financial aid for more students to go on future trips.

Tickets are selling fast, and please get yours HERE.

May 21, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Horace Mann Housing Complex

Along with our partners at the Newton Housing Authority and Newton Community Farm, Newton Neighbors is launching a project to plant container gardens for eligible seniors at the Horace Mann Housing Complex (corner of Watertown and Walker Streets, Newtonville).

This project is a great way to get outdoors, meet your neighbors, and help beautify the space at the Horace Mann Complex. It is also a great project for kids! We welcome volunteers of all ages and experience levels.

The project will take place on May 21, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. Volunteers can sign up for two-hour shifts at https://www.tinyurl.com/NNcontainergarden.

Please contact Susan Vaughn at susanv@newtonneighbors.org with any questions.

Newton Community Education is looking to offer students some wonderful after school activities this fall. We would love to hear from you as we prepare. Please complete this linked survey so we can best support you!

Partners for Youth with Disabilities (www.pyd.org) offers free all-inclusive award winning Access to Theater program this summer. The Access to Theater program topics focus on theater, improv, visual arts, or dance over a six-week period beginning July 10-August 18 located in Downtown Boston. You can register for every week or just a few. Here is more detail on what each week will cover:

Week 1- Acting/Improv/Stand up

July 10- 13
Monday- Friday 9am - 3pm
Location: 89 South Street, Boston MA 02111
Open to youth with and without disabilities ages 14-22.
Come explore all aspects of acting/improv by getting to know each other through ice-breakers, picking different themes , finding your own voice through self-expression and making new friends.

Week 2- Dance/Movement/ Hip hop dance /Percussion

July 17-21
Monday- Friday 9am - 3pm
Location: 89 South Street, Boston, MA 02111
Open to youth with and without disabilities ages 14-22.
Come explore basic skills of dance and movement in a group setting & explore a range of street dances through hip hop. Learn basic percussion beats and find a way to connect with the dancers through different grooves and feel.

Week 3- Songwriting/ Poetry/Hip hop/Rap

July 24- 27
Monday- Friday 9am - 3pm
Location: More than words, Boston 242 East Berkley Street, Boston, MA 02118
Come explore the art of original songwriting. Learn how melodies, rhythms are incorporated, arranged in the creation of a song. Learn the art of writing short poems like a haiku or try to tell your story through a poem.

Week 4: Visual Arts

July 31 - August 4
Monday- Friday 9am - 3pm
Location: More than words, Boston 242 East Berkley Street, Boston, MA 02118

Come explore recycled, upcycled art projects , portrait drawing, painting, sculpture & more

2023 ATT SUMMER INSTITUTE
Location: Boston Center for the Arts 539 Tremont Street, Boston MA 02116
Dates: August 7 - August 18
Days:

• Week 1: Monday – Friday 9am - 3pm
• Week 2: Monday - Tuesday 9a- 3pm; Wednesday / Thursday - 9a- 4
• Show day Friday August 18 : First show at 1pm and second show 6 or 7pm
  

If your students are interested in signing up in advance, they can submit an application here: Youth Intake Form and this consent form: Consent form (Youth). For a sneak preview of ATT, here's the program spotlight: https://youtu.be/AlJpZYQ0zlw

Questions? Contact. Aaron Rawley (He/Him), Outreach Specialist. 617-556-4075 x143

Newton S.P.A.C.E. (Summer Program for Academic and Creative Endeavors) is a four-week summer enrichment program run by the Newton Public Schools from July 5th through July 28th. Students entering kindergarten through 9th grade in the Fall of 2023 are eligible to attend.

We offer two programs - an upper camp (entering grade 5-entering grade 9) and a lower camp (entering kindergarten-entering grade 4).

Visit the S.P.A.C.E.website for more information or REGISTER NOW!

Questions? SPACE@newton.k12.ma.us

NPS is committed to preventing discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Here is a link to a document that gives an overview of the process and how to report incidents. If you experience an incident that you feel should be reported, you can contact the school directly or you can fill out this Online reporting form.

• What is discrimination?

• What is harassment?

• What is retaliation?

If you have not already done so, please be sure to update your student information on Aspen. It is important that we have correct contact information for school to home communication. Click here for Student Information Update instructions.

School Hours:

8:20AM - 2:50PM - Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri.

8:20 AM - 2:05PM - Wed.

Click here for the NPS 2022-2023 school calendar.

Click here for the Brown Middle School 6-day rotation calendar for 2022-2023 with early release days and days of the cycle.

To report a student absence call: 617-559-6980

Brown Middle School

125 Meadowbrook Road

Newton, MA 02459

Absences: 617-559-6980

Main office: 617-559-6900