Brown MS Weekly Update

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Dear Brown MS Community,

We have made it to March and Women's History Month where we highlight the achievements of women. I encourage you to talk with your child (regardless of their gender) about the accomplishments of women in this country and throughout the world. Our front lobby has bulletin boards with images of many of these great women. If you are looking for ways to explore with your child, here is a website from National Geographic Kids that has short profiles of many influential women.

I hope everyone enjoyed the vacation week! Mine was wonderful! We traveled to Savannah where temperatures were in the 80's and then ended the week with a wonderful visit to my daughter at Elon University. We like to keep a balance for visits to each of our kids, but right now our daughter is in the lead 2-0. I hate to admit it, but this is primarily because our son is at RIT in Rochester, NY and the weather is just not as kind out there! We will be sure to visit him once the spring is truly here.

The daylight hours are getting longer and that is something that makes me very happy! I wish you all a good weekend, and stay safe if there is a lot of snow tonight!

Best,

Kim Lysaght, Principal

March 7: 5th Grade Parent Information Night at Brown MS Auditorium 7:00PM

March 9: 8th Grade Family Information Night at NSHS, 6:30PM

March 13: Faculty Foul Ups - after school - Students wear your team colors!

March 16: NSHS Sports Night, 6:30PM

March 23: Early Release Day (students dismissed at 11:20)

Many of you have been asking about the school budget for next year. NPS Central Staff presented their budget presentation this past Wednesday, March 1. Here is a link to their presentation. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the information as it pertains to NPS for the upcoming school year. For more information regarding the city budget & meeting presentations please visit the City of Newton website.

Please use THIS LINK if your child is interested in trying out for baseball, softball, boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse or Track and Field. Tryouts begin the week of Apr 3, 2023.

Please use THIS LINK if your child is interested in trying out for ultimate frisbee. Tryouts begin the week of Mar 27, 2023.

*Important Notes:

• It is possible that cuts will have to be made in all sports except track and field. Cuts are dependent upon the number of students who register for each sport.

• The spring play conflicts with the spring sports season, therefore, if your child is signed up for the spring play, they will not be able to participate in spring sports.

• Please feel free to contact the head coach if you have any questions.

Please take a look as there are changes to the extracurricular activities for the spring. 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.

Next week our nurse, Lucy Boyer, will conduct 7th Grade mandated Hearing and Vision Screenings as follows: 3/10 - Green Team

3/13 - Teal Team

3/14 - Blue Team

Please reach out to Lucy Boyer at boyerl@newton.k12.ma.us if you have any questions.

March is the time we begin to get ready for our 8th graders to move on to high school. They are hearing about course registration from counselors as they get ready to move up. Please click here for a detailed flyer describing NSHS's Family Night on Thursday, March 9 at 6:30PM. Please visit the Course Registration page on the Newton South website to learn more about the registration process, programs and courses offered at NSHS. Our counselors are available to answer questions regarding this process.

There will also be a Newton South Sports Night on March 16 from 6:30 - 7:30 PM. Please click here for a detailed flyer regarding this event.

The Newton School Committee voted on Friday morning to select Dr. Anna Nolin as the next Superintendent of the Newton Public Schools. Dr. Nolin comes to Newton from the Natick Public Schools where she currently serves as superintendent. Dr. Nolin was selected by a unanimous vote of the School Committee, who emphasized her commitment to data-driven outcomes for students, collaboration with families and community partners, and serving as the lead teacher of a learning organization. The Newton School Committee will approve the appointment of Dr. Nolin, conditional on successful contract negotiations and acceptable background check.

“We are thrilled to invite Dr. Nolin to join the Newton Public Schools as our next superintendent. Her values as a data-driven leader focused on improving outcomes for all students align perfectly with the mission of the Newton Public Schools,” said Tamika Olszewski, Chair of the Newton School Committee. “We deeply appreciate her commitment to developing a strategic vision for our district that articulates the strength and skills we want for both our staff and our students.”

Dr. Nolin has spent nearly 20 years in the Natick Public Schools, first serving as assistant principal and principal of Wilson Middle School and then assuming the position of Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. She has served in the role of superintendent since 2018. In addition, she is an experienced graduate instructor in educational leadership and instructional leadership, serving in the doctoral program collaboration between the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents and Boston College. She is currently the president of the New England's Superintendents' Association representing superintendents from MA, ME, NH, RI, VT and CT.

Dr. Nolin impressed the School Committee with her collaborative approach to working with union leadership, welcoming diverse perspectives and viewpoints, and personalizing learning for all students. Feedback from the community and staff noted Dr. Nolin’s strong history of implementing social emotional supports and programs for students to address mental health needs.

The search for Newton’s next Superintendent of Schools began in fall 2022 and was led by a search committee composed of a diverse group of Newton stakeholders. Using feedback from community surveys and focus groups, the committee developed a leadership profile and identified desired characteristics for the next district leader. In January, the search committee reviewed applications, interviewed semi-finalists, and recommended three candidates to move to the final stage of the selection process. One candidate withdrew, while two finalists spent a full day in the district meeting with administrators, staff, community members, and the Newton School Committee. Feedback from the visits was collected and reviewed by the committee prior to their final selection. More details on the search process, including documents and timelines, can be found on this district webpage:

Newton Superintendent Search Process

Dr. Nolin is expected to assume leadership of the Newton Public Schools July 1, 2023, conditional on successful contract negotiations. The district is currently under the leadership of Interim Superintendent Dr. Kathy Smith after Dr. David Fleishmen left the district last summer following a 12 year tenure.

Every year, each public school and school district in Massachusetts receives a report card. Just as your child’s report card shows how they are doing in different subjects, the school’s report card is designed to show families how our school is doing in different areas. A link to our school’s report card is available here -2022 School Report Card - Charles E Brown Middle. For a document from the state that explains what the report measures click here.

The report card includes multiple measures of a school’s performance – more than just MCAS scores. It represents a new way of looking at school performance, by providing information on student achievement, teacher qualifications, student learning opportunities, and more.

You will notice on our report card that we are providing students with access to broad and challenging coursework and seeing improving growth rates on MCAS. To improve student performance in our school this year, we are working to improve attendance rates as well as providing math and literacy interventions for students demonstrating gaps in these areas. We see parents as critical partners in the success of our students and school, and we are grateful for your continued support.

Join the Indian Community of Newton and Mayor Ruthanne Fuller to celebrate Holi, the spring festival of color, on Saturday March 11th from 12pm to 1pm in front of Newton City Hall. Students from Newton North and Newton South High Schools will host the event featuring Dance, Art, Music and culminating in Color Play! You become the canvas when throwing organic color powder on your friends and family, fun for all! This is the third annual celebration of Holi at Newton City Hall, this year we will also honor International Women's Day. Please play Holi colors safely, wear protective eyewear, and bring towels to wipe color powder. All are welcome to participate in this free and fun traditional celebration of Spring.

It is never to early to help your child have safe and healthy habits! As teens and tweens get older they will find themselves exposed to a variety of unhealthy choices. One that you may not have discussed with your child is Vaping or E-Cigarettes. I encourage you to use this website from the CDC as a guide to help provide your child (and you) with guidance. Vaping is addictive and harmful to adolescent brain development. Students learn about the risks of vaping in health class at Brown, however regular conversations at home are an important part of helping students make wise choices as they get older. I encourage you to begin and continue this conversation with your child.

Wednesday, March 15, 2023, 6:30pm-8:00pm

Newton South High School

We encourage Newton youth (grades 7-12) and their families to come learn about a variety of programs available after high school that can prepare young people for a valuable career. Participants include Trades Unions, Newton Fire, Newton Police, JobCorps, Year Up, Gap Year Programs, Mass General Brigham, Village Bank, McGovern Auto Group and so many more! To see a full listing of participants and to register, visit, Career Pathways Event 2023!

This event is hosted through a partnership between Newton Public Schools, City of Newton, Youth Services and MassHire Metro South/West.

Dates for the administration of the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) have been set as follows:

English Language Arts:

March 28 & 29 - 7th grade

April 10 & 11 - 6th grade

April 12 & 13 - 8th grade

Math:

May 15 & 16 - 8th grade

May 17 & 18 - 7th grade

May 22, &23 - 6th grade

Science & Technology/Engineering:

May 24 - 8th grade only

The decision to close or delay school is made by the superintendent, in consultation with the Police Department and the Department of Public Works. You will be notified of school closing via email, text, phone, website, television news, and social media. Please make sure your contact information is updated in Aspen so that we are able to reach you in a timely manner (Aspen Login Link) If you do not remember your Aspen login information, please email: aspen@newton.k12.ma.us

Please visit this webpage for additional details: School Closings Due to Weather Webpage

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