If you’re looking for a way to say “Thank You!” to your child’s teacher or other school staff as this extremely unusual school year comes to a close, please consider Newton Schools Foundation’s Honor Thy Teacher campaign. It’s an opportunity for families to thank school personnel by giving a gift to Newton Schools Foundation in their honor, while also complying with the Newton Public Schools’ teacher gift policy.

Newton Schools Foundation (NSF) is a non-profit organization that raises funds to advance educational excellence and equity throughout Newton’s public schools. Your gift will fund NSF grants for promising educational initiatives, professional development, and programs that address racial and income inequities. To learn more about the programs NSF funds, visit our website. NSF will notify the honored teachers and staff of your gift, share the honoree names with the Superintendent and principals, and list all honorees on the NSF website.

It’s easy to donate online, or you can mail your donation to Newton Schools Foundation, P.O. Box 590020, Newton Centre, MA 02459. Please be sure to include the name(s) of your child(ren) and the names of the teachers and/or staff you are honoring.

THANK YOU for your donation!

What: Summer league for players entering grades 6-8
When: Mondays and Wednesdays, July 7 to August 18, 6pm – 7:30 pm
Where: McGrath Field, Newton

For the third year, BUDA will offer an informal, 5v5 middle school summer ultimate league in Newton. Games will be held twice a week and players will be placed on a team for the entire summer. BUDA coaches will facilitate games, help players understand and apply the rules of ultimate, and teach basic offensive and defensive concepts. Previous experience with ultimate is not a prerequisite for joining this league.

Please contact burt.granofsky@buda.org with any questions, ideas, or concerns. More information HERE.

• What: Summer league for players entering grades 9-11
• When: Mondays, 4:30-6pm, and Wednesdays, 6-7:30pm, July 7 to August 18
• Where: McGrath Field, Newton

BUDA is offering a new high school summer league in Newton. Sessions will be held twice a week. Depending on registration numbers, the format may be clinic-style practice sessions, regular intra-squad scrimmages, or a small league with formal teams. BUDA coaches will support player development and foster fair play in a fun, welcoming environment.

More information and registration HERE.  Previous experience with ultimate is recommended. Please contact burt.granofsky@buda.org with any questions, ideas, or concerns.

Today marks the official launch of the 2021 Newton METCO Scholarship Equity and Excellence Annual Fund Campaign. This coming June, 34 Newton METCO Seniors will graduate from Newton North and Newton South High Schools. As they stand at the horizon of new opportunities, we want each and every one of our Newton METCO seniors to know they have the tangible support of their Boston-Newton communities.

The members of Class of 2021 have faced unprecedented times as the pandemic exacerbates educational and economic disparities, and experiences of racial injustice continue to have a significant impact on the students, their families, and our communities.

Now in existence for over 35 years, the Newton METCO Community Scholarship Fund (NMCSF) provides financial assistance to deserving METCO seniors seeking to pursue a college education. As we seek to support our graduates, let us draw inspiration from the spoken words of Amanda Gorman, First National Youth Poet Laureate, on Inauguration Day, 2021:

The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it

Please join us in donating to the scholarship fund today, and be a light of equity, justice, and opportunities for our Newton METCO graduates.

With gratitude,

The Members of the Newton METCO Scholarship Fund Committee

Please donate by mail:
Newton METCO Community Scholarship Fund
P.O. Box 600053, Newtonville, MA 02460

We are not accepting online donations at this time. Thank you.

Please join us for a fun family Juneteenth event on Sunday June 20th, part of a weekend of events celebrating Juneteenth at the Hyde Playground in Newton Highlands.

Music by DJ Ricky Groove, performances by Aashka Dance Company, food from Fresh Food Generations, ice cream by Tipping Cow. Please register here so we know how many to expect!

*Rain date is Sunday, June 27th

If you want to help with this inaugural NNHS FORJ Juneteenth event, please click here to see the tasks we need help with.

With Spring upon us (finally!) it’s time to think about getting young Ultimate Frisbee players back on the field. BUDA is ready with fun, COVID safe programs for youth ages 5-19 in multiple towns across Eastern MA, including Newton.

• Elementary and middle school age weekend programs are happening in quite a few locations, including: Newton: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-5, Grades 6-8

• Girls Day is a great way to introduce girls to the sport at a free 2-hour clinic on Saturday, May 1st. If your player has experience, they’ll get loads of tips from top notch club women players. If they’re new to the sport, we have coaches ready to make it a super fun learning day. We encourage girls to bring a friend, both to make it a more social event and to introduce more friends to the sport we love. Info and (FREE) registration here.

Green Newton is sponsoring a week of fun and action for kids during Earth Week and we are kicking it off with a poster making event so you can show the world how you are All in for Climate Action!  

All you will need is paper and markers, crayons or other media of your choice to create your own poster design to display in a window of your home. The theme is “All in for Climate Action!” Join us on Monday, April 19 from 4-5pm and share your ideas while making posters together.  When you’re done, take a picture of your poster and send it to info@greennewton.org. A selection of poster designs may be chosen to be featured in Green Newton’s e-newsletter and/or displayed in windows of local businesses.  This activity will be led by Green Newton’s Youth Leader and Newton North senior, Coral Lin.

If you are interested in attending this free virtual event, please R.S.V.P. to marcia@greennewton.org by April 17. For some good ideas for posters visit the Green Newton Take Action! tool.

Join on Zoom on April 19  

The School Committee had two budget meetings on Monday, April 5 and Thursday, April 8.  While we would normally give a summary of what we discussed, there were too many topics covered to give a concise description of our deliberations. Instead, we suggest you watch the NewTV recordings from both the April 5 and April 8 meetings, and to read the supporting budget documents here.

There will be a public hearing on the FY22 budget this coming Monday, April 12 at 6pm.  All participants will have three minutes to make a public comment about the FY22 budget only. You can sign up in advance by filling out this form, or you can join the call via zoom and virtually raise your hand to make a comment (same zoom link as a regular School Committee meeting, which can be found below).

There is also a regular School Committee meeting this Monday, April 12 at 7:00PM, or after the public hearing is finished, whichever is later.  You can watch the meeting on NewTV, watch via Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/390017072), or dial in to the meeting (1-646-558-8656, meeting ID 390 017 072).

Upcoming School Committee Agenda:

• Superintendent Update
• Public Comment
• DLA Parent Summary
• High School Start Time Update
• FY22 Budget Discussion
• Vote on Draft Minutes from 11/5/20, 11/9/20 and 11/16/20 meetings

Meeting documents can be found here.  Documents are regularly added before the meeting.

How to Participate in Public Comment:
To participate in the Public Comment portion of a meeting, please submit your NAME and ADDRESS by email with the subject line “Public Comment for [DATE]” to schoolcommittee@newton.k12.ma.us PRIOR to 7:00 PM, the official start time of the meeting. You will need to join the Virtual Meeting by computer or phone to participate. During the Public Comment portion of the meeting, the School Committee Chairperson will call your name. At that time, unmute your microphone and turn on video to provide public comment. You are limited to 3 minutes.

As always, we are very happy to answer any questions or discuss any concerns you may have. Feel free to contact us via email at schoolcommittee@newton.k12.ma.us.