The Newton Schools Foundation is honored for the second consecutive year to have a very generous donor who will match up to $25,000 in contributions from the community to the Calculus Project during the month of March.

Double your impact and donate today: www.newtonschoolsfoundation.org

The Calculus Project has been transformational for Newton students.  Since its 2013 launch, enrollment growth in high-level mathematics among traditionally underrepresented student groups is significant:

• Hispanic student enrollment has increased 70 percent.
• African-American student enrollment has tripled.
• Low-income student enrollment has increased nine-fold!

Here’s how the program works: Calculus Project students attend intensive small-group
summer classes to preview upcoming curriculum, boost their math skills, foster attitudes
that support academic risk-taking and perseverance, and cultivate relationships among
peers in the program. During the school year, students receive mentoring and after-school
academic support. The program also uses lessons and activities designed to improve self-
perceptions about academic accomplishment.

Your support this year will help deepen and extend the Calculus Project’s reach.
Currently serving 109 students in grades 7-10, the program will welcome a new cohort of
30 incoming 7th graders this summer. If we successfully complete this match challenge,
the resulting $50,000 will support nearly half of the students in the Calculus Program for
this coming year—including the entire new 7th grade cohort.

At a cost of $1,000 per student for a full year of programming, the Calculus Project’s
success depends on a public-private partnership between the Newton Public Schools,
private foundations and corporate donors, and generous individuals like you.
Please help us meet the donor match challenge. Please Donate today!

www.newtonschoolsfoundation.org

On Wednesday, October 19^th, the district will host a community forum on potential changes to the high school start time. The forum is an opportunity for you to provide your feedback on the positive and negative impacts of a start time change. Several potential scenarios will be presented. Some change only the high school hours. Others change school hours at all schools. The working group’s year-end report can be found on the district website. Potential scenarios can be found here. Attached is a flyer on the forum. Please consider attending to share your feedback. Or, email your thoughts to laterstart@newton.k12.ma.us.

Register for Newton Inspires TODAY!

On November 14th, people from across Newton’s 13 villages once again will gather at Newton South High School for NSF’s 6th annual Newton Inspires: An Evening of Ideas and Community.

Newtonians representing a variety of fields and interest areas will share their insights, ideas and impressions. Be Inspired at Newton Inspires. Sessions fill fast so don’t delay signing up.

November 14th, 7:00 – 9:30 pm
Newton South HS

As the year begins to wind down, many of you are looking for a way to honor and thank the exceptional teachers and staff who have motivated, educated and inspired your students to grow and achieve all year.

As a way to show your appreciation to them, consider participating in Newton Schools Foundations’ Honor Thy Teacher campaign. This special program enables you to honor teachers by giving a gift to the Foundation in the name of the teacher. You may also choose to honor a special education aide, a fine arts or music teacher, or a coach or counselor who has made a difference in your child’s life. A suggested donation is $25 per teacher/staff member.

When you make your donation and identify the teacher(s) or staff you wish to honor, NSF will then:

· Notify the honored teachers and staff of your gift;
· Share the honoree names with the Superintendent and Principals; and
· List each of those honored in the Newton TAB.

You can make your donation on-line at www.newtonschoolsfoundation.org. You can also mail it to Newton Schools Foundation, P.O. Box 590020, Newton Centre, MA 02459.

Please be sure to include the names of the teachers and/or staff that you are honoring. A flyer that includes a donation form was sent to the homes of elementary school students in their backpacks last month, and will be sent again before the end of the year. A flyer will also be mailed to the homes of middle school and high school students (letters to senior student households have already been mailed).

Newton Schools Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises funds to enhance the quality of education in Newton’s public schools. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

On Monday, May 23rd at 6:00 pm at the Ed. Center, the district’s High School Start Time Working Group will hold a general information session to update the community on the status of its work. The presentation will include a brief review of relevant sleep science data, data from the surveys and case studies completed this year, and the opportunity for members of the community to ask questions, raise concerns and provide feedback directly to district leaders engaged in this discussion.

We look forward to your attendance and ask you to encourage others to attend as well. For additional information, please visit the high school start time section of the NPS website at: http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/laterstarttime The working group will also be making its year end report to the school committee at the June 20th School Committee meeting at 6:00 pm.