Online Environmental Science class

Does your student enjoy the great outdoors? Do they love exploring the environment? Then, this is the summer class for them.
The Summer Science Academy is offering an online Environmental Science class for middle school students. This interactive class will include online videos, guided outdoor activities and daily online “meet ups” with the instructor and other participants. We hope you will join us!

Dates: July 6 – 10, 2020
Time: Video assignments and activities must be completed each day, prior to the 2:00 PM daily “meet up.”
Grades: For students entering grades 6 – 8 in the fall of 2020
Location: Your home, online and the great outdoors
Fee: The non-refundable program fee of $40 is due at the time of registration.
Registration Deadline: June 19, 2020
Additional information can be found on our website: https://microsites.bridgew.edu/case/summer-science-programs

 

Principal’s Update on Active Anti-Racism Plans

From Mr. Todd Harrison, Bigelow Principal, Jun 12, 2020 –

Dear Bigelow Families,

It’s been another earth-shaking week.  I am reminded of the comment by historian Todd Gitlin who commented that during the rapid events of 1968, it felt like we were living in a kaleidoscope.

I want to give you an update on the emerging steps and plans that Newton, NPS, and Bigelow are taking to address with urgency the racism in society, our community, and our schools that we’ve all been reminded of over the past several weeks.

I met with my fellow middle school principals on Tuesday, and we worked on plans to integrate anti-racist professional development and anti-bias education for students into our plans for next year.  On Wednesday,  I met with the Bigelow boys and girls of color affinity groups to hear their thoughts and feelings.  On Wednesday night, the Newton parents group, FORJ (Families Organizing for Racial Justice), held a large and successful zoom meeting attended by over 250 parents, principals, teachers, (and even a Bigelow student) to discuss racism in the Newton Public Schools.  Last night, I met with the Bigelow chapter of FORJ and we talked more about pro-active steps that we can take as a school community.

I’ve heard a lot of powerful comments and feedback at these meetings, and there’s tons of passion and commitment to act now.  I know that many of you are having similar heart-to-heart conversations with family and friends. This work is crucial as we continue to expand both our own understandings of racism and our own skills to communicate about it, in order to be able to lead this work with our students promptly and successfully.

As part of our big picture for this summer, in which there will be a variety of professional development opportunities for teachers to help prepare for the many challenges we face next fall, the middle schools plan to convene a group of teachers and counselors that will build out and build up our advisory program and develop a more robust active anti-racism curriculum as part of it.  We anticipate that all students will need more social-emotional support when they return in September, and our advisory program will need to play an enlarged role with more sessions and more time in response.

This, of course, does not negate the need to do so much more in so many other areas, but I want you to know about this initial step.  Things are moving, and I am sure they’ll be more.

The range of emotions is wide as we finish this unique school year.  History is happening daily.  I look forward to seeing you and your children–at a safe social distance–next week during our curbside pick-up days, and sharing a grand finale online graduation ceremony with all of you next Thursday, June 18, 7-8:30pm.  (Link and password are forthcoming next week.)   Please give your children a “Big-hello” for me.  We send them our collective embrace.

Best regards,

Todd

Planning for Summer and Fall 2020

From David Fleishman, Superintendent of Schools, June 10 – 

“We are not yet sure what the public health situation will be in September as we begin the next academic year. We do know the paramount importance of protecting the health of our students, staff, and the larger school community. Given this uncertainty, we are developing a plan that is flexible and able to respond to the rapidly changing conditions. We must recognize that portions of the next school year will likely involve three different modes of instruction: in-person learning at schools, distance learning with an improved schedule, and/or a hybrid of the two models to facilitate social distancing.” Continue Reading….

School Committee Update

From the Newton School Committee, June 8 – 

“This update covers the 6/8/2020 Newton School Committee meeting. Before we present the information about our meeting, we wanted to draw your attention to news regarding Unit C staffing for next year. While most NPS staff are permanent and long-term employees, we do have a number of staff contracted annually. For the coming year, NPS will not renew the yearly contract of approximately 100 of our roughly 700 Unit C paraprofessionals. Unit C includes special education aides, behavior therapists, classroom aides, and other educational assistants. In a typical year, the district examines these contracts to determine which positions to renew. Over the past 5 years, about 50 positions on average have not been renewed. This is no typical year as schools navigate the disruption to educational models and budgets caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.” Continue reading…

City-wide FORJ Meeting: “Taking Action in Times of Covid-19 and Racism”

Wednesday, June 10th 7:30pm -8:30pm
**Zoom password required, please RSVP here.

Taking Action in Times of Covid-19 and Racism, with special NPS Panel
Optional small-group breakout discussions from 8:30pm -9pm

In the wake of COVID-19 and our nation’s persistent virus of racism, how can we help the Newton community to take steps toward addressing — and preventing — racist attacks?

This City-Wide Meeting will be highlighting how Newton schools are moving thru these times, providing us with insights on we can best support our families and partner with school administrators and teachers.

Our panel of special guests will feature:

Principal Diana Guzzi from Bowen Elementary
Principal Jackie Mann from Day Middle School
Principal Henry Turner from Newton North High School
METCO Engagement Specialist and Teacher, Katani Sumner
NPS Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Kathy Lopes (newly appointed)
and Superintendent David Fleishman

This is an evening you will not want to miss!

Finally, we invite you to review suggested meeting guidelines prior to tomorrow night. 

Bus registration for 2020-2021 school year

From the NPS Transportation Office – 

Bus Registration for Bigelow families will begin Monday, June 8th. As noted below, NO PAYMENT is due at this time. Please log in HERE and follow the prompts in the registration system.

Please log in HERE and follow the prompts in the registration system. If you have questions please contact us at transportation@newton.k12.ma.us or call 617-559-9051. Please allow extra time for calls to be returned as we are working with limited staff due to COVID-19.

___________

Full message

Dear Bigelow families,

As many of you know, the Newton Public School district is moving to online registration for bus transportation. We realize this is an incredibly complex and difficult time to be thinking about the fall given the uncertainty of school operations. Please know that transportation is a significant area of discussion within our operations planning committee and they are working to plan for multiple scenarios.

However, given the pandemic, it is more important than ever that we have a complete understanding of the number of students planning to take the bus in the fall. In addition, given the need for less contact and more social distancing, online registration is essential for the safety of our families and our NPS staff.

To that end, we are asking families to register for the bus earlier than they have done so in the past. Registration now will help us to assess transportation needs for the upcoming school year and what is possible if school schedules should change. However, because of the uncertainty surrounding the re-opening of schools, we will NOT be collecting any payment for bus registration at this time. When we have more certainty about the opening of school, we will provide payment information, including invoices, payment plan options and financial aid.

Because this system is new, we are starting online registration with Bigelow families only. Your participation in the registration process will help us to determine if we have built a system that is user-friendly and efficient for families. It will also help us to identify any issues that should be resolved before we roll out registration to the entire district.

Please log in HERE and follow the prompts in the registration system. Please log in HERE and follow the prompts in the registration system. If you have questions please contact us at transportation@newton.k12.ma.us or call 617-559-9051.

We look forward to your feedback and thank you for your help in planning our transportation needs for the 2020-21 school year.

Sincerely,

Liam Hurley, Assistant Superintendent/Chief Financial and Administrative Officer
Regina Moody, Transportation Director

Homework help over the summer from K-8

My name is Maya (class of 2021). I went to Bigelow and I currently go to a small, project-based independent school in Boston.
My summer job recently fell through due to COVID-19, and because of this, I am offering tutoring/homework help via Zoom over the summer (and possibly in person if it becomes safe later in the summer).
During the school year, I worked at a library in Boston as part of the homework help program for kids grades K-8. I helped kids with mostly math, Spanish, science, and writing. We also worked on study habits and organizational skills. Sometimes, I would help keep them from getting distracted.

If you would like homework help over the summer, I will be charging $15 an hour and you can email me at
Lssbmediator@gmail.com
Thanks!
Maya

Newton Camps Not Opening This Summer

From the Mayor’s Office –

Today we shared the disappointing news with our camp families that we are not able to run any in person camps this summer. We came to this conclusion after reviewing the newly released guidelines from the state regarding day camps and thinking carefully about the types of camps we offer and the available options to modify our programs in order to meet the expected critical public health safety guidelines from the state. Thus, we realized that we weren’t able to operate our day camps safely this summer.

This cancellation is for all of Newton’s Parks, Recreation and Culture camps including Acres in the Falls, Albemarle Acres, Auburndale Station, Centre Acres, all CIT programs, Kids Korner, Outdoor Adventure, Specialty Camps, The Next Stop, Thundercat Sports, T-ville Trails, and Wilderness Survival as well as Golf lessons. We announced earlier the cancellation of Camp Echo Bridge, Camp Extreme and our Summer Vacation Camps.

I know this is bad news for so many families who rely on our programs to provide safe and stimulating activities for their children which is especially needed at this time. For many, our camps also allow parents to work.

We have some resources for you to consider for this summer:

  • Virtual Camp Echo Bridge – Newton’s Camp Echo Bridge has gone virtual this summer and is offering a fun and exciting half-day morning program that will keep campers active and connected to their friends and the community. The mornings will include a mix of live and off-line camp programs that will be offered in blocks between 9 am and noon. These morning blocks include plenty of time to be in the great outdoors. On Wednesday and Friday, camp will host fantastic special events from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Camp Echo Bridge will run July 6 – Aug 14. Families can sign up for any number of weeks they choose. To guarantee your camper’s spot, you must register by Wednesday, June 10. To register, go to www.newtonmarec.com or contact Mark Kelly at mkelly@newtonma.gov with any questions.
  • Camps/Programs. Later in the Summer We are hoping to be able to offer some in person programming this summer as the guidelines evolve. These programs might include short hour long classes or activities, or half-day or longer day programs depending on what is safe as the summer progresses. Any future programs that we are able to offer will be listed online for registration at www.newtonmarec.com

We will be doing the paperwork related to the cancellations and refund requests for all of our summer camps over the next few weeks. With the number of refunds we will be processing, please expect an extended turn around time to receive your refund.

I would appreciate your understanding and patience as we navigate through these difficult times. Please know that this was a very difficult decision and I share your disappointment.

Gath Pool, Crystal Lake Not Opening

I must also share another piece of disappointing news. We will not be able to operate either the Gath Memorial Pool or the Crystal Lake Beach this summer.

Knowing what we do about virus transmission, the necessary health guidelines and restrictions in group settings for physical distancing and group sizes, the state guidelines, the size and layouts of our facilities and employee safety and thinking carefully about how we could operate and how people use our two aquatic sites, we have concluded that we aren’t able to safely operate either this summer. Ultimately, this decision is about protecting the health of residents and our staff.

I know this is bad news for so many people and families who rely on Gath Pool and Crystal Lake to cool off, have fun, and get some exercise, all of which is especially needed at this time.

What does this mean for Crystal Lake this summer? Near the bathhouse, the beach will be closed, the sections of the dock that are stored on the land behind the bathhouse will be off limits and trespassing will not be permitted. In the Coves, we will be posting signs reminding people to maintain 6 feet of distancing and to wear face coverings when that distancing is not possible. This is a disappointing decision but the right one for Newton. I look forward to the better days ahead including the eventual reopening of these facilities next summer.

DESE’s Return-to-School Working Group

DESE’s Return-to-School Working Group will help develop a K-12 summer and fall restart and recovery plan. This plan will include guidance in the following areas:

  • Physical and virtual learning environments;
  • Teaching and learning;
  • Operations and business services; and
  • Behavioral health and social and emotional learning.

The working group held its first meeting on Thursday, May 7 with an initial focus on possible programming for this summer. Going forward, the working group will meet regularly to draft the restart and recovery plan for the next academic year. We anticipate sharing a draft with key stakeholders for feedback before releasing a final document. Please visit this webpage for information as it becomes available.

Comments to the Return to School Working Group can be directed here: RTSWG@mass.gov 

Food Insecurity Resources

During this pandemic, we know that many families have been negatively impacted in different ways. We wanted to be sure that all families are aware of some important resources in our community.

  1. Pandemic-EBT Card: Eligible families can receive funds on an EBT card (like a pre-paid gift card) which can be used to purchase food while schools are closed. Pandemic – Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) is a crisis response nutrition program that has been activated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

How to apply online: The online application is easy to complete and is the quickest and most efficient way for you to confirm your eligibility and to enroll your student(s).

How to call for assistance: Please leave a message at 617-559-9038 with return phone # and a representative will reach out to assist you in completing an application. Additional information on P-EBT can be found here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/pandemic-ebt-p-ebt

THE DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR P-EBT BENEFITS IS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5th

  1. Grab and Go Meals- Monday-Friday from 10am-noon, children and adults can pick up a “grab & go” bag containing breakfast and lunch from one of these locations: Newton North (theater entrance), Newton South (front entrance) and 150 Jackson Rd. (parking lot).

  2. SNAP Program- Do you need help buying fresh nutritious foods? You may be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. Apply online here. or Call 877-382-2363. Emergency SNAP benefits are for recipients who need food within 7 days. Click here for an informational video on how to apply for SNAP

These are just a few of the resources available for Newton residents. To find out more, please call 617-559-6021.