Headed to Newton North? Class liaisons needed!

Looking for a way to get to know Newton North? The PTSO is looking for several volunteers to serve as class liaisons for the incoming 9th grade class. A class liaison is a parent representative for the grade. There are three liaisons per grade and this is normally a four-year position. Class liaisons communicate with the PTSO, with the school, and with parents in the grade. They also work together to host one teacher appreciation breakfast per year. Please contact co-presidents@northptso.org to volunteer. Thank you!

Honor a Bigelow graduate or staff member

From Patty Summa, Bigelow Library Teacher

Honor a Bigelow graduate or staff member this June by supporting the Bigelow Library! How? Choose a book to purchase at the Support Our Library page. A bookplate including the honoree’s and donor’s name will automatically be placed inside the book. Supporting the library in this way helps to keep the library collection relevant and interesting for our students. In addition, a donation will sustain our goal to promote a love of reading throughout the Bigelow community. It is a great way to honor a graduate or thank a staff member. The company, Bound to Stay Bound Books, binds the books in such a way that makes them more durable and last longer. Consider donating today to help support the Bigelow Library! Thank you for your support.

Link to purchase a book: Bound To Stay Bound Book Drive

Don’t miss your chance to thank teachers and staff who made a difference to your child this year!

Making a donation to Newton Schools Foundation’s Honor Thy Teacher program is a great way to do this. To donate online and to find out more about the programs NSF funds, go to www.newtonschoolsfoundation.org. Donations are tax-deductible and go toward enhancing educational excellence, including teachers’ professional development, initiatives to close the achievement gap, and new curricula and learning opportunities throughout Newton’s schools. One of the programs funded by NSF is the ADL School Peer Leadership program at Bigelow. Teachers, as well as their Principal and the Superintendent, will be notified of this honor, and if you donate by JULY 31 their names will appear in a special notification in the Newton TAB.

Health updates from the Health and Human Services Commissioner

Before you head off into summer mode, I wanted to share a few updates particularly relevant to families with school-age children.

Smartphones: Thinking of getting your student a smartphone this summer? This letter targeted to elementary school families highlights research and resources available to help parents navigate this decision in the context of their own family’s values and circumstances. Additional information relevant to students of all ages is available on the Newton Public Schools website, including suggested guidelines from Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Summer Food: Backpacks filled with a few meal’s worth of nonperishable items will be available this summer for students at locations throughout Newton. The program – a collaboration between the Church of the Redeemer’s FUEL program and the city – is an effort to bridge the food gap for students who may rely on school breakfast and lunch during the year. Backpacks may include bread, peanut butter, canned fish, and canned fruits and vegetables. Nut-free bags can be requested. The locations include: Health and Human Services Department, Church of the Redeemer, West Suburban YMCA, The Boys & Girls Club, Crystal Lake, Gath Pool, Newton Free Library, and many more!

What’s in Your Medicine Cabinet? Be a part of the solution to the opioid epidemic. Misuse of prescription drugs is a common way for teens and adults to start down the road of addiction. The most typical place young people get access to prescription drugs is their home medicine cabinet. A few simple steps taken by adults can have a significant impact. Immediately and safely dispose of unused medication. Two Newton locations are available year-round: the Newton Police Station and Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Here are additional tips, and specific addresses and resources.

Have a great summer!

Stay healthy,

Sue Schy, RN, MSN
Bigelow School Nurse

School Committee Update

Dear Friends,

This update is for the 05/30/2018 Newton School Committee meeting:

With over 1800 views, our first School Committee “Virtual Office Hours” was a huge success.  We held our second one last night and you can view the video on the district Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/newtonps.

  • To start, we held a public meeting and voted unanimously to decline participation in the Massachusetts School Choice program. To clarify, this is not related to school choice for Newton residents within the district. The School Choice program allows students from outside of Newton to apply to attend Newton Public Schools. It is a statewide program in which districts can choose to participate or not. This public meeting and vote is required by law and it is a decision that must be reaffirmed annually.
  • Toby Romer and Mary Eich were joined by Interim IT Director Tom Gwin, to provide an update on the One Student/One Device Pilot.  The pilot will continue next year when, starting in January, Chromebooks are planned to be distributed to the entire 10th grade at Newton North and Newton South. To learn more about the program and to view the presentation to the School Committee, visit: www.newton.k12.ma.us/laptop.
  • Members of the Equity Committee presented an update to the Equity Guidelines.  Most notable changes to the guidelines were a lowered per pupil spending cap of $80 and the formation of a Working Group to consider pooled PTO funds.
  • We had a chance to recognize Newton Public School students including:
    • Our Newton School Committee student representatives, Brooke Hackel, Michael Ryter and Max Teszler, all who are graduating this year.
    • The Newton North Graphic Design students who participated in the project to redesign the district logo: Arthur Dutra, Liam MacIntyre, Mia Patriacca, Emma Nephtali, Li Shandross and Grant Yee. A special thank you to Li Shandross for designing the logo chosen for district use.
  • Lastly, we unanimously voted to relocate the Horace Mann Elementary School to 225 Nevada Street, currently the site of the Carr Building, in September 2019. This was the official vote to affirm the long-term facilities plan we have been using.

Upcoming Meetings:

  • June 11th @7PM: Year-End Reports: Superintendent’s Goals and Systemwide Goals, Student Assignment Working Group (SAWG) Recommendation, Student Services Update, Vote: EDCO Board Member.
  • June 18th @7PM: SEPAC Update, High School Start Time Update, Fiscal and Operational Update and Facilities Update, Discussion of Superintendent’s Assessment.

We hope you have found this summary useful. You can access all School Committee meeting documents via the NPS website (https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/domain/69). Additionally, if you are interested in watching an SC meeting from home or a recorded meeting, you can obtain access via www.newtv.org.

As always, we are very happy to answer any questions or discuss any concerns you may have. Please feel free to contact us via the email address below. Have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

The Newton School Committee

Why the PTO is not organizing the back-to-school supply kit program this year

After last year’s not so great experience – to say the least – of delayed delivery, mixed up orders, general disappointment and a lot of headache, we decided to rethink why we were ordering school supply kits.

The main reason was convenience! Who likes long lines shopping for school supplies in the summer? Also, it was a fundraising opportunity for the PTO.

But then again, to what cost? It was a lot of work for the PTO volunteers (between organizing the program and delivering the kits) for not as much raised money. Families were paying more than regular prices. And most of all, it was wasteful: we were purchasing supplies we didn’t really need – a new calculator every year?

When we really think about it, most of the items in the list do not need to be purchased. We already have a calculator, rulers, scissors at home. Most of us have extra pencils and pens. And the binders, they are pretty much the same every year –  they just need to be emptied and cleaned, and they are good to be used again. Even notebooks can have a second life by taking out the pages that were written on – usually there are many left for at least part of the new school year.

So for 2018-2019 we will be approaching the school supply list in a different way. We will try to avoid the hot summer shopping lines by not going shopping. We can save money and help reduce our impact on resources and waste. And it can be a great teaching opportunity for our children, about sustainability and consumption.

Washington Street Vision

Participate in Hello Washington Street to provide input and help shape the future
of Washington Street. Public Design Week will feature a Pop Up Workspace
June 5th -12th, 8:30 am – 9:00 pm.

For information, email washingtonstreet@newtonma.gov, call 617-796-1120, visit
facebook.com/hellowashingtonstreet or check out this notice
http://www.newtonma.gov/civicax/filebank/documents/89637

Newton Firefighters want to help extinguish hunger in Newton!

From June 8th to June 22nd, Newton Firefighters will be holding a food drive on behalf of the three food pantries in Newton; the Centre Street Food Pantry, the Newton Food Pantry and the Arabic Baptist Church, which together serve more than 1,000 families a month in our community.

Please donate canned or packaged non-perishable food items (that are not opened or expired) and toiletries (standard size) to your local fire station. Let’s support the Newton Firefighters in their fight to end hunger in our neighborhoods!