June 8, 2022
Superintendent's Message
Dear NPS Families,
Last Friday, I had the pleasure of meeting with two teams of Oak Hill Middle School 8th grade students about their civics action projects in social studies. These projects have become a staple of 8th grade social studies since the state updated its standards in 2018. The students asked very thoughtful questions about how our district was addressing issues of discrimination and I was impressed with the information they had at their fingertips.
As I answered the questions on discrimination and on a wide range of societal issues, I thought about how much education has changed since I taught Participation in Government 30 years ago in New York City. At that time, the only information readily available to my students was our daily paper subscription to The New York Times. We did have a handful of computers in a lab, but the internet was a few years away from being a useful tool and it was definitely hard for me to imagine how computers might replace our favorite periodicals.
While technology has indeed changed how students access information, it has not had the impact that some futurists had initially thought. Early on, I recall reading articles suggesting that virtual schooling had the potential to replace live, in-person teachers. While we have discovered new and innovative ways to use technology in education, especially over the past two years, there is certainly consensus now that there is no substitute for the power and meaning of relationships built through in person learning.
As I prepare for my next chapter, I continue to be struck by the power of the relationships that students in our district have with the adults in their schools. These relationships have the potential to be inspiring, long lasting, and life changing. Despite the challenges ahead, I remain optimistic that the caring and compassionate relationships that characterize the Newton Public schools will not only provide students with a safe and nurturing place to grow and learn, but will also prepare them to take on the complex societal issues that they are already tackling in social studies and other subject areas.
Sincerely,
David Fleishman
Last Day of School - Friday, June 24, 2022
The last day of school for students in all schools is Friday, June 24, 2022, with the exception of Lincoln-Eliot and Mason-Rice.
The last day of school for students at Lincoln-Eliot and Mason-Rice is Monday, June 27, 2022.
You can access the school calendar for NEXT school year (2022-23) here:
NPS School Calendar 2022-23 (PDF Document)
Bus Registration Now Open for 2022-23
Bus registration is now open for the 2022-23 school year. You MUST register by August 8th to secure your student’s seat on the bus.
We STRONGLY encourage you to register your student before the end of this school year. We know summers can be busy times for families and we want to make sure we account for all students as we plan our bus capacity and routes.
Bus registration is online. Please visit this webpage to register your student(s) for the bus:
Financial Assistance and Waiver Application
Please note that the application for financial assistance and fee waivers is now available through the Aspen Parent Portal. Below is the process and timeline:
Log into the Aspen Parent Portal. If you do not remember your Aspen login, please email aspen@newton.k12.ma.us
Follow instructions to complete the form: Instruction to Complete Financial Assistance and Fee Waiver form.
Complete one form for each student.
You will receive a response to your application in 24-28 hours or 1-2 business days.
Upon approval, register for the activity or service. Select the assistance/waiver option.
The necessary staff will be informed of the approval to facilitate participation in the activity or service. Confidentiality will be maintained.
Once approved, your approval is good for one year. You must reapply each year. Please visit our Financial Assistance and Waiver webpage for more information.
Free and Reduced Meal Application
While all meals in the Newton Public Schools have been offered free of charge this year, NPS highly recommends that families who believe they are eligible for the federal Free and Reduced Meal Program complete the application.
If you are eligible for Free and Reduced Meals, you are also eligible for Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) food funds benefits. Food funds are provided to student’s families for COVID-related absences from school during the 2021-22 school year. However, in order to receive P-EBT food funds, you must be approved for free or reduced meals. Therefore, please complete the application.
More details can be found here: P-EBT Food Funds Program Information.
Newton Schools Foundation
Once again this year, the Newton Schools Foundation is sponsoring its Honor Thy Teacher fundraising campaign. To show your appreciation for a teacher or staff member who impacted your student, families can make a donation to the Newton Schools Foundation in their honor anytime until the end of the school year.
Funds donated support grants that allow teachers to try new approaches in the classroom, participate in professional development, and develop programs that address inequities associated with race, income and social identity. Find out more about Honor Thy Teacher and to donate on the NSF website.
SPACE Camp for Summer 2022!
S.P.A.C.E. Camp is a four-week summer enrichment program run by the Newton Public Schools from July 5th through 28th. Students entering kindergarten through 9th grade in the Fall of 2022 are eligible to attend. We offer two programs - an upper camp (entering grade 5-entering grade 9 in the Fall of 2022) and a lower camp (entering kindergarten-entering grade 4).
Check out the S.P.A.C.E.website for more information or REGISTER NOW! Questions? SPACE@newton.k12.ma.us
NECP is still accepting applications for our community peers for the 2022-2023 school year. There are just a few spots left! Find the application here on our website: NECP application.
We will be moving to our new site at 687 Watertown Street during the 2022-2023 school year! With the new location, we may now be closer to your neighborhood and several of our Newton elementary schools.
You can learn more about our new building here: NECP Building Project. We would love for you to be a part of this exciting new phase of NECP!
Pride Month - June 2022
Every June the LGBTQ+ community celebrates Pride Month. Many different events, such as parades, community events, and peaceful protests, take place to raise awareness of current issues that face the LGBTQ+ community. June was declared the official Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in 2000 and was chosen as the month in honor of the Stonewall Uprising in June 1969.
Information from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education can be found linked below:
Celebrate Our Safety Superheroes - June 15, 2022
Newton school families are celebrating our Safety Superheroes - our bus and van drivers - on Wednesday, June 15. Help your student make a card and say a special THANK YOU to our bus/van drivers and crossing guards for another year of helping our students safely get to and from school.
Download a sample card and learn more about Newton Safe Routes to School here: www.NewtonSafeRoutes.org
No Place for Hate - Walk and Rally - June 16, 2022
In response to recent local and national events, NPS middle and high school students are coming together in unity and solidarity against ALL acts of hate and discrimination. Middle school students will walk together to their respective high schools to join a rally to denounce hate across all groups and amplify voices that NPS is "no place for hate", but rather a community that welcomes diversity and inclusion.
The Walk and Rally will be held on Thursday, June 16, 2022 from 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Countryside Elementary
The next meeting of the Countryside School Building Committee will be held on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 6:00pm. This meeting is open to the public and all are welcome. Please register to attend using the following link: Register for the June 21, 2022 Countryside Building Committee Virtual Meeting.
To learn more about the Countryside building project, please visit: Countryside Elementary Building Project webpage.
Horace Mann Elementary
The next Horace Mann School Building Committee meeting is Thursday, June 23, 2022 at 6:00 PM. This meeting is open to the public and all are welcome. Please register to attend using the following link: Register for the June 23, 2022 Horace Mann Building Committee Virtual Meeting.
To learn more about the Horace Mann building project, please visit: Horace Mann Elementary Building Project webpage.
COVID Infection Levels and Mask Recommendation
The Newton Public Schools STRONGLY recommends students and staff wear a mask. A well-fitting, high quality mask is very effective in reducing the transmission of COVID. In addition, Newton Health and Human Services, in accordance with CDC guidelines, continues to advise the following,:
Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
Follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, including getting tested if you are exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19.
If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider taking additional precautions.
You can access current Newton-specific COVID data on the Newton HHS website:
COVID-19 Booster Clinic: Saturday, June 11, 2022
Newton Health and Human Services and Newton Public Schools is again partnering with the Holtzman Medical Group to offer COVID-19 booster vaccines. A vaccine clinic will be held at Oak Hill Middle School (130 Wheeler Road) on Saturday, June 11 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. The clinic will offer pediatric Pfizer vaccines and boosters for ages 5 to 11. Boosters for all individuals of all ages will also be available.
Click here for more information and to register.
COVID Testing
You can check the new expiration date of any COVID tests you have at home on this site: https://ihealthlabs.com/pages/news
On Monday, June 13, 2022 at 6:00 p.m., the School Committee will hold a meeting to provide an update on the search for both an interim and permanent superintendent. Meeting details are as follows:
Date: Monday, June 13, 2022
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/390017072
Call-in Information: 1-646-558-8656
Call-in Meeting ID: 390 017 072
In addition, the School Committee held a meeting on Monday, June 6, 2022. You can view meeting materials here: June 6, 2022 School Committee Meeting Materials.
Seal of Biliteracy Award Recipients
This year, 133 Newton seniors were awarded the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy or the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction, demonstrating their high level of proficiency in both English and a second language. Nineteen of these students earned more than one Seal, remarkably showing high proficiency in three and in one case four languages! We are proud to recognize all Seal of Biliteracy recipients. Their accomplishments are a tribute to their perseverance, the rich linguistic diversity of our community, and our schools' commitment to global education, linguistic proficiency, and cultural literacy.
To view a complete list of students earning this award this year, please visit this link: 2022 Seal of Biliteracy Award Recipients.
MassDOT Safe Routes to School Awards
Several Newton schools were recognized at the MassDOT Safe Routes to School awards ceremony for encouraging students to safely walk, roll and bike to school. Ward Elementary and Oak Hill Middle Schools received gold awards, Mason Rice and Underwood received silver awards, Burr a bronze, and Horace Mann a basic award.
Learn more about the work of the Newton Safe Routes to School Task Force at www.NewtonSafeRoutes.org
FORJ Juneteenth Event - Sunday, June 19, 2022
The FORJ (Families Organizing for Racial Justice) is hosting a Juneteenth event at Newton North High School, 457 Walnut Street, Newton on Sunday, June 19th, from 12-4 pm. It will also be Father's Day, so this offers the perfect opportunity for a fun family day out! There will be food by Gourmet Kreyol, ice cream by Tipping Cow, performances by Aashka Dance Company, Gianna Burgess, David Stamps, the New Art Center, and others, vendors including Black-owned businesses, kids' activities by Fun Factor, a community table hosted by the Massachusetts Association of Haitian Parents, and much more.
Newton Free Library Juneteenth Event - June 21, 2022
The Legacy of Juneteenth: Access to Education that Empowers Us All: Tuesday, June 21 at 7pm. Juneteenth is a celebration of the day enslaved Blacks in Galveston, TX learned that they had been granted freedom. Join us for this interactive discussion in which participants share their own educational experiences, thoughts about the current state of public education and perspectives on the potential of education to empower or disempower. The program will be led by Jesse Tauriac, Assistant Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer from Lasell University and is part of the Overdue: Confronting Race and Racism in Newton series.