News from the Superintendent
A Periodic Update from David Fleishman
Almost every day, I am out in our schools and classrooms meeting with our administrators and teachers and seeing our initiatives and pilot programs in action. It’s one of the best parts of my job. I have just finished my initial visits to all 22 schools and I wanted to share with you some of the exciting work I have witnessed.
At our elementary schools, I have been checking in with our teachers and students regarding their experiences with our new math program, which was piloted last year in grades 3 and 4. One teacher said, “I am enjoying it as much as the students! It’s exciting to see the daily connections that students make and how their skills have already surpassed where students were in the previous program.”
Parents and guardians often ask what we are doing to support the organizational skills of our middle school students. This year, one sixth grade team at each of our middle schools is piloting a new executive function program. I had the privilege of observing some of the strategies in action when I visited Brown Middle School. You can find out more in the sections below.
Our peer leadership program, developed by the Anti Defamation League, is beginning its second full year at our four middle schools. It was a pleasure to see the Bigelow peer leaders working intensely on their plans for delivering lessons to their peers. It was a keen reminder that peer-led conversations can be a very effective learning tool as we strive to have schools that are welcoming and inclusive for all.
We have some terrific programs in place this year in Newton and I look forward to sharing more with you throughout the year.
Buddy Bench at Ward
Zervas Welcome!
ADL Peer Leadership
Safety and Security
6th Grade Organization and Time Management
Working with a coach, our pilot teams in sixth grade will incorporate lessons on thinking and planning ahead, time management, classroom organization, written expression, closing the homework circle, materials management and technology tips into their everyday lessons. We will take our learnings from the pilot this year to expand the program to more teams of students next year.
Newton Family Conference
Saturday, Dec 1, 2018, 01:00 PM
Newton North High School, Walnut Street, Newton, MA, USA
School Committee Newsletter
Newton Public Schools
Email: npsnews@newton.k12.ma.us
Website: www.newton.k12.ma.us
Location: 100 Walnut Street, Newton, MA, USA
Phone: (617) 559-6000
Facebook: facebook.com/newtonps
Twitter: @newton_ps