February 8, 2023

Dear NPS Families,

It has been such a pleasure meeting so many families over the past few weeks at school PTO meetings. By the end of this week, I will have visited 15 PTOs and by mid-March, I will have visited every PTO. I have enjoyed learning more about each school and the programs, activities, and families that make them so special.

It has been so inspirational to witness the passion NPS families have for supporting their schools. As I have shared information about the upcoming override, you all have asked terrific questions and offered helpful feedback. It is clear to me that NPS families want to continue to maintain the academic programs, social emotional supports, and extracurricular activities that make Newton a premier school district.

If you have not had the opportunity to attend a PTO meeting, I encourage you to join us at Newton North tonight, Wednesday, February 8, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. for a community discussion on the budget. I will provide the outlook for next year’s budget, the impact of additional funding through the proposed override, and details on possible budget reductions. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers so please join us.

I look forward to seeing more of you as our meetings continue!

Sincerely,

Kathleen Smith, J.D.

Interim Superintendent

Newton Public Schools Override Information

City of Newton Override Information

On Monday, the Newton Superintendent Search Committee announced three finalists for the position of superintendent for the Newton Public School district. The candidates selected as finalists, listed in alphabetical order, include:

• Thomas Anderson, Superintendent, New Bedford Public Schools

• Peter Light, Superintendent, Acton-Boxborough Regional School District

• Anna Nolin, Superintendent, Natick Public Schools

Please note: on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, Superintendent Peter Light withdrew his name from consideration.

Candidates will visit the district the week of February 13, 2023, to meet with administrators, educators, and staff, and to visit some schools. Each candidate will participate in a virtual community forum in the early evening and will end their day interviewing with the Newton School Committee. The candidate visit/interview schedule is as follows:

• Wednesday, February 15, 2023 - Superintendent Anna Nolin

• Thursday, February 16, 2023 - Superintendent Thomas Anderson

The community is invited to submit proposed questions to be asked during the forum. Not all questions submitted will be asked, but the School Committee will ask as many as possible. The community is welcome to login and listen to the forums. Please submit questions via this form:

Superintendent Candidate Community Forum Question Form

Each community forum begins at 5:30 p.m. on the day of the candidate’s visit. The community is welcome to login to listen to the forums via these links:

Community Forum Login - Wednesday, February 15, 2023 - Superintendent Anna Nolin

Community Forum Login - Thursday, February 16, 2023 - Superintendent Thomas Anderson

The School Committee will interview the candidates beginning at 7:00 p.m. on the day of the visit. Interviews will take place at the Education Center at 100 Walnut St. The community is welcome to attend in-person. Interviews will not be live-streamed, but will be recorded for viewing after all candidates have completed their interviews.

Following the community forums and interviews, the community is welcome to submit feedback on each candidate via these links:

Superintendent Anna Nolin - Feedback Form

Superintendent Thomas Anderson - Feedback Form

Full resumes and background information can be found in this folder:

Newton Superintendent Finalist Resumes and Background Information

Please contact the Newton School Committee with any additional questions or comments.

The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. Officially recognized in February 1976 as the month that coincides with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.

For Black History Month 2023, NPS teachers and students will celebrate and honor the history, culture and contributions of African Americans in a variety of ways in our classrooms and school communities.

Learn more at: https://blackhistorymonth.gov/about/

The Newton Public Schools will host a community discussion on the 2023-24 school budget tonight. Details are below. The meeting is meant to provide information on the proposed override and debt-exclusions, as well as to answer questions and listen to feedback. Details are below:

When: Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Where: Newton North High School (457 Walnut St.)

Newton Public Schools Override Webpage

City of Newton Override Webpage

Whitsons has fun plans for Food Services in the month of February. Check out pictures from these special events and watch for future plans!

• The elementary schools celebrated National Tater Tot Day on Friday, 2/3!

• The two high schools and four middle schools will provide a SuperBowl Tailgate on 2/10.

• The elementary schools will celebrate National Italian Food Day on 2/14 with cheesy breadsticks, pasta with tomato sauce, cartoonies with ranch dressing, and applesauce.

• Chef Tony will be preparing a Nashville Style Hot Kickin’ Chicken Sandwich served with Coleslaw, pickles, and fries at Brown on 2/16. If well-received, this will be a new menu item at the middle schools!

Tuesday, February 7, 2023 was "Safer Internet Day" sponsored by ConnectSafely. NPS encourages families to take advantage of resources available on the ConnectSafely website to learn more about internet safety and platforms popular with students, and to engage in conversations with your children. Below are some resources available on the ConnectSafely website:

Family Online Resources:

• Parent Guides (detailed articles on various topics such as Roblox, Twitch, Tiktok, Cyberbullying, etc.)

• Quick Reference Guides for Families (short one-page reference guides to TikTok, Instagram, Roblox, etc.)

• Video Guides for Families

Newton S.P.A.C.E. (Summer Program for Academic and Creative Endeavors) is a four-week summer enrichment program run by the Newton Public Schools from July 5th through July 28th. Students entering kindergarten through 9th grade in the Fall of 2023 are eligible to attend.

We offer two programs - an upper camp (entering grade 5-entering grade 9) and a lower camp (entering kindergarten-entering grade 4).

Visit the S.P.A.C.E.website for more information or REGISTER NOW!

Questions? SPACE@newton.k12.ma.us

Calling all kindergarteners for the 2023-24 school year! If you or someone you know has a student who meets the age requirement to enter kindergarten in the fall of 2023, please complete this survey.

https://forms.gle/AyDYeWbWGvJDVwgV9

In the survey, let us know you are coming and to tell us a little bit about your student. This helps us to plan staffing and programming for next year. So, if your student turns 5 prior to September 1, 2023, please join us!

Students at Memorial-Spaulding were thrilled to welcome Interim Superintendent Kathy Smith to their school a few weeks ago. The students had advocated for an additional trash barrel so that they could spend less time walking a long distance to the only trash barrel available outside (and losing recess time!) The new trash barrel has been placed near the entrance and students report that they are throwing away items as they walk in the door. It’s a HUGE SUCCESS! Thanks for thinking about the best way to keep our schools clean and more importantly, speaking up when a change is needed!

Would you like to work for the Newton Public Schools? We are hiring! NPS has open positions for the following:

• Special education aides, Behavior Therapists,

• Lunch monitors

• Part time early literacy aides

• Part time math intervention aides

• Instructional Support Staff (substitutes)

• Building aides

Following this link to apply:

Apply to join the Newton Public Schools