Brown MS Weekly Update

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Dear Brown MS Community,

As we reach the final month of school, I want to take a moment to reflect on how far we have come. Two years ago at this time we were scrambling to put together a video graduation ceremony for our 8th graders and trying desperately to connect with our students on zoom. Communities were holding graduation parades instead of ceremonies and in person celebrations were cancelled. Today we are thankfully together, and while Covid is still a very real part of our daily lives, we are learning to adapt and adjust. I am personally so thankful that my daughter is able to enjoy all of the special events and rites of passage that come with her senior year in high school.

Being together is an improvement over two years ago, but I would be lying if I said it has been easy. Students are still learning how to "be together" and to treat each other with kindness and respect. There have been more negative interactions between students this year - uncaring words or actions that have left each other feeling hurt. Building empathy after the isolation of the pandemic is something that continues to take time, and it is clear that many of our students need more practice at putting themselves in each other's shoes. "Be Safe and Kind" is a Bear Belief that we repeat daily to students. As we approach the last days of school, please take time to talk to your kids about how they treat one another and how to be a true friend. This article from The Making Caring Common Project from Harvard Graduate School of Education shares some terrific ideas about how parents can help their children become empathetic individuals.

Finally, I wanted to share with you all that the prom was a great success! The dress, the hair, the limo - all of it came together! She had a wonderful time and we got some terrific pictures. Today is the day my girl, my youngest, graduates from high school, and typing that makes me happy and sad all at the same time. She worked very hard to reach this day and she has so much ahead of her. It's time to hand over the wheel and let her drive on her own. Don't blink - it goes by too fast.

Best,

Kim Lysaght, Principal

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. The official name was changed in 2009, when President Barack Obama declared June “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month” to be more inclusive.

Our front lobby displays our PRIDE banner and lists names of influential people in the LGBTQ+ community. Our PRIDE club has been running strong all year with weekly meetings on Monday afternoons. A big thank you to the leadership team of Felicia Quesada Montville, school librarian and Sharon Finelli, school counselor for their hard work with PRIDE club!

All after school enrichment activities and athletic programs will concluded today, Friday, June 3. I would like to send a big thank you to Katrina Antonellis for running our enrichment program and ensuring our students have ways to connect and engage in activies they love. We also thank all staff and coaches for making these programs possible.

Click the picture above for Brown's Art Newsletter. Our students have done amazing work under Jeremy Goldberg, art teacher. Be sure to check it out!

Please join us for a special event to demonstrate our unity against any and all acts of hate in our community and the country. In response to the swastikas drawn at Brown and Newton South and other instances of hate and violence in the world around us, we come together with one message. Newton is No Place for Hate!

The principals at all of the Newton secondary schools are planning a "No Place for Hate" March for Thursday, June 16 from 3:00-4:00. Middle schools on the south side of the city will march to Newton South where they will meet student leaders and faculty to march around the school. The middle schools on the north side of the city will be marching with Newton North at the same time. It is a chance for the whole community to come together to show solidarity and acknowledge that what is happening is not ok. Please join us!

"No Place for Hate" sign-making party - co-sponsored by Brown and Oak Hill

Sunday, June 12 from 5:30-6:30

Brown Middle School Patio

Join families from Brown and Oak Hill to make signs for the march! We will provide supplies and store the signs until Thursday. Please RSVP so we can get an idea of how many supplies we need. If you do not RSVP and decide to come at the last minute, no problem! Please join us!

• Friday, June 10 - Step up Day
• Thursday, Sept. 1 from 9:00-9:45AM - incoming 6th grade visiting We will welcome all incoming 6th graders into the building, to receive a map and find their homebase. (You will get an email the third week of August telling them which team and homebase they will be in.). This is an exciting and informal tradition that we are happy to bring back this September!

Additional 5th grade information:

PTO information: click here for their website

5th grade parent night: click here for the slide deck

World language selection: click here (The form also gives you an opportunity to sign your child up for our optional band, orchestra or chorus electives.)

Our wonderful librarian, Felicia Quesada-Montville, is looking for library books. There are a number of overdue/missing books that need to be returned to the library before the end of the year. Please ask your child to take a minute to look at home, in back packs, in their lockers or classrooms to see if they have a book that needs to get back to Brown. We appreciate all the help you can provide!

The PTO will be held their annual book fair at Brown this past June 1, 2, and 3. Students were able to browse and purchase books during their ELA classes. A big "Thank you!" to IJ Anyanwu and her team for bringing this event back to Brown. It was fantastic watching students check out all of the new and exciting titles!

The selections for this summer's reading for middle schoolers are below. Consider reading one of these with your child. It makes for a terrific way to connect over the summer!

Incoming 6th Graders: Frazzled by Booki Vivant and another book of their choosing

Incoming 7th Graders: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead and another book of their choosing.

Incoming 8th Graders: Select 2 books from this list.

NSHS incoming 9th Graders: Read one book on this list. Students will be expected to complete an assignment based on their reading in English classes in the fall.

Click here to link to the Brown Library website for more suggestions.

Brown Middle School Music Department held their spring concerts this past week! The bands, choruses and orchestra all did a terrific job. We owe a debt of gratitude to Samantha Marsh, Chorus Director and Devon Nelson, Band and Orchestra Conductor for bringing live music back into our auditorium!

Please note: On Friday, June 10, all 6th and 7th graders will be dismissed at 12:50 that day. There will be regular bus services for 6th and 7th grade students who regularly take the bus home at that time. 8th graders will be dismissed at the regular time from Brown after returning from step up day. 5th graders will return to their elementary schools and be dismissed at the regular time from there.

Step Up Day gives our 5th and 8th graders an opportunity to tour their new schools and learn about what to expect in the fall.

5th graders will arrive at Brown from each of the 4 feeder schools at 12:50 and will see a short presentation in the auditorium. They will then be put into groups and met by our 6th grade teachers who will share more about what they can expect in 6th grade and give them a tour of the building. At 2:20, 5th graders will be transported back to their elementary schools for regular dismissal time.

8th graders will have lunch at 11:15 and then walk over to Newton South at 12:00 for a presentation and tour. They will return to Brown in time for our 2:50 dismissal. Buses will be available to 8th graders at 2:50 just as usual.

• Step Up Day to NSHS - Friday, June 10
• 8th grade Chromebook collection - Friday, June 17
• 8th grade graduation rehearsal - June 21 - A block (2:00PM)

• 8th Grade Party - Tuesday, June 21 - 3:00PM at Brown
• Canobie Lake Park Trip - Thursday, June 23

• The buses for Canobie Lake are scheduled to leave at 8:15 on Thursday, June 23. Please help your child to be on time for this so we can maximize their time up at the park! Click here for more information about signing up, etc. Please contact the main office if you are interested in scholarships for these events.

• Graduation - Friday, June 24 at 10:00AM
• Graduation will take place at the football stadium at Newton South High School weather permitting. In case of rain we will moved the event into the field house of Newton South. You may bring as many guests as you like. The 8th graders will be sitting in the bleachers and the audience will sit on the field. Please bring a chair or blanket to sit on for the ceremony which will take about 1 hour.

• June 10 - step up day (6s and 7s out at 12:50)
  

• June 16 - No Place for Hate walk (3-4pm)

• June 20 - Juneteenth (observed) - no school

• June 22 - 7th grade trip to Castle Island

• June 23 - 6th grade trip to Cove & 8th grade trip to Canobie

• June 24 - graduation at 10:00AM at NSHS football field (if rain, then in NSHS field house)

This week there were 5 individuals that reported testing positive for Covid this week (3 over the weekend and 2 this week). This is certainly a good sign compared to the past few weeks! Newton Public Schools still STRONGLY recommends students and staff wear a mask indoors. A well-fitting mask is very effective in reducing the transmission of COVID.

Please have your child continue to follow the daily health assessment guidelines above each morning. Students enrolled in our testing program should all take their tests on Tuesday morning as usual.

• To “opt-in” to the testing program.

• Access the Opt-in form through Aspen parent/guardian account: Aspen

• Follow these instructions (link) once you are logged into Aspen

• Only positive results need to be reported by completing this Form - Positive Result from At-Home Rapid Antigen Test - State Program. Nurses will provide follow up information to families, including the date for return to school, following a positive test.

The data dashboard can be found here: COVID Testing Data Dashboard and on our website here: COVID Testing Webpage. For information on COVID cases and vaccination rates in the Newton Public Schools, please visit this page on the City of Newton Website: Newton HHS COVID Data.

Bus registration for the 2022-23 school year opened on Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Please watch your email for instructions on how to register your student(s) for the bus. NPS strongly recommends that you complete your registration prior to the end of this school year. As always, please visit the NPS Transportation website for more information.

As Newton plans to return to the National School Lunch Program for the 2022-23 school year, pricing needs to be set for lunches at the elementary and middle/high schools. The School Committee reviewed paid-meal recommendations during their 5/23 meeting. Please review that presentation on the Food Services/Updates/Meal Pricing tab on the NPS website.

Please note that families eligible for free or reduced-price lunch will still receive financial support based upon the federal guidelines. Please check eligibility on the NPS website under the Food Services/How to Pay for Meals/Financial Assistance tab

Please send questions or comments to Amy Mistrot, Director of Business Operations - mistrota@newton.k12.ma.us. All comments will be shared with the School Committee for their review prior to voting on 2022/23 prices during either their 6/6 or 6/20 meeting, agenda to be confirmed.

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:

1. Log into the Aspen Parent Portal. If you do not remember your Aspen login, please email aspen@newton.k12.ma.us

2. Follow instructions to complete the form: Instruction to Complete Financial Assistance and Fee Waiver form.

3. Complete one form for each student.

4. You will receive a response to your application in 24-28 hours or 1-2 business days.

5. Upon approval, register for the activity or service. Select the assistance/waiver option.

6. 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.

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.

NPS has recently updated their non-discrimination protocol and reporting process. Here is a link to a document that gives an overview of the process and how to report incidents. If you experience an incident that you feel needs to be reported, you can contact the school directly or you can fill out this Online reporting form.

• What is discrimination?

  Discrimination includes, but is not limited to, excluding from participation, denying the benefits of, or otherwise discriminating against individuals on the basis of a Protected Class, or any other category protected by state or federal law.

  
  

• What is harassment?

  Harassment includes, but is not limited to, unwelcome, inappropriate, or illegal physical, verbal, written, graphic, or electronic conduct that relates to an individual’s actual or perceived Protected Class, that has the purpose or effect of creating a hostile education or work environment. Examples of harassment include, but are not limited to, conduct that denigrates, demeans, or stereotypes a person and/or group based upon disability, gender identity, national origin, ethnic background, ancestry, race, color, religion, or sexual orientation. Sexual harassment is also included in this category.

  
  

• What is retaliation?

  Retaliation includes, but is not limited to, coercion, intimidation, interference, punishment, discrimination, or harassment against any member of the school community in response to that member’s oral, written, formal or informal reporting or filing a complaint, cooperating in an investigation, aiding or encouraging another member to report or file a complaint.

  
  

The Annual Student Information Update is available on Aspen. Please update your information. Directions for families can be found here.

School Hours:

8:20AM - 2:50PM - Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri.

8:20 AM - 2:05PM - Wed.

Click here for the NPS 2021-2022 school calendar.

Click here for the NPS 2022-2023 school calendar.

Click here for the Brown Middle School 6-day rotation calendar 2021-2022 with early release days and days of the cycle.

Click here for the Brown Middle School 6-day rotation calendar for 2022-2023 with early release days and days of the cycle.

To report a student absence call: 617-559-6980

Brown Middle School

125 Meadowbrook Road

Newton, MA 02459

617-559-6900