April 27, 2022

NPS recently updated the Health and Safety Plan for COVID protocols in all school buildings. Here is the link to the full document:

Health and Safety Plan - Updated April 2022

A few updates and reminders to highlight:

• The CDC and MA DPH recommend that individuals exposed to a positive COVID case should mask for 10 days following exposure, REGARDLESS OF VACCINATION STATUS. A rapid antigen or PCR test on Day 5 is recommended.

• Athletes and performers returning from a COVID infection and participating in school-based extracurriculars, should follow the current guidance for masking, which includes wearing a mask at all times unless eating, drinking, or outside, on days 6-10 following a COVID infection. Athletes and performers should have a negative antigen test in order to participate on days 6-10 following their five day isolation requirement. Athletes should consult with their physician prior to resuming physical activity following a COVID infection.

• As of Monday, May 2, 2022, masks will be optional in large assemblies, on field trips, and in music classes (chorus and general music.)

• Bell covers for musical instruments are no longer required and recorder instruction may resume.

The Newton HHS webpage shows all positive cases of COVID for students and staff in our schools: COVID Cases in the Newton Public Schools.

On the NPS COVID Data Dashboard, you can review the percentage of students who have opted into rapid antigen testing, as well as positive COVID results reported to the school health department. The data dashboard can be found here: COVID Testing Data Dashboard.

Students in grades K-2 who participated in the NPS Acceleration Academy over February break created poems for the NPS Pizza Poetry Project! Students wrote poems during the week to work on their literacy skills. On Friday, April 29th, participating restaurants will attach these poems to all pizza boxes and send them out with all pizzas ordered.

Order your pizza and see which poem you receive! Participating pizza places include:

• Newtonville Pizza

• C+N Pizza

• Frank Pepe Pizzeria

• Upham’s House of Pizza

Then, don’t forget to share the poem you received on social media with the hashtag #NPSPizzaPoem and tag NPS on our social channels:

@newtonps - Facebook

@newton_ps - Twitter

@newton_ps - Instagram

On Monday, May 2, 2022 from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., NPS will host a forum to help better understand the experiences of our transgender and gender expansive student community and to learn more about the ways we can support and affirm the dignity, safety and inclusion of all of our students. This forum is open to all ​​NPS students, parents and staff and will be hosted by trained facilitators, along with a panel of LGBTQ+ members of our community.

*Advance registration is REQUIRED! Please RSVP in advance to receive a Zoom link prior to the event.

Newton Public Schools teachers and staff will be the center of attention at the 2022 Newton Inspires event presented by Newton Schools Foundation. On Tuesday, May 3rd from 6-8 pm at Angier Elementary School, emcee former WGBH host Barbara Howard, will lead a live conversation with NPS teachers, who will discuss their work in the classroom and what keeps them inspiring our students to learn and achieve. Tuesday, May 3rd is also Teacher Appreciation Day. To learn more or to purchase tickets to the event, visit this website: Newton Schools Foundation Newton Inspires Event Information.

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

Newton North High School has several open teaching positions for next year. Please visit the following links for the job description and application information.

HS Spanish Teacher

https://www.applitrack.com/newton/onlineapp/_application.aspx?posJobCodes=4108&posFirstChoice=High%20School%20Teaching&posSpecialty=Teacher

HS Math Teacher

https://www.applitrack.com/newton/onlineapp/_application.aspx?posJobCodes=4104&posFirstChoice=High%20School%20Teaching&posSpecialty=Teacher

HS Physics Teacher

https://www.applitrack.com/newton/onlineapp/_application.aspx?posJobCodes=4107&posFirstChoice=High%20School%20Teaching&posSpecialty=Teacher

HS Chemistry Teacher

https://www.applitrack.com/newton/onlineapp/_application.aspx?posJobCodes=4106&posFirstChoice=High%20School%20Teaching&posSpecialty=Teacher

HS Biology Teacher

https://www.applitrack.com/newton/onlineapp/_application.aspx?posJobCodes=4105&posFirstChoice=High%20School%20Teaching&posSpecialty=Teacher

HS English Teacher

https://www.applitrack.com/newton/onlineapp/_application.aspx?posJobCodes=4102&posFirstChoice=High%20School%20Teaching&posSpecialty=Teacher

HS History Teacher

https://www.applitrack.com/newton/onlineapp/_application.aspx?posJobCodes=4103&posFirstChoice=High%20School%20Teaching&posSpecialty=Teacher

If your child turns 5 years old before September 1, 2022, you are eligible to start kindergarten in the Newton Public Schools next fall! Registration is NOW OPEN! To help us plan for next year, we ask families to register as soon as possible.

To find out more about registration for kindergarten, please visit this webpage on the Newton Public School district website: www.newton.k12.ma.us/kindergarten

On March 3, 2022, NPS held an information session for kindergarten families new to NPS. Here is information from that session:

• Slide Presentation - 2022 Kindergarten Information Night

• Zoom Recording - 2022 Kindergarten Information Night

NECP is now 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!

At their meeting on Monday, December 6, 2021, the Newton School Committee approved the calendar for the 2022-23 school year. You can find it here:

NPS School Calendar 2022-23

On Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 9:00 a.m., the Newton South Booster Club will be sponsoring a Lions 5K race running through the streets surrounding South and finishing on Winkler Stadium Field. There will be prizes in many categories and a lot of fun to be had. The Booster Club supports our athletics department and initiatives that build overall school spirit. The race is open to the public so runners (and walkers!) of all ages are welcome.

Learn more and register now at Lions5k.Racewire.com.

The next School Committee meeting will be held on Monday, May 9, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. To join the meeting virtual, follow this link:

Zoom meeting link: https://zoom.us/j/390017072

Call-in information: 1-646-558-8656

Call-in meeting ID: 390 017 072

The meeting agenda and meeting materials can be found on this page (once posted): School Committee Meeting Materials for the 2021-22 School Year.

For Grades K-6 at Newton South High School

1) If you'd like your kids to participate then sign them up ASAP (after 5:00 p.m. when registration opens). Last year registration filled within a few hours! https://newtonma.myrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=30165. Register yourself as a volunteer here to fill out the waiver.

2) Then sign up to volunteer for a shift or two. The shifts are overlapping so you'll learn from the prior shift. The first shift will help set up and the final shift will help clean up.

Volunteer Sign-up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084EADA623A1FF2-bike3

• ABC Quick Check - best for those comfortable doing minor assessment of bikes, like checking brakes, pumping tires.
• Obstacle Course - the final station and managed fully by volunteers. Kids will practice their skills on an obstacle course. We need volunteers here who are good at engaging with kids.
• Education Stations - this includes some activities like identifying parts of the bike, a trivia wheel, and signs. Older students are welcome to help!
• Skills Course - MA SRTS/MassBike instructors will tell you exactly what you need to do to help them with the skills course. Last year some volunteers acted as stop signs.
• Helmet Fit - We'll help caregivers fit their student's helmets.

The Newton Police Department is hiring crossing guards for the remainder of this school year. This position is so important and there are several openings right now! If you are interested, please contact Safety Officer Jason Schlegel at 617-796-2178 or the Newton Police Traffic Bureau at 617-796-2106. Applications are on the City of Newton website at www.newtoma.gov.