June 22, 2022
Superintendent's Message
Dear NPS Families,
As the 2021-22 school year comes to an end, I hope it has been an enriching one for your children and your family. While none of us could have predicted the challenges we encountered over the course of the year, I know we are all grateful that we were able to have a relatively “normal” school year. Our skilled and dedicated NPS team deserve a great deal of credit for all they did to keep our students learning and our schools operating while working under highly stressful conditions.
From my perspective, the last several weeks of this year have been especially meaningful. We were able to resume many of our year end traditions, including graduations, step up days, field trips, special gatherings, student work showcases and school wide assemblies. For some of our younger students, these were the first school wide assemblies they had ever attended! Just yesterday, I attended a terrific Career Day at Day Middle School, something I expect will be a new annual tradition.
In recent weeks, it has been heartwarming to see parents and family members visit schools for end of year celebrations and showcases. I think we have all learned over the course of the pandemic that schools not only serve as vitally important institutions for students, but also as cherished places of community for adults.
As you reflect on the year, I hope your student(s) learned important life lessons and grew both academically and from a social-emotional perspective. While the past two+ years have been really challenging for educators, I can honestly say that our schools have learned many important lessons about how to more effectively support and engage our students. As a result, I feel optimistic about the future of this special district that I have had the privilege of leading for 12 years.
All my best for the future.
Sincerely,
David Fleishman
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.
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:
No Place for Hate - Walk and Rally - A Success!
This past Thursday, NPS students in middle and high schools joined together to demonstrate our school community's commitment and solidarity against all acts of hate & discrimination.
The "No Place for Hate" Student Walk & Rally took place on both the north and south side of the city. Students and staff from Bigelow & Day Middle School walked to join their fellow high school community at Newton North, as did students and staff from Oak Hill & Brown Middle Schools joined their high school partners at Newton South. Both events displayed powerful speeches and poems by students in grade 6-12, representing a diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orienation, and more. Messages ranged from highlighting the struggles of being singled out to the joy in celebrating each other's identities.
Newton Public Schools is proud to be a place that supports student voice and agency in fighting against hate and discrimination We stand in solidarity with our students as a school district that welcomes all and celebrates the diversity within our community.
Find our more about the district's work on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the 2021-22 school year report.
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 Vaccines and Data
On Saturday, June 18, CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that all children 6 months through 5 years of age should receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccines are now available for individuals 6 months and older. The COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to be safe, effective, and protective against serious illness.
Information on vaccinating people ages 5-11, please visit: mass.gov/COVIDvaccinekids
Information on vaccinating people ages 12-17, please visit: mass.gov/COVIDvaccineyouth
Talk to your child's doctor about COVID-19 vaccines or search VaxFinder.mass.gov for vaccination appointments.
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 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 Tuesday, June 21, 2022, the School Committee voted to appoint Dr. Kathleen Smith as Interim Superintendent for the 2022-23 school year. Here is the recommendation memo. You can find more information about the superintendent search on this webpage.
All meeting materials for the June 21, 2022 meeting can be found here: June 21, 2022 School Committee Meeting Materials.