NewsNotes - December 4th, 2016

Understanding Our Differences - 3rd Graders had the opportunity to learn more about the capabilities and challenges of living with low vision/blindness in a series of activities that took place this past week. Parent volunteers led several small group activities that allowed children to explore the experience of being a sighted guides and communicate/read using braille. We also had a visit from Pam Fernandes, a former paralympic athlete who won a gold medal in cycling. Her story was inspirational and a wonderful experience for our 3rd graders.


Metco Conference - This past Friday, the annual Metco Conference was held in Norwood, with over 50 educators from Newton in attendance. There were almost 500 educators present from all of the participating districts in the greater Boston area. After an inspiring keynote speech by author, activist and professor Cornel West, I had a chance to a variety of workshops. Our very own 5th grade teacher Mike Feldstein presented at the conference alongside Dan Zanes in a session title Constructive White Conversation. Mike will present to the HM staff on the same topic later this month. Other topics included sessions focused on success for black male students, racial identity development, building cultural competence, and closing the achievement gap, among others. I will share more details about how we plan to put our learning into action after our upcoming staff meeting and early release day.

Preparing for Winter - As the first day of winter quickly approaches and our temperatures continue to drop, please be sure to send children with appropriate winter clothing for outdoor recess. This includes boots, snow pants, hat, and gloves. In addition, please label your child’s items as our lost & found box continues to grow. If your child is missing something, please stop by and check out the lost & found box located outside the main office. Our next donation period will be immediately following winter break. Thank you!

Blue Zone Traffic - Spurred by a recent school council conversation as well as the ongoing struggles we’ve had with congestion, I have reached out to other elementary schools to learn more about how they deal with the same issues. I plan to use some of what I’ve learned to modify our approach at Horace Mann. I will share details in the next edition of NewsNotes outlining how we will do things differently to ensure the safety of the students.

Metco Jazz Brunch - On Sunday, December 11th, several staff and families will be attending the Metco Jazz Brunch as part of the 50th Anniversary of the Metco Program. We have a limited number of seats available for any families who might be interested in attending. Details of the event are posted below. If you are interested, please send me an email at mark_nardelli@newton.k12.ma.us with your name and the number of seats you are requesting. Seats are first-come first-served. Thank you to the HM PTO for sponsoring family attendance at this event.

Reminder from the Newton Early Childhood Program:

NECP Open house for prospective parents 17-18 school year
December 6th 10-11 am
January 11th 5:30-6:30 pm

Parking/Entrance from 150 Jackson Road Newton, MA 02458

We still have openings for the 2016-2017 school year. Please call 617-559-6050 or visit the Newton Public Schools/Newton Early Childhood website for more information. Financial assistance is available.