February 7th Early Release: This coming WEDNESDAY is an EARLY RELEASE for ALL STUDENTS. For staff professional development, we will continue our equity work and the importance of our own learning about building a culturally responsive school environment. My belief is that the more we can hear about the real life experiences of students (from a variety of perspectives), the more insight we gain into how our school and our classroom practices can support the growth and learning of everyone. To that end, for this two hour window, we will have a group of 15 or more Newton North High School students come to Horace Mann to talk to us about their experiences attending the Newton schools. This panel will share monologues and answer questions from staff. Our hope is to hear not only the negative or challenging experiences, but also the moments and efforts that helped these students to feel valued, connected and supported. For those of you interested in seeing last year’s students speaking as part of the Monologue Project, please click on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTqZZoigJVQ&feature=youtu.be
Parent Workshop Survey: We will be hosting a parent workshop on March 1st. Please save the date. Prior to this event, we would like to get some input from the community about the content for this workshop. Please click on the following link to complete a 2 minute survey:
https://goo.gl/forms/I6nhNDAfp9vNnMpq1
We will compile the data and create a workshop plan prior to the February break.
FORJ - Families Organizing for Racial Justice: is a Newton-wide group created by district parents. At Horace Mann, we want to support and build on the work being done by our principal and teachers to recognize privilege and develop an approach to diversity and inclusion work that enables all HM students, staff and families to feel that they belong.
Parents and guardians of students at Horace Mann Elementary School are invited to come to the school on Monday, February 12 from 7-9pm to discuss videos on racial identity, and how we teach our children about social justice and to stand up for one another. This is a parent-led initiative. Your suggestions for discussion materials for future sessions are welcome! Send them to cpruitt@gmail.com
Here’s the link to RSVP for the event:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSftjoQsD7xylP8OfJlOxZLA8w0fXm16tzGp7SfMukjXWxGEsQ/viewform
Annual PTO/School Committee/Superintendent Visit: Each year, Superintendent David Fleishman and members of the School Committee visit each school, inviting parents to hear important district updates as well as have a chance to ask questions.
This year’s event will be in the evening on Tuesday, February 27th at 6:30 pm in our music/afterschool space. All are welcome.
Snow Removal Feedback: The following message is from Caleb McDermott who is reaching out on behalf of Emily Norton of the Newton City Council. On January 28th, Emily posted a poll regarding Sidewalk Snow Removal in Newton. As of last week, over 500 Newton residents have responded with their opinion.
Please help Newton’s constituents and government by spreading the word about the opportunity to voice opinions on this issue. Attached a live link to the poll:
Participate in the Newton Poll: https://app.involved.mobi/question/?id=119
Responsive Home Workshop: If you would like to expand your toolbox for how to manage your child’s behavior at home, Newton is offering a free workshop on Wednesday, February 7th from 6:30-8:30 pm in room 210 at the Ed Center on Walnut St.
