Dear HM Families,
A heartfelt thank you from our staff to all of the parents and caregivers who contributed in some way to this year's wonderful staff appreciation breakfast. There were many amazing dishes to choose from, and the mix of hot and cold treats kept us well fed throughout the week. As always, we feel tremendously supported by all of our families. Thank you for everything you do!
Staffing: This week, Katie Deehan, special educator, will begin her maternity leave as she and her family anticipate the birth of their child. I’ve arranged to have Lexy Triest fill in for Katie for the time that she is out (roughly January - March). Lexy is currently licensed as a special educator and has been working as a graduate intern in our 5th grade co-taught classroom. Prior to working at Horace Mann, Lexy worked in a preK-Grade1 school, working with a variety of student needs, including academic as well as social-emotional. Her experience with this younger age group will serve her well in this new role.
Lexy and Katie had the benefit of working together the over the past two weeks to support the transition. Lexy has met the students on Katie's caseload, has gone over current progress and instructional plans, and has been reading IEPs. Holly St. Peter and I will be meeting with her this week as well to solidify her service plan. We expect that there will be no interruption to any special ed services. I’m confident that Lexy will be a solid addition to our team.
Lexy will be reaching out to families within the next day or two to introduce herself and establish a plan for communication moving forward.
Modular Reminder:
TWO large MODULAR CLASSROOMS will be DELIVERED and INSTALLED behind the Horace Mann School beginning TOMORROW (MONDAY 12/16). Because of this, we are implementing several changes to some procedures for this week:
1) THERE WILL BE NO PARKING or WALKING INTO THE REAR PARKING LOT during specified times. We will have barriers/cones put up to remind and prevent people from using the rear entrance.
2) The REAR DOORS by the CAFETERIA WILL BE CLOSED ALL WEEK (and perhaps longer). The REAR DOOR by the LIBRARY WILL ALSO BE CLOSED.
3) PLEASE ENTER and EXIT the building from NEVADA ST. ONLY. This includes classrooms who are having presentations next week.
4) PARKING WILL BE RESTRICTED ON LINWOOD AVE during specific times. DO NOT PARK WITHIN 100' of THE REAR DRIVEWAY ENTRANCE.
5) DAY AFTER DAY will also be impacted by this installation. You should have receive a separate email describing the change of procedures for DAY AFTER DAY.
Playground Meeting Reminder: Our first Meeting is Tuesday, December 17th at 3:00pm. Members of the playground committee are Cedar Pruitt, Jenna Ceddia, Wendy Vietor, Christina and Karl Abele, and Stephanie Lapham (Parks and Rec) .
Acoustics:
- This weekend, we had ceiling tiles installed in two classrooms: Room 201 (Akdag/Dias) and Room 202 (Moore).
- Work will continue tomorrow afternoon with two more classrooms on the 2nd floor.
- The contract with the installer includes a specific plan to manage any lead paint that may be present in the ceilings, in accordance with state and federal regulations. I can provide more detail about this plan for anyone who would like to see it. Just send me an email.
F.A. Day Middle School Student Services - Parent Info-Session:
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) of students at F.A. Day Middle School feeder pattern elementary schools (Horace Mann, Burr, Franklin, Cabot, Peirce) are invited to meet with Mike Thurm, Assistant Principal for Student Services, for a discussion about the transition to middle school process for 5th grade students with IEPs.
DATE: Monday, December 16th
TIME: 6:30pm – 7:30pm
LOCATION: F.A. Day Middle School Library
No RSVP Necessary
Hour of Code: Students across the world will participate in the Hour of Code 2019 during Computer Science Week December 9-15. This is the sixth year that Newton Public Schools will participate.
The Hour of Code is a “global movement reaching over 100 million students in over 180 countries.” During the Hour of Code, NPS students and teachers can choose from a variety of activities at their learning level. Our Information literacy/IT dept. will provide resources to classrooms that include a range of challenging activities beyond the prescribed hour. Lessons can be done at any time, not just the globally designated week.
NPS Gift Policy - The following message is a reminder from NPS:
Newton Public Schools allows a group gift to an individual staff member only if the gift is identified as being from the entire class, the identity of the givers and the individual amounts are not disclosed to the recipient, and the gift does not exceed $150 per school year. This differs from a gift for the classroom.
Individual gifts of appreciation in the form of sentimental tokens are allowed. Gifts of commercial value are not permitted.
Newton Public Schools allows and encourages giving to charitable organizations such as school PTO's or the Newton Schools Foundation's Honor Thy Teacher Program which honors staff while supporting our schools.
This policy, as well as all of NPS' policies and several protocols, guidelines and practices, can be found on the NPS website, on the School Committee page, at https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/2902
Please contact the Human Resources or the Law Department with any questions regarding this policy.
Thank you and wishing everyone a restful and healthy Holiday season.
Jill Murray
Legal Counsel/Interim HR Director
SEPAC Meet and Share Social
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
7-9 pm
Paddy's
95 Elm Street
West Newton
Join your fellow parents and guardians for the 2019 Newton SEPAC Social! We have reserved space at Paddy's in West Newton on Tuesday, December 17 from 7-9 pm. Come reconnect with old friends and meet other Newton parents and guardians. Share your stories from the first half of the school year and raise a glass to the holidays! There will be a cash bar.
Please RSVP at https://forms.gle/xz6EWaoG2sgcvYda9 so we can ensure we have enough space.
Contact mailto:info@newtonpac.org with any questions.
Ms. Karam and 5th Grade Mini-Golf Course: Ms. Karam, as a final promise to this year's 5th grade, spent the last several weeks working with students to a create book and topic themed mini-golf course. The students choose a theme (like this year's Harry Potter, Creepy Carrots, or Black Hole themes) and then design a single hole, using a variety of materials. Students have to be creative, have to collaborate to make decisions and divide up responsibilities, and work through design challenges. Below are a couple of examples.
Once set up, the students in all of the other classes get to come to library and play mini-golf. Thank you to Ms. Karam for this fan favorite experience. This is one of the many things we will miss about you!
Creative Arts and Sciences:
We have had several guest speakers this past week as part of our CAS program.
The first was Cory DiPina, poet and rap enthusiast. Cory spent time with our 5th grade students talking about the power of writing. He encouraged students to look at their challenges, interests, experiences and strengths to construct poems that conveyed something about who they are as a person. Corey spoke with a love and a passion for writing (something he did not experience growing up) and did his best to pass on this passion to our 5th grader students.
Kindergartners also had two programs over the past couple of weeks:
- Kemp Harris came to speak to our K classes to share his own brand of storytelling. Kemp focuses on oral storytelling tradition while also incorporating movement into his stories. His repertoire includes African folk tales, original stories and familiar stories in literature. He is truly captivating!
- The NE Aquarium also brought their Tidal Pool program to our K classes. Students learned about a variety of tidal creatures including clams, sea stars, hermit crabs, and more. Students had a chance to learn about physical features and living conditions, while also getting to see and touch live specimens.
Finally, 4th graders had the pleasure of seeing the GENKI SPARK drumming performance. "The GENKI SPARK is a multi-generational pan-Asian women’s arts and advocacy organization that uses taiko (Japanese drumming), creativity, and personal stories, to build community, develop leadership, and advocate respect for all. For centuries, taiko has played a prominent role in Japanese culture. Featured in everyday life, from cultural celebrations and religious ceremonies, to theater and dance productions this energetic and exciting art form has been highly developed and includes choreographed movement, voice, rhythm, and form.” Children got to participate by playing the drums in a powerful and inspiring group performance.
