Dear HM Families,
ESSENTIAL INFO: In the interest of making things more accessible, I’ve highlighted key info here:
Virtual Science Night - Enjoy a night of VIRTUAL science fun tonight! Friday, 7 p.m., February 26, 2021. Here is the link to the show: https://youtu.be/4uF6KqrKMrI
March Schedule Change - Due to the Special City Election on Tuesday, March 16th, we need to switch the in-person day for Cohort A. Cohort A will attend in person on Wednesday, March 17th, instead of Tuesday. All students will follow the Wednesday remote schedule on Tuesday, March 16th.
Kindness Week - March 1st - March 5th. Students are encouraged to carry out acts of kindness at school, online, and at home! Post your pictures and deeds on our padlet: https://padlet.com/
schofieldlib/HMKindness
- Facilities Update- Please click the following links for a detailed update on the work that has been done at HM so far as well as a description of the design planning that was underway prior to the pandemic.
DETAILED UPDATES: If you would like more detail about what’s been happening at school, feel free to read the rest of the updates below:
Kindergarten Planning for Fall 2021 - We are starting to plan for Kindergarten for the 2021-2022 school year! If your child will be turning 5 years old prior to September 1, 2021, please complete the NPS school survey (instructions noted below):
To assist us with planning educational programs for the coming school year, we ask you to complete a short on-line survey, or "census form," to let us know your plans for your child’s school registration in the fall of 2021. Please note that your student must turn 5 years old prior to September 1, 2021 to be eligible for Kindergarten in the 2021-22 school year.
Here is the form:
https://forms.gle/
Please complete the form by Friday, March 5, 2021. Thank you so much for your assistance.
YOUTH ARTS MONTH - This is a call for students in grades K-5 to contribute an image of their artwork to a Youth Arts Month Elementary Virtual Art Exhibit.
During this unprecedented school year, one aspect of every child’s Newton Public Schools’ education that has been missing is the opportunity to access the rich resources for creativity that is provided in each visual art classroom across our district. The elementary visual art teachers have responded to this crisis with innovative and engaging strategies to provide art-making experiences through our remote learning platforms.
As a result, students across the district are finding ways to create in and outside their homes an array of beautifully imaginative artwork. As your Fine Arts Coordinator, one aspect of my job that I greatly miss is the opportunity to coordinate the seasonal student art exhibits and receptions at the NPS Education Center and I look forward to the day we can return to gather for these events once again.
Many students are now accustomed to taking photos of their artwork and uploading them to their teacher’s chosen platform.
To participate in the Youth Arts Month Elementary Virtual Art Exhibit, please follow these steps.
Images must be JPEG format.
Limit 3 images per student.
Provide the student’s full name, only first names will be displayed Submissions will be accepted March 1 - 26.
The Art Exhibit video will be introduced in early March on the district website and updated each week through the end of the month. Use this link to submit artwork:
https://docs.google.com/forms/
I look forward to receiving your contributions to this Youth Arts Month Virtual Art Exhibit. Sincerely, Richard P. King Fine Arts Coordinator K-8 kingr@newton.k12.ma.us
SEPAC Presentation - Please join Newton SEPAC for a presentation on:
Basic Rights under Special Education Laws
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Where: Zoom (link below)
Presented by:
Leslie Lockhart, Mass Advocates for Children
Please join us on Tuesday, March 2, at 7:30 pm, for a presentation and discussion about student and family basic rights under special education laws and regulations.
Whether you're new to the world of special education or a seasoned (scarred?) special education parent, there are always new and helpful insights from each Basic Rights presentation!
We're excited to have Leslie Lockhart as our presenter. Leslie is the Mass Advocates for Children’s Helpline Coordinator. She was also a founding member and driving force of the original Newton SEPAC.
Zoom meeting information:
Topic: Newton SEPAC - March 2nd Presentation
Time: Mar 2, 2021 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://middlesex-mass-edu.
Meeting ID: 985 3829 1113
Passcode: 457897
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,98538291113#,,,,
+16465588656,,98538291113#,,,,
Newton Theater Company Presents a Medal for Willie - Saturday, February 27th at 8pm
Join us for a virtual production of William Branch’s A Medal for Willie, a powerful play which examines the intersection of segregation and racism during a time when both were permitted to flourish. Set in a small town during the Jim Crow era with eerily contemporary parallels, A Medal for Willie serves as a reminder that bias and supremacy must always be challenged and that change can occur in even the smallest pockets of our society. The play will be followed by an audience Q&A, with a panel of the cast, directors, and members of Families Organizing for Racial Justice (FORJ). After the show, please stay for a talkback conversation facilitated by FORJ. We will explore the themes of bias, prejudice, and structural racism embedded within the play and confront its modern-day relevance. Theater offers a compelling and interesting vehicle for us to delve into challenging conversations with honesty and bravery. It is our hope that this talkback conversation is engaging, thought-provoking, and furthers our understanding of how we can interrupt the corrosive effects of racism. |
This production is made possible by a generous grant from the Harmony Foundation, and is being produced in partnership with Overdue: Confronting Race and Racism in Newton. We are grateful to both of these organizations for their support.
February 25th School Committee Meeting Recap - Below is a link to the recording from our meeting with School Committee members and Superintendent David Fleishman.
https://drive.google.com/file/
If you don't have time to watch the whole thing... below are a few themes that came up:
Several parents expressed concerns about the future of the HM facility and any plans to renovate. SC members expressed a willingness to have a smaller meeting to talk with parents interested in continuing the conversation about the facility. Parents also expressed concern about HM's place in the city's CIP (Capital Improvement Plan).
We talked a lot about the recent news from DESE regarding upcoming changes to our learning model. The state of MA will soon require all K-5 students to be in person 5 days per week starting in early April. Below are some additional thoughts that came up on this topic:
We are working on a plan to combine cohorts for late March/early April. All students would attend school 5 days per week (we still don't know the parameters: end of day, will we serve lunch?, etc.)
Teachers and administrators are working together to plan the next version of what school will look like.
We will continue to have a DLA program. We aren't sure if or how much movement between the DLA and In-Person models will be possible.
Specials (Library, Art, Music, PE) will still be remote. Teacher schedules are intertwined with DLA which limits changes to any special program we might offer.
We talked about the impact on combining cohorts: Families acknowledged significant stress/anxiety at home and hope this change will be positive for students struggling with remote learning. It may also be hard for students who have thrived with small group learning.
I am in regular contact with DAD about the changes and we will work together to keep families in mind about after-care needs.
MCAS will take place this year, although the test is shorter. We are trying to minimize anxiety around taking this test.
A few parents wondered about creating more partnerships with nearby colleges to help support students.
We have two situations (Sandison Grade 2/3 split and Thorne Grade 1 DLA/Hybrid) that will require additional thinking and creativity with regard to this schedule change. Mark will schedule meetings with those families prior to any changes taking place.
If I missed anything, I will be writing to all of you again as we have further developments on our changing model. I know that the district will be communicating changes as well.
Thanks and have a good weekend!
Mark Nardelli
