Celebrations
- Diwali - Happy Diwali to all those who celebrated the Festival of Lights last week!
- Veterans Day - I hope people enjoyed the day off today for Veterans Day. Thank you to all Veterans who have served, along with their family members...their commitment and service is no small sacrifice, and I feel lucky that I got to use the time on Thursday to take Vincent and Alora to a parade in Natick and then to the Bruins practice at Warrior Arena.
School Connectedness Survey -
An important component of students’ success is their sense of belonging in their school. In the Newton Public Schools, we are working to be sure that each school in our district is welcoming, supportive and safe for all students. We do this work in many ways and with many different constituencies, recognizing that creating and maintaining the school climate we want involves working with all members of the school community.
To be sure we are well-informed about students’ experience, we conduct a survey each year of all students in grades 3-8 and 10. The purpose of the survey is to gauge students’ feelings about:
- Relationships with adults in school
- Relationships with peers in school
- Engagement with academic learning
- Sense of belonging at school
- Sense of being able to support peers
- Sense of empathy with others
- Access to and usefulness of academic support
- Access to and usefulness of emotional and behavioral support
- Participation and sense of belonging in sports, clubs and other school activities (middle school and high school only)
The survey is confidential, but will include student identification numbers to allow us to analyze results by subgroups of students. The management and analysis of the data we collect will be done by the Newton Public Schools data office. Each school will receive a report summarizing the results of the survey in their school and comparing results to previous years. The survey data will not be disclosed outside of NPS, with the exception of Newton city officials focused on youth and education, who may receive district-wide summarized results.
The survey will be administered between November 15th and November 24th. It takes about 15 minutes to complete. You may opt your child out of participating in this survey by submitting this Opt Out form -- Opt-Out Form -- to the main office of your child’s home school by November 12th. Copies of the opt-out form can also be found in the main office of your child’s school.
If you have not turned in the form by November 12th, we will assume consent for your child to participate. In addition, your child may voluntarily opt out or may choose to skip any questions they feel uncomfortable answering. If you wish to see the survey itself, copies to review will be available in each home school’s main office.
Your child’s participation in this survey will help inform our decisions about the effectiveness of our current programs, and to improve our programming and support as needed. Our goal is to provide each student in the Newton Public Schools with a safe and supportive learning and social environment.
Sincerely,
David Fleishman
Arrival Procedures - We are making a slight shift to our arrival plans. Children should continue to line up in their designated location each morning before 8:10 am. However, instead of having classroom teachers wait outside for all of the students, other adults will open the doors at 8:10. Our hope is that this will allow the children to get started on the day earlier with morning work, and for the younger ones, time to play and connect socially.
Understanding our Differences - Understanding Our Differences is a non-profit organization founded in Newton in 1978 that works in partnership with the Newton Public Schools to teach elementary school students about disabilities. The curriculum fosters inclusion of people with disabilities in our schools and in our community. Students in 3rd grade will learn about: Blindness/Low Vision and Deafness/Hard of Hearing. Students in 4th grade will learn about Physical Disabilities and Chronic Medical Conditions (or Learning Disabilities). Students in 5th grade will learn about Autism and Intellectual Disabilities. To learn more about UOD CLICK HERE.
SEPAC NEWS
Newton SEPAC Open Board Meeting
Tuesday, Nov. 16, 7-9pm
Virtual Only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86332072544
Agenda will be posted at www.newtonpac.org/meetings
Newton SEPAC Family Survey - Click the link to let us know your thoughts!
Presentation: Coordinating Your Special Needs Financial & Estate Planning
Thursday, Nov. 18, 1-2pm
Click HERE for more info, and to register.
Presentation Series: IEP for the Home (4-Parts, daytime and evening sessions available)
Click HERE for more info, and to register.
