Important Horace Mann Calendar Updates

Weekly COVID Case Number Report - Week of February 14th

For the week of February 14th, Horace Mann school has recorded zero (0) positive COVID cases (students and staff) at our school.

Vaccine Clinic

TUESDAY MARCH 1, 2022  8:00 AM - 11:00 AM

LINCOLN-ELIOT SCHOOL (191 PEARL ST) ROOM 158

Pediatric Pfizer vaccines will be available.

This clinic is open to children ages 5-11 for first doses and second doses with appropriate documentation. A clinic for the second dose may be scheduled for March 22. More information to come.

 

For kids who don't go to LE, they'll be prioritized to get the vaccine first so they can go to school right after.

Click Here to Register  

https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/transformativehealth?calendar=5fdeede5-ab02-41be-8dc4-d4d44cc6dac5

 

PTO sponsored meeting with School Committee/Superintendent Meeting: Each year, we host a meeting to talk about all things related to Horace Mann and the larger school district.   

Wednesday, March 9th at  6:30 PM

Join Zoom Meeting

https://newton-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/2454370913?pwd=NVhVUzR6WVNCVkw3MVovTTNKSm1idz09

 

Meeting ID: 245 437 0913

Passcode: Hawks

 

 

 

Public Information Session on a proposal for Albemarle Traffic Calming and Bike Lanes

The City of Newton will be hosting a Public Information Session on a proposal for Albemarle Traffic Calming and Bike Lanes. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday March 10 at 5:30-7:00 PM via zoom (info below). Information on the project, including a copy of the presentation and proposal will be posted to the website for review prior to the meeting at

https://www.newtonma.gov/government/planning/transportation-planning/projects/albemarle-traffic-calming-bike-lane.   

 

Topic: Albemarle Public Information Session

Date: Thursday March 10, 5:30-7:00 PM

 

Join Zoom Meeting

 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87482389468?pwd=N29DcVlUV0lEZWdsS01yUkVNMnQvZz09

 

Meeting ID: 874 8238 9468

Passcode: 661700

5th Grade Day Middle School Transition Update

5th Grade Parent Night at Day Middle School, which is scheduled this year for Thursday, March 10, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.  While it is possible that this will be a virtual event, we are waiting until March 4th to make that final determination as it is my hope to be able to welcome you to Day in person.  Please look for more information on the event to be sent out by Friday, March 5th. For now, I ask that you save the date.

5th Grade Day Middle School Information Meeting for Families of Students Receiving Special Ed Services

Monday, March 14th 12:30pm – 1:30pm

Join Zoom Meeting
https://newton-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/81668413528

Meeting ID: 816 6841 3528
Passcode: 171169

NewsNotes 2/11/22

NewsNotes Issue #11 February 11, 2022 From the Principal Essential Info Weekly COVID Case Number Report - Week of January 24th For the week of February 7th, Horace Mann school recorded zero (0) positive COVID cases (students and staff) at our school.   NEW COVID TESTING PROGRAM (see details in the next section) All families need to “opt-in” to this new testing program. The previous consent form will not apply.  Access the Opt-in form through Aspen parent/guardian account: Aspen  Follow these instructions (link) once you are logged into Aspen FACILITIES UPDATE -   The work for the new building addition is ongoing.  For all of the meeting updates, video recordings, and details of the addition project, you can click on the following link: https://www.newtonma.gov/government/public-buildings/capital-projects-investing-now-for-newton-s-future/school-projects/horace-mann SCIENCE NIGHT - Will again be online this year on Thursday, February 17th.  Stay tuned for the Youtube link coming later this week. Detailed Updates Staffing Update - We have made an offer to hire a part time social worker to fill in for Mary Gartland for the remainder of the school year.  Annie Bucelot is a licensed SW who has extensive experience in a variety of settings.   Annie will support our work to provide individual social-emotional supports to students, to run small social groups, and to serve as a resource for parents/caregivers who need assistance accessing supports outside of school.  As a school based team, we will be making decisions about priorities in how we will deliver services. Please welcome Annie to the HM staff! Hawk Families - In classrooms and at this week’s Hawk Family meetings, our school-wide theme was to focus on the idea of empathy.  Classroom teachers shared the following slide show and had a discussion about the concept of empathy and had a conversation about the included story. EMPATHY SLIDE SHOW AND STORY On Friday morning during Hawk Families, small groups did a variety of things to continue the exploration.  Some groups identified feelings, enacted skits, created cards and other crafts, or made plans to carry out random acts of kindness.  Feel free to ask your child about their experience. 5th Grade Reading Mentors - We have enlisted the support of a number of our 5th graders to do some reading with younger students to help them practice fluency, expression, and comprehension. It is also a great feeling for our 5th graders to know they are being helpful in a meaningful way. Progress Reports - January Elementary Progress Reports are now available from the Newton Public Schools through the Aspen Family Portal.   In order to view, print or download a copy of your child's January progress report, which includes narrative comments, please do the following: Log into Aspen Family portal - (https://aspen.newton.k12.ma.us/aspen/logon.do) using your Aspen username and password. You can find the link on your school and the district's home page. Once you have logged in, Elementary Progress Reports can be found under the "Published Reports". Additional Information about the Elementary Progress reports, including descriptors can be found at the following link: (https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/759). You can find previous year's progress reports in Aspen by navigating to the Family tab at the top and then clicking on Documents on the right. If you have trouble logging in or have other technical issues please email us at aspen@newton.k12.ma.us. Please note to first use the "I forgot my password" (located on the Aspen Login page) if you don't remember your login information. Covid Testing Program - As shared previously and posted on the NPS website here (link), the Newton Public Schools is shifting its testing strategy away from pooled testing (PCR) and toward at-home weekly rapid antigen tests. This new weekly at-home rapid antigen test is for ALL students PreK-12+ (vaccinated and unvaccinated.) Staff & students who've had covid within 90 days can opt-in for the take-home tests, but should NOT test for 90 days from their symptom onset or diagnosis. Below is specific information you will need in order for your student to participate in the new at-home testing program: All families need to “opt-in” to this new testing program. The previous consent form will not apply.  Access the Opt-in form through Aspen parent/guardian account: Aspen  Follow these instructions (link) once you are logged into Aspen An at-home rapid antigen tests kit will be distributed at school every other week. Each kit will contain two tests. NPS recommends that all families conduct a rapid test on TUESDAY of each week.  Here are printed instructions (link) for conducting the test at home. Here is a video tutorial (link) on conducting the test. Translations are included. Only positive results need to be reported to the school. You will complete this form (link) to report a positive result. Nurses will provide follow up information to families, including the date for return to school, following a positive test. In addition to the weekly at-home rapid antigen testing program, we will continue in-school symptomatic testing for students and staff that develop symptoms during the school day. We will discontinue the Test and Stay testing program and contact tracing. Please be vigilant in checking your student for symptoms, conducting the daily health assessment (link), and staying home when sick. All testing information can be found on our website here: NPS COVID Testing Webpage. This includes a Frequent Asked Questions document. PTO sponsored meeting with School Committee/Superintendent Meeting:  Each year, we host a meeting to talk about all things related to Horace Mann and the larger school district.  This year’s meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 9th at  6:30 PM.  This meeting will take place on Zoom. Greater Boston STEM Program - Our names are Yuen Ler Chow and Elena Su, and we are current freshmen at Harvard and MIT. We are the co-founders of the Greater Boston STEM Program (gbSTEM), an enrichment program that delivers free introductory computer science, math, and engineering courses to elementary and middle school students in the Greater Boston area. Since March 2020, our team of dedicated high school volunteers have brought free lessons to over 600 Massachusetts youth. Classes will be held through Zoom, and we pride ourselves in our innovative curriculum and collaboration-based learning model.    We are delighted to announce that we will be offering a spring semester of gbSTEM to Horace Man students, which will run from March 14th to December 12th, 2022!  The registration deadline is March 6th, 2022.    Information about our program and the registration form can be found at our website: https://gbstem.org   If you have any questions, please contact gbstemprogram@gmail.com. We are so excited to work with your family this fall! _________________ Thank you so much for your time and consideration! Sincerely, Mia Gilmore Director of Outreach, gbSTEM SEPAC/Family Workshops Wednesday, February 16, 2022 7-8:30pm* Topic - Schedule and Routines (module 4) Thursday, March 3, 2022 9-10:30am Topic - Schedule and Routines (module 4) From the PTO Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! The PTO is on Facebook and Instagram! Follow us: @hmannpto (Instagram) and Horace Mann Parents Group (Facebook). You can also email us at hmannpto@gmail.com. New Date for FORJ Book Club The FORJ book club has rescheduled its March meeting-- the discussion of King and the Dragonflies will be March 17 at 7pm on Zoom. The PTO purchased copies of the books for anyone interested in reading them-- just email our awesome librarian, Ms. Guzzi, (guzzih@newton.k12.ma.us) and she will send a copy home with your student. The books and discussions are meant for students and caregivers together. Email BurrFORJ171@gmail.com or espinaln527@gmail.com to join! Volunteer For the PTO! Got a few minutes or hours to help? Please email us at hmannpto@gmail.com if you can help with any of these volunteer jobs. Thank you! Are you comfortable using WordPress (or willing to learn)? Help update the PTO website! Requires a few hours per month. Want to show our teachers some love? Help organize the end-of-year luncheon! Work with an experienced volunteer this year and organize the event next year. Requires a few hours per week in May - early June. Organize the fall gift fundraiser. Requires a few hours per week in the fall. Represent HM in the Newton Safe Routes to School organization. Attend monthly meetings, organize participation in walk-to-school events, help all our students get to school safely! More info: Safe Routes to School  Upcoming Social Events More info coming soon on these fun events! Science Night World Premiere on YouTube: Thurs. 2/17 Food Trucks at HM: Fri. 3/4 Playground Date & Treats: Sat. 3/5 Virtual Talent Show: Fri. 4/29 Food and Culture Night: Thurs. 5/12 (in person!) Mystery Gather & Chill: Early June Alert the City if Sidewalks Need Clearing If you notice a sidewalk or crosswalk that hasn't been properly cleared, please report it to the City of Newton through 311 (call, use the app, or visit this website). The City will send out a bobcat to clear the sidewalk or intersection. Please help our students and families stay safe! Support HM When You Shop Remember Horace Mann when you are shopping at Amazon or scanning your supermarket receipts. Donate to Horace Mann with purchases you already make! You shop. Amazon gives. Start at http://smile.amazon.com and set "Horace Mann Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization" as your charity. Amazon will donate to HM with every purchase. Shopping for holiday cards or personalized items? Try minted.com. Use code FUNDRAISEHORACE to save 20% and Minted will donate 15% of your order back to the PTO. Thanks for paying your PTO dues The PTO has a suggested donation of $50 per student or $150 per family for our annual dues. You can pay on-line through Membership toolkit. All dues goes to the operating budget of the PTO. Looking Ahead Upcoming Events Thursday, February 17 Virtual Science Night Monday, February 21 Winter Vacation Tuesday, February 22 Winter Vacation Wednesday, February 23 Winter Vacation Thursday, February 24 Winter Vacation Friday, February 25 Winter Vacation Quick Links

Horace Mann PTO 225 Nevada Street Newton, MA 02460 hmannpto@gmail.com