Horace Mann School Report Card - Every year, each public school and school district in Massachusetts receives a report card. Just as your child’s report card shows how they are doing in different subjects, the school’s report card is designed to show families how our school is doing in different areas.
A link to our school’s report card is included here - 2021 School Report Card - Horace Mann.
The report card includes multiple measures of a school’s performance – more than just MCAS scores. It represents a new way of looking at school performance, by providing information on student achievement, teacher qualifications, student learning opportunities, and more.
Report cards are designed to be useful tools for everyone connected to our school. Families can use the information to have meaningful conversations with us about what the school is doing well and where there is room for improvement. Community and education leaders can use the information to better understand how to support students and our school.
At Horace Mann we are proud of our efforts to provide a stable and supportive environment for our students, particularly in response to the disruptions created by the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, we recognize the need for thoughtful planning in the wake of the events of the last two years. We must take a renewed look at where our students are at now and what they might need moving forward. Regarding student performance in our school, we are continuously striving to improve outcomes for all students, both on standardized test scores, and in our daily work with children. This includes students who have been traditionally marginalized in a number of categories. We are continuing to employ a variety of systems and practices that we believe will help all of our students achieve at a high level. These include:
A commitment to differentiated instruction in all academic areas.
A tiered system of academic interventions in our early literacy programming that starts with assessment screenings to determine instructional level, grouping based on student need, supplemental instruction taught by our strong literacy team, and progress monitoring.
Establishment of a positive school-wide culture that embraces diversity, inclusion, kindness, compassion, and a growth mindset.
A commitment to becoming a culturally responsive, anti-racist school that ensures equitable access to pedagogy, curriculum, and school-wide practices as well as equitable outcomes for all students.
We encourage you to become involved in helping us improve our school. We see parents as critical partners in the success of our students and school, and we are grateful for your continued support.
If you have questions about our school’s report card, would like to become involved in school improvement activities, or would like to request information about the qualifications of your child’s classroom teacher, please contact Mark Nardelli at nardellimv@newton.k12.ma.us. To see our district’s report card or to search for other schools’ report cards, visit reportcards.doe.mass.edu.
Sincerely,
Mark Nardelli
Principal
Fitness for Life - We are excited to announce that we again plan to host our annual Fitness for Life school community event as we have done for many years in the past. For new families, here’s a brief overview of the event:
We reserve the fields and picnic area at the Auburndale Cove for the entire school day. We bring fitness equipment and lots of gear to the Cove for the day. Buses transport the children to and from school, and we welcome family members to attend.
Mr. Tynes creates an agenda of fitness activities for all classes to follow. Each class has their own schedule, with grades 1-5 doing a whole day, and Kindergarten doing activities until lunchtime before returning to school.
Activities include an obstacle course, fitness games, face painting, cooperative games, a trail hike/run, “ball factory”, “jump the sock”, and much more.
We also have a staggered cookout with burgers, hotdogs, and a vegetarian option, along with fruit and snacks for all of our students, staff, and family members.
Parents and caregivers can volunteer for the day to help out in some way, or you can stop by for a short time to see the festivities.
This year’s event is planned for FRIDAY, JUNE 17th. More details to follow.
5th Grade Graduation - Our 5th grade team met this past week to plan our graduation plans for the class of 2022. We really liked the format that we used last year and have decided to do the same again this year. Each class will have a unique and individualized 30 minute ceremony outside on the basketball court. Below are some of the details:
Graduation will take place on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22nd
8:30 - Akdag/Salvatore
9:15 - Moore
10:00 - Oldmixon
Family members will be welcome and encouraged to attend this event. Additional information will be shared in the coming weeks.
SEPAC INFO - The next SEPAC meeting is 3/24/22, zoom link below:
Thursday March 24, 2022 from 9:00-10:00am – Agenda, Ed Center Room 210, & Zoom Link*
The NPS Special Education Program Overview has been finalized and is now available on the NPS website. This document provides families with information on the special education programs and services provided in the Newton Public Schools and will be very useful in presenting educational opportunities to caregivers.
NPS Special Education Program Overview https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/212
Lost and Found - Members of our PTO have offered to run a monthly Lost and Found recovery effort. Beginning in April, on the first Wednesday of each month, volunteers will lay out lost and found clothing on tables in the front of school for families to recover their items. Items will be available for pickup that week during drop-off and dismissal.
MCAS - The state has reinstated a typical MCAS schedule for the 2022 school year. The dates are published below. For anyone interested in hearing more about
MCAS, I will be running a parent coffee on Zoom on Friday, March 25th at 9:15 am
https://newton-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/2454370913?pwd=NVhVUzR6WVNCVkw3MVovTTNKSm1idz09
Meeting ID: 245 437 0913
Passcode: Hawks
Start Time 9:00am | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 |
ELA | April 4th and 8th | April 7th and 12th | April 5th and 14th |
Math | May 5th and 13th | May 2nd and 10th | May 3rd and 9th |
Science | N/A | N/A | May 16th and 17th |
