Math Coach Update - With Jesse Winch's retirement from Horace Mann at the Thanksgiving break, we have been working to acclimate our new math coach, Georgia McGinnis, to the role throughout the month of December. Georgia comes to us from Day Middle School where she taught for several years as an 8th grade math teacher and most recently served as an assistant principal.
Georgia and I have been meeting with grade level teams to provide an overview of math at each grade level. She will also spending time working directly with students in each classroom.
In addition, we are evaluating our current Title 1 math intervention plan, and will be making recommendations for changes to be implemented in January.
Please join me in welcoming Georgia to the Horace Mann team.
School Connectedness Survey - Each year, Newton Public Schools administers a School Connectedness Survey to all students in grades 3-8. Please see the included letter that describes more about the purpose and administration of this survey.
If you have any questions, please contact me at nardellimv@newton.k12.ma.us
Hawk Families Initiative - We will again take part in an initiative to foster adult/student connections, as well as student to student connections. Here are the basics:
School Council -
Are You Interested in joining the Horace Mann School Council?
The School Council is a great way to get involved with decisions that affect our children. Mandated by state law, the Council serves as an advisory board to the principal. Members include the principal, an equal number of parent and staff representatives, and a community member. School Council provides a forum to discuss and advise the principal on issues that arise throughout the year, including programmatic matters; the school improvement plan; safety and building maintenance issues; and other relevant topics. For this year, we plan to hold three meetings in the winter and spring of 2023, with 5-6 meetings being typical for a full school year. This year, meeting dates and times will be determined based on availability of the members. Options include mornings before school or shortly after school. Virtual meetings will also be an option.
The Horace Mann School Council is a separate entity from the PTO. School Council focuses on programmatic, operational, and budgetary issues, while the PTO provides social and community support and curriculum enhancement activities.
Parents are elected for 3-year terms to the School Council. The total number of parents will be dependent on the number of staff. Ideally, we will have 2-3 staff and an equal number of parents. If you would like to be a candidate for School Council for the spring of this school year, please complete the following School Council Google Form which includes: a short description of your background, why you are interested in the position, and what you would like to contribute to Horace Mann. Completed Google Forms should be completed by December 23rd. A School Council election will be administered by our PTO Board and will be held after we compile a list of interested candidates. The election will be conducted through an on-line survey.
If you are considering running for School Council and have questions, please contact any of the current representatives listed below or talk with Mark Nardelli for further information.
