Facilities Update

Facility Design Update February 16th, 2024 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  Not displaying correctly? View in browser Update from Josh Morse On Wednesday Night we had a great Design Review Committee meeting. The design team from Raymond Design Associates gave the attached presentation for the Horace Mann School Project. For those that missed the meeting you can watch the recording here. (Horace Mann starts at roughly the 01:36 mark.) The team covered updated exterior and interior renderings, floor plans, and minor refinements to the site plan. In the attachment in the images below you will find several concepts for the exterior and interior of the building.   24 0214 Horace Mann DRC-SBC meeting_RDA presentation.pdf Download 2.6 MB Mark Nardelli Mark is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters

Horace Mann Principal Update 2/13/24

Horace Mann Principal - Update February 12th, 2024 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  Not displaying correctly? View in browser I know we were all grateful to be back at school last week and it was wonderful to see one another and get back into our routines. Thank you for the positive chalk messages on the sidewalks, the cards of appreciation, the food and coffee, and the signs showing support for the Hawk community. I recognize that the strike was a challenging time for all families and we are committed to re-establishing routines and focusing on learning. Thank you as always for your partnership. As a reminder, there is a DRC/Horace Mann School Building Committee meeting scheduled for next Wednesday, 02/14, at 7:30PM. The agenda includes a presentation on the Franklin School project at 6:00PM, with the Horace Mann presentation scheduled to begin at 7:30PM. You can join this meeting (and future DRC-HMSBC meetings) by clicking on this Zoom link: https://newtonma-gov.zoom.us/j/89900097531 Below is a link to the most up to date design plans. 24 0214 Horace Mann DRC-SBC meeting_RDA presentation.pdf drive.google.com We understand that some students may be absent during some or all of the week of February 20th. During that time, teachers will continue to deliver instruction in alignment with our curriculum, with an emphasis upon practice and extensions related to the content, as needed. Any students who are absent will have time and support to make up missed instruction when they return. We encourage students who will be absent to continue to read daily. They can access math practice through ST Math. Taking pictures and journaling about experiences is a positive way to practice writing daily, as well. Please notify us if you do plan to be out of school for that week. Please reach out to me at nardellimv@newton.k12.ma.us if you have any questions or concerns. MCAS testing takes place each spring in both ELA (Reading/Writing) and Math. Fifth graders also are assessed in Sci/Technology/Engineering. Below is the schedule for Horace Mann. 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 - 2023 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. We are proud of our efforts to provide a stable and supportive environment for our students. 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. Implementation of a schoolwide plan to promote mathematical practice and intervention as part of a three year ST Math grant. 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 that are reflective of the diverse cultures that we welcome into our community. 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. Each year, the Newton Public Schools consider applications for Newton students to transfer to a school outside of their home (assigned) district. School Transfer placements are limited and made on a space available basis. Newton residents, as well as members of NTA Units A, B, C, D, E, NESA, and the Custodial Union, may apply for placement of their children in a Newton Public School. Please note: students placed in specialized education programs outside of NPS classrooms do not need to apply for a School Transfer Request. Impact on enrollment, as well as staffing and space availability, for both the requested year and for future years, are key considerations in the application process. Class, team and school sizes will be based upon current projections by the School Department. Applications for the 2024-2025 school year can be submitted online between March 1 and May 1, 2024. The online form will be available on our website at www.newton.k12.ma.us in the “Registration” section. Applications received after May 1, 2024 and before Labor Day may, under special circumstances, be considered after all other placement decisions have been made. School transfer decisions will be announced as close to June 1 as possible. Students approved for a transfer should understand that the course assignment process has begun prior to June and that they may not receive their first choice in course selection. Parents are responsible for their child’s transportation to and from the approved school. Once a School Transfer request is approved, the student will follow the feeder pattern for the new school through middle and high school. The family does not need to apply for any further school transfer requests for that child and does retain the right to return to their “home” school at the beginning of a new school year. Similarly, once children of staff and students in the METCO program are placed, the assigned elementary placement becomes their home school, and they will follow that school’s feeder pattern. Interested families may contact the Elementary Education Office (grades K-5) at 617-559-6105, the Secondary Education Office (grades 6-12) at 617-559-6115 or via email at registration@newton.k12.ma.us for additional information. Mark Nardelli Mark is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters