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

Principal Update 1/17/2024

Horace Mann Principal Update January 17th, 2024 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  Not displaying correctly? View in browser Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King's Legacy This week, in addition to stories and activities taking place in the classroom, we are taking time as a school to recognize the teachings of Dr. King in honor of his 95th birthday. This January holiday is a good opportunity to talk about kindness, friendship, empathy, and inclusion, which are all important values of the HM community. Throughout the school, we have posted 12 different quotes that exemplify Dr. King's teachings and values. At some point this week, students will have a chance to talk about one or more of the quotes and what it means for us as individuals and as a community. Students might have a discussion at morning meeting, respond to a writing prompt, or use a quote to help discuss a problem that has come up in class. From there, students will have a chance to share their understanding of the quote through an example or by paraphrasing the quote in their own words. We will then paste the student response up onto the wall next to the quote. You can also talk about these quotes at home. Just click on the link and choose one or more quotes to discuss... Martin Luther King Jr. Kindness Quotes Portrait of a Graduate Sessions - January 17th and 18th This week we will our Portrait of a Graduate work with you, our NPS community. These meetings will set the stage for developing the shared vision for what we want for our students. The sessions will explore the following questions: What are the hopes, dreams, and aspirations that our community has for our young people? What are the skills and mindsets that our children need for success in this rapidly changing and complex world? What are the implications for the design of the learning experiences—and equitable access to those experiences—we provide in our school systems? The session dates and locations are as follows: Wednesday, January 17 at 6:00 p.m - 8:00 p.m. at Newton North Thursday, January 18 at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Newton South Please choose to attend just one session. RSVP using this Google Form - POG Community Session RSVP We are excited to begin the process of developing the NPS Portrait of a Graduate with these community sessions. Your voice and input is critical to creating a portrait that reflects our community and the skills our students should have when they graduate. School Absences Chronic absenteeism (missing 10 percent or more of the school year) appears in every type of district – urban, suburban, rural, regional, traditional public schools, career technical schools, charter schools, elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. We know that there are often valid reasons for students to be absent, but, to a troubling extent, students are missing more school now than they did prior to the pandemic. Before the pandemic, 13 percent of students statewide were chronically absent. Last year, 22 percent of students – close to 1 in 4 statewide – were chronically absent. Newton Public Schools is not immune to this trend. In all but two of our 22 schools, the chronic absenteeism rate in FY23 increased from FY19. In many cases, it is double or triple what it was in FY19. As of 12/21/2023, the district’s chronic absenteeism rate K-12 is 10.6%, which means that about 11% of the district’s students (over 1,200 students) have missed 10% or more of the school year so far. We are asking you to commit to making daily school attendance part of your family’s routine again. As a leader of your family, you are the best and most important influencer of your child. When you make a point of getting them to school every day, they will understand that it is important for their success. NPS is committed to partnering with you to find ways to remove any barriers that may be hindering any child from coming to school every day. Please reach out to your student’s school for any assistance or support you might need. Kindergarten Literacy Screening Info State Literacy Reporting Requirements - This message is to inform you of our response to Massachusetts regulation 603 CMR 28.03(1)(f), which mandates early literacy universal screening for all students in grades K-3. The Newton Public Schools has a robust battery of assessments of early literacy skills. Teachers use a variety of methods, including screeners, to monitor reading development, in order to provide targeted support that helps all students thrive as successful readers and develop strong literacy skills. We take this responsibility very seriously. Reporting to Families During November and December, we conducted literacy assessments for all of our Kindergarten students using the Early Bird assessment tool. Following the screening assessments, grade-level teams reviewed results with literacy specialists and principals. As a result of the new MA regulations, families will receive a report detailing children’s outcomes within 30 school days. K families should be receiving a report by the end of this week. If your child scores significantly below benchmark levels, we will also share an intervention plan. This is not a new process for us at Horace Mann. We’ve been conducting assessments like the above, identifying students in need of intervention, and communicating with families in a variety of ways. Our aim is to collaborate with you in creating the best possible outcomes for your child's academic journey. We firmly believe that screening is one crucial step in fostering proficient readers. We are grateful for your continuous support and ongoing partnership in this journey. If you have any questions about the early literacy universal screening process, please contact Deana Lew, Elementary Literacy Coordinator, at lewd@newton.k12.ma.us. Mark Nardelli Mark is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters

Portrait of A Graduate Input

Dear HM Families,

NPS is excited to offer TWO options for the community to learn more about why we want to create a Portrait of a Graduate for our district. Come learn about how the world has changed and why our schools must change with it. You will also have the chance to provide input on what our Portrait will look like once the design team process starts. 

Ultimately, the work you help with now will set the stage for developing a shared community vision in our Portrait of a Graduate. The session dates and locations are as follows:

• Wednesday, January 17th at 6:00 p.m - 8:00 p.m. at Newton North

• Thursday, January 18th at 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Newton South

Please consider attending one of the sessions! You can RSVP using this Google Form:

POG January Community Session RSVP

The sessions will explore the following questions:

• What are the hopes, dreams, and aspirations that our community has for our young people? 

• What are the skills and mindsets that our children need for success in this rapidly changing and complex world? 

• What are the implications for the design of the learning experiences—and equitable access to those experiences—we provide in our school systems? 

Your voice and input is critical to creating a portrait that reflects our community and the skills our students should have when they graduate. We look forward to your participation.

Sincerely,

Mark Nardelli

Principal

Horace Mann Principal Update 11/17/2023

Horace Mann Principal Update November 17th, 2023 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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Horace Mann Veterans Day Appreciation At our all school assembly on Thursday, we recognized members of the HM staff and families who have served in the US Military. Thanks to all who sent something in for us to share. If you would like to see the HM Veterans, or if you would like to add to our wall, click the photo below. Also at assembly on Thursday, we talked about taking time over the next week to try to be helpful and kind. Take a look grid of activities that your child can do at home or at school. You child also will receive a hard copy to take home. Please take a few moments to talk about the choices and to remind students to take part. Feel free to come up with your own ideas! Maybe this will even encourage kind and helpful acts beyond this week! Grade 3-5 Panorama Student Survey Information Dear Parents and Caregivers: We thank you and your family for being our partners as we work together to educate the children in our district. Newton Public Schools values input from our community – and we need to hear from your child or children! Student voice is important as we work to improve outcomes for everyone. In order to learn more about student experiences at school and as a way of measuring students’ feelings of connectedness to school, their core social and emotional learning (SEL) skills, as well as mindsets, we will be asking for your child’s feedback via an online survey they will complete at school. We are partnering with a third-party vendor, Panorama Education, to support us in administering these surveys. The survey will ask students to reflect on their responses to challenging feelings, emotional regulation, growth mindset, positive feelings, supportive relationships, learning strategies, and engagement (connectedness). The survey should take 15-20 minutes to complete and students can skip any questions that they are not comfortable answering. We are asking all students in grades 3-5 to participate in the survey, once in December and again in May, as their feedback will provide invaluable insights into their experiences and how we can improve and adapt our district to their needs. The individual responses to these surveys will be completely confidential. Individual student data is maintained in secure files and databases accessible only to teachers, administrators, staff, and school officials who serve these students. In partnership with families, staff review this data alongside other information to plan interventions for students with identified needs. Survey data will also be used to plan programming for the district, schools, grade levels, classrooms, and individual students. District and school level results, which do not include individual student information, may be used by staff to improve SEL and mental health practices. District and school level results may also be shared with the community to describe the needs of our student body and opportunities for partnership.The SEL survey makes sure that student voices are heard. This letter serves as parental notification under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment. This federal law requires the Newton Public Schools to notify you and provide a mechanism for you to opt your child out of participating (or, in the alternative, obtain consent) in certain school activities including surveys that address potentially sensitive topics. If you decide you do not want your child to participate in the survey, please return the opt out form (attached below) to your child’s school office by December 1, 2023. If you have not returned this form by December 1, 2023, survey administrators will assume that you have consented to have your child participate. This is an active opt-out process. However, even if you do not return this form, your child may voluntarily decide not to participate in the survey. If you wish to review the survey, you may do so here. Specific questions about the survey should be directed to Jesse Krotick M.Ed, MSW, LICSW Coordinator of Elementary Support Stabilization and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support at 617-559-6167 or krotickj@newton.k12.ma.us. Sincerely, Jesse Krotick M.Ed, MSW, LICSW Panorama Opt-Out Revised.pdf drive.google.com Horace Mann Design Team Update The Design Review Committee meeting went quite smooth last night. We were joined by members of the Horace Mann School Building Committee and the community. Raymond Design Associates, RDA, gave the attached presentation. They were joined by Traverse Landscape Architects and our owner's project manager, NV5. NV5 got the presentation started with a brief overview of the project milestone schedule, and then they turned it over to RDA. Minor design refinements were discussed both in the site plan and the interior building plans. In general, there were no major changes to the design, but clearly more detail has been introduced. The most exciting part of the evening was the presentation of updated renderings from various locations around the building. These really helped everyone visualize the finished product, and it stimulated some great design comments and suggestions. We discussed subjects such as fencing, pedestrian flow, accessibility, building access control, planning for solar pv, and the new secondary entrance off of Nevada Street. The above rendering shows the new 2-story addition, plaza, and playground. The above image shows the view from the rear parking lot looking over the playground towards the new building addition. The playground equipment is not shown here, but it will be a new universally accessible playground. The above image is what you'll see with your back to the baseball diamond, looking towards the new building addition. The new entrance off of Nevada Street was an area that we felt could be improved. The intent is not the make the new entrance overpower the original main entrance of the historical building, so the design team will be working to simplify and soften the design in this area. If you missed the meeting last night you can watch the recording by clicking here. The next meeting of the Design Review Committee will be on Wednesday, December 13th at 6:00pm and you can join the meeting once it starts using this link: https://newtonma-gov.zoom.us/j/89900097531 Regards, ​ Josh Morse Public Buildings Commissioner Public Buildings Department City of Newton Mark Nardelli Mark is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters

Horace Mann Building Project - Meeting Tonight and Next Steps

Please see the message below regarding next steps in the building design process.  Our next meeting is TONIGHT at 6:00 PM.

 

To the Newton School Building Committee and Design Review Committee:

As noted at the recent SBC meeting on October 26, the Horace Mann Elementary School project has officially moved into the Schematic Design phase! Therefore, going forward, Horace Mann project meetings will be held at the DRC, with the SBC in attendance.

The next two meetings are scheduled as follows:

Wednesday, November 15 - 6:00PM (TONIGHT)

Wednesday, December 13 - 6:00PM

The focus of the November 15 meeting will be an overview of the project status including the Feasibility Study and the preferred design option.

 

You can join this meeting (and future DRC meetings) by clicking on this Zoom link: https://newtonma-gov.zoom.us/j/89900097531

Also please note for future planning purposes, 2024 DRC meetings are scheduled as follows:

January 10, 2024

February 14, 2024

March 13, 2024

April 10, 2024

May 15, 2024

June 12, 2024

July 10, 2024

August 14, 2024

September 11, 2024

October 16, 2024

November 13, 2024

December 11, 2024