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

 

Horace Mann Building and Design Committee Meeting Reminder

 Dear HM Families,

As a reminder, there is a meeting of the Horace Mann School Building and Design Review Committees on Thursday evening at 6:00pm. You probably have the link for the meeting already, but if not here it is: https://newtonma-gov.zoom.us/j/81498253314?pwd=NE82VDU4ZEx3NUZQK3ljcHFNR21pdz09.

At this meeting we will be going over a few minor changes to the site plan and interior floor plans.

I will also be explaining Thursday evening that this will be our last meeting where the SBC takes the lead. After this meeting, the SBC will join the DRC on Wednesday evenings as we move further into the schematic design phase and start working on Site Plan Approval. This does not in any way diminish the role of the SBC. The DRC has always welcomed feedback, input, and questions from the SBC members. We've still got lots of design work left to do so there will be ample opportunity to stay involved and help continue to shape the future of this project. This transition occurs to align the process with the City of Newton Revised Ordinances that drive the roles and responsibilities of the Design Review Committee.

Regards,
​
Josh Morse
Public Buildings Commissioner
Public Buildings Department
City of Newton

Horace Mann Principal Update 10/22/23

Horace Mann Principal - Update October 22nd, 2023 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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Panorama Education - The Newton Public Schools has partnered with Panorama Education, a student survey and social emotional platform, to support us in gathering information and providing school based supports. Twice a year, in October and February, classroom teachers will fill out a short (7 question) survey that asks about teachers' impressions of student well being and engagement in the classroom. The survey will serve as a screening tool that will provide us with big picture information about how our students present in school. The data will provide invaluable insights into our students’ experiences and how we can improve and adapt our district to better meet their needs. In practice, this could include conducting whole class SEL lessons, refining Hawk Family placements, creating lunch and snack groups, or organizing peer leadership groups. Panorama Education also has a wealth of additional ideas for supporting students and helping them stay connected and engaged in school. Panorama aligns with the same framework our Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program is designed around - the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework. The CASEL framework identifies five core competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Our surveys were created to measure these same competencies. Please reach out to me at nardellimv@newton.k12.ma.us if you have any questions or concerns. Below is a sample of some of the questions that we ask classroom teachers to consider... I'm writing to inform you of the NPS district 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. Current Literacy Screening Tools In Newton, we use the following early literacy universal screeners: EarlyBird for Kindergarten and the i-Ready Diagnostic accompanied by 1-1 DIBELS tasks for grades 1-3. These screeners are endorsed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. They provide information about skills related to successful reading and help teachers understand a student's risk of facing challenges. They do not diagnose dyslexia or other reading disabilities. Reporting to Families Following the screening assessments, grade-level teams review 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. If your child scores significantly below benchmark levels, we will also share an intervention plan. Also, your child’s teacher will talk about this topic at your fall conferences. 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