Category: Newton Schools

Everything you want to know about the Newton Public School System in Newton, MA.

NNHS Seeking Host Families for China Exchange Students

Dear Newton North Parent,

NNHS is still desperately looking for host families for two high-school aged Chinese exchange students this fall. Please help us out! Students have excellent English and are excited to take part in American family life. They enroll in classes at NNHS for the duration of their hosting dates (September 2, 2017 to January 13, 2018). Host families do not have to have high-school aged students in the home – families of middle and elementary school students have hosted before with great success!

Prior host families have enjoyed the experience and said this is an amazing opportunity to learn about Chinese culture while sharing their own culture and traditions. Please note that federal law prohibits us from offering financial compensation to host families, but the experience of hosting a foreign visitor in your home is rewarding in and of itself.

If interested, please contact Global Programs Manager Samantha Mandel at samantha_mandel@newton.k12.ma.us for more information.

Thank you for your help!

Samantha Mandel

Global Education Programs Manager

Newton Public Schools

samantha_mandel@newton.k12.ma.us

(857) 636-0921

August 10, 2017
Newton Free Library offers college prep sessions this summer

Kick Start Your College Essay, Thursday, June 29, 7:30 pm, Druker Auditorium: Summer is a great time to start your college essay! Join Jane Hirschhorn of JBH Tutoring to get eleven ways to kick start your essay. We’ll go over excerpts from essays written by students admitted to prestigious colleges. This program is for high schoolers, particularly rising seniors and their parents. Register online.

Conquering the College Admissions Essay in 10 Easy Steps, Wednesday, July 12, 7:00 pm, Druker Auditorium:Join us for a discussion with Alan Gelb, the author of the bestselling, Conquering the College Admissions Essay in 10 Steps. The 3rd edition was recently published in June of this year. Alan coaches students all over the world on their personal statements. He will be conducting a workshop on how to approach this daunting assignment, answering your questions and getting you started writing this summer. For teens and parents.

Strategies for the SAT & ACT Tests, Tuesday, August 1, 7:00 pm, Druker Auditorium: Our SAT vs. ACT seminar is packed with information about the SAT and ACT and the roles they play in college admissions. An expert Princeton Review instructor will cover the content of the tests, walk you through and share some examples of our proven test-taking strategies. Register online.

SAT & ACT Practice Tests, Saturday, August 12 & 19, 10-2 pm, Druker Auditorium: How will you score? Find out by taking full-length SAT and ACT practice tests under realistic testing conditions proctored by the Princeton Review. Try your hand at the types of questions you’ll see on the real tests and get a personalized score report highlighting your strengths and areas of improvement. We’ll be offering this two Saturdays in a row, so you can have the chance to take both tests if you would like, or take one test twice! Register online for August 12 or August 19.

How to Write Great College Essays, Tuesday, August 15, 7:00 pm, Druker Auditorium: A lot of great kids write average college essays—essays about “life lessons learned from football” or “how my trip to Europe broadened my cultural horizons.” Better tales are there for the writing. This workshop will show you what admissions officers really look for in great college essays, and offer suggestions for finding and sharing your best stories. We’ll even share the five most over-used topics you must avoid and give you tips on how to start (and even finish) your essays this summer. Join Abby van Geldern, of Collegewise Newton and former college admissions counselor at RPI, for this great workshop. For teens and adults. Register online.

August 5, 2017
Summer resources for middle schoolers available online

All young people benefit from out-of-school activities that help them grow and learn, yet middle school is an age when student participation tends to decrease. The City of Newton’s Executive Office, Health and Human Services Department. and Newton Public Schools are currently working on promoting out-of-school time for middle schoolers. In the early stages of this work they have created a webpage to help families find summer options for their middle schooler, as well as provide other valuable information like financial aid tips.

They will be adding more to the webpage in the coming months but with summer coming up, they wanted to share their initial resources. Feedback and ideas are welcome.

Click here to see the middle school resources web page.

August 4, 2017
Classroom Pet Grant Program

The Pet Care Trust’s Pets in the Classroom grant program, which has previously been available to Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade teachers, will be expanding its reach beginning August 1st.

For the first time, teachers in 9th grade classrooms will also be eligible to apply. The grant program will provide Pre-Kindergarten through 9th grade teachers in both private and public schools who desire to introduce a pet into the classroom or already have a pet in the classroom with funding toward a small animal or for pet supplies.

Studies, including one completed by the American Humane Association and the Pet Care Trust, indicate that classroom pets provide a variety of benefit to students. These studies reinforce thousands of teachers’ experiences that classroom pets: aid in improving school attendance, encourage nurturing, build self esteem, promote empathy, teach responsibility, stimulate learning, enrich the classroom experience, and become friends. One little pet can help shy kids open up, slower readers build confidence, rough children develop nurturing tendencies, and uninterested students gain a new desire for learning. And with over 90,000 grants having been issued since the program’s inception, nearly 4 million children have experienced these benefits thanks to the Pets in the Classroom grant program.

The program was established by the Pet Care Trust with the knowledge that, while they are a valuable teaching tool, many teachers have very limited resources for the support of classroom animals. Through the grant program, teachers have the option to obtain a pet through one of the program’s participating retailers- Petco, Petsmart, Pet Supermarket, Pet Supplies Plus, Petland, and Petland Discounts – or to purchase their pet through a local pet store through a rebate grant. Past grant recipients are not eligible to receive funding for a new classroom pet, but are welcoming to apply for a sustaining grant, which provides up to $50 to maintain an existing classroom pet. With eight different grant types, each teacher has the opportunity to choose the grant that is right for him or her through a direct, no-hassle application on the Pets in the Classroom website (www.PetsintheClassroom.org).

For more information, visit www.PetsintheClassroom.org.

July 29, 2017
Safety Update: Newton North and South

July 14, 2017

Dear Newton Families

While I recognize that most of you do not have children in our summer programs at our high schools, I am writing to the entire community because we do have K-12 summer school, summer camps, and special education programs at both Newton North and Newton South. Today, we received an email threat directed at both high schools which was very similar to the unfounded email threats received this week in neighboring communities.

In consultation with the Newton Police and Fire Departments, and Federal Law Enforcement, we have decided to follow our safety protocol and not evacuate. Students and campers are continuing with their regular schedules and routines for the rest of the day. Parents and guardians of children in summer camps may pick up their children earlier then dismissal time if they so desire.

I am sorry to interrupt your summer with this message, and hope you and your family are enjoying a peaceful and relaxing summer.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools

July 27, 2017
NNHS Seeking Host Families for Chinese Exchange

Dear Newton North Parent,

NNHS is looking for host families for three high-school aged Chinese exchange students and one adult Chinese teacher this fall. Please help us out! Students have excellent English and are excited to take part in American family life. They enroll in classes at NNHS for the duration of their hosting dates (September 2, 2017 to January 13, 2018). You can host a student even if your child is graduating as long as you have younger children of any age in the home. Families applying to host a teacher do not need to have children in the home.

Prior host families have enjoyed the experience and said this is an amazing opportunity to learn about Chinese culture while sharing their own culture and traditions. Please note that federal law prohibits us from offering financial compensation to host families, but the experience of hosting a foreign visitor in your home is rewarding in and of itself.

If interested, please contact Global Programs Manager Samantha Mandel at samantha_mandel@newton.k12.ma.us for more information.

Thank you for your help!

Samantha Mandel

Global Education Programs Manager

Newton Public Schools

July 4, 2017
NNHS Senior Scavenger Hunt Issue

Dear Newton North Community,

On Friday some of our recent graduates participated in a scavenger hunt. This is not a school sanctioned event nor is it a part of any official senior class activities.

Unfortunately, we learned that one of the tasks on the scavenger hunt was to post to social media in a way that was deeply disrespectful and hurtful to the LGBTQ community. We were very disappointed to learn of this behavior, especially coming on the heels of such a joyful event on Wednesday. These actions do not reflect the values of our North community – values that call for us to celebrate our differences, respect and support each other, and welcome all.

This may be an opportunity to speak with your student about the importance of being a good digital citizen and the importance to be respectful to all people. As a school, we will continue to work with our current students to ensure they uphold the values of our North community as they venture forth to become citizens of our global world.

Regards,

Henry J. Turner, EdD

Principal

Newton North High School

June 26, 2017
Best public high schools in Massachusetts
Best public high schools in Massachusetts according to Niche. The 2017 Best Public High Schools ranking is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Ranking factors include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality, and high school rating.
1. Lexington High School, Lexington, MA
2. Cambridge Rindge & Latin School, Cambridge, MA
3. Newton North High School, Newton, MA
4. Wellesley Senior High School, Wellesley, MA
5. Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, MA
6. Brookline High School, Brookline, MA
7. Newton South High School, Newton, MA
8. Boston Latin School, Boston, MA
9. Weston High School, Weston, MA
10. Wayland High School, Wayland, MA
June 24, 2017
US News and World Report Best High Schools: How Does Newton Do?
According to US News and World Report, the top high 10 schools in Massachusetts are:
1. Boston Latin School, Boston (#42)
2. Advanced Math and Science Academy, Marlborough (#98)
3. Hopkinton High School, Hopkinton (#175)
4. Dover-Sherborn Regional High School, Dover-Sherborn (#217)
5. Medfield Senior High School, Medfield ( #227)
6. Lexington High School, Lexington (# 264)
7. Belmont High School, Belmont (#267)
8. Weston High School, Weston (#270)
9. Cohasset Middle/High School, Cohasset (# 292)
10. Medway High School, Medway (#293)
Newton South High School (#405)

Newton North High School (#677)

Wellesley High School (#497)

Brookline High School (#625)

Rankings are based on:
- STEP 1 | Students perform better than expected in their state.
  
  We looked at reading and math results for students on each state’s proficiency tests and then factored in the percentage of economically disadvantaged students, who tend to score lower.
- STEP 2 | Disadvantaged students perform better than state average.
  
  We compared each school’s math and reading proficiency rates for disadvantaged students – black, Hispanic and low-income – with the statewide results for these student groups and then selected schools that were performing better than their state averages.
- STEP 3 | Student graduation rates meet or exceed a national standard
  
  We excluded schools from consideration if their graduation rates were lower than 75 percent – a threshold that is higher than a federal law that requires states to give extra resources to schools below 67 percent.
- STEP 4 | Students are prepared for college-level coursework.
  
  We calculated a College Readiness Index, which is based on the school’s AP participation rate and how well the students did on those tests. Tiebeakers were used to determine ranks of schools that achieved the same College Readiness Index.
June 23, 2017
Newton Public Schools Final Budget
Dear Newton Families:

Last night, the School Committee approved the budget for the 2017-18 school year. It is a budget that reflects our commitment to improving student achievement and providing strong supports for all students.

In developing the budget, it was our goal to:
- Maintain our forward momentum,
- Preserve the programs and supports we have built over the past few years, and
- Continue to provide a high quality education to all students in the Newton Public Schools.
The 2017-18 budget was very challenging to put together. Increases in transportation, health insurance, and student services costs, coupled with the current school year deficit, left us with a budget gap of over $2 million. The balanced budget presented on March 22^nd identified areas in which programs and staffing were preserved. It also identified services we were unable to preserve due to the budget shortfall.

Earlier this week, we were notified that we would receive one-time funding from the city’s health insurance reserve fund. We also realized a reduction in bus parking expenses. Together, this funding added an additional $1,350,000 to the budget over a two-year period.

The final budget approved by School Committee allows us to preserve so many of the programs and supports we have worked hard to implement over the past several years. With the additional monies we received late in the budget process, we have been able to partially restore program areas we thought we would need to reduce more significantly, most notably library staff at our schools.

I know this budget process has been challenging and we were not able to include everything we wanted in the budget. However, I am confident we will be able to continue to provide all of our students from Pre-K – 12 with a high quality educational experience next year. In the meantime, we are looking forward to a successful finish to the current school year.

For more specific information on the budget, please visit the district website: https://tinyurl.com/lahbbx9

Sincerely,

David Fleishman

FAQ – 2017-18 Budget-FINAL
June 21, 2017