Category Archives: From Newton Public Schools

News from Newton Public Schools

Book Discussion Invitation

October 23, 2015

Dear Newton Families,

As many of you know, college admissions has become an increasingly frenetic and pressured process. While our high schools in Newton have developed a college planning philosophy designed to support students and families, the energy, angst and resource devoted to the process can push some students and their families to the brink. What should we do about a phenomenon that can feel out of control?

New York Times columnist and best selling author, Frank Bruni, has written a compelling new book which offers a thoughtful perspective on college admissions. In sum, Bruni argues that where a student goes to college is far less important than many of us previously believed. The book offers a counter narrative for students and their families who feel that their future and self-worth depends on a “yes” or a “no” from a certain group of colleges.

I think Bruni’s perspective is especially timely given that we have seen a spike in stress and anxiety among our students. Since reading the book, I have a consistently quoted Bruni when the topic of college admissions comes up in conversation: “Where you go is not who you’ll be.” I hope this message resonates with others after reading his book.

On Wednesday, December 2nd, I will hold a superintendent/parent book discussion on Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be. It will give us an opportunity to talk about the book as a community and hear from a panel with extensive experience in the college admissions process. The panelists will include:

  •  Jennifer King, College Consultant and Retired Guidance Department Head, Newton
    South High School
  • Beth Swederskas, Guidance Department Head, Newton North High School
  • Ronne Patrick Turner, Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of
    Admissions – Northeastern University

Here are the details:
December 2nd (7:00 p.m-8:30 p.m.)
Newton South Library

Here is the link with further information about the book. We have also included articles written by Frank Bruni on the topic. http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/bookdiscussion2015
I hope to see you for what should be a lively conversation on December 2nd.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools

Video can be seen here: Video invitation

Letter from the Superintendent

Dear Newton Families,

As many of you know, college admissions has become an increasingly frenetic and pressured process. While our high schools in Newton have developed a college planning philosophy designed to support students and families, the energy, angst and resource devoted to the process can push some students and their families to the brink. What should we do about a phenomenon that can feel out of control?

New York Times columnist and best selling author, Frank Bruni, has written a compelling new book which offers a thoughtful perspective on college admissions. In sum, Bruni argues that where a student goes to college is far less important than many of us previously believed. The book offers a counter narrative for students and their families who feel that their future and self-worth depends on a “yes” or a “no” from a certain group of colleges.

I think Bruni’s perspective is especially timely given that we have seen a spike in stress and anxiety among our students. Since reading the book, I have a consistently quoted Bruni when the topic of college admissions comes up in conversation: “Where you go is not who you’ll be.” I hope this message resonates with others after reading his book.

On Wednesday, December 2nd, I will hold a superintendent/parent book discussion on Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be. It will give us an opportunity to talk about the book as a community and hear from a panel with extensive experience in the college admissions process. The panelists will include:

  • Jennifer King, College Consultant and Retired Guidance Department Head, Newton South High School
  • Beth Swederkas, Guidance Department Head, Newton North High School
  • Ronne Patrick Turner, Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions – Northeastern University

Here are the details:
December 2nd  7:00 -8:30 pm
Newton South Library

Here is the link with further information about the book. We have also included articles written by Frank Bruni on the topic.http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/bookdiscussion2015

I hope to see you for what should be a lively conversation on December 2nd.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman

Superintendent of Schools

Newton’s One to One Program

Could your first through sixth grade child benefit from the consistent, caring friendship of a Newton teenager? Newton’s One to One Program has an enthusiastic and responsible new group of high school juniors & seniors from Newton North and Newton South High Schools.

If you would like the opportunity to have your child matched this academic year with a “Big Brother/Sister”, please call or email Nancy Holczer, Program Director by the end of October for more information. Sooner is better through. Please leave a message when calling 617-559-9460 with your name, address, and phone number or email info to Nancy at Nancy_Holczer@newton.k12.ma.us .

A program of the Newton Public Schools since 1972.

Student Reassignment information

This is an exciting time of elementary school facilities renovation and expansion in the Newton Public Schools. Because Newton’s new schools will have expanded capacity to address enrollment growth, and there are currently elementary schools that are overcrowded, a Student Assignment Working Group, appointed by the Newton School Committee, has been examining elementary school boundary lines. Multiple scenarios have been developed that explore the possibilities for easing crowding while also utilizing expanded capacity at the new Angier, Zervas and Cabot Schools.

A recommendation to School Committee will be presented on June 15, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at the Education Center, room 210. A public hearing is scheduled for June 22, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. at the Education Center, room 210 followed by a meeting of the School Committee. Both meetings are open to the public and will be televised on NewTV.

If you have not yet had an opportunity to learn about this process and/or to offer feedback about potential changes, please visit:  http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/2315

Input from all key stakeholders including parents, community members, transit and public safety experts, public officials and other community leaders continues to be critical. The Newton School Committee, Superintendent and district administration are committed to minimizing disruption for students and families, and there is a strong commitment to finding a solution that achieves the best results with the fewest drawbacks.

Student Assignment

As many of you are aware, this is an exciting time of elementary school facilities renovation and expansion in the Newton Public Schools. Because the new schools will have expanded capacity to address our enrollment growth, and we currently have elementary schools that are overcrowded, we have formed a Student Assignment Working Group that is examining elementary school boundary lines.

Over the past few months, the Student Assignment Working Group has developed a process to evaluate various student assignment scenarios. At the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 28, 2015 beginning at 7:00PM and held in the Education Center (room 210), the Student Assignment Working Group will present its latest scenarios and thinking as work continues. Additionally, there will be a Public Forum on May 11, 2015 beginning at 5:45PM and held in the Education Center (room 210), for community members to ask questions and offer comments.

The public is invited to attend both meetings as we are committed to engaging the community on this important decision. We will continue to keep you informed as the Student Assignment Working Group proceeds with its work. Please visit our Student Assignment webpage at http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/ district-initiatives/expandingcapacity/studentassignment.

Spring into Swing

Swing into Spring CASCJazz concert and reception featuring jazz vocalist Semenya McCord  to benefit NPS Creative Arts & Sciences 2015–2016 programs.

Newton Public Schools’ Creative Arts & Sciences Concert Series performer, Semenya McCord, has been invited to present a very special concert for Newton parents, faculty, and friends. Limited tickets for this 21+ event go on sale February 23rd.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the website at
http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/CASC  or contact Stacey Moriarty at stacey_moriarty@newton.k12.ma.us. Flyer for the event can be downloaded here: Flyer

April 10th, 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Newton South High School

School Committee announces Office Hours

The Newton School Committee will receive the proposed budget on March 13th and begin its review and discussion on March 16th. We will be holding office hours on March 16th following our School Committee meeting which begins at 4:30 pm. Office hours will start at approximately 6:15 or 6:30 and end at approximately 7:15.

The School Committee is eager to try this new format in order to provide you with another opportunity to provide feedback in addition to the other times for public comments. We welcome questions and input and stress that this will mainly be a listening format. We are not trying to solve problems or make promises but are there to listen to concerns, questions and suggestions.

The format will be:

  • School Committee members, in teams of at least two, will be available in room 210 at the Ed Center, 100 Walnut Street. The meeting will be an Open Meeting and may be televised by NewTV.
  • This is a casual format. They will sit with individuals or groups and listen to concerns/questions about the budget.
  • In order to facilitate as many individuals as possible, they’d like to meet with each person/group for approximately 10 minutes.
  • The budget documents will be available in advance.
  • If you have questions, or would like to sign up in advance, please contact School Committee members at schoolcommittee@newton.k12.ma.us

PARCC UPDATE

Dear Families:

As most of you know, students in Massachusetts have been tested for proficiency in English Language Arts and Mathematics since 1998 using MCAS. Over the next couple of years, MCAS will very likely be phased out and replaced by a different type of assessment designed to assess student proficiency with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which were adopted as Massachusetts state standards by the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2011. Since that time, our K-8 English Language Arts and Math departments have gradually shifted our entire curriculum to align with the Common Core in elementary and middle school.

Last year, some of our schools and classrooms were randomly selected to pilot PARCC, Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. Based on that experience, and our desire to test our students on the current curriculum, we chose to administer PARCC in all elementary and middle schools this year. Slightly more than half of the districts in Massachusetts made the same choice.

The transition to PARCC requires changes in some of our previous testing routines. In particular, thirteen (13) of our schools chose to test using the computer-based version of PARCC, something we have not done before.

The first round of PARCC testing begins March 16th and runs through April 10th, with five (5) testing sessions in that five (5) week window. The second round of PARCC testing runs from May 4th through May 21st, with three (3) testing sessions in three (3) weeks. The exact dates will vary by school and grade. Fifth and eighth graders will also take the Science MCAS in May.

Student, school and district test results will be reported similarly to MCAS, and we will analyze our performance as we do with all student learning assessments. We have worked diligently to align our curriculum to the new standards, to deliver additional resources to teachers, to refine our instructional strategies, and to provide additional support to students as necessary.

The PARCC assessment will be one measure of the outcome of our work, and we will make adjustments to our curriculum and instruction in response to student performance, as we do with all assessments. Despite the proliferation of state and federal testing, we will continue our focus on improving teaching and learning in the Newton Public Schools.

Obviously, this is a tremendous undertaking and will require a great deal of effort and communication with staff and parents. More information about the PARCC assessment is
available on the Newton Public Schools website at www.newton.k12.ma.us/PARCC

Many thanks for your understanding and support. We will be sure to keep you well informed during this time of transition.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools

Planning for the future at the elementary level

December 2014

Dear Newton Families,

As many of you are aware, we have begun an exciting time of facilities renovation and expansion in the Newton Public Schools.  The recently renovated Carr School, which is currently housing the Angier School during its renovation, is a terrific modern facility.  We expect our Long Range Facilities Plan to continue for many years.  A key aspect of this plan is not only the rebuilding and renovation of aging buildings but also expanding their capacity to meet the needs of our growing population.  A new Angier school will open in January 2016, with Zervas to follow in September 2017.  A renovated or rebuilt Cabot is planned for January 2018.

We currently have schools that are over crowded and a few schools that will soon reach expanded capacity.  As a result, we will address the student assignment process, a task that will involve moving elementary boundary lines. We expect that the student assignment plans will be addressed in phases, in order to match the timing of the various school construction and/or renovation projects.  The initial phase for the first three schools will be addressed this year and additional phases will occur as the plan for rebuilding/renovating elementary schools continues for the next 15-20 years.

I am well aware that shifting elementary boundary lines represents a significant change.  Please keep in mind that most residences across the City will remain in their current districts.  However, our space challenges necessitate some movement.  As a result, we have created a Student Assignment Working Group, which will develop criteria for evaluating various assignment scenarios based on mapping data and other information.  A recommendation will be made to the School Committee by the end of the school year.

We fully appreciate that communication and community engagement are essential when making such changes.  In addition to providing regular updates at School Committee meetings, there will be public meetings that will focus solely on this topic.  Student assignment planning will be on the agenda when School Committee members join me at PTO meetings in each of the schools over the next few months.

Our goal is to develop a process that is thoughtful and sensitive.  We will be certain to update you over the course of the year and further information will be provided on our website.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools