Newtown Public Schools

Today we welcomed our entire staff back at our annual Convocation. Convocation is always a special day as it is the only day that our entire staff convenes together. It is a time to celebrate who we are as a school district, recognize the milestones of our veteran staff, as well as to acknowledge and honor our Paraeducator and Teacher of the Year.

Following Convocation, our paraeducators participated in a variety of professional learning sessions and the rest of our staff returned to their buildings for the first of a busy three days filled with meetings, professional learning, planning time, “meet and greets” with families, and time for team-building, all in an effort to prepare for a successful school year ahead!

As I shared last week, some of our schools sustained water damage as a result of last weekend’s epic rain event. Each of the impacted spaces have been thoroughly inspected and cleaned. Potential issues are being actively mitigated through the collaborative efforts of our Director of Facilities, John Barlow, his maintenance and custodial crew and an outside restoration specialist. At this time, we do not anticipate any issues impacting building use by the time our students return on Thursday.

Our Department of Public Works have been working tirelessly to open road access. At this time, it is expected that our buses will be able to run their regular routes with minimal disruption. Keep in mind that it is typical for buses to run late during the first few days of school, sometimes up to 30 minutes. As we become aware of delays, we will do our best to notify you through School Messenger.

Enjoy the last few days of summer with your family. I look forward to seeing all of our students' smiling faces on Thursday!

Warm regards,

Anne

Next Monday, September 2, 2024, is Labor Day. There is no school and the next NPS Weekly Update will be on Tuesday, September 3, 2024.

The full district calendar can be found here.

This year, Newtown Public Schools welcomed 30 new certified staff members to our team representing a variety of roles - paraeducators, classroom teachers, school psychologists, building substitutes, interns, and unified arts teachers, to name a few. Our new educators spent five days prior to the return of the rest of the faculty, learning about all things "Newtown". Annie Fries, New Staff Orientation (NSO) Coordinator, planned a robust week of learning to help prepare our new teachers for the first year. Some of the topics at NSO included an introduction to concept-based curriculum and instruction, health care, security, community building, promoting a positive and inclusive classroom and school environment and meeting the needs of all learners. Of course, the highlight of the week was the bus tour of our community and a celebratory ice cream at Ferris Creamery to close out the week.

Today we celebrate the start of the new school year and recognize the accomplishments of our amazing staff!

Cathryn Greer - Custodian at Head O’Meadow School

Marianne Grimaldi - Administrative Assistant to the Principal of Hawley School

Deborah Modzelewski - Administrative Assistant at Newtown High School

Tim Napolitano - Principal of Head O’Meadow School

Denise Shull - Paraeducator at Newtown Middle School

Kerri Sommer - Teacher at Sandy Hook School

Jeffrey Tolson - Guidance Counselor at Newtown High School

Eric Ventura - Custodian at Newtown High School

Jennifer has been a paraeducator at Reed Intermediate School for 9 years. She has an unwavering commitment to our students and has consistently gone above and beyond to support both students and staff. Her positive attitude and kindness have made a significant impact on the educational experience of our students.

Anne has been a teacher at Hawley Elementary School for 20 years and also has taught 4 years in Binghampton, New York. She has consistently demonstrated exemplary dedication, passion, and innovation in her teaching approach, inspiring not only her students but also her colleagues. Anne has fostered a positive learning environment, nurturing the curiosity of our students and embodying the value we hold dear.

A special thank you to Newtown's PTAs for all they do to support our teachers!

*Pictured below: Heymi Colon and Jessie Kenney (NMS PTA President & Vice President) along with their NMS students

Kate at Stone Bridge Center for Health & Rehabilitation dropped off many donated items to the Central Office for our 4 elementary schools. We are so grateful!