Newtown Public Schools
Weekly Update - November 2, 2026
Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, will be celebrated on Sunday, November 8, 2026. Observed by millions of people around the world, Diwali symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. It is a time for family, friends, and communities to come together. Celebrations often include lighting diyas (small oil lamps), decorating homes with colorful rangoli designs, sharing special foods and sweets, and enjoying time with loved ones. We wish a happy and joyful Diwali to all who celebrate!
We are pleased to share an update on our Bus Patrol stop-arm enforcement program. Designed to protect students as they travel to and from school, this program is fully funded by traffic violators to help reduce illegal school bus passing across our community.
As of October 19, all Newtown school buses are officially equipped with safety cameras that automatically capture vehicles illegally passing an extended stop-arm. Following a successful warning period that wrapped up in mid-October, the live system is now active. Violators will now receive a $250 citation per incident. During the 30-day warning period, 136 potential infractions were reviewed, resulting in 93 warning citations.
Additionally, Officer Sedensky and Esquire Reef were sworn in earlier this month to serve as the program’s appointed citation hearing officers. We are proud to partner with the Newtown Police Department on this ongoing effort to keep our students safe every day.
On October 27th our NHS students were inducted into the National Art Honor Society (NAHS), the Tri-M Music Honor Society and our International Thespian Society.
The ceremony included a guest speaker, Brian McCarley who spoke about his career as a veteran, a counselor and an artist and how you should always take the classes, learn something new and take the risks because you never know where it might lead!
NMS had their NJAHS (National Junior Art Honor Society) induction ceremony on Wednesday October 28th. Guest artist, and local Bethel resident, Kirche Zeile spoke to the students about her creative professional journey, her artistic process and the importance of practicing the things you find challenging so you can grow as an artist.
Students in Music Technology 1 demonstrate software proficiency by completing an assessment on our music production application, Logic Pro. They are given an electronic rendering of the iconic main theme from the video game, “The Legend of Zelda.” Through a series of specific tasks, students then manipulate the project to make targeted improvements and generally demonstrate their mastery of foundational software skills — all within the catchy melodies of “Zelda!”
Now that October has come to a close, it's time to kick off our November initiative: the SWC League-Wide Food Drive!
Every school in the SWC will participate in a friendly competition to see which school can collect the most food and essential goods to support local families this Thanksgiving.
COLLECTION PERIOD: NOVEMBER 9–19
Here's how it will work:
Each school will collect donations for its local food pantry or shelter.
We will share a list of suggested items based on the current needs of the food pantries.
Donations will be collected and stored at each school throughout the competition.
Each school will weigh its donations and report the total weight (in pounds).
All donations must be delivered and final totals reported by November 25th.
We will review the totals and announce the school that collects the most by weight!
THE WINNING SCHOOL
A trophy will be awarded to the winning school and will serve as the official SWC League-Wide Food Drive Traveling Trophy. Each year, schools will compete for the opportunity to earn and hold the trophy until the following year's competition.
Let's rally the entire Newtown High School community! We need our students, athletes, coaches, faculty, staff, families, and community members to step up and get involved.
Spread the word, encourage donations, fill those collection boxes, and let's show the SWC what the Nighthawk community can do!
We have an opportunity to make a real difference for local families while competing for some friendly SWC bragging rights. Let's make an impact, support our community, and bring that traveling trophy home to Newtown!
More information, including suggested donation items and promotional materials, will be shared soon.
At Newtown Public Schools, we want every student to have access to a nutritious meal each school day. In accordance with our Board-approved Meal Charging Policy, students will not be denied a meal because of an outstanding meal account balance.
Families are encouraged to regularly monitor and maintain their child’s meal account. MySchoolBucks provides a convenient and secure way to manage school meal purchases from anywhere.
Through the website or mobile app, families can:
- Add money to a student’s meal account
- Set up automatic payments
- Check account balances and review purchase history
- Receive notifications when an account balance is low
If you haven’t already, we encourage families to create a MySchoolBucks account at www.myschoolbucks.com or download the mobile app. Keeping track of your child’s account and maintaining a positive balance helps make mealtimes simple and seamless.
For additional information about the district’s Meal Charging Policy, please visit the Newtown Public Schools website or contact your child’s school.
Our PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) is a group made up of parents, teachers, and sometimes community members who work together to support our schools. The primary goal of our PTAs is to build a strong connection between families and schools to create a positive learning environment for students. PTAs often organize activities and events that benefit students, such as fundraisers, family nights, and volunteer programs. These events help raise money for classroom supplies, field trips, or other school needs that may not be covered by the school budget.
In addition to fundraising, the PTA acts as a bridge between parents and school administrations. They advocate for students by addressing concerns or providing feedback to school leaders. PTAs also host meetings, or informational sessions to keep parents informed about important issues, such as curriculum changes, testing schedules, or educational policies. By fostering collaboration among parents, teachers, and administrators, our PTAs plays a crucial role in enriching the school community and supporting student success.
You can find a link to each school's PTA by clicking on this link
