Newtown Public Schools

Last week, I, along with NPS Director of Business and Finance, Tanja Gouveia, had the opportunity to meet with the new manager for the All-Star Newtown Terminal, Tasha Moffett. During our meeting, we reviewed the significant disruption the ongoing driver shortage is imposing on our families, as well as the unacceptable incidents of untimely and/or inaccurate information that has been provided to us. We agreed to certain communication protocols that will go into effect on Monday. There have been reports of overcrowded buses and late arrivals both to school in the morning and to home in the afternoon. Ms. Moffett will be exploring options that were discussed that may rectify the situation for those buses being impacted by chronic lateness and overcrowding. In addition, there are two new drivers starting on Tuesday and two more drivers are returning from leave. This will free up a spare driver who will then be available to fill in should another driver be out. We are cautiously optimistic that there will be a decrease in parked buses this week.

You may have noticed that our existing website is not only difficult to navigate, it contains a great deal of outdated and erroneous information. I am very pleased to share that Dennis Colclough, our Director of Technology, has been working on an update that will go live sometime over the next week. The rollout of the new site will be in phases, with the first phase focused on the district landing page. A primary goal of the new site is to have links that bring people to where information lives, rather than to a static PDF that becomes outdated. Some sections will still need to be built out with more information. That will take place over the coming months. Still, I think you will agree that the new site is much more organized and makes finding information more intuitive.

There are two sections in the newsletter that I hope you will take special note of. The first is tomorrow night’s parent and guardian informational session on social media which will take place at Newtown Middle School Auditorium from 6:30-8:00 pm. This important topic will be presented by the CT State Police and the presentation has received positive reviews from parents in other communities. I encourage you to attend if you are able. The second is the Wait Until 8th Pledge section. This is a national parent-led initiative that encourages waiting until at least the end of 8th grade before giving children a smartphone. As adults, it is our obligation to be informed regarding the dangers that the virtual world of smartphones exposes our children to so that we can be better equipped to protect them.

I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.

Anne

ALL parents and guardians in the district are invited to attend an evening informational session presented by the CT State Police on the topic of social media.

Newtown Public Schools encourages parents to consider taking the pledge Waiting Until 8th. The Wait Until 8th pledge empowers parents to rally together to delay giving children a smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade. By taking the Wait Until 8th pledge, you are committing to protecting our children from the distractions and the dangers of having a smartphone in the elementary and middle school years. Banding together helps decrease the pressure to have a smartphone at an early age. Ten years old is the average age children get their first smartphone. You can change this!

Through the pledge, parents gain support in resisting societal pressures and expectations surrounding early smartphone ownership. Instead, they can opt for basic phones or watches for communication purposes while avoiding the pitfalls associated with smartphones.

More than 75,000 parents have said yes to waiting on the smartphone for their families. This is making a tremendous difference in communities across the country!

For more information or to take the pledge:

Website: https://www.waituntil8th.org/

Instagram: Waituntil8th_Newtown

Did you know that, according to the International Dyslexia Association, dyslexia affects approximately 15-20% of the population? This means that around 1 in every 5 individuals has some form of dyslexia. Additionally, it is estimated that boys are more likely to be diagnosed with dyslexia than girls.

If you are interested in learning more about the Connecticut State Deaprtment of Education's support in the area of dyslexia, please take note of the year-long offering of activities for both educators and families detailed in the flyer below.

The Danbury Hat Tricks, our local professional hockey team, are again holding a Teacher Appreciation Night for educators (including paras and other school personnel), offering a free ticket for all educators! This is a very fun night, and all are encouraged to take advantage of this offer! Please click here for more information.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

If you are interested in driving a bus, please reach out to All-Star for more information on how to become a driver.

Early detection can save lives, so regular self-exams and screenings are essential. Stay informed, support those affected, and encourage open conversations about prevention and treatment. Together, we can make a difference!

The Dream Big! Competition is an exciting program offered by Connecticut's Office of the Treasurer. The competition is designed to help Connecticut families build better futures by giving them the opportunity to win money for future education. This year's competition features three grand prizes of $20,000 and more.

*For more information or to enter, please click here

The full district calendar can be found here.

Click on the link to view the agenda for this week's Board of Education meeting.

To view this meeting, the livestream link is: https://vimeo.com/event/729428.

To make a public comment, the call in number is (US) 1-201-639-2792 PIN 178 167 441#

On Monday October 7th, Newtown High School received their 4th consecutive Michaels Jewelers Achievement Cup award. The award is awarded to the schools who create positive environments for their student athletes through a high standard of sportsmanship.

On Friday, October 11th, Newtown Football held their annual Pink Out Game. NHS Cheer helped decorate the stadium and hand out tattoos. Between T-shirt sales and donation jars, NHS Football raised $2643 and donated to the American Cancer society.

Thank you to everyone that helped make this amazing night a success.

Way to go Nighthawks!

Jen Socci has been nominated for USA Football's Heart of a Giant award, presented by the Hospital for Special Surgery and the New York Giants.

Jen is the football team manager and a member of the girls lacrosse team. I nominated her for the award because she is simply a fantastic person who has faced adversity and shown courage and grit in every step of her young life.

For those of you who do not know Jen, she is incredible as our team manager, providing enthusiastic support for the betterment of our team. She never takes a day off and is an extension of us as coaches. She films practices, does a mini mic series, creates our graphics, runs our social media, and fills water for the boys during practices and games. The daughter of a well-known, long time Connecticut high school football coach, Lou Socci, Jen knows what it takes to run a successful program and how every single role matters. Jen faced adversity at a young age when her sister died of brain cancer in 2020. She also has a twin brother who has special needs. An excellent student athlete, Jen is committed to playing division one lacrosse at Central Connecticut State University.

Please take the time to read her own submitted bio vote for Jen!

https://usafootball.com/heart-of-a-giant/vote

Nominated by: Daniel Farina, Head Football Coach

Did you know that joining your PTA offers several benefits for both you and our school community? Our PTAs do many wonderful things throughout the school year that support and enhance the educational experience for our students. In addition to raising funds for educational programs and classroom resources, members have the opportunity to have their voices and ideas heard, meet new people and build connections within the school and greater community, as well as gain leadership skills that can be both personally and professionally valuable. In addition, being involved in your PTA gives you a closer look at what is happening in your child’s school by participating in or organizing events that foster a positive school culture.

You can find a link to each school's PTA by clicking on this link.

Thank you for your support!

Click here for more information