8/22/2023: Second August Update

Newton South Students and Families,

As we reach the closing weeks of summer, we are working hard here at South to make sure we are ready to welcome your students in just a few short weeks! We have several logistical updates this week around the following topics:

• List of student classes without blocks and teachers
• First day of school schedules, bus schedule, year calendar
• Chromebook information

We have a couple of grade-specific reminders:

If you are the parent or guardian of a ninth grader and you are would like to meet Principal Tamii Stras, Vice Principal Jason Williams, and a couple of other administrators in a low-key setting prior to the start of the year, the PTSO is hosting a few more events:

• August 22: 108 Alabama Street Boston, MA 02126 6-7PM METCO Families (METCO liaison will be available)
• August 24: 91 Nehoiden Road Waban, MA 6-7PM (SEPAC representative will be available)
• August 28: Zoom 6-7PM

Sign up here! This event is for incoming grade 9 families and families of students who are new to Newton South.

Special thanks to the PTSO for sponsoring these events and to the hosts who are welcoming us into their homes.

Check out the PTSO website for more info about all the things they offer.

Newton South Rising Seniors:

The parking lottery deadline has been extended to Tuesday, August 22 at 11:59pm. Please see the original email sent from Vice Principal Jason Williams on August 8, 2023. If you cannot find this email or have any other parking related questions, please reach out to Jason Williams.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Jason Williams (he/him)

Vice Principal

Newton South High School

This section applies to students who are continuing in the district this upcoming school year. Families who are newly registered in NPS may not yet have a completed schedule due to pending course recommendations.

The list of classes currently on your/your student’s schedule for September 2023 is now posted in Aspen.

Please do not email your counselor at this time – they are on summer break until after August 31 and you may not receive a response until the start of school. Any issues need to be sent using the form at the end of this section.

Here are the steps to reviewing your list of classes:

1. Log in to Aspen and download the report “Student Schedule Without Blocks and Teachers”. This is available on the homepage once you log in.
2. To compare this list against the classes you requested, you can view your verification card stored in the Documents folder in Aspen, called “NSHS 2023-2024 Verification of Course Requests”.
3. If you are having trouble logging into Aspen, please email aspen@newton.k12.ma.us for assistance. Additionally, you can visit the NPS password manager to see if you can reset your password.
4. As soon as possible, check your list of courses carefully and look for errors.

• Under enrollment (< 72 credits)
• Missing a major academic course
• Being registered for the same course twice
• Being scheduled for a course you already completed

• A missing elective, which is any course that you do not need to graduate. We cannot guarantee that all students receive all the electives they request.
• Having a free block. Note also that full schedules are not guaranteed, and many students will have one or more free blocks.

• Being enrolled in your alternate course

• Being enrolled in a different wellness course than you requested

• Requesting a different curriculum level

• Changing your mind about what course you would like to take

Errors can be reported using this Google Form. Please report any errors by Monday, August 28 at 11:59pm.

If you have any other schedule-related questions, see the FAQ document below.

Please do not email your counselor at this time – they are on summer break until after August 31 and you may not receive a response until the start of school. Any issues need to be sent using the form at the end of this section.

Bus schedules are now available on the Newton Public Schools website. See links below:

We are excited to welcome students to Newton South on our first day of school, Tuesday, September 5.

• On Tuesdays, school runs from 9:00am - 3:25pm.
• On other days of the week, school runs from 9:00am - 3:45pm.

Grade 9 students will arrive at 9 AM following the regular bus schedule (see below). For students in grades 10 through 12, buses will start their run at 12:00 PM for an arrival to South by 12:30 PM. They will otherwise follow the same stops in the bus schedule detailed in the next section. Note that lunch will only be provided for grade 9 students.

The bus schedule for Boston routes can be found here.

We are planning to post student schedules to Aspen on Friday, September 1. Please follow this schedule for A-G blocks on the first day of school. If you have any questions about your schedule, please see your counselor at the start of school.

See below for the schedule:

In anticipation of the beginning of the school year, there are various dates that we wanted to send your way so you can mark your calendars. More details about these events will be forthcoming.

Upcoming Student Events

• Thursday, August 31, 3:30 - 4:30pm: Ice Cream Social for Grade 9 and transfer students
• Weather permitting, we will hold this outside near the Breezeway. In the event of rain, we will move into the Student Center. We will update you if rain is expected.
• Friday, September 8: Student Photo Day in Gym B
• Use code 3597F24 at shop.legacyphotos.com to preorder photos. Questions can be directed to customercare@legacystudios.com.

Upcoming Family Events:

• Thursday, September 7, 6:30pm: New to South Family Night (virtual)
• Thursday, September 14, 6:30pm: Back to School Night (in person)
• Thursday, September 21, 6:30pm: Senior Family Night (virtual)

Year at a Glance: We are pleased to share with families the Year at a Glance schedule that we have typically shared with staff. This schedule gives a broad overview of the 2023-2024 school year and the major events that will take place throughout the year.

Term Calendars: Each term, we give a more detailed calendar with specific events and their dates and times. This calendar will be available closer to the start of the school year.

Public Calendar of Events: We keep an updated calendar of events here on the school website - this is a combination of events from the NPS calendar and our individual school's calendar.

Wednesday, August 30 is the cutoff date to receive a Chromebook on the first day of school in Advisory. If you sign the Chromebook Loan agreement after this date, you will still be able to get a Chromebook, but you will receive it at a later date.

Every student in the Newton Public Schools is issued a Chromebook. The Chromebook is for use both in school and at home. Entering 9th graders are provided with a Chromebook they can use for the length of time they are in high school. Devices are kept by the student over the summer. At the end of grade 10, students may return their Chromebook if they would like to use their own device instead (we require students in grades 9 and 10 to have a Chromebook for state testing purposes).

• Sign the Chromebook Loan Agreement - please read and agree to the Chromebook Loan Agreement available in our Aspen Portal. Printable and translated copies are also available. We will not issue devices to students in grade 9 until the loan agreement is signed. Please also review with your child.

• Consider Opting-In to the NPS Chromebook Repair Fund - We encourage you to sign up for our Optional Chromebook Repair Fund. For $25 per year, all accidental damage to the device, including screen cracks, liquid spills, damages from dropping, etc. will be covered. Sign-up and payment for the Chromebook Repair Fund is done through the MySchoolBucks Portal.

In addition, we encourage you to examine some of the resources on Online Safety and Digital Citizenship posted on our website, and engage your children in conversations on these topics on a regular basis.

More information about the 1:1 Device program can be found on the NPS 1:1 Technology Overview Page.

All students in grades 6-12 are issued a Chromebook to use both in school and at home. As part of the Chromebook Loan Agreement, families are responsible for accidental damages to the device.

In lieu of purchasing outside insurance, NPS is offering families the option to participate in a NPS Repair Fund that will fully cover the costs of accidental damages.

Please see this document for more information and how to apply.

The PSAT and SAT coordinator is Namal Sadiq. She can be reached at sadiqn@newton.k12.ma.us if you have any questions regarding PSAT and SAT administrations.

Note the following regarding school meals:

• Massachusetts will provide free school meals - one breakfast and one lunch daily.
• Second meals and a la carte items must be paid for with cash or through you/your student's MySchoolBucks account.
• Second meals cost $5.50.
• Students who have free or reduced-price lunch still need to pay full price for second lunches or any a la carte items.
• Student meals will still need to be rung up at the register using the student's ID number.

More information can be found here.

The most recently released district newsletter was on Tuesday, August 8. You can access it here.