8/7/2023: August Update

Newton South Students and Families,

We hope you are having a great summer! We wanted to provide you with a few logistical updates as the summer progresses.

Returning students: please complete the demographics information (see below for more info) by Friday, August 11. This will allow us to make necessary updates on Aspen before we prepare information for the photo company. These steps are important to ensure that your name and pronouns appear correctly on our systems and that the correct name is on your ID.

New students do not need to complete this form as they may not yet have Aspen access.

Also, note that you must be logged into your NPS email to access this form.

Grade 9 families: Please be on the lookout for a followup email regarding PTSO meet and greet locations and times.

Grade 12 students: Please be on the lookout for a followup email regarding parking for semester 1 for the 2023-2024 school year.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Jason Williams (he/him)

Vice Principal

Newton South High School

This was sent to students last week. As a reminder, this is due Friday, August 11.

We use Aspen, our student information system, to record demographic information and many of our other systems, such as Schoology and Google, use this information associated with your student ID number (LASID).

Aspen has the ability to store a preferred name, pronouns, and name pronunciation. Having this information recorded directly in Aspen supports students as they begin the year with new teachers. Additionally, there is a question here regarding whether you want your preferred or legal name printed on your ID. If you do not complete this form and check "Yes" for this question, we will use your legal name on your ID.

We encourage all students to complete the form below to help us update information in Aspen as necessary:

Students new to NPS do not need to complete this form at this time.

Also, note that you must be logged into your NPS email to access this form.

Please note that you must be logged into an NPS account to complete this form. Additionally, please complete this form by Friday, August 11.

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.

• 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.

Students in grades 9 - 11 will be taking their photos on Friday, September 8. During the day, students will be called down with their class to take their individual photo. Stay tuned for more details regarding photos.

Students and families: To order pictures, you can go to shop.legacyphotos.com and enter code 3597F24. Paper forms will also be sent to Newton South. If you or your family have any questions about ordering pictures through Legacy Studios, you can reach out to them directly at customercare@legacystudios.com.

Below please find some important details from our Athletic Director, Pat Gonzalez.

• FamilyID is now OPEN for Fall 2023 Athletic registrations at https://www.familyid.com/organizations/newton-south-high-school

• Registration will close on Friday, August 18th at 1:00pm.

• All student-athletes participating in a fall sport must have documentation of an IN-PERSON physical, within the last 13 months, on file with the Athletic Office. The documentation can be emailed to the athletics office to Kristen Hoffman at hoffmank@newton.k12.ma.us

• All fall athletes who are either entering the 9th grade, entering the 11th grade, are new to Newton South or are participating in Newton South athletics for the first time, must complete the ImPact test. If you have questions please contact our Athletic Trainer, Roni Bazile at baziler@newton.k12.ma.us

• Tryouts will begin on Monday, August 21st with the exception of Football starting on August 18th.

• The tryout schedule can be found on the Athletic Page or by clicking here.

• Any sport specific questions including tryout criteria, location, etc. should be directed to the applicable coach listed below:

• Girls Cross Country: Steven McChesney, mcchesneys@newton.k12.ma.us

• Boys Cross Country: Ted Norton, nortont@newton.k12.ma.us

• Dance: Britteny Hyslip, hyslipb@newton.k12.ma.us

• Field Hockey: Colleen Francis, francisc@newton.k12.ma.us

• Football: Ted Dalicandro, dalicandrot@newton.k12.ma.us

• Golf: Kevin Flynn, flynnk@newton.k12.ma.us

• Girls Soccer: Angie Sutherland, sutherlanda@newton.k12.ma.us

• Boys Soccer: Floyd Butler, butlerf@newton.k12.ma.us

• Girls Volleyball: Lucas Coffeen, coffeenl@newton.k12.ma.us

• Unified Basketball: Jesus Rodriguez rodriguezj@newton.k12.ma.us

The superintendent is conducting an entry plan and analysis of the school system. She would like you to advise her on a few items.

Be Heard. Your Unique Perspective Matters. Tell me your thoughts about our future.

We need your input on this question:

"What are some things we should stop, start, or continue to do in the Newton Public Schools?"

To gather your feedback, we're using a tool called ThoughtExchange. All of our voices matter, so your participation is crucial and valued. Below is the link to participate in our community Thought Exchange:

ThoughtExchange Link (Click here)

You'll be asked to respond to the open-ended question noted above. Then, you will be asked to consider and assign “stars” (which means you like or agree with the ideas) to some of the ideas shared by others (20 to 30 is ideal). Your thoughts and stars are confidential. You can come back as often as you'd like to participate and, in fact, we ask that you do come back to star any new ideas shared since you first participated. We learn what's important to the group by looking at the ideas that receive the most stars. The ratings will help us understand the most important areas to focus on in the coming year. The survey is in three languages.

If you need technical help, please call ThoughtExchange at 1-800-361-9027 ext. 4 or email help@thoughtexchange.com.

Celebrate Our Staff. Importantly, help me celebrate our staff on the Opening Day of School 2023-24. Share with me the stories of how our Newton Public School staff have demonstrated care, expertise and excellence in serving the children of Newton. (any staff: nurses, paraprofessionals, cafeteria staff, principals, teachers, behaviorists, counselors, psychologists, tutors, –ANYONE–). Complete this form to participate!

Form: Celebrate Staff on Opening Day (click link).

Finally,

Sign up for my podcast and blog (click links). New content coming soon!