2/26/24 - 3/1/24 Weekly Update
Newton South High School
Counseling Department Chair Long Term Substitute
Dear NSHS Community,
As some of you may know, Dan Rubin, NSHS Counseling Department Chair was in a skiing accident over this past weekend and needs to be out for the next few weeks. Our thoughts are with him and we wish him a speedy recovery. In the interim, we are excited to welcome back his predecessor who will fill in till the end of March on his behalf.
Shelly (Rochelle) Borg started her career as a school counselor for the Boston Public Schools in 1984, where she remained until coming to Newton South in 2010 to become the Department Chair of Counseling, also with a part-time student caseload. She continued in this capacity until 2015, at which time she chose to return exclusively to doing what she loved most— being a counselor. Her career continued to flourish at Newton South until her retirement at the end of 2018. While at South, she had the pleasure of working alongside many of the most dedicated, compassionate and hardworking individuals whom she has known or had the good fortune to learn and collaborate with each and every day.
Since retiring, she has been enjoying time with family, friends, playing pickleball and time on the Cape. She also been involved in some rewarding volunteer activities, including the Brookline Food Pantry; CASA Boston (Court Appointed Special Advocates); Brookline Teen Center; Women’s Health Services of Brookline; Boston Higher Ed Center (working with first generation to college students); and Newton South’s own On Our Way to Success after-school program, also working with first generation to college students.
Please direct any questions to borgs@newton.k12.ma.us Sincerley, Tamara (Tamii) Stras
Seniors: Order Your Cap & Gown!
Seniors: please be sure to order your cap and gown for graduation. Our full graduation page is here.
Here is the cap & gown announcement.
Here is the cap & gown measurement form.
Questions regarding cap & gowns should be directed to Julie Stonehill.
GELF Dinner on March 28
Join us for a spectacular community celebration of all the NPS international travel programs and the scholarship program, Global Education Leadership Fund (GELF). This will be a unique opportunity to connect with your neighbors who are also passionate about traveling, to hear travel stories from our exchanges, and to foster a sense of unity that spans continents. Whether you are a seasoned globetrotter or someone with passion for exploring different cultures, the event is perfect to forge new friendships and savor the essence of international travel. Seats are limited, and reserve yours today by scanning the QR code to the right.
See the flyer at the right for more information.
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Writing Contest
The MWRA’s Annual Poster and Writing Contest deadline is just one month away. Entries must be postmarked by Wednesday March 13th, 2024. Early entries are encouraged!
I have included an A-Z list of jobs at the MWRA. The link below will take you to our School Program page, where you can find additional contest information and resources.
https://www.mwra.com/02org/html/sti.htm
Food Project Looking for Teens for Summer Work
The Food Project’s mission is to create a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system. Our community produces healthy food for residents of the city and suburbs, provides youth leadership opportunities, and inspires and supports others to create change in their own communities. To fulfill this mission, we blend youth development, community food access, and sustainable agriculture into a model to achieve multiple, intertwining goals. Each year, a diverse group of youth leaders all across the Greater Boston and North Shore regions work closely with one another in a 6.5 week paid summer job. During this experience youth grow and distribute healthy food to the community in various methods, learn about the complexities of the food system, learn about social injustices, oppression and key leadership skills. At the end of the summer youth will have tools to make lasting positive impacts in their communities and gain new relationships with the land and each other. Application Link (due March 11) Questions? Contact seedcrew@thefoodproject.org.
Yale High School Essay Competition
Enter for a chance to be featured in a Yale publication and win $300! Deadline is April 14.
Prompt: Choose a country, identify a global or domestic issue it faces, and develop a foreign policy approach that addresses the problem.
Yale International Relations Leadership Institute 2024 - Applications Live!
The Yale International Relations Association is proud to host the 2024 Yale International Relations Leadership Institute (YIRLI)! YIRLI is an intensive and exhilarating week-long summer institute that aims to immerse high school students in international relations. Following the success of last year’s program, we are excited to announce the 2024 conference details. Applications for YIRLI are now open until March 1st, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST. Here is the link to the application: https://form.jotform.com/240299190212149.
YIRLI 2024 will take place on Yale’s campus from July 30-August 4, 2024, allowing students to take part in phenomenal international relations lessons and Model United Nations challenges, innovate with peers on global problems, and develop public speaking and leadership skills. We offer need-based financial aid for domestic and international applicants, so we encourage all students to apply regardless of their financial situation.
The full statement can be found here. Students will gain:
a stronger understanding of international relations and global affairs
refined Model United Nations and debate skills, such as public speaking, research, and analytical thinking, through workshops and simulations led by Yale students
friendships with inspiring students from all around the world, and a platform to collaborate with each other in the future
the opportunity to connect with and learn from Yale students, who serve as mentors to YIRLI students
exposure to Yale professors and campus resources
phenomenal visiting speakers (past speakers have included Andy Rabens, Special Advisor for Global Youth Issues at the U.S. Department of State, and Asha Rangappa, CNN analyst and former FBI Special Agent)
As a reminder, applications are accepted until March 1st, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST. We encourage you to apply early, if you can, and stay in communication with us if you have questions. You can reach us at yirli.communications@yira.org at any time, or email our Executive Director, Jennifer, at yirli@yira.org.
We look forward to cultivating an engaging educational opportunity for all students through our program.
Brighten 2024 with NCE!
Play basketball, badminton, or pickleball OR create with pastels and watercolors! After school. evenings, and weekends, NCE offers enriching programs for all interests with scholarships so everyone can participate. Explore our offerings for grades 6-12 and register here. Ignite curiosity and build friendships right here at school.
WIN Blocks
Students use MyFlexLearning to sign up for WIN blocks.
All students are assigned to a space.
- If you do not sign up for a WIN by the day before that WIN occurs, you will be pushed to a teacher's WIN based on available space. You will be pushed to a Wednesday WIN on Tuesday afternoon, a Thursday WIN on Wednesday afternoon, etc. If you continuously do not sign up for WIN block, we will follow up with you and determine a strategy to make sure you are making the most of this important time on learning period.
- If your teacher is absent the day of your WIN, you will be unscheduled from that WIN and pushed to another space.
- You have up until an hour before a WIN block starts to reschedule; after this, your WIN assignment is locked.
The library is not freely open during WIN block. To be in the library during this block, you must be signed up with a teacher who is assigned to this space. We will ask teachers to not send you to the library, as the library will send you back to the class from which you came.