12/22/2023: December Update

When I think of my own educational journey, I often reflect on how proud and grateful I am to have had quality education and learn fluency in multiple languages. At South, Seniors throughout the school have begun a rigorous assessment process with the hopes of earning a Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript. This allows students to demonstrate to future colleges and employers a sophisticated level of proficiency in a language in addition to English. In all, 117 students have registered for assessments in 17 different languages–Arabic, Armenian, Bulgarian, Danish, Farsi, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, and Turkish. It’s extraordinary to hear students speaking such a variety of different languages at once as we stroll through our language lab! Congratulations to the many students who have already earned their Seal!

Our College and Career Center has been busy, and for many of our seniors application season is in full swing! Beginning on January 5th, 2024, they will be hosting bi-weekly visits with Youth Connections/MassHire during WIN3 on Fridays. Youth Connections provides career education and support services to our students. Programming includes career interest surveys, resume and cover letter development as well as career exploration and internships. Career exploration is a vital piece to explore in high school; this month, our students participated in a unique opportunity to experience careers via Virtual Reality headsets. To say the least, this was an awesome experience with a huge WOW factor. Look for this opportunity again in January 2024! Congratulations to one of our amazing seniors for winning a scholarship from Next Gen Personal Finance for a video created in her Personal Finance class entitled “Payback Challenge”. This video addresses the challenges of paying back student loans. The achievements of our students are nothing short of exceptional.

While academics occupy much of our time at South, we also encourage students to engage in extracurriculars and events. Our senior class had a fabulous time at our dance, Aurora: Under the Stars. It is always such a pleasure to see the joy and community at dances that embodies South, and witnessing our kids having a great time! We would like to extend a huge thanks to the parents who chaperoned the event, as well as those who helped us make this a fun, special event for the seniors. On December 14th, we held our quarterly fun tradition–Passin’ Time– where students and teachers showcase their musical talents around the school. This is one of my favorite South traditions as it spreads pure joy, while also highlighting our community members in their non-academic interests. As more events pop up as the year progresses, we look forward to seeing many students engage in activities that develop the whole child and create lasting memories!

We held our family-teacher conferences the two weeks after Thanksgiving break. I would like to thank all who discussed their students’ progress with teachers, and made plans to continue to support their members of our Lion community! While we are always open to communicating with families and supporting students, it is wonderful to see and connect with families in our physical building. Helping our students find their academic and extracurricular strengths and passions is one of the best parts about being an educator.

The Athletics Department kicked off the Winter Sports season for close to 500 athletes by hosting Lions Pride Day on Thursday, December 7. During Lions Pride Day, student-athletes and their coaches participated in activities led by our captains and MIAA Ambassadors around the themes of sportsmanship, leadership, and inclusion. The activities encompassed our core values, and the theme of the day was “One Team, One Heart: SOUTH!”. From our fall sports, two outstanding athletes were named All Scholastics by the Boston Globe and Boston Herald for their outstanding performances in Girls Volleyball and Boys Cross Country. We are also excited for all of our winter sports, including our co-op Girls Hockey team with Newton North. As this season gets underway, I appreciate our outstanding coaches and their commitment to creating opportunities for all students to participate in the athletic programs. Our community is so grateful for the continued support from the Booster Club, who works with us to foster school spirit at our games and other school events.

On a similar note, our Fine and Performing Arts department has had a busy last few months! Our Jazz Combo students embraced the unique opportunity to play at Cambridge’s famous Regatta Bar. They performed with poise and confidence; we are so proud of them! Some of our theater students embarked on a trip to the Lyric Stage in Boston for a lighting and sound tutorial. They also got to view a one-act performance regarding the devastating effects of a social media security breach! Our music students rounded off 2023 with a holiday concert on December 22nd; it is evident that our students put their heart and soul into each performance, and the happiness they spread is remarkable. Music is such an important part of our students’ ethos that we had several former students come back to perform in the Alumni Concert yesterday evening! It is truly wonderful to see students engaging in such enriching activities as these community experiences enhance our students’ learning, and overall experience at South.

In early December, South hosted our second annual Disability Awareness Day. Disability Awareness Day seeks to foster Newton South High School’s values of diversity, equity, and inclusion by providing opportunities to embrace disability as part of the natural fabric of our community. The student and alumni panel featured students past and present sharing their experiences as individuals with disabilities at Newton South, and dismantling common misperceptions. Alumni also shared what they have been doing since they left South, and how their experience at South helped shape their decisions and life moves. We are so fortunate to be able to discuss experiences, disability, identity, and more with our students, which allows us to make positive forward moves at South. To this end, this past week, South hosted our LGBTQ+ Day of Awareness. Students discussed various aspects of their queer identity in relation to other aspects of their identity, queerness in media, and watched a drag performance. By invitation, some students engaged in “Queers and Allies at Newton South: Struggles and Triumphs”, which is a Theater of the Oppressed Workshop by Boston University professor Ellie Friedland. This event fostered many constructive conversations and is a vital piece of what makes South a safe haven for our students. Thank you to all who worked hard to make this day so meaningful, especially our Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club, and to all who participated thoughtfully.

As we close out 2023, I would like to shout out our Newton South Madrigals who performed a holiday concert for our preschoolers yesterday! The high school students were fantastic and the preschoolers had a wonderful time! Seeing the happiness in both younger and older kids sharing a memory together is something that makes South so special. This is one of our favorite holiday traditions here at Newton South Preschool, and the community it builds is a great way to head into break!

Clearly South has been bustling these last few months. Over the course of the break, I hope you have the opportunity to connect with loved ones, create shared lasting memories, and recharge yourself for the new year. From the bottom of my heart I would like to wish you all happy holidays in whatever you may celebrate, and a safe and happy New Year. We will see all of our Lions back on January 2, and we look forward to continuing to grow together!

Best wishes,

Tamara (Tamii) Stras