Newton South Weekly Update 1/31/22

School Council for January is Tuesday, February 1, 2022. If you would like to attend for public comment, please email strast@newton.k12.ma.us directly.

Here is a link to the agenda.

Grade 9 Parent Night Webinar (Virtual) on Wednesday, February 2

Grade 9 families: Newton South High School cordially invites you to our annual Grade 9 Parent Information Night. This event will be a virtual webinar, held on Wednesday, February 2 at 7pm. At this event, you will have the opportunity to hear from our principal Tamii Stras and some of our department heads. You will also have the opportunity to ask general questions about the grade 10 curriculum.

The program can be found here. The link for the webinar will be sent in a separate email early next week.

We hope you are able to join us!

Half Day Schedule on Thursday, February 3

Thursday, February 3 is a half day. Here is the schedule.

Grab and go lunch will be available from 12:35pm - 12:55pm, and the buses will depart NSHS at 12:55pm.

ELPAC Meeting Tuesday, February 3 at 6:30pm

ELPAC, the English Language Parent Advisory Council, will have its next meeting on Thursday, February 3 from 6:30pm - 8:00pm.

Here is the flyer. If you have any questions, contact NPSELPAC@gmail.com or visit www.newtonelpac.org.

Youth Risk Behavior Survey on Monday, February 7 during Advisory

On Monday, February 7, we will run a special schedule to administer the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in Advisory. The survey is based on the Massachusetts YRBS, developed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Participation is strictly voluntary and the survey is anonymous – students may choose to skip any questions they do not feel comfortable answering.

Here is the complete letter that was sent to parents on Monday, January 10.

Here is the schedule we will follow on Monday 2/7.

Athletics Reminders regarding Spectators

Home Games

As a reminder, only two parents/guardians per player from the home and away teams are allowed to attend home evens, including hockey. Student fans are not currently permitted at any home game. We will let you know if this policy changes.

Away Games

Attendance at away games is decided by the home district.

Host Families Needed for Newton South International Student Program

Please see the following message from Educatius regarding host families for international students. If you have any questions, please contact Claudette Rowe at claudetterowe.educatius@gmail.com or call/text her at 508 246 7028.

SPACE Camp Co-Director Job Posting

We are seeking enthusiastic leaders to apply for SPACE Camp Co-Directors. In the past the responsibilities have been assigned to a Director and an Assistant Director. Going forward, the role of Director will be shared by two administrators.

These positions are responsible for planning, coordinating, and supervising the activities and operations of the SPACE Camp program. SPACE Camp is a four-week summer enrichment program for 250 to 350 students entering kindergarten through grade 9.

For more information about the program, please visit the Camp Website.

The application can be found on Applitrack.

COVID-19 Update

As was sent in an earlier email, Newton Public Schools is shifting its testing strategy away from pooled testing (PCR) and towards at-home weekly rapid antigen tests. Please see here for more information. The major details are:

Families need to opt their kids into this testing program. This can be done using Aspen via these instructions.
An at-home rapid antigen test kit will be distributed at school every other week. Each kit contains two tests.
We recommend all students take a rapid test on Tuesday of each week. Here are printed instructions and a video tutorial for conducting the tests.
Only positive results need to be reported. Please report these results to the school nurse at 617-559-6575.

Here is a list of Frequently Asked Questions about the program.

As of Wednesday, January 19, NSHS has been emailing students in addition to families when there is a positive COVID case in their classroom. Families, if you have multiple children in your household, please have each child check their school account to see if the email was also sent to them. If the email did not go to their NPS account, they are not affected by the notification.

This past week, NSHS recorded 15 COVID cases. Classrooms were informed and provided instructions, per our notification protocols. Information on districtwide COVID cases and vaccination rates can be found on the Newton Health and Human Services website here: NPS COVID Case Count and Vaccination Rates.

Superintendent Fleishman published a newsletter on Wednesday, January 19. You can read it here.

Health and Safety Reminders

Daily Health Assessment

It is critical that all families conduct the daily health assessment every day before your student comes to school. If your student is sick, please keep them at home. Be alert for the following symptoms:

Fever (100.0F or higher), chills, or shaking chills
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
New loss of taste or smell
Muscle aches or body aches
Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms
Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, when in combination with other symptoms
Headache, when in combination with other symptoms
Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies), when in combination with other symptoms

Our school nurses can be contacted at 617-559-6575 if you have any questions.

Face Coverings

All students and staff are required to wear a mask throughout the day, including on the bus, except while eating, drinking, or outside. To be effective, the mask must fit snugly and be worn over both the nose and mouth.

Students: Please make sure you bring a mask with you to school and pack backup masks in case you need them. Spare masks are available in house offices and the main office if you do not have one or if your last mask is no longer usable.

Lunch Spaces

As a reminder, students who eat lunch on campus may do so in the following locations:

Student Center
Outside, if the weather permits
Lecture Hall
Auditorium Lobby
Wheeler Commons
Goldrick Commons
Goodwin Commons

When using one of these spaces, scan the QR code and complete the form – we only need your location and seat/table number, so the form is a lot shorter than before! Ensure that your mask is removed only while you are eating, and put it back on once you are done and/or if you leave your table/eating area.

We appreciate your cooperation in helping us prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep our school community safe.

Upcoming Events

Monday 2/7: Youth Risk Behavior Survey during Advisory

Wednesday 2/9: Grade 10 Parent Night (Virtual)

Thursday 2/10 - Saturday 2/12: Leap of Faith (South Stage), 7:30pm

Previous Weekly Updates

Looking for weekly updates from past months? View them here.