Category Archives: Community News

Principal Update 1.21.19

Dear L-E families,

I am happy to let you know that as of Friday the heat was up and running and all classrooms were warm. We are getting a new boiler system; however, the project will not be finalized until the spring. The district maintenance department has been diligent in addressing our heating concerns and will continue to do so if any problems should arise in the future.

As we continue to endure this extreme weather, it may be useful to send in a few extra layers for your child in the event that the heat is not as strong in their classroom or part of the building. Thank you for your patience as we continue the process of identifying a solution to this issue.

We welcome everyone to attend our next PTO meeting on March 12th at 6:30pm, when School Superintendent David Fleishman and members of the school committee will be present to field questions and offer updates.

Also, please note that students’ progress reports will be released on Thursday, January 31st.

Please mark your calendars:

* Monday, January 21st:  No School — Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
* Wednesday, February 6th:  Early Release Day, 12:30pm
* Friday, February 8th:  Lincoln-Eliot Movie Night, 6pm
* February 18th-22nd:  No School — February Vacation Week

Have a safe and warm long weekend, and we’ll see you back in school on Tuesday!

Principal Morrissey

Creative Arts & Sciences: Potato Hill Poetry residency

This past week, Creative Arts & Sciences welcomed poet Andy Green of Potato Hill Poetry to our 2nd, 4th, and 5th grade classrooms. Through this 3-part residency, Mr. Green makes writing poetry accessible. His focus is to create exercises to help students see and hear the joy of language. He shows students a variety of poem and note-keeping journals and talks about his writing process. Mr. Green will be back again in February. Thank you for your donations to the PTO which make programs like this possible!

Newton Youth Lacrosse: Sign up for Spring!

Signups for Newton Youth Lacrosse spring session for grades 1-8 are taking place through February 1.  Register early to be guaranteed a spot by clicking this link (http://newtonyouthlacrosse.com/Registration/Default.asp?n=37305&org=NEWTONYOUTHLACROSSE.COM) or going to newtonyouthlacrosse.com.  Questions about registration, coaching, and volunteer opportunities can be directed to newtonlaxpresident@gmail.com.

SEPAC Seminar January 30th

The Newton Special Education Parent Advisory Council (Newton SEPAC) is hosting a seminar on Basic Rights in Special Education for the Asian American Communities.  Our speaker will be Susan Ou from the Federation for Children with Special Needs, who will present and can answer questions in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, depending on the needs of audience members.  Anping Shen, who is a Newton School Committee member, will speak.  Eileen Sandberg from the SEPAC will give a short talk about special education in Newton, and her experience with her children.  We plan to leave lots of time for questions.

We will discuss the student’s and parent’s legal rights, how to explore whether special education services would be helpful, and the support that the parents in the Newton SEPAC can provide.

The presentation will be held on January 30, 2019 in room 210 of the Education Center, 100 Walnut St. in Newton.  It is a free event and all are welcome.   We will begin with refreshments and networking at 7:15 pm., and the presentation and question session will be from 7:30 pm. to approximately 9:30 pm.

Newton Girls Softball: Sign up for Spring!

Newton Girls Softball registration for 2019 Spring Rec League is now open.  The league welcomes players of all skill levels and will provide your daughter with an experience that fosters positive self-esteem, team spirit, and individual growth through personal achievement and as a team member.  Players have fun, make new friends, and enjoy a healthy outdoor activity.  For more information and to register, please visit http://newtongirlssoftball.org/

Check out this great video of some of our players describing why softball matters to them!

The league is always looking for unique sponsorships and volunteer parents to help with coaching, assisting, etc.  If you are interested or have any other questions, please EMAIL US!

Principal Update 1.14.19

Dear Families,

Congratulations to our 4th and 5th graders for working so hard to present a great concert last week — first during the day to our other students, and then Thursday evening to their families.  We appreciate the effort they put in, and also thank our new music teacher, Ms. Schoepflin, for bringing it all together.

Please mark your calendars:

* Monday, January 21st:  No School — Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
* Wednesday, February 6th:  Early Release Day, 12:30pm
* Friday, February 8th:  Lincoln-Eliot Movie Night
* February 18th-22nd:  No School — February Vacation Week

See you on Monday!

Principal Morrissey

January PTO Meeting Recap

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to our third PTO meeting of the year on Tuesday, January 8th!  If you missed the meeting, you can click on the links below to review the minutes and the slideshow presentation.

A special thank you to Emilly Prenner and Kathy Shields for talking to us about the NPS Equity Policy and upcoming changes to those guidelines, and to Rebecca Schmidt for her explanation of the Understanding Our Differences program.  We are looking for someone to help Rebecca coordinate the program; if you’re interested, please email secretary@lepto.org!

We look forward to seeing everyone at our next meeting on Tuesday, March 12th, at 6:30pm, when David Fleishman and members of the school committee will be attending to give us updates and answer questions.

January PTO Meeting Slideshow

January PTO Meeting Minutes

You Can Help Green Our Schools – Join GN School Connections on January 17

If you’re interested in Green Newton’s Schools Connections group, come to our next meeting— Thursday, January 17 at 3:45pm in Newton City Hall (1000 Commonwealth Ave., Newton).  Kids are welcome.  The group’s goal is to establish “green standards” for Newton schools and to work on a variety of areas including recycling, composting, food waste recovery, and school garden projects.  Together, we can help to implement green initiatives in each Newton school.  Learn more about GN School Connections here.  If you would like to participate, please contact marcia@greennewton.org.

SEPAC Presentation January 16

10 Traits of Effective Parents in Special Education
Wednesday, Jan. 16th from 7:15 – 9PM
Newton Education Center, 100 Walnut Street Newton, MA 02460
Room 210

Presented by Jeffrey Sankey
Sankey Law Offices, P.C.

Advocating for children in the special education system can be frustrating and overwhelming for parents.  Over the past decade, Attorney Jeffrey Sankey has worked with hundreds of parents to help them obtain special education services for their children.  In his experience, he has found that the parents who are best able to navigate the intricacies of the special education process share a number of common traits, which we will explore during this session.

Topics covered will include:

* Understanding key special education rules and regulations
* Maintaining accurate and complete records
* Facilitating productive relationships with school staff

Please come with any questions you may have!