Category Archives: Principal Update

Principal / PTO Update 10.18.20

Dear families,

We hope you are all doing well and enjoying the fall weather — we encourage everyone to spend as much time as possible outdoors before winter sends us all inside again!  It’s been great to have the tents up at Lincoln-Eliot; if you’ve walked by during school hours, you may have seen some of our teachers and scholars out there, doing storytime in the fresh air.  We hope our DLA friends are going outside during the lunch and movement breaks, too — while you’re at home, try having a picnic on your front steps, looking for different shapes of fall leaves, or taking a walk around the block before you come back to your computers.

We’re looking forward to our socially distanced fall festival week (Oct. 26-30), and we hope everyone has a chance to pick up your mini pumpkins (see the next post for more details).

And don’t forget that Lincoln Eliot’s virtual Back to School Night for our hybrid students will take place on Wednesday, October 28th:

K-2 will meet from 5:30-6:15pm
Grades 3-5 will meet from 6:15-7:00pm

Classroom teachers will send out more information and meeting links closer to the date, and more information about DLA Curriculum Nights will be coming soon.

And as always, if you have any community-building suggestions, or any questions for the PTO, please submit them here:

Ideas/Feedback Submission Form

Thanks very much, and have a great week!

Principal Morrissey & the PTO

Principal / PTO Update 10.4.20

Dear families,

As we enter our third week with students in the building, we want to say thank you again to all of our teachers, to our fantastic scholars, and to you for your patience and support.

Remember we have our first PTO meeting this Tuesday, October 6th, at 6:30pm via Zoom — the link will be sent out to everyone soon via email.  We hope to see you there!

And looking ahead, a reminder that there is no school on Monday, October 12th.

Playground Use During the School Day:

As the mayor noted in her update this week, for the safety of everyone, we must reserve use of the school grounds and playground during school hours for only those students present for in-person learning that day.  That means 8:30am-3pm every day, as we do have some students in the building (and having recess) from 12:30-3pm as well.

Mayor Fuller’s Note:

It’s great to have some of our youngsters back in school buildings.  While our elementary schools have the most students on-site currently, our middle and high schools also have some students attending daily as well.  Students are going outside for recess and some athletes in some sports are also having practices and games.

As part of our COVID-19 protocols, our schools are paying a lot of attention to students’ interactions being within cohorts, physical distancing and the use of face coverings.

To support these health efforts, school playgrounds and school grounds during school hours are for students attending the affiliated public school during their in-person learning time.  Fields and tracks at both high schools after school are for our students’ use during team practices, games and meets.

Please do not enter these areas during these hours and instead wait to use them after our students are gone.

Flu Vaccine Clinics

Newton’s Health and Human Services Department has scheduled two drive-through/walk-up, appointment-based, weekend flu clinics open to Newton residents and Newton Public Schools students and their families.

Registration is not yet open for these clinics.  Online appointment registration will open tomorrow (October 5th) at www.newtonma.gov/flu.

Adults and children older than 6 months may be vaccinated at these clinics.  Some high-dose flu vaccine will be available for adults who are at least 65 years old.  These clinics are free and health insurance information is requested, but not required.  If you do not have a vehicle, you may walk-up to receive a vaccine.

Saturday, October 10, 9 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Newton North High School  (457 Walnut Street)

Sunday, October 18, 9 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Newton South High School  (140 Brandeis Road)

Additional dates may be added depending upon demand.

Appointments are required and may fill quickly.  Alternatively, consider getting a flu shot at an another time and place; they are available in many locations, including primary healthcare provider offices, local pharmacies and urgent care clinics.  A list of some additional options for flu shots can be found at newtonma.gov/flu.

Please note that the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is requiring the flu vaccine for all students by December 31, 2020.  Once your student has received their flu immunization, please send the documentation to our school nurse, Kristen Thibodeau (thibodeauk@newton.k12.ma.us).

Thank you all again, and have a great week!

Principal Morrissey & the PTO

Principal / PTO Update 9.20.20

Dear families,

Welcome back to an unusual and challenging new school year.  Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make our orientation days a success, and especially to all your kids for following directions and adjusting to the different situation.  It was a joy to see everyone, even with all of us in masks!  We all appreciated the sweet welcome back signs around the outside of the school, too.

A few reminders as we get into the swing of things this week:

September 21: 

  • K – 2nd Grade begin their A/B in-person schedule
  • 3rd – 5th Grade* will follow their A/B schedule remotely for one week only
    • *some students qualify for extended school days and will begin their in-person schedule this week

September 28: Yom Kippur, no school

September 29:

  • K – 2nd Grade continue their A/B in-person schedule
  • 3rd – 5th Grade begin their A/B in-person schedule

Technology:

NPS Family Tech Support, familytechsupport@newton.k12.ma.us, is overseeing the distribution of devices.  Please reach out to them for help or with any questions.

NPS Learning with Tech

K – 3rd grade will be using Seesaw:

Seesaw Family Directions for Joining

Student Login – NPS Seesaw Account

4th & 5th grade will be using Google Classroom:

Student directions for using Google Classroom


Mask Guidelines:

Please see the image below for guidance on how to select and wear your mask:

Thank you all again, and we hope everyone has a great week!

Principal Morrissey & the PTO

Principal Update 3.21.20

Dear Families,

I hope that all of you are remaining safe and finding meaningful and engaging ways to spend your days during this uncertain time.  As you heard from Dr. Fleishman, we are providing you with resources that will provide continuity for our students while school is closed.  As you work to develop schedules and routines that work for your family, we encourage you to access the site below for grade-level appropriate activities that complement and reinforce our curriculum: www.newton.k12.ma.us/covid19.

We are committed to helping families that may need access to devices at home in order to engage in online learning opportunities.  If you do not have a web-capable device at home other than a cell phone (such as an iPad, Chromebook, PC, or Mac) please complete this request form: https://forms.gle/K3SgotNY38V1ncNe9  Our technology support team will be in touch with you to discuss next steps.

You can expect to hear from your child’s teacher on a weekly basis starting tomorrow, Monday, March 23 (end of day).  Each week, teachers will be reaching out with a personal message for students and specific recommendations for activities that students and families can complete.  These activities are grade-level appropriate and can be completed by students independently or with support from their family.  Special education staff, English language learning teachers, and counselors and other staff are also available to communicate with students and families through email.  Please understand that we are all doing our best to support our students, while, like you, adjusting to the realities of our current situation and supporting our own families.

Again, if you are in need of a device (such as a Chromebook) for your scholar to complete work at home, please use the link below to request one through the district:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3CfIZg8duH1Mh592zAmkKYv-tClngx3bj7fGb_fuTk3j6Og/viewform

Stay well!

Principal Morrissey

Principal Update 3.15.20

Dear families,

I hope everyone is staying healthy and enjoying time outside with your families as the weather has been in our favor so far.  I know it is an unsettling time right now and I plan to keep you updated with important district information as soon as it I receive it.

By now, you should have received a message from David Fleishman with updates about our school closure.  I’ve pasted the text of his letter below for your reference.  Thank you all for your messages of support and for reaching out with questions over the past few days.

The NPS Office of Teaching and Learning is assembling a collection of materials to provide enrichment and connectedness opportunities for your children during this unprecedented time of school closing.  The materials will provide educational opportunities and activities at grade level for your children while school is closed.  They are not intended to replace classroom instruction, or to substitute for instruction in any way.  Rather, they are supplemental — curated grade-level activities that are interesting and fun and encourage students to explore new topics on their own.

As David mentioned, parent/teacher conferences and other meetings and school activities have been postponed.  We’ll likely revise our schedule for report cards and progress reports once we resume normal school functioning.  I look forward to rescheduling other key events that we had to postpone this week and next.  

During these challenging and uncertain times, I am also aware that families may need food resources.  I wanted to share some local Newton and Boston resources for food.  There are three pantries in Newton:

Centre Street Food Pantry
11 Homer Street, Newton Center
www.centrestfoodpantry.org
617-340-9554

Newton Food Pantry
1000 Commonwealth Avenue (City Hall)
www.newtonfoodpantry.org
617-796-1233

Arabic Food Pantry
187 Church Street, Newton Corner
www.arabicbaptist.org
617-723-9766

Project Bread (1-800-645-8333) will also be able to support families in need, especially if you are unable to go to work.

Also, please take note of Newton Neighbors Helping Newton Neighbors, a group created to match residents needing help with volunteers who are willing and able to help.  They have created the following intake form to service our community as we navigate the disruptions caused by COVID-19 — please consider filling it out if you can volunteer or if you need any assistance:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQNTahca3LS8GkS0mht7d3JAVsAc5Apy2H_LJLiGntlwTVOw/viewform

Stay healthy!

Principal Morrissey

Principal Update 3.9.20

Dear families,

It is time for our spring parent-teacher conferences — please make sure you have signed up for a conference with your teacher.  We also have kindergarten screening day coming up this Tuesday, March 10th — if you have an incoming kindergartner, please call the LE office (617-559-9540) to schedule a screening for your child.  We look forward to meeting our new scholars!

MCAS 2020 Schedule:

Below is the 2020 MCAS testing schedule for grades 3-5.  It is very important all scholars are present on testing days.  Please mark your calendars now to avoid scheduling family vacations on testing days.

ELA

Date 4.15.20 4.16.20 4.17.29 4.28.20 4.29.20 4.30.20
Grade 3rd 4th 3rd 4th 5th 5th

MATH

Date 5.11.20 5.12.20 5.13.20 5.14.20 5.15.20 5.18.20
Grade 3rd 3rd 5th 4th 5th 4th

SCIENCE

Date 5.20.20 5.21.20
Grade 5th 5th

Upcoming Dates To Note:

Tuesday, March 10th:  Kindergarten Screening Day
Tuesday, March 10th:
  PTO Meeting, 6:30pm in the library
Thursday, March 19th:  Early release day; 12:30pm dismissal
Thursday, March 19th:  5th grade Yogurt Beach fundraiser

Have a great week!

Principal Morrissey

Principal Update 3.1.20

Dear families,

Don’t forget that kindergarten screening is coming up very soon!  If you are new to the district and have an incoming kindergarten student, please sign up for the parent information night on March 4th:  https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/2912

If you have an incoming kindergartner, please call the LE office (617-559-9540) to schedule a screening for your child.  Screening day is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10th.  We look forward to meeting our new scholars!

And we hope to see everyone at our Family Game Night this Friday at 6pm!

Upcoming Dates To Note:

Friday, March 6th:  Game Night, 6-8pm
Tuesday, March 10th:  Kindergarten Screening Day
Tuesday, March 10th:
  PTO Meeting, 6:30pm in the library
Thursday, March 19th:  Early release day; 12:30pm dismissal / 5th grade Yogurt Beach fundraiser

See you Monday!

Principal Morrissey

Principal Update 2.9.20

Dear families,

One more week of school until our February break!  We know everyone has been working hard and is looking forward to some time to rest, relax, and get ready for the rest of the year.

Upcoming Dates To Note:

February 17th-21st:  No School — February Vacation Week
Friday, March 6th:  Game Night, 6pm
Tuesday, March 10th:  PTO Meeting, 6:30pm in the library
Thursday, March 19th:  Early release day; 12:30pm dismissal

See you on Monday!

Principal Morrissey

Principal Update 2.3.20

Dear families,

Happy February!  A quick reminder that this Thursday, February 6th, is an early release day, with dismissal at 12:30pm.

Hopefully you all received the progress reports for your scholars that were sent out on Thursday.  If you had any trouble accessing the report on Aspen, please reach out to aspen@newton.k12.ma.us, or if you have any questions, please be in touch with your child’s teacher or me.

We’re more than halfway through the school year now, and looking forward to some more great community events in the second half of the year — starting with Movie Night this Friday; hope to see you all there!

Tumble Book Library is a collection of online animated picture books, read-along chapter books, graphic novels, videos, puzzles, and games available in English, French, and Spanish.  And it’s free for you and your child to use at home!  This resource is provided through the Newton Public Schools’ libraries.  Now families will have lots of choices of good books to read anytime, anywhere!

To access from home, just go to the Library page of Lincoln Eliot School’s website. Near the top of the page, click on READ and then click on Tumblebooks.  You will need to sign in with the a username and password which I can provide you; please reach out to me or Jena for that.

Upcoming Dates To Note:

Thursday, February 6th:  Early release day; 12:30pm dismissal
Friday, February 7th:  Movie Night, 6pm
February 17th-21st:  No School — February Vacation Week
Friday, March 6th:  Game Night, 6pm

Have a great week!

Principal Morrissey

Principal Update 1.26.20

Dear families,

Please review the following message from the school nurse:

Winter Illness: January 2020 School Health Newsletter

Even though the temperatures have been spring-like lately, it is still winter, when clusters of respiratory and gastrointestinal (GI) illness occur in our schools and communities.

Newton school nurses monitor illness among students in the schools and have recently received reports of confirmed influenza.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health posts a weekly flu update most Fridays with the latest information about influenza and influenza-like illness (ILI) in the state. https://www.mass.gov/report/2019-2020-season-weekly-flu-reports

Here are a few highlights from the latest report (1/17/20):

  • The percentage of influenza-like illness visits to health care facilities for Massachusetts has increased and is higher than the previous two years in the same week.
  • Overall influenza-like illness activity for Massachusetts is high this week. The region that includes Newton (Inner Metro Boston) is reporting moderate ILI activity.
  • Nationally, influenza-like illness activity remains elevated and influenza B is most common.

Flu vaccination for all people age 6 months and older continues to be recommended. It’s not too late to get a flu shot.  For people who get vaccinated but still get sick, the severity of illness is reduced, according to the CDC.

Anyone can make an appointment with the public health nurse at City Hall for a no-cost flu vaccine by calling 617-796-1420.

Help the school nurses monitor illness in the schools. Report diagnosed strep infection, influenza or other respiratory infections to the school nurse.

It may seem elementary, but in conjunction with a flu vaccine, thorough handwashing is the best way to prevent all kinds of illness including the flu.

If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs and might not remove harmful chemicals.

It is important for families to keep sick children at home, in accordance with school policy outlined below. These guidelines are also good common sense for adults in the workplace.

  • Keep your children home from school when they are ill, following the school exclusion policy. A student will be excluded from school if they have:
    • A fever of 100°F or greater in the past 24 hours (must be fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication to return)
    • A communicable disease diagnosis
    • A cold in the active stages – coughing, sneezing, nasal drainage
    • A sore throat and/or swollen neck glands
    • Vomiting or diarrhea in the past 24 hours
    • Acute pain that requires relief by narcotic medication

Thank you for reading and following these guidelines — we appreciate your help in keeping our school community healthy!

S.P.A.C.E. Camp Summer Program

S.P.A.C.E. Camp is a four week summer enrichment program run through the Newton Public Schools, for students entering Kindergarten through 9th Grade.  S.P.A.C.E. has it all:  music, arts, STEM, performing arts, project based learning, sports, and language arts.  The dates for summer 2020 are July 6th – July 30th.  Please see their website for more detailed information.

Upcoming Dates To Note:

Thursday, February 6th:  Early release day; 12:30pm dismissal
Friday, February 7th:  Movie Night, 6pm
February 17th-21st:  No School — February Vacation Week

See you Monday!

Principal Morrissey