[CabotCommunity] Jabberlite for October 6, 2009

Strategic Plan Task Forces: Call for Volunteers
In the process of strategic planning, a number of promising ideas were put forward. We are establishing task forces to study three of these ideas in greater depth. Each task force will have a team leader and include both educators and community volunteers. The team leader will establish a process for selecting other team members who will work together to establish goals and timeframes. After they are constituted and have developed a timetable, each task force will report to the School Committee about their proposed work. The three task forces are:

Partnerships with academic institutions and businesses
Virtual learning opportunities
Expanded learning time

Each task force will have 8 to 12 members, and will include (at a minimum) 3 teachers, 2 administrators, and 3 community members. At this point in time, we are looking for representatives to serve on each of these task forces.

Meetings will take place monthly according to the following schedule:

Monday, October 26
Monday, November 23
Monday, December 14
Monday, January 11
Monday, March 1

All meetings are 3:30 -- 5:30 PM.

Please consider joining one of these task forces. If you are interested in serving on a particular Task Force, please email the Task Force Leader of your our interest by October 16, 2009.

Task Force on Partnerships:~ This task force seeks to forge partnerships that will enhance professional development, curriculum and program development, and in turn, the quality of teaching and learning. Such partnerships would foster a dynamic learning environment, as well as create mechanisms through which NPS will more systematically hire and retain top quality, diverse educators. We intend to investigate various partnerships with local colleges, universities, businesses and organizations to rethink teacher training and professional development programs in order to attract and maintain a reliable pool of high quality, talented and diverse educators who are equipped with the mindset and skills necessary to realize the NPS's mission of developing students for a global age. Please contact Joe Russo at joseph_russo@newton.k12.ma.us regarding the Partnerships Taskforce.

Task Force on Virtual Learning: The NPS as a Permeable Campus Working Group (spring, 2009) has recommended that "NPS should expand and explore online learning options for preK-12 students and the use of other online resources." During the past eight years, the Newton Public Schools' technology infrastructure (network, hardware, software, and professional development) has expanded to take advantage of a variety of online resources for students and teachers. Additionally, NPS has begun to offer online courses in two ways. One is for teacher professional development; the other is a blended learning opportunity for students. This task force will review these and other online models in order to make recommendations regarding the future and potentially expanded use of virtual learning in the Newton Public Schools. Please contact Shelley Chamberlain at shelley_chamberlain@newton.k12.ma.us regarding the Virtual Learning Taskforce.

Task Force on Expanded Learning Time (ELT). Quoting liberally from the recommendation of the Permeable Campus Working Group: Expanded Learning Time (ELT) rethinks and retools the traditional six-hour day/180 day school year. Today's students are required to know and do more than previous generations to remain competitive in our global economy. As we strive to teach more and more content, the constraint is time, and we endeavor to squeeze more and more into the school day. With ELT we treat time as "permeable;" it is a fundamental restructuring of the school day/week/year to accommodate student learning. It may provide 1) more instructional time in core subjects to support student achievement, 2) an opportunity to integrate enrichment and applied learning opportunities into the school day; and 3) more time for teachers to do common planning, engage in professional development and collaborate with community based organizations. The task force will review the potential of employing ELT in Newton, and make recommendations based on its research. Please contact Paul Stein at paul_stein@newton.k12.ma.us regarding the Extended Learning Time Taskforce.

Newton's Child Assault Prevention (CAP) program is seeking volunteers
We can't do it without you.

Each year CAP volunteer Prevention Specialists present 125 workshops to students in Newton's kindergarten, second and fifth grade classrooms. Working in teams of 3, we teach Newton children that they have the right to be Safe, Strong and Free with their friends and peers, with adult strangers, and with those who are trusted to take care of them. Using simple and age appropriate language we address bullying, stranger safety, and sexual assault by known persons.

We are looking for community members who are interested in becoming volunteer Prevention Specialists. Please join us. Potential volunteers are community members who believe that children have the right to information, skills and the support of adults. We offer a flexible schedule to volunteers who enjoy teamwork and can make a commitment of six hours per month for one school year. Training begins October 23.

Please note that the Newton Community Service Center requires all volunteers who work with children to participate in a personal interview and successfully pass a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) screening. For more information, contact Gail Sommer, Director, 617 969 5906, x 143 or gsommer@ncscweb.org

Could your child, ages 6 to 11, benefit from the consistent, caring friendship of a Newton teenager? Newton's One to One Program has an enthusiastic new group of high school seniors from Newton North and Newton South High Schools. If you would like the opportunity to have your matched this academic year with a "Big Brother/Sister", please call Nancy Holczer, Program Director, at 617.559.9063 by the end of October. Please leave a message on the answering machine, which includes your name, address, and phone number.

A program of the Newton Public Schools since 1972. Funded by The Newton Partnership (formerly the Newton Safe Schools/Healthy Students initiative).

Newton Touch-a-Truck
Newton Touch-a-Truck will be on Sunday, October 18, from noon to 4:00 at Newton South High School. This promises to be a wonderful low-cost family fun day, with proceeds from the suggested donation of $7 per family/carload going to support nonprofit programming for young children and their families in Newton. More than 30 trucks will be available for kids to climb on and explore. Visits from the NN and NS mascots, free snacks, and opportunities for families to have their children fingerprinted are just part of what's in store. From noon to 1:00, we will be hosting a special "horn-free hour" for kids who may be sensitive to loud noises.

Wednesday, October 21st - Kickoff meeting for Inclusive Schools Week
Please join us at 100 Walnut Street, Newtonville, Room 210, at 7:30pm to discuss Inclusive Technology. We will plan the citywide celebration that takes place the week of December 7th to 11th, 2009. More details at http://www.inclusiveschools.org/node/1767

The Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education serves as a resource for parents and as a liaison between parents and the school administration. All parents, teachers, specialists and others with an interest in education are welcome. Contact info@newtonpac.org

Out-of-District Policy Statement
Out-of-District placements for students who wish to attend a school in Newton other than his/her district school are limited. Such placements are made on a space available basis only. Newton families, as well as members of Units A, B, C, D, E, NESA, Custodians and Boston parents of students in the METCO Program, should call the Elementary Education Office (grades K - 5) at 617-559-6105 or the Deputy Superintendent's Office (grades 6 - 12) at 617-559-6115 for information. Students who receive acceptance for Out-of-District placement must remain in the school selected for the duration of the school year.

Applications for the following school year must be submitted on forms which will be available beginning November 2 in the Elementary Education Office (grades K - 5), Room 218, or the Deputy Superintendent's Office (grades 6 - 12), Room 214, at the Education Center.

If necessary, a lottery will be implemented to determine the order in which placements will be made. Completed applications, signed by the in-district principal, can be submitted no earlier than January 4, 2010 and no later than March 31, 2010. Applications submitted after March 31, 2010 will not be included in the lottery.

Class size in a given grade, in a given year, in a specific school, may preclude any placements including siblings.

Parents will be responsible for transportation.

Tuition Free Enrollment is limited to the per pupil cost of regular education.