Proposed Newton Public Schools Budget

Newton Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Fleishman proposed the Fiscal Year 2018 budget on March 22, 2017. The budget for next year, FY 2018, has a $2.1 million gap, meaning the 'maintenance of effort' or how much it will cost to provide exactly what NPS provided this year is $2.1 million more than the allocation NPS is getting from the city to spend next year. NPS needs to make $2.1 million in cuts in order to have the budget match the allocation from the city. Below are some links for you to learn more about the proposed budget.  

Video of Superintendent's budget presentation is here: http://www.newtv.org/video/sc/032217/ (The sound and video will start about 45 seconds after it starts to play.)

Slides from Superintendent's budget presentation: http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/cms/lib8/MA01907692/Centricity/Domain/73/Proposed Budget Presentation 17-18 - 3.23.17 - FINAL.pdf

Proposed budget: http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/cms/lib8/MA01907692/Centricity/Domain/73/FY18 Proposed Budget.pdf

Budget guidelines:  http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/cms/lib8/MA01907692/Centricity/Domain/68/Budget%20Guidelines%20FY18%20-%20approved%2012.21.17%204%202%202.pdf

Upcoming meetings of the School Committee are:

Tuesday April 4th at 6PM:  Public hearing at 6:00PM, then special meeting - Budget discussion

Thursday, April 6th at 7PM:  Regular meeting (public comment allowed) - More discussion and possible final vote

Wednesday, April 12th at 7PM:  A placeholder, in case they do not come to consensus on April 6^th

School Committee meetings are held in Room 210 of 100 Walnut Street.

You can express your opinion a variety of ways:

• Write to the school committee schoolcommittee@newton.k12.ma.us


• Attend a School Committee meeting and speak during the public comments section

Savers FUNDrive results

On March 25, Burr School collected:

2024 lbs of soft  x .20 = $404.80

700 lbs of hard x .10 =  $70.00

340 lbs of books x .02 = $6.80

Furniture 8 pieces @ .05 = $0.40 

             Total                   $482.00

Congratulations to all the helpers at the Burr School! Many thanks for all your efforts and to all your generous donors. Not only did you make almost $500 for your school, you all helped in Savers’ efforts to keep thousands of pounds of reusable goods out of landfills, so thank you for that too!

I also wanted to extend my gratitude for your patience. Jacques got caught up at the first pick up because the store didn’t have an extra person in production to help unload, so thank you for waiting  and being so understanding. I always think I leave enough time for pickups, but sometimes there are variables that come into play.

I am so thrilled for you all, and I would love to work with you again!

Very sincerely,

Katherine Ehler| Area Development Manager –MA/RI/NH

https://www.savers.com/fundrive

 

Spelling Bee winners

We are delighted to publish the list of winners for this year’s Newton Spelling Bees that were held at Newton City Hall for 5 evenings in March. All the children were incredible spellers, and the poise and confidence with which they held themselves during
the contest was impressive!

The contests were held by the Mayor’s Office for Cultural Affairs and sponsored by Newton
Community Pride and Learning Express. Check out the list of winners here: Spellers.

April Break soccer camp

The GPS program is holding soccer camp during April Vacation Week at the Brown/Oak Hill fields. For more information, please see the flyer: Soccer Camp

April 18-21st, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Commemorating 50 Years of METCO in Newton

The Newton Public Schools will commemorate 50 years of partnership with METCO, the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, Inc. Join NPS at this special evening to celebrate the past, present, and future of the METCO program. For more information, please visit http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/2967.  To RSVP, please click: RSVP

April 29th, 5:00 – 7:00 pm, Light appetizers and desserts will be served
Newton North High School, 457 Walnut Street

Upcoming Spring programs at Newton Cemetery

May 17th Spring bird walk! Test your skills and pick up some new ones this spring with Trevor Lloyd-Evans, Manomet’s Director of Landbird Conservation, as he leads this year’s Newton Cemetery Bird Walk. Birders of all experience levels are welcome on this two hour walk around the cemetery’s arboretum. See flyer for more information: Bird Walk

May 13th Spring tree tour! Enjoy a tour showcasing the trees that enhance the grounds. Cemetery arborist Robert Reardon will highlight some interesting and unique characteristics of the numerous recently planted varieties. See flyer for more information: Tree Tour

Please note, participation is limited for the Bird Walk on May 17th, so those interested should make sure they register through Manomet.org/events to reserve their spot.

Finish strong in math

Finish strong in math this school year. Affordable, effective, individualized math tutoring including 8-session, 16-session, and unlimited option packets starting at $375.00 ($25 to $47/session). Individualized Learning Plans targeted to helping students fill in any gaps and solidify the year’s math topics.

At Mathnasium, math makes sense, and math is fun. 100% money-back guarantee if program is not right for you. Details at: www.mathsense.com/finish-strong.

Spanish Tutor available

• Fluent in Spanish
• Massachusetts licensed/certified
• 6 years teaching experience
• BA Latin American Studies: Brown University
• MA Teaching: Boston College
• CAES School Leadership/Administration: Boston College
• Newton Highlands resident
• Available Services:
o Spanish (all levels)
o Organizational skills
o Study skills

Contact: Libby Sands at libby@libbysands.com or at 617- 256-4780.

Looking for a fun summer art program for your 3rd-8th grader?

Explorations in Art Week
3-D Project, Acrylic Painting, Sculpey Clay Creations, Paper making, Duct Tape Art, and more. Class size limit is 10 students.
July 24th – 28th, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

3-Day Fairy House Intensive
Create your own take-home fairy house, fairies and fairy furniture. Develop scenes if time allows using a variety of materials. Class size limit is 10 students.
August 28 – 30th,  9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Location: Instructor’s home near Zervas Elementary School in Waban. More details and references available upon request. This is the 5th year Amy Behrens has offered these programs, which have filled every summer. Please register as soon as possible.

About the Instructor: Amy Behrens is a Zervas/Oak Hill parent and former middle school teacher who is now a parent coach, educator and artist. She loves helping kids create art with high quality materials in the summer.

Learn more at http://www.amybehrens.com/workshops/ and email amy@amybehrens.com if you want to hold a space for your child in one or both art programs this summer or have questions about the fee, activities, or anything else.