A Note from the Principal . . . .
On Wednesday the Students in Action group, a group of 21 students, came together so that their voices could be heard. When they first volunteered to join in this civic action club, they spent several weeks sifting through the many issues confronting our school community and determined that the most pressing was our continued journey toward becoming an inclusive school. They shared stories of their experiences with comments and actions that marginalized members of our community based upon their identity despite the many lessons and community days here at Day dedicated to issues from bias to micro-aggressions.
Their journey that began in September with their personal anecdotes expanded to a plan to learn more about the barriers holding us back from being more inclusive of all students and faculty. Their plan has included conducting focus groups and surveys with faculty staff, and on Wednesday, they took some of their shared learning to offer feedback and an informed lens of how we might improve our upcoming community day on March 23rd on micro-aggressions.
It is their voices that I will use to frame our work together as a faculty as we prepare to talk about micro-aggressions with students. I will share their ideas of how to create psychological safety and how to be an ally when on the very next day, some students try to invalidate our learning by making fun of the lessons. The voices that I am lifting up just also happened to be those of 21 students who mostly identify as female or nonbinary.
I am grateful for those who came before them and created the pathways for their voices to be heard.
(In next week's newsletter, I will share more details about the activities we have planned with students so that you can engaged in similar conversations at home.)
SAVE THE DATE:
Thursday, March 23, 2023: Early Release - Dismissal at 11:20 a.m.
Monday, March 27, 2023: Day 1 of ELA MCAS in Grades 6-8
Tuesday, March 28, 2023: Day 2 of ELA MCAS in Grades 6-8
Thursday, March 30th and Friday, March 31st: Make-Up Days for ELA MCAS
Thursday, March 6, 2023: Last Day of Term 3.
Friday, April 7, 2023: No School - Good Friday
SPRING ATHLETIC REGISTRATION
Spring Team Sports
Family ID registration opens: Mar 13, 2023
Season runs April 3- June 2
Please read the F.A. Day Athletics Welcome Letter linked again below with details about the steps needed to register.
Baseball (tryouts open to 7th – 8th Grade)
Boys Lacrosse (tryouts open to 7th – 8th Grade)
Girls Lacrosse (tryouts open to 7th – 8th Grade)
Softball (tryouts open to 7th – 8th Grade)
Co-Ed Track and Field (no tryouts open to 6th – 8th Grade *roster cap may apply)
Intramural Sports/skills clinics (TBD) open to all grades 6-8
Spring: volleyball, ultimate frisbee
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Athletic Directors by email. We look forward to sharing in a successful year of F.A. Day Athletics.
GO Dragons!
Andy Comings comingsa@newton.k12.ma.us
Mark Murphy murphym@newton.k12.ma.us
Unified Basketball Season
Come join the Day Community in supporting our Unified Basketball Team as they launch their spring season this month.
Home games are listed here below:
Thursday, March 9, 2023: Boston College Invitations Tournament 2:30 - 5:00 p.m.
SEE IMAGES BELOW
Thursday, March 16, 2023: Home Game vs Brown at
Tuesday, March 21, 2023: Away vs. Natick at Wilson Middle School @ 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 30, 2023: Jamboree Hosted by Day Middle School
F.A. DAY YEARBOOK 2023
It's time to order your student's yearbook!
The FA Day Yearbook includes the students of all three grades and this year it is parent-designed.
The cost is $35 per yearbook and the deadline to order is April 30th.
No orders will be accepted after APRIL 30, 2023.
How to start your yearbook order:
1. Hover over the menu item marked “Order Central”
2. Click "Yearbooks"
3. In the School Password field, enter: FAD2023
Please contact your child's guidance counselor if you need financial assistance in ordering a yearbook.
Ms. Thomas' 6th Grade Classroom
Ms. Thomas practices a mindful moment with her 6th grade students to engage and focus on learning.
Day Students Competing in This Week's Junior Districts
This image of Day students was sent by our Band and Orchestra Director, Shon Brown, who cheered on our Day students at this past weekend's Jr. Districts Competition.
SUPPORTING THE ARTS AT DAY
In the past two weeks we have experienced the joy from our winter choral and band concert as well as our art show. Please join us in supporting the arts by donating to the PTO funds linked below.
Upcoming Events in the Arts:
Raise Your Voice - Musical Revue: Thursday, February 9th and Friday, February 10th
Orchestra Concert - Wednesday, March 1st
SAVE THE DATE - DAY DIVERSITY CLUB FAMILY CONNECTION ACTIVITIES
Special thanks to the Day Diversity Club and the Day PTO for their planning and sponsorship of an amazing family event yesterday at Boston Bowl. It was wonderful seeing Day students, parents, and staff from Boston and Newton sharing a Saturday of pizza and bowling and creating memories and connections. SEE THE IMAGES BELOW!!!
SAVE THE DATE FOR THE NEXT DIVERSITY CLUB EVENT:
Thursday, April 27, 2023: Annual Multi-Cultural Diversity Pot Luck Dinner for Day Families
AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS UPDATE
Parent Club Advisors- We Need. Your Help!!!
We are looking for Day parents who might be interested in running one of our after school clubs so that we can expand our offerings for students. Information below:
Time Commitment: One Day a Week (of your choosing - except Wednesdays) from 2:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Pay: The pay rate for club advisors is $26 /hour and the afternoon is 1.5 hours.
($39 /day)
If you are available one afternoon a week from 2:30 - 4:00 p.m., and are interested in offering a club on any topic of your interest or expertise, or one of interest to students, please email Andy Comings at:
comingsa@newton.k12.ma.us or Mark Murphy at: murphym@newton.k12.ma.us.
REQUESTS FOR SCHOOL TRANSFERS FOR THE 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR
School Transfer Requests 2023-2024
(formerly “Out-of-Assigned District” Requests)
- Each year, the Newton Public Schools consider applications for Newton students to transfer
to a school outside of their home (assigned) district.
- School Transfer placements are limited and made on a space available basis. Newton residents, as well as members of NTA Units A, B, C, D, E, NESA, and the Custodial Union, may apply for placement of their children in a Newton Public School. Please note: Students placed in specialized education programs outside of NPS classrooms do not need to apply for a School Transfer Request. Impact on enrollment, as well as staffing and space availability, for both the requested year and for future years, are key considerations in the application process. Class, team and
Applications for the 2023-2024 school year can be submitted online between March 1 and
May 1, 2023. The online form will be available on our website at www.newton.k12.ma.us in
the “Registration” section.
