The Newton School's mission is t
o develop each child’s potential for academic success, engagement and overall well-being. Through this process, we will enrich each child’s education with community involvement, collaboration and outreach.
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School Notes & Athletics
Mr. Bagnato
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All students in K-8 have had a blast creating their puppets for different folktales, fables and myths to be presented at
5:30 December 12 in Barrett Hall. I wonder what those 5th and 6th graders are planning on presenting?
Did you know that between 2010 and 2015 teens that felt useless and joyless (according to a large national survey) increased 33 percent? During that same time, teen suicide attempts increased 23 percent. According to this
editorial which references a paper published in
Clinical Psychological Science, a decreased amount of human interaction and sleep coupled with an increased amount of screen time may be to blame. I think this is an important discussion to have no matter how old your child is.
Earlier this week, the Strafford School Board voted to employ a consultant to look into the culture and climate of Newton School. I will be sending out more information as to when parents will be able to talk with this consultant as soon as it is scheduled.
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Athletics and School Activities
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EVENTS:
Artist in Residence:
- December 11-12. Each child will work on their presentation for the final program which will be 5:30 12/12 in Barrett Hall.
Basketball:
5/6 boys basketball at Norwich 9:15 am on 12/8
5/6 girls basketball game at Thetford Elementary 6:00 pm on 12/14
Skiing:
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K-2 News
Ms. Kicza, Mrs. Longcore & Mrs. Robinson
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It’s been a busy week with our No Strings Marionette Artist in Residence here on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. It’s amazing how quickly the puppets came together. Each day they were transformed more and more into the characters that the children chose for the performance next Wednesday. It will be at Barrett Hall on the 12th at 5:30. We hope to see you all there!
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3/4 News
Ms. Coté & Mrs. Marzot
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Students did well with changes in our schedule as we worked with the No Strings Attached Marionette Company. It is amazing to see their creativity and problem solving skills in a different learning environment. We are looking forward to seeing their plays come to life on Wednesday! The third graders are performing their version of Rapunzel from the original Grimm story. The fourth graders are performing their version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Everyone have a great weekend! Please remember to get lots of sleep and keep washing your hands.
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5/6 News
Ms. Tremblay & Mr. Walker
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This week in STEAM, students are learning about making technology (anything human made that solves a problem or meets a need; technology is a system, process, or object). Students are designing a maker notebook where they will keep their ideas, reflections, and design plans. They are also practicing the transferable skill of self direction by researching ways to make the book.
This trimester one reading team is learning about the genre of historical fiction. The book
The Watsons Go to Birmingham is about a family who experiences the Birmingham bombings in 1963, and how the civil rights movement impacted their lives. They will be determining the theme and comparing this genre to the previous book,
Wonder. The other reading group has been involved in Literacy Circles and are reading
Touching Spirit Bear and
The Secret Soldier.
This week is the Hour of Code, and the cluster wrote a scene between two characters who found an unusual object. Next they are block coding it to produce a three-minute animation.
Sixth grade math is being taught by Mrs. Tremblay in the Fab Lab. Students are starting chapter 4 in CPM and learning about ratios and variables. The fifth grade math students are in different groups learning about fractions and decimals.
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7/8 News
Ms. Kanoff & Mrs. White
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Passion project:
Students will be completing their projects in January. We are planning a presentation/celebration of their work on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. at the school. During that time, you may view and learn about the various projects as you travel from classroom to classroom.
Here is a request from a student:
Hi, my name is Jennafer Worth. I am an 8th grade student at The Newton School. For my Passion Project I will be collecting and donating the following items to the Upper Valley Haven:
Winter coats
Hats and gloves
Boots
Scarves/ neck warmers
Sweaters
The Haven needs these items in all sizes for both adults and children. All items must be in good repair.
You may drop off any items in the labeled bin starting Saturday, December 8th through Saturday, January 19th, at the following locations:
The Newton School
Coburn's Store
If you have questions, please contact me at The Newton School (765-4351).
Thank you for supporting my Passion Project
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Math: Seventh grade students are working on proportional relationships while 8th grade students are studying geometry or equations. Here is an example of Kailey, Jenna, and Jillian's work :
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Science: We learned about cells, tissues, organs, and systems. In addition, students started a project on 7 body systems which will culminate in a brochure that we hope to share with some health care providers in the area. This is the first part of the unit.
History, Writing, and Puppet Making: The 7th and 8th have completed their scripts and their puppets for their Greek myth presentations. We look forward to sharing our work with you next Tuesday at 5:30. We have read many Aesop fables to learn about morals and lessons to be learned from his tales.
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Lunch Room News
Gret Hewes
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What to bring….Hmmmmmm?
Invited to a holiday party and you have no idea what to bring? Maybe we can help…whip up some hummus! It’s easy! Kids and adults love hummus, and what a wonderful way to get veggies on the appetizer table.
Easy Hummus
Serves 16
1(15oz) can of garbanzo beans (aka chick peas), drained, reserve liquid
2 oz. (¼ cup) fresh jalapeno’s chopped (can be substituted with red &/or green pepper)
½ teasp. ground Cumin
2 tblsp. Lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
In a blender or food processor, combine garbanzo beans, peppers, cumin, lemon juice, garlic and 1 tblsp. Bean liquid. Blend until smooth.
Serve with baby carrots, celery, peppers, broccoli, cucumber or any veggie you like.
Enjoy!
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Artist-in-Residence Week Next Week - No Strings Marionette Company - Puppetry Workshop!
What a fun, creative week with Barbara and Mimi from No Strings Marionette Company! I have had the opportunity to work with Barbara and the kids this week on their puppet creations and two things stand out for me: 1. how much creativity and thoughtfulness our students (and teachers!) bring forth every day and getting to see it captured in their puppet creations has been simply magical and 2. how engaging making puppets is across a wide age/grade range (K-8-Adult). I loved seeing a lovely 1st-grade moon come together, the careful thoughtfulness of an 8th grader making his water nymph, and the excitement and enthusiasm of a certain 5/6 teacher making his "Boy Who Cried Wolf" puppet. Spending time with the kids and teachers this week has given me a lot of joy and feeling proud that the PTA can support these types of special programs. Thank you to all that have volunteered their time this week to puppetry: Laura Pulaski, Kate Frederick, Christa Wurm, Meg Teachout, Annemieke McLane, and Laura DeCapua.
The puppet performance is open to the community and will be held on Wednesday, December 12th at Barrett Hall at 5:30pm.
Please come to see these beautiful creations!
The Newton PTA's 12th Annual Gift-Making Workshop
Thank you to Leslie Berger and Erin Yunger and all of our other wonderful volunteers for making the gift-making workshop this year a big success - many homemade, recycled creations are ready to go for the holidays!
Literacy Triad
- On Friday, December 21st students will be signing up to get a book read to them followed by a related activity. If you are interested in volunteering for this event, please e-mail
Diane White
Next PTA Meeting
Monday, January 7 (*Please note change to Monday)
6:00 pm
Newton Library
PTA Meetings for the rest of the Year (Tuesdays unless otherwise noted)
February 5
March 11 (Monday)
April 2
May 7 (Officer Election)
June 4
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December 12 -
Artist-in-Residence, No Strings Marionette Co.
Children's Performance
5:30 p.m. at Barrett Hall
January 3 - Return from Winter Break
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