February 26th, 2021

Good Afternoon Parents, Guardians and Students:

March 1-5 Schedule

I will begin today with posting the schedule for next week. There will be no virtual classes on Wednesday for any students as we have a shortened four day week with Friday as a non student day. All students will be off on Friday.

• Monday:   Students A-K, ODD DAY
• Tuesday:  Students L-Z, ODD DAY
• Wednesday:   Students L-Z, In Person, EVEN DAY
• Thursday:     Students A-K, EVEN DAY

Newton Sprit Wear Store Now Open

With the help of Denver Athletic we will be opening up a school store this afternoon selling Newton Spirit Wear. Please access this link to view and purchase Newton Spirit Wear.

PTO Fundraiser Still Ongoing

I have had some parents inquire about our annual PTO fundraiser and if we are still taking donations. The answer is yes, you can donate at this link!

Have a great weekend and please let me know if you have any questions regarding our schedule next week.

James O’Tremba

Principal, Newton Middle School

February 12th, 2021

Good Evening Parents, Guardians and Students:

Schedule for Next Week

Next week will be a four day week as we have Monday off for Presidents Day. Our schedule will be as follows:

• Tuesday - L-Z in person ODD Day
• Wednesday: - A-K in person ODD Day
• Thursday - A-K in person EVEN Day
• Friday - L-Z in person EVEN Day

There will be no synchronous time on Wednesday.

Newton Knight Out

Newton’s next “Restaurant Knight to-go” is Monday February 22nd at Parry's Pizza Southglenn location. Between 4pm and 8pm Parry's will be giving 20% of Newton sales back to our school. Please mention Newton when you are ordering for delivery or pick up.

Have a great three day weekend.

James O’Tremba

Principal, Newton Middle School

January 22nd, 2021

 Good Evening Parents, Guardians and Students:

We’ve had a great first week back with students in person in our modified hybrid schedule!

We will be returning to our regular hybrid learning schedule next week. Please click here for a copy of the schedule. This is also posted on our school website. Just a reminder that Wednesday is a virtual, ODD, late start day for all students, the times for those virtual classes are different so please note that on the schedule.

PTO THANK YOU!
On behalf of the PTO, we are so happy to be back in person and wanted to let you know that our staff appreciation holiday cheer campaign was a HUGE success and raised over $4,000.  We will spread this cheer over the remaining months but are providing breakfast and $25 Amazon Gift cards to each staff member today.  Thank you again for your continued support!

LITTLETON HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN REGISTRATION INFORMATION:
FUTURE LIONS SAVE THE DATE!  Incoming Freshman Registration for Littleton High School’s Class of 2025 will be held VIRTUALLY on Thursday, February 4th, at 6 pm. We encourage students and parents to log in together as we provide information to support students as they make their course requests.  Our counselors, administrators and department chairs will be available to answer questions and provide guidance.

Look for an email from Littleton High School on Monday, February 1st. This email will contain registration information and the Google Meet links you will need for Thursday evening. If you do not receive this email, please call the Littleton Instruction Office at 303-347-7715 or email Paula Alred @ palred@lps.k12.co.us. Students and families are encouraged to explore The Lion's Lore, our course catalogue. This document is a great resource!

Eight graders please access the Heritage High School or Arapahoe High School websites for their specific information on Freshman registration.

Have a great weekend.
James O’Tremba
Principal, Newton Middle School

January 15th, 2021

 Good Evening Parents, Guardians and Students:

FROM YOUR NEWTON PTO:

Taking into consideration the challenges of 2020, our families and students graciously spread holiday cheer to the Newton teachers and staff.  The Holiday Cheer Campaign was more successful than we imagined.  Our families contributed over $4000!!  We will be sharing with you how the funds will be gifted to our teachers and staff in upcoming correspondence.   A huge thank you for your support and generosity!

Just a reminder that tomorrow, Friday the 15th is a day off for students. Our teachers will have a workday to prepare for our return to hybrid learning next week. Our schools are also closed on Monday for all staff and students in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. day. We will resume in person, hybrid learning on Tuesday, January 19th. The schedule will be as follows:

Tuesday the 19th and Friday the 22nd all L-Z students will report in person to Newton and will have asynchronous learning days on the 20th and 21st. Tuesday will be an ODD day and Friday will be an EVEN day.

Wednesday the 20th and Thursday the 21st all A-K students will report in person to Newton and will have asynchronous learning days on the 19th and the 22nd. Wednesday will be an ODD, late start day and Thursday will be an EVEN day.

Please let us know if you have any questions. Have a great four day weekend students!

James O’Tremba

Principal, Newton Middle School

January 8th, 2021

 Good Evening Parents, Guardians and Students:

WELCOME BACK

Welcome back and Happy New Year. I hope everyone enjoyed their winter break. Just a quick reminder that next week will be a four day week with Friday off for students as teachers will have a planning day in order to prepare for our return to in person, hybrid learning on the 19th of January. The schedule for the week will be as follows:

Monday and Wednesday will be ODD days (Wednesdays continue to be late start days) and Tuesday and Thursday will be EVEN days. Again, Friday the 15th is a day off from school for all students.

FIRST NEWTON KNIGHT OUT FOR 2021

“Come out and support Newton with our first Restaurant “Knight” to-go of the year. Chipotle will be giving back 33% of their Newton sales back to our school. Please visit the location at 7515 S University Blvd or order online between 4pm and 8pm next Wednesday, January 13th. Show the attached flyer, mention Newton or use the specific “promo code” when ordering. The code is on the flyer 

YEARBOOK INFORMATION:

The Yearbook Staff will be so excited when we can head back to school together again and take photos of students in person! Until then, we are asking you or your student to share a photo with us of these topics: Online learning, Winter outdoors, Holidays or Game nights, or anything else you'd like to share. This is a really challenging year, but there are also enjoyable moments that get us through the hard stuff. Let's capture those!

Please CLICK HERE for the Yearbook webpage where you can eShare your photos. Or you can attach a photo to an email and send it directly to Karin Svigel at ksvigel@lps.k12.co.us.

Bringing Sports Back to Newton

2020 was a year without sports. We didn’t hear the squeaking sounds of sneakers on the gym floor, the cheering through the trees out on the track, the stop clock buzzer echoing down the halls…. 

Sports, we’ve missed you at Newton, but we know you’re out there. 

The athletic department would love to see everything you have been able to do with sports this past year. We’re looking for video clips of all Newton Knights playing their game, winning their match, or competing in a tournament. Don’t have any? Then record yourself practicing skills in the yard, on the driveway, or at the park. Let’s hear the cheering of a crowd out on a field, or even just close friends encouraging one another on a home court. 

Attach or share your video clip(s) with msutton@lps.k12.co.us by Friday, January 15. Game on!

Have a great weekend.

James O’Tremba

Principal, Newton Middle School

December 4th, 2020

 Good Evening Parents, Guardians and Students:

The Best Two Minutes You Can Spend This Weekend:

In only a few clicks, you can link your King Soopers/Kroger brands rewards number to Newton Middle school and we can earn passive income every time you buy groceries. This adds up. Some LPS schools earn thousands each year from this program and don’t forget to ask your neighbors and grandparents…anyone in the country who shops at a Kroger brand grocery store, to link up with Newton.

Please see the attached flyer from PTO for instructions to link your King Soopers account to an ongoing fundraising event for Newton Middle School. Newton will receive a stipend each month based on the amount of money spent for our cumulative accounts. In the past this was a gift card based opportunity at King Soopers, this is much more simplified and is ongoing without you needing to do anything except take two minutes to identify Newton as your preferred organization and link your account. I did this today for our family account and it took me longer to write this blurb than link my account. Please consider helping PTO raise money for Newton through your regular shopping at King Soopers!

GIVE TO NEWTON ON COLORADO GIVES DAY!

We’re down to the final few weeks to promote giving through the Newton Annual Fund and if you need a reason, give on Colorado Gives Day…December 8. It’s been a difficult year, but Newton Knights are resilient. Without your support, the PTO will have to make cuts in our programming: cuts to teacher grants, cuts to staff appreciation, cuts to classroom enhancements. We’re only about 50% to our goal of $30,000. Please consider donating to Newton on December 8 in honor of Colorado Gives Day. For more information and to donate online, click here.

The Yearbook needs your photos from home now more than ever. Since we aren't together at school we are unable to collect any more great pictures of students in our regular environment. So instead, we are looking for WINTER PHOTOS - activities in the snow, cozy indoor photos, family game nights, and holidays. If it's winter related, we're interested!

Also, just a reminder that the yearbook is FREE for all students this year only as it is our commemorative book before moving to our brand new building. So if you are interested in ordering an 8th grade baby ad, that would be the only thing for you to purchase. We are buying a yearbook for every student.

Please contact Karin Svigel at ssvigel@lps.k12.co.us with any questions.

Eighth Grade Drama Virtual Performance:

If you are interested in attending, next Friday, December 11 at 6pm will be our 8th Grade Drama Production: 10 Ways to Survive Life in a Quarantine. It will be available at this link: https://sites.google.com/lpsk12.org/newtonplayfall2020/live-stream

The students have done a really fabulous job of putting this together! This play was written back in April after quarantine began and is meant to be performed virtually. Because of our issues with Google Meet, we will be streaming a prerecorded video instead of truly performing live.

Thanks everyone and have a great weekend.

James O’Tremba

Principal, Newton Middle School

November 13th, 2020

Good Afternoon Parents, Guardians and Students:

As we transition to full distance remote learning next week we have put together some documents, instructional videos and other pertinent information for you to access if you have any questions regarding our schedule and expectations for students to work at home. Documents include information on attendance, technology assistance, homeroom, odd, even day schedule, library book checkout and much more.

Please access the following links for additional information:

EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS

INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS:

Distance Learning Overview Video

CC In Depth Schedule Walk through

The PTO Annual Fund Drive has begun and we need your donations!

PTO funds are going even further this year since the district has frozen Principal spending in the building as it re-budgets. Donations in any amount will help us get to our goal of $30,000, however, if you’re able we’re hoping for a per family donation of $150 through our contactless PayPal account. Click here to visit our Annual Fund page to donate, learn more about where the money will be allocated, corporate matching, watch a short promotional video and more. Thank you in advance.

“We LOAF Our Staff!”

Earlier this morning, the PTO delivered 85 mini-loaves to the school, one for each staff member as a Thanksgiving send-off before we begin this virtual learning voyage. Help us by micro-funding a loaf or two at $5 each through our contactless PayPal account. Click here to donate $5 or more. And a big thanks to LPS-owned Manna Bakery for baking the delicious treats.

Join us for the November PTO meeting.

We will meet virtually next Thursday, November 19 from 9:30-11am via google meet. Principal O’Tremba will send out the meeting credentials the day before and all are welcome. If you’d like to be added to PTO’s email distribution and join the meeting, email president becca Winslow @ newtonptopres@gmail.com.

All Families:

The next round of photos we're looking to include in the yearbook are HALLOWEEN pictures and pictures of your students with their PETS. Again, you can share these great photos at www.hjeshare.com, school code: NMS2021.

A Message for 8th Grade Families ONLY:

It’s amazing that we are already starting the second quarter of your child’s 8th grade year!  As we look ahead to our 8th Graders completing this stage of life and moving on to high school, the Newton Yearbook wants to give you a chance to commemorate this occasion for your student.

We are now accepting orders for 8th Grade Baby Ads for the 2021 Newton Yearbook.  It’s time to choose photos and write messages of congratulations, pride, love and support.  Parents can create their own ad online at www.yearbookordercenter.com. When you go to the website, use our School Order Number 7571 and follow the prompts to complete your ad.  If needed, Herff-Jones Yearbook Technical Support is available to help you complete your ad.  

Ads are sold in these sizes for the following prices:

-Full page - $210

-Half page - $115

-Quarter page - $65

-Eighth page - $45

All 8th Grade Baby Ads Are Due December 4, 2020.

Your 8th Grader received a paper flyer with this information this week, and here is a digital copy.

Please contact Karin Svigel at ksvigel@lps.k12.co.us with questions.

Have a great weekend, please contact your teachers or grade level administrator with any questions. You will have a day off on Monday and begin your online classes on Tuesday morning.

Have a great weekend.

James O’Tremba

Principal, Newton Middle School