November 22, 2019

Good Afternoon Parents and Guardians:

Vacations and Trips
A reminder if you are taking out of town trips for vacations, sporting events etc. you need to notify your grade level administrator ahead of time for those to be excused. Grade level administrators are:  Ms. Rahne, 6th grade, Mr. Wyckhuyse 7th grade and Mr. O’Tremba for the 8th grade.

Does Your Student Ride a Bus
If students want to ride a bus home with a friend and they are not a bus riding student please call the main office and we will complete a form for the student to give the driver for permission to ride the bus home. Otherwise these students will not be granted access to the bus.

Arapahoe Shadow Days
Arapahoe High School has their  final 8th Grade Shadow Day coming up on Tuesday, December 3rd. Arapahoe has  added this date to their original schedule due to increased demand. As in the past, there will be 2 sessions that day: the AM session runs from 8:00am-11:45am and the PM session runs from 12:10pm-3:20pm. The links to registration are on the Arapahoe High School website.

8th Grade Yearbook Baby Ads
Dear 8th Grade Parents,
With Thanksgiving Break  this would be a great time to create a Baby ad to remember and honor your 8th Grader as they move on to high school. The deadline for accepting orders for 8th Grade baby ads for the 2019 Newton Yearbook is Two weeks away!!. Take advantage of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday 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, input our school code 7571 and follow the prompts to complete the ad.  Herff Jones Yearbook Technical Support is available to help you complete your ad.  Ads are sold in half page, quarter page and eighth page sizes for the following prices:

• Half Page (6.8 by 4.5 inches)- $115
• Quarter Page (3.3 by 4.5 Inches)- $63
• Eighth Page (3.3 by 2.2 Inches)- $38

All 8th Grade Baby Ads Are Due December 7th 2018. The flyer with instructions is posted on the front page of the Newton Website. Please contact Rob Atherton with questions.

Have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy your week off.
James O’Tremba
Principal, Newton Middle School

November 15th, 2019

Good Afternoon Parents and Guardians:

Eighth Grade Parents/Yearbook baby ads information:
With Thanksgiving Break coming up in two weeks, this would be a great time to create a Baby ad to remember and honor your 8th Grader as they move on to high school.

The deadline for accepting orders for 8th Grade baby ads for the 2019 Newton Yearbook is Three weeks away!!.  Take advantage of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday 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, input our school code 7571 and follow the prompts to complete the ad.  Herff Jones Yearbook Technical Support is available to help you complete your ad.

Ads are sold in half page, quarter page and eighth page sizes for the following prices:

• Half Page (6.8 by 4.5 inches)- $115
• Quarter Page (3.3 by 4.5 Inches)- $63
• Eighth Page (3.3 by 2.2 Inches)- $38

All 8th Grade Baby Ads Are Due December 7th 2018.

The flyer with instructions is posted on the front page of the Newton Website

Please contact Rob Atherton at ratherton@lps.k12.co.us with questions.

Important Rev Trak Information:
Effective December 31, 2019, the district's credit card processing fees in Infinite Campus/RevTrak will be 3.49% per transaction amount. This is the actual cost of credit card processing. Please note schools will continue to accept checks and cash.

Screenagers

• Sunday, November 17th @ 2:30pm
• Screenagers: Next Chapter
• Littleton United Methodist Church (5894 S. Datura St.)

Two years ago, we hosted a viewing of Screenagers for the Littleton community… we plan to continue the discussion about children, youth, and mental health as we host a viewing of the new movie that was just released. The movie is for all youth, parents, and anyone who works with children or youth. This sequel focuses on the mental health and well-being of youth as it pertains particularly to screen time and social media use. It is free and open to the public. The movie is a little over an hour, and then we will provide some small group guided discussion time for families who wish to debrief. Nursery will be provided for children younger than 10 years old. Please contact Becky Lichlyter at blichlyter@littletonumc.org for more information. View the movie trailer here: https://www.screenagersmovie.com/nc-trailer

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

November 8th, 2019

Good Afternoon Parents and Guardians:

NO PLACE FOR HATE ART CONTEST:
Please see the attached flyer for the No Place for Hate Art Contest. Students please feel free to register and get involved. I know we have a creative artist out there that can win this contest!

OPEN ENROLLMENT REMINDER:
Open enrollment requests for the 2020-21 school year for the first open enrollment window are due to Newton by November 15th. This is for both in and out of district open enrollment.

CHROME BROWSER HISTORY
Have you ever had the feeling that your kids are off task when they are supposed to be doing their homework?  You can open recently closed tabs if you click and hold control and shift and then push T and the last tab will open.  You can push multiple times and multiple tabs will open up."

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

November 1, 2019

Good Afternoon Parents and Guardians:

THE STRIDE:
WAY TO GO NEWTON KNIGHTS!!! We surpassed our 150 participant goal for the Stride and WON $1,000 for highest percentage of participation for LPS middle schools! A huge THANK YOU to all of you who either braved the cold on race day or cheered us on from the warmth of your home...either way we couldn't have won this award without your support! And an enormous shout out to our incredible PE teachers, Mr. Wilmes and Ms. Ubrun, who were at the Stride from the crack of dawn through the awards ceremony and ran the 5K all decked out in their formal attire! They had a blast running with our Newton families and are already in the process of ordering new ropes and helmets for our climbing wall! Also a big shout out to Shelley Shepherd for all of her help and motivating us!

HALLOWEEN PARTY:
Thanks to all of our PTO volunteers and especially to Sheyla Gordon for all of your hard work and effort to make our Halloween Party a huge success. I also want to thank Katie Bond and our Newton Student Government. This is always one of the most enjoyable events of the year and the students had a great time.

FREE SEMINAR:
Please see the attached flyer for a free seminar next week regarding Moods in kids ...especially teenagers.

EAST PARKING LOT SAFETY:

1. There are too many parents are on their cell phones as they enter and leave our lot, please pay attention as you are driving in a school zone and students are walking or riding bikes.
2. Students crossing after school come in huge groups and stand too close to the curb. Once the students cross Arapahoe on the other side, they wander into the street. Cars going straight through that intersection nearly hit kids on two occasions this past week. Students should stay on the sidewalk as they meet up with parents on the other side, and/or use the crosswalk appropriately if they are going east.
3. As parents are taking a right turn out of the lot onto Arapahoe Rd please wait for the students to clear the cross-walk and intersections. Sometimes this means you may not get through the light. Please do not turn right against the light. This poses a safety hazard.

Thanks for helping us keep all of our students safe.

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

October 25th, 2019

Good Afternoon Parents and Guardians:

Please note the following information from Patti Turner, LPS Director of Learning Services:

Congratulations -  I am thrilled to inform you that Newton Middle School has been selected as a

• John Irwin School of Excellence for 2019

The Colorado Department of Education will hold a formal ceremony at some point in the New Year and someone from Superintendent's staff will attend for LPS.  The Littleton Board of Education and Superintendent Brian Ewert will recognize all awarded schools at a Board meeting.  More details and a date will follow once we understand the the CDE timeline.

Here is a description of the award: 

The John Irwin awards are given to schools that demonstrate exceptional academic achievement over time. These schools received Exceeds Expectations rating on the Academic Achievement indicator of the School Performance Frameworks reflecting exceptional performance in Math, English Language Arts, and Science. (View more information on the School Performance Framework in SchoolView.)
The Excellence Awards are named for a true friend and visionary of education, former Colorado State Representative, John J. Irwin.

Halloween Party Information:
As we approach our Halloween Party I want to outline our expectations for the day. Students are not allowed to wear Halloween costumes during the day at school. Students who are attending the party early from school will be allowed to go change and get ready for the party. Students attending after school is dismissed can go change before they enter the cafeteria or the gym. Students need to follow our school dress code and are not allowed to wear any type of mask or costume that would cover up their face….we need to be able to identify all students. Our administrative team has the final decision making on if a costume is appropriate or not. If you have any questions please let me know. Thanks for your assistance!

Teen Vaping - Community Meeting
Please see the attached flyer regarding a community meeting at Euclid Middle School. The topic is on teen vaping. This event is for adults only, no students.

LPS Foundation Upcoming Events:

• Pre-Holiday Gathering and Shopping Night Out on Thursday, November 7 from 5-8 pm at Colorado Frame Company & Savvy Stuff (2396 W. Main St, Littleton)
• *15% of total sales donated back to LPS Foundation in support of ALL LPS schools!
• LPS Night at Colorado Avalanche vs. Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, November 9 at 7 pm at the Pepsi Center
• *Purchase tickets here - https://avalanche.teamkse.com/LittletonPublicSchools/. Discounted tickets start at $25 and $4 of every ticket sold goes back to support LPS schools!
• Colorado Gives Day on Tuesday, December 10!

Thanks to everyone participating in the STRIDE for Newton this weekend. Have a great time and dress warm.

James O’Tremba
Principal, Newton Middle School

October 18th, 2019

Good Afternoon Parents and Guardians:

HALLOWEEN PARTY:
Our annual Halloween Dance/Party will be held on October 31st, this is one of our largest and most fun events of the year. We need volunteers in several different areas to help us out at the party. If you can volunteer your time please click here…..thanks for making this event a fun time for the students.

Scholastic Book Fair 
Scholastic Book Fair is coming to the Newton Library October 21-25.  There will be a great selection of Middle School and Young Adult books for purchase at our book fair. We will be having a Late Start Morning Family Fair, Wed Oct 23rd from 9 am-10:15 am!  We will also be having our Family Day Fair, Thurs Oct 24th from 3:45-5 pm.  All members of the family are welcome!

Scholastic Book Fair now has E-WALLET available for your student purchases at the book fair.  This is a great way to safely provide money for your student to spend at the book fair. Please click on the link below to access our Book Fair page, scroll down to e-wallet to set up an account for your student!

https://www.scholastic.com/bf/newtonmiddleschool3 

All proceeds help buy new books for our library!   Thank you for supporting our Newton Library.

NEWTON KNIGHT OUT:
Come join us from 4pm to close Tuesday Oct 22nd at the Garlic Knot at Arapahoe and Holly for our last Newton Community KNight of 2019!  Mention Newton, and a portion of your dine in, carry out or delivery order will support our annual pledge drive.  See you then, and thank you so much in advance for your support!

COACHING OPPORTUNITIES:

We have the following coaching positions open here at Newton and are having a difficult time filling. If you are interested please contact Melanie Sutton.


Assistant Coach: 8th grade boys basketball - This is an easy one because our head coach is awesome at what he does, but he could use the help collecting paperwork and generally managing practices as he does not work here, so I'd like an advocate in the building. You don't have to know much about basketball to be able to assist - you manage kids all day and that's really what I'm looking for!

Head Coach: 7th grade boys basketball - This job is also posted on the district website as it does take some foundational knowledge to put together practices, though overall the 7th grade season is shorter and less competitive (no tournament, for example), so really it's just getting the kids out their to play and enjoy the game.

Head Coach: 8th grade boys track - We will be posting this one soon enough as it is a more competitive schedule, but with less than half the meets as 8th grade basketball or volleyball, it's definitely the easier season; track and field also, generally, is not the most difficult sport to manage - the skills in field events, for example, you can literally check out on YouTube and POOF! you're a pro.

LPS Foundation Stride
The Stride is next Sunday, October 27! We are very excited that Newton is at nearly 120 participants and getting close to our goal of 150 participants! Get registered ASAP at RunTheStride.com ~ register your kids, family members, friends and neighbors to run/walk the 10K, 5K or Kids Fun Run (receive an awesome long-sleeved shift with each registration!) and be sure to check the box that you are supporting Newton. Don't forget that online registration closes at noon on Friday, October 25th, which is also the deadline to be counted towards our school's participation.

If we reach our 150 participant goal, our Newton PE teachers will run the 5K all dressed up – Mr. Wilmes in a dress and Ms. Ubrun in a suit and tie!! And most importantly, we will be in the running for a $1,000 prize so our school can buy new climbing wall ropes and helmets!

Dress up in costume or wear our school colors and come join us at our Newton Knight tent before the race! And Flippin' Flapjacks will be providing tasty pancakes to refuel your body after your morning run or walk.

Early Packet Pick Up (Yes! You can pick up others' packets)

• Friday, October 25th, from 7:00am - 7:00pm
• Littleton Adventist Hospital
• 7700 S. Broadway
• Littleton, CO 80122

Find the Stride booth in the front atrium on the east side of the hospital
**Registration must be completed by midnight on Tuesday, October 22nd or shirt/bib has to be picked up on race day**
Event Schedule

• 7:00 - 9:30 am       Race Day Registration Open
• 7:00 - 11:00 am     Expo Open
• 8:00 am                 10K Run/Walk
• 8:30 am                 5K Run/Walk
• 9:30 am                 Kids Fun Run
• 10:00 am              Awards

 
Event Starts and Finishes at:
Littleton Museum, 6028 S. Gallup St., Littleton 80120

We hope to see everyone at the Stride!

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

October 11th, 2019

Good Afternoon Parents and Guardians:

Arena Conferences
We will be conducting Arena style parent conferences from 4:30 to 8:30 pm on Wednesday, October 16th. All parents are welcome to attend. Our eighth grade teachers and elective teachers will be located in our gym, sixth grade teachers will be located in the cafeteria and all specialists will be located in their classrooms.

Eighth Grade Parents:
It’s amazing that we are rapidly approaching the quarter mark of your child’s 8th Grade year.  As we are looking forward to our 8th Graders completing this stage of life and moving on to high school, the Newton Yearbook Staff wants to give you a chance to remember this occasion for your 8th Grader.
We are now accepting orders for 8th Grade baby ads for the 2020 Newton Yearbook.  It’s time to start choosing photos and writing messages of congratulations, pride, love and support.  Parents can create their own ad online at www.yearbookordercenter.com
When you go to the website, input our school code 7571 and follow the prompts to complete the ad.  Herff Jones Yearbook Technical Support is available to help you complete your ad. 
Ads are sold in half page, quarter page and eighth page sizes for the following prices:

• Half Page (6.8 by 4.5 inches)- $115
• Quarter Page (3.3 by 4.5 Inches)- $63
• Eighth Page (3.3 by 2.2 Inches)- $38

All 8th Grade Baby Ads Are Due December 6th 2019. Your 8th Grader received a flyer with this information last week. Please contact Rob Atherton at ratherton@lps.k12.co.us with questions.

Littleton Foundation Stride Information:
We are just two weeks away from the Stride on Sunday, October 27!  Please come out and support our school and LPS Foundation at the Stride - registration and additional information can be found online at RunTheStride.com. Register your kids, family members, friends and neighbors to run or walk the 10K, 5K or Kids Fun Run and be sure to check the box that you are supporting Newton! You will also receive an awesome long-sleeved shift with each registration and Flippin' Flapjacks will be providing tasty pancakes to refuel your body after your morning run or walk.

Newton is up to 100 participants which is very exciting!! We are getting close to our goal of having 150 participants on behalf of Newton to try and win a $1,000 prize for our school’s Physical Education department. If we reach our goal of 150 participants, our PE teachers will run the 5K all dressed up – Mr. Wilmes in a dress and Ms. Ubrun in a suit and tie!! Additionally, one CODE card will be given to each student for every friend or family member that signs up to represent Newton. Please just email Kent Wilmes or Alyssa Ubrun with a note telling them how many people you signed up to represent Newton and they will get CODE cards to your students.
We hope to see everyone at the Stride!

Newton Community KNight Out
Come join us from 4pm to close Tuesday Oct 22nd at the Garlic Knot at Arapahoe and Holly for our last Newton Community KNight of 2019!  Mention Newton, and a portion of your dine in, carry out or delivery order will support our annual pledge drive.  See you then, and thank you so much in advance for you support!

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