February 28th, 2020

Good Afternoon Parents and Guardians:

Ground Breaking Ceremony
Please mark your calendars as our community is invited to our ground breaking ceremony for the new building. The ceremony will be held on March 16th at 2:00 pm in the east parking lot. More information regarding the ceremony, parking etc will be sent out before the event.

Author Ally Carter Visiting Newton Friday, March 13
Ally Carter will be visiting Newton to talk about her new book 'Winterborne Home for Vengeance and and Valor'. Ally will also be talking about her other books that are very popular here at Newton, the 'Gallagher Girl Series' as well as being an author and answering questions from students. Additional information about the author visit as well as an order form for Ally Carter's books can be found here.  If the books are purchased ahead of time, Ally will be available for a book signing at the end of the event.  (The books can be purchased online, by attached form and picked up in the library, or they can be purchased directly from the library by cash or check).


Ben Cort, the author of "Weed, Inc" Visits LPS
We are excited to work with the LPS Foundation to bring Ben Cort, the author of "Weed, Inc.", to LPS on Monday, March 9th at 6:30pm at HHS. Ben is a national speaker on the topic of THC, legalization, and the myths of the marijuana industry. He is known for his ability to effectively challenge teens' faulty beliefs about marijuana with humor, facts, using the marijuana industry's own marketing materials and debunking marijuana's status as a "miracle medicine". Ben has been on TedTalks and worked with numerous state governments regarding legalization issues and prevention policies. He is the founder of Phoenix Multisport, a sober gym community in several states. He is a Colorado local and is passionate about educating people in an accessible and meaningful way. A chapter in his book titled "Arguments and Rebuttals: How to Respond to What 17-year-olds Throw at You" has been embraced by parents who are trying to support their adolescents to make healthy choices.

Ben will be doing a book signing and presentation, followed by an LPS panel on the topic of "The Truth of the Marijuana Debate". Heritage High School is hosting the event but it is open to all staff, parents and students grades 6th and up. Please refer to the attached flyer.

Air-Pods
The recent popularity of Air-Pods is causing challenges for our students (and adults) in the learning environment. Many middle schoolers are developing executive functioning skills (organizing, planning, self-monitoring) so keeping track of very small, very expensive items is difficult and has become a distraction in the learning environment. We will not spend any time tracking down lost or stolen Air-Pods as students are not to have them at school and this diverts time from the administrative team and our responsibilities. This leads to a loss of instructional time and focus. It would be beneficial to our students, the learning environment, and it is our preference that Air-Pods stay at home and not come to school. Thank you for  your assistance.

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