January 14th, 2022

 Good Evening Parents/Guardians and Students:

Optimist Club of Littleton Annual Oratorical Contest

The Optimist Club of Littleton is again participating in the annual Optimist International Oratorical Contest. Our club would very much appreciate the dissemination of this information to your teachers and their students. The topic for the Oratorical Contest for the 2021-2022 school year is “Staying Optimistic in Challenging Times” Since its start in 1928, the Optimist Oratorical Contest has become the longest-running contest sponsored by Optimist International. This is a combined gender contest limited to the first 12 applicants. Our contest will be held on Saturday, March 5, 2022, online via Zoom.

This is a wonderful opportunity for middle school and high school students to prepare a speech and deliver it to a supporting audience of family, friends and our judges, and to compete for cash awards. The 1st place winner will receive $500 plus a gold medal, the 2nd place winner will receive $250 and a silver medal, and 3rd place winner will be awarded $125 and a bronze medal. Our top two winners will go on to compete in the regional round. That winner will have the opportunity to compete at the district level for up to a $2500 scholarship. District winners will have the chance to compete for an additional $20,000 college scholarships at world championships in St. Louis.

The contest is designed for youths to gain experience in public speaking and to provide them the opportunity to compete for a college scholarship. Interested students should prepare a 4- to 5-minute speech on the assigned topic to be presented at our club’s contest. The contest is open to students who have not reached the age of 19 by October 1, 2021. There is no minimum age.

Students who are interested in competing in this year’s contest can contact our Club Chair Darrell Schulte at djschulte17@gmail.co and submit the completed applications to Darrell as soon as possible. Slots will fill up quickly. Students can also go online for information and an application at optimist web site https://www.optimist.org/Forms/2122_Oratorical_Application.pdf

CLIMATE, SAFETY and WELLNESS INVENTORY

As part of our ongoing efforts to promote a safe and healthy culture at Newton Middle School, we are asking for your feedback through our Climate, Safety and Wellness Inventory (CSWI) this month. The survey will be open Monday, January 10th through January 31st and available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

It is a brief, anonymous survey that can be accessed through this link: Climate and Culture Survey or by using your smartphone to scan a QR code. The QR code will be available on our website.

If you have children at multiple schools, you can choose to complete a survey for each school or choose the school where you would most like to share your voice. 

Survey data is used to help Littleton Public Schools with continuous improvement, adjusting programs and resources to meet the needs of students and to support inclusive and safe environments for everyone in the school community.

Please visit the LPS website for more detailed information about the survey content. We encourage your participation and support and we look forward to reviewing this important feedback!

Enjoy your three day weekend.

James O'Tremba

Principal, Newton Middle School​