August 11th, 2023

 Good Evening Parents/Guardians and Students:

Gifted and Talented Information:

Parents of Gifted and Talented students: Newton needs one parent representative to be involved in our GTAC (Gifted and Talented Advisory Council). Meetings are from 6:30-8 PM on September 19, November 7, January 30, March 12, and April 16 (all Tuesday nights). Some meetings may be in person, while others may be offered online. Parents interested should contact Kevin Wood at kwood@lps.k12.co.us. Thank you for considering being part of this important work!

Sixth Grade Instrumental Music Information:

My name is Mrs. Bransgrove and I am the Instrumental Music teacher here at Newton Middle school.  I am writing to encourage you to consider signing up for one of our instrumental music classes if you have not already done so. 6th grade is a great time to learn how to play an instrument. Learning an instrument is a great way to make fast friends, learn a new skill, be creative and get involved in a unique activity. There is still time and room to sign up for a band or orchestra class! 6th grade is the perfect and easiest time to learn an instrument. If you did not fill out the music intent form you will not have instrumental music on your schedule. If you would like to sign up for the class please contact Brian Wyckhuyse at bwyckhuyse@lps.k12.co.us and we can get that into your schedule quickly and easily. You are also welcome to fill out the Newton Music Intent Form that will inform us of your desired schedule change. 

If you have more questions or would like to explore what instruments are available for your student to learn please reference my "Resources- Incoming 6th Grade" page on my website where you will see information about the elective wheel and demo videos of every instrument. If you have any questions please contact me at jbransgrove@lps.k12.co.us 

We welcome all students of all experience levels in band and orchestra and I hope to see your student soon!

Back to School Information:

The first day of school will be Tuesday, August 15th. Our sixth graders will report at our regular start time of 8:20 am and our seventh and eighth grade students will report two hours later at 10:20 am. Bus routes will be available for both start times. Please remember this is for the 15th of August only. All students will report at 8:20 on the 16th.

Just a reminder that all sixth graders will enter the building at the main entrance to the school each and every day. Seventh and eighth graders will enter through the athletic entrance, located just south of the main entrance. Sixth graders will remain in the main hallway until the bell rings, seventh and eighth graders will remain in the cafeteria. Once the bell rings students then enter their respective learning pod.

Student class schedules will be available on parent/student portal accounts the morning of August 14th beginning at 8:00 am. Students are scheduled at random in Infinite Campus and we do not make changes to student schedules based on teacher preferences or friends in classes.

Students schedules are final, UNLESS there is a mistake on our part in regards to classes students are assigned to, such as you received the incorrect class or grade level.

You can complete a schedule change request form and it will be reviewed for any possible changes, based on space available, as well as math and language arts placement. Please contact Ms. Gambrell in sixth grade with any questions, Mr. Wyckhuyse in the seventh grade or Mr. O’Tremba for any eighth grade questions. These are the grade level administrators this year and your first point of contact for anything regarding that specific grade level.  The schedule change request form will be available on our website on August 15th.

If you have not completed the registration process for your student or still need to pay fees please access this link. You will also be able to access PTO information, supply lists for each grade level etc. Please check teacher websites for necessary items to begin the school year with. 

Back to School Night:

We will conduct back to school night for our parents only on Thursday, August 24th at 6:00 pm. I will provide a link to the schedule here. You will need a copy of your students schedule or be able to access the schedule on your phone. You’ll be able to walk your students' schedule, meet their teachers and attain critical information from our staff for each class your child is taking and additional important information regarding Newton Middle School.

Nutritional Services Information:

Free Meals for Students, Plus Important Reminders for Families

We are excited to share that all students will receive free breakfast and/or lunch starting in 2023-24 through the Healthy School Meals for All program! This new statewide program, approved by Colorado voters, is helping Colorado children and teens have access to nutritious food at our school. See this flier to learn more.

Even though breakfast and lunch  will be provided for free, we need families to continue sharing household income information through this School Benefits Form in order for our school to receive full access to federal funding. These additional funds will go directly back to the Newton Middle School nutrition budget to help cover the cost of meals, and will also support other nutritional programs. Plus, families who qualify may receive discounted school fees, class materials, bus passes, utilities support and more! As always, all household income information will be kept confidential and protected by law. Immigration, migrant, citizenship or refugee status is not required when completing the form.

Be sure to fill out the School Benefits Form as part of your back-to-school registration! If you have questions or would like additional support, please reach out to nutrition@lps.k12.co.us for more information.

Transportation Information:

Parents can find bus information according to their address by using this online tool Infofinder i . You should also be able to view it in your parent portal on the transportation tab. 

Students who are open enrolled or who live within the walk zone can complete and submit a Space Available application. Approvals of applications are made typically 3-4 weeks after school has started.

Again, welcome to the 2023-24 school year, we are prepared and excited for your return to school. If you have any questions please contact the following administrators regarding grade level specific questions: Ms. Catie Gambrell, sixth grade, Mr. Brian Wyckhuyse, seventh grade, and Mr. James O’Tremba, regarding any eighth grade questions.

Have a great weekend.

James O’Tremba

Principal, Newton Middle School