January 12th, 2024

 Good Evening Parents, Guardians and Students:

It seems very late to state this with today being the 12th, however, Happy New Year to everyone and welcome back to all of our students. We had a great first week of school upon our return from Winter Break.

Recognition/Awards Ceremony:

Our semester recognition and awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, January 25th. Sixth grade will be held at 10:00 am, Seventh grade will be held at 8:30 am and eighth grade will be held at 1:30 pm. Awards will include:  reading counts, CODE awards, growth awards, honor roll, district engineering and Shades of Blue awards etc. All parents are welcome to attend. If you have questions regarding honor roll you can check your students semester GPA in the infinite campus parent portal. Honor is determined by a 3.5 or above GPA for first semester.

This year due to the fact that we have teachers who are implementing and piloting the new standards based grading system that will be implemented this fall we will change the format for our honor roll. All students who achieve a 3.5 or above will be recognized, we will not differentiate between 3.5 to 3.99 and 4.0. In the past we have recognized eighth graders at the end of the year for achieving a 4.0 throughout all three years of middle school. This year that will be based on their sixth and seventh grade GPA only.

Items needed for January CODE SHOP:

Here is a link to a sign up genius so parents know exactly what we need.  Let me know if you have any questions.  Thanks!

Position Available at Newton Middle School:

Would you be interested in  working at Newton, or know someone who does? We are looking for a positive, dynamic paraprofessional to work in our special education program! The ideal candidate will have a desire to support students during school hours, strong decision making abilities, demonstrate flexibility and responsibility, and will want to be part of a dedicated team. We provide on the job training, and the chance to be part of the amazing Newton Middle School team!

Please reach out to Meagan Kyle with any questions:

mkyle@lps.k12.co.us  You can also look at our job posting here: NMS Job Opening

Important Yearbook Information:

Winter Break Pictures Needed:

The yearbook needs your photos from Winter Break. Hit the slopes? Get away to a beach? Hang out on the couch with your dog?  Share your pics with us at the following link: https://www.hjeshare.com/eShare/#!/?code=nms2024 and include name and grade of any NMS Students in the photos.

Get Your Yearbooks Now!! Don't Miss Out:

We have to turn in our final yearbook order numbers to our publisher at the end of January.  Reserve a book now so you don't have to hope for extras that are available to buy.  To order go to https://www.yearbookordercenter.com/ and enter our school code "7571" or enter search for school to find Newton.  Yearbooks are $40 with a $3.99 convenience fee to order online.  Let Mr. Atherton know if you have any questions at ratherton@lps.k12.co.us

Attention 8th Grade Parents ONLY:

We are down to space available in the yearbook for 3 Baby Ads that are 1/4 of a page each and 4 that are 1/8 of a page each.  The first 7 parents to email Mr. Atherton at ratherton@lps.k12.co.us will receive an invitation on Monday to assemble their ads online and will have 48 hours to complete and submit the ads.  Additional parents emailing will be placed on a first come, first serve waitlist and contacted if there is space for them to create an ad.  Please DO NOT create and submit an ad online without getting clearance from Mr. Atherton first.

Please stay warm and take care of yourself this weekend. The temperatures are going to be horrendous…..however, I guess after all it is winter in Colorado. Enjoy your three day weekend, no school on Monday due to Martin Luther King Day.

James O’Tremba

Principal, Newton Middle School