Dec. 21 Newsletter 12/22/2009
Flu Update #7 12/22/2009
The school-based H1N1 vaccination clinics will be completed as of Monday, Dec. 21. When they are finished, the Health and Human Services Department will have vaccinated more than 4,000 students. One vaccine manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur, has issued a non-safety related recall of some of its vaccine for children 6 months to 35 months of age. The Newton Health & Human Services Department has not used the recalled vaccine at any of it vaccination clinics. An H1N1 vaccination clinic will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 6, from 4 to 6 PM in the Brown Middle School Cafeteria, 125 Meadowbrook Road. This clinic is for children 6 months through age 18 accompanied by parents, their adult family members, and City of Newton employees. Children under age 10 require two doses of vaccine. They can receive their second dose at this clinic if it has been at least 14 days since the first dose. Please download and complete a Vaccine Administration Record at www.newtonma.gov/flu and bring it with you. One form is needed for each person being vaccinated. It is strongly recommended that everyone receive the H1N1 vaccine even if you think you may have already had this type of flu. The vaccine is now available for people of all ages. See www.newtonma.gov/flu for a listing of all clinics. Influenza-like illness in the Newton Public Schools is very low. As of Dec. 14, less than 1 percent of students across the district were reported absent due to influenza-like illness. While the illness level remains low at this time, it is unknown what will happen in the months ahead. Typically, January through April is a time when influenza is active in New England. The school nurses will continue to monitor absences after the December break so please continue to report the reason for your child's absence to their school. Have a safe and healthy winter break. Ruth Hoshino, RN Clinical Nurse Supervisor Newton Health and Human Services Department 617-796-1420 617-552-7063 FAX Calling all bakers! Let's come together as a community to wish the Oak Hill staff a joyous holiday season. On Monday, Dec. 21, bring in some cookies--homemade or otherwise--for the first annual Oak Hill Staff Holiday CookieFest! Thank the teachers, administrators, and support staff for their hard work and wish them well during the holidays. Have your child drop the cookies off at the main office first thing Monday morning! Thanks a munch. There will be an informational meeting on the principal hiring process tonight, Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 7:30 PM, in the Oak Hill Library. Interim Superintendent Jim Marini and members of Newton Public Schools' human resources staff will be there to outline the process and answer questions. If you would like to serve on the Principal Selection Advisory Committee (SAC), please send an email to Oak Hill PTO Co-President Bruce Henderson at bruce@matrixusa.com by this Thursday, Dec. 17, at 5:00 PM, with a candidate statement (up to 300 words, addressing your interest and relevant experience). If necessary, an election will be held to select the parent representatives. Gil Lawrence, assistant director of human resources, describes the time commitment for members of the SAC as follows: "Beyond the three meetings, (Jan. 12, 19, and 27) and the 2.5 interview days, the rest of the time is reading candidate packages and site visits. I can read the resumes in a day, usually on the weekend. The site visits last approximately two hours on-site." Timeline for Principal Search Process 12/09/2009
Dec. 13 & Jan. 10: Ads placed in Boston Sunday Globe, New York Times, Education Week and other publications. (Application deadline: Jan. 14) Dec. 15: Informational meeting with Oak Hill faculty (3:30 PM) Dec. 16: Informational meeting with Oak Hill parents (Oak Hill Library, 7:30 PM) Dec. 22: Formation of Selection Advisory Committee (SAC)* -- names to be submitted to HR office by this date Dec. 23: Faculty and Parent Surveys due in HR Office Jan. 12: First meeting of SAC to review calendar and procedural guidelines -- Ed. Center, Room 304 (3:30-6 PM) Jan. 19: Meeting of SAC to develop interview questions and distribute resumes -- Ed. Center, Room 304 (3:30-6 PM) Jan. 19-Jan. 25: SAC members review resumes during this period Jan. 25: SAC members return rating sheets to HR Office Jan. 27: SAC members meet in Ed. Center, Room 210, select 8-10 candidates for semifinalist interviews (3:30-6 PM) SAC interviews semifinalists and selects 3-4 finalists:
Feb. 8-12: Newton teams (from SAC) visit finalists' schools. Feb. 8-12: Superintendent interviews finalists and checks references. Feb. 25: Superintendent will appoint new principal * The Selection Advisory Committee's (SAC) role will be advisory to the Superintendent, who will appoint the principal(s). The SAC will engage in a process which will take into consideration the needs of each individual school as it crafts interview questions, chooses candidates for interviews, and suggests finalists to the Superintendent. The SAC will be composed of the following:
A Selection Advisory Committee is being formed as part of the process of hiring a permanent principal for Oak Hill Middle School. Three parents from the general Oak Hill community will be part of this committee, as well as one parent from the METCO program and one parent from the ELL program. An informational meeting on the principal hiring process will be held Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 7:30 PM in the Oak Hill Library. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please send an email as soon as possible to PTO Co-President Bruce Henderson at bruce@matrixusa.com. If you are a METCO or ELL parent, please indicate that in your email. If necessary, an election using online voting will be held to select the parent representatives, and candidates will be asked to write a brief statement. The deadline to submit your name for consideration for the Selection Advisory Committee is Thursday, Dec. 17, at 5:00 PM. The following letter from James Marini, interim school superintendent, gvies some more information about this process: December 7, 2009 Dear Oak Hill Middle School Faculty, Staff and Parents, As we approach winter, it is time to begin the search for a permanent principal for the Oak Hill Middle School. As you know, Eva Thompson is serving this year as Interim Principal, and we appreciate her leadership during this time of transition. Selecting a principal is one of the most critical decisions a superintendent makes. Principals more than ever are expected to establish a positive school culture, provide excellent educational leadership, and manage the day-to-day operations of the building. Since the Principal's position impacts the entire school community, it is important that the process provide the opportunity for all voices to be heard. To that end, I am setting up two meetings, one for parents and one for faculty and staff, although the agenda will be the same at both meetings. At the meetings, I will review the process and timeline for selecting a principal (see the reverse side of this page), look for your input on the professional and personal attributes we seek in a principal, and explain how you may become more directly involved in the search process. The Oak Hill faculty and staff meeting will take place on December 15, 2009 at 3:30 p.m. at Oak Hill. The Oak Hill parents' meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 16,2009 at 7:30 p.m. in the Oak Hill library. Please join me on these occasions so that we may work together to secure the best possible future for all members of the Oak Hill Middle School community. Sincerely, V. James Marini Interim Superintendent of Schools Dec. 8 Newsletter 12/08/2009
Again this year, in addition to the possibility of closing schools due to inclement weather, we may also use a delayed opening. In order to ensure greater safety, the opening of schools may be delayed by either one or two hours. Should there be a delayed opening, students will be expected to go to their bus stop or to leave their homes (if they walk to school) one (or two) hours after their regularly scheduled time. The bus company and crossing guards will know about the delay and will rearrange their schedules accordingly. In the case of a 2-hour delay, all preschool classes and therapy sessions at the Integrated Pre-schools in the Education Center and Lincoln-Eliot will be canceled for the day. In the case of 1-hour delay, therapy sessions before 10:00 AM will be canceled. In March, 2007, the Connect-ED communication system was implemented in the Newton Public Schools. We will use this system again this year, which will enable us to communicate with you about emergency situations, school events and important issues affecting your child. In case of school closing or a delayed opening due to the weather, as soon as a decision has been made we will be calling the number(s) designated as your child's emergency number(s) on the Student Contact yellow sheets you received at the beginning of the school year. Please make sure your child's emergency information is kept up to date at all times. If this information changes, please notify the main office at your child's school. There may be occasions when a decision can be made the previous evening but normally it will not be made until the early hours of the day in question. In addition to utilizing the Connect-ED communication system, we will call in "No School/Delayed Opening" announcements to the following radio stations and television channels before 6:00 AM:
Please do not call the police or school officials. This only ties up telephone lines and disrupts attempts to plan for or respond to emergencies. The decision to close or delay the opening of schools is made by the Superintendent of Schools. This decision is based upon the best information available on street and weather conditions from the Police Department, Public Works Department and the U.S. Weather Bureau at the time the decision must be made, usually before 5:30 AM. Weather conditions do change sometimes, for better or for worse, but our intent is to determine that it is reasonably safe for students and staff to attend school. If school is held, but conditions are still bad on any particular street or area of the City, parents should use their own judgment in determining whether or not to send a student to school. If a storm occurs during a school day, school will ordinarily remain in session. We are advised by the Police Department that once students are in school they are better off remaining there than being released early because of a storm. The reasons are several: (1) the City has more time to service major accesses to and from schools prior to dismissal; (2) parents of many younger children may not be home to receive them; and (3) drivers are not as cautious during hours that they expect students to be in school. However, parents should also make certain that their child knows where to go in the event schools have to be dismissed early. Should an early dismissal be necessary, we will utilize the Connect-ED communication system and will also notify the referenced radio/television stations, the web site, and the dedicated emergency telephone line. The cooperation of the general public and the parents of Newton school children in following the above procedures would be greatly appreciated. The safety of the children will, of course, always be our prime consideration. Sincerely, V. James Marini Interim Superintendent of Schools Winter Concert Thursday Night 12/03/2009
We are excited to invite you to our first concert of the year on Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 PM in the Auditorium. We invite you to stay for the entire evening to demonstrate support and appreciation for the diligent effort of our students and teachers. The program includes: Grade 6 Chorus, Grade 6 Band, Grade 6-8 Bistro Band, Grade 7/8 Chorus, and Grade 7/8 Band. Refreshments will be on sale in the hallway outside the Auditorium, with proceeds benefiting Oak Hill's music programs. We hope to see you as we celebrate your children's musical talent and effort in preparation for this performance. Nov. 30 Newsletter 12/03/2009
|