The community is invited to join Walton Rural Life Center on Oct. 16 and Newton High School on Oct. 23 for 'Walking Tours' through their buildings. 

Walking Tours Flyer.pdf

Newton High School Theatre Department will be presenting an adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe Classic:  THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER by Gip Hoppe on October 20-22nd.

A Modern adaptation of Poe's classic story that transports Gothic Horror into modern times. A  comfortable, suburban family man receives a desperate call from a forgotten childhood acquaintance. Thus starts a journey into madness that takes Ed Allen to the House of Usher and its terrible secrets and temptations. 

The Fall of the House of Usher will be performed October 20 and 21 at 7:30 PM and October 22 at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $9 for adults and $6 for students.    Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at  www.showtix4u.com
NHS PLAY HOUSE OF USHER.pdf

Congratulations to these Santa Fe 5/6 Center sixth grade students for being selected to sing in the South Central district KMEA Honor Choir on Saturday, Oct 7 at Southeast High School in Wichita. There were 26 schools represented and 254 students singing. The Santa Fe choir is directed by Carmen Weller. 

From left to right: Alexis Giles, Carly Anderson, Zoe Graber, Nataniya May, (Mrs. Weller), Rylison Grieb, and Ronni Horn.

Newton Schools PE Teacher, Mario Nava receives a check from Angie Tatro with the Central Kansas Community Foundation that will be used to purchase heart rate monitors for PE students in the district. 

The Sunset Elementary & Northridge Elementary Physical Education Department has received a $2300.00 grant from the Kansas Health Foundation-Newton Fund, funded through the Central Kansas Community Foundation. The funds will be used for individual heart rate monitors for students to use in physical education.

The PE department had previously hosted two events and received grants to assist in their efforts to raise the funds needed to purchase the monitors. With the  $7242.85 raised, roughly 250 students will benefit from the use of the heart rate monitors each year, while learning the importance of maintaining a health active lifestyle.

The heart rate monitor is a web based tracking and measurement system that uses a heart rate monitor that students will wear during PE class to help them better understand their own health. The student’s daily effort will be recorded, stored over time, and used to analyze the effectiveness of the activities. The data can also be delivered to both teacher and student as soon as class ends. The software provided will allow the teacher to track and correlate physical activity to academic performance and classroom behavior, develop student portfolios from K-12, document Fitnessgram results and attendance, and email daily heart rate activity directly to students and parent’s smart phones. With the purchase of the heart rate monitors, the district will own twenty-eight individual wrist heart rate monitors, a charging station, a classroom reader (transfer data device), and a three-year software license.

Jen Vogts, a committee member of the Central Kansas Community Foundation said it best. “We are excited to see your vision become a reality to incorporate heart rate monitors and the tracking software in PE classes!” This is truly a vision that our schools and community have rallied together to make this a reality for our students. With countless hours of planning, reaching out to the community, and writing on the part of PE staff, district students will now have to opportunity to start monitoring their heart rate throughout each physical education class.

Flu Vaccination Information & Registration Forms
 

Flu Vaccine Information Fall 2017.pdf

All School Flu Reg Form.pdf

Información sobre la vacuna contra la gripe 2017

Formulario de registro de la vacuna.pdf

TOPEKA — Megan E. Nagel, a sixth-grade English language arts and science teacher at Santa Fe 5/6 Center in Newton (Newton Unified School District 373), and Sarah C. VenJohn, a high school mathematics teacher at Winfield High School (Winfield USD 465), were named Region 4 finalists for the 2018 Kansas Teacher of the Year award during a ceremony Saturday, Sept. 9, in Wichita. This award recognizes excellent teaching in the elementary and secondary classrooms of the state.

As finalists for the Kansas Teacher of the Year distinction, Nagel and VenJohn each received a $2,000 cash award from Security Benefit, the major corporate partner for the Kansas Teacher of the Year program. In addition, they are each now eligible to be named Kansas Teacher of the Year, which will be announced during ceremonies in Wichita on Nov. 18.

Nagel and VenJohn were among six Teacher of the Year semifinalists from Region 4, which covers the fourth U.S. congressional district.

Other semifinalists were Marlys I. Gwaltney, an elementary physical education teacher at Bentley Primary School (Halstead USD 440); Catherine “Cathy” L. Boote, a kindergarten teacher at Christa McAuliffe Academy in Wichita (Wichita USD 259); Andrea M. Burnett, a sixth-grade English language arts teacher at Maize South Middle School in Wichita (Maize USD 266); and Thomas “Tom” J. Zerr, a middle school science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teacher at Augusta Middle School (Augusta USD 402).

Each of the semifinalists received a red marble apple with a wooden base, compliments of The Master Teacher in Manhattan. This year, 111 educators across the state were nominated for the Kansas Teacher of the Year distinction.

Nominations are made in each of four regions in the state. The Kansas State Department of Education, sponsor of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program, appoints regional selection panels comprised of teachers, education administrators and higher education representatives to select semifinalists and finalists from each region.

Each panel selects six semifinalists — three elementary teachers and three secondary teachers. From those semifinalists, the panel in each region then selects one elementary finalist and one secondary finalist. The Kansas Teacher of the Year is selected from among the state’s eight regional finalists. 

The mission of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program is to build and utilize a network of exemplary teachers who are leaders in the improvement of schools, student performance and the teaching profession.

The Kansas Teacher of the Year team, comprised of the Teacher of the Year and state finalists, serve as ambassadors for education in Kansas, making public appearances across the state promoting education and the teaching profession.

The individual selected as the Kansas Teacher of the Year is eligible for national distinction as National Teacher of the Year.

The National Teacher of the Year program is a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers in partnership with the Voya Foundation.

Newton USD 373 is one of twenty-one Kansas school districts who who accepted the challenge of becoming a Gemini district, which is another facet of the Kansans Can School Redesign Project, the Kansas State Department of Education announced Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017.

In support of Kansas’ vision for education, KSDE launched the Kansans Can School Redesign Project and received applications from 29 districts interested in joining the project. From those applications, seven — each one representing one of the Mercury 7 astronauts — were selected. The names of the seven districts were announced Aug. 8. The remaining schools had the opportunity to participate in the Gemini Project. 

While the districts participating in the Gemini Project won’t receive onsite coaching from KSDE staff members like the Mercury 7 districts, they will participate in video Professional Learning Community (PLC) sessions together; set a project launch date that occurs no later than the spring of 2020; participate in opportunities to collaborate with other Gemini and Mercury schools; develop and share a project timeline with KSDE staff members; redesign one elementary and one secondary school; and adhere to the redesign fundamental principles. Slate Creek Elementary, Santa Fe 5/6 Center and Chisholm Middle School will all be part of the Gemini Project for Newton Public Schools. 

All districts that applied for the Kansans Can School Redesign Project had to agree to redesign one elementary and one secondary school around the five outcomes established by the Kansas State Board of Education, the five elements identified as defining a successful high school graduate, and what Kansans said they want schools to provide students. They also had to have approval by their local school board with a public vote, faculty support with a vote of 80 percent, and support from KNEA or other professional organization. The districts had to be willing to launch a new school redesign in the 2018-2019 school year and be willing to serve as a demonstration site for other districts in Kansas to study, learn from and visit.

To learn more about the Kansans Can School Redesign Mercury 7 Project visit, http://www.ksde.org/Agency/Fiscal-and-Administrative-Services/Communications-and-Recognition-Programs/Vision-Kansans-Can/School-Redesign.

For more information about the Gemini Project, visit http://www.ksde.org/Agency/Fiscal-and-Administrative-Services/Communications-and-Recognition-Programs/Vision-Kansans-Can/School-Redesign/gemini.