From the Principal Message 

Angier in ActionWeek of September 29th, 2024

GREETINGS!

Dear Angier Families,

I hope you are enjoying the weekend!  It was a celebratory week at Angier — on behalf of our staff, I want to thank you for all your kind words around our 2024 National Blue Ribbon School recognition.  In a field where we’ve recently encountered more challenges than celebrations, it feel especially meaningful to share such positive news as a community.  On Wednesday, we had our first all-school assembly. Children were so excited to sit and share with their buddies during the assembly! Our fifth graders crowned our kindergarteners and welcomed them to our Angier community. We also celebrated being recognized as a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School.

• You can check out a short video clip HERE.

On Thursday’s early release day, our entire Angier staff gathered for a professional learning session. This year, our ongoing focus is on culturally responsive practices for all students. On Thursday, we began to learn about the NPS anti-ableism curriculum, which we will be rolling out at Angier a little later this year. The curriculum includes monthly themes that celebrate the many ways we play, communicate, demonstrate knowledge, listen, move, and express and experience emotions. We look forward to sharing more details as we move forward with this work and learning.

If you will be celebrating Rosh Hashanah this week, Happy New Year! And if you are celebrating Navratri in the coming days, we wish you joy and peace.

Warmly,

Orla

ANGIER SAFETY DAY – OCTOBER 9th

• Each year at Angier, staff and students practice emergency response procedures. Our practice is tailored to grade levels, using developmentally appropriate language and discussion topics. We want children to know that the adults at Angier care very much about them and will do everything in their power to keep them safe. We use a “Safety Day” format where we practice several drills in one morning with the partnership of Newton Police and Fire Departments.
• This year, Angier students and staff will engage in our school-wide Safety Day on Wednesday, October 9th. We will practice emergency response procedures that will conclude with an evacuation to our designated meeting site, which is the Windsor Club. We will then return to school.
• Here is additional information about safety and security in the Newton Public Schools. Please reach out to me with any questions or concerns you may have.

CELEBRATING OUR CULTURAL & LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY

As I mentioned above, we continue our work to develop our culturally responsive practices and to be a school where everyone experiences a sense of belonging. We’d like to acknowledge the holidays and celebrations important to our Angier families. We’re also in the process of creating signage that represents the languages our Angier community members speak. The signs will say, “You belong here” or “Welcome” in the languages of our school.

Your input is important. Please take a moment to share with us your family celebrations and languages, by clicking HERE. Thank you!

HELP WITH FOOD INSECURITY

Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. face food insecurity daily, which can range from not knowing where the next meal is coming from to struggling to consistently feed a family. If your family is affected, there are resources available, many of which are anonymous and coordinated through the school. For assistance or questions, please reach out to our School Social Worker, Jeff Gore. All communication will remain confidential.

• Jeff can be reached at gorej@newton.k12.ma.us or 617-559-9300

NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL INFORMATION

• Thanks again for your kind words around our 2024 National Blue Ribbon School recognition. At our principal/PTO coffee earlier this week, questions came up about how Angier was identified for this award, and I thought it may be helpful to share more about the process.
  States nominate schools to the United States Department of Education (DOE) for recognition as National Blue Ribbon Schools. All public schools nominated must meet minimum requirements established by the DOE. States use their accountability and assessment systems to identify schools.
  The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) nominated Angier based on meeting 13 criteria in our 2023 state assessment and accountability data, among which are:
  • At time of nomination, the school has an accountability percentile of 97 or higher
  • ALL student subgroups (e.g., students with disabilities, English language learners) have made at least 70% progress toward improvement targets
  • More than 20% of students in the school are identified as high needs
  • MCAS participation of at least 95%
  Angier was also asked to submit qualitative information about a variety of topics including professional culture, curriculum, leadership, etc. The final selection of the National Blue Ribbon Schools was contingent on the performance of all student groups based on spring 2024 assessment and accountability results.
  You can read Angier’s NBRS submission HERE.
  I hope this information is helpful.