August 10, 2016

Dear Families, Welcome back to school at NHCS! We are very excited about the year ahead. We have new teachers and new classrooms to support your children as they learn and thrive. Of course, we are also looking forward to this time next year, when the new Neighborhood House high school will be poised to open. This year’s eighth graders will be the first class that will have the opportunity to continue on to the NHCS high school! As you enjoy the final days of summer, please read the information below carefully. If you have any questions, please call Reception at (617) 825-0703 or send an email to info@thenhcs.org. Parent Webpage: For announcements about snow days, afterschool registration, and all-school events, as well as supply lists from your children’s teachers, forms, handbooks, and more, please visit www.thenhcs.org, click on the link under “Parent Information,” and bookmark the page. We will begin using the website more for communications to you. Please call Reception to let us know if internet access is a concern for you. First Day of School: The school year begins on Thursday, August 25th. Both August 25th and 26th will be HALF-DAYS. We will dismiss students at 12:30 PM. Both morning and afternoon buses will begin running on August 25. Please make arrangements to receive your children from school earlier than normal. School will resume on a full-day schedule beginning on Monday, August 29th. Parent Orientation: Orientation for all grade levels will be on Tuesday, August 23rd from 5 – 6pm. Please plan to attend Orientation to meet teachers and learn about expectations and routines. We will not have childcare at the Orientation; we encourage children to remain at home. **Please arrive at 4:00 PM** to register for lunch and afterschool and purchase shirts and uniforms. Bring cash or your checkbook with you. School Hours: School hours are changing slightly from last year.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday Wednesday Grades K1–5: 8:15 – 3:45 (doors open at 8:00) 8:15 – 12:30 Grades 6–8: 8:00 – 3:35 (doors open at 7:40) 8:00 – 12:45

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Afterschool: We are pleased to welcome Yetha Buckley as our new Afterschool Director! We will be enrolling up to 100 students for afterschool on a first-come, first-serve basis this year in grades K1, K2, 1, 2 and 6, 7, and 8. Registration forms for the afterschool program are available online at www.thenhcs.org and will also be available during Orientation and at the front desk. Afterschool will begin on Monday, August 29. As in the past, there will be a Wednesday-only afterschool option. We are working with the Daniel Marr Boys and Girls Club to provide afterschool care for students in grades 3 – 5 as well as siblings in other grades. More information about afterschool options will be mailed separately. Please contact Kristina Gonzalez at kgonzalez@thenhcs.org or x3270 if you have questions about afterschool registration. Other Information: Enclosed you will find letters from your child’s principal (Ms. McCarthy for K1-4 or Mr. Shirley-Davidson for 5-8) with more information about the start of the school year. Ms. McCarthy’s letter contains your child’s class placement information. For students in grades 5-8, your child’s homeroom teacher or advisor will call home before the first week of school to introduce themselves. I welcome those of you who are new to the NHCS community and welcome back those of you who are returning. I also welcome our new staff members, a list of whom you’ll find below. On behalf of the entire staff of Neighborhood House, we look forward to working with your children and we know it’s going to be an excellent year! Best,

Kate N. Scott Executive Director

Please welcome the following new staff to NHCS!

Stephanie Anjos, 2nd Grade SPED Fellow

Anny Araujo, K1 Fellow

Jahmeelah Bai-Grandson, High School Principal

Yetha Buckley, Afterschool Director

Joanne Chevalier, K2 Fellow Lauren Cofield, 6th Grade ELA

Jack DeChristopher, 4th Grade SPED

Annabell Deutschlander, 7th/8th Grade Science

Asaad Fulton, 3rd Grade ELA/Social Studies

Lexi Hamsmith, 3rd Grade Math/Science

Remy Hassett, 7th/8th Grade Science/Social Studies Fellow

Chris LeDuc, KidLab

David Levine, 4th Grade ELA/Social Studies

Claire Mandel-Folly, 5th/6th Grade Social Studies

Hoan Nguyen, Occupational Therapist

Julissa Paulino, 4th Grade Math/Science

Khoi Tau, 7th/8th Grade Social Studies

Deidre Telemaque, 5th Grade Science/Social Studies Fellow

Danielle West, 6th Grade SPED

Happy Summer NHCS Community!

From Mr. Shirley-Davidson (aka Mr. S-D)

August 8, 2016

Dear 5th – 8th grade NHCS families,

I hope you are all enjoying a relaxing summer. Last year NHCS students had many amazing

experiences; some are captured on the previous pages. Can you spot the picture of when the students had to build outdoor shelters to empathize with the protagonist in the novel they were reading, or when they had a poetry café, or when they went skiing and canoeing? Can you spot my twin from twin day? Life sure is good at Neighborhood House! I can’t wait for this coming year. As you know last year we were granted permission to start a high school with the first ninth grade beginning in fall 2017. To prepare for this expansion the middle school will be adding one class per grade in fifth and sixth grades this year. This is really exciting for our school community since it means even more children will have the opportunity to get a great NHCS education and experience. We have been hard at work this past spring and summer preparing for this expansion and the coming new year, which begins for students on Thursday, August 25th. August 25th and August 26th are both half days with a 12:30 pm dismissal time. Afterschool will begin on Monday, August 29th.

On the following pages you will find a series of announcements regarding the start of the year. Please read this information carefully and feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to working closely with you, the parents, to ensure that this is a successful year for your child and the other students in the NHCS community. See you at Orientation on Tuesday, August 23rd at 5:00 pm.

Sincerely,

Sean Shirley-Davidson NHCS Middle School Principal

PARENT ORIENTATION MEETING:

Parent Orientation is a great time to acquaint, or reacquaint, yourself with the school, the teachers, and our policies and procedures. It is also the time to meet your child’s advisor. Additionally we will be selling the Physical Education uniforms that the middle school students are expected to wear, so bring cash or your checkbook.

Parent Orientation for 5th – 8th Grade will be held Tuesday August 23rd at 5:00 pm

If you are unable to attend the meeting you may send another relative who can represent your child and convey the necessary information to you. SCHOOL DAY SCHEDULE: 5th grade

Doors open at 8:00 am for breakfast. The first period class begins at 8:30 am therefore all students must arrive by 8:15 am. Last period ends at 3:45 pm. Every Wednesday students in grade 5 are dismissed at 12:30 pm.

6th, 7th, and 8th grade Doors open at 7:40 am for breakfast. First period class begins at 8:00 am and therefore all students must arrive by 7:45 am. Last period ends at 3:35 pm if your child is passing all his or her classes. Any child in grades 6-8 that is failing one or more classes will stay until 4:30 pm. Every Wednesday students in grades 6-8 are dismissed at 12:45 pm.

TRANSPORTATION: Students who reside in Boston are eligible for transportation to Neighborhood House Charter School as follows: Grades K-5

Eligible for yellow school bus if address is more than 1 mile from school

Grade 6 If address is more than 1½ miles from school, eligible for an M7 pass (preloaded unlimited T pass)

Grades 7-8 • If address is more than 1½ miles but less than 2 miles from school, eligible for a student MBTA pass (students must load money but can travel at a discounted rate)

• If address is more than 2 miles from school, eligible for an M7 pass (preloaded unlimited T pass)

Parents should be aware that the BPS Transportation Department does not guarantee that requests for an alternative stop will be granted, and requests can take several weeks to process. The earlier you submit your request, the better your chance of approval. During the summer, please contact the BPS Transportation Office: 2300 Washington Street, Bruce Bolling Municipal Building, 2nd Floor, Roxbury, MA 02119. Email: schoolbus@bostonpublicschools.org Phone: (617) 635-9520. To find your school bus you can log on to http://schoolbus.bostonpublicschools.org. During the school year, please contact Kristina Gonzalez at extension 3270.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES:

The students are each provided with a homework planner and homework folder. The following page of this letter is a list of additional supplies your middle school student will need. The most important is a 3 ring binder that is at least 2.5 inches thick, with 8 sections, along with hole punched loose-leaf paper and pencils. These items are imperative to your child’s success in school and are required. Families who are unable to provide the binder for their student should contact their student’s advisor as soon as possible. Grade level teachers will let you know more specifics at Orientation.

NHCS Middle School

Basic Supplies List

Required items: 1 sturdy 3-ring binder – minimum width 2.5 inches 1 set of binder dividers (8 section tabs) 1 pouch pencil case (with 3 holes for binder) 3 packages of white lined paper with three hole punch (replace throughout the year) 2 packs of index cards Pens (black or dark blue only) 2 dozen pencils (replace throughout the year) 1 hand held pencil sharpener (with attachment to catch shavings) 1 headphone or earphone set 1 eraser 1 glue stick 1 box of colored pencils 1 highlighter 1 package of reinforcement stickers (the small donut shaped stickers that repair ripped pieces of loose-leaf paper) Other recommended items for students’ at-home work spaces: Ruler Construction paper Scissors Calculator Dictionary Markers Index Cards ** Students are required to come to school every day with: homework planner homework folder binder paper pencils These items are fundamental to your child’s success in school. If during the course of the year your child loses or breaks these items, you must replace them immediately.

NHCS DRESS CODE 5th Grade

Students are expected to dress appropriately at all times. The following items are not permitted 5th grade students:

• Any outerwear such as coats or gloves in school. • Hats, baseball caps, or other casual headwear such as bandanas, sweatbands, head-wraps, or do-rags. • Wearing hoods from sweatshirts or jackets on head. • Distracting jewelry or clothing. • Offensive slogans and/or insignia. • Any clothing that is considered revealing.

6th – 8th Grade (4 days per week)

• White or light blue Oxford or polo shirt that may be

long or short-sleeved. Shirt must have a collar, must be worn buttoned, and must be tucked in.

• Navy blue sweater or sweatshirt (may not have a hood or logos or designs other than Neighborhood House’s)

• Khaki or navy blue pants; skirt, shorts, or jumper all of which may not be more than 2 inches above the knees. Jeans, cargo pants, drawstring pants, and athletic pants are not acceptable. Cargo pants include pants with any type of side pockets or loops.

• Belts must be worn if there are belt loops. • Pants must be worn above the hips. Pant cuffs must be

worn over shoes and sneaker tongues. • Shoes must have closed heels (no sandals or flip-flops)

and heels may not be higher than 2 inches. • On academic days students are allowed to wear shoes

or solid black sneakers. • Narrow headbands are allowable. Bandanas, sweatbands, head-wraps, and hats or baseball caps are not

allowed. • Students may only wear white or navy blue undershirts, tights, and leggings.

(1 day per week) Physical Education (PE) Dress Code Every student is expected to purchase official NHCS PE clothing.

• One official pair of PE sweatpants • One official PE T-Shirt • One official PE sweatshirt

Entirely blue navy shorts that are no more than 2 inches above the knee may be worn on hot days. Students may wear any type of sneakers on PE days Students are not allowed to wear any clothing that has been defaced in any way including marks, coloring, or tearing.

Who’s Who NHCS Middle School

Kate Scott Executive Director

Sean Shirley-Davidson Principal 5-8

Michelle Arons Director of Special Education and Student Support

Jaime-Denee Kimenker Director of Student Affairs

Elizabeth Reynolds 5th grade Science

Mary McCarthy 5th grade English

Catherine McConnell 5th grade Math

Claire Mandel-Folly 5th & 6th grade Social Studies

Chanelle Baker 5th grade Learning Specialist

Ivette Alonso 6th grade Science

Lauren Cofield 6th grade English

Shing Fan 6th grade Math

Daniel West 6th grade Learning Specialist

Pascale Asfour 7th grade Math

Amelia Marden 7th grade English

Khoi Tau 7th & 8th grade Social Studies

Anabell Deutschlander 7th & 8th grade Science

Kate Gasaway 8th grade Math

Jill Wurster 8th grade English

Georgia Skeadas 7th & 8th grade English Learning Specialist

Lisbeth Acosta 7th & 8th grade Math Learning Specialist

Brandi Hood Art

Karen Graves Music

Nigel Conroy Computer Technology

Leona Watson Guidance Councilor

Melissa Martins Graduate Services Coordinator

NHCS Mission: Neighborhood House Charter School combines rich and structured learning with extensive social/emotional programming to help all our students succeed in school and in life. We strive to develop scholars who seek knowledge, embrace effort, act thoughtfully, and commit to the common good. Many children come to us with significant needs. We don’t give up on them. Our goal is that all of our students thrive at Neighborhood House, graduate from high school, and pursue post-secondary education on the path to life success.

For middle school students, we also think of “scholar” as an acronym that spells out the actions we should take to become truly educated scholars.