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2 ◆ Newtonite, Newton North

Students, administrators discuss current dismissal policy

GEORGINA TEASDALE Under the current N-rule policy, students receive an N if they have nine total absences, three unexcused absences or nine tardies in a class that meets four times a week.

In a class that meets twice a week, a student will receive an N if he or she has four total absences, two unexcused absences or four tardies.

Additionally, a tardy of more than 25 minutes will result in an absence.

Absences due to MCAS testing, AP testing, MEPA testing, foreign exchange trips and special education testing do not count towards the N-rule.

Field trips are not listed as exceptions to the rule, and count towards the N. The N-rule does not contain a clear policy on whether dismissals count towards the N, such as for a sports event.

However, athletic dismissals can result in a student missing more than 25 minutes of class. A student may have to leave at 2:10 for a game on Wednesday, and therefore would miss 45 minutes of class.

Principal Jennifer Price said there is not a set policy for athletic dismissals.

According to assistant principal Deborah Holman, for an early dismissal unrelated to a Newtonian school event, a Jennifer student would have a slip Price from his or her parent and it would count as an excused absence.

Athletic director Tom Giusti said that traditionally in “unusual BY

circumstances,” such an early dismissals for a sports game on a Wednesday, the absences have not historically counted towards the N. However, Giusti said teachers have the choice to not let a student leave if the athlete is not doing well in the class or has too many absences.

“I feel that the athletic dismissals should not count towards the N because the athlete isn’t cutting or tardy, they are representing the school in an interscholastic event just like exchanges,” Giusti said.

Junior Adam Fisher said sports are a commitment and “students shouldn’t have a penalty for making that choice.”

Senior Sammy Alpert, who plays volleyball and basketball, agrees with Fisher.

“I don’t think those things should count towards the Nrule because Newtonian early sports Sammy dismissals are Alpert for school-related activities, and it’s not fair to punish people who are just playing a sport.”

While there is no consistent policy for sports dismissals, field trips count toward the N-rule.

History teacher Katharine Heidlage said the rule for fieldtrips and sports dismissals should be consistent.

“They should be treated the same way,” she said. “A sports dismissal that makes a student miss 25 minutes or more should be the same as a field trip.

“This is especially a problem on Wednesday since G-block is so late. Even before class starts students are saying they have to

Newtonite The Newtonite, founded in 1922, is the newspaper of Newton North High School, 360 Lowell Ave., Newtonville, Mass. 02460.

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opinion

Friday, Oct. 2, 2009

news

Friday, Oct. 2, 2009

Newton North, Newtonite ◆ 3

Mayoral finalists debate city, school issues MARENA COLE Mayoral candidates Ruth Balser and Setti Warren had their first political debate as finalists in the mayoral race here.

The debate, which was sponsored and organized by the Political Forum Club, took place Wednesday, Sept. 23 in Lasker Auditorium.

Seniors Molly Kaufman, Jonathan Levine and Ben Miller and history teacher Brian Goeselt formed a panel that questioned the candidates. Junior Peter Wu was the moderator.

Each candidate gave a twominute opening statement. Then, the panel conducted four rounds of questioning, with each candidate giving a one-minute response to each question. Finally, the candidates gave two-minute closing statements.

In her opening statement, Balser said if she were elected, one of her primary focuses would be on maintaining a balanced infrastructure.

“We’re going to need a strong leader to maintain that infrastructure, and I want to be that leader,” Balser said.

“I offer the ability and capability to solve problems, and to take on problems in our city now. I’ve been very effective with people of Newton to solve problems.”

Warren said he felt that Newton needs strong leadership.

“I decided to look at this race over a year and a half ago,” Warren said. “I saw that many of Newton’s residents had lost confidence in many local offices.

“The costs of the new Newton North building had skyrocketed.

Many of our streets and public schools were crumbling. I began my campaign at that time because I thought that was unacceptable.

“I believe that Newton needs new leadership, and I think I BY

Olivia Kennis

Infusion Music Festival: Juniors Teddy Wenneker, Edan Laniado, Myles Kamisher-Koch, Ben Schwartz and Caleb Gannon, members of ‘mueseum,’ play at the Infusion Music Festival Saturday, Sept. 26 at Lasell College. Ten bands played at the charity music event, which featured bands from this school as well as South and Berklee College of Music. The event was organized

by Russell Kaplan ’09 for his senior project. Kaplan, who is a percussionist and was a member of the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble, is now a freshman at Berklee College of Music. leave in 10 minutes.”

Assistant principal Richard Ballou said that because field trips and sporting events are school-sponsored activities, neither one should count towards an N. Holman said field trips are counted as excused absences because “it’s Newtonian an absence Tom Giusti from the other classes not represented by the field trip,” she said.

“You’re not physically there.

The teacher has to work to help catch the student up and the student has to work to catch up.”

Adams housemaster James D’Orazio thinks field trips should count towards the N. Students need to “be responsible for what they do and kids

could be involved in many different field trips,” he said. “They need to pick and choose what their priorities are.”

D’Orazio compared this to teachers having many workshops they can attend. Teachers cannot go on so many that it hurts their ability to educate, he said.

Art teacher Shannon Slattery said, “I don’t think the N-rule should apply to field trips.

“It seems to me that if you’re doing something a teacher has decided is educational, then technically you’re still in school and there is no reason it should count towards the N-rule,” Slattery said.

Some think field trips and sports dismissals should not count towards the N because students are doing a school activity, rather than being at home.

Freshman Isabel McGinty does not think field trips or sports dismissals should count towards the N-rule. “If you’re going to be

representing North as a school, it’s not fair that they would penalize you for that,” she said.

Sophomore Paige Grody said, “I don’t think it’s fair to penalize people for things that the school supposedly supports.”

Senior Antonia DiMambro said, “They shouldn’t count because when you go on field trips and games, you’re Newtonian still doing a Antonia school activity.

DiMambro “You’re not just sitting at home; you are still learning.”

Senior Diano Boyko said, “I don’t think they should count because they are school-related activities, and it’s not like the person is skipping class.”

—REBECCA HARRIS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ARTICLE.

‘Warning’ leaves no room for positive feedback Warnings are due Oct. 6.

People would think that if a student receives a warning, he or she is struggling in a class.

While this is sometimes the case, there are also options for teachers to leave positive comments if a student is doing exceptionally well in a class or has greatly improved.

However, the term “warnings” sends a message to teachers and students that these alerts are only necessary when a student is in trouble.

Too often, people forget the good and only focus on the bad. But it is very important that students who are doing well,

editorial especially those who need the encouragement, hear positive feedback when they are improving.

We think that the term “warnings” needs to be changed. We urge teachers to disregard the ominous “warning” title and send positive comments when warranted.

Too often, students feel that their effort goes unnoticed, and it is extremely important for the teacher to tell the student that he or she notices and is appreciating the effort.

This also lets the parents and guardians know that this student is not just saying he or she is trying in class,

it shows that the teacher is noticing too.

We also think that teachers should have the freedom to write comments specific to each student and should not be restricted to a set list of comments to put in the warning.

Letters Readers are invited to submit guest articles and letters to the editor. Letters should be put in the Newtonite box in Beals House or emailed to newtonite@newton.k12. ma.us. The Newtonite reserves the right to edit all letters, which must have the writer’s name, class and homeroom. The Newtonite serves as a forum for student opinion.

Prateek Allapur

Debating: Mayoral candidates Ruth Balser and Setti Warren debate here Wednesday, Sept. 23 in Lasker. Hosted by the Political Forum Club, the debate was the first for the two finalists. can bring it at this significant juncture.”

Miller asked the candidates to give a specific instance of an issue they see in the city, and their specific plan to address it as mayor.

Warren said as mayor, he would focus on maximizing efficiency of spending.

“We have to go into the hard, difficult work of ensuring that we are spending every dollar in an efficient way,” Warren said.

“Zero-based budgeting—I keep talking about that.

“We can’t afford to continually have schools where the stalls are broken, the windows are broken, and where parents are going in to repair things themselves. We need to implement performance

management.”

Balser said a specific issue she would focus on is Crystal Lake closing too early in the season.

“I’m not going to pick the biggest specific, I’m just going to pick a specific: Crystal Lake,” Balser said. “We have this beautiful lake in the middle of our city, we are so lucky, and yet it closes on what, August 20? It drives me crazy every year.

“In order to build community, you have to really enjoy life here.

We have this gorgeous lake, and so I’d like to work with the city on keeping Crystal Lake open a lot later—way into September—and responding to people in the city who’ve been signing petitions for years to keep Crystal Lake open.

“It’s a specific: it’s about quality of life in the city. I’d like to work with the people to really work to make this a more enjoyable, more fun place to live.”

Goeselt asked the candidates for their opinion on the Newton Public Schools’ new Strategic Plan, a document put out by the School Committee as a “roadmap” for changes in the school system for the next few years.

Warren said the Strategic Plan provides the schools with a good foundation.

“What it allows for is the right leadership to take it to the next level,” Warren said.

“Every single student needs to be challenged in the classroom, no matter what level they’re at.

Whether they’re way ahead of the

curve, in the middle or in special education, we need to evaluate how kids are doing in real time.

“The question for that document is not what’s in it—it provides a good foundation with nationally recognized ideas—it’s how it’s implemented.

“Picking the right leadership and being sure we have the resources, and being sure we’re spending money in the most costeffective way is the key to moving the school system forward.”

Balser said while the Strategic Plan is a good start, it doesn’t put enough emphasis on costs.

“What I like about the Strategic Plan is the recognition that Newton Public Schools needs to combine its commitment to standards with moving towards developing 21st century skills,” Balser said.

“What I think is missing from the Strategic Plan is the conversation on costs. I think in Newton, we can’t keep talking about educational excellence and not talk about cost.

“We have got to take seriously that we have some very serious fiscal challenges, and so we need to take the creativity in that paper, and we need to merge it with a creativity about costs.”

In his closing statement, Warren said if he’s elected mayor, he would be open and flexible.

“I believe this campaign is about the future of Newton, and healing the wounds of this city to move forward,” Warren said. “I ask you to join me in this effort, to make sure the city can live up to its potential.”

Balser said she would bring change to Newton.

“I’ve been all about change my whole life,” Balser said. “All the answers aren’t in Newton. There are models around the country, and we can bring those models to Newton.”

School and College Nights to host representatives Wednesday, Oct. 14

Alfred University Allegheny College American International College American University Barnard College Bay State College Beloit College Benjamin Franklin Inst. of Technology Boston University Brandeis University Bryant University Case Western Reserve University Castleton State College Champlain College Clark University Colby-Sawyer College Colgate University College of Mount St. Vincent College of St. Joseph, Vermont College of the Holy Cross Denison University Elmira College Elms College Emmanuel College Empire Beauty School, Waltham Fairfield University Florida Institute of Technology Framingham State University Franklin & Marshall College Franklin Pierce University Gettysburg College Goucher College Green Mountain College Harvard College Haverford College High Point University Hofstra University Husson University Iona College Johnson & Wales University Johnson State College Kalamazoo College

Keene State College Laboure College Lasell College Lawrence University Lehigh University LeMoyne College Lesley University Manhattanville College Mass. College of Pharmacy/ Health Science Mass. Institute of Technology Mass. Maritime Academy Mitchell College Mount Holyoke College Nazareth College of Rochester New England College Newbury College Northeastern University Northfield Mt. Hermon School Oberlin College Ohio University Plymouth State University Queens University of Charlotte Quincy College Quinnipiac College Roger Williams University Salve Regina University School of the Museum of Fine Arts Smith College Southern N. Hampshire University St. Anselm College St. Michael’s College Syracuse University Temple University Thomas College Tufts University U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Unity College, Maine University of Colorado at Boulder University of Connecticut University of Delaware University of Hartford University of Maine, Orono University of Mass. Lowell

University of Michigan University of New Haven University of Pennsylvania University of Rhode Island University of Southern Maine University of Vermont Wells College Wesleyan University Western New England College Westfield State College Wheaton College Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tuesday, Oct. 20

Assumption College Bard College at Simon’s Rock Becker College Bennington College Bentley College Binghamton University Bowdoin College Bridgewater State College Brown University College of Wooster Connecticut College Curry College Daniel Webster College Davidson College Dean College Dickinson College Drew University Duke University Eckerd College Emerson College Endicott College Fairleigh Dickinson University Fisher College Fitchburg State College Fordham University George Washington University Hamilton College Hampshire College Hartwick College Harvey Mudd College Hebrew University

Hobart and William Smith Colleges Ithaca College Johns Hopkins University Kenyon College Loyola University New Orleans Marietta College Marlboro College Mass. Bay Community College Mass. College of Liberal Arts McGill University Merrimack College Mount Ida College Muhlenberg College Nichols College Northwestern University Ohio Wesleyan University Providence College Regis College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rhode Island College Rochester Institute of Technology Rutgers University Sacred Heart University Savanna College of Art and Design Siena College Skidmore College Spelman College St. Joseph’s College, Maine St. Lawrence University

St. Mary’s College of Maryland Stanford University Stonehill College Stonybrook University Suffolk University Teenlife Boston Tulane University U.S. Army Union College Universal Technical Institute University at Albany University of Denver University of Mass. Boston University of Mass. Dartmouth University of Miami University of New Hampshire University of Notre Dame University of Pittsburgh University of Rochester University of Southern California University of Wisconsin, Madison Vanderbilt University Vassar College Wagner College Washington University in St. Louis Wentworth Institute of Technology Wheelock College Worcester State College