Early Childhood
Early childhood mental health services and training are available through The Newton Partnership. TNP Early Childhood Specialists, Laura Perkins, LICSW and Mary Gartland, LICSW, offer consultation, training, and support to preschools and childcare providers of children birth to 5 throughout Newton. Consultations include observations, mentoring, modeling, referrals, and workshops for teachers and parents. Teacher workshops include training in Second Step, an evidence-based empathy development, violence prevention, anger management curriculum. TNP Early Childhood Resource and Training Specialist, Beverly Mobilia, assists programs and providers in arranging for consultation and training. CONTACT Beverly Mobilia at 617.559.6065 or beverly_mobilia@newton.k12.ma.us
Elementary School
One to One Program: Through The Newton Partnership, Newton’s One to One Program provides support and mentoring to young children. Children are matched with high school volunteers for the academic year after being referred by parents, teachers, and professionals in the community. The high school mentors, from Newton North and Newton South, receive academic credit for their participation. In addition to assignments, group supervision, and training, the volunteers visit with their “little brother” or “little sister” weekly from November through May. CONTACT Nancy Holczer at 617.559.9063 or nancy_holczer@newton.k12.ma.us.
Middle School
Prevention and Intervention Services: The Newton Partnership provides counseling services at the middle schools. TNP Middle School Intervention and Prevention Counselors, Amy Comeau, M.Ed and Rolanda Prophete, LICSW, provide individual and group counseling to students at-risk for or engaged in substance use and/or aggressive behaviors. They also provide workshops for students, staff, and parents on topics such as bullying and cyberbullying prevention, drugs and alcohol abuse, anger management, and risky behaviors. CONTACT Amy Comeau at F.A Day 617.559.9123 & at Bigelow 617.552.6802 or amy_comeau@newton.k12.ma.us AND Rolanda Prophete at Brown 617.559.6900 & at Oak Hill 617.559.9200 or rolanda_prophete@newton.k12.ma.us
Mentoring: The Newton Partnership, in collaboration with the John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club, now offers a mentoring program that serves Newton students grades 4-8. CONTACT: Haley Rosenbloom 617.559.9074 or haley_rosenbloom@newton.k12.ma.us
High School
One to One Program: Through The Newton Partnership, Newton’s One to One Program provides support and mentoring to young children. Children are matched with high school volunteers for the academic year after being referred by parents, teachers, and professionals in the community. The high school mentors, from Newton North and Newton South, receive academic credit for their participation. In addition to assignments, group supervision, and training, the volunteers visit with their “little brother” or “little sister” weekly from November through May. CONTACT Nancy Holczer at 617.559.9063 or nancy_holczer@newton.k12.ma.us.
Mentor Connection: Newton Community Service Center, through The Newton Partnership, offers Mentor Connection, an Adult-to-Student mentoring program. CONTACT Program Director Debbie Tyson-Gottlieb at 617.244.1404 x 225 or dtyson-gottlieb@ncscweb.org
New Teen Center: TNP’s partner Newton Community Service Center is replicating their successful north sideTeen Center for the south side of town. Located at 1254 Chestnut Street in Newton Upper Falls, the teen center is open Monday-Thursday from 5:00 - 9:30 and on Fridays from 5:00 - 10:30 p.m. The teen center offers an array of integrated, community based, social and emotional youth development programs in the afternoon and evening. CONTACT Gary Sinclair at 617.244.1404, ext. 370 or gsinclair@ncscweb.org
Tiger’s Spot & Lion’s Spot Afterschool Programs: Newton Community Service Center, through TNP, works with the afterschool “drop-in” programs at the high schools to provide services for students, including at-risk students: Tiger’s Spot at Newton North and Lion’s Spot at Newton South. CONTACT Gary Sinclair at 617.244.1404 x 370 or gsinclair@ncscweb.org
Community Service Placement: When appropriate, The Newton Partnership is working with the Middlesex District Attorney's Office to place juvenile offenders in community service activities as an alternative disciplinary strategy. CONTACT Susan Linn at 617.559.9061 or susan_linn@newton.k12.ma.us
Safe Rides: The Newton Partnership Safe Rides Task Force, comprised of school administrators and counselors, Newton Police, TNP staff, and NNHS and NSHS parents and students, was set up to examine issues of teen safe driving and to implement a pilot Safe Rides program. The goal of the pilot program, held in June, 2009, was to assess whether a “Safe Rides” program would be successful in helping to ensure the safety of the students in our community. Beginning September, 2009, the "Safe Rides" program will be offered on weekends for Newton high school students. CONTACT Nancy Holczer at 617.559.9063 or nancy_holczer@newton.k12.ma.us OR Susan Linn at 617.559.9061 or susan_linn@newton.k12.ma.us
Out-of-School Time Services
TNP Out-of-School Time Services Coordinator, Jenny Gamson, provides resources to families to help identify appropriate camp and afterschool programs, including a searchable database of afterschool and summer programs.
TNP After School and Camp Inclusion Specialist will provide training and consultation to help camp and afterschool program staff make their programs more inclusive to a broad range of children, in particular those with social, emotional and behavioral needs. CONTACT Jenny Gamson at 617.559.9064 or jenny_gamson@newton.k12.ma.us and/or Janet Lucey at 617.559.9065 or janet_lucey@newton.k12.ma.us.
Mental Health
Through Project INTERFACE, a TNP partner, families and mental health providers in Newton have access to mental health resources, referrals, and consultation through its website and helpline. The website provides information on mental health issues impacting children and families, event listings, and free resources. Its extensive database of licensed individual and group practitioners is available to mental health professionals such as psychologists, social workers, counselors, and school nurses within Newton by calling the help-line. The help-line is staffed by a full-time Access Coordinator who is a licensed clinician provided by Riverside Community Care. The Access Coordinator provides resource and referral services and consultations for parents, families, and mental health professionals within Newton. Callers can dial the Helpline at 617.332.3666 x411, Monday through Friday during business hours. Begun as a federally-funded project of the Newton Public Schools, INTERFACE is now operated by the Freedman Center at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology in collaboration with Riverside Community Care. For more information, visit www.projectinterface.org.
Riverside Community Care, a TNP partner, provides counseling services to students and therapeutic support groups for individuals and families with mental health issues. In addition, Riverside Community Care, in collaboration with Project INTERFACE, provides a full time Access Coordinator for resource, referral, and consultation.
School Building Security
In an effort to improve school security and better track visitors, keyless access systems will be implemented in all Newton elementary and middle schools by fall 2009 as part of The Newton Partnership. Electronic access control makes it easier to manage access while also improving security and safety. A School Building Security Task Force is investigating other school building security issues and policies. CONTACT Susan Linn at 617.559.9061 or susan_linn@newton.k12.ma.us
Evaluation
The Newton Partnership seeks to develop real-world knowledge about what works best to promote safe and healthy environments in which children can learn and develop. We are committed to reviewing formative data as part of a continuous quality improvement model. Program implementation and short and long-term outcome evaluation will be conducted by external evaluator Dr. Wayne Harding and his staff at Social Science Research & Evaluation, Inc. (SSRE).
