Newton South High

9th grade Clusters aim to ease the transition to high school and to promote connections between and among students and teachers. We currently have two Clusters that include over two-thirds of the ninth-grade class and those students’ teachers in History, English and Science. Clusters are designed to foster consistent communication among teachers, students, parents and counselors. The goal of the collaboration during weekly meetings is to help students meet the ninth-grade expectations in History, English and Science. We hope to expand this program in the future. 

Advisories are groups of approximately sixteen to eighteen students that meet weekly to get to know one another and a teacher in a non-academic setting. These groups, which stay together for all four years of high school, provide support for one another through the transitions that are part of high school, work on improving the school climate through community service projects, do activities that foster respect for human differences, and last, but not least, have fun together by playing games and relaxing.

WIN and Lion Blocks: 

We are excited to introduce WIN and Lion Blocks, which are new periods that will appear in the 2021-22 block schedule. More specific information on the purpose and function of WIN and Lion Blocks will be shared with students and families at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. Stay tuned!

Department Help Centers are located around the school and offer students the opportunity for assistance during the school day. Currently, help centers are available in English (the Writing Center), Mathematics (Math Center), Science (Science Help Center), and World Language (World Language Peer Tutoring Center). For more information, talk to your subject area teacher or the appropriate department head.

The After School Program and Homework Club in the past have met twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, after the school day ends. Ninth and tenth grade students are invited to the After School Program when they earn a D or an F in a major academic course. Program enrollment is assessed at the end of each term based on term grades. The program offers support in English, math, physics, chemistry, Spanish and history. Students who are not formally enrolled in the program are invited to access the same after school supports on a “drop-in” basis by attending the Homework Club, which also has met on Mondays and Thursdays, and is open to students at all grade levels. STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE STATUS OF OUR AFTER SCHOOL SUPPORT PROGRAMS FOR THE 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR. 

The Student Support Center is a classroom that is open every block of the week for Small Studies. Students are referred to Small Studies (instead of Directed Studies with 20+ students) based on a recommendation from a teacher in a subject where they are either struggling to keep up, or simply need an opportunity to re-learn specific material in order to understand the concepts. During Small Studies, students either work on assignments sent by their teachers in a small focused study group (5-7 students with one teacher), or they work one-on-one with a peer tutor. The students’ progress is re-evaluated every eight to ten weeks.