Student Supports

9th Grade Clusters aim to ease the transition to high school and to promote connections between and among students and teachers. Clusters are made up of teachers in the History, English, Math, and Science departments who collectively share students and 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 academic expectations in ninth grade and lay a solid foundation for the beginning of their high school experience.

Advisories are a cohort of students that meet on Mondays to get to know one another and a teacher in a non-academic setting. These cohorts, 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 our school’s core values, and last, but not least, have fun together by playing games and relaxing. Advisory will be graded on a Pass/Fail basis based on attendance. Students will successfully complete and pass advisory by meeting the NPS Attendance Standard. Upon successfully meeting the Attendance Standard for Advisory, students will receive 1 credit for Advisory at the end of each academic year.

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

Lion Block meets at the end of the day on Tuesday, and is an opportunity for student clubs and activities to meet, as well as for teachers to hold optional learning and enrichment activities.

Newton South Clubs and Activities

The Student Support Center is a classroom that is open for Extension Studies. Rather than being in Directed Studies, which have 20+ students, students may be referred to Extension Study 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 Extension Study, 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 (if one is available). Students have access to textbooks, computers, and a printer. The students’ progress is re-evaluated every eight to ten weeks.

In order to support the overall well-being and success of all students, WIN Block provides structured time during the school day for academic support, social-emotional growth and learning, and enrichment. The choice of WIN Block’s name was purposeful: WIN = What I Need. Students can access extra help, complete classwork, engage in group projects, or pursue interests with peers and staff. WIN Block also provides an opportunity for students to practice our school's core values: Choose Kindness, Listen First, Show Respect, and Take Responsibility. WIN Block is grounded in Newton Public Schools’ Portrait of a Learner competency: Learner’s Mindset—guiding students to make thoughtful, collaborative, and purposeful choices about how they use their time. While WIN Block may reduce the need for after-school help, it does not replace all individualized or specialized support. Allowing students to choose their particular WINs also fosters student autonomy and empowers students to take ownership of their learning. WIN will be graded on a Pass/Fail basis based on attendance. Students will successfully complete and pass WIN by meeting the NPS Attendance Standard. Upon successfully meeting the Attendance Standard for WIN Block, students will receive 3 credits for WIN at the end of each academic year.