One week after telling its members that there was an “anti-Israel atmosphere at Newton High Schools,” the Newton-based Israeli American Council-Boston , a group representing Israeli-Americans in the region,  issued an apology acknowledging “we believe that most of our students are having a positive experience and feel comfortable attending Newton schools.”

Dear Community, 
 
In our newsletter to you last Thursday, we invited all Newton parents to meet the relevant faculty members at Newton North and Newton South High Schools this Thursday and next Tuesday afternoon.  After conversations with the NPS Administration, we have decided that it will be more productive if these first meetings will be open only to parents who have children at one of these schools.  

 

In the same newsletter we made a general reference to an “anti-Israel atmosphere at Newton High Schools,” and for that we want to apologize.  While we are having these meetings as a follow up to our initial conversations with NPS leadership (based on concerns you raised with us), we believe that most of our students are having a positive experience and feel comfortable attending Newton schools. 

The goal of these meetings is to open up channels of communication and build productive, trusting relationships between the parents and high school faculty and staff, so that parents and students feel more comfortable addressing issues or concerns directly with the relevant faculty or staff.

 

The meetings will focus on hearing about any student’s experiences and how the school staff can support them. The attendees at both high schools will include the principal, guidance department head and all four deans. 

 
We will meet at the main office and then proceed to a conference room.

 
Please RSVP using the links below if you are a Newton high school parent:
 
Newton South, January 10th, Thursday, 4PM – https://newtonsouth.eventbrite.com
 
Newton North, January 15th, Tuesday, 4PM  – https://newtonnorth.eventbrite.com
 
We hope you can join us, 
 
Lital Carmel and David Shimoni