Follow us to stay up to date!

https://www.facebook.com/BigelowMiddlePTO

Newton students are invited to participate in the 10th Annual Sharon Math and Science Tournament (SMST) on Saturday, April 6th, from 9 am to 5 pm at Sharon High School. SMST is an annual middle school STEM-based team competition with math, science, team, and engineering rounds.

This tournament is designed to inspire students in STEM, and help them learn new collaboration skills that will help them for the future!

All of the information about the competition can be found at https://sharonmathscitourn.wixsite.com/smst.

Sign up for the tournament at https://forms.gle/M4U8vGCc7FXXJRma8! * REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS March 30th, 2024 *

Please contact smst.sharonschools@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.

On Wednesday, Bigelow 7th graders attended a presentation by New York Times bestselling author, illustrator, and cartoonist George O’Connor. George is a Greek mythology buff and a classic superhero comics fan, and he’s out to remind us how much our pantheon of superheroes (Superman, Batman, the X-Men, etc) owes to mankind’s original superheroes: the Greek pantheon. Now he has brought his attention to OLYMPIANS, an ongoing series retelling the classic Greek myths in comics form.

The presentation of the Olympians series enriches the educational experience of our students, and is in alignment with their study of Greek mythology. This program is part of Creative Arts & Sciences and is funded by your generous donations to the Bigelow PTO.

More about the author: In his New York Times bestselling Olympians series, O’Connor draws from primary documents to reconstruct and retell classic Greek myths. But these stories aren’t sedate, scholarly works. They’re action-packed, fast-paced, high-drama adventures, with monsters, romance, and not a few huge explosions. O’Connor’s vibrant, kinetic art brings ancient tales to undeniable life, in a perfect fusion of super-hero aesthetics and ancient Greek mythology. George talks to students about his path to being an author/illustrator of his series “The Olympians.” Through anecdotes, humor, a slide show of his art, George explains how a 7th grade skit stoked his interest in mythology. He shares images from his books, why he focused on a particular god, and the story behind that god. He is a charismatic, humorous, engaging presenter and an excellent story teller and artist.

At last week’s PTO meeting, Superintendent Nolin provided an overview of the process for the search for a new Principal at Bigelow. The principal search process includes opportunities for parents to provide input, serve on a Selection Advisory Committee, and meet finalists as they visit the school.  

• Parents are invited to provide input via the following survey by March 27, 2024 at 5 pm: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MH6CBK9. Information gleaned from the surveys will not only be valuable during the search process, but will also be an excellent resource for the new principal.
• Parents interested in serving as a parent representative for the Selection Advisory Committee can email bigelowbulldog@gmail.com.
• Save the date for a Question and Answer session with Finalists on Wednesday, May 1 from 6 to 8 pm. The Question and Answer session will be live with online recording. Questions and feedback will be elicited from the members of the audience and a virtual ranking sheet will be sent to those who attend virtually.  

The timeline for the Principal selection process can be viewed via this link:

Please join us for an Ice Skaking Fundraiser at Warrior Ice Arena this Friday, March 22, 2024 from 9-9:50 pm. Tickets are $15 (includes skate rental) and will be sold at the event starting at 8:30 pm.

Please save the date, Thursday, April 4th from 7-8 pm, for our Spring PTO meeting. There will be an opportunity to share ideas and learn about PTO positions and volunteer roles for the 2024-25 school year.

Newton South’s College & Career Center student interns and faculty invite you to the 2nd Annual Career Pathways Event on Wednesday March 27th from 6:30-8pm at Newton South High School. Entry is free and open to all!

This event has come together in partnership with MassHire and Newton’s Youth & Young Adult Division of the Social Services Department.

Thank you to all who attended Monday’s PTO meeting with Newton Public Schools (NPS) Superintendent Anna Nolin, School Committee Chair Chris Brezski, and School Committee Member Amy Davenport.

During the Q&A from parents, Dr. Nolin talked about several initiatives and changes that she has planned or hopes to see, including:

• a review of math curriculum, standards, and approaches covering K-12 (to begin Fall 2024)
• increased STEM experiences in elementary schools and a review of STEM offerings following the math review
• working groups with staff on many topics, including ways to provide teachers with more curriculum or teaching resources to free time for other tasks such as grading or feedback to students
• reductions in certain high school class sizes and restoration of certain electives made possible by the teachers new contract and added positions

There was also a discussion about cell phone use in classrooms. There were many possible solutions discussed but any approach (including the current Bigelow policy of keeping cell phones in lockers) depends on parental support.

During the second half of Monday’s PTO meeting, Superintendent Nolin provided an overview of the process for the search for a new Principal at Bigelow and solicited feedback from parents. While Dr. Nolin will make the final decision, input from the Selection Advisory Committee will be key.  The committee will include:

• 5 faculty/staff
• 3 parents
• 1 principal from another school
• 1 coordinator
• the assistant superintendant for secondary education
• the district HR administrator

If you are interested in serving as a parent representative for the Selection Advisory Committee, please email bigelowbulldog@gmail.com.

All PTO members are invited to provide input to the committee at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MH6CBK9

The timeline for the selection process can be viewed via this link: