Monthly Archives: May 2016

High School Start Time Meeting – May 23rd

On Monday, May 23rd at 6:00 pm at the Ed. Center, the district’s High School Start Time Working Group will hold a general information session to update the community on the status of its work. The presentation will include a brief review of relevant sleep science data, data from the surveys and case studies completed this year, and the opportunity for members of the community to ask questions, raise concerns and provide feedback directly to district leaders engaged in this discussion.

We look forward to your attendance and ask you to encourage others to attend as well. For additional information, please visit the high school start time section of the NPS website at: http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/laterstarttime The working group will also be making its year end report to the school committee at the June 20th School Committee meeting at 6:00 pm.

BIG THANKS for the BIG NIGHT

What a night it was! Saturday evening’s Bigelow Speakeasy is in the books!! Bigelow parents, guardians, friends, teachers and staff munched on great food, sipped the Bigelow Breeze, learned a little swing dancing, bid on great items and most importantly, reconnected with old friends and met new ones. The event raised mucho dinero — close to $11,000— which will go towards curriculum-enriching programs such as the Creative Arts and Sciences, student scholarships, school grounds upkeep, classroom supplies, as well as gym and technology items not covered by the regular school budget.

MANY THANKS to all who attended and to the people and businesses who donated goods, services as well as their time and talents to make our Big Night a great night.

Specifically, thank you to:

Our wonderful dynamic duo, co chairs ~ Tammy McKenna and Beth Panella ~ who worked long hours to bring a great concept to fruition. Rumor has it, they have signed up to run this again next year!!
The other Big Night Committee members for their time and energy to make the whole night come together. They are: Alison Leary, Anush Sahakian, Carolyn Judge, Jacquie Arbuckle, Jade Watson, Jesene Godfrey, Kyra Mercado, Lex Van der Ploeg and Maria Sullivan
The wonderful Bigelow staff who donated one-of -a-kind items to the auction: Jaime Alberts, Felicia Calabria, Christopher Campbell, Joe Eckstrom, Mary Fitzgerald, Jie Gao, Todd Harrison, Martin Kaufman, Kim LeQuire, Meghan Martin, Kyra Mercado, Michele Parker, Jess Parlon, Bill Prendergast and Patty Summa.
The volunteers who helped make the evening flawless: Tricia Kouroriez, Mary Gwo-Shu, Claire Marre, Don McKenna, Joanne Tsao, Christine Elder, Rob White, Joe Pittelli, George Brunson, our photograper and Alex Mercado, our bouncer.
The local companies who donated or gave us discounts on delectable food, thirst-quenching beverages and various other things: Antoine’s Pastry Shop, Berkshire Mountain Distilleries, Sensational Foods , La Bonne Maison, BG Events & Catering, Bakers’ Best , El Pelon Taqueria, Gordon’s Fine Wines and Liquors, Russo’s, Home Depot of Watertown, Peterson Party Center, Stop and Shop, Watertown and Premier Bartending Services. Please frequent these businesses and use their services!
The many businesses and organizations who donated items to our silent auction. For a complete list, click here: http://bigelowpto.org/big-night-2016-donors/ Please support them!
To anyone else who contributed to the evening who we forgot to list. Our apologies!
The wonderful food

The Newton North Jazz Band

Luckily Todd knew the password so our bouncer let him in.

The entrance to the Bigelow Speakeasy

Waban Village Day May 22nd

Come join in the fun. There will be a rides (some new ones) food and entertainment. Village Day will be kicked off by the 11th Annual Family Fun Run at 10:00 am. Racers of all ages are encouraged to participate, including children who are allowed to ride bikes and scooters along the 3.1mile race course. All racers must check-in at the Fun Run table in Waban Square at 9:00 am and will be able to register and pick up their T-shirts and race numbers there as well. The registration fee is $20/individual or $50/family (up to 4 members) and includes the race day T-shirt(s), which will be made from performance fabric. Please register here:
http://www.wabanimprovement.org/funrun2016

Entertainment at Village Day:
This year Waban Village Day is pleased to announce performances by the Crocodile River Band and the Newton Family Signers. Crocodile River promotes and performs African and African-influenced music, including Brazilian, Caribbean and Flamenco. The Newton Family Singers is an intergenerational family chorus, bringing together families and friends of all ages to sing and perform folk and traditional American music. This will be their 5th appearance at Waban Village Day

Vendor Spots Still Available:
If you have ‘wears’ to sell or a craft to share, you can have a booth at Waban Village Day. Please email Liz Zagorianakos @ liz.nick@rcn.com to request information and sign up for a booth.

Sunday, May 22nd, 10:00 am – 2:30pm

Newton Has Talent finals

The 2016 Newton Has Talent finals will be live on Saturday, May 21st at 7:30 pm. Top 10 musical acts will be performing for the grand prize. Come cheer for Brown Middle School own seventh graders – The Dominoes – Abby Matthews, Owen Beaver, Ben Baines, Alexa Firkusny and Jacob Trokel will be performing. Performance will be held at the Jewish Community Center in Newton. Tickets can be purchased at www.newtonhastalent.com.

Free Soccer Clinic

For kids in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade, a great FREE soccer training for young boys and girls at Boston College Newton Campus (near the Boston College Law School). To register, email Sidniekulik8888@gmail.com . More information here: http://ilovenewton.com/free-soccer-clinic-kids-ages-58/

Boston College Soccer Field, Newton Location
May 21st, 11:00 am to Noon

Suicide Prevention Training

Our community has been affected by suicide. Newton Cares: Coalition for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health is working diligently to train as many people as possible in the suicide prevention technique called QPR. The more people who know how to act the more lives may be saved. Please consider being trained.

Question, Persuade, Refer Suicide Prevention Training
Learn how to respond to someone in distress. QPR is a simple, educational program that teachers ordinary citizens how to recognize a mental health emergency and how to get a person at risk the help they need. Click Here to register or visit www.newtonma.gov/newtoncares to register for upcoming trainings.

Participants will learn how to:

Recognize the warning signs of suicide
Offer hope
Get help & Refer

Next community training: May 25th, 5:30 – 7:30pm
West Suburban YMCA
276 Church Street
Light dinner included.

High School Start Time Working Group

High School Start Time Working Group will hold a general information session to update the community on the status of its work. The presentation will include a brief review of relevant sleep science data, data from the surveys and case studies completed this year, and the opportunity for members of the community to ask questions, raise concerns and provide feedback directly to district leaders engaged in this discussion.

They look forward to your attendance and ask you to encourage others to attend as well. For additional information, please visit the high school start time section of the NPS website at: http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/laterstarttime.

The working group will also be making its year end report to the school committee at the June 20th School Committee meeting at 6:00 pm.

Boy Scouts Troop 9

Boy Scouts is about:
Hiking, Camping, Wilderness Survival, Volunteer Service, Skiing, Snow Shoeing, White Water Rafting and yes, they may even learn to cook a little.

It’s about the joy of the outdoors and the promise of adventure, while learning Leadership and Life Skills.

Troop 9 Meets on Sundays from 7:00 – 8:00 pm in Waban, for boys from the Spring of 5th Grade. www.troop9newton.org or email: troop9newton@gmail.com.

Not quite ready for Kindergarten?

Begin your child’s journey to school and lifelong learning at Bowen. Bowen’s Pre-K program offers a unique opportunity for a third year of pre-school. Pre-K combines an exciting mix of academics and social skills brought together by a dedicated team of teachers. These older 4’s and young 5’s work toward goals comparable to those in kindergarten but at a modified pace in a much smaller community with a 7:1 child teacher ratio. This class of 14 quickly becomes a cohesive group working and playing together with enthusiasm. The program runs Monday-Friday from 8:30 am-1:00 pm.

Parents are encouraged to visit the school to observe firsthand how your child will benefit from Bowen’s Pre-K program. For more information about Bowen’s Pre-K program and an application form, please contact Bowen’s Director Nina Tebaldi at 617-332-3923 or visit www.BowenCoop.org.

Tune-up your parenting before those long summer days!

Wouldn’t it be great to head into summer with confidence that you have an effective parenting approach that fosters a positive relationship with your child, reduces challenging behavior, and builds your child’s skills in self-regulation, communication and problem-solving? Come learn the Think:Kids Collaborative Problem Solving parenting approach.

Go to BeTheParentYouWantToBe.weebly.com to register; read what parents have to say about the approach and facilitator Karen Kraut, MPH; or bring a Think:Kids CPS presentation or overview group to your school.

*1-day* May 24th, 9:00 am-4:30 pm at the Brookline Teen Center
4 Tuesdays, May 31st – June 21st, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, at the Ely Center in Newton
4 Wednesdays, June 1st – 22nd , 10:00 am-12:00 pm, at the Brookline Teen Center