Monthly Archives: March 2020

Newton North High School welcomes volunteers for the 2020-21 PTSO

Attention Rising 9th Grade Parents! Newton North High School welcomes volunteers for the 2020-21 PTSO
Meet new friends and get involved in the parent community at Newton North.  The PTSO is seeking volunteers for 2020-2021.  Serve on the board, chair a committee, lead a strategic imitative.  Dive in and get to know our vibrant and exciting high school.  Click here to see current opportunities.

Superintendent update related to COVID-19

Update from David Fleishman, Superintendent of Schools – March 4, 2020

Dear NPS Families,

Following our email to you on Sunday evening, we received many inquiries and requests for additional information related to COVID-19 and our schools. We wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with up-to-date information and share new resources with you.

The Newton Health and Human Services Department (HHS) has developed a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, which can be found on their website at: www.newtonma.gov/COVID19. The FAQ covers a variety of topics including:

  • People who have traveled and returned to Newton and household members
  • Cleaning public buildings, including schools
  • Personal prevention measures

Items to note

  • School nurses continue to work with teachers and students to emphasize good hand hygiene and illness prevention strategies.
  • Our school buildings are regularly cleaned and disinfected, including high touch surfaces. Soap and hand towel dispensers are refilled regularly.

Siblings/Household Members

The Department of Health and Human Services has been very clear on guidance related to household members of students returning from our high school exchange program in Italy. It is as follows:

Household members of students who recently returned from Italy are in no way considered to be a risk for community transmission. Someone who is in contact with someone who is exhibiting no symptoms of the COVID-19 virus is no more likely to be a carrier of the disease than anyone else.

We know this is an unsettling time for many in the community. Please be mindful that the lives of some of our students and their families have been significantly disrupted. We must work together as a community to support each other and to resist the temptation to discriminate or stigmatize groups of people in any way. We are a wonderfully diverse school community with students, staff, faculty, and community members from around the globe. Continuing to support each other is more essential now than ever.

Because the COVID-19 information is changing rapidly, we do want to remind you that credible, accurate, and Newton-specific information will come from the Newton Health and Human Services Department, the superintendent’s office, or your building administrator. Should you hear information circulating in the community, please be sure to check its accuracy with one of these sources.

We will continue to provide you with information as it becomes available from our City health partners. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools

Update from the Superintendent

Dear NPS Families,

As the news and information about the novel coronavirus COVID-19 continues to develop, you may have questions about our schools. We are working closely with the Newton Department of Health and Human Services to monitor this situation and stay up-to-date with guidance, including guidance relative to travelers.

To prevent any potential exposure to our staff and students, we are implementing federal guidance around returning travelers, which is evolving daily. To that end, today we made a decision to require students and staff from Newton North who returned from Italy on Saturday, Feb. 29th, to stay home from school beginning tomorrow, March 2nd, until further notice. These students and staff will return to school once we have been advised that it is appropriate. This decision was made out of an abundance of caution, in consultation with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), and under the direction of the Newton Health and Human Services department.

For your information, the city-wide Emergency Management Team has formed a committee to apply our robust emergency preparedness plans to possible scenarios around this infectious disease. While this specific virus is a new one, managing community spread of disease is not new and our public health professionals are well prepared. We will play an important role on this committee and will address questions about potential issues that may impact the day-to-day function of our schools.

The MA Department of Health shares the following recommendations to maintain good health:

Many of the things you do to help prevent colds and the flu can help protect you against other respiratory viruses:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds
  • Cover your coughs and sneezes
  • Stay home if you are sick

For additional information on COVID-19, please visit the following websites:

We will continue to work with our City health partners to provide you with timely, accurate, and useful information.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools

Join us on March 2nd to learn what Bigelow is doing to lower its carbon footprint…

… and what YOU can do at home as well.

Please, join us on Monday, March 2nd, 7pm at the Bigelow Library! Students, parents, caregivers, friends, staff and teachers are invited!!!!

The Bigelow Green Team –  a group of 11 determined students – will show what they have been doing at the school to improve recycling, reduce the use of single-use plastic, make lunch more sustainable and clean the air around!

Following their presentation, Newton’s Mothers Out Front will talk about simples “life-hacks” each of us can do to lower our carbon footprint at home and at work. It is as simple as “Use Less, Green the Rest“.

More information here.  – Download the flyer.

 

What’s Happening at the West Suburban YMCA

Early Spring Registration Has Started!
Early Spring Session runs February 24th – April 19th. Sign up for swimming lessons, small fitness training classes, sports, or creative arts! There’s still availability in some of the classes. Register and find out more information here.

Try the Y for Free on Mondays in March
Mondays are free in March!  Stop by the Welcome Center with a valid ID and your guest fee will be waived.

Kids Night Out
Parents, drop off your kids for a fun Friday night with qualified staff members for a Kids Night Out. They’ll order pizza for dinner and keep the children entertained with games, swimming, movies and sports. $25.00 per child for Y members and $30.00 for the community. A 20% discount is offered per child for those with two or more children. Go out for the night and take advantage of this low-cost alternative to hiring a babysitter. Everyone wins!
March 6th, 6:00 – 10:00 pm

Family Fun Night
Bring the whole family to the Y for some family fun time. Featuring arts & crafts, bouncy house, gym games and more! Free and open to all. Family Fun Nights occur on the second Tuesday of every month.
March 10th, 6:00 – 7:00 pm

Camp Registration is Now Open!
Send your child to day camp at Camp Pikati or Camp Chickami, or try the overnight experience at Camp Frank A. Day.  Learn more and register at https://www.wsymca.org/camps

Camp Info Session
Want to learn more about summer camp offerings?  Stop by the Y for one of the camp info sessions on March 10th,  3:00 – 5:00 pm.

Work at the Y: The West Suburban YMCA is hiring for a variety of full-time and part-time positions in member services, childcare and youth development, aquatics, fitness and more. The Y offers generous benefits, free membership and professional development opportunities. Please contact Laura Snow at lauras@wsymca.org or visit wsymca.org/careers.

Financial Assistance is always available for Y Memberships and Programs
The West Suburban YMCA is a non-profit charitable organization and it is their mission to never turn anyone away due to their inability to pay. Please contact our Membership Department at 617-244-6050 ext. 3653 for financial assistance with membership or program participation.

March events from Historic Newton

FREE WEEKEND AT HISTORIC NEWTON
Everyone is invited to enjoy free admission to the museums.
March 7th and March 8th, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Jackson Homestead and Museum, 527 Washington Street, and the Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Avenue

STORYTIME AT THE MUSEUMS
The free, bi-weekly Storytime program engages kids 0 months to 3 years old by focusing on literacy, Newton’s history, play, and lessons from our museums. Families are welcome to bring older siblings. This week’s theme is “Books.”
March 7th, 9:30 am
Jackson Homestead and Museum, 527 Washington Street

STORYTIME AT THE MUSEUMS
The free, bi-weekly Storytime program engages kids 0 months to 3 years old by focusing on literacy, Newton’s history, play, and lessons from our museums. Families are welcome to bring older siblings. This week’s theme is “Books.”
March 11th, 10:30 am
Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Avenue

STORYTIME AT THE MUSEUMS
The free, bi-weekly Storytime program engages kids 0 months to 3 years old by focusing on literacy, Newton’s history, play, and lessons from our museums. Families are welcome to bring older siblings. This week’s theme is “Rainbow.”
March 21st, 9:30 am
Jackson Homestead and Museum, 527 Washington Street

LOOK CLOSER: HIDDEN HISTORY GALLERY TALK
How does art tell a story? What can a painting tell us about Newton and America in 1852? With a Historic Newton educator, examine the newly acquired landscape painting, The Great Curve, in a 30-minute gallery talk and activity. Admission included in museum admission. Information: 617-796-1450
March 21st, 11:00 am and 1:00 pm
Jackson Homestead and Museum, 527 Washington Street

STORYTIME AT THE MUSEUMS
The free, bi-weekly Storytime program engages kids 0 months to 3 years old by focusing on literacy, Newton’s history, play, and lessons from our museums. Families are welcome to bring older siblings. This week’s theme is “Rainbow.”
March 25th, 10:30 am
Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Avenue

Calling all teens!

Come learn about JCC Maccabi Campus Games where you can aim for gold! Each summer, Jewish teens, agee 13-16 gather for a six-day, Olympics®-style competition.

Teams participate in boys baseball, boys, ice hockey, girls volleyball, girls and boys basketball, girls and boys soccer, chess, dance, e-sports, swimming, table tennis, and tennis. It’s the summer experience of a lifetime, and JCC Greater Boston is proud to send its own delegation to the games!

Learn more at bostonjcc.org/maccabigames. For more information, contact 781-249-9567 or maccabigames@jccgb.org.

Female Zionist Series

Please join Hadassah Boston for the Female Zionist Series featuring Professor Tamar Frankel in conversation with Professor Lisa Fishbayn Joffe, Director of the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute  Please complete the information below to register.

A donation of $18 or more to support Hadassah Medical Organization is greatly appreciated. Register at
https://secure2.convio.net/wzoa/site/Ticketing?view=Tickets&id=104481

April 30th, 7:30 pm
Brandeis University, Waltham

Newton Girls Soccer Team for Girls in Grades 9 -12

Are you ready to dust off your cleats for spring soccer? Newton Girls Soccer is looking for girls in grades 9 – 12 who want to join a competitive high school-aged team this spring.

The team would play a 7-week season in the BAYS Travel Soccer League.
Season Dates:  April 26th – June 14th. Games once per week on Sundays. Times vary. There are no games scheduled May 24th. Teams will practice once per week, date and time TBD. Fee: $140.00

Depending on numbers and player experience, there will be the option to form a Division 1 11 v 11 team, a Division 2 11v11 team, and/or a Division 3 7v7 team.

To express interest, please provide your contact information at https://forms.gle/R1dWNsDyP9sS8F1S8 before March 6th. Responses are requested to determine if there are enough interested players to field a team.

Questions can be directed to Coach Matt Goldstein at mattabgoldstein@gmail.com or Marysol Masse-Makimura at registrar@newtongirlssoccer.org.