Join the Bigelow PTO Virtual Family Trivia Night!

All ages are invited to join us on Saturday, February 5 at 7:30pm for the second annual Bigelow PTO Virtual Family Trivia Night!  You’ll compete against other teams for the title of “Bigelow Trivia Champs”!  Emceed on Zoom by local trivia host James Marohn (Games with James), there will be dozens of challenging questions in a variety of general knowledge categories!

This is a fun opportunity to socialize with other Bigelow families, teachers and staff, as well as show off some of your random, obscure knowledge!  Plus prizes for the top two teams and to the team with the “Best Bigelow Spirit.”

All are welcome!  Register your team name and participants by clicking here:   
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeDmbiApE9ao9_dtBWtrXQnG_CdbgOZ4EuMCyyCTCNfY_4lqQ/viewform

Thanks to everyone that have already donated to the Bigelow Annual Fund goal!

As of today, we have raised $13,820. We are -$1,180 short of our goal of $15,000. If you have not yet donated, please consider doing so at https://bigelowpto.org/donate/ and help us reach our goal for this school year! 

We are truly appreciative of our strong community of supporters, and we are excited for all the upcoming community events and programing support for our students. 

The Bigelow PTO annual online auction will kickstart the last week of March 2022. 

If you have some time to spare and want to make a difference in the Bigelow community, we need you! We’re looking for volunteers to reach out to businesses for donations to the auction as well as volunteers to help the Online Auction Committee assist with the auction process.

Kick-start 2022 by volunteering your time to help strengthen our Bigelow Community.  

If you would like to volunteer or have donations, please reach out to Alexia Giannakopoulos at alexiag5@yahoo.com

The English Language Parent Advisory Council will hold its next meeting on Thursday, February 3, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.

ELPAC supports ELL families districtwide and collaborates with schools and districts to improve the ELL programming. 

Meetings are held every other month. Interpreters and/or same language groups are provided with RSVP by January 31, 2022. The February 3, 2022 meeting topics are: Newton Free Library Resources & ACCESS Testing.

RSVP to the meeting here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdjxQInxlKSYX_TVwVp5Dr6B4jKC0BBOqXxixNPI91VayV5pw/viewform

Once you RSVP, you will be sent a Zoom link to attend the meeting virtually.

Attached please find translated invitations. Email invitations have also been sent to ELL families from the district ELL office.

Bigelow is excited to welcome back Corey DePina. In “Something from Nothing: A History of Hip Hop”, Corey will take students through the early history of hip hop and its four elements – MC-ing, DJ-ing, breakdancing and graffiti – to inspire them with the possibilities of creating something positive out of nothing. This virtual workshop will take place on January 21st at 9am and will features storytelling, rap performance, free-styling demonstration and activities that bring groups together to improvise beats verse or movement, adding in their own style and spin. Corey is a skilled rapper and workshop leader whose work as a facilitator for local and national non-profits and community centers has earned him numerous awards, including: the 2008 Good Neighbor Award from East Boston’s NOAH, the 2008 Community Leadership Award from Jamaica Plain’s Hyde Square Task Force, the 2011 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, and the 2014 Best Initiative, Best Youth Worker of the Year. He is also the Director of Programs for Zumix Boston.

Sponsored by Creative Arts & Sciences and the Bigelow PTO.

Bigelow students will take the second round of iReady diagnostics next week:

• 7th grade on Wednesday January 19
• 6th grade on Thursday January 20
• 8th grade on Friday January 21

If your child is absent on that day, please follow the instructions about at-home administration of the test.

Do you have questions about testing and specifically test and stay for your 6th Grader now that that age group can be fully vaccinated?
Check Testing FAQs on the NPS Covid-19 Information page and check the new NPS Covid Communication Protocols (updated January 22).

Thank you to the parents who donated  for the teachers and staff “Winter Warm Up” that took place on December 23rd. It was a big hit with the staff, and much needed warm treats on a cold day before break.

The PTO will also be holding a teacher luncheon in early February and an afternoon tea in late spring, more info coming up soon!

We would like to wish all of our students, families, faculty, and staff a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year. Sending gratitude and heartfelt thanks this holiday season to everyone for supporting us to make Bigelow a stronger and supportive school environment.

-Gabriela Kroszynski, May Chen, Linda Gillespie, & Sukanya Ghosh (Bigelow PTO Officers)

Dear Bigelow Families,

In the spirit of the winter holidays, we’d like to thank our Bigelow Teachers and Staff for their monumental efforts this year and to wish them a very happy holiday season. Together with Principal Coston, the PTO is hosting a “Winter Warm Up” on December 23rd. Details are still being finalized, but warm drinks and delicious food are on the menu for our amazing teachers and staff!

We will also be holding a teacher luncheon in early February and an afternoon tea in late spring. At this time, we’d like to ask for donations to the Teacher Appreciation Fund to help cover the costs of these three events. No donation is too small, and since catering costs have increased significantly since last year, all donations are so appreciated!

For all of you who love to cook and bake, we will have the opportunity to share our treats with the teachers and staff at the February event, so keep those recipes handy! 

Please consider donating here, and when you donate, please indicate “Teacher Appreciation” in the note field:

Venmo: @BigelowPTONewton

or Credit Card: $10 – $20 – $50

Warmest regards,

Susan St. Pierre, Karen Yee, and Charlene Gillespie

Teacher Appreciation Committee