Author Archives: Bigelow PTO

The Bigelow PTO Board NEEDS YOU TODAY!!!

STEP UP TODAY AND JOIN THE PTO BOARD FOR NEXT YEAR!!  WE NEED YOUR LEADERSHIP TO MAKE NEXT YEAR A SUCCESS!  WE CAN NOT DO IT WITHOUT YOUR HELP!!!

It is a great way to get involved with your student’s school and meet new members of our Bigelow community!!  A slate of officers for next year will be put forward and voted on at our final PTO meeting on Wednesday May 28 at 7pm.  Contact us at bigelowbulldog@gmail.com if you are interested or have questions regarding any of the board positions.

We have three members of this year’s board who have indicated their willingness to be nominated and serve again next year.  Carolyn Judge, Co-President, Vicki Spetter, Co-Treasurer and Vicki Ritterband, Co-Secretary.  

PTO Co-Presidents (2-3 Positions)
The primary roles of the co-presidents are 1) to facilitate community building of the PTO membership and 2) to ensure effective communication between parents, the School Principal and the broader Newton community on issues and concerns related to or impacting the Bigelow school. Specific responsibilities include:
1. Meet twice a month with the Principal to share information on issues related to the Bigelow School Community.
2. Represent Bigelow at the citywide PTO Council Meetings.
3. Plan and lead 6 PTO meetings each year, in partnership with the school Principal.
4. Write periodic updates for the Bigelow PTO Notes.
5. Assist the Treasurer in developing the budget and overseeing expenditures.
6. Work with the school Principal to develop the PTO schedule of events.
7. Oversee the fundraising efforts of the PTO.
Vice Presidents (2 Positions)
Work closely with the Co Presidents and committee chairs to coordinate yearly activities and facilitate communication.
Co-Treasurers (2 Positions)
The Treasurer acts as the chief financial officer of the Bigelow PTO. The Treasurer is accountable for all the funds that flow through the organization. The Treasurer signs checks, and tracks all income and expenditures. The treasurer updates the PTO Budget and the PTO Board  of the accounting of all funds raised and spent.
Co-Secretaries (2 Positions)
The Secretary is responsible for taking the minutes of the PTO meetings and for  filing the necessary documents with the Secretary of State (such as newly elected Board officers).

DEADLINE to Order Bigelow Yearbooks extended to this Friday!!

Order forms went home with the students earlier this week for the 2013-2014 yearbook.  The yearbook is going to look better then ever this year; the kids decided on a hard cover book and there will be additional collage pages of candid shots for each grade.  The due date to return the order form is Friday, May 16th to guarantee your student’s yearbook.
 
Price – $25 (cash or check)
Make checks payable to Bigelow Middle School
Order forms should be given to homebase teachers
Contact Sherri Rice at sheryl_rice@newton.k12.ma.us if you have any questions.

 

NSF’s Honor Thy Teacher

 As the school year comes to an end, are you looking for a way to say “Thank You” to the people who make a difference at your children’s schools? Every day, each of your children benefits from exceptional teachers and staff to educate, motivate and inspire them to be the best they can be.

 While the impulse to thank teachers with a physical or monetary gift is a natural one, the Newton School Committee prohibits individual gifts to teachers and the State Ethics Commission limits the types and amounts of group gifts that teachers may receive.

Seventeen years ago, Newton Schools Foundation created a special campaign designed to enable parents to honor teachers by giving a gift in their name. Please consider donating to NSF’s Annual “Honor Thy Teacher” Campaign to support teachers’ efforts and honor their dedication to your children. You may also choose to honor a special education aide, a fine arts or music teacher, or a coach or counselor who has touched your child’s life.  Suggested donation is $25 per teacher/staff member.

NSF celebrates Newton Public Schools teachers and staff by:

  • Notifying honored teachers and staff of your gift
  • Listing all honored teachers and staff in the Newton TAB
  • Sharing honoree names with the Superintendent and Principals.
There are three ways to donate:
  • PayPal through www.newtonschoolsfoundation.org where you can indicate your donation and honorees
  • Send a check to Newton Schools Foundation at 246 Dudley Road, Newton, MA 02459 and indicate your honorees
  • Call NSF at 617-559-6120
Teachers and staff who are honored consider this one of the highlights of their year.  Please help support our educators by donating today.

Author Dean Pitchford to speak to 7th graders

For 7th Grade Parents / Guardians – From Ms. Summa

This Friday, May 16 author, Dean Pitchford,  will be coming to speak with all Bigelow seventh graders about his new book, Nickel Bay Nick, his third acclaimed Middle Grade novel, following the success of The Big One-Oh and Captain Nobody. Dean Pitchford is an American songwriter, screenwriter, director, actor and novelist who has won an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award for his songwriting!

Ms. Summa was able to get an independent book store to come in and sell his books to the students on the day of the presentation so they can get his signature.  Please see the attached flyer for more details Author Visit with Dean Pitchford

Please contact Ms. Summa at Patty_Summa@newton.k12.ma.us with any questions you may have.

2014-2015 Board Positions – Please consider joining the PTO Board

It is the time of the year to look ahead to next year’s PTO Board.  Are you interested in serving for the 2014-2015 school year?  It is a great way to get involved with your student’s school and meet new members of our Bigelow community!!  A slate of officers for next year will be put forward and voted on at our final PTO meeting on Wednesday May 28 at 7pm.  Please consider joining the Board today!!  Contact us at bigelowbulldog@gmail.com if you are interested or have questions regarding any of the board positions.

We have three members of this year’s board who have indicated their willingness to be nominated and serve again next year.  Carolyn Judge, Co-President, Vicki Spetter, Co-Treasurer and Vicki Ritterband, Co-Secretary.  We thank Julie Bourgoin, Leslie Williams and Ted Everett for serving this past year.

If serving on the board may not be the right fit for you, we will be sending out a list of the committees that have openings in the next week or so.  This is also another great way to get involved.

PTO Co-Presidents (2-3 Positions)
The primary roles of the co-presidents are 1) to facilitate community building of the PTO membership and 2) to ensure effective communication between parents, the School Principal and the broader Newton community on issues and concerns related to or impacting the Bigelow school. Specific responsibilities include:
1. Meet twice a month with the Principal to share information on issues related to the Bigelow School Community.
2. Represent Bigelow at the citywide PTO Council Meetings.
3. Plan and lead 6 PTO meetings each year, in partnership with the school Principal.
4. Write periodic updates for the Bigelow PTO Notes.
5. Assist the Treasurer in developing the budget and overseeing expenditures.
6. Work with the school Principal to develop the PTO schedule of events.
7. Oversee the fundraising efforts of the PTO.
Vice Presidents (2 Positions)
Work closely with the Co Presidents and committee chairs to coordinate yearly activities and facilitate communication.
Co-Treasurers (2 Positions)
The Treasurer acts as the chief financial officer of the Bigelow PTO. The Treasurer is accountable for all the funds that flow through the organization. The Treasurer signs checks, and tracks all income and expenditures. The treasurer updates the PTO Budget and the PTO Board  of the accounting of all funds raised and spent.
Co-Secretaries (2 Positions)
The Secretary is responsible for taking the minutes of the PTO meetings and for  filing the necessary documents with the Secretary of State (such as newly elected Board officers).

Teacher Appreciation Tea – This Tuesday

The Bigelow Teacher Appreciation Tea is this Tuesday May 6th.

Please help us show our support for our wonderful teachers and staff!  We need food donations such as fruit, quiches, finger sandwiches, salads, scones or dessert items as well as set up and clean up help.  Click here to sign up.

Items may be dropped off the morning / early afternoon of the tea in the teacher’s lunchroom no later than 12:30 pm.  You may also drop off items the evening of May 5th at Stacy Schwartz’s house at 15 Park Ave.

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact the Teacher Appreciation Co Chairs, Maria Sullivan at mariasullivan47@gmail.com or Stacy Schwartz at staschwartz@gmail.com

PTO Meeting THIS Friday May 2 8:30 am

Please join us for our final PTO meeting of the year.  We will be bringing the QPR suicide prevention training to Bigelow. QPR stands for question, persuade, refer and is an educational program that teaches ordinary citizens to recognize the warning signs of suicide, offer hope and get help for those in need. For more information on this program please go to www.newtonma.gov/newtoncares.

 

Teacher Appreciation Tea (please sign up today) – Tues May 6th

The Bigelow Teacher Appreciation Tea is Tuesday May 6th.

Please help us prepare a much appreciated tea to show our support for our wonderful teachers and staff!  We need food donations such as fruit, quiches, finger sandwiches, salads, scones or dessert as well as set up and clean up help.  Click here to sign up.

Donations of gift cards to area businesses or restaurants to be used in a raffle for the teachers at the event are also another way to support this event.

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact the Teacher Appreciation Co Chairs, Maria Sullivan at mariasullivan47@gmail.com or Stacy Schwartz at staschwartz@gmail.com

Thank you for Newton Serves

Thank you to everyone who helped beautify Bigelow (and the rest of the city) this past Sunday at Newton Serves.  We now have a newly painted and cleaned corridor thanks to all your efforts.  Thank you to:
Evan and Josh Lipchin
Karla and Nico Siegel
Stacy and Sam Schwartz
Charlene  and Caitlin Agnew (and extended family)
Abigail and Rebecca Bianchi
Ziaochun Huang and Maxwell Tu
Sonia Savdie and Max Steinbok
Bob Leaper
Arnav Srikanth
Ben and Julia Feldman
Amalia and Abbe Roberts
Teddy Everett
Benjamin and Heather Mehra
Marla Libraty
The Arbuckle Family
 
And a very special thank you to Jacquie Arbuckle for jumping in and leading this effort.