Author Archives: Bigelow PTO

Newton Community Ed classes for Middle Schoolers

Registration is now underway for Winter classes through Newton Community Education. Coming up for middle schoolers we have Lego Robotics at South on Tuesdays and Fridays, The Stockmarket Game at Oak Hill on Tuesdays and Angier on Fridays, Fencing at Bigelow on Mondays, Archery at Oak Hill on Tuesdays, and Babysitting at South on Saturdays and North over February and April vacations. Also during both vacations we are offering our ever-popular Make a TV Show program at NewTV, and during February break, new this year, we are offering Advanced Domino Physics. All our classes are for kids from all schools. We have family cooking classes: Two Continents, Many Dumplings, and The International Chocolate Chip. We also have Saturday sports options for kids ages 2 and up, and weekday afternoon sports options for younger kids, such as Dodgeball, Basketball and Sports Jam. For more information or to register, call our office at 617-559-6999 or visit our website at newtoncommunityed.org. Be sure to check out our adult classes too, and look for our summer Kids catalog, coming in January.

Historic Newton Calendar December

  • Museum Shop Holiday Sale
  • Map Night with GIS Mapping
  • Stories in the Snow
  • Candles are Wick-ed Cool  

MUSEUM SHOP HOLIDAY SALE
During the entire month of December, find wonderful small gifts for both adults and children at the annual Holiday Sale at the Jackson Homestead and Museum, and support Historic Newton with your purchase. Enjoy 10% off all purchases such as note cards, games, DVDs and more. Members receive a 20% discount.

Tuesday, December 6, 7:30 PM
MAP NIGHT WITH GIS MAPPING
Explore the many layers of information embedded in the city’s online “Newton GIS Browser” with Doug Greenfield, Newton’s GIS Administrator. Learn if your home is in a preservation district with the click of your mouse! Or join Allison Carter in looking at our collection of historic atlases to find out the answers to questions such as: Whose farm was subdivided to make your houselot? When was your street first laid out? All ages are welcome. Free.

Sunday and Monday December 25 and 26
MUSEUM CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY

Tuesday, December 27, 2:00 PM
STORIES IN THE SNOW
A Vacation Week Family Program
Greet winter with open arms at this family program. We’ll read White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt, and make snow globes to take home. Kids of all ages can enjoy the warmth of the Jackson Homestead, where we’ll serve hot cider and snacks. Cost: $15 per family ($10 for members); includes museum admission, materials, and snack. Prepaid registration is required, limit 25; call 617.796.1450 to register.

Thursday, December 29, 2:00 PM
CANDLES ARE WICK-ED COOL
A Vacation Week Family Program
Bring the whole family to this fun, hands-on workshop where you will learn how the Jacksons made candles in the 1800s, and then do it yourself! Bring your candles home and light up the dark nights of winter. Cost: $20 per family ($15 for members) includes museum admission and materials. Prepaid registration is required, limit 25; call 617.796.1450 to register.

Freshman Cabaret!!

Newton North’s current Freshman showcase their amazing talent through a fun-filled evening of songs, sketches and dances in Freshman Cabaret.
Performances are on December 15th and 16th at 7:30PM in The Performing Arts Center at Newton North High School. Tickets are $7 and available at www.theatreink.net or at the door.

Newton Partnership: Upcoming Parent Ed Opportunities

  • “Parents Helping Parents” Support Group
  • Connecting With Your Child in a Digital World
  • Future dates   

“Parents Helping Parents” Support Group
Are you a parent or guardian feeling stressed or overwhelmed? Could you use the support of peers to help? Come to an anonymous support group run by a trained facilitator. This group will meet weekly on Wednesdays begining December 7 at Brigham House, 20 Hartford St., Newton Highlands. For more information, please call Meg at 617-926-5008 ex 108. Child care provided. FREE. http://thenewtonpartnership.org/attend-an-event/

Connecting With Your Child in a Digital World
Parenting in the digital age can be challenging. Social media and technology have become such an important part of your child’s daily life. Please join us for an interactive workshop where we will examine your child’s use of technology, increase awareness of the potential challenges around technology use, and learn practical parenting strategies to maintain connections with your child. The workshop will be facilitated by Middle School Prevention/Intervention counselors Amy Comeau, M.Ed. and Rolanda Prophete, LICSW. This workshop will take place on Tuesday, December 13 from 6:30-8:00 p.m at Brown Middle School, FREE. http://thenewtonpartnership.org/attend-an-event/

Save these dates for January/February 2012:
January 5 – The Importance of Routines in Successfully Parenting Young Children with Janet Lucey and Beverly Mobilia
January 11- Sleep and Your Child with Dennis Rosen
February 8 – From Princesses to Pop Tarts: What the New Culture of Girlhood Means for Girls and the Grown-Ups Who Care About Them – talk and book signing with NY Times best-selling author Peggy Orenstein

Details will be posted at http://thenewtonpartnership.org/attend-an-event/

Cold and Flu Season – Precautions and Vaccine

In the midst of cold and flu season, it’s a good time to remind the whole family how important handwashing is. Frequent handwashing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of disease, so soap up and remember these hand washing tips:  

  • Wash your hands when they are dirty, before eating, and after using the restroom
  • Use soap and warm water and rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds before rising and drying
  • Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are ok to use when your hands aren’t visibly dirty
  • Do not cough or sneeze into your hands – use a tissue or your elbow
  • Don’t put your hands into your nose or mouth

If you do get sick, it’s important to stay home to keep others from getting sick. Please let your child’s school know if you are keeping your child home because of illness. It is the policy at all Newton schools to keep a child at home if s/he has:

  • a fever over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the past 24 hours
  • a cold in the active stages: coughing, running nose, sneezing
  • a sore throat and/or swollen neck glands
  • an undiagnosed rash or skin eruption
  • vomiting or diarrhea during the past 24 hours

And finally, it’s not too late to get a flu vaccine! More than 2,800 students and over 1,000 staff members received the flu vaccine at school. Many more were vaccinated by their primary health care provider. Children under age 9 who did not receive the flu vaccine last year should receive two doses of the flu vaccine this year, spaced at least 4 weeks apart. If someone in your family hasn’t gotten a flu vaccine yet, or needs a second dose, call 617-796-1420 to make an appointment with a public health nurse.

If you have any questions about handwashing, the illness policy, or the flu vaccine please contact your school nurse or the Health & Human Services Department at 617-796-1420.

Connecting Parents: MSPCC Sibling Support Group

This is a FREE group for siblings of individuals with behavioral/mental health difficulties. The Connecting Parents’ program is affiliated with MSPCC and is funded by The Department of Mental Health. Topics will include: understanding strengths & weaknesses, understanding feelings, and expressing ones self. Parents/guardians should contact the Connecting Parents Program to enroll their child and receive a referral packet by December 30, 2011. Act soon, as space is limited.  

Sessions will be organized as follows:  Introductory Activities, Sibling Group Discussion and Peer Support Activities, Snack, and Fun Activity. The Group will be limited to 8 children, ages 8-12 years old. Only one child per family may participate.

The group will meet in Room 12 of the Norwood Civic Center, 165 Nahatan Street, in Norwood for on Tuesdays 4-5:15PM for six weeks starting January 10, 2012. The leaders of the Group will be Betty Wagner, LMHC, Director of Connecting Parents, and Bernadette Giacoppo, Connecting Parents’ Group Leader. For more information, contact Bernadette Giacoppo (bgiacoppo@mspcc.org, 617-983-5813), Connecting Parents’ Group Leader at MSPCC, 157 Green Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130.

TheatreInk presents “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” Dec 7-10

Theatre Ink, Newton North’s award-winning theatre program, proudly presents “The Cripple of Inishmaan” a heartbreaking yet hilarious dark comedy by one of Ireland’s most celebrated playwrights.

Set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland in 1934, “The Cripple of Inishmaan” is an irresistible tale filled with a host of charming characters, plots, and twists. A Hollywood director arrives to film the “Man of Iran” in neighboring Inishmaan. The one person who wants to be in the film more than anybody is young Cripple Billy, if only to break away from the bitter tedium of his daily life. Martin McDonough, the Tony award-winning playwright, has created a masterpiece of must-see theatre that is eccentric, honest and brilliantly funny. Directed by Charlie Beers and Graham Techler. (Contains mature themes and adult language)

Performances are on December 7, 8, 9,10 at 7:30PM in the Little Theater at NNHS 457 Walnut Street, Newtonville. Tickets are  $7 at www.theatreink.net or 617 559 6406.

Alternative Gift Fair, Dec. 11

The First Unitarian Society in Newton will host its Alternative Gift Fair on Sunday, December 11, from 11:30am-1:00pm at 1325 Washington Street. With the stress, expense, and expectation surrounding the holidays, it’s no wonder they more often exhaust rather than uplift us. It’s not too late to re-think your family routines. How does it work? When you make a donation toward a specific charitable organization, you receive a card detailing your gift to give to your recipient. A perfect opportunity to buy for those folks who have everything. Tax- deductible gifts starting at $10.