Author Archives: Newton PTO Council

Like a cappella or improv?

Come to Candy – Tones – featuring Newtones, Newton South’s a capella group and The Children of the CandyCorn, Newton’ South’s improv group.

The groups have been working hard together to learn each other’s craft and combine to do a shared show. It is sure to be a lot of fun with some great music and comedy.

Come on down to Gregorian Rugs this Friday and and pop your squat on some of the comfiest rugs in Newton to watch some improv-ers do acappella and acappell-ers do improv. Spend your Friday evening enjoying the harmonious sounds of Newtones and the wacky improv of The Children of the Candy Corn and be prepared for the mixing of both!

April 5th, 8:30 – 10:00 pm
Gregorian Rugs, 2284 Washington St, Newton Lower Falls

Come Row with CRI

Come learn about youth and adult programs, recreational and competitive opportunities, programs for vets and those with disabilities at Community Rowing, Inc.

Coaches will on site to show you around the Harry Parker Boathouse and introduce to the sport. There will be opportunities to row on the Charles in the CRI Catamarans and on indoor rowing machines. No experience necessary!

Questions: email friendlyperson@communityrowing.org

Community Rowing, Inc. Open House

April 7th, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Harry Parker Boathouse,  20 Nonantum Rd. Brighton

Spring Math Festival and Open House

Come and learn more about having UN while doing MATH. Play games, do STEM activities, solve puzzles, and win prizes!

This event is open to kids (ages 4 – 12) and their parents!

Studio of Engaging Math is a pre-K-8 after-school math program whose mission is to cultivate students’ appreciation of mathematics by fostering intellectual curiosity, critical and logical thinking,spatial reasoning and problem-solving skills to build student confidence and self-esteem.

STEAM is a summer program for children ages 6 – 12. Broaden your child’s exposure to science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM). The fun and intimate, hands-on activities of the classes strive to excite and inspire participants about STEAM, creating enthusiasm that will spill over to schoolwork and school choices in future years. Classes include introduction to programming, building and modeling, arts and crafts, logic puzzles and board games. The Studio also offers summer SAT/ACT preparation classes, Math Olympiad Circle, Chess, Coding and more.

Studio of Engaging Math Open House

April 7, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
320 Washington street, Suite 301, Brighton

Camp Grossman Open House

Come to visit Camp Grossman for the day and explore the 75 pine-studded acres of Hale Reservation with staff led tours of the waterfront, bunk areas and so much more. Meet with senior staff and see what a day at Camp Grossman is like!

Can’t make it? Register using a brand new online portal at bostonjcc.org/grossman-registration. Contact the Camp Grossman Office at 617-244-5124 or grossman@jccgb.org if you have any questions.

April 7th, 2:00 – 4:00 pm

Green Newton’s Schools Connections next meeting

Green Newton’s Schools Connections is a forum for parents, students, educators – with representatives from 10 schools – and the broader Newton community interested in promoting sustainability in the classrooms and beyond. Once a month, the group offers a setting for sharing experiences and ideas, as well as support in facing challenges in implementing green initiatives at their schools and in the Newton Public District.

Some of their initiatives include:

▪ Sharing of past and current efforts at individual schools

▪ Developing and sharing recycling signage for schools, in partnership with Newton Sustainable Materials Management department.

▪ Advocating for the hiring of a dedicated staff to plan and implement consistent recycling collection throughout the school district. ▪ Hosting discussions with stakeholders from the city government, committees, and elected officials.

▪ A survey about waste management in all of Newton public schools, in partnership with Newton Sustainable Materials Management department

▪ Evaluating the possibility of implementing a Food Recovery Program in Newton school cafeterias

▪ Supporting renewable energy in schools, including solar panels

For more information contact schoolconnections@greennewton.org or visit https://www.greennewton.org/initiative_category/schools/

April 11th,  3:45 – 5:00 pm
Druker Auditorium of the Newton Free Library, 330 Homer Street

April Vacation at Newton Free Library

Chocolate Make & Take, April 13th, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm, Teen Area
Interested in learning how to make chocolate creations? Alongside Sadina Shawver, a former chocolatier, you’ll learn to make chocolate as well as take that chocolate home! Online registration (required) starts March 18th. There are four separate 1-hour sessions until 4:00 pm.

Teen MTG, April 16th, 3:00 – 4:00 pm, Teen Area
Meet up to play Magic: The Gathering after school. Moderated by a local Newton South student. Bring your decks or use the ones there!

Official Book Launch for Danielle: The Chronicles of a Superheroine by Ray Kurzweil, April 16th, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, Druker Auditorium
Join inventor, futurist Ray Kurzweil as we explore his vision of an extraordinary future where our brains are connected to the cloud, we have hybrid biological/nonbiological thinking, our human intelligence is enhanced a millionfold and everyone has the power of ideas to solve the world’s grandest challenges. Meet Danielle, the protagonist of Kurzweil’s new book, Danielle: Chronicles of a Superheroine – a precocious girl with super-intelligence who has the courage to question the assumptions that limit our imagination to solve world problems. Imagine if we were all Danielles! A book signing will follow.

Escape Room, April 17th, 12:00 – 7:00 pm, Special Collections/Teen Area
You’ve trapped yourself and your friends in a room. Well done! You and your team must now solve the unsolvable, unlocked the locked, and escape the inescapable within 45 minutes. Think you can do it? Test the Haunted Newton Escape Room, and while you wait, enjoy some snacks. This escape room was made and tested by the Teen/Tween Advisory Board. Online registration (required) will allow teams to sign up for 45-minute time slots. Grades 5-12.

Project Cosplay: Make You Up,  April 17th, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, Teen Area
Looking to dive into cosplay? Step up your game with special effects makeup! Makeup and cosplay enthusiasts, Erica Yuen and Julia Carlaw, will show you tips and tricks on how to make up your face. Grades 5-12.

Teen Movie: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, 2:00 – 4:30 pm, Teen Area
Join to watch the Academy Award-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). Spider-Man themed snacks and refreshments will be provided. Rated PG. Runtime 117 minutes.

NNHS Science Team Trivia, April 18th, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, Teen Area
Are you a science mastermind? Join the fun and test your mastery of science! The Newton North High School Science Team will challenge players to a night of science trivia from a variety of categories from chemistry to computer science. Stretch your brain and win exciting science prizes! Come alone or with friends! Teams can be up to 6 people, and we can match you with fellow devotees. Pizza and drinks will be provided. Teens and families welcome.

For more information contact Megan Coffey at teens@newtonfreelibrary.net.

Positive, empowering experience

Looking for a positive, empowering experience to do with the girl(s) in your life? The nonprofit MEDIAGIRLS is holding a fundraiser/event: MEDIAGIRLS: Get Strong Inside & Out during which girls over age 10 and women of all ages (dads & male guardians welcome!) will experience martial-arts infused yoga, hear from young women about using social media in healthy ways, and learn “power moves” that exude confidence.

All proceeds from tickets sales and raffles go toward bringing their year-long program to 150 more girls in underserved communities in Boston. MEDIAGIRLS teaches girls and young women how to know their self-worth, and harness the power of media for positive change.

April 28th, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Brookline Teen Center

Newton Teen Mentoring Service

Check out the new company, MentorBuddies, a tutoring business which enables parents of young children (typically ages 5-13) to browse, contact and book lessons with Newton teens in academics, sports, music, and more! The website has over 85 highly qualified mentors for parents to choose from, primarily from Newton North and Newton South.

At $25.00/hour, Newton parents can have their children mentored by varsity and state-ranked athletes, talented musicians, and honors/AP students. Kids who use MentorBuddies benefit from having an older successful teenage “buddy” as a role model. MentorBuddies was started by a junior at Newton North to connect local talented teens with younger students in the Newton public school system for fun, educational, and affordable at-home lessons.

To learn more, see MentorBuddies.com or contact info@mentorbuddies.com.

Summer STEM Opportunities

Nationally Recognized KIDS 4 CODING enters its fourth summer season in Massachusetts and will be offering programs at Bentley University and Leslie University in Cambridge.

KIDS 4 CODING is an affordable option for families who are seeking quality, academic summer activities for their children. Highly interactive and multidisciplinary modules – new every summer – are developed by KIDS 4 CODING in collaboration with teachers and industry professionals to lead campers through fun, age-appropriate projects and challenges that develop skills in game creation and modification, programming techniques, robotics, and other computer science and engineering areas.

Weekly programs are supervised by MA certified teachers and taught by experienced instructors who are passionate about technology. Students enhance their logical thinking, problem-solving, mathematics application and creative abilities in a collaborative, entertaining format.

For ages 7 -16. More information and discount code available here: Flyer

Half-Day Programs $329.00, Full-Day Programs $599.00. To register visit https://www.kids4coding.com/

Bidding for the Lincoln-Eliot auction is now open

The Lincoln-Eliot PTO Auction is officially open!

Whether you’re looking for something unique for yourself, searching for a gift for a special someone, or looking to add a little adventure to your life, you’re sure to find something in their auction which runs through March 29th.  Thank you for your support!

You can conveniently access the site using your computer or phone!

Web: https://www.biddingforgood.com/lepto191
Optimized for mobile: https://bforg.com/lepto191