Author Archives: Newton PTO Council

SAT & ACT Classes- Few Spots Remaining

Sexton Test Prep & Tutoring is offering two courses this winter to prepare students for the March SAT and February ACT. Each class will focus on one exam and will be taught by one of our Expert Tutors. The courses are designed to give your student a complete strategic overview of all sections of the SAT/ACT. Space is limited to 16 students per class so be sure to reserve your spot today.

SAT Class: This six-session class will meet in Wellesley on Monday evenings from 7:00 – 9:00 pm beginning January 21st and is designed to prepare students for the March SAT. The course fee includes 12 hours of classroom preparation, books, supplemental materials, and priority access to our free mock tests. For more information or to sign up for the SAT Class click here http://www.sextontestprep.com/sign-up/sat-act-classes/

ACT Class: This five-session class will meet in Wellesley on Monday evenings from 7:00 – 9:00 pm beginning January 7th and is designed to prepare students for the February ACT. The course fee includes 10 hours of classroom preparation, books, supplemental materials, and priority access to our free mock tests. For more information or to sign up for the ACT Class click here http://www.sextontestprep.com/sign-up/sat-act-classes/

Not sure a class is for you? If you are interested in one-on-one tutoring, send an email at info@sextontestprep.com or call 781-772-1745 and they’ll be glad to help identify a tutor that would be a good match for your student.

School Committee Update

Dear Friends,

This update is for the 12/10/2018 Newton School Committee meeting:

  • Students from the Beijing Jinshan School Exchange Program introduced themselves, shared something they have enjoyed during their visit, and presented the School Committee with a beautiful gift scroll.
  • Toby Romer, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education, was joined by high school principals Joel Stembridge and Henry Turner to present an update to the high school schedule initiative. The presentation featured three potential schedules, all of which had common elements including the inclusion of flexible learning time, longer class blocks, longer lunches and the ability to start the day later but still end by 3PM.  A key takeaway was that the proposed learning time would be on par with our peer districts. He also explained that a traffic consultant has been hired to study the traffic impact of start times at elementary, middle, and high schools and to make a recommendation for adjustments that would allow a later high school start time. The School Committee’s target date for implementation of a later start time is September 2020.
  • Mary Eich, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, was joined by Katy Hogue, District Student Data Manager, to present the results of the MCAS 2018 student testing.  Overall, Newton students performed at a much higher level than the state average.  The presentation did pay close attention to a persistent achievement gap impacting several minority student groups, as well as the incongruous results of the middle school science test.
  • As part of our Facilities Update, Bill Ferguson, Co-Director of Sustainability for the City of Newton, presented Phase 3 plans for installing solar panels on several NPS owned properties including the parking lots at Mason Rice, Bigelow, Oak Hill, Memorial-Spaulding and Brown.  These efforts would save $5 million over the course of 20 years.  The School Committee voted unanimously to approve the installation of the solar panels.
  • Liam Hurley, CFO, reviewed the second FY19 Fiscal and Operations Update, which projected a positive balance of $722,000.
  • The scheduled consent agenda included several items, all of which were voted unanimous approval:

Next Meeting:

January 14 @7PM: EDCO Update, Elementary Math Update, Equity Committee Update

We hope you found this summary useful. You can access all School Committee meeting documents via the NPS website (www.newton.k12.ma.us/schoolcommittee). Additionally, if you are interested in watching an SC meeting from home or a recorded meeting, you can obtain access via www.newtv.org.

As always, we are very happy to answer any questions or discuss any concerns you may have. Please feel free to contact us via the email address below.

Have a safe and fun December break, wonderful holidays, and a happy new year!

Sincerely,

The Newton School Committee

Shop for A Cause for Newton Schools Foundation

Shop for the holidays and make a difference for Newton’s students! Bring your friends and neighbors for a fun, festive evening of shopping and socializing. The Street, Chestnut Hill is hosting a Shop for a Cause night and a percentage of sales from participating stores will be donated to Newton Schools Foundation.

Participating stores include Copious Row, Legit Activewear, Simon Pearce, J. McLaughlin, Kodomo, Portobello Road, Vince and Polka Dog.

Register ahead of time and check in at Simon Pearce (between Juice Press and Splendid) the night of the event to receive your shopping pass and special treat.
For more information and to register click here.

December 12th, 5:00 – 8:00 pm

Shop for A Cause for Newton Schools Foundation

Shop for the holidays and make a difference for Newton’s students! Bring your friends and neighbors for a fun, festive evening of shopping and socializing. The Street, Chestnut Hill is hosting a Shop for a Cause night and a percentage of sales from participating stores will be donated to Newton Schools Foundation.

Participating stores include Copious Row, Legit Activewear, Simon Pearce, J. McLaughlin, Kodomo, Portobello Road, Vince and Polka Dog.

Register ahead of time and check in at Simon Pearce (between Juice Press and Splendid) the night of the event to receive your shopping pass and special treat.
For more information and to register click here.

December 12th, 5:00 – 8:00 pm

Newton Food Drive BREAKFAST FOODS for our Newton Food Pantries

Come to City Hall to help sort the food with the Mayor! Please help our neighbors facing food insecurity. Newton’s four food pantries provide meals for more than 1,800 people each month, and they need everyone’s help to keep up with the growing need right here in Newton.

Donate to the Newton Food Drive—the four pantries are asking for breakfast foods including cereal, granola, oatmeal, energy and granola bars, non-perishable milk boxes, coffee, tea, and peanut butter. (Sorry, no open or expired food can be accepted.)

Donations are being collected now through December 27th at City Hall and more than 30 other locations across Newton. A complete list of the sites can be found HERE.

Bring extra donations and help sort the donated food on December 31st from 10:00 – 10:30 am in the War Memorial at City Hall.  Everyone can help, from youngsters to seniors. Plus, enjoy craft making, face painting, and refreshments for the Mayor’s New Year’s Eve Open House until noon.

Community Service Camp

Community Service Camp is currently registering for their monthly service programs which are run on Saturday and Sundays and for the April vacation Camp. In addition, the summer program will be open for registration this weekend.

Each day focuses on a different service theme and you’ll work together on a service project, play games and have small group discussions about the different service organizations.

Winter and spring programs are for grades K-5 and their summer camp will have two age group offerings: K-3 and 4-8. Parents can learn more about program offerings and register here: https://sites.google.com/view/service-stars/home. See the program in action on here:  www.facebook.com/servicestarsnewton.

JCC School Vacation Camp – Space is Limited!

Worrying about what to do during school vacations? Don’t worry, JCC Greater Boston School Vacation Camp has you covered. Camp runs during the week-long break for December, February, April and Passover vacations. Kids get to choose up to three electives daily, including sports, swimming, arts & crafts, board games and more.

Registration for December break ends on December 19th and early bird pricing ends this Friday! Enrollment is always flexible to fit your family’s plans. Kids can join for a single day, several days or the entire week. Each day children play and learn through a variety of different activities. Options include swimming, art & crafts, cooking, dance and so much more! A Kosher lunch is available for purchase making your morning a breeze. Also, during the week there is a different special highlight each day.

Register at bostonjcc.org/schoolvacations.

What’s Happening at the Y

Try the Y – Thursdays in December are free! Present a valid ID at the welcome desk and use the facilities for the day. Plus, if you sign up for a Y membership in December, your first month is free.

Program Registration for Winter Session – Registration for Winter Programs at the West Suburban YMCA is now open to all members and non-members. The Winter Program Session starts the week of January 2nd. Some program highlights include:

  • Aquatics: Swim lessons for all ages, water polo, Masters Swim Team
  • Youth Sports Leagues & Classes: Basketball, flag football, tumbling, karate for all ages
  • Creative Arts: Rock Band class, dance classes, private music lessons
  • Fitness & Wellness: TRX classes, tai chi, personal training and small group training

Pick up a Winter Program Guide at the YMCA or visit wsymca.org for more information and to register for programs. More Info

Resolutions Fitness Challenge – New year, new you! Sign up for the Y’s Resolutions Fitness Challenge to jumpstart your health and fitness goals for 2019. Join a team led by one of the Y’s certified personal trainers, and compete against other teams to see whose team can lose the greatest percentage of weight and body fat during the eight week challenge.

School Vacation Week Programs – Do your kids need something to do while they are off from school for winter vacation? The West Suburban YMCA is offering full day and half day program options December 26th -28th. Sign up for a program from either our Child Care Department or our Sports Department, to ensure your child has a fun vacation and you have peace of mind! More Info

Winter Camp Extravaganza – Celebrate summer in the winter! Bring the whole family for this exciting event at the West Suburban YMCA. There will be three live shows from comedy magician Steven Craig, musical ventriloquist Kevin Driscoll, and Curious Creatures! In addition to the performances, there will be raffles, door prizes, auction items, face painting, balloon animals, Henna tattoos and more!

This event is open to the community – not just YMCA campers – and a suggested family donation of $20.00 is welcome at the door. All proceeds will go toward 2019 camper scholarships. More Info January 5th, 5:30 – 8:00 pm

Y Empower – free program for 10 year old girls. Y Empower is a new free program geared toward 10 year old girls. It is intended to provide a small learning community for them to explore their health holistically and be prepared to manage the stress that adolescence often brings. Half of the time is spent in a classroom setting with expert speakers about topics such as nutrition, social media safety, and self care. The second half of the time is spent trying specific fitness activities such as yoga, Zumba, and swimming. Contact Jane Carroll at janec@wsymca.org for more information or to register for this program. Starting January 2019, Tuesdays, 2:30 – 4:00 pm

The Body Project – free program for high school girls. The Y is proud to partner with MEDA (Multi-service Eating Disorder Association) to offer a six-week program that provides a forum for girls to confront unrealistic beauty ideals and engage them in the development of a healthy body image through verbal, written and behavioral exercises. Contact Jane Carroll at janec@wsymca.org for more information or to register for this program.  Starting January 2019, Mondays, 4:30 – 5:15 pm

Pickle Ball – The West Suburban YMCA hosts drop-in pickle ball on both Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30-11:30 am in the gymnasium. Pickle ball is free for West Suburban YMCA members and $5.00 drop-in fee for non-members.

Work at the Y: The West Suburban YMCA is hiring for a variety of full-time and part-time positions. Great benefits, FREE membership, professional development opportunities. Please contact Laura Snow, Director of Human Resources, at lauras@wsymca.org or visit wsymca.org/about/work-here.

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 an inability to pay. Please contact our Membership Department at 617-244-6050 x3653 for financial assistance with membership or program participation.