The Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education presents “What every transitioning student with disabilities needs to know,” a panel of experts in Adult Services for parents of students finishing high school. 

Panel members will cover DDS services, residential services for those who are not eligible for state services, SSI/SSDI, and Massachusetts Rehab services for the transitioning student or adult.

Thursday, April 11
7 -9pm at the Education Center (Rm 210), 100 Walnut Street

NewtonPAC meetings are free and open to the public.
More details, including panelist bios, are on the Newton PAC website.

The Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education presents “What every transitioning student with disabilities needs to know,” a panel of experts in Adult Services for parents of students finishing high school. 

Panel members will cover DDS services, residential services for those who are not eligible for state services, SSI/SSDI, and Massachusetts Rehab services for the transitioning student or adult.

Thursday, April 11
7 -9pm at the Education Center (Rm 210), 100 Walnut Street

NewtonPAC meetings are free and open to the public.
More details, including panelist bios, are on the Newton PAC website.

Newton North’s award-winning theatre troupe, Theatre Ink, presents “Spontaneous Generation.” Relying on audience participation and the cunning of the actors, Spon Gen is one show you will not want to miss. Wake the kids! Call the neighbors! Summon the spirits!

7:30pm on April 3,4,5,& 6
The Little Theatre at Newton North High School
457 Walnut Street, Newtonville
Tickets: $7.00

From the moment the first bacterium crawled onto the felsic shore and called itself man, Mother Earth has called on one troupe to be the guiding light for the despairing masses: SPONTANEOUS GENERATION! Back with four action-packed shows and combining short-form and long-form improvisation into one unique and hilarious thrill ride that will have you sneezing with laughter from start to finish. 

Tickets ($7 each) can be purchased via the Theatre Ink website.

Is parenting a teen a new adventure for you? Join other parents for an eight-week series of evening conversations and learn to:

· Help your teen make wise choices
· Give you and your teen second chances
· Distill practical wisdom from ancient and contemporary Jewish sources

This program is based on Jewish wisdom but open for all faiths and traditions. The instructor Cheryl Harris, MA, EdM, is a professional psychologist and works at a public school.

Classes meet Wednesdays from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. at Hebrew College, Newton Centre,
beginning April 3, 2013.

Tuition:  $155 per person; $250 per couple
Scholarships are available.
For more information, contact Raylea Pemstein via email or phone at 617-559-8708

The Newton Highlands After-School Program, just for middle school children, is hosting an Open House for interested families. This is the last open house before the April 12 enrollment deadline.

Saturday, April 6 from 5:00-6:00 P.M.
Brigham House, 20 Hartford Street, Newton Highlands.

This is a terrific opportunity for parents of 5th graders to learn more about the program as they plan for the next school year. The Highlands After School Program offers  a safe, supervised, enrichment program that meets the developmental and recreational needs of the middle schooler. The program strives to provide support and foster independence in all students.

Please join us and see the wonderful space that is the home base of this terrific program. For more information please contact: Rochelle Acker (director) by phone at 617-999-4617 or email.

Newton’s 1st annual Latin American Fiesta, Saturday March 23, at the Newton Cultural Center will bring together the sights smells, music, rhythms, foods, dances, games and arts & crafts of many of the 23 countries comprising Latin America.

3-5pm — children’s activities
5:30-9pm — dinner, music, dancing for the whole family

The gala Fiesta begins with primarily kids’ activities from 3pm – 5pm. The children will create beautiful crafts indigenous to different Latin American countries, such as bark painting from Mexico and molas from Panama. They will make musical ‘instruments’ and join in a ‘batukada’ (parade) through the Cultural Center.

The fun for the kids ends with a pinata, but begins for the whole family with music, dancing and delicious Latin American food from 5:30pm – 9pm. Bring your dancing shoes and join in the rhythms of salsa, merengue and bolero music of Brazil, Cape Verde, Venezuela and Columbia.

Artists featured are: Rosalba Dancers, Cruzamente with Tal Shaolm-Kobi, Entre Amigos and the Mauro Tortolero Band. There is beautiful jewelry for sale, created from the Tagua nuts from Colombia by Maria Olga Mizrahi’s Baloka Jewelry, and handmade leather goods by Alvaro Lucena.

Admission is free, but please bring a non-perishable food item for the Newton Food Pantries. The Latin American Fiesta is co-sponsored by the Mayor’s Office for Cultural Affairs and Newton Community Pride and its sponsors. More info is online. 

On March 20, Mayor Setti D. Warren will host Youth Summit II, bringing teens, parents and community members back together to focus on solutions to the challenges discussed during Youth Summit I in October.

Youth Summit I was a chance to hear from and talk to our teens about what they are thinking, feeling, and experiencing.

Youth Summit II is an opportunity to learn about the priorities that emerged from our discussions in October and to help us move forward as a community to take action.

The evening will include a chance to hear from the Mayor, the Superintendent, and teens, small group discussions and an opportunity for all to express their opinion on the best solutions to pressing teen issues in Newton. Have a positive impact on the well-being of youth in our city by participating in this community event. Teens and adults are invited and encouraged attend.

Location: Brown Middle School, 125 Meadowbrook Road
Time: 6:00 – 9:00pm   A light supper will be served from 5:30-6:00pm.

The summit is free but registration is required for the event. You can register by the Youth Summit website or by phone 617-796-1436, or by email youthsummit@newtonma.gov or joleary@newtonma.gov .

Youth Summit II is sponsored by the Newton Youth Commission, City of Newton Health and Human Services Department, and The Newton Partnership. The summit has been planned with the input of two Action Groups open to the public and by the Mayor’s Newton Teen Voice Program and the Keystone Leadership Program at the Boys and Girls Club. To learn more please visit www.newtonma.gov/youthsummit

Historic Newton offers the following programs and events during March. Events are at the Jackson Homestead, 527 Washington Street, unless otherwise noted.

MAP NIGHT
Wednesday, March 20, 7:30 PM
Ever wondered what your neighborhood looked like 50 or 100 years ago? 150 years ago? 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 house lot? When was your street first laid out? All ages are welcome. Free.

HISTORIC NEWTON BOOK CLUB MEETING
Thursday, March 21, 7:30 PM
At its March meeting, the book club will discuss A Murder in Virginia: Southern Justice on Trial by Suzanne Lebsock. In recounting an 1895 murder investigation and trial in Lunenberg County, Virginia, the author brings to life a forgotten episode of a small, segregated Southern town and frames it against the backdrop of racial strife in the country as a whole. The book provides a fascinating glimpse into the politics and law of the late Reconstruction. A Murder in Virginia won the 2004 Francis Parkman Prize. The book club is free and open to the public, new members are always welcome.

COMPLEMENTARY LIVES: SAMUEL E. COURTNEY AND BOOKER T. WASHINGTON
Thursday, March 28, 7:00 PM
Learn about the “Complementary Lives” of Samuel E. Courtney and Booker T. Washington at this fascinating lecture presented by Holly Robbins of Westfield State University. Ms. Robbins will give an illustrated talk about the personal and professional relationship between Booker T. Washington and his lesser-known loyal friend, Samuel E. Courtney. Ms. Robbins will also discuss Courtney’s Newton, MA connection. Co-Sponsored by Historic Newton and the Newton Free Library. At the Newton Free Library, 330 Homer Street. Free.

Sunday, March 31
MUSEUM CLOSED FOR EASTER

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Confronting Our Legacy: Slavery and Antislavery in the North: This new exhibition transforms the lower gallery of the museum into a three-dimensional learning center with hands-on activities and information about colonial slavery, the Underground Railroad, and local abolitionists.

An Architect Ahead of Her Time: Annie Cobb (1830-1911): Starting in the 1870s, Annie Cobb built 16 homes in Newton Highlands and exhibited at the World’s Fair of 1893 in Chicago. She was arguably the first woman architect in America, and succeeded in fashioning a career for herself in the male world of building in a time when women’s work was mainly limited to the home.

Newton and the Civil War: In celebration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, Historic Newton will be featuring a changing exhibit showcasing Newton residents in the Civil War. Also be sure to visit our new Women’s Fashions of the Civil War Era exhibit.

Peeking into Newton’s Toy Chest: The values and lessons toys teach us, as shown by the Historic Newton collection, are explored in this exhibit. Children’s attractions include hands-on toys and a model train.

Mapping a New Town: 1714-1874: Maps depicting Newton’s growth over the centuries are displayed; special activities for children are also featured.

Newton Salutes-Restoring Farlow Park Bridge and Pond: In 1880 John Farlow, a successful railroad businessman, donated land to the city for the purposes of creating Newton’s first open space for recreation and relaxation. The focal point for the park was a lovely pond and handsome Adirondack style bridge. However, in the 1950′s, the water was drained from the pond and the deteriorating bridge removed. This exhibit documents the history of the park and contemporary efforts to restore it.