All That Jazz Dance Studio is now accepting registration for summer and 2012-2013 school year classes. Come see the All That Jazz dancers perform at Newton Kids FunFest on Sunday, May 13th at 2:00 and 3:00! Spring Open House is Sunday, May 20, from 4:00-5:30 at All That Jazz, 232 California St. in Newton. www.allthatjazznewton.com or missdeb@allthatjazznewton.com 617-641-0784

Guitar lessons: all styles, ages and levels. Hours are flexible, both weekdays & weekends.

More than 12 years teaching experience, privately as well as at New England Conservatory and Tufts University. Master’s degree from New England Conservatory in Boston.

More information at: jazzonthecorner@gmail.com or http://teaching.assafkehati.com/

The Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown throws open its doors for a FREE day of live music, hands-on art programs and theatre workshops and performances on Saturday, May 5, 2012, from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.  

Activities and events will include kite-making and pottery workshops, quilting demonstrations, previews of Oliver! and Charlotte’s Web and other events.  Solar Winds will present The Rooster, the Mouse and the Little Red Hen family concert, Bigelow Middle School’s a cappella group will perform, and Watertown Children’s Theatre will conduct a Glee-style chorus workshop for 3^rd – 5th graders and Improv Sports for 6th – 9th graders.  There will be many teen and adult activities, as well.

For more information, visit www.arsenalarts.org, call 617-923-0100 or find us on Facebook.

It’s that time of year again to honor exceptional Newton teachers and staff who have touched your child’s life. The suggested donation is $25 per teacher/staff member.

We celebrate 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.
• Ensuring your donations go to support teaching & learning in Newton schools.

To honor a teacher or staff person go to www.newtonschoolsfoundation.org.

Unless noted otherwise, all programs take place at the Jackson Homestead and Museum at 527 Washington Street, Newton, MA.

NEWTON COMMUNITY WEEKEND – Saturday, April 7, noon – 5:00 PM
NEWTON’S REVOLUTIONARY ROOTS – Thursday, April 12, 7:00 PM
GARDENING 101: HOW TO BUILD A RAISED BED – Tuesday, April 17, 2:00-4:30 PM
WEAVING WORKSHOP – Wednesday, April 18, 2:00 PM
THE THREE SISTERS: NATIVE FOOD THEN AND NOW – Thursday, April 19, 2:00 PM
ENCOUNTERING SLAVERY AND RACE IN NEW ENGLAND – Tuesday, April 24, 7:30 PM
NEWTON SERVES – BURYING GROUNDS CLEAN-UP – Sunday, April 29, Noon – 4 PM
ENCOUNTERING SLAVERY AND RACE IN NEW ENGLAND – Monday, April 30, 7:30 PM

Saturday, April 7, noon – 5:00 PM
NEWTON COMMUNITY WEEKEND
Newton residents are invited to enjoy free admission to the museum. Closed Sunday, April 8.

Thursday, April 12, 7:00 PM
NEWTON’S REVOLUTIONARY ROOTS – THE 2012 NEWTON HISTORY SERIES
A New Refinement: the Durant-Kenrick and the First Gentrification of Newton
At its construction in 1734, the Durant-Kenrick House represented an important new stage in the evolution of colonial architecture, falling between the simplicity of 17th-century building and the social aspirations of later Georgian mansions. This lecture by Boston College Professor of Fine Arts Jeffery Howe will explore the emergence of a new phase of upscale homes in Newton. At the Newton Free Library, Homer Street, Newton. Free.

Tuesday, April 17, 2:00-4:30 PM
GARDENING 101: HOW TO BUILD A RAISED BED
A Vacation Week Family Program
Thinking about starting a garden this spring in your yard? Come learn the basics about how to start a raised bed garden, including: factors to be considered when choosing the location of your raised bed, how to prepare the soil, what plants to select, and some general tips on how to maximize productivity. A class for the whole family! Cost: $45 per family (4 people max, 1 adult required), $40 for members. Includes museum admission and snack. Prepaid registration is required; visit www.newtoncommunityfarm.org/classes to register. Co-sponsored by Newton Community Farm.

Wednesday, April 18, 2:00 PM
WEAVING WORKSHOP
A Vacation Week Family Program
Have you ever wondered how people made cloth at home when store-bought cloth wasn’t available? Want to try weaving your own cloth? Join Beth Guertin, a weaver and teacher of weaving for over twenty-five years, in this hands-on workshop. Watch a demonstration of loom-weaving techniques, and then give it a try yourself! Cost: $20 per family ($15 for members) includes museum admission and materials. Prepaid registration is required, limit 25; call 617.796.1450 to register.

Thursday, April 19, 2:00 PM
THE THREE SISTERS: NATIVE FOOD THEN AND NOW
A Vacation Week Family Program
Corn, beans, and squash were staple crops of this area’s first inhabitants. Learn about how the “three sisters” were planted together, try a traditional Native snack still eaten today, and take home seedlings to plant your own “three sisters” at home. Cost: $20 per family ($15 for members) includes museum admission, snack, and materials. Prepaid registration is required, limit 25; call 617.796.1450 to register.

Tuesday, April 24, 7:30 PM
ENCOUNTERING SLAVERY AND RACE IN NEW ENGLAND
E. Benjamin Skinner: Slavery in America Today
E. Benjamin Skinner is an award-wining author and journalist studying the U.S. and global political economies, specializing in modern-day slavery. He has observed negotiations for the sale of human beings on four continents, and will speak about the scope and impact of slavery in America today. At the Newton Cultural Center, 225 Nevada Street, Newton.

Sunday, April 29, Noon – 4 PM
NEWTON SERVES – BURYING GROUNDS CLEAN-UP
Join community members in Newton’s day of service by cleaning up Newton’s historic burying grounds. Visit www.newtoncommunitypride.org to register to volunteer at either East Parish or West Parish Burying Ground.

Monday, April 30, 7:30 PM
ENCOUNTERING SLAVERY AND RACE IN NEW ENGLAND
Gloria White Hammond: Enslaved Women of Sudan
Sudanese slaves are mostly women and children who have been abducted violently from their homes by slave-traders. Since 2001, while working as a pediatrician and minister, Gloria White Hammond has traveled to Sudan to help liberate enslaved women and offer paths for them to resume normal lives. At the Newton Cultural Center, 225 Nevada Street, Newton.

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

NEW EXHIBITION – 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. It draws on fresh new research, focusing on the Jackson family that lived in the Homestead, Historic Newton’s headquarters, as well as on other abolitionists from Newton or with Newton ties.

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.

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

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

Norumbega: Romance and Recreation by the River:  An exhibit on Newton’s now vanished amusement park, zoo, and swing-era ballroom.

Newton Salutes! Adams Street Synagogue: Celebrating Our Centennial: Newton’s oldest synagogue is celebrating one hundred years of service to Newton’s Jewish community as an Orthodox synagogue serving a diverse congregation and the broader community. The exhibit describes the history of the congregation, illustrated by historic photographs.

The Newton History Gallery features tools, furniture, clothing, and toys to illustrate the Newton of the past.

The Jackson Homestead and Museum is open from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays and 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM weekends. It is closed on Mondays.

If you need special assistance for any of these programs or exhibitions, please call 617.796.1450.

Join us for a special kind of music-making! This class combines all the elements of a regular music class, but it is set in a senior living facility, where the residents participate with us by singing, playing instruments, or simply watching. The class allows for and encourages interaction between the children and the seniors. With rhythm instruments, songs, play materials and movement, we create a rich musical experience for everyone.

Location: Goddard House in Brookline, Assisted Living
165 Chestnut St. Brookline
Teacher: Ruth Schechter
Ages: Mixed ages up to 5 years (younger siblings welcome)
Day/Time: Thursdays at 3:30-4:15pm
Dates: April 26-May 24 (dates changed from May 3-May 31)
Cost: $100

To Register call Brookline Music School at (617) 277-4593

Berklee & New England Conservatory graduate with 30 years teaching experience has several openings in studio. Beginners Welcome. Learn Jazz/Blues/Classical, theory, sightreading from a patient, upbeat, and caring teacher. Gloria Jasinski, phone: 617.566.9704, email: piano566@comcast.net

Registration OPEN for 2012-2013 school year!

At Top Banana, your child will LOVE MATH!

• Build confidence and self-esteem
• Have fun learning and enjoy our interactive environment (no rote fact memorization drills)
• Calculate mentally without pencil and paper (how cool is that?)
• Perform better at school and improve MCAS and other standardized tests’ scores
• Become more observant, organized, analytical and independent with homework
• Learn multiple strategies to solve the same problem
• Apply core math principals in everyday life
• Study in small groups led by highly-qualified teachers

Call for FREE Trial Class

Offer is valid for one free trial class per child.
Expires 04/16/2012

If you have a student who will be entering grade 6 or above in the fall, we are planning on some new and exciting offerings during the summer.  These include learning to use Excel spreadsheets, basic programming and competitive math. For more details please call 617-795-1557

visit us at http://www.topbananaeducation.org

Read what parents say about us:
http://www.topbananaeducation.org/after-school-math-program-newton/testimonials

3 Healthy Habits to Teach, and Re-Teach Your Kids

Eating Breakfast
The saying, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” still rings true. Eating a healthy breakfast is associated with improved cognitive function (especially memory), reduced absenteeism, and improved mood. Children often end up in the health room at school with a stomachache because they skipped breakfast. A healthy breakfast includes high-fiber foods such as fruit and whole grains. Try hard-boiled eggs, 100 percent fruit juice and high-fiber (low sugar) cereal with berries.

Frequent Hand Washing
Washing hands often and thoroughly is one of the most effective ways to prevent disease. Reinforce hand washing skills learned at school by encouraging your children to wash well. Here’s the procedure:

• Wet hands with clean, running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.
• Rub hands together to make a lather and scrub them well; be sure to scrub the backs of hands, between fingers, and under nails.
• Continue rubbing at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
• Rinse hands well under running water.
• Dry hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

Sharing, or Not!
While we want children to learn to share most toys and books, sharing germs is not something we want them to do. Teach children not to share combs/brushes, toothbrushes, hats, toys used by mouth such as whistles, eating utensils and beverages. Sharing these things helps transmit diseases and lice. This particular habit is great to reinforce with older children and teenagers as they become more independent and often share food and drinks with their friends.
For more information on any of these topics, talk to the School Nurse or visit www.cdc.gov

The Oak Hill/Brown Speech Team Night
Tuesday, April 10^th from 6pm – 8pm
Oak Hill Middle School Auditorium

This special event will showcase our talented students’ performances in several categories, including prose, poetry, children’s literature, duo/multiple interpretation, original oratory, declamation, demonstration and impromptu.

We look forward to sharing the results of the team’s hard work and dedication, earning accolades and honors in both practice sessions and tournaments throughout Massachusetts.

Speech Team provides students with skills that last a lifetime – the ability to present oneself in small and large groups, overcoming the fear of speaking in public, being a part of a competitive yet supportive team environment and experiencing the excitement of major tournament competition. The Oak Hill/Brown Speech Team is a proud member of the Massachusetts Middle School Forensics League (MMSFL) and competes in MMSFL Tournaments throughout the state during the school year.

Come see why our students earn top honors in state-wide competitions!

Questions? Email Coach Robyn Steinberg at robyn@massallergy.net.