Read just 5 books for a DAY PASS to Rye Airfield Skatepark. The Newton Free Library is partnering with Rye Airfield, a skate park & BMX track in Rye, New Hampshire, to give readers a chance to earn a FREE day pass to the park. All you need to do is read a book and do one of the following:

• Write a short (1-2 par) essay/review on the book
• Sit down with the librarian to discuss the book
• Draw a picture about the book

It’s really that simple. Come to the library to get your log sheet. Earn a stamp for each book. Collect 5 stamps, and bring the sheet to Rye Airfield for your free all day pass. See your librarian to get started today!

An energy audit is the first step to improving your home’s energy efficiency. Call Next Step Living 866-867-8729 and mention the Newton Eco-Team Project when you schedule your home energy assessment. You also may be eligible for insulation rebates, as well as a O% loan offer. The Newton Eco-team Project promotes conservation to reduce the carbon footprint of our households by 25%.

North Cambridge Family Opera is holding auditions for  Flying High  

This is the story of a wildly successful but unhappy pop star and a band just starting out, and how they both seek fulfillment in the unscrupulous world of the music industry.  

Auditions will be October 15 & 16 and October 22 & 23, from 1-7pm.   

Adults and children over 7 are invited to audition — no experience is necessary and everyone who wants to participate may.  Further audition information can be found on our website: www.FamilyOpera.org.

To sign up for an audition call 617-661-0479 or email Auditions12@FamilyOpera.org.  

For more information about North Cambridge Family Opera go to www.FamilyOpera.org.  This is a very family friendly group that puts on great shows.  Our casts have a lot of fun and we are always looking for new people.

Register today for classes in drawing, painting, sewing, woodworking, ceramics, and many more for all ages and levels of experience. View all late-fall class offerings online, or call for more information or to request a catalog at 617-964-3424. The New Art Center is located at 61 Washington Park, in Newtonville.

Register today for classes in drawing, painting, sewing, woodworking, ceramics, and many more for all ages and levels of experience. View all late-fall class offerings online, or call for more information or to request a catalog at 617-964-3424. The New Art Center is located at 61 Washington Park, in Newtonville.

Newton parents, teachers, and students who are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and/or Math are invited to sign up for the NewtonSTEM email list at newtonstem.org/email-list. We post notices of Newton-relevant upcoming events, resources, accomplishments, and opportunities on www.NewtonSTEM.org and email them to our list each weekend — never more than one email a week.  Current notices include:

• Space Night for Girls! at MIT Lincoln Labs, Oct. 27
• MA Statewide STEM Summit in Newton, Oct. 18
• New survey of parents and students about STEM preparation and inspiration
• Science Olympiad 2012 teams forming now
• Videos by MinutePhysics and Vi Hart

Open House & Instrument Petting Zoo, Student and Faculty Performances
During Pumpkinfest at the Lincoln School
Sunday, October 16, 2011

Brookline Music School hosts an Open House & Instrument Petting Zoo on Sunday, October 16, 2011 from 1:00 to 3:00pm. Join BMS for this interactive and fun day of sampling several different instruments and enjoying live music by a world-renown faculty and outstanding students at the Lincoln School Pumpkinfest noon to 4:00pm.

Does your child want to play a musical instrument, but is unsure which one? We have the answer! At our Instrument Petting Zoos, children and adults are given the opportunity to listen to and play a wide range of instruments, including woodwinds, brass, strings, guitar, piano, drums and music technology. Children puff their cheeks in anticipation of playing the wind instruments, while others try their hands at the strings or hammer on the drums and piano. Several instruments are often larger than the children, which dos not dissuade their curiosity or ability!

Pumpkinfest is on Sunday, Oct 16 from noon to 4:00pm. It’s an autumn festival on the Lincoln School grounds with games and amusements, a silent auction, food, pumpkins, and this year, entertainment courtesy of the Brookline Music School! Pumpkinfest is the Lincoln School’s biggest fundraiser, making a host of programs and services for the Lincoln community possible.

On Tuesday October 4, Whole Foods Markets at 647 Washington Street in Newtonville and 916 Beacon Street at Four Corners will donate 5 percent of the day’s net sales to the Newton Schools Foundation. Do your grocery shopping for the week, prepare for the Yom Kippur break-fast, or get your fall pie ingredients on that day to help NSF support the Newton Public Schools’ efforts to integrate technology throughout the learning and teaching environment.