Category Archives: Events

Special Needs Trusts and Estate Planning

The May meeting of the Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education (NewtonPAC) will feature Annette Hines, Esq., who will speak on Special Needs Trusts and Estate Planning.

Annette M. Hines has been practicing in the areas of Special Needs, Elder Law and Estate Planning for over fifteen years. She received her JD from Howard University School of Law, her MBA from Suffolk University and her BA from the University of Vermont. Her clients include individuals and families of children with special needs, the elderly and others in the community. Ms. Hines is the mother of two daughters, one of whom passed away from Mitochondrial disease in November 2013. Her personal experience as the mother of a child with special needs fuels her passion for quality special needs planning and drives her special understanding and dedication to the practice.

All NewtonPAC meetings are free and open to everyone. If you plan to attend, please email newtonpacmeetingrsvp@gmail.com so they know how many people to expect. Any questions, please contact Eileen Sandberg at eileen.sandberg.newtonpac@gmail.com

May 12th,  7:30 pm. with refreshments and networking at 7:15 pm
Education Center, Room 210
100 Walnut Street, Newton

Little Shop of Horrors

Watertown Children’s Theatre presents Little Shop of Horrors, Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Music by Alan Menken.  Parental discretion is advised due to violence and adult content. A cast of 8th-12th graders, including Newton’s own Rose Caplan, Isabella De Jesus, Julia Dwyer, Ashlyn Kelly, Laila Plaster, and Liam Walsh, presents this thrilling musical in an intimate black box setting.

For more information, visit  www.watertownchildrenstheatre.org or call 617-926-ARTS. Tickets are $15.00 each, general admission, at www.watertownchildrenstheatre.org or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

May 6th and 7th, 7:00 pm, May 8th, 1:00 pm, May 12th and 13th, 7:00 pm,
May 14, 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm, and May 15th, 1:00 pm, in the Black Box Theater, Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown.

Spring Cleanout Swap Day

DROPOFF & PICKUP FOR NEWTON RESIDENTS ONLY

Clear Out Clutter without adding to the waste stream!

Swapping and Donating…bring along useful but unwanted belongings for swapping or
donating. Bring your stuff, or just come along & pick something up – for free!
• Computers – Appliances – Bicycles – Books
• Household items and non-upholstered furniture (No mattresses or couches)
• REUSABLE building materials (cabinets, doors, plumbing and light fixtures, lumber,
drywall, etc.)
• NO computer monitors, NO televisions, NO hazardous materials
• Pretty much anything, so long as it is usable, non-toxic, non-hazardous – and clean!

Recycling and Reuse…bring along any of the following and the City of Newton will make
sure that they are recycled, re-used, given to charity or disposed of safely.
• Fluorescent bulbs and other mercury-containing items
• Cell phones, all printer cartridges, CDs, DVDs
• Clothing
• Paper, cardboard, glass, metal, stiff plastic bottles (#1 – 7)
• Dead rechargeable batteries

If you cannot make it to the event, please visit http://www.2good2waste.com/newton/
a free website to swap and trade stuff!
RAIN OR SHINE RAIN OR SHINE
Saturday, May 14th, 8:00 am – 2:00 pm (item dropoff until 1:00 pm)
Rumford Avenue Recycling Depot (off Lexington Street in Auburndale)
http://www.newtonma.gov/gov/dpw/recycling

Barnum the Musical

Temple Beth Avodah presents Barnum the Musical – a fun and engaging play about the life and times of PT Barnum and the early days of the circus era. All tickets are open seating so come early to enjoy our midway show while you find your seat. Doors will open one hour before showtime.

Tickets can be purchased at bethavodah.org: $18.00 for adults, $15.00 for seniors, $10.00 for kids (11 and under).

Performances and times:
• Thursday May 12th, 7:00 pm performance, 6:00 pm Midway Show
• Saturday May 14th, 7:00 pm performance, 6:00 pm Midway Show
• Sunday May 15th,  3:00 pm performance, 2:00 pm Midway Show

Performances will be held at the Jewish Community Center, 333 Nahanton Street, Newton

School’s Rule!

School’s Rule! The Newton 10K, currently in its 8th year is celebrating Newton Schools. Rally your friends, teachers, parents and slackers to run on Sunday, June 5th at 8:00 am and you could win.

Not just bragging rights but $750 to the school and an ice cream party for participants with the largest representation!

To Register, visit: http://fattmanproductions.com/roadraces.html

The city’s only 10K event will draw more than 600 runners who will race through Newton, covering parts of the Boston Marathon course, and winding through some of the city’s most beautiful and historic areas. The race is a community and family event with both adults and school-aged kids encouraged to participate.

Volunteer Registration is Now Open

NewtonSERVES Announces Volunteer Registration is Now Open for Day of Community Service on May 1st.

Now is the time to register to volunteer at NewtonSERVES, to be held on Sunday, May 1st throughout the city. Pre-registered participants receive T-shirts and refreshments, and celebrate the end of the day with a free ice cream sundae at Newton City Hall, courtesy of Cabot’s Ice Cream. Choose from morning, afternoon or all day projects, which can be cleaning up parks, planting gardens, building and painting school bookshelves, spring cleaning at non-profit organizations and helping senior citizens. It is easy to register at http://www.newtoncommunitypride.org/NewtonSERVES.html

Donations of food to Newton’s four food pantries will be an important component of NewtonSERVES. “Helping Newton people experiencing food insecurity is something every Newton resident can do”, said Chair Janet Razulis. “Volunteers can bring Meals in a Can (e.g. stew, chilli, ravioli) canned vegetables, canned fruit, peanut butter, jelly/jam, vegetable oil, toothpaste, bar soap, shampoo and toilet paper to their volunteer sites or directly to Newton City Hall if they choose.  Call 617-796-1540 for more information.

Upcoming Teen Programs Vacation Week and beyond

Teen Crafterhours: Meet on the third Tuesday of every month to make crafts and eat snacks. This month make steampunk magnets. Grades 6-12.  April 19th, 7:00 pm, second floor Teen Area.

Trivia Nite @ the Library: Are you a genius at Jeopardy!? A consumer of crossword puzzles? Back by popular demand, come join the fun and test your mastery of useful (and useless) information! Some of your favorite library staff will challenge players with 4 rounds of questions from a variety of categories. Stretch your brain and win great prizes! Come alone or with friends. Teams can be up to 6 people, and they can match you with fellow devotees. Pizza will be provided. Teens and families welcome. Register online. April 21st, 6:30 pm, Druker Auditorium.

Books & Brownies: Join the monthly parent/guardian and teen book club and enjoy brownies! This month’s reading is The Marvels by Brian Selznick. For ages 11-16 and their adult. April 26th, 7:00 pm, second floor Teen Area.

Typewriter Poetry by Teens and Tweens: Celebrate National Poetry Month! Come to the teen area and have someone write a poem just for you, free, and on the spot! Poems will actually be typed on typewriters. April 30th, 1:00-3:00 pm, second floor Teen Area.

Help build the playground at Auburndale Cove

During the weekend of April 30th and May 1st, residents of Auburndale and villages throughout Newton will participate in a “community build” to construct the playground equipment at the Auburndale Cove.

“Community builds” have been used to construct many new playgrounds throughout the City of Newton (such as the new playground at Burr in 2014). It’s a great opportunity to work side-by-side with fellow parents and neighbors to build a playground that will be enjoyed by many future generations of kids!!

Please sign up to volunteer at this event!! Sign up for 4-hour shifts on Saturday or Sunday (8:00 am – noon or noon – 4:00 pm). They need as many volunteers as possible to construct this exciting new playground structure. A playground engineer and other professionals will be on site to supervise the work of volunteers. Come dressed in work clothes. Tools and equipment will be supplied at the event.

You can sign up at this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a44aea823abfd0-auburndale . If you have any questions about this event, please contact Stephanie Lapham of the Newton Parks & Recreation Department at slapham@newtonma.gov. See you at the Cove on April 30th!

Youth Songwriting Workshop for Social Change

Musical experience is not required for songwriting workshop for ages 8-19.

During the workshop students learn songwriting techniques from professional songwriters and how to write, perform and record an original song for a CD. Participants will also learn about Tunefoolery, the organization being honored at the Plugged In spring session benefit concert. Tunefoolery is a non-profit organization for musicians in mental health recovery.

On the first day of the workshop, a representative from Tunefoolery will talk with the students about their work. They hope that by acquiring a deeper understanding of the cause, the experience of performing in the concert becomes more meaningful for the students. Later in the day, students break into groups, led by professional songwriters, and write songs based on their reactions to what they have learned (and/or on any subject of their choice).

On the second day, they will record the students performing their original songs and create a CD of these performances. The CD will then be sold at the show to raise additional funds for Tunefoolery. Students also perform their original songs at the concert.

The first day of the workshop will be April 23rd from 1:00 – 6:00 pm. On the second day, April 24, each group will come in for 2 hours between 11:00 am – 8:00 pm to do their recording. The fee for the workshop is $175.00. The workshop will take place at Plugged In at 40 Freeman Place in Needham.

For more information and/or to register online, please visit www.pluggedinband.org.

Newton Serves Day opportunity for community service:

Enlisting the aid of community members and families to help mulch the beds in Waban Square for Newton Serves Day – on May 1st, from 12:00 – 2:30 pm. You’ll meet on Wyman St near the post office, or in front of Starbucks. The city provides the mulch and volunteers help to spread it.

It’s very simple and family-friendly (including young children and people with disabilities). All tools, buckets, etc. provided. Bring water, and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Snacks and T shirts provided – and free ice cream at City Hall afterwards!

If you are interested, please sign up at the NewtonServes website and call or email Gail Wintersteiner, the WIS gardener and coordinator of this project, at 617-965-1038, g.winterst@verizon.net for more information.