Zoning regulations govern what may be built and where, guiding the pattern of development, cost of housing, and availability of services in the City into the future.

Newton’s Zoning Ordinance was last comprehensively revised in 1987 and much has changed in the Greater Boston Metro area since then. There is general agreement that Newton’s Zoning Ordinance is difficult to understand and administer and does not result in the best outcomes for the community. In response, the Zoning Reform Group was created by the City to study and recommend a plan to reform Newton’s Zoning Ordinance in a way that will best serve Newton. Zoning reform intends to make the ordinance easy to understand, administer, and enforce. Revised zoning will facilitate the development that we want to bring vitality to village centers and commercial areas, while taking development pressure off our neighborhoods.

The Zoning Reform Group will present its recommendations on November 3, at 7:00pm in the Newton Senior Center (345 Walnut Street). Come learn more about zoning in Newton and how you can play a part in achieving zoning reform. For more information, visit http://newtonma.gov/Planning/zoning-reform-group.htm or contact Alderman Deb Crossley at dcrossley@newtonma.gov

Parenting in the digital age can be challenging.  Social media and technology have become such an important part of your child’s daily life. Please join Amy Comeau M.Ed. and Rolanda Prophete LICSW for an interactive workshop where they will examine with you your child’s use of technology, increase your awareness of the potential challenges around technology use, and offer practical parenting strategies to maintain connections with your child.  

This free parenting program, sponsored by The Newton Partnership, will be held on Tuesday, November 29th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Bigelow Middle School, 42 Vernon St., 02458 and also on Tuesday, December 13th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Brown Middle School, 125 Meadowbrook Rd, 02459.

Amy is currently the Middle School Intervention and Prevention Counselor at Day and Bigelow Middle Schools. Rolanda is the Intervention and Prevention Counselor at Brown and Oak Hill Middle  Schools.

Come hear Understanding & Treating ADHD in Children & Teens presented by psychiatrist Dr. Thor Bergersen, Thursday, November 17, 2011 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Oak Hill Middle School Auditorium, 130 Wheeler Rd. 02459.  No registration is required for this free presentation sponsored by The Newton Partnership.  Dr. Bergersen, founder of ADHD Boston and co-founder with Dr. Edward Hallowell of the Hallowell Center in New York, has specialized in the evaluation and treatment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder for over a decade.  

Considered an expert on ADHD, he has appeared on CBS and Fox news, been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, and recently spoke to the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society about ADHD at their annual meeting.  He currently sees patients in Needham at ADHD Boston and in New York at the Hallowell Center, while consulting with high tech, biotech and pharmaceutical companies to advance the evaluation and treatment of ADHD for children and adults.

The School Committee will hold a special meeting on Monday, 10/31/11, 8:00 a.m., Education Center, 100 Walnut St., Newtonville, Frazier Room (#210), for the purpose of discussing and voting on the NTA contract.

Reminder to all Newton South Little League parents: 

The Newton South Little League annual member meeting is coming up. It is scheduled for Tuesday, November 1st at 7 pm at the Angier School library (1697 Beacon St).This meeting is open to all league parents as well as to all people interested in contributing to the league by volunteering.

Please come to support your little league.

Don’t miss out–sessions are filling up fast!

Boston College Associate Director of Admissions Howard Singer has joined the roster of locally and nationally renowned leaders at Newton Inspires: An Evening of Ideas and Community.  The Newton Schools Foundation is sponsoring this free community event, which will take place Thursday October 27, 7-9 p.m. at Newton North High School.

More than two dozen prominent Newtonians representing an array of fields and interest areas ranging from education, business, government and economics to sports, arts, entertainment and life, will speak in small group sessions.  Participants choose three 20-minute sessions to attend. At the end of the evening, participants and speakers will gather together to debrief and reconnect over coffee and dessert.

For a complete list of speakers or to reserve a spot, go to Newton Schools Foundation – News and Events.html. Space is limited so register now.

Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011
Speaker: Allergist Karen Hsu Blatman, MD
7:00 p.m. at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Free.

For info, call the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America – New England Chapter at (781)444-7778.

Allergist Karen Hsu Blatman knows what it is like to live with food allergies in the family, and will offer practical tips for parents and others on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 7:00 p.m. at the Metro-Boston Allergy and Asthma Educational Support Group, which meets at 7:00 p.m. at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. The program is free and open to the public.  It is sponsored by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, New England Chapter.

Dr. Blatman has a child with food allergies, and will be sharing her unique perspective and personal approaches about how to make daily life “work” with food allergies in the family. She practices in the Department of Allergy & Immunology at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Chestnut Hill.

“This will be a great opportunity to share strategies for staying safe and sane and get some good ideas about how to juggle the food allergy concerns of different members of your family,” said Sharon Schumack, Director of Education for AAFA New England.

AAFA New England organizes educational support group programs throughout the region, publishes a newsletter, and runs a telephone resource and referral line for people coping with allergies and asthma. For more information, or a free copy of “Eating Out with Food Allergies” or checklists for managing food allergies in school and child care, call (781)444-7778 or see www.asthmaandallergies.org.

A Neighborhood Birthday Party for
Nonantum, Newton Corner, & Newtonville (Wards 1 & 2)
Tuesday, November 15th at Newton North High School

Come to a birthday party for Nonantum, Newton Corner & Newtonville: Tuesday, November 15, 2011, from 7 to 9 pm in the Newton North High School Film Lecture Hall (enter from front lobby). Refreshments provided! Meet the Community Preservation Committee, find out how Newton has used the Community Preservation Act to fund affordable housing, historic resources, open space and recreation projects, and share your ideas about what should be funded next. Bring photos of past or potential projects for our interactive maps. Questions? See www.newtonma.gov/cpa or contact Alice Ingerson at 617.796.1144 or aingerson@newtonma.gov.

Help a Newton elementary school student learn basic mathematics concepts.  Adult volunteers are needed to tutors students in grades 2-5.

• Tutor  a child once a week for 30-45 minutes.
• No teaching experience is needed.
• Tutors select their preferred school, grade, day, and time.
• Play special math games that reinforce skills and help students gain confidence.
• Training, Everyday Math books and learning materials, and ongoing support are provided.

For more information, please contact Ellen Bender @ 617.559.6131 or ellen_bender@newton.k12.ma.us

Please support Birthday Wishes in its second annual Luminary Night, celebrating families and friends, good neighbors and community. On Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 5:00 PM, join neighbors and friends and light Birthday Wishes luminaries on your front walks or driveway in unison with hundreds of families in Newton and many communities across the state. Each Luminary Kit costs $15 with easy instructions and it contains everything needed for a dozen luminaries. Luminary Kits will dropped off at your home by Saturday, November 5. To order your kit go to www.birthdaywishes.org and order online by clicking the online store tab or download an order form.  All proceeds from the luminary kits will go to Birthday Wishes so the organization can continue to bring the joy of a birthday party to children living in homeless shelters in Newton and across the state.  

For more information contact Jesse DeLauder at jesse@birthdaywishes.org