Category Archives: Other

Newton Parent Transition Group

The Newton Parent Transition Group is a yahoogroup that may be of interest to parents of students receiving special education services in Newton.  It is a dedicated forum for parents or guardians who are interested in sharing information and resources related to transitioning from high school into adult life.  Open to families who have students in 6th grade and up.  To subscribe, please send a request to:

newtonparenttransitiongroup-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Please include the current grade of your student and if you wish, the name of the school attending. To learn more about transition planning, follow this link:

https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/cms/lib/MA01907692/Centricity/Domain/108/TransitionBrochureFinal2013%20.pdf

Upcoming Events at Historic Newton

HALLOWEEN TOUR OF EAST PARISH BURYING GROUND

Who says cemeteries have to be spooky? Newton’s oldest cemetery, the East Parish Burying Ground, dates back to 1660 and serves as the resting place of Newton’s founding families. Learn about Newton’s history and explore this community resource as an educator from Historic Newton guides you in this special tour of the art of remembrance, and life and death in Newton. Hear the stories of those memorialized and consider the lives and deaths of those whose final resting places are unmarked. Suggested donation, $10 per person. Register at newtonma.gov/HNwalks. Call 617-796-1450 for more information.

October 28th, 3:30 pm
Meet at the corner of Cotton and Centre Streets; park on Cotton Street

STORYTIME – HALLOWEEN

Come celebrate Halloween with fun-filled activities! You’ll read The Roll-Away Pumpkin by Junia Wonders, and preschoolers and their caregivers will create their own pumpkin and jack-o-lantern artwork with apple stamps. For a complete schedule of ongoing Storytime events, go to www.newtonma.gov/story. Admission: Free. For more information call 617-641-9142.

October 31st, 4:30-6:30 pm​
Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Avenue

TRICK OR TREAT AT THE JACKSON HOMESTEAD

As you make the rounds with children on Halloween night, please stop by the Jackson Homestead and Museum for treats and free museum admission tickets that may be used throughout the fall. Enjoy trick-or-treating at the historic home that is part of the neighborhood! Admission: Free. Call 617-796-1450 for more information.

October 31st
Jackson Homestead and Museum, 527 Washington Street

FREE WEEKEND AT HISTORIC NEWTON

Everyone is invited to enjoy free admission to the museums.  Call 617-796-1450 for more information

November 3rd and 4th, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Jackson Homestead and Museum, 527 Washington Street, and the Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Avenue

Open House Week and more at the Y

Open House Week – The YMCA is free all week long, October 21st – 27th

The West Suburban YMCA for free all week long! Drop in for special events, activities, classes, daily raffles, promotional giveaways and more. Families can take advantage of free soccer, basketball and flag football activities, swim lessons, family swim hours and camp crafts. There will also be performances from the youth Rock Band students, relaxation and mindfulness activities, water polo and more. Raffles, promotional giveaways and complimentary coffee and cider are also on the schedule. View the full schedule of highlighted events and activities at www.wsymca.org. Plus, if you join the Y during Open House Week, you’ll get your first month of membership free!

Program Registration for Late Fall Session

Registration for Late Fall Programs at the West Suburban YMCA is now open to all members and non-members. The Late Fall Program Session starts the week of October 29th. Some program highlights include:

  • Aquatics: Swim lessons for all ages, water polo, water aerobics
  • Youth Sports Leagues & Classes: Basketball, soccer, flag football, track, karate for all ages
  • Creative Arts: Rock Band class, dance classes, private music lessons, photography
  • Fitness & Wellness: TRX class, tai chi, personal training and small group training

Pick up a Fall Program Guide at the YMCA or visit wsymca.org for more information and to register for programs.

Registration is open for YBA-Youth Basketball Leagues

YBA League is a fun league for boys and girls ages 4-12 to learn and play basketball. The league runs on Saturdays, November 17th – February 9th, and is separated into four age groups: Mini (ages 4-5), Biddy (ages 6-7), Rookie (ages 8-9) and Collegiate (ages 10-12). All leagues are co-ed. For more information and to register, visit www.wsymca.org or call 617-244-6050.

LIVESTRONG Yoga/Spin-a-thon- November 3rd, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

Support the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program by participating in the Yoga/Spin-a-thon! Sign up for a Saturday morning Yoga Flow class or a themed Spin class led by some of your favorite Y instructors. $50.00 donation for one class or $75.00 donation for two classes. All proceeds support theLIVESTRONG at the YMCA program, a free health & wellness program for adult cancer survivors.

“A Night Under the Stars” Annual Gala – November 10th, 6:00-11:00pm

The Y’s Annual Gala, “A Night Under the Stars” features dinner, cocktails, silent & live auctions, dancing and entertainment and will highlight the life-changing impact of YMCA summer camp. Returning as emcee for the night is Jenny Johnson,co-host of NESN’s Dining Playbook. All proceeds will support financial assistance for local families.

Work at the Y

The West Suburban YMCA is hiring for a variety of full-time and part-time positions in child care and youth development, human resources, aquatics, fitness and more. Great benefits, FREE membership and professional development opportunities. Please contact Laura Snow at mailto:lauras@wsymca.org or visit wsymca.org/about/work-here.

Financial Assistance is always available for Y Memberships and Programs

The West Suburban YMCA is a non-profit charitable organization and it is their mission to never turn anyone away due to an inability to pay. Please contact the Membership Department at 617-244-6050 x3653 for financial assistance with membership or program participation.

Sign up for the NewtonSTEM newsletter: Science/Tech/Engineering/Math

NewtonSTEM.org publishes a weekly newsletter of announcements about Science/Tech/Engineering/Math relevant to Newton students, parents, teachers, and community volunteers.

Sign up for the weekly email here, and you can unsubscribe at any time.  Now in its eighth year, NewtonSTEM is a clearinghouse for information about STEM achievements, events, opportunities, and resources, both in and outside of school, specifically relevant to Newton.

For more information – or to submit announcements – email info@newtonstem.org.

Sodexo Food Service App

NPS food partner, Sodexo, has launched a new App to show menu and nutritional information in Newton cafeterias. You can view the menu for the day and review all nutritional information. You can also check for allergens and review it with your child so they know what is safe for them to eat.

The App is available in the App store or Google Play. Just search “So Happy Sodexo.” It’s a great resource for you and your student.

Get involved with the Washington Street vision

Mayor Fuller is inviting all community members to attend a meeting to see the first draft of the Vision Plan and zoning recommendations for the Hello Washington Street project.

For more information and FAQs visit  www.newtonma.gov/washingtonstreetvision.  Follow the project on  Facebook!

Plan Open House
October 24th, 6:00 – 8:30 pm
Newton North High School, 457 Walnut Street

What’s happening on October 24th?

  • People will have an opportunity to view the first drafts of the vision plan and zoning recommendations for Hello Washington Street!  These are ideas for the future of Washington Street from West Newton, to Newtonville, and up to Newton Corner.
  • Images, drawings, and text will show options for what these areas on Washington Street could look like 5 years in the future. Other images and drawings will show options for these areas 20+ years in the future.
  • Starting at 6:00 pm,  enjoy food and refreshments and

view the design gallery.  Then at 6:30 pm there’ll be an overview presentation by Principle Group, with an introduction from Mayor Fuller. Next, you can rotate through the room to visit stations set up by geography, including West Newton, Newtonville, and the area near Crafts Street at Washington. Learn about Washington Street itself and options for how to make the road safer and easier to navigate. If you arrive after the event has started, they’ll provide the overview presentation you missed at the beginning and throughout the event, members of the planning team will be answering questions and listening to feedback. The event will end with a recap and Q&A.

What happens next?

  • This event will be followed by a month-long comment period, when people will be asked to go online to read the draft documents and leave their comments directly on the pdf.  Paper copies will be available too at the Newton Library with a way for people to give input.
  • In person events like topic-specific forums and drop-in office hours will be held later this year where you can ask more questions and discuss the ideas more in depth. Dates will be announced at the Plan Open House event on October 24th.
  • At the end of January, the second draft of the vision plan and zoning recommendations will be released followed by a second comment period as the planning team refines the plan into a final version for review by City Council.

What should I do?

  • Come in person, if you can, for the event!  Tell your neighbors, friends, and colleagues! After the event, please read the plan and provide your comments online.  Stay involved in the process as they move from first draft to second draft.

Children’s Learning and Development Research

The Cognitive Neuroscience Group at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston is recruiting children, who are or are soon turning 8 or 10 years old, to participate in a research study funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

This is a longitudinal study that follows children over a period of 3 consecutive years. The goal is to improve understanding of learning in children. The study consists of 1 in-person visit (about 2.5 hours) per year for 3 years (weekdays/weekends). During this visit, children play several games on the computer and complete several language/memory tasks. The lab visit includes safe and noninvasive EEG recording. The day after the visit, kids complete a quick follow-up task from a home/library computer. Payment is $60.00 per year.

Free all day parking is provided at the Navy Yard. Please email cnglead@mghihp.edu or call 617- 643-4821 if you are interested or have any questions. More information can be found at https://clinicaltrials.partners.org/study/feedback_learning.

Don’t miss the Harvest Fair

The 43rd annual Harvest Fair is a two day event on the Newton Center Green. Kiddie amusement rides and face painting are on both Saturday and Sunday, from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. On Sunday, October 14th only, there is a huge CraftShow, the Green Expo, Free Pumpkin Decorating and fabulous entertainment. Admission is free.

This year, there are two entertainment stages! The dance stage on Langley Road features performances by Giroux Brothers, Rob’s Guitar School, DEAFinitely, Joanne Langione Dance Studios, Suzuki School of Newton, Creative Dance Steps, NorthAtlantic Dance Center, Newton Uke Jam, Youth Pro Musica and Dance’n Feet.  The band stage is located at the Beacon Street end of the Newton Center parking lot, and showcases six terrific local bands: Trash Rabbit, YCCA Center for Creative Arts, Loose Change, The Conservatory at Highlands, Big Chief and Atoms & Energy. Check them all out!

The favorites at Harvest Fair on Sunday are still there…free pumpkin decorating sponsored by Wegman’s, kiddie amusement rides, the 150 different craft and business booths selling everything from hand-made beautiful jewelry and clothing to imaginative gifts; as well as the Green Expo, sponsored by Green Newton, with  exhibitors offering solutions for reducing your carbon footprint. And as always, there’ll be great food.

Visit www.newtoncommunitypride.org or call 617-796-1298 for more information.

October 13th and 14th, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Newton Center Green and Parking Lot

Learn about the November ballot questions

What are all the November ballot questions about?  Come learn with LWVN!

It’s almost time to decide how you’ll vote on the upcoming state and local ballot questions in November. This year there are three state ballot questions, and two local ballot questions. If you still don’t know what the ballot questions are about, or don’t have the facts you need to vote, this will help.

Join members of the League of Women Voters of Newton (LWVN) to hear from presenters on both sides of the issues for state ballot Question 1 regarding patient-to-nurse limits and the Newton ballot questions regarding the dispensation of marijuana.  Attendees will have an opportunity to ask presenters from each side questions at the end of each presentation. RSVPs to info@lwvnewton.org are appreciated!

October 18th,  8:00 – 9:30 am at the Durant-Kenrick House, 286 Waverley Avenue, Newton

Can’t make it on the 18th?  The program on state ballot Question 1 will be taped soon and shown in late October.  For a discussion of state ballot Questions 2 and 3, watch the latest episode of ‘The League Presents’ on NewTV with guest Holly Gunner and LWVN Vice-President Lisa Mirabile.  The link to the program is:  https://newtv.org/recent-videos-community/120-the-league-presents/5302-ballot-questions-2-and-3.

Responsive Home Workshop for Kindergarten Parents and Guardians

The tools of Responsive Classroom can be used to help create a calm, supportive and encouraging environment at home, too! Join to learn useful steps to creating a Responsive Home including:

  • Family Meeting
  • House Rules
  • Interactive Modeling
  • Positive Language
  • Logical Consequences
  • Choice and Quiet Time

October 15th, 6:30 – 8:30pm
Day Middle School Auditorium, 21 Minot Place, Newtonville (parking on Albermarle Road – Gath Pool)

*Please note – this workshop is for ADULTS only. Childcare is NOT provided. Please make other arrangements for your student(s) while you attend the workshop. This workshop will be taught by Amy Kelly, District Leader of Social and Emotional Learning, Newton Public Schools. For more information, please email Amy at Amy_kelly@newton.k12.ma.us