Category Archives: Community Notes

The Secret Life of a Massachusetts Teen

Do you wonder…What teens are really thinking? Why they don’t share their fears? How we can better support teens? How we can become better parents? This is a high-energy presentation for that actively focuses on what teens are really thinking, what they fear, why they do not share their fears, and how parents can more effectively support their teen.

This presentation will cover areas such as acting out behaviors, drug and alcohol use, depression, suicide, and more. The workshop will be facilitated by Jon Mattleman, a mental health counselor and trainer with 30 years of experience working with youth, parents, and families. This event is cosponsored by Newton Youth Services and Newton Cares. Please register online at this LINK.

November 19th, 7:00 pm
Druker Auditorium, Newton Free Library

Tutoring

In home Academic Coaching and Tutoring. Next Level Up takes the “whole child” into consideration when finding the ideal match for your student and personalizing his or her sessions.

Next Level Up has been helping Newton students since 2009 and they have many success stories throughout the community. Student centered academic coaches are committed to filling in conceptual and fundamental academic gaps, establishing solid organizational and time management skills, and promoting your student’s constant improvement. If you would like to learn more about this program, please email info@nextleveluptutoring.com or call at 781-540-1123. Visit the website at www.nextleveluptutoring.com.

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Harvest Fair

Newton Celebrates the 40th anniversary of Harvest Fair. What’s new to look for at Harvest Fair?  Performance Art!

Newton School teachers set the tempo with their band: ‘Loose Change’ while local artist Franklin Marval will transform a huge blank canvas into a work of art before your eyes, all set to the live music of Jane’s Great Dane – Americana, Country and R & B music with a Cajun kick!

Don’t be surprised by the man on stilts, walking through the Fair – and look for a beautiful statue…wait, did it just move? And representing Newton’s young musical talent will be Jared and the Giants, a fabulous middle school band you won’t want to miss, not to mention dance performances, the YCCA Rock Band and a performance by the amazing students of the Suzuki School of Newton.

The favorites at Harvest Fair are still there…free pumpkin decorating sponsored by Wegman’s, Newton Center beautifully decorated in corn stalks sponsored by Whole Foods Market, kiddie amusement rides, the 100 different craft and business booths selling everything from hand-made beautiful jewelry, clothing to imaginative gifts, countless activities for kids including amusement rides, and the Green Expo, sponsored by the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce, with  exhibitors offering solutions for reducing your carbon footprint. As always, gotta have great food and they do!

Harvest Fair is a two day event on the Newton Center Green: kiddie rides only on Saturday, October 17th  from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm and the Craft Show, Green Expo and all of the fabulous entertainment on Sunday, October 18th from 10:00 am – 4:30 pm.

Visit www.newtoncommunitypride.org for more information.

Halloween Window Decorating

There are still some spaces remaining for budding artists, or kids in grades 3 through 8 that just want to paint on a store window! The Halloween Window Decorating contest takes place on Halloween this year! Can’t get more festive than that.

Register at www.newtoncommunitypride.org to be eligible to paint a Halloween-themed painting on a store window in one of 6 Newton villages. Don’t be put off by not painting in your own village, if the spaces are filled. It is a really fun way to explore a different part of Newton!

Sign up soon, the deadline is Friday, October 16th. Any questions, please call 617-796-1540.

Oh My Gourd!

The United Parish of Auburndale’s Pumpkin Patch will be open for business starting Sunday, October 11th. Now in its ninth year, the United Parish’s Pumpkin Patch is a major fundraiser for the church and a popular destination for the community. There is plenty of selection and the pumpkins make a great backdrop for photos.

The church keeps a percentage of the sales and uses the money for their operating budget and community Outreach. The remaining proceeds go to the grower, Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers, who supplies pumpkins to non-profit and religious organizations across the lower 48 states. In cooperation with the Navajo Nation, they grow about 2 square miles of pumpkins and employee over 700 seasonal and full-time Native Americans in New Mexico, making a positive and lasting impact on a region with 42% unemployment.

The Patch will be open every day until Halloween between 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

You’re Invited: 4th Annual UOD Family Book Event Oct. 20th

Great minds don’t always think alike! That’s the message of the children’s book, Fish In A Tree, to be featured at Understanding Our Differences’ 4th Annual Family Book Event with a disability theme. Author Lynda Mullaly Hunt will talk about and sign her New York Times bestselling novel, about a girl with learning disabilities who discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label.

Free for children and Newton Public Schools teachers and staff. Requested donation at the door is $10 for adults. Registration is required in advance: http://understandingourdifferences.org/fish-in-a-tree/ For additional information please email : info@UnderstandingOurDifferences.org

October 20th,  Program is 7:00 – 8:00 pm, book signing follows.
Newton South High School Auditorium, 140 Brandeis Road

Newton Inspires November 9th

Bestselling Authors, Seafood Entrepreneur, Worldwide Travel Executive, Business Startup Guru, and Fundraising Visionary top the Newton Inspires speaker list.

Newton Schools Foundation will present the fifth annual Newton Inspires: An Evening of Ideas and Community. Since 2011, Newton Inspires has been uniting Newton residents for an evening of discussion with some of Newton’s brightest, most accomplished and most interesting community members.

This year’s program features headliners, Anita Diamant, author; John Harthorne, founder and CEO, MassChallenge; Billy Starr, founder and executive director, Pan-Mass Challenge; Stephen Kaufer, president and CEO, TripAdvisor; Roger Berkowitz, president and CEO, Legal Sea Foods; and Neil Swidey, journalist and author.

The program will take place November 9th, 7:00 – 9:45 pm at Newton South High School. It is FREE for Newton residents, $15 for non-residents, and this year high school seniors are welcome to attend. Space is limited, so advance registration is highly recommended. For more information on the program and to register, go to www.NewtonSchoolsFoundation.org

In addition to the six headliners these speakers will participate in this year’s program:

Rev. Brandon Crowley – Senior Pastor, Myrtle Baptist Church
Barbara Erickson – President, The Trustees of Reservations
Dr. Giovanni G. Fazio – Senior physicist, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
David Fleishman – Superintendent, Newton Public Schools
Lachlan Forrow – Physician and Medical Ethicist
Candy Kosow Gold – Producer
Christopher Landrigan – Pediatric Hospitalist & Patient Safety Expert
John Mahoney – Director of Undergraduate Admission, Boston College
Ronald Prinn – Professor of Atmospheric Science, MIT
Genevra Stone – Physician & Olympic Rower
Denise Swidey – Chef & Culinary Producer
Hugh Wolff – International Orchestra Conductor

NSF thanks these businesses for supporting Newton Inspires by donating food and beverages: Anna’s Taqueria, Baker’s Best Catering, Better Life Food, Fleck Coffee House,, L’Aroma Café & Bakery, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Rancatore’s Ice Cream and Yogurt, Rosie’s Bakery, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market.

Building Healthy Communities: Moving Beyond Domestic Violence

Building Healthy Communities: Moving Beyond Domestic Violence

Everyone in our community is affected by domestic violence, but it can be invisible and hard to fight. Join this free, informative event for adults, with speakers and panelists from Second Step, Journey to Safety, the Domestic Violence Program, and the Newton Police Department.

Attendees are asked to bring donations of toiletries, gas cards, food cards or linens for Second Step. Coffee and dessert will be served. For more information, contact Barbara.Fierman@gmail.com.

October 22nd, 7:30 – 9:00 pm
Temple Shalom of Newton, Room 101
175 Temple Street, West Newton