Category Archives: Community Notes

Think Spring! Register now for Spring Recreational Softball

Newton Girls Softball is committed to providing an experience that fosters positive self-esteem, team spirit, and individual growth through personal achievement and as a team member. Players of all skill levels will have a fun and rewarding experience.

In addition to three age group divisions for players in Grade 1 – 7, the league announces the inaugural year of KINDERGARTEN T – BALL. New for 2015 and open to all girls in Grade K who live in Newton or attend a Newton Public School, this program is going to be a fun introduction to softball. The sessions will consist of 30 minutes of skill development rolling into a short 45 minute game on six Saturday afternoons in May and June. Will your kindergartner join her friends in the excitement of learning softball?

Registration is open on our web site at: WWW.NEWTONGIRLSSOFTBALL.ORG

2015 Registration Dates:
1/31/15 Deadline to register without paying a late fee.
2/28/15 Deadline to register with guaranteed placement, pair-me-with rights, and a $15 late fee.

Girls Basketball Clinic at Newton North, Dec. 27

The Newton North Girls Varsity Basketball team is hosting a clinic for girls, grades 4-8, on Saturday, Dec. 27, 3:00-4:45PM.

Join the varsity players and coaches for drills, skills work, dribbling, and game play.

Cost: $20 per player (add a sibling for only $5)
Location: Newton North gymnasium
To register, email Coach Martindale, lmartindale <at> navint <dot> com

 

 

Try-outs This Week for Travel Basketball at Boys & Girls Club

The John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club is holding try-outs for its three travel basketball teams this week. Any player interested in trying out should attend one of the sessions, held at the Club, 675 Watertown St. If you can not attend either tryout, contact Mike @ 617-630-2066 EXT. 121 or mdoran <at> newtonbgc <dot> com

Boys 12 and Under: Tuesday, Dec. 16, 8:00-9:00PM and Thursday, Dec. 18, 6:00-7:00PM

Girls 14 and Under: Wednesday, Dec. 17, 8:00-9:00PM and Friday, Dec. 19, 5:00-6:00PM

Boys 18 and Under: Thursday, Dec. 18, 5:00-6:00PM

 

Winter Vacation at Arsenal Center for the Arts

The Arsenal Center for the Arts is offering two programs during school vacation for children grades K-6:

Dec. 29 – 30: Children can find inspiration in the works of famous artists, then make their own masterpiece in The Great Artists (Grades K-6) class. Sign up for morning and/or afternoon classes as different projects are offered each time.

December 31: Try It! (Grades K – 6) is a fun, one-day workshop that gives kids a chance to try out a variety of media and learn new skills. Sign up for the morning and/or afternoon session as different projects are offered each time.

Children will be divided into groups by age. Ask about Supervised Lunchtime. Scholarships available.

To register online, go to the Arsenal Center for the Arts’ Education page or call 617-923–0100, ext. 8309.

December Vacation is Right Around the Corner

Watertown’s Arsenal Center for the Arts has December Vacation covered!

Children can find inspiration in the works of famous artists, then make their own masterpiece in The Great Artists (Grades K-6) class on December 29th – 30th. Sign up for morning and/or afternoon classes as different projects are offered each time.

Try It! (Grades K-6) takes place on December 31st. This fun, one-day workshop gives kids a chance to try out a variety of media and learn new skills. Sign up for the morning and/or afternoon session as different projects are offered each time.

Children will be divided into groups by age. Ask about Supervised Lunchtime.Scholarships available. To register online, go to www.arsenalarts.org/education or call 617-923–0100, ext. 8309.

Mayor’s New Years Open House and Food Drive

On December 31st, begin the New Year Celebrations at 10:00 am at Newton City Hall, by helping to sort food donations for Newton’s four food pantries, plus a food donation for our sister City of Lawrence. Children are welcome.

Please bring a non-perishable food item for the Newton Food Pantries, as well as an item to contribute to the Soldier’s Care packages. Please visit www.newtoncommunitypride.org for donation details.

Then come back to Newton City Hall to celebrate the incoming New Year with Mayor Setti Warren from 1:30 – 3:30 with an afternoon of fun and activities that the whole family can enjoy. There are three outstanding family entertainers, and the good news is that you don’t have to pick one, as they repeat their performances three times!

  • Karen K & the Jitterbugs is an national award-winning band known for their upbeat tunes that keep hands clapping and feet jumping at their rockin’, crowd-engaging shows performed across the country.
  • Newton’s favorite Davey the Clown can often be found at rubber chicken farms scouting new talent for his show. Kids and parents alike love his juggling, amazing magic, incredible unicycle tricks, hilarious antics, balloon sculpture and accordion playing.
  • Hailed as “One of the best in the business” by the Boston Globe, Big Joe the Storyteller has been delighting children and families for many years with his exciting storytelling show – with a huge collection of original and classic tales as well as a box filled with puppets, props, and surprises.

Two fabulous face painters will be on hand to decorate little faces for the festivities, and don’t miss the great arts & crafts project offered by our own Time for Partners art teacher, Terry Curtin!

The Mayor’s Open House is free to the public, and sponsored by Newton Community Pride and the Mayor’s Office for Cultural Affairs.

Upcoming Programs offered by Youth Services

Suicide Prevention Training (QPR) for Teens
January 6th, 4:00-6:00 pm, Newton Free Library

Our community has been affected by suicide. Newton Cares: Coalition for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health is working diligently to train as many people as possible in the suicide prevention technique called QPR – Question, Persuade, Refer. The more people who know how to act, the more lives may be saved. Please consider being trained. Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) teaches ordinary citizens how to recognize a mental health emergency and how to get a person at risk the help they need. Participants will learn how to: Recognize the warning signs of suicide, offer hope, and get help & refer. This upcoming training is specifically being held for teens and young adults. Please check our website for trainings for adults or for other upcoming training dates. Please register by visiting www.newtonma.gov/youth.


Taking Care of Ourselves and Our Teens: Reducing Stress and Enhancing Resiliency January 27th, 6:00-7:30 pm, Newton Free Library

Back by popular demand!! This four-session wellness program for parents of adolescents developed by the world-renowned Benson-Henry Institute of Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital teaches self-care skills to help cope with stresses of everyday life and aims to leave parents with a renewed sense of control and well-being. For all Newton residents or parents of teens attending school in Newton.

Topics will include:
* The physiology of stress and how it affects the body
* Self-care strategies to reduce stress and increase your resilience
* Relaxation techniques
* Easy ways to reduce or stop stress-inducing thoughts
* Tips for modeling these skills for your teens, help reduce their stress and build their resilience too

Sessions 2-4 will be held on February 3rd & 24th, and March 3rd from 6:00-7:30 pm. Must attend all four sessions. Space is limited, register (required) at newtonma.gov/youth.


Stressed Teen? Learn some helpful and healthy ways to relax  January 27, 4:00-5:30 pm, Newton Free Library

Branching off the parent program will be workshops pertaining to teens and teen stressors. The four sessions will be directed to teens and will help teach them to cope with stresses of everyday life coming from school, home, social media and other pressures. It will teach teens to have a better sense of control and well-being. During the course teens will learn what stress is, how it affects the body, strategies for self-care, relaxation techniques and easy ways to reduce or stop stress-inducing thoughts. Sessions 2-4 will be held on February 3rd& 24th, and March 3rd from 4:00-5:30 pm. Must attend all four sessions. Free. Space is limited. Registration is required. Visit www.newtonma.gov/youth to register.


 Improving Academic Effectiveness February 5th and April 9th, 6:00-7:30 pm, Newton Free Library

Engaging Minds Learning Center (a local learning and tutoring center) has been instrumental in providing tools for students in order to help them learn effectively. The basis of this program is to teach the idea of “executive function” and the skills which it embraces. Executive functions are the essential self-regulating skills that we all use every day. They help us plan, organize, make decisions, shift between situations or thoughts, control our emotions and impulsivity, and learn from past mistakes. This program is FREE and includes: an explanation of the term “executive function” and why these skills are important in school and in other aspects of education in today’s fast paced world, tips and strategies geared towards parents and teachers in order to help strengthen students’ skills, real life applications and take home toolkits to maintain effective learning. Free, drop-in, no registration required. Two separate sessions, do not need to attend both.

Upcoming Teen Programs

Books and Brownies, December 15th, 7:00 pm, 2nd floor Teen Area:
The group will discuss Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills, which received the 2014 Stonewall Award from the American Library Association. It’s an award given to books of “exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.” BMUC tells the story of Gabe, a high school senior with a serious love of music, who is learning to leave Liz behind – the person everyone has known him as until now. Please join for a great discussion and of course, brownies!

Create Your Own Light-Up Card, December 16th, 3:30 pm, 2nd floor Teen Area:
Learn some elementary electronics, and how to create fun and flexible circuits on paper. You’ll be able to make holiday cards or pictures that light up.

New NNHS Book Club! December 18th,  2:30 pm (during X Block):
This new Newton North book club will be meeting every other month for a book discussion in the NNHS Library. Come to the first discussion (and brownies!) to talk about Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes.  For any questions, email Ms. Dalbec at: erin_dalbec@newton.k12.ma.us or Liz at: teens@newtonfreelibrary.net.

Family Game Night, December 30th, 7:00 pm, Druker Auditorium:
Staying around town for the holiday season? Keep warm at the library where we will be hanging out, eating pizza and playing board games. Open to all ages.