Category Archives: Community Notes

Making Your Life “Work”: Practical Tips from an Allergist and Mother of a Child with Food Allergies

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.

HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY, NEWTON CPA!

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.

Become a Newton School Volunteer

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

Halloween Fair at the Newton Community Service Center (NCSC)

The annual Halloween Fair at the Newton Community Service Center (NCSC) is a fun-filled celebration geared toward the younger set (ages 0-10). Join us in celebrating Halloween in a wholesome, non-scary way, and help raise funds for the early child care programs at NCSC.

Kids can wear their Halloween costumes and decorate pumpkins, apples, cookies and try face painting, mask making, goodie bag decorating, and nail painting. The fair also features the annual Halloween Maze – beloved by small and large children.

NCSC Halloween Fair
Saturday, October 29th
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

For more information, call 617-969-5906.

The fair takes place in the auditorium at Newton Community Service Center (NCSC), 492 Waltham Street, Newton, MA 02465

Historic Newton Events for late October through November 2011

  • Sunday, October 23, 1:00 PM – DIGGING FOR EVIDENCE: AN ARCHAEOLOGY FAMILY PROGRAM
  • Thursday, October 27, 7:30 PM – UNEARTHING A PIECE OF NEWTON’S PAST: ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE DURANT-KENRICK HOUSE AND GROUNDS
  • Saturday, November 5, 9:00 AM-noon – BURYING GROUNDS CLEAN-UP
  • Saturday and Sunday, November 5 and 6, noon–5:00 PM – NEWTON COMMUNITY WEEKEND
  • Monday, November 7, 7:00 PM – NEWTON’S REVOLUTIONARY ROOTS – THE NEWTON HISTORY SERIES
  • Thursday, November 10, 7:30 PM – HISTORIC NEWTON BOOK CLUB
  • Friday, November 11 – MUSEUM CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY
  • Thursday, November 17, 7:30 PM – FREEDOM AND STATES’ RIGHTS: CONFLICTING VISIONS OF THE CIVIL WAR IN THE NORTH AND SOUTH
  • Saturday, November 19, 1:00–4:00 PM – IS “GREEN” A HISTORIC PAINT COLOR?
  • Wednesday, November 30, 6:30 PM – FOURTH ANNUAL NEWTON PRESERVATION AWARDS

LATE OCTOBER

Sunday, October 23, 1:00 PM
DIGGING FOR EVIDENCE: AN ARCHAEOLOGY FAMILY PROGRAM
Learn the basic methods of archaeology by taking part in a mock dig in the backyard of the Jackson Homestead. Bring the whole family to see what archaeology can teach us about the Native American people who flourished in this area before European settlement. This program is appropriate for families with children ages 8 and up.  Cost: $20 per family ($15 for members) includes museum admission and materials. Prepaid registration is required, limit 25; call 617.796.1450 to register.

Thursday, October 27, 7:30 PM
UNEARTHING A PIECE OF NEWTON’S PAST: ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE DURANT-KENRICK HOUSE AND GROUNDS
Based on the findings from the summer 2011 excavation at the 1734 Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds by archaeologists from UMass Boston, this illustrated talk will explain what stories the archaeology around colonial houses can tell us.  Archaeologist Christa Beranek will describe the results of the excavations at this house, including the newly discovered dairy, and the light they shed on the lives of the Kenrick and Durant families.  Free.

NOVEMBER

Saturday, November 5, 9:00 AM-noon
BURYING GROUNDS CLEAN-UP
It’s time for our late-fall cleanup of one of Newton’s most historic spaces—the East Parish Burying Ground.  Help tidy up the premises and see the results of our now-completed headstone restoration.  Please bring gloves and rakes if you have them!  Meet at the corner of Centre and Cotton Streets.  Free.

Saturday and Sunday, November 5 and 6, noon–5:00 PM
NEWTON COMMUNITY WEEKEND
Newton residents are invited to enjoy free admission to the museum.

Monday, November 7, 7:00 PM
NEWTON’S REVOLUTIONARY ROOTS – THE NEWTON HISTORY SERIES
Edward Durant, Leading Citizen
Independent scholar Mary Fuhrer will discuss Edward Durant´s role as a leader-socially and civically-in late colonial Newton. Edward Durant was a leading citizen in many senses. Among the town´s largest landowners, Durant was a man of means, setting standards of learning, refinement, and style. His townsmen looked to him for leadership, and never more so than when they believed their cherished rights to self-determination were under attack in the decade before 1776.  At the Newton Free Library, 330 Homer Street.  Free.

Thursday, November 10, 7:30 PM
HISTORIC NEWTON BOOK CLUB
The next selection of Historic Newton’s book club is Mrs. Adams in Winter by Michael O’Brien. The book tells the riveting story of Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, and her harrowing 40 day journey from St. Petersburg to Paris in the winter of 1815.  Travelling nearly alone, in the footsteps of Napoleon’s retreating army, she and her son crossed war-torn Europe to meet her husband in Paris.  O’Brien deals deftly with geographic and historical details and offers a peek into the family relationships of this prominent family.  The book club is free and new members are always welcome.

Friday, November 11
MUSEUM CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY

Thursday, November 17, 7:30 PM
FREEDOM AND STATES’ RIGHTS: CONFLICTING VISIONS OF THE CIVIL WAR IN THE NORTH AND SOUTH
At the outset of the Civil War, the Confederacy was consumed by the issue of preserving slavery, while the Union was profoundly ambivalent about emancipation. James DeWolf Perry, executive director of the Tracing Center on Histories and Legacies of Slavery, will explore the historical background which gave rise to these conflicting perspectives on the war. He will also discuss how the war eventually came to be seen, in the South, as a defense of states’ rights and the southern way of life and, for the rest of the nation, as a righteous struggle to abolish slavery. Free.

Saturday, November 19, 1:00–4:00 PM
IS “GREEN” A HISTORIC PAINT COLOR?
Thinking about painting your historic home?  Come to this hands-on workshop that will combine information about getting paint to stick to older homes and how to paint with historic colors while at the same time using “green” products.  Nigel Costolloe of Catchlight Painting and Sally Zimmerman of Historic New England will lead the workshop and answer questions.  Co-sponsored by Green Decade/Newton.  $30 per person ($15 per Green Decade or Historic Newton members).  To register, contact Green Decade at 617.965.1995 or visit www.greendecade.org.

Wednesday, November 30, 6:30 PM
FOURTH ANNUAL NEWTON PRESERVATION AWARDS
You are invited to attend the Fourth Annual Newton Preservation Awards! Help us celebrate individuals and projects that have chosen preservation as a sustainable reinvestment in the Newton community.  To attend this event, please RSVP to 617-796-1450 or historicnewtonrsvp@gmail.com by November 1.  Light refreshments to be served.  Event will be held at Boston College Alumni House, 825 Centre Street.  Free.

Catch the Spirit of Newtonville!

Catch the Spirit of Newtonville!
Saturday, October 29th, 10:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m.

Newtonville celebrates Autumn and Halloween with free music, art, entertainment, face painting and tasty treats for kids and adults.  Watch windows being painted as part of the annual Halloween Window Painting Contest.  Visit Newtonville stores on Walnut Street and Washington Street for treats and special discounts.  Collect 13 Spooky Stamps to be entered into free raffle for items donated by Newtonville businesses.  Some of the many items generously donated:  gift basket from Starbucks, makeup palette from Co Bella Salon, pizza from Newtonville Pizza and gift certificates from the New Art Center, Great Harvest, Newtonville Books, and many more. Come catch the Spirit of Newtonville and have a spooktacular time!

Bid-Dazzled!

The John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club of Newton’s 16th Annual Auction, Bid-Dazzled! is just 3 weeks away! 

Join us for an unforgettable evening on Friday, November 4th, at the Westin Waltham-Boston. This year we’re livening things up with exciting changes including action food stations, live entertainment and a progressive live auction with bigger and better items than ever before! Bid on jewelry, nights on the town, sporting events or even a one-week stay at an Italian Villa! 

Be sure to reserve your tickets today. Please contact Diane Marangoly, Events Coordinator at: dmarangoly@newtonbgc.com or call 617.630.2066. 

We look forward to welcoming you to Bid-Dazzled!

Math Clinics for 6th and 7th graders at Top Banana

Fractions and Decimals Clinic
3 Saturdays in November: 11/05, 11/12 and 11/19 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
During these three two-hour sessions designed for the 6th grade students, we will review and practice the following topics:

  •     the four basic operations on fractions and decimals
  •     prime and composite numbers and prime-factorization
  •     order of operations and multi-operation problems with fractions and decimals
  •     percentages

Algebra Clinic: Equations and Word Problems
3 Saturdays in November: 11/05, 11/12 and 11/19 from 12 a.m. to 2 p.m.

During these three two-hour sessions designed for the 7th grade students, we will review and practice the following topics:

  •     operations on positive and negative numbers
  •     simplifying the algebraic expressions
  •     solving the algebraic equations
  •     solving word problems using algebraic equations

The sessions will be held at Top Banana in Newton at 56 Winchester Street.
Cost: $180/student
For more information or to register, please call (617) 795-1557 or info@newtonmath.com.
Limited space available.

School of Rock Boston Openings

The School of Rock Boston has 19 openings for our fabulous December Break Rock & Roll Boot Camp, to be hosted at our Watertown location 12/26-12/30. This year we are looking for guitarists, bassists, singers, drummers, and keyboardists. Includes lessons, band rehearsal, songwriting, recording seminars, and a final concert at a real live rock venue. Ages 7-17 accepted. Camps run 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at our 120 Elm Street location in Watertown and are staffed by instructors from the Berklee College of Music. Please email Boston@schoolofrock.com or call 617-923-3434 to receive your information packet.

Highlands Haunted House, Sunday Oct 30

Newton Highlands Neighborhood Council Presents Highlands Haunted House, Sunday Oct 30

Pre-School Halloween Party 5-6 PM
Children 8 and under with an adult
Games, Refreshments

Parade of the Horribles

Highlands Haunted House, 6:30-8 PM
Children 8 and older, Free Admission
Glow in the dark necklace
Donations appreciated

Both events are at the Hyde Community Center
90 Lincoln St, Newton Highlands