The Bigelow Middle School clinic will be on Wednesday, November 6, 2019. Each student to be vaccinated must have a parent/guardian complete two forms :
Forms are available in the school nurse’s office, or may be downloaded at www.newtonma.gov/flu. You may electronically complete the form, print, sign and return. Forms are due to the School Nurse by Monday, November 4, 2019.
On November 5, 2019, Newton voters will have the opportunity to vote for School Committee members, Ward Councilors, and Councilors-at-Large for the 2020-2021 term.
WHAT
Sample ballots are available on the City website. Select the ballot for your ward to see all of the races in which you can vote and the candidates in each race. HERE.
WHEN: Nov 5, 2019, from 7 A.M. to 8 P.M.
WHERE: Download Polling Locations addresses here
More information:
Sorry, all our host tables are full. Thank you for your support!
If you would like to contribute a dessert, please drop off to 12 Willard Street on Friday or Saturday afternoon. Thank you!
TEN Tables is this Saturday, November 2nd. Only 5 tickets left.
Join us!
8th grade CAS presentation on 10/29/19. Theatre Espresso: “Uprising on King Street: The Boston Massacre”
CAS programs, funded solely by the PTO, are made possible through PTO fundraising. Thank you for you support!
“In 1770, the people of Boston suffered under an increasingly harsh British occupation. What are the responsibilities of a military force sent to occupy a foreign land? Is violence ever necessary to keep the peace? What role does class play in the administration of justice? This production presents the events that led up to the Boston Massacre and sets the scene for the trial of Captain Preston, British officer on duty the night of March 5 when soldiers and citizens clashed in front of the Customs House. In roles as members of the jury at the trial of Captain Preston, students must examine the events leading up to the “massacre” and decide Preston’s guilt or innocence.”
November 23rd, 9:00 am -2:00 pm
75 Vernon Street, Newton
Roll up your sleeves and help save lives! Newton Presbyterian Church will proudly partner with the American Red Cross to hold what they expect to be the first of many blood drives. The Red Cross has over 135 years of experience providing humanitarian aid, including more than 75 years of supplying blood to those in need.
Each pint of blood collected can help save up to three lives and will touch the lives of so many more. What a great way to pay it forward and make an impact on people in our community and across the country. The Newton Presbyterian Church Mission Committee is leading this initiative. You’ll will be entertained by the Newton All City Troubadours during the blood drive, to be followed by their concert in the Sanctuary that evening at 7:00 pm.
See flyer for more information.
Did your child walk or roll to school this month? Or take the bus to help reduce the car congestion around our school? If so, thank you for supporting National Walk to School Day this month. If not, there’s still time to make a healthy change this month or next in how your child gets to and from school.
Walking or rolling (biking, scootering, etc.) to school increases your child’s opportunity for physical activity. At least 60 minutes of physical activity per day is recommended for children. Incorporating physical activity into your usual school routine is a great way to become more active. People who are physically active live longer and have a lower risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, and some cancers.
If you do drive, consider parking a bit away from the school and walking the rest of the way. Students who walk and bike to school arrive awake and alert, with better focus and concentration, which can improve academic performance.
And a heads up for drivers who do queue at school: new “No Idling” signs are making their way to schools throughout Newton. These are a great reminder to turn off your car while waiting to drop off or pick up your student. Turning off your car improves air quality for everyone around you and reduces pollutants that can be particularly harmful for our students with asthma.
Even seemingly small changes like walking a few extra times per month or turning off a vehicle for a few minutes can make a big difference over time.
For more walk to school ideas, visit https://www.cdc.gov/policy/hst/hi5/saferoutes/index.html
Newton Public Schools’ Creative Arts & Sciences is dedicating November 6, 2019 to recognize and celebrate the importance of books in our children’s lives. We know that students are uniquely inspired when they’re given the opportunity to meet the authors and illustrators of books they’ve read. A wide range of authors and illustrators will be visiting schools across the district during the day to talk about the writing and illustrating process – from idea to published work.
Gregory Mone (7th grade) and Sheela Chari (6th and 8th grades) will be the authors visiting Bigelow.
Gregory Mone (gregorymone.com) is the author of four published novels and scientific articles for magazines including Popular Science, Atlantic Monthly, Wired and Scientific American. He adapted The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown, for young readers, and recently co-wrote three books in The Science Guy series with Bill Nye, The Science Guy. Mone’s large-group presentation is designed to entertain, educate and inspire, and begins with a focus on science and technology journalism before turning to fiction. Utilizing a variety of visual components, he takes students through the entire process of writing a book, from the initial idea through the planning, creative writing, and revisions, to the finished work. He stresses the importance of becoming an expert in whatever subject you write about, whether it’s brain surgery, flying cars, surfing, or family history.
Sheela Chari (sheelachari.com) is the author of FINDING MIGHTY, a Junior Library Guild Selection and Children’s Choice Award Finalist; and VANISHED, an APALA Children’s Literature Honor Book, Edgar finalist for best juvenile mystery, and Al’s Book Club Pick on the Today Show. She is currently working on a novelized series, THE UNEXPLAINABLE DISAPPEARANCE OF MARS PATEL, based on the Peabody Award-winning mystery podcast by the same name created by Gen-Z Media. Sheela has degrees from Stanford University, Boston University, and New York University, where she received an MFA in Fiction. She teaches fiction writing at Mercy College and lives with her family in New York.
CAS AuthorFest is made possible by a grant from the Newton Schools Foundation, a contribution from The Village Bank, and your generous contributions to your PTO. Newton Schools Foundation is proud to support the 2019 CAS AuthorFest. Through contributions from individuals and businesses throughout the Newton community, NSF is able to provide funding for important educational programs that impact students and teachers district-wide. A percentage of the book sale proceeds will go to CAS to help defray the cost of the CAS AuthorFest event.
You are invited to a fun evening with Bigelow families, on Saturday, 11/02/19.
TEN Tables is a progressive dinner held at several homes in succession on one night. Tickets for TEN Tables are on sale now! Seats will be on sale until Oct 25th or until they sell out. Please join us. More information here.
Bigelow All-School Dance is coming up next Friday, October 25, 7:00-9:00pm.
Dance tickets are $6 and will be on sale this week and next during lunch in the cafeteria. Students can hang out, play ping pong or other games, and listen and dance to music in the gym. Pizza and snacks will be sold in the cafeteria.
The dance is open to all Bigelow students in grades 6, 7, and 8. Asking a classmate as a “date” to the dance is unnecessary and discouraged. Students are invited to come and have fun with friends. The theme of this dance is Halloween, and costumes (but no masks) are encouraged!
A few parent chaperones are needed. (Harry Potter “Invisibility Cloaks” costumes optional!) Please email Assistant Principal Lucas Mogensen at mogensenl@newton.k12.ma.us if you are interested in helping out. Parent chaperones help take tickets, sell refreshments, and supervise the hallways; teachers and counselors chaperone inside the gym.
Bigelow dances are for Bigelow students only, and all school rules apply at this event. The dance ends promptly at 9:00 p.m., and we ask that parents pick up on time at the gym entrance then. For safety reasons, students are not allowed to walk home, even in a group, without parent accompaniment.
In the next couple of weeks, Bigelow students will have the opportunity to participate in activities related to Refugee (the book they read over the summer) in three different occasions, on the 23, 28 and 30.
The goal of Bigelow’s One School, One Book Program is to create a more inclusive community through participation in a common reading experience as a whole school. Through discussion and advisory activities, staff and students share a common experience of reading and learning together. This program is supported by the Bigelow PTO, thanks to your donations.
Bigelow has prepared a series of great activities for our students. If parents would like more resources to talk to their children about this issue that touches some Bigelow families more closely then others, here are two suggestions:
From the UN Refugee Agency: Teaching about refugees
From the Harvard Graduate School of Education: Migration, Separation, and Trauma
(Note: the resources suggested above are for the adult community)
Wednesday 10/23 Extended Advisory
The students will watch a portion of a video documenting the story of a young Vietnamese boy’s childhood escape from war-torn Vietnam, and his eventual resettlement in Australia.The film won the Audience Award and the 2015 Human Rights and Film Festival in Melbourne, Australia. They will have a discussion afterwards with their advisor and fellow advisory members.
Monday 10/28 Advisory
Students will view a video that explains the difference between a migrant and refugee as defined by the United Nations. Advisory members will work together to create a working definition of these two words.
Wednesday 10/30 School-Wide Events
The day begins with students participating in an interactive experience in advisory designed to help students gain more insight into the refugee experience. Following this activity, each grade will listen to a guest speaker who will share their experience about moving to America as a refugee or helping newcomers resettle in our community.
