Did you know that Bigelow has many after school opportunities for students? Check them out at the Bigelow Activities & Athletics webpage and find information about clubs, sports, and drama.
In 2019, funds raised by the PoPS helped to support Bigelow performing arts programs, as well as the Bigelow community as a whole, thanks to improvements to the auditorium. The PoPS are still working with a surplus thanks to auditorium upgrades by NPS. Other performing arts items to be funded will be discussed throughout the school year. See meeting minutes for more information.
April 2019 – Spots!!
The PoPS funded the purchase of two new free standing spotlights to improve the stage lighting.
October 2019 – Instruments are safe with the PoPS!
80 locks were purchased for the Bigelow Arts Department to secure the instruments in the new lockers provided by NPS.
October 2019 – Let there be LIGHT!!
The new light board will be installed and an in-service will be paid for by the PoPS in the coming weeks. The tech crew is hoping the light will always shine brightly on our actors and musicians at Bigelow with the new house lights and now the improved stage lighting!
October 2019 – Making music real!
The Pops will support a workshop and concert on October 18th by recording artist and songwriter Jean Rohe and her band. 7th and 8th grade chorus is singing her song “National Anthem: Arise! Arise!”. The opportunity to meet singers and songwriters brings music to life for the students in a unique way, we are pleased to support this venture! https://www.jeanrohe.com/
The Newton North and Newton South PTSOs are co-hosting a screening of the documentary Screenagers:The Next Chapter on October 10th at 7:00 PM in the Newton North Theater. The film is about helping teens growing up in the digital age uncover skills for anxiety and stress management. A panel discussion will follow the film with experts from Newton Wellesley Hospital Pediatric Psychiatry and Newton High Schools counselors. All are welcome.
More information: Screenagers: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience
Story from the Boston Globe, by Linda K. Wertheimer,October 1, 2019, 8:10 a.m.
Civics education in public schools has been on the wane for decades, and it shows. Here’s how Massachusetts is making it matter again.
It’s early September at Newton’s Bigelow Middle School, and a class of eighth-graders watch as the teacher sticks a blue slip of paper on a bulletin board. On the paper is the word “democracy.” The teacher, Andrew Swan, turns to them and asks, “What’s the opposite of democracy? What does it look like?”
The students stare at him — their silence gets awkward. A girl finally raises her hand and says: “Republican.” Swan shakes his head, and the girl and some classmates break into giggles. Swan smiles gently. He asks “What are you thinking of? Political parties?” The girl nods.
“This is democracy with a lowercase d,” Swan explains, in a classroom with posters on the back wall headlined “Periodic Table of the Constitution” and “Periodic Table of the Amendments.” It’s early in the semester, and there is a lot of ground to cover.
More on the Boston Globe. Or download PDF here.
Bigelow’s Back To School Night for parents is next Thursday, October 3.
Please arrive in time to park, as parking can be difficult to find in busy nights like this. And don’t forget to bring a copy of your child’s schedule with you – a hard copy will be sent home with students on Tuesday (it is also posted in the Aspen parent portal).
Thank you to all the families who ordered a hard copy of the Bigelow PTO Family Directory.
Directories are ready to be distributed at Back to School Night, on Thursday 10/03. Please be there to get your pre-ordered copy at 6:30pm, in order to avoid lines and be ready to be at homebase by 7pm.
The PTO Family Directory is also available online and can be used for free by all Bigelow families.
As a warm-up to the all-school dance on October 25, all sixth graders are invited to attend their own Grade 6 Social on Friday afternoon, October 4, from 3:00-4:30pm. There will be games, ping pong, and pizza in the cafeteria, and music and basketball in the gym. Tickets are $6 and sold during lunch in the cafeteria beginning October 1st. This is an opportunity for 6th graders to have fun with new and old friends. The School Store will be open: students can bring cash if they want to buy snacks or a Bigelow water pouch.
The sun was out, the cars got clean, the kids got very wet, a lot of treats were eaten, and the Class of 2020 raised over to $500 towards eighth grade activities and scholarships.
Thank you to everyone who helped and to everyone who brought their cars and their sweet teeth to support our kids! Thank you to all the enthousiastic students that worked at the car wash. Thank you to the parents who donated their time and baked goods.
Also a huge thanks to the Bigelow community – with a special shout out to Mr. Harrison, who was spotted washing cars, and Mrs. Morrow who organized the 8th graders to help out. A special thanks to Una Simmons and Karen Markson for stepping up for this event.
ps – the Class of 2020 is still looking for an 8th Grade Activities Committee Chair.
Thanks to the planning, coordination and advocacy of the Bigelow Committee for the Improvement of the Auditorium (CIA) which includes the Bigelow PTO and the Parents of Performing Arts Students (PoPS), the Bigelow auditorium is being gradually renovated. In the summer, NPS Facilities Department invested in new lights.
Message from Jaime Alberts, Bigelow Music and Drama teacher:
“THE BIGELOW AUDITORIUM GOT NEW HOUSE LIGHTS! It is UNQUESTIONABLY the biggest single improvement to the auditorium that has happened in the 13 years I’ve been at Bigelow.
Everyone’s really excited- several people thought it got repainted because it looks so different. The biggest beneficiaries, of course, are the students and I, and we wanted to show our thanks! So we made a thank you music video.”
Let’s celebrate health and sustainability next week! International Walk & Roll to School Day is October 2. The weather is going to be beautiful, let’s do it on Oct 2, 3 AND 4?
Resources
– 4 ways that walking to school can benefit kids
– Why, and how, kids should walk or bike to school
– MassDEP Safe Routes to School
In preparation, Newton parents – what is it that keeps your children from walking or biking safely to their destination? Be part of the solution and alert the City of Newton via Newton 311.
Potholes, sidewalk repairs, traffic signal not working, faded or missing crosswalks, shrubs overtaking the sidewalk. Snap a photo to include if you can, note the location, and submit to Newton 311 at https://newtonma.mycusthelp.com/webapp or 617-796-100.
Make Newton safer for everyone! Brought to you by the Newton Safe Routes to School Task Force. Bigelow does not have a Safe Routes to School representative yet. Would you like to be? Contact us: bigelowbulldog@gmail.com