Category Archives: From the PTO

Volunteers for the Newton North PTSO 2019-20

Newton North depends on the generosity and energy of parent/guardian volunteers to help keep our community informed, connected, and strong. Can you help? Please consider the excellent opportunities below!  Have questions or want to volunteer? Please contact co-presidents@NorthPTSO.org. 

Board positions

  • Vice President, Fundraising
  • Vice President, Programming 
  • Recording secretary

Committees

  • Celebration co-chair
  • Class liaisons (Classes of 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020)
  • Educational Excellence co-chair
  • Family Involvement
  • Newton SEPAC
  • Northside Dining Adventure co-chair
  • Safe Routes to School
  • Student-Faculty Administration

Download flyer here. More details here.

Cafeteria Monitors for announcements

Digital monitors were just installed in the Bigelow cafeteria for relaying announcements to students more efficiently and effectively.

Another source of daily information for students is the morning announcements. They are read by 8th grade students on the intercom at 8:15 AM every day. Parents can access the announcements here.

The cafeteria monitors were purchased by the Bigelow PTO thanks to the support of our community through donations and participation in events.

Join the Bigelow PTO Board next year!

The PTO is looking for enthusiastic parents and guardians to join our mission! Please consider being an active member of our rewarding organization that directly benefits our children.

Would you like to become more involved in the strategic aspect of the Bigelow PTO, helping direct and manage the overall program for 2019/20?  All Bigelow parents and guardians, including those of incoming 6th graders, are encouraged to join the board.  The proposed slate of 2019/20 Board members will be voted on at our final PTO meeting of the year on June 3rd.  Serving on the Board is a great way to meet other Bigelow parents and help out at your child’s school.  

The Bigelow PTO is a volunteer organization dedicated to provide support and information to the school community. Take a look at what we do and what we support.

We have several open positions for next year, including officer and committee roles. Please take a look here.

Please contact us at bigelowbulldog@gmail.com if you are interested in learning more. The success of the Bigelow PTO depends on our volunteer parents and caregivers. We are grateful for your support and hope to work with you for the 2019/2020 school year!

Join the PTO Board next year!

The PTO is looking for enthusiastic parents and guardians to join our mission! Please consider being an active member of our rewarding organization that directly benefits our children.

Would you like to become more involved in the strategic aspect of the Bigelow PTO, helping direct and manage the overall program for 2019/20?  All Bigelow parents and guardians, including those of incoming 6th graders, are encouraged to join the board.  The proposed slate of 2019/20 Board members will be voted on at our final PTO meeting of the year on June 3rd.  Serving on the Board is a great way to meet other Bigelow parents and help out at your child’s school.  

The Bigelow PTO is a volunteer organization dedicated to provide support and information to the school community. Take a look at what we do and what we support.

We have several open positions for next year, including officer and committee roles. Please take a look here.

Please contact us at bigelowbulldog@gmail.com if you are interested in learning more. The success of the Bigelow PTO depends on our volunteer parents and caregivers. We are grateful for your support and hope to work with you for the 2019/2020 school year!

Spring Family Event: Bowling

The members of the Bigelow METCO Engagement Team (BMET) would like to extend an invitation to our Spring Family Event. Our goal is to create opportunities for our Bigelow families, Newton and Boston, to come together for a fun event. The event we are planning is a Bigelow Family Bowling at Boston Bowl in Dorchester on Saturday June 1, 2019 from 2 – 4pm. It is easy to get to and has parking available. (820 MORRISSEY BLVD. BOSTON, MA 617-825-3800)

The cost is $19/person for one hour of bowling including shoe rental, card for arcade games, 2 slices of pizza and soda We hope that your family will join us for an afternoon of fun. There is also the opportunity to just purchase 2 slices of pizza and soda for $5/person if you don’t want to bowl. We also would just love to have you attend and socialize if you don’t want to bowl. Forms were made available to students and we also attached the form here. Students can return the forms and money to their guidance counselors or to Ms. Mercado (Rm. 204) or Ms. LeQuire (Rm. 206).

Please consider attending this event with your children, even if everyone does not want to bowl, as a way to get to know one another.

Sincerely,
Kyra Mercado  & B.M.E.T.

Recycling Signs

Last Sunday, as part of NewtonServes 2019, a group of students and parents put up recycling signage in most rooms at Bigelow. This is part of a larger effort to improve recycling in Newton Public Schools and we are happy to have started it at Bigelow.

The ultimate goal is to better manage waste in schools, starting with recycling. By using standardized signage, everyone has constant reminders, which minimizes confusion and makes the process of separation more efficient.

More information about the project and the group working on it can be found here:

NewtonServes 2019 – Bigelow’s garden is looking beautiful

Thank you to all who helped with “Bigelow Beautification” during NewtonServes! A special thanks to the city team from Parks and Recreation for helping both before Sunday and on Sunday, and to Newton Community Pride, a non-profit volunteer organization, who organizes NewtonServes every year.

Slide Show

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More photos from the many community building projects that took place on Sunday are posted on the NewtonSERVES facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/NewtonSERVES-Building-Community-Through-Service-147460985314122/

Bike racks

Bigelow students now have a place to attach their bikes. The new bike racks were installed in front of the school last week and are already being used. Funds raised by the PTO, thanks to member’s dues, events and donations, were used to purchase the racks. Thank you!

Laptop Program at the High Schools

As part of the Newton Public Schools effort to expand its 1:1 Device Pilot Program, starting next year all incoming students to the high school will receive a district issued Chromebook (Model: Lenovo 300e). A chromebook is a paired down laptop that allows students to access websites and web-based applications for completing schoolwork including but not limited to Schoology, Google Drive, and Aspen. The device will be part of the standard school-issued materials (similar to a textbook) needed for learning at the high schools. More information will be sent by the high school to current 8th grade families as we get closer to September including information regarding device handout, Chromebook Loan agreement, and an optional insurance policy covering loss or damage to the device. For now, we encourage you to visit NPS High School 1:1 Laptop Initiative website to learn more information.

6th grade: Starlab Night Skies

Last week 6th Grade students had a tour of the current night sky with a focus on the planets and constellations inside the Starlab.

The Starlab is an inflatable, vinyl structure that has a 10.5-foot high dome that the night sky is projected upon.  The identification of constellations are necessary to locate stars, the milky way and planets in the night sky. A laser-light is used to point out the planets, stars and constellations that are visible to the naked eye. 

This CASC presentation was sponsored by the Bigelow PTO thanks to the support of our community through donations and participation in events.