At the last meeting of the year, the PTO presents the proposed budget and votes for the incoming board members for the 2018/19 school year. All members of the Bigelow Middle School community are part of the PTO and are invited.

If you would like to become more involved in the strategic aspect of the Bigelow PTO, helping direct and manage the overall program for 2018/19, you are encouraged to join the board in one of the open positions:

• Co-Treasurer
• Co-Presidents Elect (in preparation for the 2019/20 school year)
• Nominating committee members (one per feeder school)
• Teacher Appreciation Committee co-chair
• METCO representative

You can also help the PTO fulfill its purpose/mission by being a Committee Chair or a volunteer in some of our activities. Check here the opportunities for next year.

PTO Spring Annual Meeting
Monday, June 11th 2018, from 7pm to 8pm
Bigelow Library

NNHS PTSO is pleased to announce new roles on the 2018-2019 Board of Directors overseeing Communications, Technology, Fundraising and Volunteer Coordination.  These roles typically have two people and most already have one person in place.  Also available are committee co-chair positions ranging from programming to fundraising to service projects.  Interested in hearing more?  Please contact co-presidents@northptso.org

Laps at Lunch is back! This is a great program designed to give students a daily opportunity to get outside for movement and fresh air. It allows students to walk laps around the inside perimeter of Burr Park once they’re done with their lunches in the cafeteria. Would you like to help? If interested please contact Mary Fitzgerald (physical education teacher) at: Mary_Fitzgerald@newton.k12.ma.us. More about the program here.

MCAS tests continue this week. The sixth and seventh grade take the Math MCAS test on Monday and Tuesday, May 7-8, and the eighth grade takes their Math MCAS test this Wednesday and Thursday, May 9-10.

We want all of the students to approach these assessments in a positive and confident frame of mind. Your help makes a huge difference. Here are a few tips:

• Words of encouragement to your child are especially helpful before the assessments and on the day of it.
• Please make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep prior to each test, a healthy breakfast on the morning of each test, and that he or she arrives to school on time.
• Bringing a water bottle or purchasing a bottle of water in the school store in the morning is also recommended.

The final test, the Science/Technology/Engineering MCAS test, will be given to the eighth grade only on May 17.

The Fall Play Info Session will be held next Thursday, May 10, at 2:45-3:30.
The following week there will be an Audition Workshop:
“Performing Shakespeare”. Thursday, May 17, from 3-5pm.

Please contact Jaime Alberts for more information: Jaime_Alberts@newton.k12.ma.us

THANK YOU to all of the Bigelow parents, students, faculty and friends who turned out last Sunday for Newton Serves Da! It was a hardworking group of volunteers who braved the rain and worked enthusiastically.
They beautified the grounds with mulch and constructed new railings to protect the flower beds at the front entrance of the school. A special shout-out to our fearless leaders Audrey Weissborn and Andrew Hargens, and to the many students and their parents who helped.

Happy Spring!

Laps at Lunch is back! This is a great program designed to give students a daily opportunity to get outside for movement and fresh air. It allows students to walk laps around the inside perimeter of Burr Park once they’re done with their lunches in the cafeteria. Would you like to help? If interested please contact Mary Fitzgerald (physical education teacher) at: Mary_Fitzgerald@newton.k12.ma.us. More about the program here.

Come have a fabulously fun evening building community with other Newton parents as you learn about the international travel learning opportunities available to students at Newton North and Newton South, all while supporting scholarships for students who can’t afford to participate.

On Saturday, May 5th, GELF will hold its 10th Anniversary Benefit Dinner from 6:30-11:30pm at Newton North High School. The evening is a not-to-be-missed community event, featuring:

• A gourmet five-course tasting menu cooked from scratch on-site.
• Table service by Newton Public Schools principals, Superintendent, & the Mayor
• Paired fine beers and wines
• 175 like-minded friends and community members
• Live music and dancing
• Support for a scholarship fund that creates transformational educational travel opportunities for Newton North and Newton South high school students

You’ll also have a chance to mingle with some of the teachers who have created these learning experiences for our children.

Grab some friends and come celebrate the new worlds that high school reveals!

Buy dinner tickets or make a donation here.

See what theNewton TAB has said about the GELF dinner and the life-changing benefits of studying abroad here.

It is not too late to order a yearbook, the deadline to pre-order has been extended to Monday 4/30. There are usually some extras that can be bought after this deadline by cash or check – but only while supplies last.

All-color pages
Durable hard cover with original design by 8th grade artists
Price: $25
Payments: cash, check or ONLINE

Order online HERE. (Bigelow’s Yearbook ID Code: 1945918). If you would rather pay by cash or check (payable to: Bigelow Middle School), please place payment in a sealed envelope with the student’s name and homeroom written on the front. Your student should give the envelope to his/her homeroom teacher.

If you have any questions, please contact Sherri Rice at Sheryl_Rice@newton.k12.ma.us.

Twenty five Bigelow students from 7th and 8th grades, who participate in the ADL Peer Training Program, attended the 24th Annual New England ADL Youth Congress on Friday April 13, 2018 at the Boston Sheraton Hotel.

The theme of this year’s Congress was ‘Courageous Conversations’. This one-day conference brought together over 1,300 middle school and high school students, teachers and community leaders from over 70 schools across New England, including Bigelow Middle School.  Four Bigelow students were selected to lead a workshop for peer leaders from other schools doing activities similar to the ones they do in Advisory at school, when they visit with students from all grades to present on bullying, cyber-bullying and anti-bias behaviors.

Educator, writer and national leader in social justice Brittany Packnett was the keynote speaker. Mya and Deanna Cook, the sisters who advocated for greater cultural responsiveness at Mystic Valley Regional Charter School, also spoke to students about their experience creating change in their school.

The ADL Peer Training Program at Bigelow, part of “A World of Difference,” is funded by the Newton Schools Foundation.