Starting in September 2023, to better serve the growing number of clients, the Newton Food Pantry will add client shopping hours on Thursdays from 10am to 1pm, by appointment only. The Newton Food Pantry will continue to be open for clients on Wednesdays, by appointment from 12pm to 3pm and for walk-in hours from 3pm to 7pm.  Walk-in hours will NOT be available on Thursdays. 

A few reminders about the Newton Food Pantry:

• The Newton Food Pantry is located in the basement of Newton City Hall, 1000 Commonwealth Avenue. Clients enter City Hall on the side facing Homer Street, by the large Newton Food Pantry sign.

• Clients must be Newton residents or be students and staff at a Newton-based college or university, show proof of residency, and complete a New Client Registration Form, found here. 

• We offer a client choice pantry and all clients may “shop” twice every month, choosing from a large variety of fresh produce, dairy products, frozen proteins, shelf-stable goods, personal care items, and culturally-relevant foods. All food and personal care items are free of charge.

• Wednesday walk-in clients are welcome to shop from 3pm to 7pm on any two Wednesdays per month. Wednesday walk-in clients do not need to sign up in advance. They wait to enter the pantry and shop in the order of their arrival.

• Clients who have made appointments on Wednesday between 12pm and 3pm or on Thursday between 10am and 1pm are welcome to shop on their assigned day and time any two weeks each month. Clients with appointments do not need to tell us when they will visit the pantry. If they are unable to come on their assigned appointment day and time, they are welcome to shop during walk-in hours on Wednesday from 3pm to 7pm. 

• To schedule an appointment, clients should use the contact form on the Newton Food Pantry website and select “make or change an appointment” or email vicepresident@newtonfoodpantry.org

• Individuals who are homebound due to age or disability may qualify for home delivery. To inquire, clients should use the contact us form on the website and select “client help” or email vicepresident@newtonfoodpantry.org

Lastly, in addition to our choice pantry, the Newton Food Pantry, in collaboration with other Newton organizations, runs the Newton Community freedge. The freedge is a free refrigerator and pantry open all day, every day to anyone. No forms or Newton residency is required. The freedge is located at 420 Watertown Street, in the Central Drapery and Dry Cleaning parking lot.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Sindy Wayne at vicepresident@newtonfoodpantry.org.

Please click here for school supply list broken down by grade level. The PTO invites you to think about school supplies in a sustainable way.  Let’s practice the three Rs of sustainability – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle with our students.

***One Additional School Supply Needed***

All students will need 2 locks; one for their main locker & the other for their PE locker. Master Lock type padlocks with a numeric combination dial fit best and are most secure.

Note: Master Lock 2-packs often include 2 locks with the same combination so your student only needs to remember 1 combination.

Dear Bigelow Families,

We hope you’ve had a fun and relaxing summer break. We are excited to welcome you and your student(s) to the 2023-24 school year at Bigelow Middle School!

As parents or guardians of students at Bigelow, you are all members of the PTO. The PTO acts as a liaison between parents and the school, helps to build community and foster communication, and fundraises for the priorities set by Bigelow.

Please, take a minute to read about the Bigelow PTO’s purposes and what it does to promote the core values of the Bigelow Middle School by supporting performing arts, technology, and lots more for our children and the school. The Bigelow PTO is a volunteer organization and your participation enriches the school environment.

We are fortunate to be part of such a wonderful community and we look forward to serving you in the coming year. We wish you and your students an outstanding year!

If you have questions for the PTO, please contact us at bigelowbulldog@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

The Bigelow PTO Board – Eugene Rhee, Alex Rolfe, Giulia Guffanti, and Aparna Rolfe

First Day of School: Tuesday, September 5th

School Hours: 7:55 a.m. – 2:25 p.m. (early release Wednesdays at 1:40 p.m.)

School Supplies: Please click here for school supply list broken down by grade level. The PTO invites you to think about school supplies in a sustainable way.  Let’s practice the three Rs of sustainability – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle with our students.

***One Additional School Supply Needed***

All students will need 2 locks; one for their main locker & the other for their PE locker. Master Lock type padlocks with a numeric combination dial fit best and are most secure.

Note: Master Lock 2-packs often include 2 locks with the same combination so your student only needs to remember 1 combination.

On Wednesday August 30th Bigelow teachers and staff were treated to an Opening Day Luncheon catered by Jersey Mike’s. Many thanks to chairs Ron Farrar and Suriya Ziblatt for organizing teacher and staff appreciation for the 2023-24 school year and to Kristin Golden for her help with this first event.

We wish everyone a great year ahead!

Dear Bigelow Community,

In this last Bigelow Notes of the 2022/2023 school year, we would like to thank you for your generosity and continuous support for another wonderful school year.

A special call-out to all our amazing volunteers who worked tirelessly to make sure that PTO sponsored events were successful.

In particular, we would like to express our deep gratitude to the following parents:

Giulia Guffanti (Treasurer), Sukanya Ghosh (Secretary), Elizabeth Apgar (Communications/Website), Sarah K. Lenz & Heather Thiessen Philbrook (Directory), Zlatena Simeonova (Creative Arts & Sciences), Gabriela Kroszynski & Heather Pozen (8th Grade Activities), Ron Farrar & Suriya Ziblatt (Teacher Appreciation), Shana Smythe, Charlene Gillespie, & Carolyn Gillespie (Ten Tables), Elizabeth Apgar (NewtonServes), Karen Hite (PoPs), Jeanne Choe-Arrieta (METCO), and Margo Michaels & Jeanne Choe-Arrieta (FORJ) for making it all happen. 

Last but not least, we would like to thank Gabriela Kroszynski (President) and May Chen (Vice-President) for their service to the Bigelow PTO during these last two school years.

We wish you all a very restful and joyous summer! Look for information over the summer for upcoming events and ways to be a part of the PTO. For those of you leaving Bigelow, we wish you all the best and hope our paths cross at Newton North.

With Gratitude, 

Bigelow PTO Board

We are actively planning for the 2023-24 school year and we are still looking for volunteers for co-presidents. If you are interested in this role, or know someone who would be a good fit, please email bigelowbulldog@gmail.com.

Volunteering is a great way to make a difference in your student’s middle school experience and stay connected with our teachers and staff.

Are you curious about the Newton Teachers Association (NTA) contract negotiations? Background on NTA negotiations, current contract priorities, and ways to become more informed and involved can be found at https://linktr.ee/ntaresources.

On Tuesday, June 20th, Bigelow celebrated the careers of 8 retiring teachers. We extend a heartfelt thank you for all you’ve done for our school and wish you the best in retirement!

The Bigelow PTO was able to provide funds to support this celebration thanks to the generosity of our community.