Category Archives: From the PTO

Welcome back from vacation!

We have a full week ahead of us. On Monday our students will be celebrating Earth Day, and they are encouraged to wear green and blue. On Thursday, Bigelow Drama will be performing “The Actor’s Nightmare” at school. Sunday is Bigelow Beautification day, part of NewtonServes. “Bigelow’s Got Talent 2017” is in May – everyone interested in participating can sign up for auditions.

And remember to purchase your tickets for the Big Night Luau – we have child care options.

Big Night Luau – tickets on sale and child care

Buy your tickets, invite your friends and get ready for our Big Night Luau!

Child care option: Central Rock Gym, Watertown, generously offered to have our children play there during the party. They can be dropped off at 6:30pm and picked up at 11pm. We only need to provide a list of participants by May 5th. Please, sign up by sending a message to bigelowbulldog@gmail.com.

Bigelow Big Night Luau 2017
When: Saturday, May 20th from 7pm – 11pm.
Where: Commander’s Mansion at the Arsenal in Watertown
              440 Talcott Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472
Tickets: on sale now
Child care: sign up by email

For more information on the event, please visit the Bigelow Big Night Luau 2017 page on our website. If you have any questions please contact Beth Panella at beth.panella@comcast.net.

Thank you,
Tammy McKenna and Beth Panella – your event co-chairs

Bigelow Drama Spring Play: “The Actor’s Nightmare”

ACTOR’S NIGHTMARE, by Christopher Durang, is the short play that Bigelow Drama has chosen for this year’s METG Festival. It is a farcical look into the world of theatre professionals and the nightmares that haunt them.

The Bigelow production will bring a fast-paced, movement-based performance whose primary goal is to introduce the students involved to many styles of movement and performance throughout history.

All are invited to the public performance at the school:

“The Actor’s Nightmare”
Thursday April 27th, 7 pm
Tickets $5 at the door

More information at the Bigelow Drama webpage

Bigelow Beautification – April 30

Join us as we beautify the grounds of Bigelow Middle School. We plan to clean and mulch garden beds, prune shrubs and trees, etc. outdoors. We also may build a short wooden fence to protect planting beds from foot traffic. Please bring some tools to help with the efforts.

This volunteer opportunity is part of NewtonServes, a Day of Community Service that brings together over 1,000 volunteers of all ages. NewtonServes is a project of Newton Community Pride, Mayor’s Office for Cultural Affairs and the Newton Parks and Recreation Department.

Middle School Resources @ the City of Newton

The City of Newton’s Executive Office, Health and Human Services Department and Newton Public Schools are currently working on promoting out-of-school time for middle schoolers. While all young people benefit from out of school time activities that help them grow and learn, middle school tends to be an age when student participation decreases. While still in the early stages of this work, the city has created a webpage on the City website to help families find summer options for their middle schooler, as well as provide other valuable information like financial aid tips, helpful links and more. We will be continually adding more to the webpage in the coming months but with summer coming up we want to share what we have now to help with your planning. We welcome any feedback and ideas.

Middle School Summer Ideas – beyond summer camps

2017 Summer Youth Programs for Newton Youth Grades 5-8

Middle School resources webpage

Tickets for the Big Night are on sale!

Come out for the Big Night and enjoy live music, great food and drinks. It’s a a fun place to catch up with other Bigelow parents and staff. If you are new to the community or if your child is coming to Bigelow next year, it will be a great opportunity to meet new people and some of your child’s future teachers. All present and incoming parents are welcome and can raise funds for art and sciences programs.

We are arranging child care options near by. More information will be available soon.

Buy your tickets here and invite friends to join the fun.

Bigelow Big Night Luau 2017
When: Saturday, May 20th from 7pm – 11pm.
Where: Commander’s Mansion at the Arsenal in Watertown
             440 Talcott Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472
Tickets: on sale now
Why: Money raised from this event supports our students, and it’s a lot of fun!

For more information on the event, please visit the Bigelow Big Night Luau 2017 page on our website. If you have any questions please contact Beth Panella at beth.panella@comcast.net.

Thank you,
Tammy McKenna and Beth Panella – your event co-chairs

National Day of Silence – April 13

With the support of our Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), Bigelow will be observing the National Day of Silence,on Thursday, April 13, 2017.

The Day of Silence is a student-led action sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), in which thousands of students around the country will remain silent for all or part of the school day to call attention to the harassment and discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.

Bigelow students can show their support and participate in the Day of Silence in two ways.

1) REMAIN SILENT FOR THE DAY –  Students making this choice are expected to participate non-verbally in all school-related activities, both in the classroom and the cafeteria. Students can choose to wear a Day of Silence lanyard with a card that explains their silence.

2) BE AN ALLY –  Allies will not remain silent themselves, but will respect the silence of others. Students can choose to wear a Day of Silence lanyard that explains why they are showing their support as an ally.

Participation is completely optional.  Contact Principal Todd Harrison if you have any questions.

Bigelow Math Team won the last meet

Congratulations to the Bigelow Math Team for winning the last meet of the year, on April 6th. With perfect scores from Samir T. and Helen X., Bigelow came out ahead of 6 other schools. Great job everyone!

The Bigelow Math Team is part of the Intermediate Math League of Eastern Massachusetts (IMLEM).  The Team competes against other Newton middle schools, as well as Brookline (Heath), Needham (Pollard) and the Jewish Community Day School (JCDS).