Tickets for the Big Night – “The Bigelow Speakeasy” are on sale now!!

Come out for the Big Night and enjoy two live bands and swing lessons, Our silent auction will feature wonderful donations from area businesses and Bigelow families, as well as many one of kind items donated by the teachers and staff at Bigelow.   We hope you can join us this year.

We will have a Berkshire Mountain Distilleries gratis tasting station as well as a cash bar.  Food for the evening has been graciously donated by:  Sensational Foods    La Bonne Maison    BG Events & Catering    Bakers’ Best    El Pelon 

Click here to purchase your tickets.  The Big Night is on Sat. May 14th 7-11pm at the Commander’s Mansion in Watertown.  Last year’s event was a great success and lots of fun.  

If you have any questions please email us at bigelowbulldog@gmail.com

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

THANK YOU to all of the Bigelow parents, students, faculty and friends who turned out Sunday.  The indoor crew installed almost 120 hooks to hang the students’  backpacks and organize the corridor outside the cafeteria.  No easy task considering the walls are concrete block.

The outdoor crew finished the planting at the main entrance, cleaned up and enhanced the plantings at the island, re loamed and seeded the lawn areas damaged by snow plows, mulched the plant beds and continued to trim the shrubs and trees around the building.

A very special thank you to Andrew Hargens and Jacquie Arbuckle for organizing the inside project, to Tami Ireland for the planting of the island, to Joe Raso for working with us to get the plants, to Audrey Weissborn and Kathy Marsh for their ongoing care of the Bigelow grounds and gardens and to Todd Harrison for working with us all day.

We are looking for volunteers to help with the Big Night on May 14th.  

We need people to help during the day from 11-2 to set up.  Join in and be part of the team to transform the tent at the Commander’s Mansion into the Bigelow Speakeasy.

We also need people to help for an hour or so during the event to assure our night runs smoothly.

If your are interested in volunteering, please contact Beth Panella at beth.ann.panella@bankofamerica.com

Newton Safe Routes to School Task Force is planning a Walk and Bike to School day on Thursday, May 5^th 2016.    Newton students will be joining children across the Commonwealth who will be walking and biking to school, celebrating their livable communities.  Their active commute is good for the environment, it makes them healthy, and gives them more time to be with friends.  The exercise also helps charge their brains and bodies for a good day of learning.  We also applaud “the bus heroes” who are not able to walk or bike but instead take the bus helping to reduce vehicle traffic around the schools.  We are also encouraging students on the bus to thank their bus drivers who make their safe commutes possible.    Handmade cards or even an extra big thank you to the drivers would be greatly appreciated.  For more information feel free to visit us on Facebook at Newton Safe Routes to School.

Kelly Del Greco (formerly Kelly McCarthy), a 5^th grade special education co-teacher from Lincoln Eliot, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer this past July when her son, Danny, was only 10 weeks old. After going through 16 rounds of chemotherapy and a full mastectomy, she was given the news that the cancer had metastasized to her brain. At this time, there is no cure for Kelly’s diagnosis.

Kelly has been a part of the Newton Public School community since she began her student teaching at Lincoln Eliot seven years ago. She was subsequently hired as the first special education co-taught teacher at Lincoln Eliot, working with colleagues that she had completed her student teaching with. Throughout her time at Lincoln Eliot, she has inspired her colleagues, students and the community with her enthusiasm and determination. Her passion for teaching is only eclipsed by her love for her family, especially her Danny boy.

Kelly’s determination is on full display now, as she takes on the challenge of battling cancer. Her main wish right now is to secure her son’s future so that he is able to pursue all of his passions. Below please find the link to the gofundme fundraising page that has been setup to raise money for Danny. https://www.gofundme.com/srzkf4zg

Tuesday May 3rd is Dining for Dollars Night at Bertucci’s to support the Bigelow 8th grade field trips and year end activities.  Bring the attached  flyer to the Newton Corner Bertucci’s at 275 Centre Street and Bigelow will recive 15% of any purchase on May 3rd from 11am to 10pm.  Join friends and family to eat, socialize and support scholarships for Bigelow Students. Dine-in, take-out, or order delivery.  You can also forward the attached flyer to local friends, colleagues and family, and post it on social media.

A 113, 000 square foot self-storage facility (1.5 times larger than Whole Foods in Newtonville) is being proposed for the corner of Newtonville Avenue and Lewis Terrace.  Why is this important for Bigelow Families?  The streets of Newton Corner and Newtonville are already unsafe for our kids walking to and from Bigelow.  This facility will bring increased traffic and truck traffic to congested streets,  as well as bringing individuals with no vested interests into our community, and will increase safety concerns for our children. This is also adjacent to Cabot Park, which many of our families use.

The Land Use Committee is voting on this proposal on May 3, 2016 –  please consider supporting a  petition of the residents opposing this facility, and attending the Land Use Committee meeting at 7 pm at City Hall on May 3.

Click here for a flyer with more information regarding the proposal.

Thank you

Friends of Newtonville Avenue Neighborhood

Friendsofnewtonvilleave@yahoo.com

PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING WITH THIS COMMUNITY EVENT!!

SIGN UP HERE FOR NewtonSERVES on May 1st:  http://www.newtoncommunitypride.org/NewtonSERVES-volunteer.php

Join us as we beautify the grounds and interior of Bigelow Middle School, and build upon the strong and productive turnout in 2015. We plan to clean and mulch garden beds, prune shrubs and trees, plant some shrubs and flowers, etc. outdoors. We will also tackle an indoor project as well.

Please bring gloves, shovels, trowels, pitchforks, wheel barrels, pruners, power drills, etc.  (Please, remember to label them.)

Adults and students are all welcome.  We will have coffee and donuts for the morning shift and will be providing lunch for those who sign up to work the whole day.

More information on NewtonSERVES can be found here  http://www.newtoncommunitypride.org/NewtonSERVES.html

Please email bigelowbulldog@gmail.com with any questions.

• All-color pages
• Durable hard cover with original design by 8th grade artists
• Price: $25
• Deadline: EXTENDED UNTIL FRIDAY, 4/29
• Payments: cash or check

Order today at ybpay.lifetouch.com (Bigelow’s code: 1945916)

If you would rather pay by cash or check (payable to: Bigelow Middle School), please place payment in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and homeroom written on the front. Your child should give the envelope to their homeroom teacher.

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the special PTO meeting on Social Media with Joani Geltman.  A number of people asked if the presentation could be distributed.  Click here for a copy of the powerpoint.

And a special thank you to the Cabot, Day and Underwood PTO’s for co sponsoring this event with us.