Many thanks to Ron Farrar, Suriya Ziblatt, and Sirimon Parker for organizing an amazing teacher appreciation week complete with 3 luncheons. On Monday, 6th grade families treated Bigelow staff to lunch followed by 7th grade families on Wednesday. The 8th grade will cap off the week with an apppreciation lunch on Friday.
Thank you to the many families who donated time, money, and food to help show our appreciation for Bigelow’s incredible teachers and staff!
Huge thank you to the volunteers who helped reinvigorate the grounds around Bigelow on Sunday morning for Newton Serves! Volunteers tirelessly weeded, planted, and mulched garden beds, and cleaned outdoor spaces around the school. Be sure to admire the new plantings and watch the gardens take shape in the coming months and years!
Reminder for 8th grade families! Please see payment information below for the 8th Grade Dinner Dance Cruise. We are also collecting donations to a scholarship fund!
BOSTON DINNER DANCE CRUISE: Tuesday, June 20th 6-9 pm
This dinner dance cruise in Boston has been fun, enjoyable, and safe Bigelow tradition for 8th grade classes, and we are excited for our students to have this experience. The cruise will be chaperoned, and includes a full dinner, drinks and a DJ.
PAYMENT: $75 per student (Scholarships are available)
Payment can be made in one of the following ways:
SCHOLARSHIPS: If you are in need of financial assistance, please contact your student’s math teacher or the 8th grade School Counselor, Ms. Morrow.
All students who want to attend will be able to!
DONATIONS: Please consider a donation to the scholarship fund
To ensure all students who want to attend end of year 8th grade activities are able to, we are collecting donations for scholarships for students in need of monetory support. Donations can be made by any of the 3 payment methods above. Please indicate “8th grade donation” in the note field.
For more information for 8th grade activities please see this link.
Please reach out to Gabriela Kroszynski at frinulia@hotmail.com and/or Heather Pozen at hpoz@comcast.net with any questions.
The Department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Office of Student Services would like to invite you to our upcoming NPS community forum: Culturally Responsive Community
This virtual event is open to all NPS students, parents, staff and administrators to hear from Lorena Germán, educator and author of Textured Teaching: A Framework for Culturally Sustaining Practices. Her presentation will be followed by a panel of NPS students and educators, who will speak about their identities and experiences with culturally-responsive instruction and practices in our school community.
For the last several years, NPS leaders have been engaged in professional development and training to enhance culturally responsive instruction (CRI) in the classroom and beyond. This conversation is intended to help broaden the community’s understanding of the values, components and impact of a culturally responsive school community which acknowledges and embraces ALL identities and learning needs represented within NPS.
*To register, please RSVP in advance in order to receive a zoom link prior to the event.
Volunteer for Bigelow SERVES
Sunday, May 7th 9 am to ~1pm*
*Please note earlier end time
Please join us this Sunday, May 7th to help reinvigorate the green areas around Bigelow for NewtonSERVES 2023. The event will run from 9 am to ~1pm (please note earlier end time) and volunteers are welcome to drop in for any amount of time. Every minute of your time helps!
Please wear work clothes and bring a refillable water bottle. We also request the following items if you have them:
**Please label any tools you bring so we can be sure they are reunited with you at the end of the event.**
NewtonSERVES is annual city-wide day of community service. This year the goal across Newton is to focus volunteer efforts on cleaning and improving our parks, school grounds, open space areas, and conservation lands. Please join us in building community through service!
All Bigelow families, friends, and neighbors are welcome!
Questions? Please email Giulia Guffanti (giuliaguffa@gmail.com) or Elizabeth Apgar (erapgar@gmail.com)
In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 7th – 13th), the Bigelow PTO will host three luncheons for our dedicated teachers and staff. Each lunch will be catered by families from each grade:
Please review sign-up links for each grade above, and deliver your donated item to Bigelow the morning of your grade’s luncheon.
We are also accepting monetary donations to fund luncheon items. If you would prefer to donate money, the steps are:
This will be our final teacher appreciation event of the year. Let’s give our Bigelow staff a big thanks for all that they do!
If you have any questions, please contact Ron Farrar (ronfarrar@gmail.com) and Suriya Sangsub (suriya59@hotmail.com).
YEARBOOK ORDERING DETAILS
ORDERING OPTION #1: ***We encourage ordering online***
ORDERING OPTION #2:
Did you know that 1 in 3 families struggle to afford diapers? Diapers are expensive, and having to buy them can take away from a family’s ability to buy food or other necessities.
Please support local families who need diapers!
Donate diapers (size NB-7) from April 22nd – May 6th Open boxes are welcome but please put diapers in labeled plastic sleeves or bags.
DROP OFF LOCATIONS
FamilyACCESS of Newton (492 Waltham St, West Newton) Drop off inside the front doors from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm when the building is open. Look for a table with a diaper dropoff sign. NO weekend dropoffs.
American Legion Nonantum Post 440 (295 California St, Nonantum) Drop off in the main office 7 days a week from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. From the parking lot, enter the glass doors, up the steps, and turn left.
Porch dropoff (128 Herrick Road, Newton Centre) Drop off in the bin marked “Diapers” at the top of the driveway or on the front porch at 128 Herrick Road.
Purchase diapers from our Amazon Wish List https://tinyurl.com/nndiaperdrive23 Diapers will be shipped directly to one of our collection points.
Pick up free diapers for your family on May 13th
Pick up diapers between 7:30 am – 12:30 pm at one of these locations – no identification or registration required
Newton Neighbors Helping, welcoming, connecting neighbors https://www.facebook.com/groups/newtonneighborshelping newtonneighborshelping@gmail.com
Newton Safe Routes to School needs your help by May 8! We especially want to hear from Bigelow families and students as they are underrepresented so far on the maps!
Please thoughtfully fill out this public input tool to help inform Newton’s first Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan. The City of Newton is collecting feedback through May 8. The survey instrument works best with a desktop or laptop computer. If you aren’t successful at making the survey work, you can also email your comments to bikepedplan@newtonma.gov. Please be as specific as possible.
The goal of this project is to create an implementation-focused Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan that will strategically recommend investments over a 5-year timeframe to ensure the walking and biking networks in Newton are safe and accessible for all ages and abilities. More about the project here: www.NewtonMA.gov/bikepedplan
Want to get involved in Safe Routes to School at Bigelow? Reach out to Bigelow Rep Alex Rolfe at NewtonSafeRoutes@gmail.com.
Bike skills event on May 7
Register now for Newton’s 3rd annual “bike rodeo” at Newton South on Sunday, May 7. MA Safe Routes to Schools instructors will teach and review bike riding skills for Newton school students in Grades K-6. Volunteers from Bike Newton and the Newton Safe Routes to Schools Task Force will share information about making sure your body and bicycle are ready to ride, road signs, hand signals, and more.
Students must bring their own helmet, bike and adult, and already be comfortable riding a bike.
