Would you like your son or daughter to learn a game that, studies have shown, will improve their academic performance?  And is also enjoyed by just about everyone who has learned the game?

If you answered “yes”, then talk to your son or daughter about joining the Bigelow Bridge Club.  This fall, Bigelow parent Jeff Lehman will be teaching participating students how to play the card game of bridge.  Math teacher extraordinaire Sue Mortimer will be the faculty advisor.

The first club meeting is Monday, September 8 from 2:50 pm to 3:50 pm.  Club meetings will continue each Monday that school is in session, for the duration of the school year.

Bridge is a game full of strategy and tactics.  It is part science, part math, part reason.  Bridge embodies cooperation, logic and problem-solving.  Bridge can be played in social or tournament settings, and also online.  In the past couple of years, youth bridge players representing Bigelow and other schools in New England have competed against each other at tournament venues in eastern Massachusetts and in New Hampshire.  This fall, youth bridge activities are scheduled for a national bridge tournament to be held in Providence, RI.

Oh, about that impact of learning bridge on academic performance?  Well, one study showed that young bridge players outscored their non-playing counterparts on standardized test scores by 39.31% in Science, 24.22% in Math, and 22.74% in Social Science.

The Bigelow Bridge Club lesson plans are designed just for youth.  No more than ten minutes of each club meeting will be spent on formal instruction.  The rest of the time will be spent doing what your children want most to do, play.  Although bridge is a game of infinite nuance and sophistication, it is also a game of very few rules.  As a result, your children will be playing bridge by the end of the first class!

Will your child enjoy learning bridge?  Well, listen to this video and you will hear how much fun other youth have learning to play bridge, even traveling to tournaments and winning scholarships.  http://www.youth4bridge.org/about/why_play_bridge_video.php

Please contact Jeff Lehman by phone at 617-332-2134 or by e-mail at Jeffrey.Lehman.MA@verizon.net with any questions.

Dear Bigelow Families,

The Bigelow PTO would like to welcome you all to Bigelow and the new school year.  Below are a few dates to get on your calendars to start the school year.

Grade 6 Orientation and Ice Cream Social – Tues. August 26 from 9am – 10:30am

SchoolKidz (Pre ordered School Supplies) Pick up – Tues. August 26 from 10:30am – noon (corridor along courtyard)

All School Picnic – Tues. September 9, 5:30pm – 7:30pm at Burr Park.  This year we will have two food trucks, so you do not have to worry about bringing food that evening.  If the weather does not cooperate, we will move the Picnic indoors to the cafeteria and the gym.

Grade 6 Parent Breakfast – Wed. September 17, 8am – 8:45am

Grade 8 Car Wash and Bake Sale – Fri. September 19 from 3pm – 5pm Bigelow Parking Lot

Grade 6 Parent Potluck – Fri. September 19 – Final time and location to follow

NO SCHOOL – Rosh Hashanah, Thur. Sept 25

Back to School Night – Thur. October 2 from 6:50pm – 9:00pm

First PTO Meeting – Fri. October 3 from 8:30am – 9:45am in the Library

Please note that a comprehensive school calendar can be found on both the Bigelow PTO’s and the Bigelow School’s web sites.

If you have any questions regarding the above events or any other items, please contact us at bigelowbulldog@gmail.com .  We look forward to seeing you around Bigelow and enjoy this last week of summer vacation. ~ Your PTO Co Presidents, Jacquie Arbuckle and Carolyn Judge

If you ordered a SchoolKidz (school supplies) for your student through the Bigelow PTO this past spring, they can be picked up this coming Tuesday, August 26 from 10:30 – noon at Bigelow in the corridor adjacent to the courtyard.  They can also be picked up on the first day of school.  If you ordered a language kit, that is in a separate box (except for Latin).

If you did not order your school supplies through SchoolKidz, class supply lists can be found on the Bigelow Middle School homepage at http://bigelow.newton.k12.ma.us   Please contact us at bigelowbulldog@gmail.com if you have any questions regarding your SchoolKidz order.

Dear Bigelow Families,

On August 9^th an email was sent from the Bigelow PTO asking families to confirm data for the student directory. Although the directory can include numerous emails per family, the confirmation can only go to the email listed as the primary one for the family.

If your family did not receive this email or you have any questions, please email the PTO at bigelowbulldog@gmail.com so we can be sure your family is listed.  

 

Thank you to all of you who have volunteered, donated, baked, sold, chaperoned, washed cars, organized, lead, met, chaired, cooked, bid and painted.  It is your contributions that make Bigelow a better place for our children.  We would like to thank the administration, teachers and staff that educate the students through out the school year.  We so appreciate your dedication and everything that you do for our children.

We congratulate the 8th graders and wish them well as they move on to ninth grade.  A special goodbye to those families that will be leaving Bigelow. We welcome the incoming 6th graders and their families.  Please let us know if you have any questions about Bigelow.  We would like to acknowledge the PTO board members who are leaving the school or stepping down this year:  Julie Bourgoin, Leslie Williams and Ted Everett.   And thank you to Jacquie Arbuckle who has joined next year’s board as co-president.

Again thank you to all.  Have a WONDERFUL summer and see you in September!!

Order your student’s school supplies for next year by 11 pm this evening.  We can not extend this deadline or take any orders after 11 pm.

We are offering this program as a service to the students and parents of our school and hope this makes your preparation for the new school year easier.  Why fight long lines and stress of trying to find every single requested item on your child’s supply list?  All of the shopping is done for you!

The SchoolKidz program:  

• Will save you time,
• Make “back-to-school time” less hectic
• Offers competitive pricing
• Avoid those impulse buys and long lines
• And Bigelow Middle School PTO receives a portion of the sales which will help fund programs like the Creative Arts and Sciences.

You can order the SchoolKidz now through June 22.  Orders can not be accepted after that.  Click here for more information.

All kits will be delivered to the school and can be picked up after the Open House on Tuesday, August 26th or the first day of school – details to follow.

Go to:  www.shopttkits.com and enter acct #32972.

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

Click here to Buy a Book

Please contact us at bigelowbulldog@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Attention graduating 8^th graders! Books for sale!

All Newton North students have required summer reading. This year’s book is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

 For your convenience, the Newton North PTSO will sell copies at Bigelow. Cost: $13 (cash or check payable to New England Mobile Book Fair).

Before the graduation ceremony: Wednesday, June 18, 8:15-9:00 a.m., gym entrance

After the graduation ceremony: Wednesday, June 18, 10:45-11:15 a.m., outside the main office

Newton North PTSO volunteer jobs available!
The Newton North PTSO has several openings for next year. Newton North depends on the generosity of parent/guardian volunteers to help keep our community informed and stay connected. Please consider helping out! Questions? Please contact Sally Brickell and Lynne LeBlanc at co-presidents@northptso.org.

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Board positions
We are fortunate to have a nominating committee to help with the process for the following Board positions:

Co-president
Work with other PTSO co-president and committee chairs to run Newton North PTSO. Strong organizational, people, and technical skills needed. Previous PTO experience is a plus, but not required. Time commitment: 10-15 hours per week.

Programming Chair
Work with current chair and with co-presidents to determine PTSO meeting content and arrange logistics. Attend PTSO board meetings (every six weeks during the school year).

Treasurer

Treasurer responsibilities begin August 1st and extend through July 31st.   Track income and expenses for all PTSO activities. Responsible for Massachusetts and federal non-profit filings.  Learn and use state-of-the art membership software. Use Quicken and Excel to keep financial records.   Interact with all PTSO committees and some teachers and Main Office staff.

No experience necessary (current treasurer will help as needed) just a commitment to maintaining accurate records. Time commitment: 5-10 hours per week.

Non-board positions

Newsletter editor
Help PTSO co-presidents arrange content for the weekly e-newsletter, Tiger News as well as post stories on PTSO website.

Class liaisons 2018—one slot left for a Bigelow parent!
Provide support to class of 2018, help organize one faculty breakfast per year, help class advisors and students with one major event per year, help PTSO solicit volunteers, help Counseling Department with class-specific series.

Parent outreach
Provide two new parent/guardian gatherings – one in the fall and one mid-year. Help PTSO with outreach to new families.

Just Think: Teens Making Smart Choices
Help PTSO organize yearly Just Think: Teens Making Smart Choices expo (January); provide outreach to and liaison for North community with local and some national non-profits.

Student-Faculty Administration
Attend weekly morning meetings with students, faculty, staff, and principal in a non-voting but advisory capacity to help determine school policies.

Webmaster
Help current webmaster with technical oversight of PTSO website. Knowledge of Drupal programming helpful but not required.