We have two urgent committee needs:  

• Advertising for Directory – Solicit advertisements for the school directory.  Will need to happen in the next few weeks so we can get the directory out.
• Bake Sales and other small fundraisers – Organize bake sales for political elections throughout the year. Anticipate two elections in the 2013-14 school year.   There is a citywide election on September 17.

Please email bigelowbulldog@gmail.com if you are interested in either of these positions or have any questions.

The sign up meeting for the Bigelow Cross Country team will be held on Wednesday, September 4 after school in the library. Cross country is open to all three grade levels and everybody makes the team. The meeting will be brief, but is mandatory for those students interested in participating. At the meeting, students will have an opportunity to learn about the sport and will receive a packet of information as well as consent forms that need to be signed and returned for those students who decide to join. If your child is interested, please make sure that he/she has an updated physical on file with the school nurse. The physical needs to have been completed within the last thirteen months.

If you ordered you child’s school supplies through the PTO / schoolkidZ and missed picking them up on August 27th, your child can get them on the first day of school.  They are located in the corridor outside the cafeteria, along the courtyard windows.  The foreign language kit is in a separate box, so please remember to pick that up as well.

If you were not able to order your child’s school supplies through the PTO, supplies lists were included in the handbooks that were mailed home in mid August by the school.  They can also be found on the Bigelow Middle School website at http://bigelow.newton.k12.ma.us/content/supply-lists

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 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.

For more information on Bridge, watch  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.

The sign up meeting for the Bigelow Cross Country team will be held on Wednesday, September 4 after school in the library. Cross country is open to all three grade levels and everybody makes the team. The meeting will be brief, but is mandatory for those students interested in participating. At the meeting, students will have an opportunity to learn about the sport and will receive a packet of information as well as consent forms that need to be signed and returned for those students who decide to join. If your child is interested, please make sure that he/she has an updated physical on file with the school nurse. The physical needs to have been completed within the last thirteen months.

Hello to the Bigelow Community,

We hope you have had a relaxing and enjoyable summer.  It is hard to believe the students will be returning to school in less than two weeks. Please see below for a few reminders to begin the school year.

Sign up for Bigelow PTO Email: If you know someone who is not receiving these emails but would like to, please have them go to the Bigelow PTO website to sign up (http://bigelowpto.org). The Bigelow PTO emails are a great way to keep up with what is happening in our school community.

Regards and enjoy these last days of summer,

Julie Bourgoin and Carolyn Judge
Bigelow PTO Co-Presidents (bigelowbulldog@gmail.com)

If you have ordered you child’s school supplies through the PTO / schoolkidZ, they will be available for pick up Tuesday, August 27 from 10:30 – 12:00 pm or the first day of school.  They are located in the corridor outside the cafeteria, along the courtyard windows.  The foreign language kit is in a separate box, so please remember to pick that up as well. Thank you to Alicia Herbert and Mindy Peckler for organizing the ordering, assembly and distribution of these supplies.  Also thank you to the volunteers who helped assemble the kits.

If you were not able to order your child’s school supplies through the PTO, supplies lists were included in the handbooks that were mailed home in mid August by the school.  They can also be found on the Bigelow Middle School website at http://bigelow.newton.k12.ma.us/content/supply-lists

6th Grade Ice Cream Social / Tour:  All incoming 6th grade students are invited to visit the school on Tuesday, August 27 from 9 – 10:30 am. Students will have an opportunity to visit their homerooms, meet other homeroom classmates, receive their schedules, tour classrooms, and have refreshments and socialize.

First Day of School:  The first day of school is Tuesday September 3. Doors open at 8:00 and students should report to their homerooms by 8:15. 6th grade parents are welcome to accompany their children to their homebase and then join Principal Todd Harrison for coffee in the library between 8:00 – 8:45 .

Welcome Back Picnic: All Bigelow Families are invited to a Back to School Picnic on Tuesday, September 10. Please join us to catch up with old friends and meet new ones at Burr Park from 5:30 – 7:30.

We would like to thank all of you who have volunteered to take on board and committee positions for the 2013 / 2014 year.  We do have a few open positions.  If you would like to volunteer for one of these positions or would like more information, please send an email to bigelowbulldog@gmail.com

• Vice President (2 positions open) – Work with board chairs and committee chairs to coordinate yearly activities.
• Advertising for Directory – Solicit advertisements for the school directory. Most activity takes place over the summer.
• Magazine Drive Coordinator – Coordinate the annual magazine drive fundraiser in the fall.
• Cookie Dough Fundraiser Coordinator – Coordinate the annual cookie dough fundraiser in the winter.
• Big Night Co-Chair (1 position open) – Assist the other Big Night co-chair to plan and implement this wintertime parent’s night out fundraiser.
• Soup and Supper Stroll Co-Chair (1 position open) – Assist the co-chair with organizing this fall event.
• Bake Sales and other small fundraisers – Organize bake sales for political elections throughout the year. Anticipate two elections in the 2013-14 school year.
• Hospitality – Coordinate refreshments for PTO meetings and events.
• Community Outreach / Green Decade – Work with students and teachers identifying programs where students can make a difference.

Hello Bigelow friends,

If you are in town on Monday, August 19 and have some time to spare, we could really use your help. Pre-ordered SchoolKidz will be arriving soon and volunteers are needed to assemble the kits. Whether your schedule allows for you to stop by for 30 minutes or a couple of hours, your help would be much appreciated. Alicia Herbert will have everything set up in the Bigelow cafeteria at 10:00 a.m. and plans to finish around noon. Please call or text Alicia at 857-417-2860 to volunteer. (Thank you, Alicia, for taking on this task!)

Thank you and we hope you are having a fabulous summer!

Regards,

Julie Bourgoin and Carolyn Judge

Bigelow PTO Co-Presidents