Please join us for our next PTO meeting on Thursday, April 26th at 8:30 am in the Bigelow library. This promises to be an interesting meeting as we will have a presentation on Title 1 services, as well as a visit by our Superintendent of schools, David Fleishman. Come support our PTO – coffee and refreshments will be provided!!

Volunteers are needed to work at Bigelow as part of this year’s Newton Serves community service day on Sunday, April 29, 9:30 am -12:30 pm. We need 15-20 volunteers to beautify the grounds and apply mulch and topsoil to the flower beds. Children, ages 8 and older, are welcome as well. To register, go to www.newtoncommunitypride.org/NewtonSERVES.html

Save the Date!

Bigelow Teacher Appreciation Tea

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

Please help us create a delightful lunch to show our appreciation to our wonderful teachers and staff!

Please consider donating food:

Fruit, quiches, finger sandwiches, salads, scones, dessert

We also need set up help at 12:30 pm, or clean up help at 3:30 pm.

We are also accepting gift cards to area businesses or restaurants to be used in a raffle for the teachers at the event.

For more information, or to volunteer please respond to the PTO at Bigelowbulldog@gmail.com

Thank you for your support!!

Dear Parents/Guardian,
Back by popular demand! We will be using the convenient services of Staples SchoolKidz, Inc. and their Teacher Tailored® back-to-school supply kit program again this year.

Staples SchoolKidz, Inc. offers brand name items, chosen by the teachers and is exactly what is on your child’s supply list. The Brand names include, but are not limited to, Crayola®, Fiskars®, Elmer’s® and Staples®. Best of all, the entire package comes in a reusable personalized kit.

We are offering this program as a service to the students and parents of our school. We hope this makes planning for the next school year at Bigelow Middle School easier. We believe this is a wonderful program for purchasing your child’s exact school supplies and encourage you to take advantage of this offer. 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!! Just think you will have more summer vacation time, making “back-to-school time” less hectic and more enjoyable for both students and parents. We believe you will find the pricing to be very reasonable. All kits will be delivered to the school.

It is important for you to register with the Bigelow PTO at www.bigelowpto.org so you can receive our email which will communicate deadlines and the August pick up date/time.

Please go to www.shopttkits.com or www.bigelowpto.org for the link to Schoolkidz. Remember our school code is 32972.

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

Laurie Gershkowitz, Laura Holt, Allison Avramovich, and Becky Manley Co-Presidents

We have scheduled the QUEBEC pre-departure meeting to be held Tuesday, May 8th, 6:45PM in the Bigelow library.
The meeting lasts about an hour and is mandatory for grade 8 students who are heading to Quebec, plus their parents or guardians.
We look forward to seeing you there and answering all your questions about packing, currency, safety, etc.

Thank you to all members of the Bigelow community for your help on our recent fundraising efforts for the 8th grade WL trips to NYC and Quebec! On Friday, February 23rd we had a bake sale, a raffle to shave Mr. Waldman and Mr. Spiegel, and a dough raiser at UNOs. All of these events were a total success and would not have been possible without all of your help! Thank you so much! Please keep an eye out for future fundraising events…

As another fundraiser for the 8th grade WL trips to NYC and Quebec, we recently conducted a T-shirt Design Contest. All students were encouraged to submit entries, and we received so many! We then narrowed down the designs and had all students vote for their favorite design. The winning design was created by 6th graders Jonathan H. and Connor F. It really turned out great! We will now be creating t-shirts with this winning design, and taking orders for them. The t-shirts must be ordered in advance. Order forms for the t-shirts will be going out to all students soon, and I will also attach a copy. Please return all order forms to Ms. Calabria (Room 213 or mailbox) by Friday, April 13th.

April 26th – PTO Meeting 8:30 AM

May 1st – Teacher Appreciation Tea

May 23rd-25th – 8th Grade to NY,Quebec

June 8th – Step up Day and Surf the Turf

June 13th – 8th Grade Graduation and Dance at nite

June 14th – 8th grade-Six Flags

June 15th – Last day of School

Parent Information: The Cinnamon Challenge

There have been recent reports of young people engaging in an activity called “The Cinnamon Challenge.”  This practice is being promoted via social networking and in You Tube videos.  The challenge involves an attempt to eat or swallow a tablespoon of ground cinnamon in under 60 seconds without drinking.  This often causes coughing, choking, gagging, watering of the eyes and burning of the mouth and throat.

Dr. Karen Sadler, Newton’s School Physician, said the fad is dangerous, particularly for children with asthma or other respiratory conditions.

“For many kids this is probably just a game that would result in coughing and gagging, but others could inhale cinnamon into the lungs and require emergency care,” she said.

Another concern is an ingredient in cinnamon called cassia that may affect blood clotting, blood sugar levels, or worsen liver disease.

“I encourage parents to talk to their children about why this is an unsafe game,” Sadler said. “This is one of those hidden dangers children may be unaware of. We want all of our children to remain healthy and safe.”

Please call your school nurse if you have any concerns or questions.

We are having our track information meeting on Wednesday 3/21 after school.  8th graders should report to room 212 (Ms. Summa), 7th graders should report to room 210 (Ms. Rice) and 6th graders should report to room 102 (Mr. Smalley’s room to meet with Ms. Hall.)  This meeting is mandatory for anyone interested in running this year.

The Newton Partnership is excited to sponsor Dr. Michael Thompson this coming Thursday, March 8 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Newton South auditorium.  This is a reminder as this presentation has been advertised in the community.   Continue reading →