Category Archives: From the PTO

How will my student get to Bigelow this fall?

This summer NPS partnered with City departments and Newton Safe Routes to School  to identify and implement safety improvements on routes to schools*. A page with transportation resources for Bigelow is available at the Safe Routes to School website: check it out!

NEW THIS FALL

  • Two entrances will be open for students: the front entrance at Vernon for students coming from the North and the Gym entrance, at the parking lot, for those coming from the South.
  • Bus Zone moved to Arlington St. Yellow buses will drop off and pick up students on Arlington St. Please AVOID driving on Arlington as cars cannot pass the buses. See map here.
  • Changes in traffic and parking regulations around Bigelow in light of Covid. See here.

At Bigelow, we are hoping that more students will walk or bike to school!** Let’s start planning how your student will get to class if they are in the hybrid model.

  1. Walking: Lots of students walk to Bigelow every day. Walking with friends is always fun – and a healthy activity to start the day**. If your students would like to participate in a walking group, please fill out this form and we will help you connect with other families.
  2. Biking: Bigelow has bike racks in front of the school and at the parking lot on Park Street. Safe Routes to School crowdsourced routes to Bigelow in Ride with GPS. We recommend that your student test these and find what works best for them. If your student would like to participate in a bike train, please fill out this form and we will help you connect with other families.
  3. Bus: Bigelow Middle School is served by both yellow school buses and the MBTA. New this year: Bus Zone on Arlington St. Check out bus routes and schedule for Bigelow and an interactive map of NPS bus stops by school. MBTA Bus 57, at Park St. and Elmwood. METCO students will find their bus stops here. Visit the NPS School Transportation webpage for more information.
  4. Car: Please, help minimize traffic immediately around schools. If you must drive, find an area to drop off and pick up away from the school to avoid getting caught in school traffic and to make it safer for everyone. This also prioritizes access for those students who do need to be driven. Work with your student to find a location that works for your family. Find suggestions here.

Please note temporary changes in traffic and parking and regulations around Bigelow.   Read all communications from Mr. Harrison about arrival and dismissal protocols very carefully as there might be more changes.

Getting students to school safely is a community effort!

* More details about school transportation at the Return to Learn Plan.

** Walking or biking to school provides part of the physical activity students need to arrive at school ready to be in control of their bodies for the day and ready to learn. Active transportation also helps to  improve air quality around schools, and children are particularly vulnerable to the health effects of air pollution, which are linked to asthma and other respiratory diseases, such as Covid-19.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle School Supplies

While getting ready for the school year, the PTO invites you to think about school supplies in a sustainable way.  

This is a great opportunity to embrace our sustainable values with our children and show them how they can personally take climate action. Going together with the kids through their books, notes and school materials can be a valuable experience – in economic and environmental terms – and help reducing waste at the end of the school year by practicing the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

There’s a reason reduce & reuse come before recycle – not just because it sounds good, but it’s the order in which we should approach sustainability. Here are some tips to use with your child when gathering their school supplies:

  • Empty backpacks, pencil cases, binders, folders.
  • Clean everything (a swipe of rubbing alcohol can remove marker and make everything looks like new).
  • Repair or patch what you can. 
  • Organize pens, pencils, markers, scissors, calculators, etc.
  • Take out the used pages of notebooks and evaluate what can be reused in school or at home.

You will note that you can really reduce the purchase of new supplies because a lot can be reused. And we can all celebrate how much energy, water, resources and money we will have saved in our community! 

Check out more resources:

Remote Drop-Off/Pick-Up

We encourage students to walk, bike or take the bus to school. If you must drive, please find an area to drop off and pick up away from the school to avoid getting caught in school traffic and to make it safer for everyone. This also prioritizes access for those students who do need to be driven. Work with your student to find a location that works for your family.

Some suggestions are:

  • Park St, between Farlow and Church
  • Church St
  • Eldredge St
  • Arlington St, between Waverly and Pembroke
  • Please AVOID Arlington St between Waverly and Park, as it is now a Yellow Bus Zone

PLEASE NOTE temporary changes to Traffic and Parking regulations around Bigelow.

FORJ (Families Organizing for Racial Justice) Survey

We are asking for your feedback around Racial Justice Activites at Bigelow!

Bigelow FORJ is a school-based chapter of Newton’s Families Organizing for Racial Justice (FORJ). Newton FORJ is a group of diverse Newton families helping our children learn about issues of power and inequality and how to stand up for racial justice. We seek to generate understanding and curiosity about differences in our society, and to work together towards racial equity.

As we begin to plan activities for learning this year, please help us understand your interest and needs regarding racial justice at Bigelow by completing this brief survey, which includes activities around this year’s One School One Book, New Kid.

Fill the Survey
PLEASE RESPOND by no later than August 31, 2020.

Any questions? please email bigelowforj@gmail.com

Your Bigelow FORJ representatives:
Danielle Ahite-De Medeiros, Davena Jackson, Julie Landesman, Madeline McNeely, Margo Michaels, Ruth Hertzman-Miller, Becca Schulman Havemeyer

A big thank you from the PTO!

The 2019/2020 school year will be long remembered as a year that brought huge changes and challenges for all of us. We are so thankful to our wonderful Bigelow community for rallying behind the school, staff, students and the PTO these past many weeks. You have supported us and confirmed how much we all believe in our love of learning, our respect for oneself and one another and our commitment to making the world a better place.

We hope you have a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing you in the fall!

A special thank you to our Co-President Una Simmons!

We wish to send our heartfelt gratitude to Una, who has worked tirelessly for the Bigelow PTO for the past nine years, as her three daughters, Chelsea, Tess and Katelin have all attended Bigelow.

She has served in a number of roles including Vice President of Fundraising, Co-President and Chairperson of Ten Tables/Supper Stroll, and Big Night.  She has organized countless events such as Celtics Night, Skate Night, Back to School picnics, car washes, and bake sales. She took the lead a few weeks ago to organize the eighth grade gift to the school and the goody bags for the eighth grade students to make sure they would have a memorable gift at the end of their time at Bigelow. And it was Una who conceived the wonderful plan to have a reunion party in 2024 for our 2020 graduating class.

During her tenure, she has overseen raising over $200,000 for the PTO. Her enthusiasm for the Bigelow community is unrivaled, and her hard work and devotion to the PTO is unmatched.

Thank you again, Una, for all you have done.

Fall PTO Events

The PTO will be back in contact in early August with further information regarding PTO events once school opens. The Back to School picnic, 6th grade potluck dinner and Ten Tables traditionally take place in September and October. As we look forward to the start of the school year, we are hopeful that we will have a better understanding of what we are able to do.