Bigelow is rolling out the new 10 Day/2 Week schedules on Tuesday, Sept.29.

1) Teachers will send students new zoom meeting invitation links by Tuesday morning. These will populate your children’s google calendar, and are their primary “one-stop-shop” schedule, with all classes and meeting links in one place.

2) Here  is a color-coded student schedule template for week 1 and week 2.
During Advisory on Tuesday morning, teachers will show students how to fill in each week using their day to day Aspen schedule.  Once complete, students will have a color-coded schedule with all class times.  This version is a secondary  schedule for your child. Your child can complete electronically as a google.doc, or if you have prefer, you can print out a hard copy for your child to fill out by hand. Extra color-coded hard copies are available at Bigelow.
Download PDF here. Download Word document here.

On Tuesday, the school will offer a “help desk” in case a student has any difficulty with this new 10day/2 week schedule.  Please email  bigelow.support@newton.k12.ma.us if you have questions on Tuesday.

Dear Bigelow Community,

We are looking for a volunteer to help the PTO with our annual tax filings. If you are an accountant or lawyer specializing in taxes, we would greatly appreciate your assistance. Thank you!

Bigelow PTO Board

Middle school students are invited to join the Boys & Girls Club of Newton Out-of-School Time Program For Fall 2020. Out-of-School Time accommodates Newton Public School’s full day remote schedule in place for the first few weeks for all students and aims to offer children a small, consistent group and a safe, clean workspace unique only to them in which they can complete their lessons.

For more details, or to reserve a spot for your middle school child to begin as early as Monday September 21st, click HERE.

Click HERE for a virtual tour of the Club and to see the Classrooms that will be in use.

Dear Bigelow Families,

We hope that this first week of school has gone well for you! We are looking forward to the new year and to sponsoring creatively both social and fundraising events to benefit our Bigelow community.

First up will be the 6th grade get-togethers over the weekends of September 26 and October 3! We will be sending a sign-up sheet for 6th graders on Monday, September 21st, so please look for that and sign up as soon as possible so that we can confirm plans with our generous host families! 

After that, we will have our Fall PTO meeting – stay tuned this week for more details.

As always, thank you for your support of the Bigelow PTO!

Best wishes,

Karen Markson
PTO President

Dear Bigelow Community,

We are sharing the message below, at the request of a group of Newton scientists/physicians/parents who are engaged in the “Safer Teachers, Safer Students: Back-to-School SARs-CoV-2 testing collaborative”. You have a few more hours to fill this survey if you have not done so already.

Original post from: UC Berkeley – Be Well At Work

When a student is provided with a laptop computer or other device, to aid in the learning process, there are some things to consider for reducing stresses to their body. Here are some good practices to follow so they do not develop bad habits now that can contribute to discomfort down the road.

Read full report here.

Things to Consider

• Cognitive overload is reduced by changing positions frequently and building in play
  and physical movement time.
• Creating a structured day helps develop a stimulating routine for younger students.
• Using headphones can improve posture and focus but remember to keep the volume
  at 60% of the range to save the eardrums.
• Protect the eyes by following the 20/20/20 rule – every 20 minutes look at something
  20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Then check out the Newton SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) at newtonpac.org We are a volunteer organization of parents of children with special needs from preschool through high school. We run an online Google Group – Newton SEPAC – where parents can ask other parents about special education programs, issues, policies, and resources. We also sponsor monthly informational meetings and work directly with the school administration regarding our children’s education.

We are also in need of a parent representative for Bigelow.

If you are interested in the position or would like more information about the SEPAC in general, please contact Liaison Coordinator Kim Gallaugher at momofiggy@hotmail.com

Your feedback is needed to inform & support racial justice activities at Bigelow!

Bigelow FORJ is a school-based chapter of Newton’s Families Organizing for Racial Justice (FORJ). We are a group of devoted parents and faculty committed to raising anti-racist children who acknowledge the pervasiveness of oppression and marginalization. We invite parents and children to engage in critical conversations that support questioning, interrogating, and dismantling white supremacy, including anti-Blackness and all forms of racial injustice.

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

TAKE THE SURVEY

WE NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU; PLEASE RESPOND no later than September 23rd, 2020.

If you have questions or would like to join us in leading these efforts, please email us at bigelowFORJ@gmail.com THANK YOU!

First day of school will be Wednesday September 16th.

School will start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3:05 p.m.

All information about 2020-21 School Re-Opening can be found in the Newton Public Schools website.

• Read the Latest communication updates from the Newton School District
• View the very comprehensive COVID-19 Health Manual (Last updated 9/10/20)