Teacher and Staff Appreciation Luncheon 2021

As you may know, every year the PTO hosts a luncheon for the Bigelow teachers and staff. This year, more than any other, we would like to show our immense appreciation for our teachers who have persevered with grace and patience through this incredibly difficult time. The luncheon will be on Thursday, Feb 11, from 11:30-12:30.

Our luncheon will have to be adapted to fit our pandemic reality. While in the past we have asked for donations of luncheon entrees, appetizers, and desserts, this year the PTO will be providing the entrees and appetizers from local restaurants.

To this end, we are asking Bigelow families to chip in by doing one or more of the following:

  • Contribute money towards the cost of the luncheon. We are hoping to raise $1500 to provide a lovely catered lunch for 82 teachers and staff members.
  • Donate desserts. Desserts would need to be packaged individually or in small portions, as you might prepare for a bake sale. We will have a table set up for teachers to make their own to-go dessert boxes.
  • Donate decor items (table cloths, flowers, etc)

Please indicate on this google spreadsheet what you are willing to contribute and/or donate here:

$10 $20 $50

$75 $100 $150

Many thanks in advance for contributing to this important event!

Susan St. Pierre, Karen Yee, and Charlene Gillespie

If you have any questions, please contact: sestpierre@gmail.com 

Bigelow, BBQ and Beets –  Sign Up Now For The Bigelow Trivia Night! 

We have a number of families that have already signed up, so we hope you will, as well!

Join us for a fun evening, testing your knowledge of all things trivia January 29, 2021, 7:30 – 9:30 pm! 
Hosted by local trivia host extraordinaire, James Marohn, you will be challenged with four rounds of questions, covering a broad range of topics, such as sports, Bigelow history, The Office (of course) and Massachusetts trivia. James will use lots of visual and audio clips that will add to the fun!
How to participate: You can sign up here. We will assign teams, which will be a great way to meet other folks from the Bigelow community.
We will contact you again after we have assigned teams, and you will be able to contact your team members directly to decide on a team name. You will receive the Zoom link a few days before the event, along with a confirmation of your team name.
How to add BBQ to your evening: Please consider ordering your dinner that night from Blue Ribbon BBQ! Mention you are part of the Bigelow PTO and 20% of the proceeds from all orders will be donated to the Bigelow PTO, so another great reason to order delicious BBQ!
How to add Beets to your evening: Start by binge watching The Office!
Prizes will be given to the teams that come in first and second, and the team that shows the most Bigelow spirit. So get your Bigelow gear and get ready for a fun night!
Please register by Monday, January 25, 2021.
Questions? Email kmarkson@gmail.com

School Committee Meeting: Agenda for Jan 25

We write to share the following information about the Newton School Committee Meeting on Monday, January 25, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.:

  • Meeting Agenda
  • Meeting Login and Public Comment Instructions

Meeting Agenda

  • Superintendent’s Update
  • Public Comment
  • Spring and Fall Planning Update
  • Ventilation Final Update and Report
  • Testing Working Group Update
  • Elementary Survey Results Addendum
  • MOA with NTA
  • FY22 School Calendar Review: FY22 Calendar
  • Vote: Draft Minutes: September 2, 2020 Draft Minutes

All meeting materials can be found here.

Meeting Login and Public Speak Instructions
https://zoom.us/j/390017072
Meeting ID: 390 017 072
Dial in:+1 646 558 8656 US Meeting ID: 390 017 072

Meetings are also accessible at https://newtv.org/school-committee-meetings

To participate in public comment, please submit your NAME and ADDRESS by email with the subject line “Public Comment for [DATE]” to schoolcommittee@newton.k12.ma.us PRIOR to 7:00 pm, the official start time of the meeting. In order to ensure the committee hears comments on as many issues as possible, please briefly indicate what issue you are speaking to.

You will need to join the Virtual Meeting by computer or phone to participate. During the Public Comment portion of the meeting, the Chair will call your name and the meeting monitor will unmute your microphone.  State your name and address for the minutes and you will have up to three minutes to comment.

Looking to help in the community? Make kids club bags for the Centre Street Food Pantry!

Help give families with children an extra bag of food as part of the Kids Club Program. Please help by making a grocery bag (or more than one) filled with kid-friendly foods. If you’re interested, go to the website www.centrestfoodpantry.org/donate-food … Continue reading →

Looking for something to do Martin Luther King Day weekend and the following weekend?

Consider Belmont World Film’s Family Festival View the festival trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzi8KRjhQfY Belmont World Film’s Family Festival goes completely virtual this year, expanding from its typical four days to ten to allow audience members to view film at their leisure … Continue reading →

News from Principal Harrison

From the Principal’s Office, on Jan 16, 2021:

Dear Bigelow Families,

I am writing to let you know that I have decided to retire at the end of this school year in June 2021.  After working as an educator in middle schools for 35 years–and the last 25 years at Bigelow–it is time to pass the torch to a younger person.

I do not make this decision lightly or as a result of the pandemic.  I have been thinking about it for a while. My heart and soul are in this special place, and there is so much to be done to overcome this current crisis. I fully intend to give every ounce of my energy to make sure that we succeed in creating the best middle school experience possible for our precious students. They deserve nothing less.

I have been blessed by opportunities at Bigelow and in Newton beyond anything imaginable;  I have accomplished my dreams as a middle school educator.  When next September arrives, I hope that a new beginning can take place, and it will be time for a new leader to take Bigelow to the next level in its wonderful history.

 

It hurts to leave such an amazing school and community. When I started as a seventh grade teacher, there were no personal computers, no email, no MCAS, very few middle schools, and limited knowledge about the needs of this age group.  When I came to Bigelow, it was just emerging as a middle school after being shuttered for several years due to low enrollment. Now, after years of thoughtful work and teaching by scores of teachers, counselors, and staff, I see a shining model of the incredible impact that a middle school can have in helping young people discover their many talents and opening a wide world of possibilities to them.

The power of public education in Newton has always been the collaboration here of smart, creative, and dedicated professionals.  I am forever grateful to the staff at Bigelow, my fellow middle school principals, central office leaders, curriculum coordinators, and the PTO and parent community. The list of names is long.  No matter how big the challenge, I always knew that we could solve it together, and this year has proven this fact once again.

Most of all I will miss the generations of students who have walked the halls of Bigelow. Their eager faces–and not so eager faces some days–have energized and motivated me everyday and will continue to do so.  May the force of the Bigelow core values be with them always! .

Superintendent Fleishman will be in touch soon with information about a search process.

Thank you all. I will miss you. There’s still lots of work to be done now.  Onward and upward!

Todd

Todd Harrison, Principal