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Free Prep Time Debate Camp for Middle Schoolers
Hello Everyone,
My name is Arman Tendulkar, and I am a sophomore at Newton South High School. I, along with my friends Jasper Datta, Enya, and Esme Kamadoli from Newton South, Zach Yusaf from the Hackley School, and Sean Lee from Dwight-Englewood created Prep Time Debate Camp. Prep Time Debate Camp is for middle-school students who want to improve their public speaking skills or want to learn about high school Public Forum Debate. PFD is a form of debate in which two teams of two argue for or against a resolution (for example, Resolved: The United States should provide universal healthcare for all).
The camp will be at least 8 hours of direct online instruction on a platform known as Zoom across four weeks, meeting as a group, two times a week for 1 hour each. The staff will consist of high school debaters from different backgrounds across the Northeast, teaching Middle Schoolers the fundamentals of debate such as researching, writing cases, and learning overall how a debate round works. Concepts like public speaking, research skills, and articulation can be very useful in job interviews, leadership activities, or anytime you need to captivate an audience.
If you are at all interested in the camp, please fill out this survey, and remember, by filling it out, you are in no way committing to the camp. After seeing how many people want to participate, we will send out an email with the final logistics, such as timings, the number of middle schoolers in a group. On a final note, all the optional donation we get will be given the Boston Debate League to help children access formal clothing and to help send them to tournaments once COVID-19 is over.
Here is the link to the survey if you wish to sign up: https://forms.gle/eHHaHqStDjDp3m7RA
Thank you, and stay safe! Best Wishes,
Arman Tendulkar
Parents Helping Parents of Massachusetts
Parents or guardians with problems relating to their children are welcome to call Parents Helping Parents at any time. Trained volunteer counselors offer a way to relieve stress in a non-judgmental and sympathetic environment. Parents Helping Parents offer support to anyone seeking help, no matter how big or small.
Parental Stress Line: 1-800-632-8188
- All Languages Available
- Toll-free helpline for parents
- Support and compassion
- Someone to talk to and help you plan what to do next
- Information and resources in your area
- Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Parental Stress Line (PSL) is confidential and anonymous
- Mon 9:00am & 6:00pm
- Tue 9:00am & 3:00pm
- Wed 9:00am & 6:00pm
- Thu 9:00am & 3:00pm
- Fri 8:30am & Noon
Click this link to join a meeting by computer or smartphone: https://zoom.us/j/8678605296
Or dial in by phone : +1 1646-558-8656 then input the meeting id 8678605296#
More at Parents Helping Parents
Safe Routes to School yard sign contest – deadline extended!
Massachusetts Safe Routes to School has extended their deadline to May 1st for their annual yard sign design contest. This year’s theme is eliminating distracted driving, especially in and around school zones. The contest is a way for students to use their creativity to help promote safe routes for cyclists and pedestrians in their communities. Winning entries will be made into yard signs – signs from prior years are on display around Newton.
Signs may be hand drawn or created digitally. Either way, please submit them digitally; also, a school signature is no longer needed unless your student’s design is selected as a winner.
The contest is open to students in grades 2-8. Guidelines and more details here: https://www.mass.gov/doc/yard-sign-design-contest-signups-and-guidelines-2020/download. Direct questions to NewtonSafeRoutes@gmail.com.
Newton South Faculty and Staff Variety Show on Zoom!
Announcing the Faculty and Staff Variety Show on Zoom! Saturday, April 18th, at 7:00 pm.
See Newton South faculty and staff members sing and dance (mostly sing) for an evening of joy and humor to celebrate our community, even at a distance.
Click Here on Saturday night for the show–from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.
Your enthusiastic hosts,
Rachel Becker, Tori Parker, and Alan Reinstein
Project Driveway: Grocery Delivery to Help Prevent the Spread of COVID-19
Project Driveway is a group of students from a variety of schools in the Greater Boston area such as Brookline High School, Newton South High School, Needham High School, and more. With school out and not much to do, we decided to invest our time and energy into giving back to the amazing communities during this time of crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic is causing many elderly and immunocompromised residents to be a lot more vulnerable than they previously have been, and that makes it a lot more difficult for them to get the groceries we need. Us teenagers are significantly less susceptible to the coronavirus so we can go and get the specific groceries that others need. Our volunteers will go to grocery stores around the area, pick up groceries, and bring them right to the driveways of those in need. We all follow strict sanitization guidelines which can be viewed here in order to prevent the spread of the virus and ensure that the people we deliver food to stay safe.
More here: Project Driveway
Bigelow 3.0: Distance Learning at Bigelow
Bigelow 3.0 has been officially launched! Please note:
- Before 7pm on Sunday, April 12
Your child will receive an invitation from his/her/their homeroom teacher with a zoom meeting link to Monday morning’s “Weekly Preview” at 9am. At the “Weekly Preview,” all homerooms will meet with their advisor to preview the assignments and schedule for the week.
- Between Sunday April 12, 7pm and Monday, April 13, 8:30am
Each cluster will send an email via Aspen and Schoology to parents and students with a link to the weekly learning activities, the schedule (which remains the same each week), and to a new goggle.doc form with zoom links to all office meetings each day. These revised forms should be easier to read and their links more accessible to students. Beginning Monday, all learning activities are now required assignments.
Finally, Bigelow created a FAQ for students based upon the survey they filled out last Monday after viewing the 3-part “Mr. Harrison’s Messages” screencast. Please share it with your children. FAQ for Students – Bigelow 3.0
Bigelow 3.0 Information
Student Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Bigelow 3.0
Q: How will I get the weekly schedule?
For now, at the beginning of each week you and your parents will get an email through Aspen and Schoology with your schedule and assignments. In the near future, you will also soon receive them through your new student school gmail account.
Q:Are there going to be specific blocks of time where it is a class?
There will be no “class”, just office hours during the week for all of your classes.
Q: What does “directed learning” mean?
“Directed learning” are the tasks and assignments that teachers provide for you and that you will complete independently as best that you can each week.
Q: How can we see our office hours?
ALL office hours are on your schedule. Links to them, including to the Weekly Preview on Monday morning, will be posted on the weekly activities template that you will receive each week.
Q: What time do we have to eat?:
Whenever you are hungry, but be mindful of your schedule and responsibilities.
More questions and answers at: Student Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Bigelow 3.0
For help with schoology, gmail accounts, and other technology questions, please go to this site NPS Family Tech Support Or email: familytechsupport@newton.k12.ma.us
Message from the Bigelow counseling staff
Dear Bigelow Students, Family, and Community,
We miss you all! We have been thinking about what we can offer to help us all stay connected and to support us all in this new, unfamiliar time.
We have created a page on the Bigelow Counseling website as a place for you to find different kinds of resources to help guide and support you over these weeks and beyond. We tried to fill it with a mix of practical resources, ideas for taking care of your mental and emotional health, and some fun things to do while you’re socially distancing at home.
Even though we can’t see you at school, we are still checking our email and voicemail. Please reach out if you feel like checking in would be helpful. We will try to update this page with new information over the next few weeks so check back and let us know what other content you’d like to see.
Meanwhile, keep your distance, wash your hands, stay (virtually) connected with others and take care of yourselves!
Wishing you good health and comfort,
Dr. J, Ms. Pierce, Ms. MacNeil, Ms. Reddick, Ms. Morrow, Ms. Capoccia
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Calming Strategies |
Ideas for self-care |
More at: Bigelow Counseling website
Distance Learning Report to the School Committee April 6, 2020
Click to view: Distance Learning School Committee 04/06/20