Parent Handbook available online

From the 2019-2020 Bigelow Parent Handbook

The Bigelow Parent Handbook is online at our website (www.newton.k12.ma.us/bigelow). It is filled with important information about Bigelow and the upcoming school year. Please read it carefully, especially the information about our core values, operation, and policies. In particular, all sixth grade and new students are required to read our Rules and Regulations and our Safe Busing Checklist. If your child is a sixth grader or new, please make sure that he or she reads these pages before school begins, and that you review this information with him or her. School supply lists for each grade level are printed in the back. Enclosed is a helpful page from the Parent Handbook for parents, “Guidelines for Parents,” about whom to contact when you have a question or concern.

Download the 2019-2020 Bigelow Parent Handbook here.

Fall Play Auditions

The Bigelow Parents of Performing Students – better known as PoPS – are happy to share some of the important Fall dates to help parents organize student’s schedule.

  • Friday, September 6th from 3-5 pm Informational Meeting for students only (Introduce Staff/ Detail Fall Play/ Provide information about the 2019 audition process)
  • Wednesday, September 11th Sixth Grade Meeting (3-4 pm) / Tech Crew Interviews (4-5 pm) / First Set of Auditions (5-6 pm)
  • Friday, September 13th from 3-6 pm Second Set of Audition Times
  • Monday, September 16th from 3-5 pm Callbacks or First Rehearsal

There will be a parent meet and greet TBA soon.

If you are interested in being a part of PoPS, learn about involvement opportunities here. Sign up for the PoPS newsletter here to receive timely notes about dates, auditions and rehearsal schedules. If you did not receive the PoPS Welcome back email on Sunday, 08/25, click here to subscribe.

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

Bigelow Cross Country 2019

The Cross Country Informational Meeting for students will be held on Thursday, September 4th at 3pm in the Bigelow Library. Cross Country is a sport open to all students and it is the only sport that sixth graders are allowed to join at the middle school level. No experience is required and there are no cuts. All students are eligible to participate, but must attend the meeting in order to receive important information for joining. For more information, please check the Bigelow Cross Country Website.

Safe Routes to School

The Newton Safe Routes to School Task Force is looking for a representative from Bigelow. The task force has monthly meetings (Fridays at 9:30 a.m. at Waban Library, members can also be called into) with representatives from Newton Police, DPW, the Mayor’s Office, and School Committee to address obstacles to students walking/biking/taking the bus to school. One of the initiatives at the middle school this year is starting an anti-idling campaign. The task force is also promoting the student pass Charlie Cards within each school. Other middle schools work with the city on identifying and promoting safe walking and biking routes to school. More at Newton Safe Routes to School Facebook page.

Please contact bigelowbulldog@gmail.com if you are interested in being the Bigelow representative.

Discounted student Charlie Card

Student Charlie Cards (S-Cards) can be obtained for free from Linda Anderson at Bigelow’s main office.  A student card is valid for one year, from Sept. 1st – Aug. 31st. It offers student discounts on the MBTA bus, subway, Ferries, and Commuter Rail, including a $30 monthly T pass (regular cost $90).

The cards work on the subway, too, so are a great way for your tween/teen to get around town on weekends and after school.
*Bigelow: Bus #52, #57, #501 and #503
* North Bus #59, #553, #554, and 556
More bus routes here: https://www.mbta.com/schedules/bus

A monthly pass or up to $10 can be placed on the S-card. Funds can be deposited onto the card on board a bus, at a fare vending machine or at a subway station. 

Download information about Bigelow here.

Get involved!

Middle School can be a great experience for parents as well. Get to know the Bigelow community better by getting involved in some of the PTO activities.

Volunteering enriches the school community: every bit of effort helps and any amount of time you can contribute to support our children, the school and our community is invaluable! Check out many opportunities HERE. We have immediate need for:

These are tried and true Bigelow events that need parental leadership. The PTO has structured ways of running these events and will help you, but we need leaders to be in charge, please consider chairing.

One School, One Book at Bigelow

During the summer of 2019, the Bigelow Community will read Refugee by Alan Gratz. This remarkable book about three different young people – Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud – tells the story of   the refugee experience through the eyes of a child. 

The Bigelow Library website has resources for students:

  • Summer Reading Assignments for each grade
  • Videos about: The Story of the St. Louis, Cuba in the 1990’s, Crisis in Syria – Saja’s Story
  • References for: History of the Holocaust, Cuban Rafter Phenomenon, Syrian Refugee Crisis
  • About the author

“Is Our Constitution Holding Up to the Test of Time in 2019?”

“Is Our Constitution Holding Up to the Test of Time in 2019?”

Join members of the League of Women Voters of Newton (LWVN)  as they host a community discussion led by constitutional law professor, Jed Shugerman. You’ll be talking about our constitution and how it is holding up; is our constitution still working the way it was intended? is there still a balance of powers among the three branches of government? is the Supreme Court still an independent branch of government or should structural changes be made? what about the independence of the Fed, the Attorney General and the Department of Justice? are we near a constitutional crisis?

Jed Shugerman, a Newton resident and former Bowen PTO co-chair, is a law professor and legal historian at Fordham University in New York. He teaches torts, administrative law and constitutional history.

Jed is the author of The People’s Courts: Pursuing Judicial Independence in America (2012), on the evolution of judicial elections and politics in America. He is working on a new book, The Rise of the Prosecutor Politicians, on the history of American prosecutors and mass incarceration. His articles often appear in law reviews and major national newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Slate, and The Atlantic. He appears on MSNBC, CNN and CBC to discuss legal issues, and he writes about law and politics at shugerblog.com and on Twitter @jedshug.

A question and answer session and open discussion will follow after Mr. Shugerman’s presentation. RSVPs to info@lwvnewton.org are appreciated!

September 15th, 5:00 – 6:30 pm at the Durant Kenrick House, 286 Waverly Avenue, Newton

Join School Connections – Next meeting August 29th

Are you looking for a way to make your child’s school healthier and more sustainable? Healthier lunches? Recycling? Come add your voice to the GN Schools Connections group.

Green Newton’s Schools Connections group provides a forum for parents, students, and educators to promote sustainability in the classroom and beyond. You are welcome to participate and share experiences and ideas that support green initiatives in our schools.

After the group reached out to the Newton School Committee about the need to improve recycling in Newton’s schools, the committee passed a new school recycling policy in the spring of 2019. In addition, this advocacy was instrumental in getting the city to consider environmental practices and waste reduction in schools when selecting a new food service vendor. Representatives of the group will also participate in discussions to improve food quality and sustainability in school cafeterias.

In June, they worked with city leaders to submit a state grant application to support the expansion of the school recycling program and they are also advocating for the city’s approval to set up textile recycling collection containers outside of each school building. For more information contact schoolconnections@greennewton.org or visit schools.greennewton.org.

August 29th, 3:45 – 5:00 pm in the third-floor arc area of the Newton Free Library, 330 Homer Street

Join Cub Scout Pack 355 Newton

Interested in Scouting? Pack 355 is a large, active group of girls and boys from Newton and Brighton in grades 1 to 5. Another fun year starts in September!

Sign up for updates at bit.ly/pack355signmeup or come to the info session on September 3rd,  6: 30 pm at Our Lady Church and /or  welcome BBQ on September 8th, 3:00 pm at Auburndale Cove. Please email jonflynn@newtonscouting.org with questions.