8th Grade Car Wash

Does your car need the “Bigelow shine”? Let the 8th Grade Bigelow Class 2019 get it cleaned up for you! And if you are a little hungry, there will also be a bake sale.

Friday, September 28, 3pm – 4:30pm, in the Bigelow Parking Lot.  Cost: $10.  

All proceeds benefit the 8th grade end-of-year events. Stop by to clean your car, get a bite to eat and be entertained!

For 8th Grade Parents:  If you would like to donate items for the bake sale or help supervise the car wash, please sign up here:  Car Wash / Bake Sale Sign up

TEN Tables – Saturday, November 3rd

TEN Tables, formerly the Supper Stroll, is a progressive dinner fundraiser for the Bigelow PTO. It is held at several homes in succession on one night. Planning has started for this enjoyable adult evening of food, friends and cheer. We need your help! We need an appetizer host and we need at least TEN dinner hosts.

The appetizer host has everyone meet at their house from 6:30 – 8:00. At 8:00pm you leave to go to dinner at a dinner hosts’ house. We need at least TEN dinner hosts to sign up and open their homes for a dinner of 6-12 people. Lastly, at 10:00 you leave dinner and head to Kevin and Sandra Kelley’s home for dessert. TEN Tables (Supper Stroll) has been an enjoyable PTO fundraiser for many, many years at Bigelow. Please consider opening your home for this fun community fundraiser.

Appetizers 6:30 – 8:00 – One Host Needed – Please Sign up Now
Dinner 8:00 -10:00 – At Least TEN Hosts Needed – Please Sign Up Now
Dessert 10:00 – 11:30 – at The Kelley’s House

As a host you can make your dinner fancy, casual, buffet, sit-down, take out, inside, outside, you can even co-host with another family. All of these scenarios will work. It’s all good, please consider hosting. Contact Una Simmons, una@ethannet.com, or bigelowbulldog@gmail.com if you would like to host, if you have any questions or if you would like to contribute a dessert.

Help wanted

Parent volunteers are needed to assist with Newton’s beloved Halloween Window Painting Contest.  Volunteers will collect vendor/store release forms for a few hours during September and October, and also tape up banners on October 25th & 26th on store windows so students know where to paint.

This is a very easy, fun and flexible way to get in your steps and make Halloween spook-tacular for all Newton kids!  Email Lori Lass at lorilass@gmail.com or call 617-332-9694 if you can help.

School Committee Update

Dear Friends,

Welcome back to school!  We hope you had a great summer and the school year has started off well for you.

This update is for the 09/04/2018 Newton School Committee meeting:

  • Superintendent Fleishman welcomed our 2018 – 2019 School Committee Student Representatives:  Nayeth Lopez-Lopez, Maya Matthews, Serena Jampel, Cristian Gaines, Lucy Chae and Ross Halpern
  • Superintendent Fleishman thanked our Custodial, Administrative and Transportation teams for a successful first day of school.
  • Superintendent Fleishman honored the life of Tony Bibbo, longtime friend of NPS, who recently passed away.
  • The School Committee unanimously voted to approve the contracts with the  NPS Custodian’s Association and Newton Educational Secretaries Association.
  • The NPS administrative team presented a second look at our 2018 – 2019 System-Wide goals.  Notable additions are several curriculum changes including expansion of Investigations 3 Math curriculum in elementary, introduction of Illustrative Math curriculum in middle schools, and several updates to our science and social studies curriculum.
  • Superintendent David Fleishman presented  his 2018 – 2019 Superintendent Goals.
  • The School Committee unanimously voted to approve the 2018 – 2019 School Committee Calendar and Agenda Items
  • The School Committee unanimously voted to approve several policy additions and updates including JFABE (Military Childen), JFABF (Foster Care) and JRA (School Records)
  • The School Committee unanimously voted to approve a new private school in Newton called Fusion Academy.  It is important to note that this vote is required by law and is not an endorsement of the school.
  • The School Committee unanimously voted to approve amended School Committee meeting minutes.

Next Meeting:

  • September 17th @7PM: Capital Improvement Plan, Update, Vote: Superintendent’s Assessment, Vote: Systemwide Goals

Reminder:

We hope you found this summary useful. You can access all School Committee meeting documents via the NPS website (https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/2227). Additionally, if you are interested in watching an SC meeting from home or a recorded meeting, you can obtain access via www.newtv.org.

As always, we are very happy to answer any questions or discuss any concerns you may have. Please feel free to contact us via the email address below.

Have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,
The Newton School Committee

Middle and High Schoolers invited to the Greener World Meeting

Come to the first meeting of Students for a Greener World (SGW) for the 2018-19 school year with other Middle and High School kids interested in the environment.

The polar bear mascots will also be there with cookies & fruit to inspire creativity for the upcoming year.  Visit sgw.greennewton.org for more info or contact us at sgw@greennewton.org.

September 17th,  5:30 – 6:30 pm,
Newton Library, Meeting Room A, 330 Homer Street

Donate to the Centre Street Food Pantry and help them reach the goal!

On September 23rd, the Centre Street Food Pantry will participate in The Ride for Food.  It is their biggest community fundraiser, and the money raised allows them to provide hundreds of families in Newton and  surrounding communities with food and other basic necessities.

Please consider donating to the CSFP team to support the riders and help them reach their goal of $25,000.

Here’s the link https://ride.threesquaresne.org/team/166463 m  or donate at www.centrestfoodpantry.org

It was a great picnic!!!

Thank you to all who contributed to make it happen! Many families came out and had the opportunity to meet or catch up. Due to the weather, the activities took place at the Bigelow Gym, which allowed for everyone to chat, sit and eat – thanks to the food truck and the great bake sale the 8th graders promoted. Basketballs were out for kids to run around – and they also had fun singing a Bigelow banner.

Congratulations to C. Kovach for winning two tickets to the Bigelow Celtics Night in January! Stay tuned for more information regarding this exciting event!

Newton Narcan Training and Distribution Program

Narcan – the overdose reversal medication – is now available at no cost to Newton residents through a new program launched by the city’s Health and Human Services Department.

Trained HHS staff members offer free naloxone (Narcan) to Newton residents who complete a brief (30-minute) individual training session on how to recognize an overdose and administer the reversal medication. The program is supported by a generous Narcan donation from Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

The program’s primary goals are to reduce overdoses among Newton residents by reducing barriers to accessing Narcan, and to increase awareness about addiction recovery resources for individuals and families.

Newton residents can participate in the program by calling the HHS Department at 617- 796-1420 and requesting an appointment with a social services staff member. The approximately 30-minute confidential consultation will include individual training in the signs and symptoms of an overdose, how to use naloxone, and an opportunity to learn more about recovery resources. Then, a bag including naloxone, a CPR mask and gloves, and printed resources will be offered at no charge. No insurance information will be collected.

For more information and to make an appointment, call 617-796-1420 or visit www.newtonma.gov/narcan.

One to one mentor program

Newton’s One-to-One Program, our very own “Big Brother/Sister Program” has been matching wonderful high schoolers with children in grades one through five for over 30 years.

If you think your elementary aged child would benefit from a mentor in their life and you can you commit 2.5 hours each week to have your child meet with a high school mentor from November to May or for more information, please contact Rebecca Young at rebecca_young@newton.k12.ma.us or 617-315-8733.

Flyer and application here: One-to-One

Plugged In, a unique nonprofit youth rock band program

Do you know any youth 6-19 who could benefit from participating in Plugged In, a unique nonprofit youth rock band program in Needham where young musicians of all levels and needs are welcome?

Fall session band classes begin the week of September 24th. More information and online registration can be found at www.pluggedinband.org.

Founded in 2002, Plugged In now has over 150 students from all over Massachusetts. Some of our students experience emotional and learning difficulties, such as ADD, depression, and low-self-esteem and/or have special needs such as autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. In the loving and non-competitive atmosphere at Plugged In, all differences are transcended through a shared passion for music, the teamwork involved with using music to help others and an atmosphere of compassion and fun.

In addition to weekly ensemble band classes, private lessons, songwriting workshops, summer camp and community performances, five times a year Plugged In students perform in benefit concerts that raise money for causes and organizations chosen by the students themselves. Plugged In provides a nurturing and supportive community to which young musicians feel a sense of belonging, an opportunity to express and be acknowledged for their musical interests and a chance to use their music to help others around the world.