Belmont World Film Celebrates the Full Moon Jan. 26

Belmont World Film’s Family Film Festival will hold a “Full Moon Festival” for families on Saturday, January 26, the day of the full moon, at the Studio Cinema in Belmont (376 Trapelo Road).

It features two films about the moon:
“Lotte and the Moonstone Secret” at 10:30 AM and
“Moon Man” at 1:00 PM, which will be followed by a discussion of the phases of the moon led by Amanda Thompson, school and education coordinator for the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Science.

Half-moon cookies, courtesy of Whole Foods Market Fresh Pond, will be given out at each screening.

“Lotte and the Moonstone Secret” is a beautifully drawn animated film that is part of a series created by animators in Estonia and Latvia. The film features a very inventive cartoon dog named Lotte, the Mickey Mouse of Estonia, who experiences a wide variety of fascinating and highly imaginative encounters, that encourage flexibility, exploration, and adventure, as well as wonder, curiosity, and eagerness to learn about other kinds of people and places. The film takes place in a friendly world that is free of violence and is suitable for children 3-8.

Adapted from the worldwide best-selling children’s book written and illustrated by Tomi Ungerer, “Moon Man” examines themes of loneliness, difference, understanding and acceptance with a story about how the man in the moon, bored of sitting in his silvery cage all the time, hitches a ride to earth on a shooting star. It is recommended for children ages 7 and up.

Giveaways during the festival include a gift certificate from the family-friendly Full Moon Restaurant in Cambridge, passes to the Museum of Science’s planetarium, a bicycle helmet from Belmont Wheelworks, and a light-up full moon clock.

Tickets are $5 for children, $8 for adults, and $7 for seniors, students, and Belmont World Film members, or both films for $8 for children and $12 for adults. Purchase tickets online or in person at the Studio Cinema box office. For more information, visit the Belmont World Film online or call 617-484-3980.

ACAPPELOOZA IV tickets on sale now!

Don’t miss out on the 4th annual family friendly a-cappella concert, Acappelooza IV, on Saturday, February 2, 2013 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Newton North High School auditorium. All proceeds go to the Countryside PTO.

Featuring Newton North’s Forte, Newton South’s Newtones, the Berklee College of Music’s Pitch Slapped, and Boston’s professional vocal band Ball in the House. Tickets can be purchased at the SeatYourself website.

The show always sells out fast, so get your tickets early! Contact Anne K. at annekalis <at> yahoo <dot> com with further questions.

Dreamfar 10k Road Race, January 27

Make a New Year’s resolution to run the Dreamfar 10K Race on January 27, 2013!

Join students, teachers, and community members for Dreamfar High School Marathon’s first annual 10K race in Sharon, MA. The Dreamfar program teaches students realistic goal-setting, the value of commitment, and teamwork. Dreamfar High School Marathon program has members at both high schools. To learn more about Dreamfar, contact Executive Director Jamie Chaloff by email.

Winter Workshop Fest at Watertown Children’s Theatre, Jan. 21

The Watertown Children’s Theatre, arsenalARTS and New Repertory Theatre are teaming up to provide a fun-filled day of theatre, visual art and more at the Arsenal Center on January 21, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

Students in grades K-5 can explore the worlds of both theatre and visual arts with WCT and the ACA, while students in grades 6-9 can experience intensive performance workshops with WCT and New Rep!

Register for the morning session (9:30 am – 12:45 pm) or the afternoon session (1:15 pm – 4:30 pm) or both! Students enrolled in both programs may bring a nut-free lunch and will be supervised during the lunch break.

More information is available on the WCT website.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Newton Community Celebration, Jan. 21

Everyone is cordially invited to the 45th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Newton Community Celebration.

Temple Beth Avodah
45 Puddingstone Lane in Newton Centre

HONORED GUESTS

Mayor Setti D.Warren
Superintendent of Schools – David Fleishman
Reflections by Newton School Students
Musical Selections by:
Newton All City Treble Singers
Newton North Jubilee Singers
Myrtle Baptist Church’s – The Love Tones

PLEASE BRING non-perishable food items, which are being collected for donation to the Newton Food Pantry.

Convened by the City of Newton, Newton Interfaith Clergy Association, the Newton School Department, and the Foundation for Racial, Ethnic &Religious Harmony

Summer Camp Fair, Jan. 27

The City of Newton is sponsoring its yearly summer camp fair on Sunday January 27, at Newton North High School from noon to 4pm.

Camps run by Newton Parks & Recreation and the Newton Public Schools, including Newton Community Education and SPACE camp, will be represented at the fair.

Come early to reserve your child’s spot in the program of his or her choice for Summer 2013 or to learn more about the many varied options offered in our city. More information about Newton’s camps is available on the Parks & Recreation Dept. website.

Resource Fair for Families of English Language Learners, Jan. 24

There will be a Resource Fair for families of English Language Learners or former ELLs on Thursday, January 24, 2013 from 6:00-8:00pm in the Newton North cafeteria (457 Walnut St.).

Families are invited to learn about some of the different school and community resources in Newton, including:

• summer camp and after school programs
• pre-school programs
• adult English classes
• supporting your child in school, understanding the schools – conferences, report cards, testing etc.
• Newton Public Library
• high school guidance counselors and college and career counselors
• Boys and Girls Club

The City Social Worker will answer questions and free flu shots from the Health Department will be available.

Childcare (for kids over 5 yrs. old), dinner, and interpreters will be provided in Chinese, Russian, Spanish and Korean. Transportation available upon request. Please RSVP to your child’s ELL teacher or to Dianna Kobayashi by phone 617-559-6045 or email.

Help a neighbor by volunteering with Newton at Home

Be a Winter Buddy! Help make sure senior citizens in Newton weather snowstorms well! Newton at Home, a member non-profit organization dedicated to helping Newton seniors age in their own homes, is looking for volunteers who can help in a variety of ways.

Being a winter buddy means checking in with your buddy before and after storms—something that the whole family can do. This program has a 30-minute training session, and requires a CORI check. For more info, contact Jacki Katz at jackikatz@yahoo.com

We always need drivers who can give rides to seniors and make a new friend while helping someone get to a doctor’s appointment, the supermarket, a social event or the airport. Finally, NAH is also looking for those with knowledge in the health and wellness area to join the NAH Health and Wellness Committee to plan events for seniors.

Volunteer as much as you can at your convenience, and know that you have made a difference in a Newton senior’s life. You’ll meet interesting people and share great conversation along the way! If you are willing and able to help, please contact NAH’s volunteer coordinator by email or phone, 617-795-2560.

Wrestling program offered by boys & girls

Wrestling is great way to build character and discipline and have a great time, with very little risk of head injury. It gives a person a sense of safety, virtually at all times.

Alex Greenfield, a special education assistant at Bigelow Middle School, has helped design a effective wrestling program for optimal learning and continual progress. This wrestling program includes a planned instructional sequence, conditioning, unique drills and review sessions. For more information about the offerings, check out the online brochure or email Alex.

11 week session — 9 – 10am on Saturdays, January 5 thru March 30th
Cost: $250
Ages: 7 – 15
Equipment: Sweat pants, long sleeve t-shirt, and sneakers or wrestling sneakers.

Our emphasis will be on making the sport enjoyable. Further, we will keep an eye on nutrition. We intend to help our kids achieve proper body dynamics by cultivating themselves, mentally as well as physically.

Anyone can succeed at wrestling with proper guidance. Wrestlers can be big, small, heavy or lean. Wrestling is now an Olympic Sport for women as well and girls are of course welcome.

Alex is presently assisting in the Special Education Department at Bigelow Middle School, in Newton, and is a graduate researcher and student in Special Education at UMASS Boston. He helped co-found the wrestling club at Colgate University and competed with the University of London Judo Club, and has trained with Olympic Team Members, both domestic and abroad.

Newton Community Ed classes for Middle Schoolers

Registration is now underway for winter classes through Newton Community Education. For middle schoolers, we have Fencing on Mondays, Archery, Computer Animation, Low-Tech Computer Game, Fast Math, and Ultimate Frisbee on Tuesdays, Make a TV Documentary on Fridays, and Babysitting and CPR Training on Saturdays. We also have vacation-week Babysitting and CPR classes.

Check our website for locations; all our classes are for kids from all schools. We have many family classes, including Ductivities!; Glass Mosaic; Two Continents, Many Dumplings; and more.

We run after-school classes for elementary school kids at schools throughout Newton.

For more information or to register, call our office at 617-559-6999 or visit our website. Be sure to check out our adult classes too!