Newton Community Farm’s 2012 Seedling Sale

Newton Community Farm’s 2012 Seedling Sale Coming Soon!

Date: Saturday May 19 and Sunday May 20
Time: 1 – 3 p.m. General Public, noon – 1 p.m. Pre-sale for Friends of Farm
Address: 303 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459

There will be 20,000 vegetable and herb seedlings for sale, including a wide variety of each. Come select plants for your backyard and talk to expert gardeners who will be on hand to answer your questions.

The cost is $5 for a four or six pack of seedlings. Cash or check only. Bring your own boxes for carrying.

Please invite your family, friends, and neighbors to the seedling sale! All are welcome. For more information, go to Newton Community Farm’s website.

Deciphering Learning Disabilities and Helping Your Student Succeed

Dr. Ellen Braaten, Director of MGH’s Learning and Emotional Assessment Program
Tuesday, April 10, 7-8:30 p.m.
Film Lecture Hall, Newton North High School

Has your student been diagnosed with a learning disability? Or are you wondering whether he or she has a learning disability? When we think of Special Education, we often think of students with visible disabilities. Yet specific learning disabilities like dyslexia, perceptual disabilities, slow processing speed, and attention issues account for fifty percent of the students on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).

Please join the Newton North and Newton South PTSOs, The Newton Partnership, the Newton North and Newton South Special Education Departments, and the Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education for an exciting and informative discussion of learning disabilities with Dr. Ellen Braaten, director of the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Braaten will discuss the following:

– Getting an accurate diagnosis for your child
– The parent’s role in supporting a student with learning disabilities
– Strategies for success in high school
– Teaching the student to advocate for himself/herself
– Techniques for managing home life
– Preparing students for life beyond high school with an eye toward independent living

The evening will include time for questions and answers.

Mason-Rice Fools’ Folly Auction

Mason-Rice Fools’ Folly Auction Now Open through April 10th on Bidding For Good www.biddingforgood.com/masorice Our Auction includes many fantastic items including:

*4 Two Week Sessions at Camp Cody – Your child could go to this wonderful camp with 3 of his or her friends in NH. Check out their virtual tour www.cody.org/tour. This traditional camp offers a wide range of activities including sports, water activities such as kayaking and water boarding and activities covering many interests such as photography, chess and cooking. The bidding for each item which has a value of $2800 starts at $700 so you may find yourself a good bargain on this great camp. Lot #’s 553-556

* Get Help Navigating the College Journey – Lot # 648 is for 4 One Hour Sessions with Educational Consultant Michele Rosenthal – She will answer your questions about the college admissions and application process or how to navigate any aspect of the college journey post matriculation. Let Michele use her knowledge to help make the transition experience as stress-free and positive as possible. Her website address is www.mjrosenthal.com.

Seeking Newton Host family for Month of July

Give your family a wonderful month of cross-cultural experience this summer!    Nothing brings the world closer to home than a friendship with someone from abroad.  Educational Enrichment for Romanian Children (EERC), a small local non-profit, seeks host families for six Romanian students ages 13-15 for five weeks (late June to end of July).  The students are were chosen in a competitive process for their exceptional personal and academic qualities and speak English well.  One teen will attend Newton Environmental Science camp;  the five others will attend camps in Sudbury and Hopkinton.  You may select to host a boy or girl and preview their file.  For more information, please contact Dr. Dana Floru  at dfloru@eercboston.org,  tel 781-820-2324. Details about EERC can be found at www.eercboston.org

Drawing Class

Drawing Class for those starting out and those who want to expand their skills: Visual artist with 20 years teaching experience, Joan Mullen is offering two spring classes in her home studio in Newton Corner. Under her guidance in the Introduction to Drawing class, you will develop your drawing skills, your powers of observation and your ability to communicate visually, through sequential guided instruction. The Three-Dimensional Design/Introduction to Sculpture class will explore concepts and elements of 3-D design, developing technical skills while using a variety of materials. Joan Mullen has taught at the DeCordova Museum School, The Boston Museum of Fine Arts School, The Fuller Craft Museum and the Danforth Museum School. She is an Adjunct Professor at Bridgewater State College, where she has taught all levels of drawing and three dimensional design. Class size will be limited and is open to adults and mature teens. Intro to Drawing classes: Sundays 2:30-5:00pm 4/15-6/10 (no class 4/22); cost for 8 classes is $250 which includes studio fee, art supplies and portfolio. 3-D classes: Fridays 9am-11:30am, 4/13-6/11, cost for 8 classes is $260 which includes studio fee and sculpture supplies. Questions or to register: joanmmullen@rcn.com. Website: www.joanmullen.com.

Top Banana Registration open

Registration OPEN for 2012-2013 school year!

At Top Banana, your child will LOVE MATH!

  • Build confidence and self-esteem
  • Have fun learning and enjoy our interactive environment (no rote fact memorization drills)
  • Calculate mentally without pencil and paper (how cool is that?)
  • Perform better at school and improve MCAS and other standardized tests’ scores
  • Become more observant, organized, analytical and independent with homework
  • Learn multiple strategies to solve the same problem
  • Apply core math principals in everyday life
  • Study in small groups led by highly-qualified teachers

Call for FREE Trial Class

Offer is valid for one free trial class per child.
Expires 04/16/2012

If you have a student who will be entering grade 6 or above in the fall, we are planning on some new and exciting offerings during the summer.  These include learning to use Excel spreadsheets, basic programming and competitive math. For more details please call 617-795-1557

visit us at http://www.topbananaeducation.org

Read what parents say about us:
http://www.topbananaeducation.org/after-school-math-program-newton/testimonials

Brookline Music School – Summer Program

Summer Programs (June 25-August 23, 2012)

Summer is the perfect time to try out our programs. Whether your children are curious about sampling a variety of musical instruments or taking a beginners course, a teenager looking to play with others and record music, or an adult looking to take just a few lessons, BMS has the right fit for you!

Programs Include:

* Meet the Instruments! (Ages 6-9 years)
* Music & More (Ages 4-6 years)
* Sibling Dance (Ages 3-7 years)
* Young Beginners Piano: Introduction to Music for Little Mozarts (Ages 4-6 years)
* Beginning Piano Classes (Ages 7-12 years; 13 years and older; adult)
* Beginning Percussion Classes (Ages 4-6; 7 years and older)
* Voice for Beginners (Ages 7-9 years; 10-12 years)
* Music Technology/GarageBand (Ages 7 years and older)
* Two-Week Intensive Recording Project 
(Ages 8 years to adult)

Healthy Habits

3 Healthy Habits to Teach, and Re-Teach Your Kids

Eating Breakfast
The saying, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” still rings true. Eating a healthy breakfast is associated with improved cognitive function (especially memory), reduced absenteeism, and improved mood. Children often end up in the health room at school with a stomachache because they skipped breakfast. A healthy breakfast includes high-fiber foods such as fruit and whole grains. Try hard-boiled eggs, 100 percent fruit juice and high-fiber (low sugar) cereal with berries.

Frequent Hand Washing
Washing hands often and thoroughly is one of the most effective ways to prevent disease. Reinforce hand washing skills learned at school by encouraging your children to wash well. Here’s the procedure:

  • Wet hands with clean, running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.
  • Rub hands together to make a lather and scrub them well; be sure to scrub the backs of hands, between fingers, and under nails.
  • Continue rubbing at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
  • Rinse hands well under running water.
  • Dry hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

Sharing, or Not!
While we want children to learn to share most toys and books, sharing germs is not something we want them to do. Teach children not to share combs/brushes, toothbrushes, hats, toys used by mouth such as whistles, eating utensils and beverages. Sharing these things helps transmit diseases and lice. This particular habit is great to reinforce with older children and teenagers as they become more independent and often share food and drinks with their friends.
For more information on any of these topics, talk to the School Nurse or visit www.cdc.gov

Soccer Camp

Boys and girls, ages 6-13, entering grades 1-8, are invited to attend a one week soccer camp geared on fun and development.  The camp will run August 6th-9th (Monday-Thursday) 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM at DeFazio Park’s turf fields in Needham.  Cost is $215.  Camp brochure can be found at http://www.needhamsoccer.com/Portals/76/docs/Clinics%20Camps/NSC%202012%20summer%20clinic%20brochure%20U-littles.pdf.