Books & Brownies Teen Book Club

Please join a special meeting of Books & Brownies, the Newton Free Library’s parent/guardian and teen book club in the second floor Teen Area! The group will discuss Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills, which received the 2014 Stonewall Award from the American Library Association. It’s an award given to books of “exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.” BMUC tells the story of Gabe, a high school senior with a serious love of music, who is learning to leave Liz behind – the person everyone has known him as until now. We hope you’ll join for a great discussion and of course, brownies!

Monday, December 15th, 7:00 pm
Newton Free Library

Winter Youth Soccer Clinic

The Lady Eagles Soccer School Winter Clinic groups players by age and ability and the program is catered to both the beginner and elite club level player. Ages range from 6-14 years old. The goal is to challenge each camper to leave the clinics with an increased enthusiasm for the game and ideas to further develop them as individual players. Find more information on the website www.bcwomenssoccer.com or email soccercl@bc.edu with questions!

Date: December 29th –  January 1st
Time: 8:30 am- 2:30 pm (extended day available)
Location: Alumni Stadium Bubble at Boston College
Cost: $295 (3 day option, 29th-31st, $225)

Bigelow Food Drive

THE BIGELOW STUDENT COUNCIL is Sponsoring a food drive at Bigelow.  The goal of the food drive is to collect 500 boxes of food that will be donated to a local food pantry.

Boxes of food can be brought to home base.

Food drive ends on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25

All items should be boxed, un expired, non-perishable food

Possible Items Include:  Pasta, Cereal, Boxed Rice, Drink Boxes.  Just to name a few!

Newton Youth Lacrosse

Newton Youth Lacrosse registration is now open for its 2015 Spring Season !!
The season begins in late March 2015 but teams fill up very quickly !! NYL offers the following Grade Levels :

  • U-9 – Grades 2 – 3
  • U-11 – Grades 3 – 4
  • U-13 – Grades 5 – 6
  • U-15 – Grades 7 – 8

Please visit www.newtonlacrosse.com for more details and registration instructions.

Newton Network event

The Newton Network is hosting a Members Mall. Come learn more about the high quality goods and services the members offer their customers and clients. Enter the free raffle of select members’ items and services. This event is also a great opportunity to expand your professional network in a friendly yet dynamic environment. The Members Mall is free and open to the public, and all participants are encouraged to bring their business cards. Any questions please contact  Jane Hirschhorn at janehirschhorn@gmail.com

Wednesday, December 3rd, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Waban Library Center, 1608 Beacon Street

Special Education Parent Advisory Council

For information about Newton PAC, please go to the Newton PAC website: www.newtonpac.org . If you have questions for the Newton PAC Board, please email info@newtonpac.org

Topics to be presented in 2014-2015:

  • Panel discussion on mental health, with emphasis on depression in children and adolescents
  • Assistive Technologies workshop with Kayla McAllister, NPS staff
  • Screen time for children with disabilities: What is recommended? What is too much?
  • Telling your child about their disabilities / diagnoses
  • IEP in a fishbowl
  • Understanding Neuropsychological Testing and Evaluations

Future Newton PAC meeting dates:

December 10th
January 8th
February 5th
March 4th
April 15th
May 14th
June 2015 – Sixth Annual Special Educators Awards Ceremony, Date TBA

Question, Persuade, Refer; QPR for Teens and Young Adults

Our community has been affected by suicide. Newton Cares: Coalition for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health is working diligently to train as many people as possible in the suicide prevention technique called QPR – Question, Persuade, Refer. The more people who know how to act, the more lives may be saved. Please consider being trained.

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) teaches ordinary citizens how to recognize a mental health emergency and how to get a person at risk the help they need. Participants will learn how to recognize the warning signs of suicide, offer hope, and get help & refer.

Please register at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QPRJan6. This upcoming training is specifically being held for teens and young adults.

January 6th, 4:00 – 6:00 pm, Visit www.newtonma.gov/youth for additional information.

NSF’S Annual Appeal Is Underway

For 50 years Newton Schools Foundation has supported the Newton Public Schools by providing private funding for innovative and challenging programs district-wide.

This year NSF is making a difference for Newton students through its Investing In Innovation fundraising campaign. Funds raised through the campaign are helping to ensure that NPS maintains and continues to provide pioneering programs for students and offers faculty and staff first-rate professional learning opportunities. Without these funds, NPS would be unable to expand many offerings district-wide or include students at all grade levels.

Since the campaign’s 2013 launch, Newton Schools Foundation has given the Newton Public Schools $170,000 to fund creative, dynamic, effective and up-to-date learning experiences for Newton’s diverse student population, reaching all levels of the school system – elementary, middle and high school – in areas that include:

* STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
* Sustainability
* Literacy and History
* Closing the Achievement Gap

NSF’s goal is to raise $500,000 over the next three years in order to make the greatest impact on Newton’s 12,000 students. Give today to ensure that Newton Public Schools go from Good to Great!!

Save these Dates

Newton Inspires 2015
Please save Wednesday, January 21st for the fourth annual Newton Inspires-An Evening of Ideas and Community, when some of Newton’s most talented, captivating, and forward-thinking individuals will convene to talk about topics that inspire them. It’s not to be missed!

GELF Dinner
Please save Saturday, March 21st for the 6th annual Global Education Leadership Fund dinner at Newton North High School. Details to come.