Be a Winter Buddy

Do you have an older neighbor? Have you ever wondered how they are faring – especially with the cold weather coming on? Newton At Home (NAH) has a Winter Buddy program in which NAH members are matched with a volunteer buddy. The volunteer buddy (that could be YOU) checks-in on their member buddy when they hear that winter weather is coming to make sure that the member is prepared. Then when Mother Nature is paying her snowy, icy cold visits, the volunteer buddy checks-in to be sure that all is well with the member.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer winter buddy, please be in touch with Julie Plaut Mahoney, Coordinator of Volunteers: volcoord@newtonathome.org or call the NAH office: 617-795-2560. Thanks! Please see the website for additional information about Newton at Home www.newtonathome.org.

New Online Resources for Parents with Teens

It may be cold outside but summer is around the corner! Get a head start on planning your teen’s summer by checking out the many interesting local and overnight summer programs listed on TeenLife.com.

Winter vacation is also a great time to do community service! The site lists many local non-profits willing to engage teens as volunteers.

Don’t miss TeenLife’s digital guides (www.teenlife.com/guides) and Life with Teens magazine (www.lifewithteensmag.com)!

Mathematics Tutor Available

  • Did your child struggle with math last term or want more challenge?
  • Do you want to help your child really grow his or her abilities in math this year?

Philip Wolfson is a recently retired math teacher with 20 years of experience working with a broad range of students including those who feel stuck, are bored, simply want to improve, struggle with learning disabilities or for whom English is a second language.

His specialty is working with students from grades 5 thru 9. A few of their comments:

“You made it easier to understand math.”
“Working with you was challenging and fun!”

Call or email to set up a free introductory meeting: philwolfson@gmail.com or 617-332-4887

Bigelow PTO Annual Appeal

The Bigelow Middle School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is one cause that doesn’t get more personal: our kids’ education.

Letters were sent to all Bigelow families asking for your support for the important activities of the PTO. We hope you have received your letter and will consider giving as generously as you can.  A HUGE thank you to those of you who have already donated!!

For more information about the Annual Appear or to make your gift on line by credit card click here or send your check to: Bigelow PTO at 42 Vernon Street   Newton, MA 02458

Matching gifts are a great way to maximize your donation and can double or triple your gift to education. Please click here for a partial list of companies that offer to match employee donations.

All donations – large or small – are greatly appreciated and will help us achieve all that we set out to do. Thank you!

Regards,

Julie Bourgoin and Carolyn Judge

PTO Co-Presidents

Watertown Childrens Theatre

WCT is stil accepting registrations for their Jr. Players program for Pirates of Penzance, and now accepting Kindergarten students! Students in K-2 can perform with the Pirates of Penzance cast and participate in this popular performance based class which meets on Mondays at 3:30 or 4:45 pm.

For more information, visit www.watertownchildrenstheatre.org or call 617-926-ARTS (2787).

Greening Our Community Series

Kristi Marsh is the founder of ChooseWiser.com, the author of Little Changes, a breast cancer survivor, and an advocate for safer products. Kristi was a happily married mom of 3 children when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She learned how little she knew about the hidden dangers in her personal care products and she began a journey to become an educated consumer with the help of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, the Environmental Working Group, and the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow. Now she is a nationally celebrated speaker, inspiring others to join the movement for healthier homes and safer communities.

Elizabeth Saunders, Director of Clean Water Action/MA and Coordinator of the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow will join the Q&A. A book signing will follow the program.

January 6th, 7:00 pm
Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St.

Save the Date (and volunteers needed) for Bigelow’s Big Night – March 22

Make sure to Save the Date for Bigelow’s biggest fundraising event of the year.  This year it is the BIG EASY NIGHT, a Mardi Gras themed event, at the New Art Center in Newtonville on Sat. March 22.  It is an evening of fun, food, music, friends and lots of great auction items.  Best of all, it all benefits our children.

A planning committee meeting will be held on Mon January 6th 7:30pm at 35 Hunnewell Ave.  RSVP to Liz at haas.joffe@gmail.com if you are going to attend.

Committee members are needed to make the night a success.  Committee positions available include:

  • Auction Donations and Solicitations
  • Food and Beverages
  • Entertainment
  • Decorations

We will also need general volunteers to help out with the event.  Please consider volunteering to help with this fun night today!!  Bring a friend! 

Contact Liz Hass at haas.joffe@gmail.com if you are interested or have any questions.

Thank you, your event co chairs – Liz Haas and Laurie Halloran

FINAL TURN IN DAY for the Magazine Drive, Tues Dec 10

Tuesday December 6 is the final turn in / order day for the Magazine Drive.   Paper order forms can be turned in during lunch and you can order on line until midnight.
Your child will have a chance to earn a prize at the prize table.  Help Bigelow and a family in need by turning in 2 orders.  With 2 orders you send a baby chick to a family in need in Bangladesh giving them food or a means to earn money (selling the eggs, selling the chicken).  
Bigelow receives 40% from each order.  The money raised will support school field trips and other student / school needs.
Online orders earn double credit for prizes.   Click here  for more information.
Bigelow Middle School will not get any funds, when you use  renewal mailers. Only when renewing as follows will Bigelow get the 40 % of your subscription price paid:
  1. Either online via www.gaschoolstore.com (new website of Great American Opportunities, which QSP is now part of), school/organization online ID 2637080, check the box “renewal”, (payment by credit card),
  2. or through your student from the catalog with the paper order forms that came home on November 22, 2013, check the box “renewal” (cash, or checks made out to Bigelow PTO).
If you would like to convert a regular magazine subscription to a digital magazine subscription (there are 53 magazines available in a digital format), you will be ordering them as a new subscription in one of the two ways outlined above.
 
Thank you for your support!!
 
Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Lauri Perry (magazine chair) at laurisperry@hotmail.com.

Theatre Ink presents: BAD SEED, Dec. 11-14

Newton North’s award-winning theatre troupe, Theatre Ink, presents: BAD SEED by Maxwell Anderson, from William March’s 1954 novel.

In a small Southern town Little Rhoda Penmark rules the roost. On the surface she is sweet, charming, loved by her parents, and admired by all her elders. But Rhoda’s mother has an uneasy feeling when one of Rhoda’s schoolmates is mysteriously drowned. Ezra Dulit-Greenberg and Simon Wolfe direct this psychological thriller.

December 11th -14th at 7:30 pm
Little Theatre, Newton North High School 457 Walnut Street, Nortonville

Tickets $7.00 are available on the Theatre Ink website. For questions, please email Adam_Brown <at> Newton <dot> k12 <dot> ma <dot>us

Learn about $4.7m in New Proposals for Community Preservation Act Funding

Seven new proposals were submitted in November and requested a total of $4.7 million in CPA funding. The proposals can be reviewed on the CPA website under “Proposals & Projects – Pending.”

Allen House (West Newton) $2 million;
City Archives Strategic Plan $20,000;
City Hall Veterans Wing Historic Artifacts $19,000;
City Hall Accessibility & Acoustics $701,900;
Farlow Park (Newton Corner) $476,780;
Historic Burying Grounds (Newton Centre) $290,207;
Newton Highlands Playground $240,000 design request ($2 million construction request anticipated).

Public Hearings Set for January-February 2014

The public hearing schedule is available on the CPA website, via the “Calendar” link.

For help, contact Program Manager Alice Ingerson at 617.796.1144 or aingerson <at> newtonma <dot> gov.