Honor a Teacher with donation to Newton Schools Foundation

Every day, your child benefits from the exceptional Newton teachers and staff who motivate, educate, and inspire them to be the best they can be. Please support their efforts and honor their dedication to our children by donating to the 16th Annual “Honor Thy Teacher” Campaign of the Newton Schools Foundation. The Newton Schools Foundation supports teaching, learning and innovation in the Newton Public Schools.

The suggested donation is $25 per teacher or staff member. Donations are tax-deductible. There are several ways to donate:

· By check – Made out to “Newton Schools Foundation” and mailed, along with a note containing the name and school of the teacher(s) to be honored, to:  Newton Schools Foundation, 100 Walnut Street, Newton, MA 02460

· By credit card – Phone the NSF office at 617-559-6120

· Online – Go to the NSF website, click the “Honor Thy Teacher” button and follow the instructions

We will notify staff and teachers of donations in their honor and publish their names in the Newton Tab in the fall. Donating to Honor Thy Teacher is the perfect way recognize Newton’s wonderful educators while supporting our schools.

Martial Arts Demonstration & Fundraiser, June 16

Calvin Chin’s Martial Arts Academy is holding its 2013 Open House on Sunday, June 16, and selling tickets to benefit the Helen Gee Chin Scholarship Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity.

The event will include lion dance, dragon dance, kung fu and tai chi demonstrations, and Chinese choreographed dance.

Sunday, June 16, 2013 1:00-3:00pm
Newton North High School (NNHS) Lasker Auditorium
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online.

Helen Gee Chin was the administrator at CCMAA for 15 years and a proponent of preserving the history and promoting the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts. The Foundation is a tribute to her life’s passion. The Foundation awards college scholarships to encourage academic achievement and motivate individuals to become serious martial artists. Last year, the Foundation awarded more than $10,000 in scholarships.

To buy tickets or to learn more about the Foundation, please go to www.hgcscholarshipfoundation.org

Boston Tutoring Services, in-home instruction

Boston Tutoring Services, LLC offers one-on-one in-home instruction for K-12 students throughout Massachusetts.

Services include Private School Admission Test Preparation (ISEE/SSAT), SAT Test Prep, and Academic Subject Tutoring for students in grades K-12. Experienced tutors are largely Massachusetts Certified Teachers with Master’s Degrees or higher. Tutors have been trained to deliver instruction customized to each student’s needs.

More information is available online or by calling (781) 248-4558

Wtaretown Children’s Theatre presents Disney’s Aladdin Jr

Agrabah, City of Enchantment, where every beggar has a story and every camel has a tail! Filled with magic, mayhem, flying carpet rides, and award-winning songs including “A Whole New World” and “Friend Like Me!” A cast of students in grades K-9 brings this Disney favorite to life. WCT’s Producing Director, Meghan Kenny, who directs this production, says “Exciting, Energetic, and Magical are three great words to describe this production. This cast really embodies their characters to bring the enchanting city of Agrabah to life and send the story of Aladdin soaring through the theatre.”

Tickets are $12 and are available now through WCT’s website at www.watertownchildrenstheatre.org or by calling 1-800-838-3006. For more information, visit WCT’s website or call 617-926-ARTS.

June 14 at 7:00 p.m.
June 15 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
June 16 at 2:00 p.m.

Charles Mosesian Theater
Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown

Newton Beijing Jingshan School exchange seeks host families

If you and your family have ever wanted to know more about China, this is an extraordinary opportunity for you! The Newton Beijing Jingshan School Exchange Program is seeking families to host students and teachers during the fall semester of the 2013-2014 school year. This is a great chance to learn about Chinese culture while sharing your own family’s culture and traditions. Participants all speak English and are eager to learn about and take part in American family life. Beijing Jingshan exchange students and teachers arrive mid-September and depart mid-January. Students attend regular classes at the high schools. Teachers teach in our schools.

To explore this unique opportunity, please check out the website http://www3.newton.k12.ma.us/jingshanexchange/hosting or contact: Michael_Kozuch@newton.k12.ma.us .

Call for Local Artists!

Newton Community Education would like to invite all Newton artists to apply for a display spot at this year’s Celebrate Newton crafts fair, to be held on December 8, 2013 at Newton South High School.

Celebrate Newton is an annual juried arts and crafts fair that honors the work of outstanding artisans who are residents of Newton or are in some other way connected to the city. Over 50 artisans display and sell their work at the fair; they include weavers, jewelers, quilters, potters, printers, photographers and more. Live music, food, and crafts activities for kids make the fair a wonderful, warm family event. Applications are available on our website www.celebratenewton.com.

This citywide event is sponsored by Newton Community Education, a self-sustaining arm of Newton Public Schools that offers a large variety of classes for both children and adults. Proceeds will benefit our scholarship fund and will help us to grow our program of course offerings.

Freelance Players Launches Theatre Troupe in Newton Corner

The Freelance Players, a theater company dedicated to the production of original musical theater by young people for audiences of all ages, is launching a Newton Troupe this fall. The program is for children ages 8 to 12. Children with little or no acting experience are encouraged to audition. Vocal and acting technique, movement and dance training, improvisation and character development are all part of the rehearsal process. The Troupe will produce an original musical each session, with a production in January and one in May.

The Freelance Players, Inc. was founded by its current Executive Director Kippy Dewey in 1974, when she was directing theater at the Charles River Creative Arts Program in Dover. Freelance programs use theater to foster trust, imagination and self-esteem in young people. The ensemble approach nurtures risk-taking, mutual respect, and cooperation among students. One of the organization’s greatest achievements is the sense of confidence and accomplishment that each young actor gains from belonging to Freelance and performing publically. The Freelance Players, Inc. runs Troupes in Dover (Mondays), Jamaica Plain and Cambridge (Tuesdays), Needham (Fridays) and Brookline (Fridays).

The Freelance Players Troupe also meets in Brookline, on Wednesdays and is for young people ages 12 to 16 who have had previous experience in theater. The Players also produce two shows a year (December and May). Professional directors, musical directors, and choreographers staff all of the companies.

The Newton Troupe will meet on Mondays, 3:30 to 5:45, at the Grace Church, 76 Eldredge Street, Newton MA 02458 Children of all acting/singing abilities are encouraged to participate. Auditions will be held by appointment on September 9th at the church. To schedule an audition call Kippy Dewey, 617-232-1175. For more information visit www.freelanceplayers.org .

Community Preservation Committee news

Updates on New Pre-Proposals: For overviews of the new pre-proposals received by the 1 June 2013 deadline, go to www.newtonma.gov/cpa and click on Reports & Presentations – Current Status Reports .

Summer CPC Meeting Schedule:

The CPC meeting originally scheduled for June 13 has been canceled.

Wednesday, June 19th, Auburndale Community Library (375 Auburn Street). The CPC will conduct Committee business starting at 7:00 p.m. Starting at 7:30 p.m. the Committee will discuss 3 pre-proposals from the Newton Parks & Recreation Department:

•Newton Highlands Playground (Winchester Street)
•Waban Hill Reservoir (Chestnut Hill)
•Farlow Park (Newton Corner)

Thursday, July 11th, 7:00 p.m., City Hall Room 222

•Durant-Kenrick Homestead , final project report from Historic Newton
•Historic Burying Grounds , pre-proposal from Historic Newton
•Museum Archives & Accessibility (Jackson Homestead)

Wednesday, July 24th, 7:00 p.m., City Hall Room 222

PUBLIC HEARING and possible funding vote on a revised proposal for additional design funding and construction funds.

Staff Contact: Program Manager Alice Ingerson, 617.796.1144 or aingerson@newtonma.gov

Retirement reception for Mary Emma Robertson, Cabot school teacher!

Please join Cabot on Wednesday June 19th for a reception to say goodbye to beloved teacher Mrs. Robertson.

Mrs. Roberston has touched many lives during her tenure at Cabot School, and they would like to invite you all to come and wish her well in her retirement.

When: Wednesday June 19, 2013 at 3:15pm

Where: Cabot Community Park, ( to the right of the Cabot Library)

Refreshments will be served.

marykathf@aol.com

Sunday School

The Sunday School for Jewish Studies is now accepting registrations for grades K-7 for the 2013-2014 school year. The Sunday School is an independent school offering a once-a-week program for children in the greater Boston area. Located at the Oak Hill Middle School in Newton, the school is committed to providing a Jewish education that fosters a strong sense of Jewish identity for children and families with diverse traditions of Jewish observance.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation is available but not required, and students may enter in any grade. Interfaith and nontraditional families are welcome. For additional information, please visit the website at www.SundaySchoolForJewishStudies.org or call 617-264-8855.