Bigelow’s Big Night Is In Need Of Silent Auction Donations

The parents and teachers of Bigelow Middle School in Newton Corner, MA invite you to support our fundraiser, Bigelow’s Big Night. Your contribution will help us to raise critical PTO funding, which will be used to fund much needed technology for our library and computer lab.

Bigelow’s Big Night will take place on Saturday, February 9, 2013 with a dinner-dancing-silent auction extravaganza. We invite you to show your support for our children and our community in the following ways:

Donation of Auction Items: Your generous donation of gift certificates, items, products, tickets, memberships, etc.
Sponsorship: Please see attached form for details on sponsorship of our event.

We hope that you will help us with your donation. Bigelow Auction:sponsor

Thank you in advance for your support of the families and teachers who patronize your business.

Bigelow Middle School, Big Night Committee
42 Vernon Street Newton, MA 02458
bigelowbulldog@gmail.com

Nonprofit identification number #20-0348453

Town Hall meetings on the Override

The mayor plans to visit every village in the city in the coming weeks to answer questions on the March override, to explain the differences between overrides and debt exclusions, and to tell you why he thinks you should support the override vote on March 12th.

We encourage every citizen of Newton to attend and learn more about this plan, and ask any questions you may have.

Anyone, can attend a meeting held in any ward.

Town Hall Dates: Note that Ward 1 (Bigelow) is up first.

Sunday Jan 27 1:00 pm Hawthorne/Pellegrini, Ward 1
Thursday Jan 31 7:00 pm Scandanavian Living Center, Ward 3
Sunday Feb 10 1:00 pm Ward School gym, Ward 7
Sunday Feb 10 3:30 pm Location TBD Ward 8
Tuesday Feb 19 1:30 pm Scandanavian Living Center, Seniors Town Hall
Sunday Feb 24 1:00 pm Lower Falls Community Ctr, Ward 4
Tuesday Feb 26 7:00 pm GBIO Town Hall, Temple Shalom
Thursday Mar 7 7:00 pm Location TBD Ward 6

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!

Winter Programming at Newton Community Farm for kids & adults

The Newton Community Farm (NCF) is pleased to offer a variety of courses this winter for children, gardeners, and others who have an interest in the outdoors, food, and farming.

For children, join us on Feb 6 for an Early Release Day Activity and again on February 21 for Kids on the Farm – Then and Now, a vacation week program at the Jackson Homestead.

For gardeners, classes that might be of interest include Planning Your Garden for a Four Season Bounty, Growing Fruit Trees, and Defensive Urban Gardening.

NCF is also offering a class series on beer brewing and a guided tree walk in Nahanton Park.

For more information on these classes and to register, please visit our website.

Become a Newton School Volunteer!

“I think I’m getting smart!”

Become a Newton School Volunteer and hear these words from a student.

*Tutor a 2nd – 5th grade child in basic mathematics concepts once a week for 30-45 minutes.
*Select your preferred school, grade, day, and time.
*Play special math games that reinforce skills and help students gain confidence and competence.
*Training, Everyday Math books, and learning materials, and ongoing support are provided.
*No teaching experience is needed.

For more information, please contact Ellen Bender, coordinator of volunteers, by phone at 617.559.6131 or email.

Toddler/Preschool Enrichment Program has Openings

Miss Megan’s Place is a licensed, home-based toddler/preschool enrichment program for children ages 18 to 36 months, located in Newto.

At Miss Megan’s Place, children discover their special qualities through a combination of play and structured activities in a safe, happy, clean and stress-free environment. It is my goal to provide a place where your child will grow socially, emotionally, cognitively and physically at his or her own pace, in a home away from home.

Curriculum includes yoga, music, baking, arts and crafts, outdoor time and supervised free play. I hold a Master degree and certifications in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education and Special Education. I have also been trained in children’s yoga.

Miss Megan’s Place meets Mondays, Wednesday and Thursdays from 9-12, September-June and follows the Newton Public Schools calendar. For more information, visit the website or contact Megan Tager by email.

Open mic night, Thursdays 7-9pm

Brookline Music School faculty Scott Pittman hosts a weekly Open Mic Night at Café Nicholas, 1632 Beacon Street, Brookline in Washington Square from 7:00 to 9:00pm for FREE. Brookline Music School provides a full drum set, amplifiers for bass, guitar and keyboard, and two microphones for the evening. All ages and skill levels are welcome to attend and perform. This is a great opportunity to showcase your talent without the intimidating atmosphere.

Workshop: Assistive Technology to Support Executive Function Skills, Jan. 10

Learn about assistive technology tools which support students who struggle with executive function skills. Karen Janowski, an assistive and education technology consultant with Newton Public Schools, will present a variety of technology tools which support skills necessary for school success, from elementary through high school. She will focus on tools for managing executive function skills across the grade spectrum.

Thursday, January 10
7:30 to 9:00 PM
100 Walnut Street (Rm 210) in Newtonville

Karen writes: “As an Assistive & Educational Technology Consultant, my passion is to remove the obstacles to learning for all students. It is important to make the curriculum accessible to all learners and provide opportunities for struggling learners to demonstrate what they know using principles of universal design.” Karen writes a blog.

Newton Parent Advisory Council (NewtonPAC) for Special Education meetings are free and open to all people interested in learning more about special education.

Join us! Questions, contact Newton PAC by email.