Tag Archives: mid

First Lego League Info night

The Newton LigerBots are hosting a First Lego League (FLL) and Jr. FLL Info Night for elementary and middle school aged students and parents.  FLL is the FIRST LEGO robotics competition for fourth through eighth graders. Junior FLL is a project-based FIRST program for children in grades K – 3.

In addition to building and programming LEGO robots, each year’s themed FLL challenge a project for which team members brainstorm and present creative solutions to real life problems. This year, all the FIRST competitions will be space themed and the FLL game is titled “Into Orbit”. The presentation is aimed primarily at parents, but kids are also welcome to come and learn more about the FLL program and participate in STEM related activities. Eastern MA Champion FLL team The Day Dragons will join current LigerBots students and coaches who have participated in FLL in the past will lead a presentation with general information on FLL as well as on how to start your own team. There will be demonstrations of EV3 robots, STEM activities, and people to answer any questions you may have. Email fll@ligerbots.com for more information.

June 20th, 7:00  – 9:00 pm
Newton North High School, Film Lecture Hall (just off the front entrance at Tiger Drive)
457 Walnut Street

July 4th Celebration in Newton

Kids’ Morning on July 4th, 10:00 am – 12 Noon, Newton Centre Playground at Tyler Terrace. Free event for children ages 3 – 12 years. Children and families are invited to join in the Grande Pet Parade, Decorated Doll Carriage Promenade, Teddy Bear Parade and Foot Races. Free ice cream, candy and drinks complete the morning celebration – courtesy of Cabot’s Ice Cream. Kids Morning is cancelled in the event of rain.

Afternoon/Evening Events on July 4th, Noon – 10:00 pm – Albemarle Field/Halloran Sports Complex

The fun continues with kiddie amusement rides, face painting, craft vendor booths and food trucks. Look for the Circus Arts performances from students and staff of Gravity Alternative Movement! Then, the fun moves over to the main stage with the fabulous Bo & Bill Winiker Band (courtesy of the Village Bank) for music and dancing from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. Bring lawn chairs, try out the delicious food from the many food trucks and pick up your light-up novelties. At 9:00 pm, don’t miss the grand finale…a fantastic fireworks display! In the event of rain, the concert and fireworks will be rescheduled for a date to be determined. Visit www.newtoncommunitypride.org for details.

Try the Y

Saturdays are free all summer long! Guests must present a valid ID at the front desk. Summer Programs begin the week of June 18th. Keep your mind and body active all summer long with programs to keep you and your children busy.

Summer program highlights:

• Swim lessons for all ages, with day and time options to fit every schedule!
• TRX suspension training for ages 55+
• Youth basketball league
• Summer Session, a youth music writing and recording program for ages 12+
• And more!

View all summer programs and register online at wsymca.org or call 617-244-6050.

Pick-Up Ultimate Frisbee for Adults

The West Suburban YMCA is offering Wednesday night pick-up ultimate frisbee on the New Balance Track & Field. Meet on the turf field at 6:30 pm on Wednesdays, June 27th through August 8th (no frisbee on July 4). Cost is $10 to drop-in. Please contact Chris Ellison, Sports and Recreation Director, at 617-244-6050 x3806 for more information.

Pickleball is Back!

Join us Tuesdays from 9:30 am-11:30 am and take up a new sport: Pickleball! What’s Pickleball, you ask? Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and ping-pong. All are welcome. $5 drop-in fee.

Summer is upon us, and there’s a camp experience to fit every child’s needs!

• Camp Pikati is a summer day camp at the West Suburban YMCA, offering a traditional camp option or sports camp option, for children ages 3-15.

• Camp Chickami is a traditional outdoor summer day camp in Wayland, MA for ages 6-15.

• Camp Frank A. Day is an overnight camp in East Brookfield, MA for ages 7-15.

Registration for summer camp is ongoing, but sessions are beginning to fill. For more information, visit wsymca.org or contact Camping Services at 617-244-6050 x3008 or email campingservices@wsymca.org.

West Suburban YMCA Center for Creative Arts Outdoor Concert & BBQ – June 16th

Join the Y’s Center for Creative Arts (YCCA) for their final concert of the school year hosted at the First Baptist Church in Newton Centre! There will be food, games and music all day long for friends and family. Music starts at 10:00 am. For more information, contact Kevin O’Connell at kevino@wsymca.org.

Annual Golf Tournament – June 18th

Join Y Staff and Volunteers on Monday, June 18th for our Annual Golf Tournament being held at Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord. The golf tournament is a fun day on the course and supports the Y’s Annual Campaign, providing financial assistance to local families in need. For more information or to register as an individual, contact Sara Pollock DeMedeiros at 617-244-6050 x3099.

World’s Largest Swim Lesson – June 21st

The West Suburban YMCA is participating in the World’s Largest Swim Lesson, a global event designed to build awareness and generate attention about the vital importance of teaching kids to swim to help prevent drowning. The Y is offering several time options throughout the day on June 21st for children and families to access a free swim lesson. Visit wsymca.org for more information and to register.

Financial Assistance is always available for Y Memberships and Programs

The West Suburban YMCA is a non-profit charitable organization and it is our mission to never turn anyone away due to their inability to pay. Please contact our Membership Department at 617-244-6050 x3653 for financial assistance with membership or program participation.

School Committee Update

Dear Friends,

This update is for the 05/30/2018 Newton School Committee meeting:

With over 1800 views, our first School Committee “Virtual Office Hours” was a huge success.  We held our second one last night and you can view the video on the district Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/newtonps.

  • To start, we held a public meeting and voted unanimously to decline participation in the Massachusetts School Choice program. To clarify, this is not related to school choice for Newton residents within the district. The School Choice program allows students from outside of Newton to apply to attend Newton Public Schools. It is a statewide program in which districts can choose to participate or not. This public meeting and vote is required by law and it is a decision that must be reaffirmed annually.
  • Toby Romer and Mary Eich were joined by Interim IT Director Tom Gwin, to provide an update on the One Student/One Device Pilot.  The pilot will continue next year when, starting in January, Chromebooks are planned to be distributed to the entire 10th grade at Newton North and Newton South. To learn more about the program and to view the presentation to the School Committee, visit: www.newton.k12.ma.us/laptop.
  • Members of the Equity Committee presented an update to the Equity Guidelines.  Most notable changes to the guidelines were a lowered per pupil spending cap of $80 and the formation of a Working Group to consider pooled PTO funds.
  • We had a chance to recognize Newton Public School students including:
    • Our Newton School Committee student representatives, Brooke Hackel, Michael Ryter and Max Teszler, all who are graduating this year.
    • The Newton North Graphic Design students who participated in the project to redesign the district logo: Arthur Dutra, Liam MacIntyre, Mia Patriacca, Emma Nephtali, Li Shandross and Grant Yee. A special thank you to Li Shandross for designing the logo chosen for district use.
  • Lastly, we unanimously voted to relocate the Horace Mann Elementary School to 225 Nevada Street, currently the site of the Carr Building, in September 2019. This was the official vote to affirm the long-term facilities plan we have been using.

Upcoming Meetings:

  • June 11th @7PM: Year-End Reports: Superintendent’s Goals and Systemwide Goals, Student Assignment Working Group (SAWG) Recommendation, Student Services Update, Vote: EDCO Board Member.
  • June 18th @7PM: SEPAC Update, High School Start Time Update, Fiscal and Operational Update and Facilities Update, Discussion of Superintendent’s Assessment.

We hope you have found this summary useful. You can access all School Committee meeting documents via the NPS website (https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/domain/69). Additionally, if you are interested in watching an SC meeting from home or a recorded meeting, you can obtain access via www.newtv.org.

As always, we are very happy to answer any questions or discuss any concerns you may have. Please feel free to contact us via the email address below. Have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

The Newton School Committee

Washington Street Vision

Participate in Hello Washington Street to provide input and help shape the future
of Washington Street. Public Design Week will feature a Pop Up Workspace
June 5th -12th, 8:30 am – 9:00 pm.

For information, email washingtonstreet@newtonma.gov, call 617-796-1120, visit
facebook.com/hellowashingtonstreet or check out this notice
http://www.newtonma.gov/civicax/filebank/documents/89637

Newton Firefighters want to help extinguish hunger in Newton!

From June 8th to June 22nd, Newton Firefighters will be holding a food drive on behalf of the three food pantries in Newton; the Centre Street Food Pantry, the Newton Food Pantry and the Arabic Baptist Church, which together serve more than 1,000 families a month in our community.

Please donate canned or packaged non-perishable food items (that are not opened or expired) and toiletries (standard size) to your local fire station. Let’s support the Newton Firefighters in their fight to end hunger in our neighborhoods!

Final Open House

The Newton Highlands After-School Program, just for middle school children, is hosting a final spring Open House. This is a terrific opportunity for parents of 5th graders to learn more about the program as they plan for the next school year. Space is limited … Sign up today! For more information please contact Rochelle Acker at 617-999-4617 or visit highlandsafterschool.org.

June 4th, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Brigham House, 20 Hartford Street, Newton Highlands