Tag Archives: mid

Why So Early? Rethinking the High School Start Time: A Community Forum

  • Can’t wake up your teen for school?
  • Tired of grumpy, groggy kids?
  • Concerned about the impact of limited sleep on your student?

There is a lot of evidence that delaying the start time for high school can improve the physical and mental health of students, reduce tardiness, and improve learning in school. Newton is in the process of studying a later start time for the two high schools. The School Committee has formed the High School Start Time Working Group to study the benefits and challenges of doing so. Click here http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/laterstarttime to find out more.

On January 26th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm in the Newton North cafeteria, the Newton North School Council is sponsoring a forum to inform the community about the benefits and challenges of a later high school start time in our city. We are pleased to be joined by Superintendent David Fleishman (watch his video https://vimeo.com/148259628), Working Group and School Committee members Ellen Gibson and Ruth Goldman, and Dr. Christopher Landrigan, a Newton parent and a physician and researcher in the Division of Sleep Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

We will also hear from high school students and faculty about their experiences. We welcome your participation in the conversation and input about a later high school start time in Newton.
If you are unable to attend the event, but would like more information about this topic, please visit: http://newtonsouthptso.org/school-info/school-council/, where you will find resources and can sign-up for periodic updates.

January 26th, 7:00-8:30 pm
Newton North High School Cafeteria

Teen Making Smart Choices

Middle School and High School students, parents, and guardians are invited to a fun, free EXPO. Teens and adults are encouraged to come to the Just Think: Teens Making Smart Choices expo for participative, informative exhibits; live musical performances; free refreshments; and fun.

Meet 30 community exhibitors who help teens navigate life’s pressures in order to stay safe and healthy. Get information about everything from driving and pedestrian safety to healthy eating and positive body image to stress reduction and mental health support.

Highlights:

• Community resources for teens
• FREE and fun!
• Treat bags for first 50 students who come with a parent/guardian
• Giveaways and refreshments
• Prize drawing: Beats headphones
• “American Ninja Warrior” live demo!

Newton North High School
January 21st,  5:00 to 7:30 pm

QPR Training: Three steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide

Join Mayor Setti D. Warren at The Street, Chestnut Hill for a FREE workshop on Suicide Prevention called QPR: Question, Persuade, and Refer. People trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. The training is appropriate for everyone.

Nanci Ginty Butler, LICSW, of the Riverside Trauma Center and also the parent of an Angier student will be giving the presentation. There is no fee, however registration is required and space is limited. Register at www.newtonma.gov/newtoncares. Questions? Please call 617-796-1420.

January 13th
5:00 pm, reception at DelFrisco’s Grill at The Street, 33 Boylston Street
6:00 – 8:00 pm, training will follow at the nearby WS Development Offices

Free Camp Fair

Don’t miss this free event if you have a child attending camp this summer! For the first time ever, the Underwood PTO has organized a FREE public event: the New England Camp Fair.

The Camp Fair is open to ALL local families.  Over 30 camps from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Connecticut will be participating. Attending camps serve kids ages 6-14 and represent a mix of day and overnight camps. Participating camps run the gamut from traditional style camps to sports, computer, arts and other specialty themed camps. Come to the fair with your prospective camper and meet in person with Camp Directors and staff from the premier camps in New England. www.newenglandcampfair.org

February 3rd, 5:30-8 pm
Bigelow Middle School

A New Way of Understanding and Parenting Kids

BE THE PARENT YOU WANT TO BE! A New Way of Understanding and Parenting Kids
Think:Kids Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) approach, based in MGH’s Department of Psychiatry, provides parents with concrete tools to better understand and parent their kids in the face of day-to-day challenges.

The CPS approach helps parents to:

  • Shift their thinking and approach to foster positive relationships with their child/teen
  • Reduce their child’s challenging behavior
  • Solve problems collaboratively and proactively
  • Help their child/teen develop skills related to self-regulation, communication and problem-solving

For more information and to register for January or March CPS Overview groups in Newton, please visit: http://www.betheparentyouwanttobe.weebly.com

COPE Therapy Study for Child Depression

Dikla Eckshtain, PhD, a clinical psychologist and a faculty member in the Division in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital is running a therapy research study for children with depression that is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The therapy is an evidence-based treatment that focuses on the provision of coping skills,  is provided at no cost, and compensation is provided for interviews and parking. For more information, please see attached copy of the study flyer.

Give your child the gift of manners this year!

A gift that will last a lifetime. The 8-week long etiquette program is specifically developed for each age group, Mind Your Manners (grades 2-4), Etiquette for Middle Schoolers (grades 5-8), and Etiquette for Young Adults (grades 9-12), and cover topics such as improving social and communication skills, projecting confidence, combating shyness, strengthening self-esteem and leadership skills, navigating friendships, resolving conflict, understanding social cues, basic manners and table manners, and much more.

For additional information and to enroll please visit www.theetiquetteacademy.org or call 617-608-3920.

January 30th – March 26th (8 Saturdays)
Chungdahm ReadWrite
1254 Chestnut Street, Newton

QPR Training with the Mayor

Join Mayor Setti D. Warren at The Street in Chestnut Hill to learn QPR Suicide Prevention on Wednesday, January 13th. 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

The evening will begin at 5:00 pm with a reception at DelFrisco’s Grill at The Street, 33 Boylston St., Newton. The Training will follow from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the nearby WS Development Offices. Register by visiting newtonma.gov/newtoncares.
Questions? Please call 617-796-1420

Teens Making Smart Choices Expo

Teens and parents/guardians are invited to the Just Think: Teens Making Smart Choices Expo. Come to this free Expo for participative, informative exhibits; student performances; refreshments; and fun.

Meet 30+ community exhibitors who help teens navigate high school pressures in order to stay safe and healthy. Get information about everything from driving and pedestrian safety to healthy eating and positive body image to stress reduction and mental health support. Snow date, Monday, January 25th. For more information, northptso.org.

January 21st, 5:00 to 7:30 pm
Newton North

Forum on High School start time on January 26th

Save the date! Join the Newton South PTSO and Newton North’s School Council to continue the community conversation around the impact of inadequate sleep on our teens and to explore the research on and impacts of starting high school later.

The featured speaker will be Dr. Christopher Landrigan, Director of the Sleep and Patient Safety Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Research Director of Inpatient Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital—who is also a South parent! If you missed last April’s forum at South, this is an important way to catch up on the research and join the conversation—with a new keynote speaker and updated information.

January 26th, 7:00 pm
Newton North cafeteria