Tag Archives: mid

A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens – talking to your kids about things that freak you out

Talking to Your Kids about Sexting, Drinking, Drugs and Other Things That FREAK YOU OUT.

The Health & Human Services Department is hosting a speaker on parenting teens. This is part of a joint effort with the school department to help parents in the community understand and set boundaries around issues of concern including: vaping, alcohol, substance use, and other risky behaviors. Presented by: Joani Geltman, MSW, Local Expert on Parent-Teen Relationships

Tickets are Free and available HERE. Flyer is available HERE.

May 1st, 7:00 pm
Newton South High School Lecture Hall

Hosted by the Department of Health and Human Services

What’s Happening at the West Suburban YMCA

Healthy Kids Day – Inspiring kids to live up to their potential by being healthy, active and engaged! Join this free family event featuring healthy games and activities. Join in for a fun afternoon including:

• Bike decorating station and bike parade
• Book swap station – bring a book to donate and swap!
• Demonstration by players from BC Football
• Curious Creatures wild animal exhibit
• Bouncy house
• Obstacle course
• Face painting
• Live music
• Healthy snacks
• Free bike helmets and t-shirts while supplies last!

All event attendees are encouraged to bring their bikes and a book. Bring your bicycle for decorating and to join the bike parade around the track, and bring a book for the Book Swap Station to help counter summer learning loss and awaken imagination!
April 27th, 2:30 – 4:30 pm

Kids Night Out – Parents, drop off your kids for a fun Friday night with the Y’s staff. They’ll order pizza for dinner and keep the children entertained with games, swimming, movies and sports. $25 per child for Y members and $30 for the community. A 20% discount is offered per child for those with two or more children. Go out for the night and take advantage of this low-cost alternative to hiring a babysitter. Contact Jillian Finnigan at jillianf@wsymca.org for more information.
May 3rd, 6:00 – 10:00 pm

Poetry Night – Organized by Barbara Helfogtt-Hyett of Poemworks, the event features readings by two local poets, then guests are invited to participate in the open mic portion of evening to share their own written work. This event is free and open to the public.
May 3rd, 7:00 – 9:00 pm

Family Fun Night – Bring the whole family to the Y for some family fun time. Featuring arts & crafts, bouncy house, gym games and more! Free and open to all. Family Fun Nights occur on the second Tuesday of every month.
May 14th, 6:00 – 7:00 pm

Summer Camp Open Houses – Learn about the Y’s summer camps, meet the staff, take a tour, and discover which camp is right for your child.

YMCA Camp Pikati is day camp at the West Suburban YMCA in Newton for ages 3-15
Open House May 11th from 2:00 – 4:00 pm or June 10th from 6:00 – 8:00 pm

YMCA Camp Chickami is day camp in Wayland, MA for grades 1-10
Open House May 11th from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm or June 6th from 6:00 – 8:00 pm

YMCA Camp Frank A. Day is overnight camp in East Brookfield, MA for ages 7-16
Open House May 19th from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm or June 2nd from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner – The West Suburban YMCA’s Annual Meeting & Awards Dinner celebrates the people who help fulfill their promise to strengthen the community – our members, staff, and volunteers! Join as they introduce new board members, take a look back at highlights from 2018, recognize generous donors and the people who make a difference at the Y. Please RSVP if you plan on attending the event: www.wsymca.org/rsvp
May 16th, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Safety Around Water Open House – We’re creating a new wave of impact! Join the Y for a free water safety open house, which includes a swim lesson and parent resources. All ages are welcome and encouraged to attend! Water safety and learning to swim are vital life skills that should be taught just as readily as looking both ways before crossing the street. With summer right around the corner, this is a great time for parents to remember the importance of equipping children (and themselves!) with essential water safety skills. Please RSVP to this event here: www.wsymca.org/water-safety
May 19th, 12:00 – 2:30 pm

Intro to Women’s Self Defense Class – The West Suburban YMCA is proud to collaborate with the Newton Police Department to host the Intro to Women’s Self Defense class. In this three-hour class, participants will learn risk reduction strategies, physical techniques and basic combative moves. During the final part of the class, the Newton Police Instructors will put on protective suits and allow participants to practice what they just learned on a moving person. This event is free to attend, but pre-registration is required as space in the class is limited.
May 29th, 6:00 – 9:00 pm

Work at the Y: The West Suburban YMCA is hiring for a variety of full-time and part-time positions in child care and youth development, aquatics, fitness and more. Great benefits, free membership and professional development opportunities. Please contact Laura Snow at lauras@wsymca.org or visit wsymca.org/careers.

The Etiquette Team Summer programs

The 5-day youth etiquette program is specifically developed for each age group: Mind Your Manners (grades 2-4), Etiquette for Middle Schoolers (grades 5-8), and College Prep: Professional Demeanor (grades 9-12).

The program covers 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, table manners, and much more. The final class takes place at a local restaurant over a four-course meal where the students get to show off their newly perfected skills! The fee for the program ranges from $350 to $395.

Level One will begin on July 8th and end July 12th. Level Two will begin on July 15th and end on July 19th.  For more information and to enroll visit theetiquetteacademy.org or call 617-608-3920.

Classes take place at The Etiquette Academy of New England, 1309 Beacon Street, 3rd Floor, Brookline

Want something to do during April school vacation?

Stories! Movement! Art! will provide students in Grades 3 – 6 the opportunity to tell stories through their art! By using low-tech materials, they’ll create art that physically moves or uses optical illusion to showcase movement! This program runs April 15th – 19th, 1:00 – 3:30 pm in the Carriage House at Gore Place in Waltham . Fees are $20.00 for the whole week, or $5.00/day. Tickets available at https://art-workshop.bpt.me.

Newton’s New Philharmonia presents Quintessentially American

Newton’s New Philharmonia Orchestra, led by Associate Conductor Jorge Soto, will present Quintessentially American, a program inspired by Leonard Bernstein’s Young Person’s Concert.

Across the globe, cultural organizations are taking part in “Leonard Bernstein at 100”, a two year celebration of the iconic composer, conductor and educator’s life and career. The New Philharmonia will celebrate Bernstein’s excitement and joy of classical music with the help of several young artists.

The New Philharmonia will be joined onstage by student ensembles from the Boston String Academy to perform Gipsy Overture and several colorful and exciting Latin American tangos.

“Bernstein’s considered his 14-year series of Young People’s Concerts with the New York Philharmonic as one his greatest accomplishments”, said Adrienne Hartzell, executive director of the New Philharmonia. “One aspect of these programs was the introduction of new, young and exciting artists. New Philharmonia is delighted to present in our program two highly talented ensembles from Boston String Academy, one of four winners of the MA Cultural Council’s 2019 Commonwealth Awards.”

Soto will also lead the New Philharmonia in performing excerpts from Antonín Dvořák’s “New World Symphony” and Bernstein’s colorful Divertimento, a piece commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1990 that includes the fun and fanciful movements “Turkey Trot,” and “March: The BSO Forever”.

During the concert, the New Philharmonia will ask patrons to support Ventanas, a charitable foundation that helps children with cancer in Venezuela. The New Philharmonia has a strong connection to Venezuela. Associate Conductor Jorge Soto, and Music Director Francisco Noya of the New Philharmonia, and Marilisa and Mariesther Alvarez, founders of the Boston String Academy, were all born and raised in Venezuela.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Newton Cultural Alliance, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Quintessentially American will be held on April 28 at 3:00 pm in the historic First Baptist Church, 848 Beacon Street,  Newton Centre. Tickets are $18.00 for adults and $10.00 for students and can be purchased online at www.newphil.org or by calling 617-527-9717.

Summer Music Camp Enrollment is Open!

The Conservatory at Highlands Summer Music Camp Enrollment is Open!

  • Rock Band Summer Camps each week of the Summer
  • Ages 6 and Up, All Experience Levels
  • All levels and instruments welcome
  • Ensembles arranged by age and experience
  • Students have a lot of fun learning songs and playing together
  • Special strings and chamber music week: August 18th
  • Concerts weekly on Fridays at 2:00 pm
  • More info on the website: http://www.highlandsconservatory.com/music-camps

Each weeklong session is Monday – Friday,  9:00 am – 3:00 pm, starting June 24th

For more information and Sign Up form click Music Camp or contact
info@highlandsconservatory.com or 617-903-0944.

The Conservatory
51 Winchester Street,  Newton Highlands
www.highlandsconservatory.com

School Committee Update

Dear Friends,

This update is for the 3/25/2019 Newton School Committee meeting:

Superintendent Update: Khita Pottinger-Johnson was introduced as Newton Public School’s new Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education. She most recently served as the executive director for social emotional learning instruction and support services for the Boston Public Schools, and previously served as a principal. She will begin with NPS on July 1, 2019.

New Business

Consent Agenda

Old Business

Next Meeting

On Monday, April 8 at 7:00pm, we will discuss and vote on the FY20 Budget Proposal. In addition to the budget proposal, School Committee will also vote on the equity guidelines revisions, the last day of school, approved field trips, and minutes. We will also receive an update on high school start time, transportation planning, and EDCO.

We hope you found this summary useful. You can access all School Committee meeting documents via the NPS website (www.newton.k12.ma.us/schoolcommittee). 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.

Sincerely,
The Newton School Committee

Clothing swap to repurpose and redistribute

A group of Newton South seniors are working on a project for their sustainability class. Their mission is to find a way to repurpose and redistribute clothing to the Newton Community.

There will be a drop off bin for your unwanted and gently used clothes (no shoes, please). Anyone is welcome to drop off (students, families, and friends).

Wheeler Commons at Newton South at the following times:
April 8th,  9:00 – 9:40 am or 10:50 am to 2:50 pm
April 9th,  9:00 – 11:05 am or 1:00 – 1:55 pm

On April 12th, 1:15 –  3:00 pm there will be a clothing swap in Wheeler Commons where members of the community can select any clothing items they would like at no cost.