Author Archives: caroline-w

Upcoming Teen STEAM Programs @ the Library!

Impact Entrepreneurship: Making a Difference in Your Community Through Technological Innovation Ever dreamed of becoming the next Zuckerberg? Have an idea to change the world? Come learn how to create real-world technological solutions that help your community. High school entrepreneur and Girls Who Code alum Anaya Tipnis will discuss the process of building a startup and the benefits of learning to code. All ages welcome! Register online. May 3rd, 7:00 pm, Druker Auditorium.

CodeCampKidz: You’ll be amazed by what your Web creations look like when you see them on an iPhone, iPad, or laptop, not just on a wider screen! In this course you will take a “mobile first” approach and build a series of re-usable Bootstrap Tools that you can use over and over again on your own responsive design projects. Topics covered include: the Bootstrap Grid system, fixed & fluid layout, responsive layouts and media querry, panel, other UI effects; and others.

Full details are available at http://codecampkidz.com/liveclass/level2. Free Continue reading →

Etiquette Boot Camp

The Etiquette Academy of New England will be offering an Etiquette Boot Camp for Teens.

The 4-hour Etiquette Boot Camp is designed to prepare ages 13-17 for the next family dinner and social gathering. Participants will learn how to start and maintain conversations with adults and peers, how to introduce themselves, when to interrupt, and how to knock when entering a room.

The program will help reinforce a young adult’s basic etiquette, conversation techniques, and table manners in a fun setting with their peers. Participants will learn how to set the table, use their napkin, pass food, and use utensils the European and American way. For more information and to enroll visit TheEtiquetteAcademy.org or call 617-608-3920.

May 15th, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm in Coolidge Corner
1309 Beacon Street, 3rd Floor. Brookline.

Get your hands dirty on the farm with the summer GreenPower program for middle schoolers! Participants have the chance to interact with farmers, care for animals, work in the Junior Farmer field, set-up the Farm stand, participate in hunger relief, learn cultivation techniques, participate in irrigation and building projects, and more!

For more information, please click here for flyer.

Mindfulness: Two events

Finding Your Quiet Place: Mindfulness Skills for Children & Families
Being a parent can be stressful. When your child experiences a meltdown or has difficulty concentrating and following directions, it can be difficult to keep your cool-let alone help your child to calm down and focus. Mindfulness can help. In this discussion, Mindfulness authors and clinical social workers Deborah Sosin and Carla Naumburg share their experiences helping parents and children learn how to pay attention to the present moment with kindness and curiosity.

In addition to learning the benefits of mindfulness, participants will practice fun exercises that they can do at home to bring peace to their daily lives and build more harmonious family relationships. Register online at newtoncommunityed.org or call 617-559-6999. Tickets: $14.00 in advance ($20.00 at the door).

May 3rd, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Newton South High School

Growing Up Mindful: Encouraging Compassion and Connection in Children and Teens
Many of us are seeking ways to share Mindfulness with our children to prepare them for a world that is often less than compassionate. We cannot protect them from every challenge, but we can offer them the lifelong gift of mindful awareness to ease their way.

Christopher Willard will discuss how Mindfulness can help kids build resilience for dealing with life’s challenges and cultivate emotional, cognitive, and spiritual intelligence. Willard is a Boston-based psychologist and educational consultant specializing in Mindfulness for adolescents and young adults. He has been practicing meditation for over 15 years and teaches at Harvard Medical School and is a published author. Copies of his new critically acclaimed book “Growing Up Mindful” will be available for purchase.

Register online at newtoncommunityed.org or call 617-559-6999. Tickets: $14.00 in advance ($20.00 at the door).

May 10th, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Newton South High School

Solar Energy discussion

The Newton Community Farm welcomes Philip Warburg to discuss his latest book, Harness the Sun: America’s Quest for a Solar-Powered Future. Mr. Warburg will address solar energy’s dramatic rise, the challenges it faces, and how the people at the center of the solar revolution are finding common ground as they advance new ways to tap the sun’s power and steer America toward a lower-carbon future.

This event is part of NCF’s new adult programming initiative to offer an array of educational events on a variety of topics of interest to the community in their newly renovated barn. This event is cosponsored with Green Newton and is free and open to the public. Preregistration is suggested.

April 28th, 7:00 pm
303 Nahanton Street, Newton

One Can Help

Join One Can Help for an evening of food (Farm Grill), drinks (Vino di Vino) and conversation as they celebrate 10 years of helping the neediest local families and children. One Can Help is a Waban-based innovative social justice nonprofit that provides the much-needed additional resources underserved children and families require in order to be able to improve their lives.

They have now served over 1,000 families and children in Middlesex County, including right here in Newton. The program includes special guest speaker Maria Mossaides, Child Advocate of Massachusetts.

Tickets are going fast, get yours and learn more at http://onecanhelp.org/news-events/ or contact in**@********lp.org.

May 5th, 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Windsor Club
1601 Beacon Street, Waban

Question, Persuade, Refer community training

Newton Cares invites you to learn a suicide prevention training called QPR, Question, Persuade, Refer. It’s an an evidence based, simple technique that offers everyone strategies and approaches to responding to someone experiencing distress and information about
how to get the expert help required.

May 11th, 8:30-10:30 am (Breakfast included)
Cook Restaurant
825 Washington Street, Newton

Click here to register for May 11th – Registration is required/Space is limited. Or visit www.newtonma.gov/newtoncares to register for upcoming trainings.

Special Needs Trusts and Estate Planning

The May meeting of the Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education (NewtonPAC) will feature Annette Hines, Esq., who will speak on Special Needs Trusts and Estate Planning.

Annette M. Hines has been practicing in the areas of Special Needs, Elder Law and Estate Planning for over fifteen years. She received her JD from Howard University School of Law, her MBA from Suffolk University and her BA from the University of Vermont. Her clients include individuals and families of children with special needs, the elderly and others in the community. Ms. Hines is the mother of two daughters, one of whom passed away from Mitochondrial disease in November 2013. Her personal experience as the mother of a child with special needs fuels her passion for quality special needs planning and drives her special understanding and dedication to the practice.

All NewtonPAC meetings are free and open to everyone. If you plan to attend, please email ne******************@***il.com so they know how many people to expect. Any questions, please contact Eileen Sandberg at ei***********************@***il.com

May 12th,  7:30 pm. with refreshments and networking at 7:15 pm
Education Center, Room 210
100 Walnut Street, Newton

Little Shop of Horrors

Watertown Children’s Theatre presents Little Shop of Horrors, Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Music by Alan Menken.  Parental discretion is advised due to violence and adult content. A cast of 8th-12th graders, including Newton’s own Rose Caplan, Isabella De Jesus, Julia Dwyer, Ashlyn Kelly, Laila Plaster, and Liam Walsh, presents this thrilling musical in an intimate black box setting.

For more information, visit  www.watertownchildrenstheatre.org or call 617-926-ARTS. Tickets are $15.00 each, general admission, at www.watertownchildrenstheatre.org or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

May 6th and 7th, 7:00 pm, May 8th, 1:00 pm, May 12th and 13th, 7:00 pm,
May 14, 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm, and May 15th, 1:00 pm, in the Black Box Theater, Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown.

Spring Cleanout Swap Day

DROPOFF & PICKUP FOR NEWTON RESIDENTS ONLY

Clear Out Clutter without adding to the waste stream!

Swapping and Donating…bring along useful but unwanted belongings for swapping or
donating. Bring your stuff, or just come along & pick something up – for free!
• Computers – Appliances – Bicycles – Books
• Household items and non-upholstered furniture (No mattresses or couches)
• REUSABLE building materials (cabinets, doors, plumbing and light fixtures, lumber,
drywall, etc.)
• NO computer monitors, NO televisions, NO hazardous materials
• Pretty much anything, so long as it is usable, non-toxic, non-hazardous – and clean!

Recycling and Reuse…bring along any of the following and the City of Newton will make
sure that they are recycled, re-used, given to charity or disposed of safely.
• Fluorescent bulbs and other mercury-containing items
• Cell phones, all printer cartridges, CDs, DVDs
• Clothing
• Paper, cardboard, glass, metal, stiff plastic bottles (#1 – 7)
• Dead rechargeable batteries

If you cannot make it to the event, please visit http://www.2good2waste.com/newton/
a free website to swap and trade stuff!
RAIN OR SHINE RAIN OR SHINE
Saturday, May 14th, 8:00 am – 2:00 pm (item dropoff until 1:00 pm)
Rumford Avenue Recycling Depot (off Lexington Street in Auburndale)
http://www.newtonma.gov/gov/dpw/recycling