Author Archives: caroline-w

Youth Coffeehouse Benefit

The annual Youth Coffeehouse at the First Unitarian Society in Newton is coming up soon. This event, featuring and organized by students from Newton North and Newton South High Schools, is a benefit for vulnerable children in Africa. The coffeehouse begins at 7:00 with acoustic and comedy acts. After the intermission at 9:00, a number of live bands will perform.

All proceeds from ticket sales, snacks, t shirts, and crafts from Zambia are donated to Communities Without Borders (CWB), a non-profit organization that supports the education and well-being of AIDS orphans and vulnerable children living in and around Lusaka, Zambia.

Tickets are $13.00 for adults and $7.00 for students, although additional donations are welcome. For more information please visit: www.fusn.org/content/coffeehouse or call 617- 527-3203.

March 7th,  7:00 – 11:00 pm
1326 Washington Street, West Newton

Boxing Benefit

The John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club of Newton in partnership with Nonantum Boxing Club present Fight Night 2015. The night will feature 7-10 bouts between local amateur fighters sanctioned by USA Boxing. Don’t miss this chance to see some of Newton’s finest take on fighters from other gyms across the state.

Click HERE http://newtonbgc.com/2015-fight-night.php to purchase your tickets. General Admission is $20.00. VIP Seats are $50.00 and include a catered dinner.  There is a cash bar. Doors open for VIP ticket holders at 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm for General Admission.

Whether you are a fan of the sport, a Club parent looking for a fun night out and a great way to help the Club, or a Club alum putting together a night out with old friends, this is a unique experience and it is sure to be a great time for all!

February 28th, 7:00 pm
The Samuel Crocetti Gymnasium
John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club

Professional Development Forum for Artists

The New Art Center, in collaboration with the Newton Art Association and Newton Open Studios, is pleased to introduce the Art + Business Circle, a professional development forum for artists. This series of lectures, workshops, and networking events will bring artists together to learn valuable skills from experts and each other. Topics will include marketing & public relations, social media, portfolio preparation, presentation skills & public speaking, and more.

March 4th, April 1st, and May 6th,  6:30 to 8:30 pm
Newton Art Center, $25.00 Admission

Click here for more information and to register.

March 4th: Publicity and Public Relations with Debbie Hagan of Art New England
April 1st: Social Media for Artists with Angela Pitter of LiveWire Collaborative
May 6th: Portfolio Presentation with Mika Hornyak, George Sopel, and Sara Dassel of FlatFile

Fitness Program

Get Burly is a fitness program designed to promote athletes to be the best version of themselves through supporting their peers and through fitness. Their mission is to instill and inspire youth to develop a passion for fitness through group circuit training and team building games.

Introduce your child to “Fun Through Fitness”. Participants (Grades 6-9) will engage in group circuit training as well as a variety of team building activities and cooperative games. For additional information, please visit
http://www.newtonma.gov/civicax/filebank/documents/64247.

So you want to be a curator?

To learn more, click here, or come to the Curator Workshop & Information Session. This workshop brings together emerging and aspiring curators to learn about curating contemporary art from a curatorial professional. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in dialogue about curatorial ideas while learning more about the New Art Center’s Curatorial Opportunity Program (COP).

The workshop will feature a presentation by Gloria Sutton, Professor of Contemporary Art History and New Media at Northeastern University. Sutton will discuss her curatorial practice as well as some effective ways to create visual art exhibits and programs that reach beyond the gallery walls.

Following Sutton’s presentation, New Art Center staff will lead a question-and-answer period on the Curatorial Opportunity Program’s proposal submission process.

Curator Workshop & Information Session
February 12th, 7:00 – 9:00 pm, $10.00

About the Workshop Presenter:
Gloria Sutton is Assistant Professor of Contemporary Art History and Continue reading →

Etiquette Classes Spring and Summer sessions

The 6-day and 8-week long etiquette classes for grades 2-12 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 more.

For more information and to enroll visit www.theetiquetteacademy.org.

PARCC UPDATE

Dear Families:

As most of you know, students in Massachusetts have been tested for proficiency in English Language Arts and Mathematics since 1998 using MCAS. Over the next couple of years, MCAS will very likely be phased out and replaced by a different type of assessment designed to assess student proficiency with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which were adopted as Massachusetts state standards by the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2011. Since that time, our K-8 English Language Arts and Math departments have gradually shifted our entire curriculum to align with the Common Core in elementary and middle school.

Last year, some of our schools and classrooms were randomly selected to pilot PARCC, Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. Based on that experience, and our desire to test our students on the current curriculum, we chose to administer PARCC in all elementary and middle schools this year. Slightly more than half of the districts in Massachusetts made the same choice.

The transition to PARCC requires changes in some of our previous testing routines. In particular, thirteen (13) of our schools chose to test using the computer-based version of PARCC, something we have not done before.

The first round of PARCC testing begins March 16th and runs through April 10th, with five (5) testing sessions in that five (5) week window. The second round of PARCC testing runs from May 4th through May 21st, with three (3) testing sessions in three (3) weeks. The exact dates will vary by school and grade. Fifth and eighth graders will also take the Science MCAS in May.

Student, school and district test results will be reported similarly to MCAS, and we will analyze our performance as we do with all student learning assessments. We have worked diligently to align our curriculum to the new standards, to deliver additional resources to teachers, to refine our instructional strategies, and to provide additional support to students as necessary.

The PARCC assessment will be one measure of the outcome of our work, and we will make adjustments to our curriculum and instruction in response to student performance, as we do with all assessments. Despite the proliferation of state and federal testing, we will continue our focus on improving teaching and learning in the Newton Public Schools.

Obviously, this is a tremendous undertaking and will require a great deal of effort and communication with staff and parents. More information about the PARCC assessment is
available on the Newton Public Schools website at www.newton.k12.ma.us/PARCC

Many thanks for your understanding and support. We will be sure to keep you well informed during this time of transition.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools

YMCA – Lifeguard Training Class

Information for the upcoming American Red Cross Lifeguard Training Crash-Course at the West Suburban Y is provided below.

In order to qualify, all participants MUST be able to complete the pre-requisites for the class:
· Must have current Lifeguard Certifications that are reaching an expiration date

· Must be able complete 300 yards continuous swimming (consisting of freestyle and breaststroke) without stopping or touching the bottom

· Must be able to tread water for 2 minutes using only your legs

· Must complete the Timed Event in 1 minute and 40 seconds: swim 20 yards, surface dive to a depth of 9 feet and retrieve a 10lb brick and swim back 20 yards on your back. Place the brick on the side of the pool and exit without the use of a ladder or stairs.

· Must be able to attend ALL days of the class Continue reading →

From Our Farmers to You

Farmers To You is a growing partnership of gifted farmers and producers creating the future of food production and committed families gracing their tables with life-giving foods. Together they are building a safe, just and regenerative food system one farmer at a time, one family at the time.

Farmers To You invites you to join the new Community Delivery Site in Newton! Each week you can order from the freshest offerings which will be delivered to you at their Newton Site. Evening pickups are also available. For more information please visit www.farmerstoyou.com.

NewtonSERVES

NewtonSERVES announces Project Registration is Now Open for Day of Community Service on Sunday, April 26th.

Volunteer projects are welcome from Newton non-profits, Newton city departments and schools, individuals, and groups of citizens interested in accomplishing specific tasks with the help of over 1,000 volunteers from the community. Projects can easily be registered online, by visiting www.newtoncommunitypride.org/NewtonSERVES-project.php.

Projects can be in the morning, afternoon or all-day on Sunday, April 26th or they can be set up individually on an alternate date during the City of Newton’s Volunteer Week, April 27th-May 2th. In addition to gaining access to volunteers to tackle specific tasks, project sites may be eligible to receive additional resources such as mulch, garbage and yard waste bags. Project sites also benefit from raised awareness within the community and all participants receive NewtonSERVES T-shirts and refreshments in honor of their volunteer service. New projects leaders are encouraged to sign up along with recurring projects and experienced leaders.

For more information, please visit www.newtoncommunitypride.org/NewtonSERVES.html or call 617-796-1540.