Category Archives: Events

Upcoming Programs offered by Youth Services

Suicide Prevention Training (QPR) for Teens
January 6th, 4:00-6:00 pm, Newton Free Library

Our community has been affected by suicide. Newton Cares: Coalition for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health is working diligently to train as many people as possible in the suicide prevention technique called QPR – Question, Persuade, Refer. The more people who know how to act, the more lives may be saved. Please consider being trained. 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. This upcoming training is specifically being held for teens and young adults. Poster is available for download here: QPRTeens_Jan2015. Please register by visiting www.newtonma.gov/youth.


Taking Care of Ourselves and Our Teens: Reducing Stress and Enhancing Resiliency January 27th, 6:00-7:30 pm, Newton Free Library.

Back by popular demand!! This four-session wellness program for parents of adolescents developed by the world-renowned Benson-Henry Institute of Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital teaches self-care skills to help cope with stresses of everyday life and aims to leave parents with a renewed sense of control and well-being. For all Newton residents or parents of teens attending school in Newton.

Topics will include:
* The physiology of stress and how it affects the body
* Self-care strategies to reduce stress and increase your resilience
* Relaxation techniques
* Easy ways to reduce or stop stress-inducing thoughts
* Tips for modeling these skills for your teens, help reduce their stress and build their resilience too

Sessions 2-4 will be held on February 3rd & 24th, and March 3rd from 6:00-7:30 pm. Must attend all four sessions. Space is limited, please register (required) at newtonma.gov/youth.  Poster is available for download here: TakingCareofOurselves_Jan2015


Stressed Teen? Learn some helpful and healthy ways to relax  January 27th, 4:00-5:30 pm, Newton Free Library

Branching off the parent program will be workshops pertaining to teens and teen stressors. The four sessions will be directed to teens and will help teach them to cope with stresses of everyday life coming from school, home, social media and other pressures. It will teach teens to have a better sense of control and well-being. During the course teens will learn what stress is, how it affects the body, strategies for self-care, relaxation techniques and easy ways to reduce or stop stress-inducing thoughts. Sessions 2-4 will be held on February 3rd& 24th, and March 3rd from 4:00-5:30 pm. Must attend all four sessions. Free. Space is limited. Registration is required. Visit www.newtonma.gov/youth to register. Poster is available for download here: StressedTeen_Jan2015


Improving Academic Effectiveness February 5th and April 9th, 6:00-7:30 pm, Newton Free Library

Engaging Minds Learning Center (a local learning and tutoring center) has been instrumental in providing tools for students in order to help them learn effectively. The basis of this program is to teach the idea of “executive function” and the skills which it embraces. Executive functions are the essential self-regulating skills that we all use every day. They help us plan, organize, make decisions, shift between situations or thoughts, control our emotions and impulsivity, and learn from past mistakes. This program is FREE and includes: an explanation of the term “executive function” and why these skills are important in school and in other aspects of education in today’s fast paced world, tips and strategies geared towards parents and teachers in order to help strengthen students’ skills, real life applications and take home toolkits to maintain effective learning. Poster is available for download here: improving academic effectiveness 2

Free, drop-in, no registration required. Two separate sessions, do not need to attend both.

Upcoming Teen Programs

Books and Brownies, December 15th, 7:00 pm, 2nd floor Teen Area:
The group will discuss Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills, which received the 2014 Stonewall Award from the American Library Association. It’s an award given to books of “exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.” BMUC tells the story of Gabe, a high school senior with a serious love of music, who is learning to leave Liz behind – the person everyone has known him as until now. Please join for a great discussion and of course, brownies!

Create Your Own Light-Up Card, December 16th, 3:30 pm, 2nd floor Teen Area:
Learn some elementary electronics, and how to create fun and flexible circuits on paper. You’ll be able to make holiday cards or pictures that light up.

New NNHS Book Club! December 18th,  2:30 pm (during X Block):
This new Newton North book club will be meeting every other month for a book discussion in the NNHS Library. Come to the first discussion (and brownies!) to talk about Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes.  For any questions, email Ms. Dalbec at: er*********@***********ma.us or Liz at: te***@***************ry.net.

Family Game Night, December 30th, 7:00 pm, Druker Auditorium:
Staying around town for the holiday season? Keep warm at the library where we will be hanging out, eating pizza and playing board games. Open to all ages.

Community Messiah Sing

Join in at the Parish of St Paul at 1135 Walnut Street for this glorious tradition! Joe Fort will conduct and Jeffrey Mills will be the organist. Soloists will be singers from the St. Paul’s choir. Musical scores will be provided for all.

The chorus will be comprised of any and all who come to add their voices to the four-part harmony! We will be singing just the Christmas sections of the piece and the Hallelujah Chorus. So bring your voice, or just your eager ear, and enjoy this beloved holiday event!

December 19th, 7:30 pm
1135 Walnut Street, Newton Highlands

Waban Hill Reservoir Public Hearing

Newton Community Preservation Committee – Waban Hill Reservoir Public Hearing

The Newton CPC will meet on December 11th at 7:00 pm. This agenda includes a request to revise the funding conditions for Newton Highlands Playground ($200,000, already funded); and a public hearing on funds requested for land acquisition and improvements at Waban Hill Reservoir (Chestnut Hill, $1,073,446 request).

For additional information, see the program website, www.newtonma.gov/cpa or contact Alice E. Ingerson at ai*******@******ma.gov or 617-796-1144.

City Hall Room 209

NewPAC presentation

The Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education (NewtonPAC) is sponsoring a presentation by attorney, teacher and former head of the Board of Special Education Appeals (BSEA) Dan Ahearn. The topic will be Basic Rights in Special Education, and the meeting will be held on December 10th at 7:30 pm in room 201 of the Education Center at 100 Walnut Street in Newton.

Networking and cookie-eating will begin at 7:15.

Community Caroling Sing-along!

The United Parish of Auburndale (44 Hancock Street at the corner of Grove and Woodland) is hosting a caroling sing-along for the whole community. It will be on Sunday, December 14th from 3:30-5:00. Please join in for holiday spirit and Christmas cheer as we sing everyone’s favorite carols. This event is open to everyone who wants to sing! UPA is an open and affirming, reconciling ministries congregation that welcomes all people. www.upanewtonma.org.

Fun For All Ages: Community Arts Festival, December 14th

Enjoy music, art, and dance at a free Community Arts Festival at Temple Shalom of Newton. Sponsored by the Open Your Eyes Fund for the Arts at Temple Shalom, the Festival celebrates the beauty and power of light at the darkest time of the year. Bring the family and enjoy: family art activities; dance workshops for children; live stained-glass demonstrations; an art exhibit; professional dance and music performances; StarLab, the Museum of Science’s portable planetarium … and more!

Admission to the Festival is free, but certain space-limited events require preregistration and a small fee. Visit Temple Shalom’s website https://www.templeshalom.org/our-community/openyoureyes/upcoming-events-for-the-open-your-eyes-fund-for-the-arts/ for more information, and click here https://www.formstack.com/forms/?1878232-3FgTJp1wre for registration information.

December 14th, 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm

The Growth Mindset

Come to a Parent/Guardian workshop on getting up to speed on the growth mindset.

Have you heard that Newton Public Schools is asking teachers and staff to explore how
encouraging a “growth mindset” can motivate students to learn? Do you know that the research-based growth mindset is useful for all ages and in all settings—school, home, work, athletics?

Newton North School Council and PTSO invite ALL parents/guardians to a fun and engaging evening exploring the growth mindset. As Principal Jen Price shows you how Newton Public Schools faculty are being trained in the use of the growth mindset, you’ll learn:

 Effective ways to give praise

 Useful methods for encouraging children and teens to try new things and accept

challenges

 Constructive ways to respond to failure

 Successful strategies for creating a parent-teacher dialogue about students’ development

You will also have a chance to apply the growth mindset during an interactive challenge.
To learn more about the growth mindset, read **********************@***************************************th.aspx” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>The Significance of Grit . or view this Ted Talk by Angela Duckworth.

December 3rd, 7:00-8:30 pm
Newton North High School cafeteria

Teen Programs

Teen Crafternoons,  December 2nd, 3:30 pm, second floor Teen Area: Get creative making wrapping paper, gift tags, carving stamps, and eating snacks.

Get Hooked: Knitting and Crochet Club, December 4th, 7:00 pm, second floor Teen Area: Join the ongoing Knitting and Crochet Club. They have crochet hooks, knitting needles, yarn and the know-how to teach the basics of crocheting. Or, bring your own project. Refreshments will be served. Open to ages 10 and up.

Girls Who Code Club, December 5th, 12th and 19th, 4:00 pm, second floor Computer Center: Want to learn how to build an app, design a video game and change the world through code? Join the Girls Who Code (GWC) Club! GWC is a national non-profit organization leading the movement to inspire, educate and equip girls with the computing skills they need to pursue 21st century opportunities. Join them every Friday throughout the school year to learn about artificial intelligence, graphics, game design, cryptography, mobile development and so much more! Open to grades 6-12. For more information: www.newtongwc.com

Create Your Own Light-Up Card, December 16th, 3:30 pm, second floor Teen Area: Learn some elementary electronics, and how to create fun and flexible circuits on paper. You can make holiday cards or pictures that light up.

Join Fresh City in “Thinking Fresh”

Fresh City invites you to support their new partnerships with the Newton Food Pantry and the Centre Street Food Pantry.

On December 3rd, from 5:00 – 9:00 pm, 15% of sales will go to help support these food pantries. Join Fresh City in “Thinking Fresh” and supporting our community. Please bring a copy of this flyer with you or mention that you are a friend of the Newton Food Pantry to show your support! We hope to see you there!

December 3rd,  5:00 – 9:00 pm
Fresh City Newton
241 Needham Street
617-244-7071
For more information about Fresh City visit the website www.freshcity.com