Category Archives: Other

Bus Driver/Crossing Guard Appreciation

Interested in thanking our crossing guards, bus drivers, and van drivers? Newton Safe Routes to School normally hosts Bus Driver/Crossing Guard Appreciation Day in June each year to thank these important community safety helpers.

This year instead appreciation will be in the form of a photo collage from grateful families all across Newton. If you’d like to participate, make a sign thanking them, hold it up, snap a pic, and email it to newtonsaferoutes@gmail.com by Friday, June 5th. Adults and kids alike are welcome to make signs! Please note that the photo will be shared.

May is National Bike Month. For tips on bike sizing, the ABC’s and helmet fit, visit www.newtonsaferoutes.org.

Emergency Housing Relief Program

Are you struggling to pay your rent because you have lost income due to COVID-19?

The City of Newton in partnership with Metro West Collaborative Development is providing three months of rent assistance to qualified individuals and families. Please see the flyer HERE and visit the web page at COVID-19 EMERGENCY HOUSING RELIEF PROGRAM for details and application instructions. The application deadline is June 3, 2020.

This information is also available in Arabic الترجمة العربية ; Chinese 简体中文; Japanese 日本語; Korean 한국어; Portuguese português; Russian русский; Spanish español; Turkish Türk Dili; and Vietnamese Tiếng Việt.

Contact Robyn to begin the process by emailing robyn@metrowestcd.org or calling 617-923-3505 x 5. Translation services available. Applications received after June 3rd will be added to the bottom of the list and considered while funding lasts.

Navigating the college application process: a panel discussion webinar

The college search and application process can be complicated and taxing for students and parents alike. Want to learn how to make the process easier? Come to a free panel discussion webinar with former Newton South PTSO co-chair Betsy Blagdon, writing coach Jane Hirschhorn, psychologist Debbie Offner and college counselor Maruta Vitols.

The webinar is free and is sponsored in part by the Newton Free Library. Registration is required and is capped at 100 attendees, but the webinar will be recorded.

You can register for the panel discussion here. For more information, contact jane@jbhtutoring.com or NCPanelNewton@gmail.com.

June 4th,  7:00 – 8:00 pm

General Support Resource

The Newton Public Schools, in collaboration with Newton Health and Human Services, is providing a support phone number for families with children enrolled in our schools. This service is staffed by Newton Public Schools counselors and is designed to support families experiencing food scarcity, housing scarcity, domestic or substance abuse, and other mental health struggles exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The phone number, 617-559-6021, is answered live Monday -Friday from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm and is equipped with voicemail.

Help the Newton Food Pantry by making face masks

Want to help the Newton Food Pantry by doing an at-home craft project?

Consider making and donating cloth face masks that are individually packaged in a ziplock bag for distribution to Food Pantry clients. These mask donations can be dropped off at 36 Metacomet Road or at 61 Ballard Street.

Help them meet their goal of 400 masks!

Greetings from Newton Free Library!

The Newton Free Library staff have cooked up another exciting week of virtual offerings to help you stay connected and engaged from the comfort of your home. Read all the way down to learn about opportunities for adults, teens and tweens, and kids!

Calling all Makers and Crafters! Librarians have created an impressive Virtual Makerspace Guide. The guide is broken into sections by age and skill level to get you creating with tools you have at home. The Low Tech section focuses on drawing and fiber arts, the Medium Tech area highlights cooking, gardening, and sewing, and if you’re a High-Tech maker, there are sections on 3-D printing, robotics, and web design. Kids will love the painting, weaving, and puppet projects and tweens and teen audiences can tackle creating personalized Zoom backgrounds, temporary tattoos, and sewing projects.

Virtual Trivia Night. Join on May 14th at 7:00 pm to test your knowledge of books that were made into movies. Library staff will challenge players with questions from a variety of categories on Zoom. One registration per team; the Zoom link will be sent out a few hours before the event.

NEW Adult Events:
Beginner Drawing Studio on May 12th at 6:30 pm. This workshop will help you understand how your brain interprets the world and give you the tools to start drawing fearlessly! Learn new skills and join a community of creative practice. All levels welcome.

Saddle Stitching Booklets: Introduction to Basic Bookbinding on May 13th at 2:00 pm. Learn basic bookbinding as you make simple folded booklets using the saddle stitch with supplies you are likely to have around the house. You’ll see an informational video with step-by-step instructions and be available for questions and support. Continue reading →

Honor Thy Teacher

Over these past weeks, many parents have developed a deep appreciation for the job that our teachers do each day. Here is a way to say thank you.

By donating to Newton Schools Foundation’s Honor Thy Teacher program in the name of one or more teachers, you can show your appreciation for them AND support your children’s schools.

In recent weeks, NSF directed its resources toward the challenges of COVID-19 with a $85,500 grant for the Newton Public Schools to purchase 300 Chromebooks for students needing access to online learning during school closures. Dollars raised will go to funding grants for promising educational initiatives, professional development and programs that close gaps in opportunity and achievement.

NSF will notify each teacher honored of your gift and share their names with Principals and the Superintendent. A list of honored teachers will appear on the NSF website and in the Newton TAB.

It’s easy to donate online at http://www.newtonschoolsfoundation.org/honor-thy-teacher .

Parenting in the Time of Corona; How parents can care for the social-emotional needs of their children

SEL4Newton and Newton Public Schools will be holding an hour-long Zoom Webinar  specifically for Elementary School Parents. The panel will address “Parenting in the Time of Corona; How parents can care for the social-emotional needs of their children now and in the coming months”.

A panel of Newton experts will be discussing social-emotional learning (SEL) strategies for parents in this unusual time and with opportunities for you to express your challenges. Check out the flyer here SEL4Newton

To register, click on https://actionnetwork.org/events/sel4newton-webinar-2020-05?source=flyer&

Zoom virtual meeting
May 27th, 7 :00 pm

Breathing Room- A Place for Special Families

Join Breathing Room, a FaceBook private group for parents and caregivers of children with special needs. Members may be caring for kids with any kind of special need from subtle to severe.

Cindy Kaplan will be guiding the group with wisdom from Conscious Parenting, her years of yoga practice, and 18 years of experience learning from her daughter, Mira, who has significant special needs. Cindy is a local Conscious Parent and Family Coach with an MA in Psychology. She has been working with parents and families for over 20 years through private practice, workshops, group coaching, and speaking engagements.

No surprise, there will be a deep focus on self-care and learning how to deconstruct generations of patterns and beliefs so that you can free yourselves from guilt, the “shoulds and what ifs”, and ultimately take care of yourselves so that you can truly be the best that you  can be for your children.

Please take a look, and share with those you know who could benefit from being a part of a community that will allow them to feel less alone and more whole.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/657935261443585/

Zoom Open Houses for Highlands After School Program

The Highlands After-School Program, just for middle school children, is hosting Zoom Open Houses for interested families in May and June. Here’s the link for additional information on how to join:

https://www.highlandsafter-schoolprogram.org/announcements

SPACE IS LIMITED! This is a terrific opportunity for parents learn more about the program as they plan for the upcoming school year. If you can’t make an Zoom meeting or would like more information contact Rochelle Acker at 617-999-4617 or highlandsafterschool@gmail.com or visit the website https://www.highlandsafter-schoolprogram.