Category Archives: Other

Newton Inspires: Broadway Babies!

Newton Inspires: Broadway Babies! The Newton Schools Foundation invites you to join in a free, virtual event featuring Newton Public School alumni Zachary Baer, producer, live and digital entertainment; Skylar Fox, director, playwright and theatrical designer; Ryan Vona, actor and singer-songwriter, and Tess Primack, actress and founder of Broadway from Home in a live and engaging conversation about life in the theater.

For more details and to register visit https://newtonschoolsfoundation.org/nsf_news/our-next-newton-inspires-speakers-tuesday-feb-9/

Special guest Adam Brown, director of Theatre Ink at NNHS, will moderate. This event is part of NSF’s Newton Inspires speaker series—notable Newtonians sharing their passions with the community.

February 9th at 7:00 pm

Student Project: planting trees to honor lost lives

The 4C Tree Project aims to honor the memory of lives lost to COVID-19 by celebrating life through the planting of trees, and they need your help to make it a success. Spearheaded by Green Newton’s Environmental Youth Leadership Program, the Capture Carbon Commemorate COVID-19 Tree Project (4C Tree) hopes to demonstrate the resilience of our City through difficult times and its commitment to a healthy ecosystem. Your gift will help plant trees in public spaces throughout Newton as memorials to loved ones lost and as reminders of the importance of caring for our world.

Learn more about the project at GreenNewton.org.
Sponsor a 4C Tree HERE.

Next Newton School Committee Meeting

Meeting Agenda

  • Superintendent’s Update
  • Public Comment
  • Spring and Fall Planning Update
  • Ventilation Final Update and Report
  • Testing Working Group Update
  • Elementary Survey Results Addendum
  • MOA with NTA
  • FY22 School Calendar Review: FY22 Calendar
  • Vote: Draft Minutes: September 2, 2020 Draft Minutes

Meeting Login https://zoom.us/j/390017072
Meeting ID: 390 017 072
Dial in:+1 646 558 8656 US Meeting ID: 390 017 072
Meetings are also accessible at https://newtv.org/school-committee-meetings

January 25, 7:00 pm
Via Zoom

Public Speak Instructions: To participate in public comment, please submit your NAME and ADDRESS by email with the subject line “Public Comment for [DATE]” to schoolcommittee@newton.k12.ma.us PRIOR to 7:00 pm, the official start time of the meeting. In order to ensure the committee hears comments on as many issues as possible, please briefly indicate what issue you are speaking to.

You will need to join the Virtual Meeting by computer or phone to participate. During the Public Comment portion of the meeting, the Chair will call your name and the meeting monitor will unmute your microphone. State your name and address for the minutes and you will have up to three minutes to comment.

Building Resilience Across the Charles River Watershed

Adapting to the impacts of climate change is a daunting task but many local cities and towns are facing this challenge head-on. Having the best possible information on the impacts of climate change within your community can help guide effective local investment and appropriate regulatory changes.

The fifteen communities that are part of the Charles River Climate Compact (CRCC) have teamed up to develop a Charles River watershed flood model. Join a webinar to hear about the development of this important planning tool and how you can be involved.

RSVP: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yGNNGHrZRpyDa-UYX2EKwg

January 28,  7:00 – 8:15 pm

Kamala’s Way: An American Life – Author event

Kamala’s Way: An American Life is the compelling new biography of Kamala Harris, America’s new Vice President. Join author Dan Morain for The Remarkable Rise Of Vice President Kamala Harris.

During his time as a reporter with the Los Angeles Times and editorial editor with the Sacramento Bee, Morain covered Kamala Harris’s professional ascent beginning when she was Deputy District Attorney in Alameda County. He followed her career as she went on to become District Attorney to California Attorney General, then to U.S. Senator, and now, she’s the first Black, South Asian and female Vice President in our country’s history.

Learn how the daughter of two immigrants of color in segregated California became one of America’s most effective and dynamic power players. Morain will be joined in conversation by Liz Goodwin, Deputy Bureau Chief for The Boston Globe in Washington, DC.

Register HERE for the virtual event.
February 2nd,  7:00 pm

This program is made possible in partnership with the Tewksbury Public Library.

Heating and Cooling Older Homes for Comfort and Energy Efficiency

A free webinar for owners of older homes that need heating and cooling upgrades, or want to add central air conditioning. Speakers from Newton’s HeatSmart Program will explain how electric heat pump technology works, and how we can retrofit it into different types of homes.

A builder/renovator will also provide information about adding insulation to homes with an understanding of the embodied carbon impact of insulation choices. Presenters: Phil Hanser, Craig Forman and Rachel White. Co-sponsored by Green Newton and Historic Newton.

February 4th, 7:00 pm
Via Zoom

Registration Link https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Oc738JEXRXGMdjax04odgw

Looking to help in the community? Make kids club bags for the Centre Street Food Pantry!

Help give families with children an extra bag of food as part of the Kids Club Program. Please help by making a grocery bag (or more than one) filled with kid-friendly foods. If you’re interested, go to the website www.centrestfoodpantry.org/donate-food for more details. The Centre Street Food Pantry distributes 100 bags every week to families with children!

Looking for something to do Martin Luther King Day weekend and the following weekend?

Consider Belmont World Film’s Family Festival
View the festival trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzi8KRjhQfY

Belmont World Film’s Family Festival goes completely virtual this year, expanding from its typical four days to ten to allow audience members to view film at their leisure (although once you start a film, you’ll have 48 hours to watch it).

The Festival provides children age 3-12 and their families the opportunity to see some of the world’s most remarkable current films for children—films that provide a window into the lives of kids in other cultures, races, and ethnicities—plus the chance to participate in several exciting workshops, including:

  • Junior Film Critics Workshop with Joyce Kulhawik and Boston Globe film critic Ty Burr on January 16th and 17th
  • Learn to Model Gromit or Shaun the Sheep with Aardman Animation’s Senior Model Maker on January 23rd (three sessions available)

SHORT FILM PROGRAMS FOR AGE 3-8

  • Animal Magnetism: Mostly wordless, short, animated films about animals from Magnet Films, a distributor of award-winning shorts, including many Oscar winners!
  • Celebrating 100 Years of Scholastic Books: The newest, never before seen films, as well as some of our favorite classics from Weston Woods Studios, Scholastic’s filmmaking arm that turns some of the best loved children’s picture books into high quality films.
    (Staff pick!)
  • Hungry Bear Tales: Stories for young children and their parents, full of sidesplitting humor and delicious food! Cuddly bears Ned and Mishka, characters based on the books by Zbyněk Černík, are best friends who share a cosy house in the forest.
  • LOL with Mo Willems Films: This program includes some of our favorites films based on the books by children’s author Mo Willems, who can make children and adults laugh out loud like no one else! He not only writes and illustrates his own books, but also narrates the animated films that are created by Scholastic/Weston Woods Studios.
  • Zog/Zog and the Flying Doctors: Zog and the Flying Doctors is the follow up to last year’s Zog, in which a keen but accident-prone dragon learns how to fly, roar, breathe fire, and save a princess during his first year at Dragon School. In this sequel, Zog, Pearl and Gadabout are now a flying doctor trio caring for creatures, including a mermaid, a unicorn, and a sneezy lion. Features the voices of comedians Tracy Ullman, Sir Lenny Henry, and Rob Brydon, plus Game of Thrones’ Kit Harrington and Fleabag’s Hugh Skinner.

SHORT FILM PROGRAMS FOR AGE 5-10

  • Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: The ideals and people connected to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as interpreted by Scholastic/Weston Woods Studios.
  • Made in Portugal: Short Animated Films by and for Kids: A collection of award-winning, short animated films created and narrated by 8-10 year old students at the ANILUPA Animation Centre, an educational and cultural center created by Associação de Ludotecas do Porto (ALP), a professional animation studio in Porto. The films tell stories about Portuguese culture, daily life, and traditions.

FEATURE LENGTH FILMS FOR AGE 8+

  • Angel: An 11 year-old girl named Angel finds a gold watch that makes her wishes become reality.
  • Fahim, the Little Chess Prince: Based on the true story of Fahim Mohammad, who fled from Bangladesh to Paris when he was only 8 and initially refused asylum, only to be crowned France’s Under-12 Chess Champion in 2012.
  • Forward: A moving documentary for kids and about kids making a difference in the world no matter what their age. The film focuses on José Adolfo, who founded a ground-breaking eco-bank for poor children and young people in his native Peru when he was just 8 years old. (Staff Pick!)
  • Jackie & Oopjen: While wandering around after hours at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum where her mom is a curator, 12 year-old Jackie discovers that Oopjen, one of the subjects of Rembrandt’s famous paintings, has suddenly come to life, looking for her long lost sister who was painted by an unknown painter.
  • Kusasa: A youth soccer team journeys from their home in Groendal in South Africa to compete in finals of the Gothia Cup – the world’s largest international soccer tournament for youths held each year in Sweden.
  • Microplastic Madness: Fifth graders from P.S. 15 in Red Hook, Brooklyn took action on plastic pollution by collecting local data, leading community outreach, and informing policy by testifying and rallying at City Hall. Then they took action in their cafeteria to eliminate all single-use plastic!
  • The Bears Famous Invasion of Sicily: Based on Dino Buzzati’s classic book of the same name about how a group of bears came to live with one another for a short time, written in 1945 toward the end of World War II.

January 15th – 24th
Link to virtual festival https://watch.eventive.org/bwffamilyfest

Newton Food Pantry – Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Volunteer Recruitment

The Newton Food Pantry is currently looking for new volunteers with linguistic skills, BIPOC volunteers, and volunteers from diverse backgrounds. Click here to learn more about this opportunity.

Do you want to be a part of a local non profit that helps countless residents every week to provide healthy food options for them? Can you communicate in Spanish, Russian or Chinese? Do you want to bring your own background and experience to benefit the clients of the Newton Food Pantry?

The Newton Food Pantry is specifically looking for BIPOC volunteers and people who can speak Spanish, Russian and Chinese to work the Wednesday afternoon client distribution shifts.  There are also a variety of other volunteer opportunities.

Intrigued? Want to know more? Email president@newtonfoodpantry.org today. Newton Food Pantry is a local non profit, working hard to bring nutrition and food justice to all of our neighbors. They are entirely volunteer-run, and are inviting new members to join the family!

Reclutamiento de voluntarios

¿Quieres ser parte de una organización local sin fines de lucro que ayuda a innumerables residentes cada semana a proporcionar opciones de alimentos saludables para ellos? ¿Es usted un nativo español, ruso o chino? ¿Quieres traer tu propia experiencia y experiencia para beneficiar a los clientes de la Newton Food Pantry? Necesitamos nuevos voluntarios con habilidades lingüísticas, voluntarios de BIPOC y voluntarios de diversos orígenes. Estamos buscando específicamente voluntarios de BIPOC y personas que puedan hablar español, ruso y chino para trabajar nuestros turnos de distribución de clientes el miércoles por la tarde. Estos turnos son: 12:30-2:30 pm, 2:30-4:30 pm y 4:30-6:00 pm. También hay una variedad de otras oportunidades de voluntariado. ¿intrigado? ¿Quieres saber más? Envíenos un correo electrónico a president-newtonfoodpantry.org hoy. Newton Food Pantry es un local sin fines de lucro, trabajando duro para llevar la nutrición y la justicia alimentaria a todos nuestros vecinos. ¡Somos totalmente voluntarios, y estamos invitando a nuevos miembros a unirse a nuestra familia!

中文志愿者招募

您想加入一个当地的非营利组织吗？您想为无数的居民提供健康的食物吗？ 西班牙语/俄罗斯语/中文是您的母语吗？您想为牛顿备餐驻入您的经验和力量吗？我们需要有语言技能的志愿者，需要来自不同背景的志愿者。我们特别欢迎会说西班牙语，俄语，或者中文的志愿者加入我们星期三下午的派送工作。工作时间为12:30-2:30PM, 2:30-4:30PM, 以及4:30-6:00PM. 如果您有兴趣想了解更多，请发邮件至 president@newtonfgoodpantry.org。牛顿备餐是一家本地的非营利组织。我们致力于为本地居民提供营养健康的食物。我们全部由志愿者组成并真诚欢迎新成员的加入！

Набор волонтеров

Хотели бы вы стать частью местной некоммерческой организации, которая еженедельно помогает бесчисленному количеству жителей Ньютона получать продукты питания? Говорите ли вы свободно на испанском, русском или китайском? Хотели бы вы поделиться своим опытом и знаниями на благо клиентов Newton Food Pantry? Мы ищем волонтёров различного происхождения и владеющих языками этнических общин. Для раздачи продовольствия нуждающимся, нам особенно нужны говорящие на испанском, русском и китайском языках волонтёры. Работа по средам тебуется в следующие смены: 12:30-14:30, 14:30-16:30, и 16:30-18:00. Заинтригованы? Хотите узнать больше? Напишите нам по адресу President@newtonfoodpantry.org. Newton Food Pantry – это местная некоммерческая организация, которая прилагает все усилия чтобы обеспечить продукты и справедливость в отношении питания для всех наших соседей. Наша организация существует полностью на добровольческих началах, и мы приглашаем новых членов в нашу семью!

Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

As part of their mission to alleviate food insecurity in Newton, NFP believes all people have the right to access nutritious food through community-based approaches and that no one deserves to go hungry. As an integral part of this community, the Newton Food Pantry has and will continue to open its arms to all members of the community regardless of their race, color, ethnic background, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, political views, disability, age or national origin and treat those in need with compassion, dignity and respect.

Free Webinar on Environmental Justice

Join a virtual session in which Dr. Daniel Faber will speak about climate change and the ecological crisis, as well as issues of environmental and climate injustice.

Environmental Injustice and the Crisis of Environmentalism
January 12th, 7:00 pm Register HERE.

This free program is co-sponsored by Green Newton and the Newton Free Library, and is a part of the Green Newton Library Series.