Category Archives: Community Notes

Winter training programs

Boston Athletic Training is excited to offer winter training programs for kids ages 7+ with  everything from Basketball and Football to Speed and Strength training. Programs take place on both weeknights, as well as weekends at the Hyde Center. They are offering some training during the February Break as well!

Email info@bostonathletictraining.com or call 857-313-8442.

Spring 2021 Registration is open!

Spring 2021 Pre-K and Kindergarten Divisions are for Newton children who are currently in kindergarten or will be attending kindergarten in 2021-2022 in the Newton Public School System. Click here to register.

All games will be played at Oak Hill Middle School beginning April 24th and will run for 6 weeks. Games will be played on Saturday mornings with no game on May 29th due to the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Kindergarten Soccer is run entirely by parent volunteers, please sign up to coach if you can! No previous knowledge of soccer is needed. Visit NewtonKindergartensoccer.org for more details.

What’s Happening at the West Suburban YMCA

Become a Member of the Y!
Join (or rejoin) the West Suburban YMCA during the month of February and if you keep an active membership for 3 consecutive months they’ll give you your fourth month free!

Coming from another gym? Bring your old membership card and get 10% off your West Suburban YMCA membership for one year. For more information on these promotions, contact the Welcome Center at 617-244-6050 ext. 0.

Black History Month: We Wear Black
Join the Y as we all celebrate Black History Month. Staff, members, and community are invited to take part in the “We Wear Black” initiative every Friday throughout February. We Wear Black to bring awareness to Black contributions to our society, celebrate Black excellence, and raise awareness of systemic racism and oppression. Stop by the Y’s Welcome Center on Fridays to get a We Wear Black logo sticker to show your support!

YBA: Youth Basketball Association
Early Spring League: February 27th - April 11th
Early Spring YBA Season begins this month! YBA is fun, coed basketball league for kids age 4-12. Y leagues offer children a safe and positive environment, supportive coaches, and new friendships while they learn and improve their skills.

YBA will be taking all COVID precautions, including transition buffers in between sessions, teams of 10 players, only one parent/guardian allowed to spectate while remaining physically distanced in the indoor track, and a mask requirement. Learn more: https://wsymca.org/sports

Register Now for Summer Camp!
In 2020, the Y operated a fun and safe summer for hundreds of campers! In 2021, the Y plans to operate similarly with COVID safety procedures in place. The Y offers two day camps, Camp Pikati on-site at the Y and Camp Chickami in Wayland, as well as one overnight camp, Camp Frank A. Day, in East Brookfield. Learn more: Continue reading

Special needs summer horseback riding programs

Lovelane is excited to offer morning Horsemanship Workshops and afternoon weekly Unmounted Horsemanship Programs this summer, including Barn Buddies, the Carrot Club, and Private Sessions.

For more information and to sign up, please explore the website lovelane.org/summer and reach out to the Summer Programs Coordinator, Jennie Cooke at jennie@lovelane.org or 781-259-1177 x23.

See the flyer here: Lovelane

Tutor available

Would your 3rd, 4th or 5th grader benefit from individual tutoring? David Dubin is a licensed and practicing fourth grade teacher who can supplement your child’s in-person or remote school experience, or just help with homework during the after school hours. Please email daviddubin75@gmail.com or text/call 617-513-4397 to discuss scheduling, rates and to devise a plan customized to your child’s needs.

Math Bee

Register for ONLINE Math Bee Contest coordinated by Access Life America, an organization helping underprivileged kids battling cancer in India. This is an online math bee contest for grades K – 5th grade. If you are interested in enrolling your child or you know someone who might want to enroll, please check out the event at https://accesslifeamerica.org/event/beecontest/

ISO towels and Queen/King bedding

Welcome Home, an eco-friendly nonprofit in Newton Centre, collects gently-used/like-new home goods and redistributes them to people who need them. They are in great need of towels (all sizes) and queen and king sized bedding (sheets sets and blankets or comforters).

If you have bedding, towels or other home goods you are willing to donate, please contact  welcomehomemass@gmail.com or 617-454-4795 to schedule a drop off appointment.

Interactive webinar “Let’s talk screens”

Oak Hill parent and Conscious Parenting Coach, Cindy Kaplan is offering an interactive webinar “Let’s Talk Screens” for parents.

The pandemic continues and more and more parents are stressed about managing their kids and the screens. We, as parents, must learn to find a place for the use of screens in our lives, so that it isn’t damaging the relationship between ourselves and our children. There is no simple answer and every child/teen is different. She will share her own experiences and wisdom around what we need to understand and what we can do to both accept the reality of screens in our world and make sure that our children are not losing what they need most-connection to themselves and us.

Please register at https://www.cindykcoaching.com/eventsandworkshops. Feel free to contact her if you have any questions at cindykcoaching@gmail.com or 617-869-3305

February 11th,  8:00 – 9:30 pm

Newton CPC February Update

The February 9th CPC Meeting Agenda and Meeting Packet are now available online for review. Topics include continued funding for the Covid-19 Emergency Housing Program and new proposals for Coleman House and the Grace Tower Restoration.

CPA Project Updates for February
Covid-19 Emergency Housing Relief Program – In January, the City submitted a new proposal for $1.2 million in additional CPA community housing funds to extend the existing short-term housing assistance program through June 2021. Established in July 2020, the program was designed to provide housing payment assistance to households below 80% AMI who have been negatively impacted by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The program pays up to 70% of a household’s monthly rent or mortgage payments (for homeowners in deed restricted affordable housing). While applicants are initially qualified for three months of assistance, those who continue to need assistance are currently able to extend their participation in the program in three month increments for up to eight months of assistance. The CPC recommended approval of the program in January, and the Finance and Zoning and Planning Committees recommended approval at their February 4th meeting. City Council review of the project is scheduled for their next meeting on February 16th.

Grace Episcopal Tower Restoration (Newton Corner)
Representatives of Grace Episcopal Church have requested $1,433,000 in CPA Historic Resource funds to stabilize and restore the ca. 1872 conical stone tower, steeple and belfry of the National Register of Historic Places listed building. The CPC recommended the project for CPA funding at their October 13th meeting. Following its review by the Finance and Zoning and Planning Committees at their February 4th meeting, the project is expected to go before the City Council on February 16th.

Coleman House Senior Housing Preservation Project -Owner 2Life Communities requests $4,214,622 to rehabilitate and restore the ca. 1980s Coleman House buildings which provides housing and supportive services to 146 very low and extremely low income senior households (at or below 50% AMI) in Newton. The project will completely restore Continue reading

Basketball and indoor soccer clinics for ages 4 – 11

Be Ahead of the Game is offering new small, indoor basketball and soccer clinics for kids aged 4-7 years old.

They also have time slots available for people to form their own pod/groups and have BAOTG run sports in a more private manner for kids aged 4-11 years old.

To create your own small sports group/private sports training, please visit https://www.beaheadofthegame.com/news_article/show/1138700