Category Archives: Community Notes

Walk and Bike to School Day

Newton Safe Routes to School Task Force is sponsoring a Walk and Bike to School day on May 5th. Newton students will be joining children across the Commonwealth walking and biking to school, celebrating their livable communities. Their active commute is good for the environment, makes them healthier, and gives them more time to be with friends. The exercise also helps charge their brains and bodies for a good day of learning.

We also applaud “the bus heroes” who are not able to walk or bike but instead take the bus helping to reduce vehicle traffic around the schools. We are also encouraging students on the bus to thank their bus drivers and the crossing guards who make their safe commutes possible. Handmade cards or even an extra big thank you to the drivers would be greatly appreciated. For more information feel free to visit SRTS on Facebook at Newton Safe Routes to School.

Become a Diller Teen Fellow

The Diller Teen Fellows is an international youth leadership program for 10th and 11th grade students currently available in 26 cities in North America, South Africa, Australia and Israel. In Boston, the program is administered by the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston. Twenty Boston area Jewish teens – the JCC Boston Diller Teen Fellows – are selected based on leadership aptitude, commitment to Jewish learning, interest in exploring their connection to Israel and passion for community service.

The Fellowship year runs from September 2016 to December 2017 and includes 12 Sunday afternoon workshops, three weekend retreats, two overnight experiences, 10-day hosting of a Diller Teen Fellow from Haifa in the spring, and a three-week summer seminar in Israel. Applicants must be current 9th or 10th graders (10th or 11th graders in fall of 2016).

Two information sessions will take place on May 1st and May 24th from 6:30 – 8:30 pm at the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center, 333 Nahanton Street, Newton. To register for one of the sessions, visit www.bostonjcc.org/diller. To learn more, contact te***@***gb.org or 617-558-6512.

Mind Reader coming to Newton this Friday!

Mentalist and Mind Reader Christopher Grace will be giving a special performance for middleschoolers, highschoolers and parents.

Over the last fifteen years, Boston-based entertainer Christopher Grace has made his way around the country performing for some of the largest corporations, colleges and the most intimate of private parties. He’s a favorite among some well known celebrities and has made guest appearances at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood! Now he’s coming to Newton to share his intense mind reading and mentalism performance! Do you want to experience:

  • Mind blowing feats of mental dexterity and psychological manipulation!
  • 100% clean material, suitable for ages 12+
  • An incredibly immersive demonstration of “psychic” entertainment. You may be part of the show!
  • A truly fun night out with one of the country’s most popular mind readers!

Don’t miss this amazing performance. Check out his website: christophergracelive.com  then get your tickets at: http://oakhillpto.seatyourself.biz. Running time: 60+ minutes. Two different seat types available: Lower level reserved seats for $15.00 and Upper level general admission for $12.00.

May 6th, 7:30 pm (doors open at 7:00 pm)
Newton South High School (auditorium)

Free Bike Safety Check

Bike Newton and Landry’s Bicycles are teaming up to make certain your bike is ready and safe for the beautiful biking season ahead, including the upcoming Tour de Newton on June 19th (Father’s Day). They will have mechanics on hand to check tires, brakes, gears and bike fit, making minor adjustments or repairs if necessary. Bring your helmets as well so they can check the fit. All bicyclists welcome. For more information on how to get your bike ready for the season go to: http://bikeleague.org/content/smart-cycling-tips-0

May 7th, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Newton Centre Green (across from Panera Bread)

Festival of Dance

Free event for all at Newton City Hall! Get up off your feet and feel the beat of the music along with all the dance groups performing at Newton’s Festival of Dance. So you think you can dance? Watch the Boston Ballroom Dance Center up first to see if your rusty toes need a refresher course. Next watch contemporary dancer Chavi bend impossibly in “Touched by Water.” Joanne Langione Dance Center has been training dancers, toddlers to teens in all dance genres. For something completely different, Circus Smirkus will put a smile on everyone’s face! Creative Steps Dance Studio makes learning fun and relaxed. Boston Rhythmic will make you turn green with envy if you ever wanted to do gymnastics to a Wizard of Oz theme. Then Liz Ronka uses her Pilates trained body to improvise a dance before your eyes. Finally, All That Jazz creates hot movements from cool jazz standards. For more information, visit www.newtoncommunitypride.org/festival

Featuring: Juried Craft Vendors; food vendors; face painting; inflatable obstacle courses and Roaming Railroad.

May 7th, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Newton City Hall Grounds, 1000 Commonwealth Avenue (rain location: City Hall)

Ethnic Heritage Festival and Mother’s Day Poetry Walk

Heritage Festival Featuring: Craft Vendors; Indian, Thai and Mexican food; henna; face painting; free arts & crafts; fun games and activities, inflatable obstacle courses and Roaming Railroad. Free admission.

Enjoy exciting performances by multiple ethnic groups, including Indian, Chinese, Ugandan, Vietnamese, Italian, Jewish, and even some Flamenco dance! Celebrate India’s colorful and vibrant culture by joining the Indo-American Youth Group volunteers to paint Indian folk murals welcoming Spring to Newton. If you are a sari-wearer or have been gifted one by a relative, come share your wearing style and audio record the story of your sari at the “Journeys with your Saris” booth. Join in with the Bollywood-inspired Zumba dancing for some great exercise and fun. Everyone can take part in the Indian folk-art mural painting, and try out some Chinese calligraphy and Tai-chi.

Mother’s Day Poetry Walk: In honor of mothers from near and far, poem contest winners who put their moms to poetry will supply a background of these words for all to read. Ten winning poems selected by event chair and award winning Newton poet, Grey Held will be chalked onto the stairs of the War Memorial Auditorium steps at City Hall. The poets will assemble at 11:00 am on Sunday to read their moving poems. For more information, visit www.newtoncommunitypride.org/festival

May 8th, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Newton City Hall Grounds, 1000 Commonwealth Avenue (rain location: City Hall)

Come Be Part of Acafest!

The Newtones’ annual end-of-year a cappella show is just around the corner! Acafest consists of different high school acts from around Massachusetts. They hope you can join them for a fun night of singing! This year’s acts include Perfect Pitch (Brookline), Northern Lights (Newton North), Euphoria (Lexington), and Accent (Lincoln-Sudbury).

General Admission tickets are $8.00. Purchase online: Eventbrite tickets for Acafest. Tickets also available at the door. Proceeds benefit Music and Youth Initiative: www.musicandyouth.org

May 13th, 7:30 pm
Newton South Auditorium

10th Anniversary Seedling Sale

It’s almost time to start your home garden! Come get your seedlings for vegetables, herbs, flowers, and that favorite summer crop, tomatoes! The greenhouse is already busy with hundreds of varieties from the same seeds they use to grow the produce they sell. Get seedlings specially selected for local growing conditions and support your local community farm in the process.

The Newton Community Farm is a non-profit, that operates for the benefit of the community. If you would like to send in a preorder to be picked up during the Seedling Sale, use the Preorder Form, (due on May 9th). Preorders are only available to Friends of the Farm. Not a Friend of the Farm? Become one today! Please visit the website for more information.

May 14th and 15th , Noon – 3:00 pm
Newton Community Farm

Join the Newton Family Singers

Come to a very special concert. In addition to performing songs by legendary folk rock artist Neil Young, NFS will be singing some well-known and beloved songs by Crosby Stills & Nash, John Fogerty and Buffalo Springfield, as well as a few song surprises. In recognition of Neil Young’s environmentalism and advocacy for small farmers, proceeds from this concert will benefit the educational programs of the Newton Community Farm. The farm’s mission is to teach and model sustainable agricultural and environmental practices in our community, on the historic Angino Farm.

So bring your family to enjoy the Newton Family Singers benefit concert on May 14th! It will be a fun filled afternoon including great music, concern for our environment, education and community.

To purchase tickets online, please visit www.newtonfamilysingers.org. Please also consider purchasing a family sponsorship for $100. Family Sponsors will receive four tickets, a mention in our program and our undying gratitude!

May 14th,  3:30 pm at the Newton South High School auditorium.

Upcoming Teen STEAM Programs @ the Library!

Impact Entrepreneurship: Making a Difference in Your Community Through Technological Innovation Ever dreamed of becoming the next Zuckerberg? Have an idea to change the world? Come learn how to create real-world technological solutions that help your community. High school entrepreneur and Girls Who Code alum Anaya Tipnis will discuss the process of building a startup and the benefits of learning to code. All ages welcome! Register online. May 3rd, 7:00 pm, Druker Auditorium.

CodeCampKidz: You’ll be amazed by what your Web creations look like when you see them on an iPhone, iPad, or laptop, not just on a wider screen! In this course you will take a “mobile first” approach and build a series of re-usable Bootstrap Tools that you can use over and over again on your own responsive design projects. Topics covered include: the Bootstrap Grid system, fixed & fluid layout, responsive layouts and media querry, panel, other UI effects; and others.

Full details are available at http://codecampkidz.com/liveclass/level2. Free Continue reading