Category Archives: Community Notes

Attention College Students!

Are you interested in tutoring kids in reading and/or math this summer? Kim Gallaugher, a Newton parent, SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) member and Speech-Language Pathologist  will be offering FREE trainings (online and/or in-person) on how to tutor elementary-aged kids in reading and math.

She will teach you how to work with young kids with special needs and help you find families in need of tutoring, either online or in-person. Education and Special Education majors/minors are preferred but if you are interested in working with young kids with special needs and willing to learn how to teach them, you are welcome to apply! Contact Kim at momofiggy@hotmail.com for more information.

Literacy Specialist/ESL Teacher Available

Newton mom and former Newton literacy specialist available for tutoring this summer, and possibly beyond! Over 15 years experience in education, and also the parent of two kids with complex learning and emotional needs.

State certified in ESL, Reading, Early Childhood, English. Pending certification in Mild/Moderate Special Needs. Know of other interested families? Put together a group for a more affordable rate!

Available for individual or group tutoring, enrichment, instruction, and  support. Experienced with all ages, prefer to work with prek-grade 5 students. Rates available upon request.

Please email Lessonswithlani2@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/lessonswithlani/
https://www.instagram.com/lessonswithlani/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbFXHNfDQgMLnRMB7myTFeA

K-12 Reading Program

The Boston University K-12 Reading Program has opened early, reduced rates, and converted all classes to a live online format, to help parents and schools maintain student education during these unusual times.

The live, teacher-led online classes are available now and throughout the summer, for Pre-K through 12th grade students.

The curriculum is high caliber and has been taught in a live, online format for 5 years already with over 50,000 school-age students. The classes are led by highly-trained teachers with many years’ experience teaching effectively in online classrooms. Skills taught include:

  • Early Elementary: letter recognition, phonemic awareness, sight words, phonics
  • Mid-to-Late Elementary: fluency, phonics, long-word decoding, comprehension, textbook reading, writing
  • Middle and High School: doubling reading speed, comprehension, writing, notetaking, test preparation, textbook strategies

For additional imformation, see the flyer here or visit the website  https://bu.readingclasses.org/.

 

Volunteers Needed! Outdoors! Socially Distant!

Volunteers are needed at the Newton Farmer’s Market to help make the markets safe and enjoyable this year. Can you lend a hand? Volunteers are needed for the following roles:

  • Count customers as they enter and exit the market.
  • Guide customers as they move through the market.
  • Make certain shoppers are following physical distancing guidelines.
  • Assist with curbside pick-up.
  • Assist farmers when needed.
  • Interactions with customers will be contact-free and appropriate physical distance will be maintained at all times.

    To volunteer, please contact Judy Dore at jdore@newtonma.gov

Both the Tuesday and Saturday markets are moving to Newton South High School!
Saturday market opens June 20th, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm.
Tuesday market opens June 30th, 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm.

Free story program

EveryBody Signs is offering a free story program: BOOKS for BREAKFAST! Come once, or come every time! Bring your family, invite your friends.

It’s by Zoom, so they’ll send the link when you email everybodysigns@gmail.com

See the flyer here and check out the vlog about it here, in ASL with captions
https://www.facebook.com/1131154270/posts/10221119992286039/?d=n

May 31st – June 28th, 9:00 – 9:30 am

News from the Newton Free Library

On the heels of Governor Baker’s state-wide reopening dates, the Newton Free Library is carefully planning a phased reopening that is uniquely tailored to the large and active public library.  They’re developing new work processes and will be rolling out a limited array of library services to the community in the coming weeks. While extremely eager to restore library services, this will be a gradual process because they are committed to your safety and the safety of their dedicated staff.

Virtual programming will continue for some time. Registration is required for all virtual events, please click the title to link to view the full program description and registration information.

Love the  Children’s Programming? Sign up here for the NEW Children’s Program Email!

Tween/Teen Event Highlights:

  • Virtual Anime Movie: Wednesdays at 5:00 pm. Missing anime club or movies with your friends? Join for a virtual anime movie! You’ll be watching NiNoKuni (2019). Runtime 106 minutes. Grades 5-12.
  • Zoom & Make: Crochet Basics: Every other Thursday at 5:00 pm. Learn to crochet a nifty washcloth or dishcloth you can use or give away! You’ll learn the basics of crochet and create a useful first project. You can try out the easy-to-follow pattern beforehand and join us in the Zoom class to work out any problems and chat! Grades 5-12.
  • Virtual Teen Area: Saturdays at 3:00 pm theTeen Area goes virtual! Use this time to be together at home, ask questions, play games, complete challenges, and craft! This is a librarian-moderated Zoom program hosted for tweens and teens in grades 5-12.

Wait there’s more! Don’t miss our continuing programming for
Adults:

  • Tech Time appointments: Need help with your device or to borrow ebooks from the library? Book a session to have a librarian help you over the phone. Appointments available Monday-Friday.
  • Tele-Librarian: You’ve got questions, they’ve got answers! Sign up for an appointment for a librarian to assist you with a research-related question.
  • Weekly Short Story Discussion Group: Join each Wednesday for a discussion of 2 different short stories.
  • Curious Eats Cooking Blog Club: Do you like cooking and blogs? Combine those two interests and come talk to other people who enjoy those things. You’ll share photos of the dishes you’ve cooked each week from a chosen food blog.

Tween/Teen:

  • Magic The Gathering: Wednesdays at 5:30 pm. Interested in finding a meet up to play Magic: The Gathering after school? We’ve found just the place: Zoom! Moderated by a local Newton South student, please download Magic the Gathering Arena. Registration is required to receive a Zoom link. (For grades 5-12)
  • Star Wars Escape Room: available anytime. BB-8’s missing! Try to find him before Kylo Ren gets to him and is able to download the map to find out where Luke Skywalker is! May the force be with you. (For all ages)

Computer Science concepts for kids

Hey Newtonians! If you’re looking for a new activity for your kid aged 10-15,  Ethan Kopf teaches coding with the Swift programming language over Zoom. His lessons are one-on-one and he teaches computer science concepts through small games and projects. As a recent graduate of Newton South High School’s class of 2020, Ethan has taken a bunch of computer science classes there and plans to study CS next year at Yale University. If you’re interested, please email ethan.kopf@yale.edu.

On-line tutoring available this summer

Experienced tutor available this summer! Haralie Alpert, retired from the Wellesley Public Schools, lives and tutors in Newton. Haralie works with K-5th grade students in reading, writing and math and can make remote learning fun, engaging and a great learning experience!

Please contact Haralie Alpert, M.Ed., MS at haralie@gmail.com or 617-630-0608.

Virtual Reality & Unity Developer Introductory Program

Immerse yourself in 3D and Virtual Reality (VR) Development this summer.

The AR and VR industry is expected to exceed $200 billion in market size by 2023 according to Statistica. Today’s students can develop the skills to become XR creators and learn about career pathways for these skills across industries. The High School Introductory VR Developer Course is a 6-week program that will prepare students to understand the elements of immersive experience design while learning to use Unity, an industry-standard software tool for XR development.

June 29th – August 7th, (weekly time commitment: 8 hours of live online instruction plus ~8 hours of independent study and project time). Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Wednesdays, Fridays: 11:00 am-12:00 pm

Prerequisites: None; coding experience encouraged

Program Features:

  • Virtual Reality & Unity: Students learn the high demand skill of 3D and Virtual Reality development and use Unity, an industry-standard tool for XR software development
    Professional Portfolio: Students work on building and publishing their own VR application
  • Career Exploration: Students learn about career pathways in XR (Extended Reality) with input from special guests from industry during the program
  • Expert Instructors: Instructors are subject-matter experts with extensive experience in professional VR development as well as instruction in an academic setting. The lead instructor for the program is Dr. Lori Landay, a Professor at Berklee College.Program

Cost: $2,500 (early registration offer $500 off for applications received prior to June 5th)

Apply Now at https://xrterra.com/programs/hsdeveloper/apply/

XR Terra is a workforce accelerator that trains learners in XR (Extended Reality – AR, VR and MR) technologies.