Newton Community Farm is opening their online Seedling Sale on April 27th. Order through May 13th, then schedule your curbside pickup date and time in mid-May. There are over 80 varieties of vegetable, fruit, herb, and flower seedlings plus soil for sale.
Thank you for supporting the Farm and happy gardening! https://newtoncommunityfarm.org/news-events/2020-seedling-sale/
Mayor Fuller has requested that the Economic Development Commission (EDC) provide her with ideas on a recovery plan focusing particularly on steps that can be taken to assist Newton businesses in regaining their footing post Covid-19. As part of the EDC’s development of these ideas, they are surveying Newton businesses.
This survey is open to the Newton business community and will be open through May 4th www.surveymonkey.com/Newton_EDC_Business_Survey If you have questions, please contact Devra G. Bailin, Director of Economic Development for the City of Newton at dbailin@newtonma.gov.
If everyone in Newton buys just one book through the Bookshop.org page, it would greatly reduce the financial burden facing Newtonville Books. If you start your browsing on the landing page https://bookshop.org/shop/Newtonvillebooks the site tracks all your purchases and the bookstore receives 30% of all sales. Please help spread the word about this challenge and thank you if you can help Newtonville Books and Jaime and Mary (parents of a Cabot student).
Alix de Saint-Aignan, a junior at Newton North, is the Founder of Girls Connecting. The concept is to connect 4th-8th grade mentees with high school mentors (from 10th grade to college) for an hour a week of video chat for support, help with schoolwork, game playing, etc. Check out the website www.girlsconnecting.com.
She has successfully recruited enough high school-age volunteers to accommodate ~100 mentees. In such an isolating time, Girls Connecting offers mentors and mentees an additional outlet and source of connection to the community.
Please e-mail girlsconnectinginfo@gmail.com or text 617-997-8761 with any questions or to sign up.
The Newton Highlands After-School Program, just for middle school children, is accepting applications for the 2020-21 school year. They provide terrific programming for children in the Newton middle schools at the Newton Highlands location in Brigham House and the Hyde Gym. Transportation is arranged daily. To learn more about the program or attend any of several Zoom Open Houses please contact Rochelle Acker at 617-999-4617 or highlandsafterschool@gmail.com or visit www.highlandsafter-schoolprogram.org.
Newton South High School’s Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Club feels tremendous gratitude to the countless healthcare workers who put their own lives on the line to help those afflicted with COVID-19. With that in mind, they have decided to mount a campaign to help our local hospitals battle this pandemic.
There are two ways people can help:
First, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) is asking for iPads so hospitalized patients can talk to their loved ones at home. If you can donate any old but functioning iPads, it can help reduce the social isolation for hospitalized patients. A club member can do a contact-free curbside pick-up if you live in the Greater Boston Area. All the patients and the hospital will undoubtedly appreciate it!
Here is the link to donate an iPad: https://forms.gle/uNiNPnzKYFphKM4h8
Second, if you do not have an old iPad but would still like to join in this fight against COVID-19, they’ve also started a GoFundMe page to help the Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center through their fights against COVID-19. Every dollar donated will go towards saving the life of a doctor, nurse, friend or neighbor. Even though we are all apart, we are all in this together!
Here is the link to donate money to the Go Fund Me: http://gf.me/u/xycbfz
Please consider donating to the iPad and fund campaigns so NSHS HOSA can help these wonderful local hospitals during this devastating COVID-19 crisis.
Brittany Karlson is a Boston-area resident of 9+ years and professional musician offering Zoom lessons in Bass (upright and electric), Voice, Ukulele. She is a Berklee College of Music graduate, active performer across Europe and USA, and an experienced teacher with people of all ages from multiple walks of life.
Fun, patient, encouraging, knowledgeable and located nearby in Jamaica Plain (ready to move to in person lessons once it is safe to do so). Please contact Brittany with any questions at brittany.c.karlson@gmail.com.
Mindfulness Tutoring and Consulting offers experienced and secure online tutoring for students grades 6-12. They can help with staying organized and assisting with assignments.
More information availabble on the website at www.mindfulnesstutoring.com
or contact Susan Alves, PhD at susan@mindfulnesstutoring.com or 617-515-5285.
It has been a crazy time and Mustang Football and Cheer know that football and cheer are probably not the first thing on your mind. However, they do want to remind you that Registration for the upcoming season is open and the $50 Early Registration discount is available until May 1st.
Remember, this is the only Tackle Football Youth Program and the only Youth Cheer Program in Newton. Sign up today at newtonmustangs.org!
Let’s stay connected as a community in the face of COVID-19! On April 20th, Patriots’ Day/Marathon Monday, we invite all Newtonians to make handmade #NewtonTogether signs and display them in your windows. Get creative–make paper signs, use sidewalk chalk, whatever inspires you–and share the incredible joy, strength, and resiliency of Newton. Just because we can’t gather for the Marathon this year, doesn’t mean we can’t connect! Tag your creations in the Facebook event or on social media with #NewtonTogether. For more information, click HERE.
Some Newton villages are also choosing to stand outside at noon on April 20th to clap/bang pots in recognition and gratitude for all the hometown heroes (medical personnel, pharmacists, grocery workers, teachers, etc.) who are working the front lines to keep us all safe. Feel free to recognize your favorite hometown hero in your #NewtonTogether social media posts.
The idea came to the Mayor’s Office from Newton resident Rakashi Chand:
Let us bring our community together in a shared message of perseverance and pride. Let us inspire one another as we are and always have been an unwavering city, that has stood tall and united in the face of adversity and overcome again and again, every challenge, hardship, tragedy and crisis. We will persevere, we will fight in every way we can, we will unite and we will see the dawning of a brave new day. This epidemic will make each day harder than the last, but we will persevere, we will face the challenges that present themselves, because we are strong.
Let’s find a way to inspire our citizens, and remind them that we, like our forefathers and foremothers, will overcome this, and find ways to raise each other up with hope.
In addition, for those of you who are big fans of the Boston Marathon, the Newton, Wellesley and Natick Historical Societies will be showing vintage photos of the Boston Marathon on their websites on April 20th. You are welcome to share your marathon thoughts, memories, and photos of your favorite site on the route using #VirtualMarathon.
Thanks so much for being a part of #NewtonTogether on April 20th! Click here for the flyer with information.