Category Archives: Community Notes

New Summer Sports Offerings from NCE

NCE is excited to offer expanded in-person summer sport camp opportunities for middle schoolers and rising high schoolers! Space is limited and scholarships are available!

Some of the expanded offerings include Flag Football, All Sports, Cross-Country Running and Swimming Clinics as well as their traditional offerings of:
Archery
Baseball
Basketball
Dance
Field Hockey
Lacrosse
Parkour
Softball
Tennis
Volleyball
Pre-season clinics for Field Hockey and Soccer

Check out the NCE 2021 Summer Catalogue for more information.

English, foreign language, math tutor available

Cassandra Luca, NSHS alumna (2017), now a senior at Harvard majoring in English and heading to McGill University for a Master’s in English next Fall, is currently available for private tutoring at the middle school, high school, and college levels.

Her primary tutoring subject is English, but she also has more than five years’ experience in history (all levels); math (through pre-calculus); foreign languages (Spanish, French, Latin at all levels); and biology (through AP Biology) and specializes in anything related to essay-writing: brainstorming, editing, revising, and proofreading.

Cassandra  focuses on building consistent study habits, the benefits of  problem-solving over memorization, and establishing a foundation of basic skills to draw on for increasingly complex projects.

At this time the preference is to meet via Zoom.  Please contact cassandraluca@gmail.com to discuss your child’s specific needs. Resume available upon request.

Overdue Series: When Getting Along is Not Enough

Newton Free Library hosts Maureen Walker, a licensed psychologist, speaker, educator, and writer who helps people bridge cultural differences such as race, religion, gender and other social status markers for this important education session.

Ms. Walker will speak about her new book, When Getting Along is Not Enough: Reconstructing Race in Our Lives and Relationships.

Visit Overdue for more information. Register for the talk here.

March 16th, 7:00 pm Online

What’s Happening at the West Suburban YMCA

Thinking about joining the Y?
Spin & Win! Now is a great time to join the Y! During the month of March, prospective members can spin a wheel and receive a prize. Prizes include 5% off three months of membership, a complimentary massage, and many other prize options. Visit https://www.wsymca.org/join-the-y/membership-promotion to learn more.

Learn about Overnight Camp!
This summer is a great time to send your kids to the Y’s overnight camp, Camp Frank A. Day in East Brookfield, MA. At overnight camp, kids learn how to be more independent while also forming strong bonds and friendships. Adventure awaits! The Y is now offering Mini Camp sessions where freshmen campers between the ages of 7-10 can try out the overnight camp experience for just a week at a time rather than committing to the full three week session.

Refer a new camper to Camp Frank A. Day and you’ll each receive $200 off your camp fees. Referring two friends? You’ll get $400 off camp fees! Learn more about the Y’s summer camps at https://www.wsymca.org/camps

Register for Late Spring Programs
Session runs April 26th – June 20th . The Y remains committed to helping you and your family stay active, engaged, and safe. Stay active as a family by signing up for swimming, sports, music, and fitness programs! The Y also offers the option to “Create A Class,” where participants can form a group, such as a family, bubble, or cohort, to create their own custom class, including sports, aquatics, and fitness. Visit the Y’s website for more details and to view a full catalog of offerings at https://www.wsymca.org/find-a-program

Current Hours of Operation
Monday – Thursday, 5:30 am – 9:00 pm
Friday, 5:30 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday, 7:00 am – 4:00 pm

Financial Assistance is always available for Y Memberships and Programs
The West Suburban YMCA is a non-profit charitable organization and it is their mission to never turn anyone away due to an inability to pay. Please contact our Membership Department at 617-244-6050 ext. 3653 for financial assistance with membership or program participation.

Safety Protocols and Procedures
The West Suburban YMCA is operating in accordance with all guidelines and recommendations outlined by the CDC, the state of Massachusetts, and local health authorities. Visit the Y’s reopening guide for more about the West Suburban YMCA’s new protocols.

Spring sports training programs at the Hyde

Boston Athletic Training has training programs for all age groups taking place at the Hyde Center and Cabot Park in Newton.

They have drop in offerings for those who want to try out a session as well as 8 week programs for basketball, football, speed and strength training for athletes ages 8+ and recently added a “juniors” basketball program for  athletes ages 5-7.  HS sessions are all drop-in based at this time and include strength training as well.

Check out the links below:

Drop in Schedule
Youth Spring Programs

Learn more at https://bostonathletictraining.com/ or contact the director Chaim at info@bostonathletictraining.com

Newton Community Freedge

Despite Newton’s image as an affluent suburb, too many of our neighbors struggle to put food on their tables. On March 14th, Newton will have a new, free, supplemental food program that is available at all times and in all weather for anyone!

The Newton Freedge, an outdoor refrigerator and pantry, will be located at 420 Washington Street, Nonantum, graciously hosted by Mark Levine in the parking lot of Central Drapery and Dry Cleaning.

This all volunteer-run initiative, led by the Newton Food Pantry in collaboration with a diverse group of Newton organizations, will have teams monitor and clean the Freedge and stock it with prepared food and other items donated from local businesses.

How Can You Help? Spread the word to those who need food. The Freedge is open to anyone, no questions asked and no sign up needed. Help build momentum, join the Newton Freedge Facebook Group and follow the Freedge on Instagram.Donate items to the Freedge. Please review donation guidelines here.

Learn more at http://www.newtonfoodpantry.org/newton-freedge/  Contact newtoncommunityfreedge@gmail.com to get involved

Newton Schools Foundation Awards a Record 20 Grants

The Newton Schools Foundation awarded a record 20 grants in the first half of the school year. In a particularly challenging year Newton Schools Foundation (NSF), the non-profit organization that provides grants to Newton educators, has received a record number of funding requests in the first half of the school year, resulting in $93,000 for 20 new grants across the district.

NSF grants support initiatives that fall within three funding priorities:  allowing teachers to try new approaches in the classroom, professional development, and addressing racial and income inequities.

This year’s grants span all three funding priorities and reach across all Newton Public Schools grades K-12 and include:

New Approaches in the Classroom

  • New Media Communities at Newton South
  • Healthy Living for Emotional and Physical Development (Central High School)
  • The Voice of Literature (Newton North)
  • Virtual Band Project (Newton South)
  • School Store (Newton South)

Professional Development

  • Enhancing the Knowledge and Skills of NPS Staff to Respond to Students’ Challenging Behavior (Districtwide)
  • Expanding Special Education Assessment Understanding and Tools (Horace Mann)
  • LIPS: Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program for Reading, Spelling, and Speech Training Course (Williams)
  • Anti-Racist Book Club for Faculty (Cabot)
  • STEM with Students in Visual Impairments (Newton North)

Racial and Income Inequities

  • Staff of Color Affinity Groups (Districtwide)
  • Brown Middle School, Anti-Racist and Diverse Representations in Classroom Libraries
  • Overdue: The Challenges and Work of Being Anti-Racist (Districtwide)

Continue reading →

Volunteer at Welcome Home

Do you have an hour or two per week or per month you would like to spend volunteering at a Newton-based nonprofit?

Welcome Home, in Newton Centre, strives to provide families experiencing hardship with basic household items they need to live with dignity. They collect and redistribute like-new household items to dozens of people in need each month with no fees, no forms and no requirements. Any items that can’t be used are repurposed or recycled appropriately, thus benefiting the environment.

The group needs help at donation dropoffs: every other Monday, starting March 8th, 1:00 – 2:00 pm; Wednesdays 1:45 – 3:00 pm; and some Saturday mornings 9:30 – 11:30 am.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact welcomehomemass@gmail.com. For more information about how to donate or request home goods, visit www.welcomehomemass.org.