Category Archives: Community Notes

Little League Registration open

Registration for the 2019 Newton Little League Spring Season is now available on the league’s website www.newtonllbaseball.org. Newton Little League serves players who reside within or attend private or public schools within the boundaries of Ward, Underwood, Lincoln-Eliot, Horace Mann, Peirce, Cabot, Burr, Franklin, Williams elementary schools, and provides programs for players ages 4 through 12.

Programs for younger players are based on school grade, and teams are put together based on elementary school and friend requests: T-Ball (Pre-K), Rookie (Kindergarten), Farm (grade 1) and Single A (grade 2). In the programs for older players, teams are put together with more of a focus on competitive balance: AA (grades 3-4), AAA (grades 4-6) and Majors (ages 10-12). There is also a Challenger division for students with special needs who wish to enjoy the game of baseball.  Continue reading

Laura Holt – Holt College Advisor

Looking for help with the college admissions process? Not sure where to visit or apply? Need assistance drafting essays or preparing compelling applications? Laura can help! She offers a decade of admissions experience and enjoys partnering with students (and their parents) to find best fit schools.

Please contact Laura at la***@****************or.com or 617-335-7345 for a free consultation. For information, visit www.holtcollegeadvisor.com.

Writing tutor available

Emerson College senior offering essay and creative writing review/proofreading/writing assistance for middle and high school students. Based out of Boston and Newton. National Merit Semi-Finalist, proficient in English writing, grammar, and sentence structure. Emerson College GPA 3.85. Winner of 2016 and 2018 one act plays in the Emerson New Fest New Works Festival.

Contact Samuel Fidler via email at sa************@***il.com or cell phone at 617-515-7689.  Reasonable rates beginning at $25 .00/ hour.

Writing classes available

Advantage Writing provides rigorous writing instruction with honest feedback in a laid-back, red-pen-free environment. The workshops are designed to help middle and high school students build skills to communicate effectively and elegantly in writing. Their workshops demystify the basics of writing and guide students through practical strategies that will take their writing to the next level.

The Basics class focuses on key elements of effective expository prose: thesis construction and development, structuring and supporting an argument, crafting purposeful introductions and conclusions, and writing strong topic sentences. The Grammar & Vocabulary class focuses on the nuts and bolts of writing: active and passive verbs, subject and verb agreement, punctuation basics (comma versus semicolon versus colon), and pronoun use.

Advantage Writing welcomes all levels of writers and are committed to working with students at any stage in their writing process. More information, including instructor bios, can be found on the website. Check out the flyer here: Flyer

For any and all questions please email ac*****@**************ng.com or call 617-680-7337.

Check out JCC Summer camps

Spend the summer with JCC Greater Boston! Whether you love to sing and dance at Camp Kaleidoscope, learn important swimming skills at Camp Grossman, sleep under the stars at Camp Kingswood or hone your skills at Specialty Camps – an exciting summer awaits. Enjoy an unforgettable summer with JCC Greater Boston filled with land & water sports, outdoor adventures, visual arts, performing arts and Jewish culture. Can’t make it? Register online using the brand new portal. Learn more at bostonjcc.org/camps.

Open House on February 3rd, 2:00 – 4:00 pm at the Leventhal-Sidman Center to meet senior staff from all of the camps.

10 Traits of Effective Parents in Special Education

Advocating for children in the special education system can be frustrating and overwhelming for parents. Over the past decade, Attorney Jeffrey Sankey has worked with hundreds of parents to help them obtain special education services for their children. In his experience, he has found that the parents who are best able to navigate the intricacies of the special education process share a number of common traits, which we will explore during this session.

SEPAC Presentation by Jeffrey Sankey of Sankey Law Offices, P.C.

Topics covered will include:

  • Understanding key special education rules and regulations
  • Maintaining accurate and complete records
  • Facilitating productive relationships with school staff
  • Please come with any questions you may have

January 16th, 7:15 – 9:00 pm
Room 210, Newton Education Center, 100 Walnut Street

FORJ Family friendly meeting with pizza ans socializing

You’re invited to the FORJ All Schools Family Friendly Meeting including:

  • Family Pizza dinner and socializing
  • Art Activity focused on Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired themes
  • Video and Small Group Discussions on Microaggressions and Standing Up Against Racism and Bias at our Schools

Sign up HERE https://goo.gl/forms/WN67i9Bb1eTLzyvp2
Want to receive FORJ Newsletters? Sign up here www.forjnewton.com and make sure the fo********@***il.com is in your contacts. Hope to see you soon!

January 17th, 6:30-8:30 pm
Angier Elementary

Winter Warmer Concert

The Newton Winter Warmer, headlined by Newtones, Newton South’s a cappella group.  along with special guests from Newton North Forte and Cambride Rindge and Latin School Pitches and Do’s.

Tickets $10.00 at the door. To learn more visit https://www.facebook.com/events/337517210168158/

January 18th, 7:00 pm
Gregorian Rugs, 2284 Washington Street, Newton Lower Falls

Basic Rights in Special Education for the Asian American Communities

The Newton Special Education Parent Advisory Council (Newton SEPAC) is hosting a seminar on Basic Rights in Special Education for the Asian American Communities. The speaker will be Susan Ou from the Federation for Children with Special Needs, who will present and can answer questions in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, depending on the needs of audience members. Anping Shen, who is a Newton School Committee member, will speak. Eileen Sandberg from the SEPAC will give a short talk about special education in Newton, and her experience with her children. They plan to leave lots of time for questions.

Discussions will cover the student’s and parent’s legal rights, how to explore whether special education services would be helpful, and the support that the parents in the Newton SEPAC can provide.

The presentation is a free event and all are welcome. Begin with refreshments and networking at 7:15 pm, and the presentation and question session will be from 7:30 pm –  approximately 9:30 pm.

January 30th, 7:15 – 9:30 pm
Room 210, the Education Center, 100 Walnut Street, Newton

MLK – Multiplication Carnival

Can Multiplication workout be fun? Sure can be! Master the most difficult multiplication facts in one visit to the Multiplication Carnival – no mindless drills, no boring flash cards, no tears, no painful memorization.

Don’t get bogged down by multiplication, put it behind you! Organized by Mathnasium Math Learning Center. Register for the 2.5 hour carnival event during the MLK school holiday at www.MultiplicationCarnival.com.

Newton Mathnasium, 1349 Center Street, Newton