Category Archives: From PTO Council

News from the Newton PTO Council

Personal Chef service

Too Busy to Cook is a one-woman personal chef service based in Newton, provididng customized meals cooked in your home. She caters to busy families, friends who want to share home cooked meals and seniors. Custom meals are tailored to your tastes, schedule and dietary needs. Too Busy to Cook takes care of menu planning, shopping, cooking, packaging, labeling and reheating instructions, and leaves your kitchen at least as clean as she found it!

Bringing Families Back to the dinner table, eat healthier this year! Contact Eileen at eileenrielly@gmail.com , 617-309-0454, or visit 2busytocook.com.

Free Summer Music program

Boston Music Institute is offering a FREE morning orchestra program this August at Driscoll School in Brookline. There will be three, week-long sessions, and students may sign up for one, two or three weeks.

BMI also offers optional, low-cost afternoon small ensembles and SAT/SSAT/ACT prep classes. The free large ensemble runs 9:30 am to Noon and is for Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion – ages 8 to 19.

The goal of this program is to provide students from beginning through advanced-intermediate instrumental ability with a rigorous and fun ensemble playing experience, taught by high-level instructors from BMI, in order to grow and develop their individual musicianship and group playing. For more information, visit Boston Music Institute (BMI).

Cabot Carr-nival

The Cabot Carr-nival Committee would like to invite all school families to this fun, annual event.  There will be lots of fun games, inflatables, prizes, a pizza truck, ice cream and much more.

Also this year, the Cabot Carr-nival is piloting a new initiative to make this great community event more accessible and inclusive to all families. To accomplish this goal, we are introducing the following:

1. Noise cancelling headphones available for checkout
2. Craft/sensory table for all kids that need a little down time
3. Break away room to go to if kids get too overwhelmed
4. Bubble machine (thanks to the NECP PTO)

To view the flyer, please click Cabot Carr-nival

June 8th,  10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Project Oceanology Marine Science Summer Camp Opportunities

Project Oceanology is a 501(c)(3) year-round marine science and environmental education organization located at Avery Point in Groton, CT with a mission to nurture enthusiasm for science and for our planet’s marine environment. Their summer camps are licensed by the State of Connecticut, their vessel operators are licensed by the U. S. Coast Guard, and their marine educators have expertise, educational backgrounds, and extensive experience in the delivery of marine science and environmental education enrichment programs to elementary through high school students, college students, summer camp participants, and the general public.

For students entering grades 6-12, Project Oceanology is offering two residential camps this summer – Ocean Camp and a new Marine Science Research Experience. Residential campers are accommodated in a hostel for a week-long immersion in hands-on, brains-on marine science education and fun aboard research vessels, along nearby shorelines, and in  marine laboratories.

Details on the camps and registration information is available at https://www.oceanology.org/summer-camps. This year generous donors have also enabled need based financial assistance to offset the cost of tuition.

See the informational flyer and financial assistance form.

A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens – talking to your kids about things that freak you out

Talking to Your Kids about Sexting, Drinking, Drugs and Other Things That FREAK YOU OUT.

The Health & Human Services Department is hosting a speaker on parenting teens. This is part of a joint effort with the school department to help parents in the community understand and set boundaries around issues of concern including: vaping, alcohol, substance use, and other risky behaviors. Presented by: Joani Geltman, MSW, Local Expert on Parent-Teen Relationships

Tickets are Free and available HERE. Flyer is available HERE.

May 1st, 7:00 pm
Newton South High School Lecture Hall

Hosted by the Department of Health and Human Services

FORJ Newton Event

Please join FORJ and Co-Sponsor, the Harmony Foundation, for their most high profile event of the year! The featured guests are Debby Irving, racial justice educator and celebrated author of Waking Up White and Shay Stewart-Bouley, Executive Director, Community Change, Inc. and blogger of Black Girl In Maine.

Debby and Shay will explore how we can speak openly and honestly in cross-racial conversations, explore racism’s impact on their lives and examine how we can create sustainable connections. Please check out the flyer HERE

Mayor Ruthanne Fuller will hold a pre-event meetup at 6:30 pm. Do not miss your chance to attend, to speak with the Mayor and join this community conversation! Attendance is free and open to all. RSVP HERE.

April 9th, 7:30 pm
Angier Elementary School

Opening of the New Newton Highlands Playground

The City of Newton’s Planning & Development Department is partnering up with Parks & Recreation for the official opening of the Newton Highlands Playground. This playground underwent significant improvements, and to celebrate, there will be a family-friendly community event with a series of games and programming for all, including basketball, pickle ball, cornhole, and Zumba presented by the Newton Senior Center!

Flyer available here: Playground Opening

April 26th, 4:00 – 7:00 pm (rain date: April 30th,  1:00 – 3:00 pm)

Who is buried in Metfern Cemetery? Offering Details and Dignity

The Metro Citizen’s Advisory Council of the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services invites the public to attend a presentation by students from the Gann Academy in Waltham.

The Gann Academy 11th grade US History students have dedicated their year to learning about and teaching others about the community of people that lived in the Fernald School, the Met State Hospital and were buried in the MetFern Cemetery in Waltham. Their goal is to try to understand how institutions like the Fernald School could have been built and to think more clearly about how we can be a more inclusive society.

We urge you to attend to learn how people with disabilities were abused and disrespected through the years and fortunately how current attitudes have changed to promoting independence and self-fulfillment and quality care for those who have disabilities. Hear how this group of students has changed the ultimate disrespect to several hundred individuals from two state institutions.

Come to honor these students and their accomplishments

April 29th, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Price Center, 27 Christina Street, Newton Highlands
Please enter the building from the large parking lot on Christina Street

For questions, please contact Lucie Chansky at 617-244-7310 or luciechansky@gmail.com or Gail Gillespie at 781-314-7501 or gail.gillespie2@state.ma.us

Summer STEM Opportunities

Nationally Recognized KIDS 4 CODING enters its fourth summer season in Massachusetts and will be offering programs at Bentley University and Leslie University in Cambridge.

KIDS 4 CODING is an affordable option for families who are seeking quality, academic summer activities for their children. Highly interactive and multidisciplinary modules – new every summer – are developed by KIDS 4 CODING in collaboration with teachers and industry professionals to lead campers through fun, age-appropriate projects and challenges that develop skills in game creation and modification, programming techniques, robotics, and other computer science and engineering areas.

Weekly programs are supervised by MA certified teachers and taught by experienced instructors who are passionate about technology. Students enhance their logical thinking, problem-solving, mathematics application and creative abilities in a collaborative, entertaining format.

For ages 7 -16. More information and discount code available here: Flyer

Half-Day Programs $329.00, Full-Day Programs $599.00. To register visit https://www.kids4coding.com/

Facilitative Leadership Training – ideal for FORJ teams

Join an interactive evening with Madeline McNeely, founder of Conditioning Leaders. She is a facilitator, trainer, coach and consultant who will share practices gleaned from her most popular trainings on good group leadership practices to ensure your FORJ team is operating at its best.

This is a special opportunity for your FORJ team to reflect on your experiences and learn helpful tools for sustainability and success!

Please RSVP here:RSVP

March 26th, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Mason Rice Elementary School, 149 Pleasant St, Newton Centre