Tag Archives: elem

Massachusetts Board of Education (BOE) Decisions Re: Standardized Testing

Next week, the Commissioner of the MA Board of Education, Mitchell D. Chester, “will ask the Board to discuss and vote on [his] recommendation for the future direction of the Massachusetts student assessment program”. This entails creation of “MCAS 2.0” which would incorporate PARCC ideas, but would be controlled by the Massachusetts Board of Education vs. a private company.

A final public hearing is being held in Malden on November 16th and the BOE vote will take place on November 17th.

For detailed information about these upcoming meetings, please access this link:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/boe/docs/fy2016/2015-11/briefing.html

Please see these additional links for discussion, debate, and history pertaining to this topic:

From NPR’s Radio Boston
http://radioboston.wbur.org/2015/11/12/mcas-parcc-mitchell-chester
http://radioboston.wbur.org/2015/10/29/mcas-parcc-debate
http://radioboston.wbur.org/2015/10/28/mcas-parcc-commissioner
https://radioboston.wbur.org/2015/10/27/mcas-parcc-teachers

Other NPR stories…
http://www.wbur.org/2015/10/20/mitchell-chester-parcc-results
http://learninglab.wbur.org/topics/parcc-mcas-and-the-future-of-standardized-testing-in-massachusetts/

From the Globe…
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/10/14/parcc-better-than-mcas-measuring-college-readiness-study-shows/bjAY4kGD6oqZWVfTaMRzGL/story.html

NNHS Science Team fundraising

Nick Zhang, vice president of the Newton North Science Team shares that they are actively raising money in order to pay for competition fees and for supplies needed for building and studying. Currently, they are raking leaves to fund-raise for the team. If you are interested, please decide on a rate and contact Nick at ni********@***il.com. Thank you!

Newton Girls Basketball Association (NGBA)

Registration is underway for the upcoming Newton Girls Basketball season. Join the more than 500 players from second graders through eighth graders who play NGBA basketball. This is a recreational basketball league for Newton girls and girls attending Newton schools with fun for beginners and experienced players alike! Games are played on Saturdays, starting early December and continuing into mid-March.

Scholarships are available based on need; please see the website for details. To register, obtain additional details and to find out more about the league, please visit www.ngba.net. $15.00 Late Fee after November 21st.

Top 10 Reasons to Play NGBA Basketball this Winter
10. No goalkeepers to block the shots
9. Great exercise
8. Participate in another team sport
7. Learn basketball skills
6. Make new friends!!!
5. Off-season cross training for soccer
4. Entertainment for parents on Saturdays
3. Girls get new sneakers
2. The March Madness tournament rivals the NCAA?s
1. It really is a lot of fun!!!!

Zervas Turkey Trot 5K

Please join the 2nd annual Zervas 5K Turkey Trot to support the Newton Food Pantry. Registration is now open at newtonturkeytrot.racewire.com and long sleeve tech T-shirts will be given to all participants who register online before November 18th. $25.00 online, $30.00 race day.

Like last year, there will be a 1 mile fun run starting at 8:30 am. Not a runner? please consider volunteering race day on the website: newtonturkeytrot.com

Organizers are also looking for a few small financial sponsors to be a part of this amazing community event. Please contact ne**************@***il.com for more details if you are interested in having your company logo on the T-shirt, registration page or website.

Race day is November 21st at 9:00 am! (The Saturday before Thanksgiving.)

FIRST Lego League Competition on November 21st

The LigerBots are hosting a FIRST Lego League (FLL) qualifying tournament. FLL teams have spent the past two months designing and building robots, researching their projects, and practicing their FIRST core values, and are ready to show off their acheivements. Come and watch the robot games, see the project presentations in an “FLL Idol” event, and explore the mini-Maker’s Faire. This event is free and open to the public, and suitable for kids kindergarten age and older!

FLL is part of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and is open to students in grades 4-8. FIRST is an international nonprofit youth organization created specifically for “to transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders”. Student participation in the FLL enhances independence and personal growth, while also highlighting skills needed for teamwork and leadership.

November 21nd, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
Newton North High School

Celebrate Newton Craft Fair

Come to Celebrate Newton, the holiday craft fair sponsored by Newton Community Education, where more than 50 local artisans will be selling hand-crafted jewelry, clothing, photography, soaps, culinary treats, glass work, tote bags, and more. Local musicians and choral groups will perform throughout the day, providing a lovely backdrop while you shop. There will even be a kids craft table and food available for purchase, so bring the kids and make a day of it.

Shop locally this holiday season and buy one-of-a-kind gifts for friends and family at Celebrate Newton. Please visit celebratenewton.com for more details and a complete listing of the artisans who will be selling their work. Net proceeds from the fair support NCE’s scholarship fund. Admission $3.00 (kids under 12 are free).

December 6th, 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Newton South High School

Special concert

On December 19th the Suzuki School of Newton will present a special concert as part of their 30th anniversary grand season, featuring Suzuki students and faculty in an orchestral arrangement of Bach’s Air in G, and movements of the Bach Double Violin Concerto and Vivaldi G Minor Violin Concerto, as well as other concertos and pieces for several instruments including guitar and flute, and piano sonatas performed “concertino” style. Free to the public. Reception to follow.

December 19th, 5:00 pm, First Baptist Church, 848 Beacon St, Newton Centre

www.suzukinewton.org

Newton Community Preservation Committee Upcoming Public Hearings

The agenda for the next CPC meeting on November 19th , 7:00 pm, City Hall Room 204, includes West Newton Affordable Housing ($471,117):

300 Hammond Pond Parkway/Webster Woods – discussion of a brief submission from the Conservation Commission (neither a pre- nor a full proposal)
Public hearing and possible funding vote on 10-12 Cambria Road (West Newton) $471,117 CAN-DO request, to create 2 units of affordable rental housing

The full agenda and pre-meeting packet are online from Committees & Meetings at www.newtonma.gov/cpa.

Community Weekend at Historic Newton

Newton residents are invited to enjoy free admission to both Newton Historic museums. Come to the Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Avenue, AND the Jackson Homestead and Museum, 527 Washington Street.

For questions, please call Historic Newton at 617-796-1450 or 617-641-9142 or visit http://www.historicnewton.org

December 5th and 6th, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Be the Parent you want to be! A New Way of Understanding and Parenting Kids

Do you ever feel frustrated with your child? Find yourself shouting often and imposing punishments or rewards in reaction to challenging behavior? Do you wish you had a more effective parenting approach that also helps to build a better relationship between you and your child? Think:Kids Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) approach, based in MGH’s Department of Psychiatry, provides parents with concrete tools to better understand and parent their kids in the face of day-to-day challenges – e.g., getting to school, homework, screen time, bedtime – and more serious challenges. It’s based on the understanding that many kids lack the skill, not the will, to behave well – specifically skills related to problem solving, flexibility and frustration tolerance.

Parents who attend the CPS overview learn to:

Shift their thinking and approach to foster positive relationships with their child
Reduce their child’s challenging behavior
Solve problems collaboratively and proactively
Help their child develop skills related to self-regulation, communication and problem-solving

For more information and to register for 2016 classes in Newton, please visit: http://www.betheparentyouwanttobe.weebly.com

NPTOC – OLD

OLD SITE FOR REFERENCE