Josh and the Jamtones, the Boston-based rock and roll family band, live in concert on January 21st. Prize drawing with cool prizes from Learning Express, MyGym and more up for grabs. All proceeds benefit Temple Shalom Nursery School’s Magic Garden. Concert and prize drawing tickets available online: http://tinyurl.com/TSNursery
January 21st, 10:30 am (MLK Day)
Temple Shalom Nursery School
175 Temple Street, Newton
The next organizational meeting for the Waban Area Council will be held on Thursday, January 24th at 7:30 pm at the Waban Library Center. The Council is looking for interested people’s involvement to keep Waban great.
A Step Ahead basketball will be holding it’s 15th annual February Vacation basketball clinic in Newton. This clinic is for boys and girls ages 8-15. For more information visit www.asahoops.com/clinics.
The Summer Music Explorers Program at the All Newton Music School is tailored to children’s individual interests. The students expand their music, acting, and art skills, while socializing in a small group environment. Outdoor play is included in the day, faculty/counselor to student ratio is 1:6. Five week-long sessions offered. Monday-Friday from 8:45 am – 3:00 pm.
Session I: June 24th – June 28th
Session ll:July 1st – July 5th (no program July 4th)
Session lll: July 8th – July 12th
Session lV: July 15th – July 19th
Session V: July 22nd – July 26th
$200 per Session- I, III, IV, V, $160- Session II
Sign up for all 5 sessions by June 24, 2013 for $835, a savings of $125! For additional information, please see the website http://www.allnewtonmusicschool.com/.
The Suzuki Preschool of Newton will be hosting an open house on Sunday January 13th from 1:00 – 4:00 pm. This is a great opportunity for parents to bring their children and explore and acquaint themselves with the program and integrated arts curriculum. You will have a chance to meet the teachers and administrators and you will also receive a guided tour of the facility.
The Suzuki Preschool of Newton offers daily music instruction with Suzuki trained musicians in both large group and individual settings. For inquiries please feel free to contact Marlene Lerer 617-964-4522 or ma*****@**********on.org
Newton Cultural Center
225 Nevada Street, Newtonville, 02460
WCT, arsenalARTS and New Repertory Theatre are teaming up to provide a fun-filled day of theatre, visual art and more at the Arsenal Center! Students in grades K-5 can explore the worlds of both theatre and visual arts with WCT and the ACA, while students in grades 6-9 can experience intensive performance workshops with WCT and New Rep!
Register for the morning session (9:30 am – 12:45 pm), afternoon session (1:15 pm – 4:30 pm), or both! Students enrolled in both programs may bring a nut-free lunch and will be supervised during the lunch break. Join us to experience everything the Arsenal Center for the Arts has to offer!
Grades K – 9
Tuition: $50 per session; $95 for both
Location: Arsenal Center for the Arts
Dates: Monday, January 21st, 2013 (Martin Luther King Day)
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What does inclusion mean to students at Memorial Spaulding Elementary School?
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Before the holiday break, the student council of Memorial Spaulding Elementary School met to discuss the all-school meeting that took place on December 17, 2012, and to follow-up on the variety of activities students participated in to recognize National Inclusive Schools Week 2012.
Inclusive Schools Week, which took place the week of December 3rd, spanned a variety of cross-curricular activities at Memorial Spaulding. In art class, for example, students read or listened to The Dot by Peter Reynolds. Students then discussed how the main character felt like she was not good at drawing until her teacher said, “make a mark and see where it takes you.” A homework assignment on how to make your mark, and an easy, downloadable link to the book kept the conversation going with family members at home.
Each student and staff member made their own dot to symbolize how they want to make their mark in the world. The artwork will be displayed in a school-wide installation. View the slide show below!
All Memorial Spaulding students also learned the song, “Hello to All the Children of the World,” and sang this at the all-school meeting. The song encourages the idea of unity despite differences and geography and language.
Student council members, clad in pajamas for a fifth-grade party day, were eager to share their definitions of what it means to be inclusive. “Everyone has to include everyone,” they said. “Be kind and play with others, helping others and showing respect,” were other definitions.
Memorial Spaulding’s Student Council
When principal Lisa McManus asked student council members if they only practiced inclusion during Inclusive Schools Week she was met with a resounding, “No! We do it all year round.” In fact, one of Memorial Spaulding’s staple fixtures is a “Kindness Tree” taped up in the entryway to the school. Students can both give and receive kindness leaves that acknowledge a helpful or inclusive act. Leaves are then displayed on the tree. Fifth-grade student council members said the kindness tree had been ongoing part of their school community since they were in Kindergarten.
Memorial Spaulding also maintains an Inclusion Committee of teachers including: Classroom teachers Liz Walkin, Amory Bliss, Amy Montalto, JoAnne Kazis, Art teacher Alexandra Etscovitz, Social Worker Sally Mazur, and Inclusion Facilitator Nicole Pisciotta.
The Kindness Tree at Memorial Spaulding
Finally, in the spirit of giving and helping others, members of the student council organized a “Spare Change for Sandy” drive. The school raised $1,091.32 and donated it to the American Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.
On December 9th, the School Committee discussed Draft 3 of the FY15 NPS Budget Guidelines. To view the Guidelines, please click here.
If you would like to share your perspectives with or make any inquiries to the members of the Committee, please visit the Contact Us page or to reach all members, email sc*************@***********ma.us
The 21 schools that make up the PTO Council unanimously passed a resolution in the spring to pursue sustainable funding for technology access devices.
Newton PTOs have been almost exclusively funding the purchase of technology access devices ever since they were introduced to the classroom. Now, in 2013, as the role of technology in our world has steadily expanded for 30 years, we have reached the point where PTO funding for these devices is no longer feasible.
As the budget unfolds, the PTO Council sincerely hopes to see a realistic line item in the budget for sustainable funding of technology access devices.
The Tanglewood Marionettes production of “The Dragon King” at the Newton Cultural Center on February 24th at 2:00 pm, will delight everyone in the family! An underwater fantasy based on Chinese folklore, it is the tale of an intrepid Grandmother who journeys to the bottom of the sea to seek the Dragon King,
the Ruler of the waters, and the answers to why he has forsaken the land above. With colorful sea creatures, an exciting adventure, “The Dragon King” will thrill young and old alike. Tickets are $8 in advance/$10 at the door at www.newtoncommunitypride.org
A parter with Newton Public Schools and a national leader in disability awareness education, Understanding Our Differences helps to ensure that all students are prepared to enter the world as empathetic, engaged and respectful citizens.
Watch the video below to see how this nonprofit organization helped recognize Inclusive Schools Week at Burr Elementary School.
