Tag Archives: mid

Learn about Newton’s First Village, Feb. 26

Newton’s main village center at the time of the City’s founding in 1688, and always a vital thoroughfare for traffic from Boston to the west, Newton Corner expanded again in the 1860s due to the railroad. A century later, the village’s commercial center was largely demolished to make way for the Turnpike extension.

Join Newton Corner residents Jay Walter and Keith Jones to learn about this area’s progression from rural farmland to commuter suburb, including the history of Farlow Park and the current efforts to restore it.

Thursday, February 26
7:00 PM
Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St.

Program is part of the 2015 Newton History Series, A City of Villages. Free and open to all. Co-sponsored by Historic Newton and the Newton Free Library.

 

Register before February 28th

Newton Girls Softball, a recreational league for Newton girls in grades K-7, welcomes players of all skill levels. The league is committed to providing an experience that fosters positive self-esteem, team spirit, and individual growth through personal achievement and as a team member.

The league is excited to be expanding to include Kindergarten girls this spring. The brand new Kindergarten T-Ball program begins May 2nd.

February 28th is the last date to register for softball with guaranteed placement and “pair-me-with” requests (after February 28th, players will be placed on wait list without “pair-me-with” rights). For more information and to register, please visit www.newtongirlssoftball.org.

 

Hey Kids – It’s Time to Act Out!

Newton Freelance Troupe AUDITIONS ON MONDAY, February 23rd!

Due to numerous school cancellations ALL auditions for the Newton Freelance Troupe will be held THIS COMING MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd. Everyone is encouraged to join!
The NEWTON FREELANCE TROUPE is for children ages 8-12 of all experience levels. The Troupe produces one original musical each season, with rehearsals on Monday afternoons at Grace Church, 3:30 – 5:45 pm.

Physical and vocal techniques, drama improvisation, dance, auditioning, and singing are part of the rehearsal process. Theater professionals staff the company. The programs are tuition based and some financial assistance is available, by arrangement.
For more information or to schedule a first call Kippy Dewey at 617-274-6065. The Freelance Players, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Visit www.freelanceplayers.org for additional information.

Tryouts on February 23rd, 3:30 – 5:45 pm
Grace Episcopal Church
76 Eldredge Street, Newton

Youth Coffeehouse Benefit

The annual Youth Coffeehouse at the First Unitarian Society in Newton is coming up soon. This event, featuring and organized by students from Newton North and Newton South High Schools, is a benefit for vulnerable children in Africa. The coffeehouse begins at 7:00 with acoustic and comedy acts. After the intermission at 9:00, a number of live bands will perform.

All proceeds from ticket sales, snacks, t shirts, and crafts from Zambia are donated to Communities Without Borders (CWB), a non-profit organization that supports the education and well-being of AIDS orphans and vulnerable children living in and around Lusaka, Zambia.

Tickets are $13.00 for adults and $7.00 for students, although additional donations are welcome. For more information please visit: www.fusn.org/content/coffeehouse or call 617- 527-3203.

March 7th,  7:00 – 11:00 pm
1326 Washington Street, West Newton

Boxing Benefit

The John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club of Newton in partnership with Nonantum Boxing Club present Fight Night 2015. The night will feature 7-10 bouts between local amateur fighters sanctioned by USA Boxing. Don’t miss this chance to see some of Newton’s finest take on fighters from other gyms across the state.

Click HERE http://newtonbgc.com/2015-fight-night.php to purchase your tickets. General Admission is $20.00. VIP Seats are $50.00 and include a catered dinner.  There is a cash bar. Doors open for VIP ticket holders at 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm for General Admission.

Whether you are a fan of the sport, a Club parent looking for a fun night out and a great way to help the Club, or a Club alum putting together a night out with old friends, this is a unique experience and it is sure to be a great time for all!

February 28th, 7:00 pm
The Samuel Crocetti Gymnasium
John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club

Professional Development Forum for Artists

The New Art Center, in collaboration with the Newton Art Association and Newton Open Studios, is pleased to introduce the Art + Business Circle, a professional development forum for artists. This series of lectures, workshops, and networking events will bring artists together to learn valuable skills from experts and each other. Topics will include marketing & public relations, social media, portfolio preparation, presentation skills & public speaking, and more.

March 4th, April 1st, and May 6th,  6:30 to 8:30 pm
Newton Art Center, $25.00 Admission

Click here for more information and to register.

March 4th: Publicity and Public Relations with Debbie Hagan of Art New England
April 1st: Social Media for Artists with Angela Pitter of LiveWire Collaborative
May 6th: Portfolio Presentation with Mika Hornyak, George Sopel, and Sara Dassel of FlatFile

Fitness Program

Get Burly is a fitness program designed to promote athletes to be the best version of themselves through supporting their peers and through fitness. Their mission is to instill and inspire youth to develop a passion for fitness through group circuit training and team building games.

Introduce your child to “Fun Through Fitness”. Participants (Grades 6-9) will engage in group circuit training as well as a variety of team building activities and cooperative games. For additional information, please visit
http://www.newtonma.gov/civicax/filebank/documents/64247.

So you want to be a curator?

To learn more, click here, or come to the Curator Workshop & Information Session. This workshop brings together emerging and aspiring curators to learn about curating contemporary art from a curatorial professional. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in dialogue about curatorial ideas while learning more about the New Art Center’s Curatorial Opportunity Program (COP).

The workshop will feature a presentation by Gloria Sutton, Professor of Contemporary Art History and New Media at Northeastern University. Sutton will discuss her curatorial practice as well as some effective ways to create visual art exhibits and programs that reach beyond the gallery walls.

Following Sutton’s presentation, New Art Center staff will lead a question-and-answer period on the Curatorial Opportunity Program’s proposal submission process.

Curator Workshop & Information Session
February 12th, 7:00 – 9:00 pm, $10.00

About the Workshop Presenter:
Gloria Sutton is Assistant Professor of Contemporary Art History and Continue reading →

Etiquette Classes Spring and Summer sessions

The 6-day and 8-week long etiquette classes for grades 2-12 cover topics such as improving social and communication skills, projecting confidence, combating shyness, strengthening self-esteem and leadership skills, navigating friendships, resolving conflict, understanding social cues, basic manners and table manners, and more.

For more information and to enroll visit www.theetiquetteacademy.org.

PARCC UPDATE

Dear Families:

As most of you know, students in Massachusetts have been tested for proficiency in English Language Arts and Mathematics since 1998 using MCAS. Over the next couple of years, MCAS will very likely be phased out and replaced by a different type of assessment designed to assess student proficiency with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which were adopted as Massachusetts state standards by the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2011. Since that time, our K-8 English Language Arts and Math departments have gradually shifted our entire curriculum to align with the Common Core in elementary and middle school.

Last year, some of our schools and classrooms were randomly selected to pilot PARCC, Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. Based on that experience, and our desire to test our students on the current curriculum, we chose to administer PARCC in all elementary and middle schools this year. Slightly more than half of the districts in Massachusetts made the same choice.

The transition to PARCC requires changes in some of our previous testing routines. In particular, thirteen (13) of our schools chose to test using the computer-based version of PARCC, something we have not done before.

The first round of PARCC testing begins March 16th and runs through April 10th, with five (5) testing sessions in that five (5) week window. The second round of PARCC testing runs from May 4th through May 21st, with three (3) testing sessions in three (3) weeks. The exact dates will vary by school and grade. Fifth and eighth graders will also take the Science MCAS in May.

Student, school and district test results will be reported similarly to MCAS, and we will analyze our performance as we do with all student learning assessments. We have worked diligently to align our curriculum to the new standards, to deliver additional resources to teachers, to refine our instructional strategies, and to provide additional support to students as necessary.

The PARCC assessment will be one measure of the outcome of our work, and we will make adjustments to our curriculum and instruction in response to student performance, as we do with all assessments. Despite the proliferation of state and federal testing, we will continue our focus on improving teaching and learning in the Newton Public Schools.

Obviously, this is a tremendous undertaking and will require a great deal of effort and communication with staff and parents. More information about the PARCC assessment is
available on the Newton Public Schools website at www.newton.k12.ma.us/PARCC

Many thanks for your understanding and support. We will be sure to keep you well informed during this time of transition.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools