Author Archives: LEPTO Admin

PTO Meeting: This Tuesday, May 18th at 6:30pm

Please join us over Zoom for our last PTO meeting of the year this Tuesday, May 18th, at 6:30pm.  A Zoom link will be sent out via email on Monday or Tuesday, so please look for it in your inboxes (or email secretary@lepto.org if you don’t receive it!).

We will be talking about the transition to next year — we are short on volunteers to keep our PTO board going and have open roles across all positions!  If you have any interest in joining the board or finding out more about the various opportunities, we’d love for you to attend this meeting!

If you cannot join us but have a question or a suggestion for us, please email it to president@lepto.org.  We will post the minutes from the meeting in our next newsletter.

Thanks very much, and we hope to see you there!

FUNDrive Clothing/Textiles Donation Drive!

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!  We have set a fundraising goal of $1,000.  In order to reach that goal, we need to collect approximately 220 lawn-sized trash bags of clothing/textile donations (or a mix of 270 kitchen-sized bags and lawn-sized bags)!  Unfortunately, we have only collected about 60 bags so far.  We need another 160 – 210 bags of donations between now and May 29th in order to reach that goal!

Did you know that 26 billion pounds of clothing and textiles pile up in landfills each year?  95% of which could have been re-worn or repurposed?  Or that it takes 1,800 gallons of water to make just one new pair of jeans?

By hosting a FUNDrive®, we are not only helping to keep 700 million pounds of usable items out of landfills every year, but we are raising money for the Lincoln-Eliot PTO!  And because we don’t have to sell anything door to door, like wrapping paper or chocolate bars, our FUNDrive® earns our PTO money without adding waste to landfills in the future.  The wins just keep coming!

Savers West Roxbury will weigh the items we’ve collected on our drop-off date, pay our PTO by the pound of donations collected, and give others the chance to love your gently used stuff.

Ready to reduce, reuse, and raise money!

Details:

Savers FUNDrive® Clothing Drive

Dates:

Donation collection NOW thru May 29th (one week before the drop-off date at Savers – scheduled for Saturday, June 5th).

Approved Items for Donation:

  • Gently used clothing and footwear of all sizes (babies thru adult), including socks, bathing suits, undershirts and bras. Doesn’t have to be seasonal; they are accepting winter clothes too!
  • Jewelry & accessories (belts, purses, wallets, bags, fanny packs, ties, scarves, hats, gloves, etc)
  • Bed and bath items: linens, curtains, pillows, towels, tablecloths, blankets, sheets

(Items should be laundered and ready to sell.)

Items NOT accepted:

  • stuffed animals
  • furniture
  • appliances
  • books, magazines or media (CDs, DVDs, etc)
  • sports equipment

Please collect in lawn-sized or kitchen-sized trash bags and contact Ronda Morra at 781-589-7226 or rbmorra@gmail.com to schedule a pick-up or inquire about a porch drop-off at her home! Thank you!

SEPAC AWARDS: Last Day for Nominations!

Nominations are still open for the 2021 Newton SEPAC Special Educator Virtual Awards!

Please go to https://forms.gle/M9uHkvhHx1NvvnJ2A to submit your nominations by May 17, 2021.

Here’s how the 2021 “Virtual” Awards will work:

  • Families will submit nominations using the Google Form
  • Each nominee will receive the text of the nomination in an email
  • The email to each nominee will also include messages of thanks from Mayor Fuller, the School Committee, Superintendent Fleishman, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Beth Fitzmaurice, and the SEPAC Board
  • Each nominee will receive a printed award that will be dropped off at their school or location in early June
  • We will send each Principal a list of the nominees from their schools

For those new to Newton SEPAC, the annual Special Educator Awards are a way to honor NPS and OOD staff who have gone the extra mile to support our special education students.  Nominees span a wide range of staff, including teachers, aides, BTs, therapists, bus drivers, crossing guards, administrators, other support staff, etc.  All nominees receive an award.  The Awards are usually held in person but will be virtual in 2021 for the second year running.  (Fingers crossed for an in-person gathering in 2022!)

Feel free to pass on the nomination link to families who may not get this newsletter.

Please contact Brigitte LaMarche at brigilam@gmail.com with any questions, and submit your nominations soon!

FORJ: AAPI, Covid Crisis in India, Book Club

Mark your calendars for these upcoming FORJ City-Wide Meetings: 

  • Tuesday May 25th 7:30pm-9pm – “The Universe is on the Side of Justice”: Advocating for a Racially Just Newton.  Looking at the how and why of advocacy and how to avoid common pitfalls.  RSVP here 
  • Wednesday June 16th 7:30-9pm – Fostering Equity-Focused Family Engagement with Immigrant Families.  RSVP here

MAY IS ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH

Check out these AAPI-centered events:

  • Tuesday, May 18th from 7pm-8pm – Chinese America and Anti-Asian Hate: Reflections of a Historian and an Artist (Virtual)

    Co-sponsored by CAAN (Chinese American Association of Newton), NESN (Newton Education Support Network), Newton Human Rights Commission, and the Newton Free Library.The Asian American community has long struggled for visibility and equity, and this community has faced additional physical and mental health harms that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Over the past year, we have seen a sharp increase in anti-Asian hate crimes and hate incidents.  The session will deepen our understanding of the Asian American experience through an interactive dialogue with Professor Lisong Liu and Artist Wen-ti Tsen.

    RSVP HERE: https://newtonfreelibrary.libcal.com/event/7738183

     

  • Monday, May 24th at 2pm – BUILDING AAPI POWER

    The Asian Community Fund and the Boston Foundation offer a data presentation assessing the needs of the AAPI community.  Afterward, community leaders Carolyn Chou (Asian American Resource Workshop) and Souvanna Pouv (Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell) will talk about how those needs can be met to create lasting change.  Free.  https://events.tbf.org/event/home/buildingaapipower

COVID Crisis in India

There continue to be staggering losses in India due to COVID-19.  We are thinking about all in our community who have family in India and ways that we can support each other.  Consider providing comfort to our local community and direct relief to those in India.

Some ways to locally support families: 

  • Offer to cook a meal so they can focus on providing emotional support to their families in India
  • Ask if they need any resources to send to their families
  • Offer to help with a GoFund Me page if they need money to support care or funeral costs
  • Provide healing circles in your community to give people space to connect and share their experiences

Donate to direct relief agencies: 

Organizations working on COVID RESPONSE in INDIA

Here are few in which we know Newton residents are closely involved:

One of our Lincoln-Eliot parents shared an organization they have been working with for many years —  Vibha: www.Vibha.org

Vibha works with local NGOs in different cities in India to send oxygen concentrators and other essential medical supplies.  See how you can help:

https://campaigns.vibha.org/campaigns/vibha-a-ray-of-light

https://vibha.org/covid-campaign-details/

Akshaya Patra: https://www.akshayapatra.org/covid-relief-services

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, in close coordination with State Governments & District Administration, has stepped in to provide relief by providing food to thousands of people across the country.

Ekal Vidyalaya: https://www.ekal.org/us/campaign-detail/covid-crisis-support

Ekal USA is gathering funds to send diagnostic equipment and medicines to the villages. Ekal, in conjunction with Intelehealth, our tele-health partner has established a health-line of 1000 Karyakartas to answer calls from the villages. The health-line provides instant connection to doctors of the National Medicos Organization so that expert help can be made available as needed. With these measures – hotline and addition of the diagnostic equipment and medicines we can help EKAL VILLAGES TIDE THROUGH THE PANDEMIC.

To learn more about what is happening in India, please read: COVID-19 took my wife: Battling a sneaky virus in healthcare system under stress where the only consolation is humanity.  Written by a relative of a student at Cabot Elementary School.

Facebook Virtual Affinity Space FORJ Families of Color

FORJ Members created a Facebook page for Families of Color to connect and communicate.  You don’t have to be a member of FORJ to join the group.  Families of Color and families with children who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color are encouraged to check it out: https://www.facebook.com/groups/293432345707888

Lincoln-Eliot Elementary School Shared Values — RESPECT, Excellence, Lifelong Learning, and Responsibility

Lincoln-Eliot scholars learn from the start four Core Values we can all strive to share with one another at school and at home:

1. Respect and appreciate themselves, human differences, the community, and the environment.

2. Strive for academic excellence through risk taking and consistent effort.

3. Develop an enthusiasm for lifelong learning.

4. Assume responsibility for one’s own actions.

FORJ will share these values again from time to time for all to practice!  (source: https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/domain/733)

Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration Location Petition – October 11, 2021

The BAA rescheduled the 2021 Boston Marathon for Indigenous Peoples Day, October 11th.  This decision was made without consulting Indigenous people.  Because of the Marathon, the City of Newton said that city resources are strapped and the Indigenous Peoples Day event must move to Newton South High School, not an optimal location because it’s not near public transit and is not a highly visible locale.  If you’d like to join the effort to move the event to Albemarle Field (equidistant to Newton South, but more visible to the public and accessible by transit), please reach out to Mayor Fuller and your Ward Councilors to let them know.  You can write your own letter, or just copy and paste this letter!

(Click here if you are not sure who your Ward Councilors are.)

And, if you would like to sign this petition urging the BAA to change the Marathon date, click here.

LINCOLN-ELIOT FORJ KIDS BOOK CLUB – Wednesday, June 2nd at 4:30pm (ZOOM)

The L-E FORJ Kids Book Club selected “A Place at the Table” by Saadia Faruqi to read for the next meeting on Zoom on Wednesday, June 2nd at 4:30 p.m.  This book is recommended for 9-12 year olds, but all family members are welcome.  Please RSVP to L-E FORJ Coordinator Lanni Isenberg if you’d like to join the chat: Lanni_harris@yahoo.com  (The book is available to borrow from Newton libraries, electronically, and for purchase on a variety of online bookstores.)

FORJ (Families Organizing for Racial Justice) is a coalition of school-aged families in Newton coming together to teach our children – and ourselves – how to stand up for racial equity.  We seek to generate understanding and curiosity about the differences in our society.

We strive to achieve safe and welcoming environments that enhance the well-being of all people.  We promote healing and connection between individuals and communities.  We speak out against injustice, support our kids to be upstanders, and take action to address bias and inequity.

Newton Community Engagement Initiative

The City of Newton is trying to learn as much as we can about Newton community members’ experiences of and visions for their village centers to inform zoning proposals!  Engagement will include a Vision Kit to explore your village center(s), an interactive survey, and Focus Groups for equitable participation.  Sign up for a Community Engagement Information Session on May 20th, 6-7pm, here and fill out this Focus Group Interest Form if you identify as a renter, younger person (age 15-35), BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color), someone with a disability, LGBTQ+, of the creative community, and older adults (65+). Learn more at newtonma.gov/zoningredesign.

Principal/PTO Update 5.9.21

Dear families,

Don’t forget that we are working on a fundraising clothing donation drive — so if you’re spring cleaning, please save your clothes, shoes, and linens for us!  We’ll be collecting bags from NOW thru May 29th and hopefully delivering them to Savers West Roxbury on June 5th.  Please reach out to Ronda Morra: 781-589-7226 or rbmorra@gmail.com if you can volunteer to help, or if you have bags ready to be picked up!

COVID-19 Pooled Testing

Our testing participation levels are hovering around 40% in all schools.  We really need to increase participation to 70-80% for testing to be effective.

We NEED YOUR participation to make this work.  The more students who participate, the better data we have on infection rates in our community.  This means we can:

  • Quickly identify infection

  • Reduce the risk of in school transmission

  • Limit quarantines

  • Keep our schools, athletics and other important activities open for the rest of the year

Please note: Testing is now MANDATORY for all high school students participating in athletics or extracurricular activities.

Here’s how to enroll and a few details on the testing:

  • Complete the opt-in in Aspen (here’s the link!)

  • High school students then create an account at JCM (do it here!) for access to a QR code they use to check in their sample.  (Pre-K – 8th grade students will receive their QR code from school staff.)

  • This is NOT the “touch your brain” swab!  This is a sample taken from the front of your nose with a Q-tip like swab.  It’s super-fast and painless.

  • Testing is FREE to all families!

Please REMIND your students to turn in their sample when they arrive at school!

Also, MCAS testing is coming up soon.  The test dates for DLA students are different from those for in-person students; the information on DLA MCAS was in the most recent DLA newsletter, and you may have received information from your teachers about it as well.

Lincoln-Eliot MCAS 2021 Dates (for students attending in person)

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

ELA

5/17

5/18

5/20

Math

5/25

5/27

5/24

Science

N/A

N/A

6/3

Have a great week!

Principal Morrissey & the PTO

International Week May 17-20!

Lincoln-Eliot’s International Week is coming up May 17-20!  Since this is a virtual event and we can’t share food at school like we usually do on International Night, we invite everyone to enjoy the diversity of our neighborhood cuisines and support local restaurants with a special discount for Lincoln-Eliot families.  Please see this flyer for details!

Thank You to Our Teachers!

We are so thankful for our teachers and we hope you felt our love and gratitude during Teacher Appreciation Week!

Thank you also to all the parents who helped in many different ways to show our support.  Thanks to your contributions to the Annual Fund, we were able to distribute stipend checks and personalized pencils to our beloved teachers (teachers, there are extra pencils in the office for you to give to any aides or support staff in your classrooms!).  DLA staff, your pencils are at the school for you to retrieve at a later date.  We also had the Cookie Monstah truck come and arranged for ice cream sandwich coupons for our teachers and staff.

Our children and families also wrote messages outside the school with sidewalk chalk and contributed to a virtual message board to share their love for their teachers.  (You can view the Padlet here: https://padlet.com/nuneze2/ys532whq77r3f9en)

Thank you again, teachers — you have managed this challenging year with such patience, flexibility, kindness, and grace, and we all feel so lucky for everything that you do for our children!

FORJ: Upcoming Meetings

Mark your calendars for upcoming FORJ City-Wide Meetings:

Tuesday May 25th 7:30pm-9pm – “The Universe is on the Side of Justice”: Advocating for a Racially Just Newton.  Looking at the how and why of advocacy and how to avoid common pitfalls.  RSVP here.

Wednesday June 16th 7:30-9pm – Fostering Equity-Focused Family Engagement with Immigrant Families.  RSVP here.

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.  Newsletter to follow with more information.

COVID Crisis in India

We are saddened by the staggering losses in India due to COVID-19.  We are thinking about all in our community who have family in India and ways that we can support each other.
Consider providing comfort to our local community and direct relief to those in India.
Some ways to locally support families:

  • Offer to cook a meal so they can focus on providing emotional support to their families in India
  • Ask if they need any resources to send to their families
  • Offer to help with a GoFund Me page if they need money to support care or funeral costs
  • Provide healing circles in your community to give people space to connect and share their experiences

Donate to direct relief agencies:

Organizations working on COVID RESPONSE in INDIA — here are few in which we know Newton residents are closely involved:

Akshaya Patra: https://www.akshayapatra.org/covid-relief-services

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, in close coordination with State Governments & District Administration, has stepped in to provide relief by providing food to thousands of people across the country.

Ekal Vidyalaya: https://www.ekal.org/us/campaign-detail/covid-crisis-support

Ekal USA is gathering funds to send diagnostic equipment and medicines to the villages.  Ekal, in conjunction with Intelehealth, our tele-health partner has established a health-line of 1000 Karyakartas to answer calls from the villages.  The health-line provides instant connection to doctors of the National Medicos Organization so that expert help can be made available as needed.  With these measures — hotline and addition of the diagnostic equipment and medicines — we can help EKAL VILLAGES TIDE THROUGH THE PANDEMIC.

To read more about what is happening in India please read: COVID-19 took my wife: Battling a sneaky virus in healthcare system under stress where the only consolation is humanity.  Written by a relative of a student at Cabot Elementary School.

Facebook Virtual Affinity Space FORJ Families of Color
FORJ Members created a Facebook page for Families of Color to connect and communicate.  You don’t have to be a member of FORJ to join the group.  Families of Color and families with children who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color are encouraged to check it out: https://www.facebook.com/groups/293432345707888

Newton METCO Family Council – Connections & Social Space
Families in the METCO program can connect with each other with the Newton METCO Family Council.  If you’d like to participate in a social before summer, contact newtonfamilycouncil@gmail.com

Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration Location Petition – October 11, 2021
The BAA rescheduled the 2021 Boston Marathon for Indigenous Peoples Day, October 11th.  This decision was made without consulting Indigenous people.  Because of the Marathon, the City of Newton said that city resources are strapped and the Indigenous Peoples Day event must move to Newton South High School, not an optimal location because it’s not near public transit and is not a highly visible locale.  If you’d like to join the effort to move the event to Albemarle Field, which is equidistant to Newton South, but more visible to the public and accessible by transit, please reach out to Mayor Fuller and your Ward Councilors to let them
know.  You can write your own letter, or just copy and paste this letter!

(Click here if you are not sure who your Ward Councilors are.)

If you would like to sign the petition urging the BAA to change the Marathon date, click here.

District Update: Staff of Color Affinity Groups in Newton Public Schools
Staff of Color in Newton Public Schools (NPS) represent a small percentage of the overall school population.  This may present challenges of isolation, exclusion and lack of community.  The hope is that providing affinity spaces will offer a place for support and safety which will positively impact experiences in NPS.  With support from Newton Schools Foundation, FORJ has launched district-wide affinity groups for all NPS staff who identify as BIPOC (Black/Indigenous/Person of Color).

Staff will meet bi-monthly with their grade cohorts, as well as be invited to district-wide events held at the beginning and end of each school year.

Planning will prioritized needs and feedback from BIPOC staff with these objectives in mind:

  • Offer safe spaces to meet other staff of color with similar responsibilities and challenges
  • Create opportunities for staff of color to discuss and support daily challenges of microaggressions and racism
  • Learn and share strategies to implement in support of inclusion, diverse curriculum and school-based activities
  • Develop networking and mentorship opportunities to support career advancement

For more information, visit: https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Page/3877

NPS Department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has a webpage
Please visit this page to stay informed of updates and events in the district and to access resources: https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Domain/1438

JOIN A FORJ SCHOOL CHAPTER!
The Bigelow Middle School FORJ chapter is looking for more members.  If you’d like to join their chapter this summer or in the fall OR the Lincoln-Eliot FORJ chapter, please contact L-E FORJ Coordinator Lanni Isenberg at lanni_harris@yahoo.com!

FORJ (Families Organizing for Racial Justice) is a coalition of school-aged families in Newton coming together to teach our children – and ourselves – how to stand up for racial equality.