Registration is now open for Newton Kindergarten Soccer. The spring program offers two divisions: the Kindergarten Division is for those children currently in kindergarten. The Pre-K Division is for children who will enter kindergarten in the Fall of 2015. Games are at Richardson Field and Zervas Elementary in Waban beginning April 11. To be eligible, children must live or attend school in Newton.

Newton Kindergarten Soccer is an introduction to soccer, and the focus is on making friends, learning teamwork, and developing confidence.  Each spring, over 200 incoming kindergarteners and 200 current kindergarteners throughout Newton play in the league.  Players are grouped with other children who will either live in the same neighborhood or attend the same school for kindergarten, so that incoming kindergartners can meet future classmates.

To find out more or to register, please visit our website: http://kindergartensoccer.org/.

From sports and swimming to arts, dance, cooking and rock climbing, kids have their choice of activities at the JCC Kid’s Choice February Vacation Program. Held at the Leventhal-Sidman JCC (333 Nahanton Street) in Newton, Monday-Friday, February 16-20 from 9am-4pm. 

For boys and girls entering grades K-6 (and CITs in grades 7-9 at a reduced rate). Special highlights include JCC Magic Ark performance of Toying with Science, field trip to Wheelock Family Theatre to see Pinocchio and Purim Carnival. Come for one day or as many as you would like. Everyone welcome. All JCC arts and humanities offerings are programs of the Ryna Greenbaum JCC Center for the Arts.

Register at bostonjcc.org/schoolvacations. For more information, contact 617-558-6529 or schoolvacations@jccgb.org

•  Happy New Year and welcome back to school!
• 5th Grade Winter Concert: Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 7:00 PM.  All families are invited to attend.  The 5th Grade Band, 5th Grade Chorus and Lincoln-Eliot String Ensemble are eager to share the results of their hard work this fall.  Instrumental (Band and String Ensemble students) please arrive by 6:30.  All other 5th graders should arrive no later than 6:50 PM.  Student attendance is required.  If you have an unavoidable conflict, please email Ms. Nelson (devon_nelson@newton.k12.ma.us) as soon as possible. The dress code for student performers is black on the bottom and white on the top.  Looking forward to seeing you there!
• FAMILY SCIENCE NIGHT: Come join in the science learning and fun!
  Thursday, January 29th 2014 from 5:30-7:00 PM
  • Student Presentations
  • New England Aquarium Tide Pool Tank
  • Computer Coding Station
  • STEM Challenge
• PARCC ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE: Newton Elementary Schools are administering the PARCC Assessment this year instead of the MCAS. The PARCC Assessment has two components. One is administered at the end of March and the second component in May. Please note the dates below to know when the assessment will be administered to ensure your child is in attendance.  (Gr. 5 will continue to take the MCAS Science Test this year as the PARCC does not have a science component.)

• Important Recess Reminder: We go outside every day, EVEN IN THE SNOW, unless the temperature drops below 20 degrees F. Please ensure your children dress appropriately with coats, hats, mittens, and boots.
• Food Lunch Balance: Every Tuesday and Friday e-mail notices are sent out from Whitson’s Food Service notifying families of outstanding balances. If you are not receiving these e-mails, please call the school to let us know. In addition, you can always check your balance and make electronic payments on the “My School Bucks” page on the Newton Public Schools website. (Under Family Resource Tab.)

TUESDAY & FRIDAY PIZZA AT L-E…
L-E PIZZA TUESDAYS (12:15-1:00)  & FRIDAYS (3:00)
At the Jackson Road Entrance- $2 per slice

Pizza is Popular and disappears quickly!  Avoid disappointment and pre-order your Whole Pizzas by noon –$10.00 each.   Email Susanne at susanneg4@hotmail.com  to order. Pickup a Pizza or two on Friday nights for dinner! Proceeds benefit the 5th Grade 2015 Graduating Class…we appreciate your support!

FUNDRAISING…
• Amazon.com Shoppers: With the upcoming holiday season, don’t forget to access amazon.com through the PTO website. Our school receives up to 10% of all purchases simply purchased through this link.

• Don’t forget to bring in your Box Tops, Coke Points and your Labels for Education labels into school.  This is an easy way to raise money for programs at L-E.  Drop off boxes are located near the Main Office.   Check for labels on the following products: BIC, Campbells, Dannon, Emerald, Glad, Pace,  Pepperidge Farm, Pop  Secret, Post, Prego, Spaghettios, Swanson, V8 Beverages, and Wolfgang Puck!

• Everyone, please register you Stop & Shop card for the Stop & Shop A+ Rewards! Great News!  If you registered your card last year, it will re-register automatically! If you are new to the program, just log on to www.Stopandshop.com/aplus to register online.  Our school ID is 05887.  Or, dial 1-877-275-2758 to register your card over the telephone. Ask family members to register too and select Lincoln-Eliot!

DONOR’S CHOOSE:
Ms. Blanchard, Learning Center Teacher, has a new Donor’s Choose Project.
Project Cost: $433.00
Description: My wish is that my Learning Center room will represent another place for positive learning and growth development. A classroom rug will bring some color and excitement to the small, concrete room. My students try to overcome some of the hardest academic challenges therefore, they should be given a space to learn that displays a sense of comfort.
Funding this project will make my students not only feel more accepted in the school, but be able to work in a positive place for learning. I want my students to be accepting of their differences and embrace their differences.
You can support Ms. Blanchard by helping to fund her project at:
http://www.donorschoose.org/profile/teacher.html?teacher=522996&verify=-1368213929&active=true
COMMUNITY NEWS…

• 47th ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. NEWTON COMMUNITY EVENT: Monday, January 19th at 9:30 A.M. at Temple Emanuel. (See attached flyer for details.)
• PJ STORY TIME WITH NEWTON COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS: Wednesday, January 28, 2015,  6:30 PM AT NewTV, 23 Needham Street.  Children (ages 3 – 7) come in pajamas to hear stories. Mayor Setti Warren will be a guest reader. For the first time, the story time will be taped at NewTV and aired on the Newton channel. Please call Beverly at 617.559.2062 to confirm your attendance
• LANGUAGE LEARNERS RESOURCE FAIR:  January 14, 2015, 6:00 PM, Newton North High School, 457 Walnut Street.
• Student Presentations
• New England Aquarium Tide Pool Tank
• Computer Coding Station
• STEM Challenge

Join Newton Parks and Recreation and Newton Public Schools for our CAMP FAIR on Sunday January 25th from 12:00 – 4:00 pm in the cafeteria at the Newton North High School.  Come see what is being offered in Newton for the summer of 2015!

Newton Parks and Recreation – www.newtonma.gov/gov/parks
Space Camp – www3.newton.k12.ma.us/spacecamp
Community Education – www.newtoncommunityed.org
Garden City Sports – http://www.FamilyID.com

A Martin Luther King Jr. Day school vacation basketball clinic for children in grades K-5 will be held on Monday, January 19 from 9am-3pm (or half-day 9am-noon option) at the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center (333 Nahanton Street) in Newton.

Children will develop dribbling, passing and shooting skills and be matched by similar age and ability.  Participants in grades K-2 will engage in skills, drills and half-court scrimmages while grades 3-5 will work on tournament style play.  Program is led by youth recreation specialist Peter Sylvester.

Cost is $100. Open to the entire community. Register at www.bostonjcc.org/mlkhoops or contact 617-558-6456 or sports@jccgb.org. 

Lincoln-Eliot Students had a great year last year!  Take a look at some of our ratings for last year.  In particular, our students made great steps in achieving goals for the year, and performed very well in Math & Science:

https://lepto.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/L-ESchoolReportCardOverview2014.pdf

Happy New Year to the parents and students at Lincoln-Eliot!  Be sure to check the LEPTO site for upcoming PTO meetings and other events at our school.  All the best for 2015!

Basketball Starts up again January 3, 2015!!!!
Our Gym floor has been refinished, fresh double sided, reversible game jerseys are in, and our Saturday Basketball Program will pick up on January 3, 2015. Don’t forget to come this weekend!

Mighty-Mites are off this Friday ad will resume on January 9th.
Travel Basketball Program
The Travel Basketball Programs will be starting this month. Stop by the Boys & Girls Club and show your support! Our teams will be playing other Boys & Girls Clubs from all over Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
12 and under Boys Practices every Tuesday 8:00-9:00 pm
Season Starts January 8th
14 and Under Girls Practices every Friday 8:00-9:00 pm
Season Starts January 7th
18 and Under Boys Practice Every Wednesday 8:00-9:00 pm
Season Starts January 8th

Community Open Gyms
Did you know that thanks to a grant from The Newton Partnership and funding from the Carol M. White Physical Education Program the Club’s gym is open to the general public twice per week? Anyone ages 6 to 18 is welcome to join us and make use of the Club’s gym equipment. Come on down for flexible, supervised, organized activity.

Tuesdays 5:00-6:00 pm
Thursdays 7:00-8:30 pm

Free Tennis Clinics
Starting February 24, 2015 the John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club will be teaming up with Lapides Tennis Academy to offer Members an opportunity to learn how to play Tennis! The first 25 members to enroll will work with coach Lapides and his team during a 5 week program that meets every Tuesday, from 3:00-4:30 pm. Contact Mike in the Gym to Sign up for this great opportunity!!!

www.lapidestennis.com

Free Basketball Clinics
3 Dates Set!!!
On January 8, January 22, and February 5, Beaver Country Days Basketball Program will visit the John M. Barry Boys and Girls Club. The teams will provide a free hour-long clinic from 4:00-5:00 for the members. Contact Mike in the gym for more details.
http://bcdschool.org/athletics/
More To Come
The John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club is working closely with some great volunteer groups in order to provide top notch athletics for the members.We will soon be offering football and baseball clinics, as well as more in- house leagues. Stop by the Club and check out all of the fun stuff going on!

Mike Doran
Athletic Director
John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club
675 Watertown Street
Newton, Ma. 02460
617-630-2066

Sign up now for winter classes with Newton Community Education. Coming up at Lincoln-Eliot we have Lego Robotics and Actors Studio on Wednesdays, and Chinese Club on Fridays.

We have many more weekday classes at schools throughout Newton, including Shark Tank Jr, Pottery, Fencing, Imagination Authors, The Stockmarket Game, and the list goes on.  We have family classes, such as Glass Fusing, and Saturday sports options for kids ages 2 and up.

Thinking ahead for February and April vacation? Sign up for Domino Physics, Domino Architecture, 3-D Sculpture, or Engineering & Electricity Workshop. (Space is limited for these so please act fast.)

Making summer plans? To see what NCE has in store, join us at the camp fair at Newton North, Sunday, January 25 from noon to 4pm. We have something for everyone! Kids can do what they love or try something new. For more information or to register for classes, call our office at 617-559-6999 or visit our website at newtoncommunityed.org.

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING WITH SUPT. DAVID FLEISHMAN.

• Monday, Jan. 12th: 8:20-9:15 – General Meeting & PARCC Spring Assessment Update
• Monday, Feb. 23rd 8:20-9:15 – Meeting with Superintendent David Fleishman and
  members of the Newton School Committee for their annual visit to our PTO.

The meeting will include a brief update on district initiatives (e.g. the new PARCC standardized test and new building plans), followed by an interactive session to answer your questions and listen to feedback.