Registration is still 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. Register by March 15 to avoid the late fee.

Newton Kindergarten Soccer is an introduction to soccer with a focus 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 either live in the same neighborhood or will attend the same school for kindergarten, so that incoming kindergartners can meet future classmates.

Forms for our summer program are out.  This year our program will run from Monday, June 28th through Tuesday, August 18th.

For those families new to our summer program:

This program is for children going into 1st-5th grade next fall. and runs from 8:00am to 5:30 daily in the Newton North High School.  The teachers are current Plowshares teachers at the Franklin and Lincoln Eliot programs and get together to plan weekly theme related outside games, arts/crafts, science, movement, and more.

Excursions and special events are also planned through out the summer,  such as weekly library visits, walks to local playgrounds, and field trips to zoo’s, museums, and local attractions.  We do visit the beach once during the summer.  Free swim is available daily from 4-5pm, and Lou Arcovio, the director at our Franklin site, with a team of qualified staff run a 5 week swimming program.

Summer Plowshares Form

Hello Plowshares Families,

If you have not contacted Angela and need your child to attend the vacation week program over the break, please contact her ASAP.  Final numbers will be going over to Franklin.

angelamarra@plowshareschildcare.org

IMPORTANT PTO MEETING Monday, Feb. 23rd 8:20-9:15 AM – 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.

REMINDER: PROGRESS REPORTS WERE POSTED ONLINE LAST WEDNESDAY.  We do not send progress reports home as paper copies. According to our report, several families have not yet opened their reports.

You can access your child’s progress report through Parent CONNECT
An email was sent out last week to all parents with you login information. There is a link for ParentCONNECT on our school web site and there is one on the district web site as well.  If you need help please contact the Lincoln-Eliot Office.

MORNING DROP OFF
Thank you to everyone for your patience and caution with the narrow roads and snow banks in order to keep our children and families safe entering and exiting the school. It looks like we are going to have a LONG winter!

LIVE DROP OFF ON JACKSON
Please consider taking advantage of the morning drop off on Jackson Road. We will welcome your child with a “Good Morning” and save you the trouble of looking for parking and dredging through the snow.

WALKERS please continue to cross at the PEARL Street with the traffic signal and crossing guard.

PARCC ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE
Newton Elementary students will be taking the PARCC Assessment this year instead of the MCAS. For elementary students, this exam replaces the MCAS exams in all areas except Grade 5 Science.  For Massachusetts, this is Year 2 of the pilot program for the PARCC assessment. The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will vote whether to fully adopt PARCC as the state’s new testing program in fall 2015.

The PARCC Assessment has two components. The first component (called the Performance Assessment) is administered at the end of March and the second component (called the End of the Year Assessment) is administered in May. Please note the following dates as you are planning family vacations and appointments:

* 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 snow 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.)

UNDERSTANDING OUR DIFFERENCES PROGRAM
Understanding our Differences, a disabilities awareness curriculum, is delivered to all Newton students in grades 3-5 by parent volunteers.   All Lincoln-Eliot parents, regardless of your child’s grade, are invited to participate in this dynamic program.   In Spring, 2015 we will be delivering the following units:

At least six parents are needed on each of the following dates to help lead activities:

Grade 3 (Blindness):                                       Monday, May 4, 2015     10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.               

Grade 4 (Intellectual Disabilities):            Thursday, May 14, 2015               12:45 – 2:45 p.m.

Grade 5 (Autism Spectrum Disorders):   Friday, April 17, 2015                   12:45 – 2:45 p.m.

There is a 2 hour time commitment on the day of the unit and 30-60 minutes to train for the unit at your convenience with on-line materials.

This is a wonderful opportunity to engage with our students in the classroom.

If you are interested in participating, please contact the L-E parent coordinators, Debbie Berechman, dberechman@gmail.com and Cathleen Morrison, ccanhc@gmail.com.

DONOR’S CHOOSE:—————————————————————————-
Ms. Goode, Grade 4
PROJECT TITLE: A Space for All Learners.
Project Cost: $481.85
Funded to Date: 5 donors- $340 to go

I hope to empower my students to take risks and share their ideas in a comfortable and safe environment. A classroom carpet for our meeting and learning area is a necessity for establishing a sense of community within our classroom. Students will gather on the carpet many times throughout the day. A comfortable meeting area is essential, as it would provide a space to develop trust and respect among my students.

In our meeting area, we will continue to develop our classroom community by solving classroom issues in a manner in which all students will feel that their voices have been heard. We will frequently use the carpet as a space to begin mini lessons and engage in a read alouds. The carpet will also serve as a learning space for small group work and partner work.

A carpet for our meeting and learning area will provide students with a designated space for both academic and social/emotional learning. Students will gather here to embark on adventures in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies, and also to begin the essential process of establishing a classroom community in which each child feels safe and accepted.

You can support this project by clicking on the link below:
http://www.donorschoose.org/we-teach/2195989?rf=link-siteshare-2015-02-teacher_account-teacher_2195989

NewtonSERVES announces Project Registration is Now Open for Day of Community Service on Sunday, April 26, 2015

Volunteer projects are welcome from Newton non-profits, Newton city departments and schools, individuals, and groups of citizens interested in accomplishing specific tasks with the help of over 1,000 volunteers from the community. Projects can easily be registered online, by visiting www.newtoncommunitypride.org/NewtonSERVES-project.php.

Projects can be in the morning, afternoon or all-day on Sunday, April 26th or they can be set up individually on an alternate date during the City of Newton’s Volunteer Week, April 27th-May 2th. In addition to gaining access to volunteers to tackle specific tasks, project sites may be eligible to receive additional resources such as mulch, garbage and yard waste bags. Project sites also benefit from raised awareness within the community and all participants receive NewtonSERVES T-shirts and refreshments in honor of their volunteer service. New projects leaders are encouraged to sign up along with recurring projects and experienced leaders.

For more information, please visit www.newtoncommunitypride.org/NewtonSERVES.html or call (617) 796-1540.

When responding, please be aware that the Massachusetts Secretary of State has determined that most email is public record and therefore cannot be kept confidential.

NCE Kids is offering several full-day and half-day vacation programs during February break:

• 3-D Sculpture Grades K-3
• Engineering & Electricity Workshop Grades 1-4
• Domino Physics Grades 2 & up
• Domino Architecture Grades 2 & up

For more information or to register visit newtoncommunityed.org or call 617-559-6999.

Plugged In is a nonprofit rock band program in Needham teaching kids of all levels and needs throughout Massachusetts about using music to create positive change in the world.  In addition to weekly ensemble band classes, private lessons, summer camp, songwriting workshops and community performances, five times a year Plugged In students perform in benefit concerts that raise money for causes and organizations chosen by the students themselves.

Plugged In’s Music That Matters Summer Camp includes band class, songwriting, recording a song for a CD, music video, workshops, offsite events, and performance opportunities. Each session ends with a benefit concert that raises money for a charitable organization chosen by the students themselves. Plugged In provides a nurturing and supportive community to which young musicians feel a sense of belonging, an opportunity to express and be acknowledged for their musical interests and a chance to use their music to help others around the world.

Session I dates:  July 6-17

Session II dates:  July 20-31

Hours:  9 AM – 3 PM (extended hours available)

Registration ends when MTM reaches capacity (25 students per session) or on June 6, 2015.

For more information about Plugged In and/or Music That Matters Summer Camp, please email sandra@pluggedinband.org, call 781-956-4281 or visit http://www.pluggedinband.org/programs/summer-program/.

January Elementary Progress Reports are now available from the Newton Public Schools through the ParentCONNECT Parent Portal. Below you will find your login information for ParentCONNECT.

In order to view, print or download a copy of your child’s January progress report which includes narrative comments, please do the following:
1) Log into ParentCONNECT with the login information below.
2) Click Academics on the left hand side and select the Report Tab.
3) Click “Click here to see Report Card for…”

To review the descriptors for progress report categories, click on the appropriate grade level at the top of the page when reviewing the progress report and enter your login at the prompt.
ParentCONNECT web site: https://parentconnect.newton.k12.ma.us/

If you do not remember your password please use the “Forget your password?” link at the bottom of the login page.

If you have any technical issues or questions please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions: Click here to review Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any technical issues or questions please contact us at parentconnect@newton.k12.ma.us

FAMILY SCIENCE NIGHT: Lincoln Eliot’s first Family Science Night was a wonderful evening of curiosity and learning! There was much to learn and do with over 60 student projects and interactive exhibits with the NE Aquarium Tide Pool Tank, the Marshmallow STEM Technology Challenge, a Computer Coding Station, and the High School Robotics and Science Clubs.

The evening ended with a countdown to a Volcano Eruption. Thank you to all our young scientists for presenting and to all the families and faculty who attended the evening. It was a wonderful community event. Students are already talking about next year’s projects!

PROGRESS REPORTS will be available online for all families on Tuesday, February 3^rd at Noon. At that time an email will be sent to all parents that the progress reports are ready and supply their login information. There is a link for ParentCONNECT on our school web site and there is one on the district web site as well. The address for the portal is: https://parentconnect.newton.k12.ma.us/

Don’t forget- This Wednesday, Feb. 4^th is an early Release Day for Teacher Professional Development. Students will be dismissed at 12:30. Faculty in grades K-5 will be learning a new literacy assessment (Benchmark Assessment System) that will be used beginning the fall of 2015.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY- Over the last year the L-E School Site Council and our Safe Routes Committee has worked with the Aldermen and the Traffic Commission to make the Jackson Road Drop off safer and to reduce traffic. We now have a LIVE Drop Off in the morning along Jackson Road and traffic flow is ONE way from Jackson onto Capital.

A continued area of concern is pedestrians crossing from Capital directly to the Jackson Road entrance to the school. There is NO CROSSWALK at that point. Pedestrians are competing with cars dropping off children and pulling out, cars turning onto Capital, and through traffic continuing down Jackson. Daily, I witness close accidents as L-E families try to cross at this dangerous point and compete with all the traffic. We have been told that the city WILL NOT put a crosswalk in at that intersection due to safety issues with the pedestrian light at Pearl and the crossing guard located at Pearl.

PLEASE take the extra few minutes to walk down to the pedestrian light (and crossing guard) at Pearl. It is important that children learn pedestrian safety. You can help your child by modeling this behavior and insisting they take these safety steps.

.

• PTO MEETING Monday, Feb. 23rd 8:20-9:15 AM – 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.

• MARK YOUR CALENDARS UPCOMING Early Release Dates: Please note that the following Thursdays will have dismissal at 12:30 for the purpose of professional development and conferences: February 4^th (Wednesday), March 12^th, and May 7^th.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY– Over the last year the L-E School Site Council and our Safe Routes
Committee has worked with the Aldermen and the Traffic Commission to make the Jackson Road Drop off safer and to reduce traffic. We now have a LIVE Drop Off in the morning along Jackson Road and traffic flow is ONE way from Jackson onto Capital.

A continued area of concern is pedestrians crossing from Capital directly to the Jackson
Road entrance to the school. There is NO CROSSWALK at that point. Pedestrians are
competing with cars dropping off children and pulling out, cars turning onto Capital, and through traffic continuing down Jackson. Daily, I witness close accidents as L-E families try to cross at this dangerous point and compete with all the traffic. We have been told that the city WILL NOT put a crosswalk in at that intersection due to safety issues with the pedestrian light at Pearl and the crossing guard located at Pearl. 

PLEASE take the extra few minutes to walk down to the pedestrian light (and crossing guard) at Pearl. It is important that children learn pedestrian safety. You can help your child by modeling this behavior and insisting they take these safety steps.

 
THIS THURSDAY IS FAMILY SCIENCE NIGHT!
Come join in the science learning and fun!
Thursday, January 29th 2014 from 5:30-7:00 PM

• Highlight of the evening- Student Presentations. Every student who presents a project will receive a Science Medal.
• New England Aquarium Tide Pool Tank
• Computer Coding Station
• STEM Challenge- Put your technology/engineering thinking cap on!
• The Ligerbots- (Newton North & Newton South High Schools Robotics Club) will bring
  their robot!
• The Newton North Science Club will host a presentation.
• PIZZA will be sold in the cafeteria. Proceeds to go the our Fifth Grade Camping Trip.
  * Students can bring projects to school to set up that afternoon or parents can bring
  projects after school to the cafeteria.
• PROGRESS REPORTS will be available online for all families on Tuesday, February 3rd.

Access information will be emailed from the district shortly before that date. Students’ current performance levels in a variety of academic and social objectives are reported in reference to our grade-level benchmarks. Students who are meeting or are on track to meet year-end benchmarks receive a “3.” “4” indicates performance beyond grade-level benchmarks. “2” and “1” indicate varying degrees of required growth toward benchmarks. If your family does not have internet access, please call the school and we will print a hard copy for you.

SCHOOL COMMITTEE UPDATE:
The school committee is discussing the need to move elementary school district lines in order to alleviate over crowding in a number of Newton elementary schools. The student assignment planning work is being done this year in order to match the timing of the various school construction projects, as the projects will provide additional classroom space.
Please note that there will be an update on the Student Assignment Process at Monday night’s School Committee meeting on January 26, 2015. As we proceed, we will inform you of future meetings that will be solely devoted to this topic.
The Superintendent and School Committee members will also discuss the Student Assignment Process during the PTO meetings being held in each school during the next few months.

PTO MEETING Monday, Feb. 23rd 8:20-9:15 AM – 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.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS UPCOMING Early Release Dates:
Please note that the following Thursdays will have dismissal at 12:30 for the purpose of professional development and conferences: February 4th (Wednesday), March 12th, and May 7th.

PARCC ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE:
Newton Elementary students will be taking the PARCC Assessment this year instead of the MCAS. For elementary students, this exam replaces the MCAS exams in all areas except Grade 5 Science. For Massachusetts, this is Year 2 of the pilot program for the PARCC assessment. The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will vote whether to fully adopt PARCC as the state’s new testing program in fall 2015.

The PARCC Assessment has two components. The first component (called the Performance
Assessment) is administered at the end of March and the second component (called the End of the Year Assessment) is administered in May. Please note the following dates as you are lanning family vacations and appointments: Grade Performance Assessment ELA Performance Assessment Math End of Year Assessment ELA End of Year Assessment Math
 

 
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.

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…
JANUARY SCRIPS ORDER FORMS ARE AVAILABLE AND HAVE BEEN SENT HOME HARD COPY  AND ARE ALSO AVAILABLE ON-­‐LINE. When you purchase SCRIPS Gift cards you receive the
full value of each card and the school receives a percentage from the company.

Get Your Taxes Done and Raise Money for Lincoln-Eliot!
Shaul Berechman, a Senior Tax-Advisor with 12 years experience with H&R Block, is donating
to the PTO the higher of $10 or 10% ($5 for returns costing less than $70) of tax preparation fees from members of the LE community. Personal US income-tax only please (no foreign  countries, corporations, estates, partnerships, gifts,etc.) Last year we raised $175 for L-E!
You can call him at home: 617-332-1690, or make an appointment directly with his office at 617-254-6207.

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! With your support, office supplies were just ordered for Donna McLoughlin!

STOP AND SHOP:
Thank you to Diane Collins for organizing our Stop & Shop A+ Rewards Program. The total
to date that L-­‐E families has earned is $1,334.95! This is a wonderful source of revenue
for L-­‐E since it comes from dollars our families spend anyone on weekly groceries. If you have not yet signed up your card please register. If you are not sure if your current registration is activated please re-­‐register. 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: $543.00 Funding Left to GO:$118.00  Almost there!

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…
Please check out the new Community Directory at https://lepto.org/business-­‐directory for all community events and services.

NEWTON EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS is a student-run program at Newton South High School for 4th and 5th graders in Newton public schools. Every year, a group of dedicated high school students teach classes to the elementary students for five Saturdays between February and April. There are classes for everything, from arts and crafts classes to sports and cooking classes.

This program has been running for ver 20 years, and we would love to continue the program this year and involve even more students than last year. In addition, our program donates all proceeds to a different charity every year, and we are going to be donating to the Make-A-Wish Foundation this year go to: http://newtonws.wix.com/homepage

for more information Please sign up for this great program by sending a check for $50.00 to  Newton Educational Workshops and mailing it to:

Newton Educational Workshops
140 Brandeis Road
Newton, Massachusetts 02459

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.