Please join FORJ (Families Organizing for Racial Justice) on Wednesday, May 8th at 7pm at Angier Elementary School for a panel discussion entitled “Exploring the Experiences of Asian American Students in Newton.”  This workshop is for parents/adults only.

FORJ’s May city-wide meeting will explore:

• the history and demographics of the Asian American community in Newton
• the experiences of Asian American students in Newton
• perspectives from a panel of students
• a Q&A session
• opportunities to learn more about the history of the Asian American community.

RSVP HERE

Our Facilitators are:
Dr. Delia Cheung Hom, who served as the Director of Northeastern’s Asian American Center for 12 years, and has developed award-winning programs and mentored countless young scholars with a focus on building community and addressing issues of social justice.
Dr. Natasha Warikoo, who is Associate Professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education, and author of The Diversity Bargain: And Other Dilemmas of Race, Admissions, and Meritocracy at Elite Universities.  She lives in Cambridge and serves on the School Advisory Council for Vassal Lane Upper School.

If you’d like a FORJ meeting buddy, contact Lincoln-Eliot FORJ Coordinator Lanni Isenberg at lanni@brandeis.edu!

Our next PTO meeting, previously scheduled for May 14th, has been rescheduled to Tuesday, June 4th.  It will still be at 6:30pm in the library, and we’d love to see you there!

On Tuesday, May 7th, our kindergartners will be visited by Ammi-Joan Paquette, who is the prolific and talented author of many titles, including picture books Bunny Bus, Ghost in the House, Petey and Pru and the Hullaballoo, and The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies, among others!

We are very excited to welcome Ammi-Joan to our school, and we hope everyone gets a chance to check out her books!

This Monday, May 6th, our second graders will get to experience “A Day in Ghana,” presented by Joe and Vida Galeota, a program brought to us by the Creative Arts and Sciences Committee.

Joe Galeota is an associate professor at Berklee College of Music who lived in Ghana for many years.  His wife, Vida, grew up in Ghana.  This program brings the students to Vida’s village of Aburi for a day, which includes the family’s morning chores, the marketplace, the school day program, and the family’s evening activities.  Throughout the program, Joe and Vida present artifacts, music, games, and proverbs to bring the experience to life.

The PTO’s Creative Arts & Sciences Committee is looking for more volunteers to help select and bring in programs like these for next year — if you are interested in joining the CAS Committee or helping out, please email Karen at kkhite@yahoo.com.

We had a great turnout this morning!  Lincoln-Eliot families and staff were joined by several local firefighters and other community members who picked up trash, raked and mulched the garden beds and playground, and even planted a few flower pots.  Thank you to all who attended, and special thanks to Nora Zizlsperger and John Mulligan for coordinating!

Our Teacher Appreciation Luncheon is coming up on Tuesday, May 14th, and we still really need volunteers to help celebrate our teachers!  If you would like to sign up to help or find out more, please email secretary@lepto.org.

Also coming up is the Fun Run on Monday, May 13th. We will need volunteers during the morning 8:30-12:30 to hand out water, mark laps, and support our student athletes!  Please contact info@lepto.org for more information.

Thanks very much!