PRINCIPAL COFFEE MONDAY, MARCH 16 (8:30-9:15)
Click on the events tab for more information.

PARCC ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE CHANGE:
Due to all the snow days, the state has granted an extension for PRACC administration. Testing dates will run from Monday, March 23^rd through Monday, April 13^th. Click on the events tab for more information.

INCOMING KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION:
This week we begin the Kindergarten Registration Process for families with children who will begin kindergarten in Sept. 2015. Click on the events tab for more information.

Important Dates….

• Friday March 13 (9:30-11:30 AM) is our second Kindergarten Screening date.
• June 2 (1:30-2:30 PM) Kindergarten classroom visits. Bring your child to visit with the Kindergarten teachers.

Please tell your neighbors and friends of children who are ready to register.

NEWS FROM OUR HEALTH OFFICE: MARCH IS BRAIN INJURY MONTH.
Skiing, snowboarding, basketball, swimming, football, cheerleading, bicycling, roller-blading, and even jumping on the bed are among the many activities youth engage in where there is a risk of brain injury.

Concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head that can change the way the brain normally works. Concussions can also occur from a blow to the body that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth.

Even a “ding,” “getting your bell rung,” or what seems to be a mild bump or blow to the head can be serious. Concussions can occur in any sport or recreation activity. All coaches, parents and students should know the signs and symptoms and what to do if a concussion occurs.

Symptoms of a concussion may include:

• Nausea
• Dizziness or balance problems
• Double or fuzzy vision
• Headache
• Sensitivity to light or noise
• Feeling sluggish or tired
• Confusion
• Trouble concentrating or remembering

Parents and caregivers may notice additional concussion symptoms:

• Appears dazed or stunned
• Forgets an instruction
• Moves clumsily
• Shows behavior or personality changes
• Is unsure of game, score or opponent
• Can’t recall events before or after hit or fall

(Read Nurse Heather Gagnon’s entire newsletter to learn more. Attached.)

Recess: Please continue to ensure your children dress appropriately with coats, hats, mittens, snow-pants and snow boots. I have a feeling we will need boots through the spring as the snow melts and the playground is wet and muddy. J

FREE AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM THROUGH NewTV.
Joe Garozzo, the Director of Educational Media at NewTV will be running a free after school program on Tuesdays in March (3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th) from 12:30 – 2pm for interested students.

Students will learn how to storyboard, write scripts and use video cameras to create music videos and public service announcements, which will then be aired on NewTV’s Education Channel after the class is completed. Enrollment will be capped at 12 students and will beon a first come, first serve basis.

To sign up, please contact joeg@newtv.org.

UPCOMING PTO PROGRAMS:
 We will need parent helpers for the upcoming PTO Programs at school:

1. Kindergarten Program: Emile Boon, author and illustrator. Tues. 3/17
2. Grade 4 Program: Rocks and Minerals, Discovery Museum, Tues. 3/17
3. Grade 1 Program: Amelia Earhart of Historical Perspectives, Fri. 3/27

Interested parents please contact elainesmithpurcell@gmail.com to get more information and the schedule.

RAISNER’S GR. 2 COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT:
Mr. Raisner’s Class is raising money for their pen pal class in Costa Rica. The La Paz School students are making eco bricks to build garbage cans for trash and waste. Money will go towards buying cement, paint, and chicken wire to build walls. To learn more about ecobricks, please visit this website: www.ecobricks.org.

Please bring bottles and cans to Room 318 through March 28^th. (See the attached flyer for details.

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.

The School Committee would like to share the following announcement with our school communities:

The Newton School Committee will receive the proposed budget on March 13 and begin its review and discussion on March 16.  We will be holding office hours on March 16 following our School Committee meeting which begins at 4:30; office hours will start at approximately 6:15 or 6:30 and end at approximately 7:15.  The School Committee is eager to try this new format in order to provide you with another opportunity to provide feedback in addition to the other times for public comments.  We welcome questions and input and stress that this will mainly be a listening format.  We are not trying to solve problems or make promises but are there to listen to concerns, questions and suggestions. 

The format will be:

• School Committee members, in teams of at least two, will be available in room 210 at the Ed Center (100 Walnut St.).  The meeting will be an Open Meeting and may be televised by NewTV.
• This is a casual format.  We will sit with individuals or groups and listen to concerns/questions about the budget.
• In order to facilitate as many individuals as possible, we’d like to meet with each person/group for approximately 10 minutes.
• The budget documents will be available in advance.

If you have questions, or would like to sign up in advance, please contact us at schoolcommittee@newton.k12.ma.us

NEWTON LITTLE LEAGUE…
Registration for the 2015 Spring Season is Open!

Newton Little League baseball is for boys and girls, ages 4 through 12.  Beginners and advanced players- Everyone is placed on a team!

Register today at: www.NewtonLLBaseball.org

Summer Camp Information Night

Tuesday, March 10^th from 6:30 – 8:00pm

There’s nothing like summer camp at the Y. One session or the whole summer. Indoors and out. On their own or in a group. Archery to arts, canoeing to cannonballs, with the West Suburban YMCA your kids will have an amazing experience, all in a safe, inclusive and nurturing environment.

Camp Chickami        Ages 6-14     Outdoor day camp in Wayland, MA

Camp Frank A. Day  Ages 7-15     Overnight camp in East Brookfield, MA

Camp Pikati             Ages 6-13     Sports and Enrichment Day Camp at the Y

Camp Polliwog         Ages 3-6       Preschool / Early Education Day Camp at the Y

Join us at the Y for Camp Information Night to meet our staff, participate in fun camp activities and games and learn more about registering for our summer camps. For more information, email campingservices@westsuburbanymca.org or visit www.westsuburbanymca.org/camps.

Kids’ Night Out (also known as Parents’ Night Out)

Friday, March 13^th from 6-10pm

Bring your children (ages 7 to 13) to the West Suburban YMCA for fun and supervised Friday night drop-in program. We order pizza for dinner and entertain your children with games, swimming, movies and sports. $25 for West Suburban YMCA members and $30 for non-members. We also offer a 20% sibling discount.

Creative Arts Programs at the Y

Want to learn an instrument or join a band?! The West Suburban YMCA Center for the Creative Arts (YCCA) offers contemporary lessons and classes on many different instruments such as guitar, bass, drums, piano, voice, as well as music production (recording and making beats). Contact Kevin O’Connell at (617) 244-6050 x3028 or kevino@westsuburbanymca.org today for more information.

Registration for After School Programs at the Y for the 2015-16 School Year is Open

The West Suburban YMCA provides state licensed after school programs for children in grades K-8 during after school hours, school vacations and certain holidays. We follow the Newton Public Schools Calendar and accommodate all scheduled early release days. Our staff of caring, trained educators are role models who lead activities that promote cooperation and character development and the four core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. For more information, contact Leah Castellano at leahc@westsuburbanymca.org or 617-244-6050 x3022

Lifeguard Training Class being offered at the West Suburban YMCA

A Lifeguard Training Class will run on Friday evenings from 6-10pm March 13^th through May 8^th. (no class on 4/3 and 4/24)

Registration can be completed with our Front Desk at 617-244-6050, ext. 0 or by contacting Amanda Pierce at amandap@westsuburbanymca.org. More information is available at www.westsuburbanymca.org/LGT.

Lifeguards and Swim Instructors Needed

The West Suburban YMCA’s Aquatics Department is looking to hire lifeguards, swim instructors, and swim coaches. If you are interested, please contact Amanda Pierce at amanadp@westsuburbanymca.org.

Financial Assistance is always available for Y Memberships and Programs

The West Suburban YMCA is a non-profit charitable organization and it is our mission to never turn anyone away due to their inability to pay. Please contact our Membership Department at 617-244-6050 x3653 for financial assistance on any of these programs.

In our Children’s Program and Preteen Program, students attend four classes daily in Visual Arts, Ceramics, Drama Activities and Sculpture/3D.  Grouped by the same age/grade, each student has the opportunity to learn and grow with friends and peers, while creating art and having fun!  The New Art Center environment also gives children the opportunity to work with and be inspired by our professional art instructors, who thrive on the enthusiasm of young artists.  Each week, children gain a sense of accomplishment by creating and bringing home exciting projects inspired by our program themes!

Click here to read more

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/.