Plowshares Basketball at Lasell College

This Saturday, December 6th, at 2pm the Plowshares Basketball Players (Lincoln-Eliot and Franklin) will have the opportunity to play basketball at half time during a Lasell Women’s College game.  This is free to all Basketball families.

Pizza will also be served after the game. Please let us know if your family will be attending and how many.  The Lasell Athletic Center is located on 1844 Commonwealth Ave, Newton.

 (Please note: A parent must accompany each child playing.  This is not a drop off event.)

 

Notes from 2nd PTO Meeting (11/18/14)

General Announcements

  • Michael St Germain is the new treasurer.
  • Our Charter was approved.
  • Charter and tax exempt status is set.  We still do not have Presidents.
  • FRONT STAIRS REPAIRED! Internal doors have been repaired and adjusted/shaved, Lights around the building were worked on and repaired.  (exterior)

Upcoming Events

  • Dec 15th there is a parent coffee for ELL parents to find out about how they can support the school.  We have a parent engagement outreach coordinator – she is a district employee, grant funded position, LE is a priority school with our high % of ELL students.

 

  • SThe Lincoln-ELiot Science Fair will be on January 29, 2015. It is not a fund raiser.  Any student  can participate.  Not a competition, all students will receive a Participation Ribbon.  Parents can help with projects.

 

  • Rafflepaloza scheduled for  April 4th at the VFW. Suzanne Goddard will be leading this fundraiser.

 

  • PTO will be sending a parent involvement survey to parents out after the new year.

 

Fundraising:

Three major fundraisers have happened this fall- Meadow Farms, The Halloween Dance, and PTO Dues.

Meadow Farms brought in  $1,200. Thank you to Carly Semerjian for leading these efforts.

The Halloween dance brought in  $4,300. Thank you to Kara Brodsky, Karen Hite, Amy Pollock Howard, and Carol Pelon for all the planning and to everyone who baked treats, sold raffles, and manned the booths.

PTO Dues $5,485. Thank you to all the families who have sent in dues. Dues are collected all through the year.

 

Meeting with Alderman

Met with Scott Lennon and Allison Leary to share building, playground and safety concerns.

Concerns:

Top concern is problems that continue with the  Heating system . Then playground, as it ices over or turns to mud.

The third area is the alley between the two building on Pearl Street. This is mostly a cosmetic concern for the front of the building. All three of these items have an impact on the quality of life of the school community.

We agreed to have Josh Morse, Town Commissioner,  from the city come to the school and do a walk through and discuss building issues.

Other areas of concern include:

  • Plexiglas windows that are grayed out.
  • Playground
  • Window in music room is boarded up, windows are not insulated.

Discussed how the playground floods and then freezes in the winter prohibiting children to use it at recess.

o  Newton Parks and Recreaction will visit the playground and go over the state of it to see what can be done.

o  Also talked about Watertown side of playground – It’s used as a dog park now, but the city asked them not to build an official dog park there.

o   Improving the park is tricky as it will require the coordination of several city departments, all with an existing agenda for improvement.

o   Possible revenue streams include: BAA/Marathon and CDBG funds  that goes to parks.  Mayor Warren is interested in improving parks across the city .

o   Newton soccer, softball, and little league use the fields and may have money for parks.

Cleaning up Trees on Jewett street for walkers is discussed, DPW can notify private tenants and clean up roads for school

 

Traffic and Safety – Police are the best way to stop dangerous drivers.   Police and fire dept are not in favor of raised crosswalks or raised speed humps. Alderman Lennon would like to get more crossing guards assigned around the city. Recruitment is difficult with low compensation.  We asked the alderman about putting cones out in the drop off spot to funnel cars into the drop off zone.

 

Notes from Mrs. U…

  • I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday with family and friends. Last week Lincoln-Eliot had new babies added to our faculty family. Ms. Anderson welcomed her twins, James and Rylan, and Ms. Gigliotti had a baby girl, Addison.

 

  • Autumn Concert: Thank you to all the families who attended our Autumn Concert. We are grateful for your support for Lincoln-Eliot’s Music Program! A BIG THANK YOU to Music Teacher Ms. Devon for her hard work in preparing the students and for experimenting with new whole-group performances. Our next concert is the Fifth Grade Winter Concert on January 22, 2015 from 7:00-8:00 PM.    

 

  • Reminder: There is an early release on TUESDAY (12:30) AND THURSDAY (12:30). Thursday is a Teacher Professional Development Release Day. The focus of the PD is Writing About Reading to explain their understanding and thinking about text.

 

  • Hour of Code: Last year, Lincoln-Eliot was one of a few schools to participate in the first year of The Hour of Code. This year all the Newton Public Schools will participate in the program. “The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries. The program is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics.”The Hour of Code supports Newton’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) initiatives, encourages critical thinking, problem solving and perseverance.  During the weeks of Dec 8-14 and Dec 15-19 every class will participate in the program with our IT and library specialists Jen Roy and Heather Leoleis. You can find more information on the Hour of Code website http://hourofcode.com/us and on this introductory video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYZF6oIZtfc

 

  • Recess Reminder: We go outside every day unless the temperature drops below 20 degrees F. Please ensure your children dress appropriately with coats, hats, mittens, boots.

 

 

Notes from our School Nurse…

Every year in the United States, thousands of children are diagnosed with diabetes. A person can have diabetes without knowing it because the symptoms aren’t always obvious and they can occur gradually. Early detection and knowledge of the warning signs is your greatest weapon against the disease and its complications. Please review the signs and symptoms of Diabetes to look out for on our school website.

If you have any health questions you can reach Heather Gagnon at 617-559-9554 or heather_gagnon@newton.k12.ma.us

 

Fundraising…

  • FIFTH GRADE ON-LINE AUCTION
    Lincoln-Eliot PTO – 5th Grade Winter Wonderland
    Our auction date is fast approaching!The Winter Wonderland opens for bidding on November 27, 2014 at 8:00 AM EST Time.  Our goal this year is to raise $10,000 to send the 5th Grade to camp! We need your support!This is an exciting and fun way to help us, and at the same time have a chance to win cool items!  We’ll be adding new items to our auction for you to preview as the auction date approaches. Check back often to see what’s new. Feel free to place a Watch on your favorites, so that you’ll know as soon as bidding begins!https://m.biddingforgood.com/auctions/226741598/categories
  • 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.
  • Labels for Education:  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
    • Wolfgang Puck!
  • Stop & Shop A+ Rewards:  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:
    “DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help teachers fund classroom projects. Teachers post projects on the site and people across the country help fund projects that interest them.” Check out Donor’s Choose at http://www.donorschoose.org

    CURRENT DONORS CHOOSE PROJECTS:
    Gr. 5 Mr. Davan
    Project Title: Sharing Rug
    Total Cost: $349.00
    Raised to Date: $248.00 by 7 Donors

    Amount Needed to Complete the Project: $101.00.  Click here to help out

    About the Project:
    We had to get rid of our old rug because it was so filthy and frayed. So, we are currently sitting on the concrete floor. It’s cleaner than the old rug, but it is cold and hard. A new rug will make the experience more comfortable for the students to meet together.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

    COMPLETED DONORS CHOOSE GRANTS
    Gr. 2 Mr. Raisner
    Project Title: James Marshall Author Study
    Cost: $252.00 FUNDED IN 3 HOURS! (Nov. 16, 2014)

     

Newton Community Education Classes at L-E

Registration is now open for winter classes with Newton Community Education. Coming up at Lincoln-Eliot we have:

  •  Lego Robotics and Actors Studio on Wednesdays,
  • 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.)

And don’t miss our two big events: the fabulous Celebrate Newton Crafts Fair at Newton South on Sunday, December 7, where you can view the talents of local artisans and shop for holiday gifts, and the annual Camp Fair at Newton North on Sunday, January 25, where you can shop for your kids’ summer programs.

For more information or to register, call our office at 617-559-6999 or visit our website at newtoncommunityed.org. NCE is part of the Newton Public Schools. When you support our program, you support our schools.

Newton School Foundation Appeal is Underway!

For 50 years Newton Schools Foundation has supported the Newton Public Schools by providing private funding for innovative and challenging programs district-wide.

    

This year NSF is making a difference for Newton students through its Investing In Innovation  fundraising campaign. Funds raised through the campaign are helping to ensure that NPS maintains and continues to provide pioneering programs for students and offers faculty and staff first-rate professional learning opportunities. Without these funds, NPS would be unable to expand many offerings district-wide or include students at all grade levels.

    

Since the campaign’s 2013 launch, Newton Schools Foundation has given the Newton Public Schools $170,000 to fund creative, dynamic, effective and up-to-date learning experiences for Newton’s diverse student population, reaching all levels of the school system – elementary, middle and high school – in areas that include:

    

* STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)

* Sustainability

* Literacy and History

* Closing the Achievement Gap

 

NSF’s goal is to raise $500,000 over the next three years in order to make the greatest impact on Newton’s 12,000 students.  Give today to ensure that Newton Public Schools go from Good to Great!!

Click Here to Donate

Cold Weather is Here

Going by the cold temperatures outside, Winter is definitely here!

Please make sure your child comes to school with the proper outside clothing for the temperature outside. Winter Jackets, mittens and hats should be sent in daily.  Please label all clothing.

We are also looking for any winter wear donations, especially mittens and snow pants!

Newton Parks and Recreation Winter Programs

Newton Parks and Recreation has a lot of great upcoming winter programs for children and adults.  Please list the below information in your upcoming newsletters:

Check out the Newton Parks and Recreation website at http://www.newtonma.gov/gov/parks for information about our upcoming winter programs for children and adults.  Some programs include:

December Vacation Programs
– at the Lower Falls Community Center December 29, 30, 31 and January 2 for children in grades K – 6.  Participate in sports, arts and crafts, inside games, and more.  Each day features a fun special event.  8:30 am – 3:30 pm with extended day options.

– Thundercat Sports December 26, 29, 30 and 31 for children ages 6 – 12.  Play a variety of sports including basketball, floor hockey, soccer, dodgeball and more.  9:00 am – 3:00 pm

– family movie day at the West Newton Cinema December 29 and 30.  Enjoy a movie, popcorn and drink all for one low price.  Tickets are sold at the West Newton Cinema starting at 10:00 am with the movies starting at 11:00 am

Newton South Recreation Complex
– located at the Newton South High School, this Recreation Complex offers a variety of activities for youth and adults on Sundays including tennis, badminton, sewing classes, engineering with lego, fencing, thundercat sports, archery, workout facilities, and more.

Ski and Snowboard Program at Nashoba Valley
– For grades 5 – 12.  Learn to ski or snowboard with lessons at Nashoba Valley Ski area.  Already know how to ski or snowboard?  Join us for the lift ticket only option.  Transportation to Nashoba Valley is provided from Newton.  This program runs on Fridays from 5:45 pm – 10:15 pm.

Camp Fair
– See what Newton Parks and Recreation and Newton Public Schools have to offer your child in Newton for the summer of 2015.  12:00 – 4:00 pm at the Newton North High School in the cafeteria.

For more information contact Channon Ames at 617-796-1529 or at cames@newtonma.gov

 

Newton Schools Foundation Annual Appeal

For 50 years Newton Schools Foundation has supported the Newton Public Schools by providing private funding for innovative and challenging programs district-wide.   This year NSF is making a difference for Newton students through its Investing In Innovation fundraising campaign.

Funds raised through the campaign are helping to ensure that NPS maintains and continues to provide pioneering programs for students and offers faculty and staff first-rate professional learning opportunities. Without these funds, NPS would be unable to expand many offerings district-wide or include students at all grade levels.

Since the campaign’s 2013 launch, Newton Schools Foundation has given the Newton Public
Schools $170,000 to fund creative, dynamic, effective and up-to-date learning experiences for
Newton’s diverse student population, reaching all levels of the school system – elementary, middle
and high school – in areas that include:

• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
• Sustainability
• Literacy and History
• Closing the Achievement Gap

NSF’s goal is to raise $500,000 over the next three years in order to make the greatest impact on Newton’s 12,000 students.

For more information and to donate visit http://www.newtonschoolsfoundation.org/annual-appeal