PTO Update — October 3, 2022

Hello families!

It was great to see everyone who made it to our Zoom PTO meeting; thank you for joining us, and thanks especially to Principal Morse and our two teacher representatives, Sarah Jang and Jen Terrazzino, for their updates about the beginning of the school year.

If you missed the meeting, you can review the slideshow below:

September 2022 PTO Meeting Slideshow

Or if you would like to see the recording, please reach out to us at secretary@lepto.org and we would be happy to share it with you! (We hope to go back to posting the minutes once we have a PTO secretary again — please email us if you’re interested!)

One topic of discussion was that we would love to bring back the Fall Festival this year (mark your calendars for Friday, October 28th!) — but we need volunteers to make it happen! If you’d like to join the Fall Festival committee or find out more, contact Lanni Isenberg at lanni_harris@yahoo.com.

We were also so happy to welcome our first Creative Arts and Sciences program of the year, a cappella group Ball in the House, to brighten up the kids’ Wednesday with their music!

Thank you for your support of the PTO, which allows us to bring in programs like this.

Upcoming Dates to Note

* Monday, Oct. 3rd: Curriculum Night, 6-8pm
* Wednesday, Oct. 5th: Yom Kippur — No School
* Monday, Oct. 10th:  Indigenous Peoples’ Day — No School
* Wednesday, Oct. 12th:  Walk-Roll-Ride to School Day
* Monday, Oct. 17th:  Library Volunteer Meeting, 8:20am
* Friday, Oct. 28th: Fall Festival!

Have a great Curriculum Night and a wonderful week!

Your Lincoln-Eliot PTO

WALK – ROLL – RIDE to School Day: Wed 10.12

Please join us as we celebrate International Walk to School Day, celebrated by over 40 countries. Walking, riding, or rolling to school helps you stay active and support our environment. And don’t forget your helmet if you’re biking! Visit www.NewtonSafeRoutes.org for more information.

In preparation, is there something that keeps you or your children from walking or biking safely to your destination? Potholes, sidewalk repairs, traffic signal not working, faded or missing crosswalks, shrubs overtaking the sidewalk? Snap a photo, note the location, and submit to Newton 311: https://newtonma.mycusthelp.com/webapp. You can also call 311 at 617-796-1000 from your cell phone to report problems.

Pizza Wednesdays Are On!

We are excited to be starting up pizza sales again every Wednesday after school! Come by at pick up time (12:20pm) to purchase pizza at $2 a slice (or $14 for a whole pizza) and baked goods. Or plan ahead by ordering a full pizza (pre-orders are $12)! Thank you for supporting our 5th graders!

To pre-order your pizza, please sign up through this form no later than Tuesday at 1pm:

https://forms.gle/2epog9n39syVJGsz6

(Remember there is no school this coming Wednesday, so right now you’ll be ordering for Wednesday, October 12th!)

Questions or want to help volunteer? Please reach out to us at secretary@lepto.org.

Room Connectors Still Needed

Looking for a fun and easy way to get involved in the Lincoln-Eliot Community? Become a Room Connector! We need 1-2 Room Connectors for each classroom, and so far only the kindergarten classrooms have volunteers (hooray for our new K parents! We just need one more for Ms. Jang’s room!).

Room Connector Role:

gather a contact list for families in your room and encourage people to sign up for the school directory (PTO board will help assist)
collect voluntary classroom funds for holiday class gift and end of year gift
be the point person if your teacher needs something — communication, project, etc.
share information from PTO (a ready to go email or flyer from Parent Connector Coordinator) with your class contact list

If you would like to be a Room Connector, please email nunezemily77@gmail.com. We hope to have two Room Connectors per classroom. It is first come, first served, so don’t wait to email!

In your email, please include:

Your full name
Your child’s full name
Child’s grade level
Child’s classroom teacher

Your child and his/her teacher will be so appreciative!

Thanks!
Emily Núñez – Room Connector Coordinator
(mother of Sebastián Núñez- 5th grade & Felipe Núñez- 3rd grade)

Get To Know Our School Library!

Have you had a chance to visit the Lincoln-Eliot library or meet our wonderful librarian, Kim Selwyn? Are you interested in supporting this invaluable space and helping out in a small meaningful way?

We are looking for library volunteers to help shelve the books that are constantly going in and out of the school library. The more we can help, the more books our kids can take home to read! It’s an easy, hands-on way to make a difference, whether you can stop by for half an hour once a month or an hour a week — the time commitment is up to you.

To find out more and learn how shelving works, you are invited to attend a volunteer orientation on Monday, October 17th, at 8:20am (after drop-off), in the school library.

Or if you can’t make it then but are interested in volunteering, please email Tui at secretary@lepto.org!

FORJ Updates

HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARENESS MONTH

This national observance started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15.

To learn more about how Latino History is American History, see the virtual exhibit “¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States” by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino.

There are many events happening around Boston. The Boston Red Sox are hosting a Hispanic Heritage Day on September 28^th and the Museum of Science is hosting a celebration day on October 1^st from 10a.m. – 4p.m.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY

October 10, 2022 will be the second Indigenous Peoples’ Day observance for Newton Public Schools and Massachusetts. The Indigenous Peoples Day Committee in Newton is looking for volunteers to assist with all aspect of this fun, family-friendly outdoor event. Click here to volunteer! There will be music and dancing, cultural discussion with elders from the Indigenous community, educational exhibits, markets and food in Albemarle Park from 11a-6p.

Indigenous Peoples Day Newton is fiscally sponsored by NOPI – Nonprofit Incubator, a program of NOPI INC, a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation and 501(c)(3) organization. For more information: https://newtoncommunitypride.org/newton-indigenous-peoples-day/

FAMILIES ORGANIZING FOR RACIAL JUSTICE (FORJ)

FORJ is a group of diverse Newton families helping our children learn about issues of power and inequality and how to stand up for racial justice. We seek to generate understanding and curiosity about differences in our society, and to work together towards racial equity.

Another parent signed up to join L-E FORJ at the Back-to-School Picnic last week. We’ll meet in October. Contact Lanni Isenberg, lanni_harris@yahoo.com, if you’d like to join us to learn together. How about an L-E FORJ Kids’ Book Club? Or, chat about an article or ideas?

PTO Update – September 18th, 2022

Hello families!

Thank you to everyone for an awesome back to school picnic — especially to our fabulous volunteers who donated treats to the bake sale and helped with setup, selling pizza, and cleanup! We really appreciate you! And we raised $550 for our school, which will go toward creative arts and sciences programs, library books, technology, and more great community events like this. Come to our PTO meeting to find out more.

Upcoming Dates to Note

* Wednesday, Sept. 21st: First PTO Meeting of the year, 6:30pm over ZOOM
* Friday, Sept. 23rd: Picture Day
* Monday, Sept. 26th: Rosh Hashanah — No School
* Thursday, Sept. 29th: Early Release Day; students are dismissed at 12:10pm
* Monday, Oct. 3rd: Curriculum Night, 6-8pm
* Wednesday, Oct. 5th: Yom Kippur — No School
* Monday, Oct. 10th: Indigenous Peoples’ Day — No School

We hope to see as many of you as possible at our PTO meeting on Wednesday, September 21st from 6:30-7:30pm — details and a Zoom link will be sent out beforehand, so keep an eye on your email!

Have a great week!

Your Lincoln-Eliot PTO

Room Connectors Needed

Looking for a fun and easy way to get involved in the Lincoln-Eliot Community? Become a Room Connector! We need 1-2 Room Connectors for each classroom!

Room Connector Role:

gather a contact list for families in your room and encourage people to sign up for the school directory (PTO board will help assist)
collect voluntary classroom funds for holiday class gift and end of year gift
be the point person if your teacher needs something — communication, project, etc.
share information from PTO (a ready to go email or flyer from Parent Connector Coordinator) with your class contact list

If you would like to be a Room Connector, please email nunezemily77@gmail.com. We hope to have two Room Connectors per classroom. It is first come, first served, so don’t wait to email!

In your email, please include:

Your full name
Your child’s full name
Child’s grade level
Child’s classroom teacher

Your child and his/her teacher will be so appreciative!

Thanks!
Emily Núñez – Room Connector Coordinator
(mother of Sebastián Núñez- 5th grade & Felipe Núñez- 3rd grade)

What is SEPAC?

Does your child have an IEP or 504 plan? Are you interested in getting support services for your child? Then you need to know about the Newton Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) at NewtonSEPAC.org.

We are a volunteer organization of parents of children with special needs from preschool through high school. We run an online forum where parents and caregivers can ask each other about special education programs, issues, policies and resources both within and outside of the public school system. We work directly with the school administration regarding our childrens’ special education through our school liaisons, meetings with the Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, and by attending Newton School Committee meetings.

We hold monthly board meetings that are open to all families; dates and Zoom links are listed on our website NewtonSEPAC.org under the “Meetings” tab. In the meantime, you can join our “Newton SEPAC” Google Group by clicking on the link on our website. On this online forum, you can post any questions or concerns about anything related to your child with special needs. We also use this group to publicize local/online presentations and conferences as well as DESE policy updates.

Other ways to contact the SEPAC:

Email: Info@NewtonSEPAC.org
Facebook: Newton Special Education Parents – SEPAC

Next SEPAC Open Board Meeting: Thursday, 10/13/2022, 7:30-9pm

Find the Meeting Agenda and Zoom link on newtonsepac.org under the “Meetings” tab

SEPAC AT Lincoln-Eliot

As the SEPAC Liaison for Lincoln-Eliot, my role is to answer any questions and discuss any concerns about your child’s special education services and evaluations at Lincoln-Eliot. As a SEPAC member, I can also help with any issues outside of NPS relating to your child’s disability including private therapies and evaluations, community resources and social opportunities. You can always contact me directly for more information about the SEPAC or with any questions or concerns about your child:

Wenkang (Winko) An
winkoan.boston@gmail.com

Upcoming All-School CAS Concert

Coming to Lincoln-Eliot on Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Ball in the House is bringing Totally Vocal to elementary and middle schools this fall/winter.
Based out of Boston, Ball in the House is an R&B/Soul/Pop a cappella group that has performed in venues all over the world and opened for some of the biggest acts in the music industry such as The Beach Boys, The Jonas Brothers, The Temptations, and Fantasia. Through contemporary and classic cover songs and original works, students will discover how “a cappella” works; how various voice parts fit together; how to beatbox and use rhythm. From chant through doo wop, students are introduced to songwriting and collaboration. Ball in the House inspires and encourages students to get involved and stay involved in the arts.

Creative Arts & Sciences programming is funded by your generous contributions to the PTO. Thank you for your support!