It was great to see so many families come out for LE Science Night this year! There were so many great projects and we hope everyone had a great time. If your child did a project but was unable to attend on Monday night, please contact Heather Yu (heatherjaneyu@yahoo.com) and we can get you your science medal! Here is a list of all the participants by grade. See you next year!
Join L-E FORJ, our L-E PTO and FORJ groups from Bigelow Middle, Ward Elementary and Underwood Elementary as we prepare for our second annual Lincoln-Eliot Juneteenth Celebration! Mark your calendars for Thursday, June 16th from 4:30-7:30pm in the playground and our own backyard. We’ll have music and dancing, Double Dutch, craft activities, a big slide, Mr. Hani’s Ice Cream Treats, classroom guests and more. Contact Lanni to learn more and to lend a hand, lanni_harris@yahoo.com.
School shootings and gunfire in our communities have become a fact of American life. As a local educator shared in a recent newsletter, “The National Association of School Psychologists has this page to provide parents with advice on how best to support and talk to their children” about acts of violence. Whether you are a gun-owning family or anti-firearms, or somewhere in between, we can mourn, hope, pray, and call our representatives to tell them to protect humanity with better rules for gun ownership.
Remembering George Floyd two years after his murder in Minneapolis by a police officer. Remembering Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Philando Castile, and so many more.
The war in Ukraine continues.
At home, we can listen to one another and tune into our kids. This children’s book could help, Jenny Mei is Sad written and illustrated by Traci Subisak (video by the Portland Public Library).
We can find opportunities to learn about each other and spend time together to build and strengthen our community.
Neurodiversity Paradigm: Understanding Kids from the Inside Out and Creating More Inclusive and Equitable School Experiences for Everyone – Thursday, June 2nd at 8 p.m.
Join two multiply-neurodivergent individuals for a discussion on viewing the world through their lens and how embracing the diversity of brain types can help us all better understand and support neurodivergent individuals and build a more inclusive, equitable and vibrant society. In person at the Ed Center (100 Walnut St.), Room 210 and via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/
Celebrate AAPI Month – Boston Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, June 12th
See dragon boat racing teams from across the country come together to compete, plus enjoy a weekend filled with cultural performances by local, national, and international AAPI groups, arts and crafts, and plenty of delicious food. Between JFK St Bridge and Western Ave Bridge, Cambridge. FREE
Ward FORJ, Bigelow FORJ, Underwood FORJ & Lincoln-Eliot FORJ Picnic in the Park (NEW TIME)
The FORJ Picnic in the Park at Franklin Park’s American Legion Picnic Area in Boston will take place on Sunday, June 5thfrom 3:30pm-6:30pm. All of our school families are invited to enjoy FREE food, beverages and fun. You can bring food to share, too, if you’d like. RSVP to Ward FORJ contact Jeanne Choe-Arrieta, jeannechoe73@gmail.com, by June 4th so they can figure on how much food to order, but we are all encouraged to attend even without an RSVP!
Walking Tour of METCO HQ and Nubian Square
Saturdays this summer at 10am and 1pm (started May 14!)
Join METCO high school students as they uncover the past and present of Boston’s historic Nubian Square in Roxbury. This unique 90-minute walking tour highlights their research into the artistry, activism, and achievement in the backyard of METCO’s new Headquarters. RSVP here
FAMILIES ORGANIZING FOR RACIAL JUSTICE (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.
NECP is now accepting applications for our community peers for the 2022-2023 school year.
There are just a few spots left! Find the application here on our website: NECP application.
We will be moving to our new site at 687 Watertown Street during the 2022-2023 school year! With the new location, we may now be closer to your neighborhood and several of our Newton elementary schools. You can learn more about our new building here: NECP Building Project. We would love for you to be a part of this exciting new phase of NECP!
Hi All,
What a wonderful week we had with the Fun Run on Wednesday. The weather couldn’t have been nicer and the kids (and teachers) all worked so hard to complete their laps! With the help of all of you, this Fun Run was one of the most successful fundraisers we’ve had at LE, raising $19,000!!! A large portion of that money does go straight back to Booster, so we do hope to have parent volunteers take over some of the duties in order to keep more of the money we raise next year. Thank you again to everyone who donated, shared their page with others, and helped make this such a fun event!
Tomorrow we have Family Science Night. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Principal Morrissey & the PTO
Monday, May 23rd is LE Family Science Night, 5-7pm! Families can start setting up at 5PM and enter through the Jackson Rd. door. All participants will be assigned to a table in the gym to set up their poster or project. The setup will be organized by grade, and those who need electrical outlets will be assigned to locations near the gym walls.
The format is “conference style” where you will be able to casually walk around and visit each other’s projects. Masks are required for all.
All participants will receive a science fair medal!
The fifth grade parents will be selling pizza by the slice in the cafeteria. We are accepting donations of water and desserts to sell also. Please bring your donations when you arrive in the evening.
We look forward to seeing you there!
We will have our last general PTO meeting on Tuesday, May 31st from 6:15-7. We have an exciting June coming up, so please tune in to hear more about those events. We also hope to have interested parents to help with any board related positions next year.
This meeting will be virtual and the Zoom link will be sent out Tuesday morning.
During this time of year, we start getting ready to think about what next year will hold. With more regular programming returning, we need your help more than ever! We have several active board members who will be leaving LE this year and we hope YOU will come join us!!
Most other PTO boards in Newton have 20+ active board members. With so many people, they are able to truly divide up the work and have it be manageable, even with a full-time job. It’s my hope that we can get more people involved in small roles and provide our students with the same experiences as other PTOs in Newton.
I always say – you commit to as much as you are able. There’s no mandatory meetings or previous knowledge needed. Just a passion to make the time our students spend at LE the best it can be.
Roles can be anything from helping to organize the Fall Festival to picking out enrichment programs for our kids thru CAS (Creative Arts & Sciences). We really need your help to keep the PTO running!! Without the PTO and volunteers like yourself, we wouldn’t be able to hold family events like the Book Fair or Back to School Picnic, provide mini grants and stipends to our teachers, or partner with The Discovery Museum to bring in special programming for our kids.
The best way to jump in is to grab a friend! Attend a meeting! Connect with someone on the board and ask questions! Email me at secretary@lepto.org!
If you have an incoming Kindergartener and are already in the directory, please make sure you add your new student!! We hope to have incoming Kindergartener playdates and the directory will be the way you are contacted.
I also encourage EVERYONE to reach out to families that are still not in the directory. For now, this is the only way parents can contact other parents legally – whether for playdates or birthday party invites. All that is needed is an email address. You do not need to publish your address or any other personal information.
The devastating news of shootings across the country in the past week, and for many months and years, continues to shake many of us. What do you do with your fear and upset? Do you talk it out? Do you take quiet moments? Do you advocate for yourself and others?
Here are some resources for talking with kids about race and racism, violence and stressful events:
Resources
Talking with your child about stressful events
NASP: Talking with your children about violence
NCTSN: Talking with children about mass violence
Talking with your children about race and racism
Asian Americans in Newton: Reflection and Reimagination: Tuesday, May 24th at 7PM
Our neighbors from China, India and Korea represent three prominent Asian American groups in Newton. Join us for a panel discussion as we explore and honor these cultures in celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month at Asian Americans in Newton: Reflection and Reimagination on Tuesday, May 24 at 7 p.m. Panelists will reflect on the impact of current events on the Asian American community, the successes, and challenges of adjusting to life in a new country, and how we can all come together in solidarity. Participants include: Rakashi Chand (Massachusetts Historical Society), Anping Shen (Newton School Committee), Hyeouk “Chris” Hahm (Professor, B.U. School of Social Work), Lisong Liu (Professor and Moderator), and Newton student Shiv Sawhney.
Walking Tour of METCO HQ and Nubian Square
Saturdays this summer at 10am and 1pm (started May 14!)
Join METCO high school students as they uncover the past and present of Boston’s historic Nubian Square in Roxbury. This unique 90-minute walking tour highlights their research into the artistry, activism, and achievement in the backyard of METCO’s new Headquarters. RSVP here
Ward FORJ, Bigelow FORJ, Underwood FORJ & Lincoln-Eliot FORJ Picnic in the Park RESCHEDULED
The FORJ Picnic in the Park at Franklin Park in Boston will take place on Sunday, June 5th from 12:30pm-3:30pm. All of our school families are invited to enjoy FREE food, beverages and fun. You can bring food to share, too, if you’d like. RSVP to Ward FORJ contact Jeanne Choe-Arrieta, jeannechoe73@gmail.com, by June 4th.
Lincoln-Eliot Juneteenth Celebration – Thursday, June 16th
Join L-E FORJ, our L-E PTO and FORJ groups from Bigelow Middle, Ward Elementary and Underwood Elementary as we prepare for our second annual Lincoln-Eliot Juneteenth Celebration! Mark your calendars for Thursday, June 16th from 4:30-7:30pm in the playground and our own backyard. We’ll have music and dancing, Double Dutch, craft activities, a big slide, Mr. Hani’s Ice Cream Treats, classroom guests and more. Contact Lanni to join the planning, lanni_harris@yahoo.com.
FAMILIES ORGANIZING FOR RACIAL JUSTICE (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.