CAS AuthorFest Coming Next Tuesday – 4.12.22

CAS AuthorFest is happening in less than two weeks. Authors and illustrators will be visiting classrooms to promote literacy and share their experience as an artist, a writer, and a reader. Check with our PTO for more information about scheduled visits to our school.
Be sure to attend the after school meet and greet, book sale and signing at Cabot Elementary on Tuesday, April 12 – 3:15 to 5:30 pm. Twenty-one authors and illustrators, who visited K-8 students around the district, will be on-hand to greet students and their families.
This event is open to the public. Newtonville Books will have a selection of books for sale. 20% of proceeds will pay for future CAS/PTO sponsored events.
CAS AuthorFest 2022 is made possible by the hard work of the Creative Arts & Sciences committee, contributions to the PTO, a generous grant from the Newton Schools Foundation, and additional funding from The Village Bank, and Harmony Foundation.

Newton’s Earth Day Festival – 4.24.22

Celebrate Earth Day with a festival on Sunday, April 24 from 1-4pm outside of City Hall! 
With electric vehicles and entertaining performances, bike rides and bees, ice cream and info on home energy improvements, we’ll have something for everyone to mark the day.

See a full list of activities at GreenNewton.org/EarthDay.

Event will take place rain or shine. Newton’s Earth Day Festival is hosted by Green Newton, the City’s Climate Team, and Newton’s EV Task Force.

Class Photos – 4.29.22

Since we weren’t able to have class photos taken in the Fall, Hayward Photography is coming back on Friday, April 29, 2022 to take class photos for each grade and classroom. We hope to have everyone present for the photos!

5th Grade Walk-A-Thon – 4.29.22

Lincoln-Eliot 5th Graders…Get your walking shoes on! the 5th L-E Walk-A-Thon for 5th grade fundraising is coming – Friday, April 29!

When is the walk?

The walk-a-thon will take place at Lincoln-Eliot during school hours on Friday, April 29th.

Where is the walk?

Students will walk with their classmates for one hour on the Lincoln-Eliot field.

Why a walk-a-thon?

We need to fundraise throughout the year to bring down the total cost of events for all students. To get the students involved in fundraising, a walk-a-thon is a great way to engage students in raising money while gathering in an activity as a group.

Students will ask people that they know to be a “Sponsor” with a single donation (and not based on laps or minutes walked).  Altogether, the 5th grade teams aim to raise $1,000.

Not a 5th grade family but wish to sponsor and show your support? Email secretary@lepto.org on how you can help.

Let’s all wish the 5th grade families and classes good luck on the Walk-A-Thon!

 

Bike Rodeo – 5.1.22

Newton Bike Rodeo
When: Sunday, May 1st
Who: Grades K-6
Where: Newton South High School

Celebrate safe biking in Newton at the Bike Rodeo!  MA Safe Routes to Schools instructors will teach and review bike riding skills.  Volunteers from Bike Newton will also help teach fun stations including knowing signs and hand signals, how to care for your bike, and more.

This program is geared towards students in Kindergarten through 6th grade at Newton Schools that are comfortable riding a bike independently.  In order to participate:
-Each child needs to bring their own bike.  Please make sure the bike fits the child and is in usable condition (chain is intact, brakes work, tires are not flat, etc)
-Each child needs to bring and wear a properly fitting helmet.
-Each child must have a parent or adult present for the duration of the program.  Adults, we want you to learn the skills your child is learning so you can help to reinforce the skills learned when you go home.

If you’d like your kids to participate, then sign them up ASAP (after 7:00 p.m. when registration opens). Last year registration filled within a few hours!
https://newtonma.myrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=30165.
Register yourself as a volunteer here to fill out the waiver.

Then sign up to volunteer for a shift or two. The shifts are overlapping so you’ll learn from the prior shift. The first shift will help set up and the final shift will help clean up.

Volunteer Sign-up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084EADA623A1FF2-bike3

FORJ Updates 4.03.22

Ramadan Mubarak (Have a blessed Ramadan) to those who celebrate! Ramadan is a holy month of worship, study of the Quran, prayer, and fasting. It begins on the evening of April 1st and ends on the evening of May 1st. For more information, please visit this link: https://www.hfcc.edu/news/2020/what-ramadan-means

Newton METCO Presentation – Wednesday, April 6 at 7PM

Learn general information about the Newton METCO program and its interesting history. Presentation from Newton METCO Director Lisa Gilbert-Smith!  Register here!

Budget Cuts to Affect Most Recent NPS Hires

Newton Public Schools and Newton Mayor Fuller continue to release details on plans for necessary budget cuts. One major budget-cutting measure will involve eliminating some teaching staff. NPS has made a concerted effort to recruit diverse candidates including LGBTQIA+ and/or teachers of color for staff positions in the last few years. It is important to note that staff members who were hired over the past three years do not have professional status (tenure) yet; they are the most likely to be laid off. Be sure to attend local school committee meetings to let them know Lincoln-Eliot families are paying attention to all planning. There is a public hearing on Zoom on Monday, April 4th and another on Monday, April 11th. Click here to sign up for April 11th. Information about School Committee Meetings can be found here:·https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/domain/68

FORJ Elementary School Representative Collaborations

Your FORJ Representative, Lanni Isenberg, will meet with FORJ reps from other Newton Elementary Schools to map out steps for responding to incidents of racial injustice should they happen in our community. While Newton Police are poised to respond to any reports of discrimination or harassment, our goal is to have a network within the schools to provide support and educational resources to address the issue, whether it pertains to a family member, a local neighbor or school or student involvement.

Planning for our second Lincoln-Eliot Juneteenth celebration is underway. More information coming soon!

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.

For more information about FORJ, contact Lincoln-Eliot FORJ PTO Liaison Lanni Isenberg, lanni_harris@yahoo.com.

Principal / PTO Update 3.27

Hi LE Families,

It has been great to see faces back in the building this past week for parent conferences! I’m also looking forward to the return of Family Science Night on  April 28th from 5pm-7pm. This is a fun night for students of all ages to showcase the project or experiment of their choice. Your student doesn’t have to have a presentation to participate. We encourage all families to come and view students presentations on display in the gym. Masks will be required.

Upcoming Important Dates:
Friday, April 15: No School – Good Friday
Monday, April 18: Friday, April 22: No School – April Vacation

Have a great week,

Principal Morrissey & the PTO

LE Family Science Night

We’re holding the event on Thursday, April 28th from 5-7:30PM in the LE gym. It is in-person this year and masks are required of all participants.

More information will be coming soon regarding volunteer sign ups and how to sign up as a presenter.

This is a great chance for students (and families) to explore science in a fun and meaningful way. All students grades K-5 are welcome to be a part of Family Science Night. Simply pick any project of your liking and create a simple display to show people what your project is and what you’ve learned. All students who wish to participate will have their presentations showcased during this special Family Science Night.

If kids need ideas for a science project this website has some good ideas: https://www.education.com/science-fair/

Examples of past projects include:

  • “How fast do apples rot?”
  • “What do dogs remember?”
  • Models or demonstrations
  • Biography of a scientist

We also welcome community science experts that might want to volunteer their time to run a demonstration for the kids.

Anyone interested can email me (Heather Yu) with questions or to volunteer: heatherjaneyu@yahoo.com

FORJ Update 3.27

FORJ Elementary School Representative Collaborations

Your FORJ Representative, Lanni Isenberg, will meet with FORJ reps from other Newton Elementary Schools to map out steps for responding to incidents of racial injustice should they happen in our community. While Newton Police are poised to respond to any reports of discrimination or harassment, our goal is to have a network within the schools to provide support and educational resources to address the issue, whether it pertains to a family member, a local neighbor or school or student involvement.

Budget Cuts to Affect Most Recent NPS Hires

Newton Public Schools and Newton Mayor Fuller continue to release details on plans for necessary budget cuts. One major budget-cutting measure will involve eliminating some teaching staff. NPS has made a concerted effort to recruit diverse candidates including LGBTQIA+ and/or teachers of color for staff positions in the last few years. It is important to note that staff members who were hired over the past three years do not have professional status (tenure) yet; they are the most likely to be laid off. Be sure to attend local school committee meetings to let them know Lincoln-Eliot families are paying attention to all planning. There is a public hearing on Zoom on Monday, April 4th and another on Monday, April 11th. Click here to sign up for April 11th. Information about School Committee Meetings can be found here:·https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/domain/68

Women’s History Month Feature: Madeleine Albright

Madeleine Albright (May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. She was the first female secretary of state in U.S. history. Albright immigrated with her family to the United States in 1948 from Czechoslovakia. She attended Wellesley College (right next to Newton) where she worked on the campus newspaper and studied political science. Then, she earned a PhD at Columbia University. Known as a bright, determined and bold person, Albright was skilled at making foreign policy easy to understand for people who aren’t in politics.

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.

For more information about FORJ, contact Lincoln-Eliot FORJ PTO Liaison Lanni Isenberg, lanni_harris@yahoo.com.