Newton Little League Registration Open for Spring 2021

Little League season is around the corner! Sign up to play today! Newton Little League registration is open for the Spring 2021 season. Sign up at NewtonLLBaseball.org.  Open to boys and girls ages 4-15 – Little League for ages 4-12, Senior League for ages 13-15.

Games are typically played two to three times per week, Sunday through Saturday. Weekend games will be played mostly on Sundays for all levels unless Saturdays are requested by certain teams. Makeup games may occur on any day. Practices are held at the coaches’ discretion. 

Newton Little League will be following nationally established COVID safety protocols. If you have any questions, please reach out to info@newtonllbaseball.org

5th Grade Annual Community Service Project – Snack Drive To Help Other Children

The fifth grade is starting its annual community service project this week and this year they are doing an individually-packaged snack drive! Here’s a message from one of our own LE 5th graders about the project with info on donation drop this week.

Dear Parents,

We are having a donation, run by 5th grade, for homeless children! We are having a snack drive. We are doing this because homeless children go hungry twice as often as other children. (information from ‘Homelessness in the United States of America’ Article). Also, kids at school miss breakfast because the lines for food are too long. (Information gotten from ‘Invisible Child Girl in the Shadows: Dasani’s Homeless Life’) To support the snack drive you can leave snacks in our snack boxes. You can find them outside the Lincoln-Eliot office, Jackson Road or inside your child’s classroom. Please bring in individually packaged snacks, such as small bags of Goldfish, chips, granola bars, or crackers. You can drop off snacks from Monday, February 7th to Friday, February 18th.

Thank you!

FORJ Update – Events, Citywide Meeting and More – 2.06.22

FORJ Newton Citywide Meeting – Thursday, February 10th at 7PM

This month’s FORJ Newton Citywide Meeting will focus on the Civil Rights Movement with a panel discussion on the work of JoAnne Bland and her organization, Foot Soldiers Park.

Foot Soldiers Park leads thousands of visitors on tours of Selma each year, and in January 2020 met several Newton students on a trip organized by their synagogue, Temple Shalom of Newton. On this panel, JoAnne will share some of the stories and lessons she provides to visitors, and why it is so important to understand this history, and our three students will share what the experience of visiting Selma and other civil rights landmarks meant to them.

Please join us for this important conversation. All are welcome! You can register and learn more here!

Boston Public Library Black History Month Booklist

As part of the Boston Public Library’s annual observance of Black History Month, “Black Is…” is a list of books published in the previous year for all ages concerning the African American experience.

Boston Black Restaurant Challenge, Feb 3 – 28, 2022

The Boston Black Restaurant Challenge is a month-long event. Visit four Black-Owned Restaurants in Boston during the month of February! See the list of restaurants for something delicious! https://www.bostonusa.com/event/boston-black-restaurant-challenge/70595/

MA Indigenous Legislation in Motion

Last week, Massachusetts legislative committees voted favorably for two MA Indigenous Agenda bills to establish the Native American Education Committee (to improve Native educational outcomes in MA) and the Native American Heritage Bill to protect Native American objects (of cultural, traditional or historical importance to their heritage) held in governmental, municipal or non-profit collections are not sold for profit.

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.

Anxiety in Children: How Parents Can Help – Tues, March 1 at 7pm Virtual Event

Understanding Our Differences is pleased to invite you to join us on Tuesday, March 1st at 7:00pm for this special evening presentation on Anxiety in Children with noted child psychologist Dr. Karen Levine. This program in presented in recognition of the critical importance of mental health for all children, with and without disabilities.

In this talk, Dr. Levine will discuss:

  • Identifying anxiety in children – with and without a disability
  • Helpful amounts of anxiety and “too much” anxiety
  • Generalized anxiety and specific fears and phobias
  • What factors increase anxiety
  • Some impacts of the pandemic
  • Takeaways for your parenting toolkit and further resources

There will be plenty of time for Q&A with Dr. Levine.

Karen Levine, Ph.D., is a Psychologist in private practice, and a Lecturer on Psychiatry, part-time, at Harvard Medical School. She works primarily with young children and their parents, including children with or without a developmental disability, with a special focus on treating anxiety. With Naomi Chedd, LMHC, she coauthored three books including Attacking Anxiety and many articles.

This event is free. Advance registration is required. Click to register for this program. If you need help with filling out the form or have questions contact: info@UnderstandingOurDifferences.org

Link for more information and a downloadable event flyer.

Understanding Our Differences’ mission is to educate communities to value and accept people of all abilities through school-based, interactive disability awareness programs.

www.UnderstandingOurDifferences.org

Principal Update 1.30.22

Hi LE Families,

We had 9 positive COVID cases the previous week.

As shared in the email this past week and posted on our website here (link), the Newton Public Schools is shifting its testing strategy away from pooled testing (PCR) and toward at-home weekly rapid antigen tests. This new weekly at-home rapid antigen test is for ALL students PreK-12+ (vaccinated and unvaccinated.)

We expect the new testing program to be implemented the week of February 7, 2022. Below is specific information you will need in order for your student to participate in the new at-home testing program:

  • All families need to “opt-in” to this new testing program. The previous consent form will not apply.
    • Access the Opt-in form through Aspen parent/guardian account: Aspen
    • Follow these instructions (link) once you are logged into Aspen
  • An at-home rapid antigen tests kit will be distributed at school every other week. Each kit will contain two tests.
  • NPS recommends that all families conduct a rapid test on TUESDAY of each week. 
  • Here are printed instructions (link) for conducting the test at home. Here is a video tutorial (link) on conducting the test. Translations are included.
  • Only positive results need to be reported to the school. You will complete this form (link) to report a positive result. Nurses will provide follow up information to families, including the date for return to school, following a positive test.

In addition to the weekly at-home rapid antigen testing program, we will continue in-school symptomatic testing for students and staff that develop symptoms during the school day. We will discontinue the Test and Stay testing program and contact tracing. Please be vigilant in checking your student for symptoms, conducting the daily health assessment (link), and staying home when sick.

All testing information can be found on our website here: NPS COVID Testing Webpage.

As a reminder, this Thursday, February 3rd is early release at 12:10.

Have a great week,
Principal Morrissey

 

Winter Walk Day – Wed Feb 2, 2022

Mark your calendar for Winter Walk-Roll-Bike-Bus Day on Wednesday, February 2!  Make a plan that works for you – walk, roll or bike from home, take the bus, or park and walk a little further from the school together and join students across the state to celebrate active transportation.

Jan 2022 PTO Meeting Recap

Thank you to everyone who was present for our special January PTO Meeting featuring Superintendent Fleishman and School Committee Members Emily Prenner and Rajeev Palikar. Many questions were asked about recommended masks for students, the new building, existing playground, and the new testing protocols.

We also want to thank the teachers for giving an update on the current challenges they face. Although hybrid and remote learning is a memory, we were reminded that teachers continue to face changing schedules, protocols, and that this is still not a “normal” year.

Jan 2022 PTO Meeting Slideshow

Jan 2022 PTO Meeting Minutes

5th Grade Yearbook Photo Request – Send By Jan 31

The Yearbook Committee is underway working on capturing memories for our kids to carry with them after graduating from Lincoln Eliot. It’s hard to believe that they’re nearly through elementary school. Thank you so much for all your help in sending photos to capture the feelings they’ve had and experiences they’ve shared.

If you haven’t sent in photos yet, there’s still time. Please provide photos by January 31. 

Photos can be emailed to melissalmarean@gmail.com, who is collecting the photos and will work with the Yearbook Committee on organizing them into the yearbook. We will include as many as possible and really appreciate your help.

You could send along any of the following:

• Baby Photo 

• Group or individual photos from school events (for example: kindergarten graduation, school picnics, field day, book fair, talent show, fall festival, field trips, concerts, playground fun with friends, science fair, fun run, first day of school)

• Photos during remote learning (preferably with their device or at their workstation)

Time is of the essence in this process as we need to organize, edit, format, order and wait for production of these books.

Thank you again!

The Yearbook Committee