Author: Mia
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Boston Globe Bookclub for Cascade
The Boston Globe is hosting a bookclub with Maryanne O’Hara, author of Cascade, on Sunday, Sept 14 at 2pm at Newtonville Books.
Maryanne will be in attendance and will discuss Cascade.
An artist is hired to paint images of her doomed town before it is wiped off the map.
It’s 1935, and Desdemona Hart Spaulding has sacrificed her plans to work as an artist in New York to care for her bankrupt, ailing father in Cascade, Massachusetts. When he dies, Dez finds herself caught in a marriage of convenience, bound to the promise she made to save her father’s Shakespeare Theater, even as her town may be flooded to create a reservoir for Boston. When she falls for artist Jacob Solomon, she sees a chance to escape and realize her New York ambitions, but is it morally possible to set herself free?
Fans of Richard Russo, Amor Towles, Sebastian Barry, and Paula McLain will savor this transporting novel about the eternal tug between our duties and our desires, set in New York City and New England during the uncertain, tumultuous 1930s.
The GLOBE would like interested parties to register for this free event via this link.
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New BoxART on Washington Blvd at Adams
I drove by Washington Blvd a few weeks ago and leaned out of my car to catch these artists in action. They are painting a pretty incredible BoxART work of art off Adams Street.

I can’t wait to see it when it’s done!

Does anyone know who the artists are?
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JCC Arts and Fitness Fall Classes
Arts and Fitness Classes this Fall at JCC
Registration is underway for fall classes at the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center (333 Nahanton Street) in Newton.
Classes begin during the week of September 14 and are open to the entire community. Classes for children include swim lessons, basketball, soccer, Taekwondo, dance, gymnastics, handwriting, LEGO League and musical theatre.
Classes for adults include Pilates, dance, Tai Chi, tennis, painting, drawing and Mah Jongg.
View entire listing of classes and register online here or call 617-558-6419.
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Water Taxi to Boston Attractions GIVEAWAY
The Cultural Connector is a first-of-its-kind water transportation service that provides a water shuttle linking Boston’s waterfront cultural destinations.
The Fallon Company and Boston Harbor Cruises linked up to create a fun way to experience these six cultural destinations on Boston’s historic waterfront:
- Institute of Contemporary Art
- Tea Party Ships and Museum
- New England Aquarium
- Boston Children’s Museum
- Faneuil Hall
- USS Constitution and Museum
Cultural Connector all-day passes are $15, but I am giving away 4 passes! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter.
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Newton’s Finn Skerlj on Rachel Ray vs Guy Fieri Kids Cook Off!!
You may not have noticed a posting that I did a few months back. It was for a cooking show:Is Your Kid a Talented Chef? Food Network Opportunity!
My friend Lynn (The Gift Huntress) reads this blog, and she forward to her friend Ann in Newton and … as a result Ann writes:“Finn and Renato [his father] participated on the Rachael Ray vs Guy Fieri Kids Cook Off this summer.
Finn Skerlj was one of eight contestants who was chosen out of 1000’s of applicants. The show premieres on the Food Network August 17th at 8 PM.
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Tips for First Day of School Photos
The first day of school has long been a Kodak moment, but with the advancement in phone cameras and the rise of amateur photographers, Junior’s picture has gone from a last-minute, front-porch snap to a fully thought-out production, complete with chalkboard lists, professional signs and staged poses.
The photo experts at SmugMug – the largest independent photo-sharing site in the world – have compiled a list of tips to make sure all the effort you put into the first-day-of-school photo shoot results in the perfect snapshots to share with your friends and family. Or, as perfect as it can be when you’re working with children. 🙂
Choose the right light:
Aim for natural light. Taking snapshots in the living room can turn out dark and cast shadows across your child’s face. If you’re using a flash, avoid getting too close or your child will look more like Casper the Friendly Ghost than a fresh-faced kindergartner.

Keep it neutral:
To keep the spotlight on the star of the photo shoot, choose a neutral the background. Avoid positioning your child in front of wild patterns or cluttered furniture, especially if you’re using props.
Zoom in:
In addition to a full head-to-toe shot, get a close-up of your child’s face, so you can remember what he or she looked like during that time of life.

Don’t cry over spilled milk:
Don’t stress if Junior spills his milk on his just-pressed slacks or if Suzie rips the bow out of her hair. Sometimes the unplanned messes make for the most fun pictures and memories.

Have fun:
It might seem like a no-brainer, but have fun. Talk to your child during the photo shoot to capture natural reactions, like laughter, smiles and, yes, even, a frown that you’ll laugh about later.

The photos are by Meghan MacAskill Photography.
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Fessenden Sports Camps Aug 18-22
FESSENDEN SOCCER CAMP (Aug. 18-22 – 9a.m. – 3p.m.)
Whether your son or daughter is just starting to learn the game of soccer, or playing travel or club soccer, the Fessenden Soccer Camp is uniquely qualified to handle a wide range of ages (6-15) and abilities. A few of the highlights of the Fessenden Soccer Camp include:
- Ability appropriate instruction
- Individualized instruction at each position (including goalies)
- Instruction in individual soccer techniques and team tactics
- Video training and coaches’ presentations daily
- Lunchtime activities include, swimming, watching instructional soccer videos / movies or playing on the playground
- Snacks (fruit & popsicles) will be provided during morning and afternoon breaks. Each camper may choose to bring their own lunch which will be refrigerated until lunchtime or they may purchase lunch. Hamburgers ($3), hot dogs ($2), chips ($1) and drinks ($1 or $2) will be for sale during lunchtime.
Director:
Caleb Thomson ‘79 began his soccer career as a student at the Fessenden School in the late 70’s. He played collegiate soccer at Ohio Wesleyan University after being selected to the All State team while playing at Suffield Academy. Caleb is currently Fessenden’s Varsity Soccer coach and has been a coach at the Soccer Camp since 1992. Caleb has also been coaching at the U14 level in the Newton Girls Soccer (NGS) program for the past four years, winning the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions (MTOC) in 2011. This fall, Caleb enters his fourth season as head coach of the newly established Newton U14 Academy team. Caleb has assembled an excellent lineup of experienced “school” soccer coaches from the Boston area who specialize in coaching both boys and girls in this particular age group.
Soccer balls can be purchased for $25
FESSENDEN AFTERNOON/EVENING FOOTBALL CLINIC (Aug. 25-28 – 4-7 p.m.)
The coaching staff uses advanced football training techniques for both offense and defense with a limited contact approach. Participants (ages 10-15) will train each day, work hard, improve, make new friends, and have fun. Each athlete is encouraged to develop new skills and achieve a new level of play and self-confidence. All aspects of offense, defense and special teams will be covered to help develop their skills and enhance their interest in the game. A few of the highlights of the Fessenden Football Clinic include:
- Superior football instruction in age and ability groupings
- Special focus on nutrition, injury prevention, cross training and sportsmanship
- Daily training to develop speed, strength and agility with a qualified staff
- Timing and testing in a variety of drills
- Exposure to secondary school coaches
Steve Cincotta, Director of the Fessenden Afternoon/Evening Football Clinic, is a successful Fessenden football coach with over 30 years of experience. His program prides itself in preparing young men for a great secondary school football career.
STAFF:
Todd Eveleth: Fessenden football coach
Brett Sarno: Fessenden football coach
John Farnsworth:Fessenden football coach
PHILOSOPHY:
While still making each football practice fun, our coaching staff will step it up with this age group using more advanced football training techniques for both offenses and defense in a LIMITED CONTACT approach. All participants will have the opportunity to train each day, work hard, improve, make new friends, and have fun. Each athlete is encouraged to develop new skills and achieve a new level of play and self-confidence. All aspects of offense, defense and special teams will be covered to help develop their skills and enhance their interest in the game of football.
LOCATION:
The Fessenden School varsity football field by Albemarle Road. The field is next to the Pallotta Athletic Center.
EQUIPMENT:
While this is NOT a full contact clinic, helmets and shoulder pads are required.
COST:
Cost of the 4-day clinic is $315.
Follow the links below for applications and more information:
Soccer
Football
Denise Flanagan
The Fessenden School
250 Waltham Street
West Newton, MA 02465
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Cubiq: On-Demand Concierge Storage
Cubiq Launches On-Demand Concierge Storage Service to Enable Bostonians to Make Room for Better Living
Cubiq’s smartphone-enabled service digitally catalogues, secures and delivers personal belongings at your convenience
Cubiq is launching its smartphone-enabled personal storage service to the Boston market. By giving consumers personal, on-demand access to their storage, Cubiq is helping to make room for better living. The private-equity backed company, founded by two seasoned Boston tech and marketing entrepreneurs, Michael Cappelletti and Scott Nelson, will offer its Uber-inspired storage concierge service to Boston and neighboring communities.

Cubiq digitally catalogues clients’ belongings, then securely seals personal items and valuables in clean, RFID (radio frequency identification) tagged, secure storage cubes. When clients wish to retrieve their belongings, Cubiq provides an on-demand, mobile-optimized delivery service that returns cubes within 24-hours.
The market for self-storage continues to grow as Americans are purchasing more goods and running out of space to personally store them at their apartments, homes and condos. According to the Self Storage Association, the U.S. self-storage market is a $24 billion industry with one in 10 American households renting a self-storage unit.
“As more people flock to urban centers in living spaces with limited storage options, storage has emerged as one of the top concerns for Boston apartment and condo dwellers,” said Michael Cappelletti, CEO of Cubiq. “We are providing urban residents with the ability to easily and conveniently extend their closets, enabling them to live in their living spaces and free up valuable time.”
Cubiq offers three initial packages starting at $29 a month for four cubes and one free return. Unlike other storage services, Cubiq does not charge for every incidental, providing return credits for each service package. As part of its launch, Cubiq is offering an additional month of service for customers that sign up before Sept. 15. To order cubes, sign up here and enter “launchBOS.”
“I paid $60 a month for a storage place I never visited and never even knew what was in my unit, so I began to store my merchandise at home,” said Lucy Cobos, co-founder of Pee Happy, an animal welfare group that sells dog-related apparel and gives 100 percent of the proceeds to local animal shelters. “As our merchandise grew from hats to t-shirts, boxes began piling up in my bedroom and blocked our courtyard view. Cubiq gave me back my living space and view, and provided me with a smartphone inventory catalogue of my apparel.”
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Superintendent Fleishman’s Commencement Speech Controversy
July 30, 2014
Dear Families,
By now, many of you have read or heard media reports regarding the controversy surrounding my graduation speeches this past spring. The students, families, community and faculty deserved far better from me and it is hard to put into words my deep regret and sorrow over my actions.
First, it was inexcusable that my graduation speech included several phrases and thoughts that were similar to the radio excerpts I heard from Governor Patrick’s speech. It was essential that Governor Patrick be credited and cited for his words, and while it was not my intent to be so careless and intellectually dishonest, this was a very serious omission on my part. I am terribly sorry for what I have done and for letting the community down.
Second, I apologize for not putting greater thought and time into my speeches. As one who typically devotes considerable energy to both my written pieces and speeches, I learned a tough lesson about doing things in a sloppy and hasty manner.
Perhaps the most painful aspect of this episode is my failure to lead by example, something that I take very seriously. I fully recognize that trust and confidence is an essential aspect of successful leadership and I am very sorry for what has been lost. I am fully aware that it is up to me to restore such trust and confidence in the community and I will do everything possible to make that happen.
In the field of education, we often talk about learning from failures. I can assure you that I have learned from mine. As I have said many times, I consider it a great privilege to lead such an excellent school system and look forward to continuing to address the important opportunities and challenges ahead.
Best,
David Fleishman
The speech discrepencies were first noted on Newton South High School’s student newspaper here. This was the second time a Massachusetts superintendent was caught plagiaring. The penalty for plagiaring in Newton is a week’s pay.
I think Dr. Fleishman is doing a great job as superintendent and that this is a blip in an otherwise spotless record. He made a mistake, paid a price and it’s time to move on. What do you think? Agree, disagree or don’t really care? Please share!












