Author: Mia

Metro Boston Is 2017’s 6th Most Educated City in America

Metro Boston Is 2017’s 6th Most Educated City in America according to WalletHub study.

To determine where the most educated Americans are choosing to settle, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 150 largest U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across nine key metrics. The data set ranges from share of adults aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher to racial education gap to quality of the public school system.

Educational Characteristics of Boston-Cambridge-Newton (1=Most Educated; 75=Avg.)

21^st – % of High School Diploma Holders
7^th – % of Bachelor’s Degree Holders
17^th – % of Associate’s Degree Holders or College-Experienced Adults
6^th – % of Graduate or Professional Degree Holders
30^th – Quality of Public School System
28^th – Avg. Quality of Universities
22^nd – Enrolled Students in Top 231 Universities per Capita

Top 10 Most Educated Cities in America:

1	Ann Arbor, MI	95.09
2	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	78.43
3	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	76.96
4	Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	76.37
5	Madison, WI	72.55
6	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	70.87
7	Provo-Orem, UT	69.34
8	San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	69.23
9	Austin-Round Rock, TX	66.10
10	Tallahassee, FL	65.61

August 12, 2017

Paw Patrol Live! at Boch Center Wang Theater

The Boch Center and The Madison Square Garden Company announced today that PAW Patrol Live! “The Great Pirate Adventure” will visit the Boch Center Wang Theatre on March 10 and March 11, 2018 for six performances. Presented by Nickelodeon and VStar Entertainment Group, PAW Patrol Live! “The Great Pirate Adventure” is an all-new action-packed, music-filled production based on the top-rated animated preschool series PAW Patrol produced by Spin Master Entertainment. The new live stage show follows the heroic pups as they embark on a pirate-themed adventure to uncover hidden treasure. Tickets for all six Boston performances go on sale to the general public on Friday, August 4, 2017 at 10:00AM.

In PAW Patrol Live! “The Great Pirate Adventure,” Mayor Goodway is getting everything shipshape for a big Pirate Day celebration in Adventure Bay. When Cap’n Turbot falls into a dark and mysterious cavern, it’s PAW Patrol to the rescue! Chase, Marshall, Rubble, Skye, Rocky and Zuma save Cap’n Turbot and discover a secret pirate treasure map that leads them on an epic adventure. Over land and on the high seas, the pups set out to find the treasure for Mayor Goodway so the celebration can go on. Things get ruff when Mayor Humdinger wants to find the treasure first for Foggy Bottom. The pups need all paws on deck for this pirate adventure, including help from the newest pup who’s all ears…Tracker! Using their heroic rescue skills, problem solving and teamwork, the pups set sail to save the day. No job is too big, no pirate pup is too small!

What:     PAW Patrol Live! “The Great Pirate Adventure” Coming to Boston!

When:    Saturday          March 10            10:30AM, 2:00PM and 5:30PM

               Sunday            March 11            10:30AM, 2:00PM and 5:30PM

Where:   Boch Center Wang Theatre

               270 Tremont Street

               Boston, MA 02116

Tickets: $25.00, $45.00 and $65.00. A limited number of $85.00 Gold Circle and $155.00 V.I.P. (Very Important Pup) Packages* are also available. Additional fees and special offers may apply. *V.I.P. Package features premium show seating, a commemorative lanyard and an after-show Meet & Greet with PAW Patrol Live! walk-around characters. Ticket prices inclusive of a $3.75 facility fee.

Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, August 4, 2017 at 10:00AM and are available at the Boch Center Box Office, bochcenter.org, by calling 800-982-ARTS (2787) or via Ticketmaster.

For more information, visit www.pawpatrollive.com, where fans can sign up to receive PAW Patrol Live! Tail Mail with tour updates and other exclusive ticket presale information. Become a fan of PAW Patrol Live! “The Great Pirate Adventure” at www.facebook.com/pawpatrollive/ and see more visuals from the tour by typing #pawpatrollive on social media. *Citi is the official credit card of the PAW Patrol Live! tours. Citi cardholders can visit www.CitiPrivatePass.com for more information on pre-sale tickets.

August 11, 2017
NNHS Seeking Host Families for China Exchange Students

Dear Newton North Parent,

NNHS is still desperately looking for host families for two high-school aged Chinese exchange students this fall. Please help us out! Students have excellent English and are excited to take part in American family life. They enroll in classes at NNHS for the duration of their hosting dates (September 2, 2017 to January 13, 2018). Host families do not have to have high-school aged students in the home – families of middle and elementary school students have hosted before with great success!

Prior host families have enjoyed the experience and said this is an amazing opportunity to learn about Chinese culture while sharing their own culture and traditions. Please note that federal law prohibits us from offering financial compensation to host families, but the experience of hosting a foreign visitor in your home is rewarding in and of itself.

If interested, please contact Global Programs Manager Samantha Mandel at samantha_mandel@newton.k12.ma.us for more information.

Thank you for your help!

Samantha Mandel

Global Education Programs Manager

Newton Public Schools

samantha_mandel@newton.k12.ma.us

(857) 636-0921

August 10, 2017
Dirty Boy Composting Now Installing Rain Barrels!

Dirty Boy Composting Partnering with The Great American Rain Barrel Company

Dirty Boys Composting is excited to announce that we are now selling and installing rain barrels from the Great American Rain Barrel Company. These barrels are made from repurposed olive shipping containers and help manage the local water supply by reducing water consumption. The water collected in the 60 gallon drums is used for outdoor purposes like watering your garden, lawn, or even washing your car. The fee for the barrel, which includes pick up from Hyde Park and delivery to your door, is $95. We also provide installation services for $40. Rain barrel orders can be placed here.

August 9, 2017
Activate Newton invites residents to walk Newton’s 13 villages

During the month of May, Activate Newton challenges YOU to get active in each of Newton’s 13 villages. Log your progress on our ChallengeRunner page (activatenewton.challengerunner.com) and be entered to win amazing prizes! If you need activity ideas, check out the Activate Newton webpage for an activities calendar, walking maps, and more: www.newtonma.gov/activate

If you would like to add an activity to the calendar or have any questions, please contact Elizabeth: egrella@newtonma.gov.

August 8, 2017
Registration open for Destination Imagination’s 2017-2018 season

Registration is now open for the Newton Destination Imagination 2017-2018 program! Please click here to register.

Endorsed by Superintendent David Fleishman, Destination Imagination is an all-inclusive STEAM program open to kids in grades K-12. More than 350 Newton Public School students have participated in this life-changing program.

Never heard of it? Watch this short Newton Destination Imagination Webinar.

For a sneak peak at the 2017-2018 challenges listed below, please go here.

August 6, 2017
Newton Free Library offers college prep sessions this summer

Kick Start Your College Essay, Thursday, June 29, 7:30 pm, Druker Auditorium: Summer is a great time to start your college essay! Join Jane Hirschhorn of JBH Tutoring to get eleven ways to kick start your essay. We’ll go over excerpts from essays written by students admitted to prestigious colleges. This program is for high schoolers, particularly rising seniors and their parents. Register online.

Conquering the College Admissions Essay in 10 Easy Steps, Wednesday, July 12, 7:00 pm, Druker Auditorium:Join us for a discussion with Alan Gelb, the author of the bestselling, Conquering the College Admissions Essay in 10 Steps. The 3rd edition was recently published in June of this year. Alan coaches students all over the world on their personal statements. He will be conducting a workshop on how to approach this daunting assignment, answering your questions and getting you started writing this summer. For teens and parents.

Strategies for the SAT & ACT Tests, Tuesday, August 1, 7:00 pm, Druker Auditorium: Our SAT vs. ACT seminar is packed with information about the SAT and ACT and the roles they play in college admissions. An expert Princeton Review instructor will cover the content of the tests, walk you through and share some examples of our proven test-taking strategies. Register online.

SAT & ACT Practice Tests, Saturday, August 12 & 19, 10-2 pm, Druker Auditorium: How will you score? Find out by taking full-length SAT and ACT practice tests under realistic testing conditions proctored by the Princeton Review. Try your hand at the types of questions you’ll see on the real tests and get a personalized score report highlighting your strengths and areas of improvement. We’ll be offering this two Saturdays in a row, so you can have the chance to take both tests if you would like, or take one test twice! Register online for August 12 or August 19.

How to Write Great College Essays, Tuesday, August 15, 7:00 pm, Druker Auditorium: A lot of great kids write average college essays—essays about “life lessons learned from football” or “how my trip to Europe broadened my cultural horizons.” Better tales are there for the writing. This workshop will show you what admissions officers really look for in great college essays, and offer suggestions for finding and sharing your best stories. We’ll even share the five most over-used topics you must avoid and give you tips on how to start (and even finish) your essays this summer. Join Abby van Geldern, of Collegewise Newton and former college admissions counselor at RPI, for this great workshop. For teens and adults. Register online.

August 5, 2017
Summer resources for middle schoolers available online

All young people benefit from out-of-school activities that help them grow and learn, yet middle school is an age when student participation tends to decrease. The City of Newton’s Executive Office, Health and Human Services Department. and Newton Public Schools are currently working on promoting out-of-school time for middle schoolers. In the early stages of this work they have created a webpage to help families find summer options for their middle schooler, as well as provide other valuable information like financial aid tips.

They will be adding more to the webpage in the coming months but with summer coming up, they wanted to share their initial resources. Feedback and ideas are welcome.

Click here to see the middle school resources web page.

August 4, 2017
Join Ride for Food to help Centre Street Food Pantry

Join Ride for Food on September 24 to benefit Centre Street Food Pantry!

Friends of the Centre Street Food Pantry (age 14 and older) are invited to join our bicycle team for the 6th Annual Ride for Food on Sunday September 24, 2017.

The Ride for Food is a bicycle fundraising event sponsored by Three Squares New England, an organization devoted to combating hunger in our community. The Ride will take place on September 25th, 2016 and will begin and end at the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, MA. Participants will have the choice of a 10, 25, or 50 mile route, all of which wind through neighboring towns.

Our ambitious goal is to raise $20,000 to help provide good food for our shoppers at CSFP. Each team member will be asked to raise a minimum of $350, with a best efforts goal of $1,000. Those who raise $1,000 or more will receive the coveted 2017 event bike jersey as token of appreciation for all the hard work involved in raising money for such an important cause.

Registration is now underway. Go to the CSFP Team Page and click on the Join our Team button. Be sure to register early, as we may be limited to 20 riders on our team!

Unable to ride, but want to help on Ride Day? Many volunteers are needed to make the Ride for Food a success. To sign up, go to the Three Squares New England website and click on the Volunteer button.

Unable to ride, but want to sponsor a rider? Go to the CSFP Team Page and click on the Donate Now button. You will be given the option of contributing to the team or an individual rider.

Marnie Bolstad is the Team Captain for Centre Street Food Pantry. Please email her at m.bolstad@centrestfoodpantry.org if you wish to participate in this fun event or if you have any questions. Contact her if you are even thinking about it!

We hope you will join our team!

August 3, 2017
Chinese Historical Society of New England (CHSNE) Banquet

Chinese Historical Society of New England (CHSNE)

25th Anniversary Annual Meeting & Banquet
Friday, September 29th
Boston, MA

Click here for more info.

CHSNE NEEDS YOU! CHSNE is a membership-based 501(c)(3)non-profit organization dedicated solely to documenting, preserving, and promoting the history and legacy of Chinese immigration in New England. Please consider becoming a member or donating to help cover our projects and operating expenses.

Become a member today!
Donate to CHSNE.

August 2, 2017