Author: Mia

Fun Free Fridays 2016

The Highland Street Foundation Free Fun Fridays program.

For the 8^th year in a row, Highland Street Foundation has partnered with 80 different cultural institutions across Massachusetts to offer free admission to varying museums, zoos, and gardens every Friday starting June 24, 2016 and ending August 26, 2016.

June 24

Tanglewood

Lyric Stage Company of Boston

Clark Art Institute

MASS MoCA

Worcester Art Museum

Children’s Museum at Holyoke

International Volleyball Hall of Fame

The Mount: Edith Wharton’s Home

July 1

Boston Children’s Museum

The Sports Museum

Heritage Museums & Gardens

Falmouth Museums on the Green

Cape Cod Maritime Museum

Amelia Park Children’s Museum

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival

Wenham Museum

July 8

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Plimoth Plantation

Peabody Essex Museum

Cape Ann Museum

Buttonwood Park Zoo

Children’s Museum in Easton

The Hall at Patriot Place

Provincetown Art Association and Museum

July 15

Edward M. Kennedy Institute

Boston Athenӕum

Larz Anderson Museum

Cape Cod Children’s Museum

Edward Gorey House

Danforth Art Museum\School

Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History

Fitchburg Art Museum

July 22

Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park

Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

New Bedford Whaling Museum

Cape Cod Museum of Art

Pilgrim Hall Museum

The Eric Carle Museum

Fruitlands Museum

Museum of Russian Icons

July 29

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

Commonwealth Museum

Battleship Cove

Marine Museum at Fall River

Sandwich Glass Museum

Nantucket Whaling Museum

Tower Hill Botanic Garden

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company

August 5

Harvard Museum of Natural History

The Old State House

The Greenway Carousel

Springfield Museums

Historic Deerfield

Hancock Shaker Village

The Old Manse, The Trustees

Worcester Historical Museum

August 12

MIT Museum

The Museum of the NCAAA

Concord Museum

Garden in the Woods

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

Naumkeag, The Trustees

Emily Dickinson Museum

Waterworks Museum

August 19

The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston

USS Constitution Museum

The Discovery Museums

EcoTarium

The Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River

New England Historic Genealogical Society

Fuller Craft Museum

Griffin Photography Museum

August 26

Franklin Park Zoo

Old Sturbridge Village

Freedom Trail Foundation

Museum of African American History

Norman Rockwell Museum

Berkshire Museum

Ventfort Hall

Cape Cod Museum of Natural History

May 23, 2016
Juice Press Opens in Chestnut Hill’s The Street

Juice Press Opens in Chestnut Hill’s The Street. Here’s footage from the blogger event.

At Juice Press, we are committed to providing a premium plant-based product that tastes great and is free of all processed ingredients. Throughout the food and beverage industry descriptions including “healthy,” “low fat,” and “low sugar,” are overused and misused to confuse people about what the correct decisions are about food consumption.

But in fact, there is not much to be confused about. At Juice Press, we believe the foundation of every diet should be based on leaving out processed foods. JP never uses preservatives, refined sugars, nor salts and only uses the highest quality organic produce. Customers have become hooked to our products because a diet made of real foods, makes them feel good!

May 22, 2016
Newton #13 Happiest Place in MA
Newton ranks #13 on this list compiled by career expert site Zippia. It measures happiness by income, education, employment, commute, cost of living, family, home ownership and poverty rate.

Top 20 Happiest Places:
1. Longmeadow
2. Winchester
3. Needham
4. Lynnfied
5. Reading
6. Sharon
7. Wellesley
8. Northborough
9. Wilmington
10. Marblehead
11. Bliss Corner
12. Hingham
13. Newton
14. Lexington
15. Swampscott
16. Walpole
17. Melrose
18. Pinehurst
19. Cochituate
20. Belmont
Read the survey and get the rankings here.
May 21, 2016
Lead in Water at Burr Elementary

Dear Newton Community,

To ensure the health and safety of all students, staff and visitors to the Newton Public Schools, the City of Newton Department of Public Works, in conjunction with the Health and Human Services Department, recently conducted water quality testing of drinking fountains in all 23 school buildings in Newton. This testing went beyond the state-mandated testing conducted yearly and was done as a precautionary measure to safeguard the health and wellness of all students and staff.

With the exception of Burr Elementary, the samples tested in all of the schools showed lead levels below the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (Mass DEP) safe drinking water standard of 15 micrograms per liter. Specific data and results for all schools will be sent out as soon as they are received and will be posted on the district website. The water is safe to drink in all of these schools. We will continue to monitor the buildings to ensure the water quality moving forward.

At Burr Elementary School, a sample from one drinking fountain found slightly elevated levels of lead (26.6 mcg/L vs.15 mcg/L Mass DEP standard). As a result of this finding, we immediately shut off the water to this drinking fountain and all other drinking fountains at the Burr School. Additional testing was conducted this morning. When those results are received, we will immediately take action to remediate the issue and eliminate the problem. Until the results are confirmed and the issue resolved, bottled water will be provided to all students and staff at Burr.

We will provide test results for Burr School once they are received and outline the remediation action plan and the monitoring protocol. For additional resources on lead in drinking water, please see the attached fact sheet from Mass DEP or visit the CDC website at: www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/tips/water.htm.

The health and safety of all Newton students and staff is paramount. Every action step will be taken to ensure the ongoing safety of water in our school buildings. Should you have any questions, please contact the Newton Department of Health and Human Services at 617-796-1420.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman

Superintendent of Schools

May 20, 2016
Valeo FC Partners with NE Revolution

Valeo Futbol Club Announces New U12 Academy Alliance Partnership

with the New England Revolution

Valeo FC is excited to announce a new partnership with the New England Revolution Academy that will create enhanced opportunities for elite player development and provide worthy players with a defined pathway to professional soccer.

The U12 Academy Alliance is a new collaboration between the Revolution Academy, Valeo FC and two other U.S. Soccer Development Academy teams. It will provide a high-level age-appropriate development platform for the region’s top young male players.

“Gaining access for some of our players to compete at the highest level of youth soccer is a tremendous enhancement to our club,” says Valeo FC Director Emelio Williams. “Our mission is to develop a collaborative program to assist in identifying and developing elite-level soccer players within the New England region.”

The Alliance will begin training players during the 2016-17 season and includes two other U.S. Soccer Development Academy clubs.

The alliance clubs will work together on player development methods, best practices and other integrated MLS Youth Development inititives throughout the year. Players from any of the three U12 alliance teams will have a clear pathway into the New England Revolution Academy, starting at the new U13 age group.

“We will have the opportunity to reach some of the region’s most talented youth players,” said Garry Hall, head coach of the Revolution Academy’s Under-14 team and the director of the new alliance. “The alliance offers young players an important number of training and competition opportunities at a critical age and allows us to identify and influence more players at a younger age level than a stand-alone team. We look forward to helping prepare these young players to compete and continue their careers at the highest levels.”

Once within the club partnership structure, the top players will be closely monitored and may be selected to transition to New England Revolution Academy’s new U13 Development Alliance team.

Valeo Futbol Club’s mission is to provide the very best environment for soccer and personal development for committed players who are passionate about the game. Valeo coaches work closely with each player individually to instill the virtues of teamwork, discipline, respect, commitment, leadership and a strong work ethic.

May 19, 2016
STEM for Kids at Newton Free Library

Minecraft Club: Come play Minecraft with your friends on the library’s server. We’ll have different challenges each session. Don’t have an account? No problem, use one of the library’s. The club meets the first Thursday of every month. Minecraft Club is brought to you with federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Grades 6-12. Register online. Thursday, June 2, 4:00 pm, second floor Computer Center.

Teen Tinker Club: Learn how to code LEGO WeDos using Scratch! Tinker Club is brought to you with federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Grades 6-12. Space is limited, please register online (registration begins April 28) . Thursday, May 19, 4:00 pm, second floor Computer Center.

May 18, 2016
Shimmer & Shine Movie Event $5

Showcase Cinemas Presents Shimmer & Shine: A Movie Event Divine

WHAT:      On May 21 and 22, select Showcase Cinemas are proud to present Shimmer & Shine: A Movie Event Divine, an hour-long animated movie for kids. The showing is part of Kidtoons, a series of family matinees that was reintroduced to Showcase theatres in February.

WHEN:      Saturday, May 21 & Sunday, May 22

                           10:30am

WHERE:   Showcase Cinema de Lux Revere

Showcase Cinema de Lux Legacy Place, Dedham, MA

Showcase Cinema de Lux Patriot Place, Foxboro, MA

Showcase Cinema de Lux Randolph

Showcase Cinema de Lux Lowell

Showcase Cinemas Woburn

TICKETS: $5; visit http://www.showcasecinemas.com/kidtoons to purchase or for more information. Information on future showings will be available soon.



            Special offer: Receive a 123 Go Box for only $5 with the purchase of a Kidtoons movie ticket (visit http://www.showcasecinemas.com/kidtoons for more information on this promotion).

May 17, 2016
Mayor’s Community Prayer Breakfast

Dear Resident,

You are cordially invited to join me for the 42nd annual Theodore D. Mann Mayor’s Community Prayer Breakfast.

Each year, the Prayer Breakfast is an opportunity for residents, businesses, non-profits, clergy and staff to come together and celebrate the strength and diversity of our community.

This year, I am pleased to welcome as our keynote speaker MassChallenge CEO and Founder John Harthorne.

MassChallenge is a leading global startup accelerator, driving growth and innovation throughout the world. Last year we welcomed MassChallenge to Newton as they opened a site at 124 Vernon Street in Newton Corner.

The breakfast will be held on Wednesday, May 25th 7:30am-9:00am
at the McElroy Commons building at Boston College.

In addition to remarks from Mr. Harthorne, the breakfast will also feature readings from an interfaith representation of clergy, musical performances from Newton Public Schools students, and the presentation of awards, including the annual Community Service Award some very dedicated residents of Newton.

Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now. This year, we are partnering with the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce to make tickets available for purchase online. To purchase tickets today, please click here and then click on the “Register Now” button.

Tickets can also be purchased by contacting Tony Bibbo at Tony Bibbo at 617-969-5906 x305, or ajbibbo@aol.com.

Proceeds from the event will go toward the Foundation for Racial, Ethnic and Religious Harmony, a terrific local non-profit which provides grants for worthy organizations in Newton and beyond.

Thank you so much, and I look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,
Setti D. Warren
Mayor
City of Newton, MA

May 17, 2016
Openings at Weekday Nursery School

Weekday Nursery School has openings for our summer camp program and limited openings for the fall program.

Weekday Nursery School provides care for children between the ages of 2.9 and 5 in Newton Highlands.

A preschool designed to meet the needs and interests of young children and their families since 1971.

We currently have limited openings in our three and four year old programs for school year 2016/2017 .

We believe that “play” is children’s work. Through play, children learn to build foundational skills such as cooperation, respect for others, problem solving, self regulation, and build a strong sense of self. Our environment promotes and encourages a natural sense of curiosity and nurtures each child to be able to explore , ask questions, and make connections about the world he/she lives in.

Weekday Nursery School offers classes for ages 2.9 – 5 year old children with 3, 4 or 5 day options.

Hours : 9:00 – 12:00 with optional early drop off and extended day.

For more info or to schedule a tour , please contact Director, Faye

Tonkonogy at 617-527- 8895 or email: Weekdaynursey@gmail.com

54 Lincoln St.

Newton Highlands MA 02461

May 15, 2016
Massachusetts 5th Best State for Working Moms
Massachusetts Is the 5th Best State for Working Moms

Solo moms with young children constituting nearly three-quarters of all working women, the personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016’s Best & Worst States for Working Moms.

In order to help ease the burden on an underappreciated segment of the population, WalletHub’s analysts compared the attractiveness of each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia to a working mother. We did so using 13 key metrics such as median women’s salary, female unemployment rate and day-care quality.

Life as a Working Mom in Massachusetts (1=Best; 25=Avg.)
- 17^th – Day-Care Quality
- 4^th – Access to Pediatric Services
- 15^th – Gender Pay Gap (Women’s Earnings as % of Men’s)
- 21^st – Ratio of Female Executives to Male Executives
- 21^st – Female Unemployment Rate
- 16^th – Parental Leave Policy
- 7^th – Length of Average Woman’s Workday
- 11^th – % of Single-Mom Families in Poverty
For the full report, please visit here.
May 14, 2016