News, events, children’s activities in Newton, MA.
Classical Guitar Performance by George AttisanoGeorge Attisano is an attorney by trade but he’s also talented classical guitarist.
If you’re looking for something to do this Sunday afternoon (Oct. 14th), come and hear him play at L’Aroma Cafe in West Newton.
He’ll be performing from 2-4 pm.
Admission is free.
Newton is having the 9th annual Trade and Recycle Day!It will be held on Saturday, October 13th from 8am-2pm at the Recycling Depot at Rumford Ave.
Swapping and Donating: bring along useful but unwanted belongings for swapping or donating. Bring your stuff, or just come along & pick something up – for free!
DROP-OFFS ACCEPTED (NEWTON RESIDENTS ONLY!) FROM 8 – 1 PM
Recycling and Reuse: bring along any of the following and the City of Newton will make sure that they are recycled, given to charity or disposed of safely.
Hunger Games fans were impressed by Newton North High School’s rendition, causing high school envy all over the country! Thank you to Capability:Mom for this link from My Hunger Games: Ever In Your Favor.
At Newton North High School in Massachusetts, their school wide book this year is ‘The Hunger Games‘. In celebration, the school created their own high school Hunger Games called, the “Tiger Hunger Games“. After having every student in the school read the book, a total of 26 students were reaped as tributes from the pool of over 200 students that applied.
Newton North High School principal Jennifer Price impressed as Effie Trinket. The motorized segway is a nice touch!
The blogger at MyHungerGames.com was envious saying, “I wish I had gone to this High School!” I don’t blame her, I wish I went here too and I live in Newton!
Principal Jennifer Price is nominated for Yahoo Women Who Sbine! for her Global Education Leadership Fund (GELF) scholarship that helps low income students from Newton High Schools travel aboard. If she wins the $10,000 prize, 16 additional additional students will be able to travel abroad next year. Please vote for her here.
I met Ariel on Twitter and when I found out she lived next door in Needham, it seemed like we were fated to meet, especially after I popped over to her website and saw her amazing custom mosaics.
This piece is gorgeous. Can you imagine it larger as a kitchen backsplash? Funny you should ask, because she does that too!
When I told Ariel that this piece reminds me of Japanese brush painting and Gustuv Klimt, she said that Gustav was influenced by Asian art.
Her pieces are the epitome of form meeting function. While they are worthy of hanging on a wall as a museum piece, she also creates custom kitchen backsplashes, corporate logos, and mirrors.
Corporate logo for the boardroom
Mosaic Custom Logo for G20 Spa on Newbery Street
This is a custom kitchen backsplash.
She is in the middle of creating this custom kitchen backsplash.
She also does custom mirrors. This one would be amazing in an entry way. She makes all mirrors to order and can do different sizes, shapes, and colors as the client desires. The mirrors are popular as wedding gifts.
The artist with a small mirror.
A few interesting factoids about Ariel:
Kids Concerts and Live Performances in Brookline
CapabilityMom sent me the Fall Schedule for the Coolidge Kid shows at 290 Harvard Street in Brookline. The shows look great and are well priced thanks to underwriting from Magic Beans and Eastern Bank. When the weather turns nasty, this is a great option to get the kids out of the house while introducing them to the fun of live performances!
This year, we’re once again thrilled to be offering our Kids’ Shows on weekends throughout the fall. The new season launches on Sunday, October 14 at 10:30am with a performance by Coolidge favorites Vanessa Trien & the Jumping Monkeys!
We’ll also be bringing back Mister G, Ben Rudnick & Friends, Scott Jameson as well as new acts, such as the Vento Chiaro woodwind quintet!. From magicians to singers, classic films to storytelling, we’ve got something for everyone this season! See below for details.
VANESSA TRIEN & THE JUMPING MONKEYSSunday, October 14 @ 10:30am
The Coolidge is thrilled to welcome back Vanessa and her band as they perform songs off their new album, Bubble Ride, as well as some old favorites from the award-winning CDs, Carnival Day and Hot Air Balloon. As Boston Children’s Music puts it, “Vanessa’s shows are perfect. It’s hard to explain and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is they do differently, but whatever it is, it really gets the kids (and parents) excited!” Join us on October 14 and find out what all the buzz is about!
Click here to view Vanessa’s official website
Click here for more information and/or tickets
MISTER G
Saturday, October 20 @ 10:30am
Over the past few years, Mister G has been traveling and performing original, bilingual songs for children in Latin America and around the USA. His new bilingual CD, Chocolalala, is an irresistible collection of these songs, blending Latin rhythms, traditional instruments, and Mister G’s uniquely catchy song-writing for children. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind dance party. Bailamos!Click here to view Mister G’s official website
Click here for more information and/or tickets
BARI KORAL
Saturday, October 27 @ 10:30amDubbed the “‘IT girl’ in kids/family music” by New York Magazine and the “Sheryl Crow for kids” by the New York Post, Bari’s songs are a huge hit with children and adults. Her catchy, pop friendly tunes, interactive live shows & heavy rotation radio play have earned her thousands of young (and not so young!) fans.Bari’s latest album, Rock and Roll Garden, won the Nappa Gold and Parents’ Choice Award and was picked as top 10 kids album of the year by Time Out Kids.Click here to view Bari Koral’s official websiteClick here for more information and/or tickets
MAGIC BY SCOTT JAMESON
Saturday, November 3 @ 10:30amJoin magician and juggler Scott Jameson at the Coolidge for an extraordinary performance that will have you laughing out loud and perched on the very edge of your seat. Umbrellas will be plucked from thin air, a drawing will come to life, basketballs will be spun and juggled, and a member of the audience will unlock telekinetic abilities.Click here to view Scott Jameson’s official website
Click here for more information and/or tickets
BILLY KELLY AND THE BLAH BLAH BLAH’S
Sunday, November 11 @ 10:30amA fun, clever and silly morning of music not to be missed. Songs about milk, pine cones, springtime, 18-wheelers, the moon, and just about anything else you can think of, in a style described as “Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld (writing) lyrics for all-ages music played by an acoustic Weezer.”Click here for the official website of Billy KellyClick here for more information and/or tickets
VENTO CHIARO
Sunday, November 13 @ 10:30amJoin Vento Chiaro for this FREE concert and meet the instruments in the woodwind quintet. With the support of the Free for All Concert Fund, we are pleased to present this special children’s concert, in which the classical musicians of Vento Chiaro will introduce young audiences to all of the instruments in a woodwind quintet. You will see all your favorite characters from Prokofiev’s Peter & The Wolf and a meet some new ones featured in a brand new piece for kids by a composer who lives in Boston. Bring your favorite stuffed animal with you for the show!Click here to view Vento Chiaro’s websiteClick here for more information and/or tickets
BEN RUDNICK & FRIENDS
Saturday, December 1 @ 10:30amMultiple award winners in family music, Ben Rudnick & Friends’ adventurous acoustic music and lyrically humorous style have won them fans of all ages. Whether on stage or record, the band’s formula of delivering interpretations of favorite, well-known songs combined with infectious original tunes is a winner.Click here for the official website of Ben Rudnick & Friends
Click here for more information and/or tickets
Film: THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL
Saturday, December 8 @ 10:30am’Tis the season for love, laughter, and one of the most cherished stories of all time! Join Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and all the hilarious Muppets in this merry, magical version of Charles Dickens’ classic tale. Academy Award® winner Michael Caine gives a performance that’s anything but “bah, humbug!” as greedy, penny-pinching Ebenezer Scrooge. One fateful Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Together with kind, humble Bob Cratchit (Kermit the Frog) and his family, the Spirits open Scrooge’s eyes — and his heart — to the true meaning of Christmas. Click here for more information and/or tickets
ALASTAIR MOOCK’S HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA
Saturday, December 15 @ 10:30am
Alastair Moock and Friends and extra special guests, The Fayerweather Street School Chorus, present a concert of original tunes and holiday favorites. Moock’s most recent album, These Are My Friends, won a 2011 NAPPA Gold Award and featured cameos by Vanessa Trien, Lori McKenna, Rani Arbo, and Mark Erelli.Click here Alastair Moock’s official website
Click here for more information and/or tickets
All shows start at 10:30 am
Stroller parking is available in the downstairs lobby and the theater is fully accessible.
Booster seats are also available for the tiny ones.Tickets are $10 adults/$8 children for live acts and $7 adults/$5 children to all films.
All programs are recommended for children ages 3 to 10 unless otherwise indicated.
Don’t get shut out of the show! Buy your tickets early at the box office or online (www.coolidge.org). All children pay admission unless they are held in their parents lap for the entire show.
Coolidge Kids Shows are co-presented by
with additional promotional support from:
Did you know there is Anti-Gravity yoga (a.k.a. Cirque du Soleil yoga or maybe it’s just me that calls it that?!) in Boston? It’s “off-campus” from Newton in Southie but well worth the trip. I was invited to a Boston Parents Bloggers event sponsored by TD Bank as a way of spreading the message that banking can be a relaxing experience.
I guess it wouldn’t surprise you to find out that Joanna Keseberg, our instructor, is also a circus acrobat? She also runs trapeze and circus instruction parties for kids in Sommerville at AirCraft Aerial Arts. (I was excited to learn this! My middle daughter, PickyKidPix, wanted a trapeze birthday party last year, but I thought Reading was too far.)
What is aeriel yoga like exactly? Well … you use those long hanging loops of fabric in a myriad of ways: hanging, sitting, standing, dangling upside down, and as a support to stretch. This loop of red fabric is both strong and versatile. It can be used hammock-like to Trazan-like doing traditional poses like Shavasana, Downward Dog, and forward bends.
I have to say that lying in Shavasana while ensconced in a cocoon-like hammock was extremely relaxing (except for those with claustrophobia). The lying down poses used the fabric as a hammock but with the fabric fully extended into a swinging bubble-like contraption.
Like Vinyasa yoga, we didn’t hold poses for any length of time. The idea is to use gravity both as resistance but in a supported way.
In some ways, it reminded me of pole dancing crossed with yoga, what with all the swinging and loss of balance. Or maybe I made this connection because I was out of my element. I am used to Vinyasa yoga so this was a yoga adventure for me!
It’s also a great core workout which I wouldn’t have guessed but hauling yourself from sitting to standing repeatedly, as well as dangling off to the side on one leg while holding on with one hand does work your core rather well.
Most of us had some yoga experience — Mommycosm just got certified as a yoga instructor — but aeriel yoga was new to all of us. The folks from TD Bank were game enough to do it in their work clothes! Our instructor assured us that yoga newbies can do this and that you don’t need previous experience as a circus acrobat!
As for me, this was the only way for me to do arm balances! Dangling in the air is a lot of fun!
I attended a Boston Parent Blogger event hosted by TD Bank where I received a yoga mat and this class as part of a bloggers outreach event. I was impressed with TD Bank’s creativity pairing yoga with banking — not what a typical bank would think of! I left energized with a yoga buzz! Thanks TD Bank!
MCAS Scores Tell a Story of Diversity and Success in NewtonWhat do the MCAS scores reveal about Newton? One of the big draws for us to move to Newton is the ethnic and socio-economic diversity which is rare in metro west suburbs of Boston.
While the numbers don’t lie, there is back story. Given that Newton has a large degree of kids who speak English as a second language, it’s understandable that their scores would be lower in elementary school as they master two languages. Newton public schools scores handily outperform Massachusetts by 20 percentage points (give or take a few) across all grades and subjects.
What is really interesting (and great!) is that by 10th grade, 96% of students are proficient or higher in English, 94% in Math, and 87% in Science/Engineering. My daughter’s English/Social Studies teacher at Day Middle School raised her three kids in Newton, and, due to redistricting, had two kids in Newton South High School and one graduating from Newton North. She said, “Kids get a great education in Newton no matter where they go.” The numbers concur!
Data is from Department of Education.
| Grade and Subject | Proficient or Higher | Advanced | Proficient | Needs Improvement | Warning/ Failing | Students Included | CPI | SGP | Included in SGP | |||||
| DISTRICT | STATE | DISTRICT | STATE | DISTRICT | STATE | DISTRICT | STATE | DISTRICT | STATE | |||||
| GRADE 03 – READING | 80 | 61 | 29 | 15 | 51 | 46 | 17 | 30 | 3 | 9 | 921 | 93.0 | N/A | N/A |
| GRADE 03 – MATHEMATICS | 78 | 61 | 47 | 27 | 31 | 34 | 17 | 25 | 6 | 14 | 921 | 90.5 | N/A | N/A |
| GRADE 04 – ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS | 75 | 57 | 28 | 13 | 47 | 44 | 19 | 30 | 6 | 14 | 1,029 | 90.3 | 63.0 | 934 |
| GRADE 04 – MATHEMATICS | 74 | 51 | 35 | 16 | 39 | 35 | 20 | 36 | 6 | 12 | 1,031 | 90.2 | 61.0 | 940 |
| GRADE 05 – ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS | 84 | 61 | 39 | 17 | 45 | 44 | 13 | 28 | 4 | 11 | 928 | 93.8 | 65.0 | 866 |
| GRADE 05 – MATHEMATICS | 82 | 57 | 55 | 25 | 27 | 32 | 11 | 26 | 7 | 17 | 934 | 91.9 | 64.0 | 875 |
| GRADE 05 – SCIENCE AND TECH/ENG | 71 | 52 | 37 | 22 | 34 | 30 | 23 | 34 | 6 | 14 | 933 | 88.5 | N/A | N/A |
| GRADE 06 – ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS | 86 | 66 | 42 | 18 | 44 | 48 | 9 | 22 | 4 | 11 | 929 | 94.3 | 58.0 | 867 |
| GRADE 06 – MATHEMATICS | 83 | 60 | 54 | 27 | 29 | 33 | 11 | 24 | 6 | 16 | 933 | 92.6 | 52.0 | 874 |
| GRADE 07 – ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS | 89 | 71 | 32 | 15 | 57 | 56 | 9 | 21 | 2 | 7 | 877 | 95.5 | 57.0 | 813 |
| GRADE 07 – MATHEMATICS | 79 | 51 | 48 | 20 | 31 | 31 | 14 | 30 | 7 | 18 | 877 | 90.2 | 62.0 | 815 |
| GRADE 08 – ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS | 93 | 81 | 36 | 18 | 57 | 63 | 5 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 870 | 97.3 | 60.0 | 823 |
| GRADE 08 – MATHEMATICS | 80 | 52 | 52 | 22 | 28 | 30 | 13 | 28 | 7 | 19 | 875 | 90.3 | 64.0 | 831 |
| GRADE 08 – SCIENCE AND TECH/ENG | 63 | 43 | 11 | 5 | 52 | 38 | 28 | 38 | 9 | 20 | 869 | 83.6 | N/A | N/A |
| GRADE 10 – ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS | 96 | 88 | 61 | 37 | 35 | 51 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 908 | 98.9 | 59.0 | 791 |
| GRADE 10 – MATHEMATICS | 94 | 78 | 77 | 50 | 17 | 28 | 4 | 15 | 2 | 7 | 904 | 97.3 | 61.0 | 788 |
| GRADE 10 – SCIENCE AND TECH/ENG | 87 | 69 | 54 | 24 | 33 | 45 | 10 | 25 | 3 | 6 | 861 | 94.5 | N/A | N/A |
| ALL GRADES – ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS | 86 | 69 | 38 | 19 | 48 | 50 | 11 | 22 | 3 | 9 | 6,462 | 94.6 | 60.0 | 5,094 |
| ALL GRADES – MATHEMATICS | 81 | 59 | 52 | 27 | 29 | 32 | 13 | 26 | 6 | 15 | 6,475 | 91.8 | 61.0 | 5,123 |
| ALL GRADES – SCIENCE AND TECH/ENG | 74 | 54 | 34 | 17 | 40 | 37 | 20 | 32 | 6 | 13 | 2,663 | 88.8 | N/A | N/A |
Compared to most of Boston’s Metro West suburbs, Newton has a diverse population with significant Asian, African American and Hispanic populations. The elementary schools with Level 2 Assistance and Accountability is due to a large proportion of English as a second language students. Newton provides the support they need as evidenced by high overall scores in 10th grade.
| Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity (2011-12) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race | % of District | % of State | |
| African American | 5.4 | 8.3 | |
| Asian | 15.6 | 5.7 | |
| Hispanic | 7.0 | 16.1 | |
| Native American | 0.1 | 0.2 | |
| White | 66.6 | 67.0 | |
| Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0 | 0.1 | |
| Multi-Race, Non-Hispanic | 5.3 | 2.5 | |
| School Accountability Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| School | School Type | Title I Status | Accountability and Assistance Level |
| A E Angier | Elementary School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 2 |
| Bowen | Elementary School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 2 |
| C C Burr | Elementary School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 1 |
| Cabot | Elementary School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 1 |
| Countryside | Elementary School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 1 |
| Franklin | Elementary School | Title I School (TA) | Level 2 |
| Lincoln-Eliot | Elementary School | Title I School (TA) | Level 2 |
| Horace Mann | Elementary School | Title I School (TA) | Level 1 |
| Mason-Rice | Elementary School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 1 |
| Peirce | Elementary School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 1 |
| Memorial Spaulding | Elementary School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 2 |
| Underwood | Elementary School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 1 |
| John Ward | Elementary School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 1 |
| Williams | Elementary School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 2 |
| Zervas | Elementary School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 2 |
| Bigelow Middle | Middle School | Title I School (TA) | Level 1 |
| Charles E Brown Middle | Middle School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 1 |
| F A Day Middle | Middle School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 2 |
| Oak Hill Middle | Middle School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 2 |
| Newton North High | High School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 1 |
| Newton South High | High School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Level 1 |
| Newton Early Childhood Center | Early Elementary School | Non-Title I School (NT) | Insufficient data |
Call for Artists, From 3rd Grade to Adult!
We were gone for two weeks during the end of August and when we returned, it seemed like there were at least a half dozen new BoxART projects in the works. It’s like coming home to find that your spring bulbs have all burst into full bloom!
This pretty BoxART is on Chestnut Street off Woodland Street with a four season theme! Right now, this BoxART piece is reminding me to go apple picking because winter is coming soon!
Boston Public Library Children’s Book Author Fundraiser
Update: This event is fully subscribed. If you are still interested, there is a wait list. Otherwise, there is always next year!
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There is a great event at the Boston Public Library that raises money for Literary Lights for Children and you and your children can meet children’s and young adult authors. It’s Sunday, September 30 at 2pm. Please go here to purchase tickets.
Sunday, September 30, 2012, 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Bates Reading Room, Central Library, Copley Square
The Associates of the Boston Public Library is pleased to invite you to the fourteenth annual Literary Lights for Children tea party on Sunday, September 30th in the beautiful Bates Reading Room of the Boston Public Library.
The 2012 honorees are:
“Literary Lights for Children” seeks to raise awareness of children’s literature, promote literacy, honor children’s authors, and raise money for the Boston Public Library’s children’s services and collections. Students selected from Boston area schools introduce and present the awards to each of the honored authors. The honorees then discuss their writing careers and share their love of books with the audience of over 400 children and adults. Tea refreshments are served.Tickets are $40 children, $60 adults
There will be authors: Kevin Hawkes, Christopher Paolini, Mitali Perkins (Rickshaw Girl!), and Gary Schmidt.
