PTO Newsletter  125 Meadowbrook Rd., Newton, MA 02459 Vol. IV, No. 4 - October 27, 2003 Telephone 617-552-7409, Call Back: 617-552-7524 http://www.newton.mec.edu/brown/ Monday 27 7th Grade Parent Coffee, 7:45 a.m. Tuesday 28 8th Grade Parent Coffee, 7:45 a.m. Wednesday 29 Early Release Day, 11:30 a.m. dismissal Wednesday 29 PTO Board Meeting, School Conference Room, 7:30-9:00 p.m. Thursday 30 School Council Meeting, Brown Library, 7:00 p.m. Tuesday 4 City Wide Election - Get out and vote!! Friday 7 School Dance, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Tuesday 11 No School, Veteran's Day Wednesday 26 Thanksgiving Early Release, School closes at 11:30 a.m. Thurs-Fri 27-28 School Closed, Thanksgiving Holiday Monday 1 School reopens. Please note change from school calendar posted on Brown website.

Archives Voice Mail PDF Version Triple "E"

The third annual Building Brown Day was a great success! Painting was the dominant task this year as the Guidance Department hallway, Conference Room 116 and many hallway doors were refinished and painted or varnished. (Some refinished hallway doors still need a second or first coat of varnish, if anyone wants to come in after school for an hour or so and paint. Let us know.) Some bulletin boards were replaced and repainted. Thanks to all these Brown families who came to help: Kondo, Marcus, Spier, Rossinow, Hartnett, Simon, Littman, Irvin/Fromm, Rao, Daly/Fishel, Lind, Shapiro, de Shalit, Hamilton, Berk/Wakamatsu. They accomplished much to spruce up the school. Thanks also to John Jordan who not only supervised the entire operation but this year got a chance to paint.

Magazine Drive is Coming
The magazine drive will start on Thursday, November 13^th when the kids will get their magazine booklets and magnet sales cards. For those of you who don't remember, the magnet sales cards are postcards which are sent to friends and family to get them to help support the Brown magazine drive. The students need to put names and addresses on up to 10 cards and return them Friday, November 14^th (the next day) to receive Jolly Ranchers and cash prizes. Then they have one week to sell magazines to local friends and family. They earn points, with double points on Monday November 17th, with which they can "buy" prizes. Everything will be explained to the students on the 13th, but this is just to give you a heads up! This is one of Brown's biggest fundraisers so please help! We used money raised last year to buy many new computers for the Tech Ed room and video cameras for B TV.

Weighty Matters
The first jointly held middle school PTO meeting of the year was last Wednesday evening, October 22^nd, hosted by Day Middle School. The topic was children's nutrition and was addressed by the professional staff of Kids on the Move, a new multi-disciplinary program at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, which focuses on exercise, nutrition education, and peer behavior and counseling. In addition to providing nutrition information and recommending healthy eating tips, the discussion delved deeper into the motivations and behaviors behind our children’s eating choices, as well as fun ways to keep our children "on the move" even if they are not so inclined. Our next meeting, planned for March, should prove just as interesting and informative. More details on topic and location will be announced soon. Hope to see you all there.

Dance Tickets on Sale Monday, November 4^th
Please see the message below about the school dance.

Pay your Membership Dues TODAY if you haven't already done so!
Here's another reminder to send in your check for $30 to the Brown PTO to pay your 2003 - 2004 membership dues today. Not only do you support the Brown PTO and all of its activities, but your dues check entitles you to a Brown Student Directory, coming out soon. Send your check, made payable to Brown PTO, into the office with your name, your child's name and grade and your email address. It's that simple! And thanks.

Printer Cartridge Recycling off to a Roaring Start
Our printer cartridge recycling program is off to a great start. There were over 25 cartridges returned over the past week alone. Keep it up! For every cartridge returned Brown can receive between $3 and $12, depending on cartridge type. Not all cartridges qualify, but we'll collect them all and Imaging Technologies will determine and throw out the unacceptable ones. All businesses that use inkjet and laser toner cartridges can now send their empties to the school and/or contact Imaging Technologies at 781-397-8888 for free pick up. Remember to mention that your contributions are to be credited to the Brown PTO. Participation is strongly encouraged to raise needed funds for our Brown community. School Drop Off is in the green recycle bin in front of the main office. If you have any questions about the program please call Marty Kofman at 617-332-1380.

Steve Hamilton (617-527-2954) Julie Sall (617-965-3972)
PTO Co-Presidents, brownpto@brownpto.org

IMPORTANT REMINDER TO PARENTS:

Note from the Nurse:

Maureen Bisaga, R.N.

School Dance:

Metco Program

• it's not right to ignore equitable funding for METCO, to freeze funds for the buses, and to freeze student enrollment;
• how important METCO is to your family and to the Newton school community; and
• that racial jokes about children underscore the need for the METCO program in Massachusetts.

James A. Peyser
Chairman, Massachusetts Board of Education
State House, Room 271M
Administration and Finance
Boston, MA 02133
phone 617-727-4040; fax 617-727-2779

David P. Driscoll
Commissioner of Education
Massachusetts Department of Education
350 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148
phone 781-338-3102; fax 781-338-3770
ddriscol@doe.mass.edu

Governor Mitt Romney
Room 360, The State House
Boston, MA 02133
phone 617-727-3600; fax 617-727-9725

Chairs - Joint Committee on Education, Arts and Humanities:
State Senator Robert A. Antonioni
Room 109 E, State House
Boston, MA 20133
phone 617-722-1230; fax 617-722-1130
RAntonioni@senate.state.ma.us

State Representative Marie St. Fleur
Room 473G, State House
Boston, MA 02113
phone 617-722-2070; fax 617-722-2817
marianne.geula@hou.state.ma.us.

Henry M. Thomas, III
Vice-Chairperson, Springfield
Urban League of Springfield
756 State St.
Springfield, MA 01109

Charles D. Baker
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
93 Worcester St.
Wellesley, MA 02481

J. Richard Crowley
One Keystone Way
Andover, MA 01810

Jeffrey DeFlavio
State Student Advisory Council
c/o Massachusetts Department of Education
350 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148

Judith I. Gill
Chancellor, Board of Higher Education
One Ashburton Place, Room 1401
Boston, MA 02108

William K. Irwin, Jr.
New England Carpenters Training Fund
13 Holman Rd.
Millbury, MA 01527

Roberta R. Schaefer
Worcester Regional Research Bureau
319 Main St.
Worcester, MA 01608
phone: 508-799-7169; fax: 508-799-4720
rschaefer@wrrb.org

Abigail M. Thernstrom
1445 Massachusetts Avenue
Lexington, MA 02420-3810

Community News

The After School Program at Newton Community Service Centers has openings for children in grades K-6 for daily After School enrollment, Veteran’s Day (November 11), and February and April vacation weeks. The Program offers computers for homework and fun, supervised outdoor and indoor play, and creative activities. Our Staff is specialized in early education and development. Transportation is available from all Newton and Waltham Public Schools. Newton Community Service Centers is convenient to the Commuter Rail, MBTA buses, the Green Line, and the Mass Pike. For more information, please call 617-969-5906, x.121.

Boy Scouts: Wed. Nov. 12, Local (award-winning) Scout Troop 9 will have a recruitment night at the Union Church, 14 Collins Road, Waban from 7:30 – 8:45 PM. To join, a boy must be 10 1/2 or older. All interested boys and their families are welcome. For more information call David Meltzer, Scoutmaster at 617-965-5741.

City of Newton Annual Holiday Project: This important City Project distributes Holiday food and toys to Newton families who are having a difficult year. You can lend a hand and bring some cheer into a neighbor’s life by dropping off a new, unwrapped toy at Newton City Hall’s Department of Human Services on weekdays between 8:30 AM and 5 PM from November 11th until December 19^th. For more information about the project contact Diana Patten at 617-796-1280.

Children's Programs at Newton Free Library: The library offers a number of programs appropriate for school-age children. For November and December listings, visit the website at: www.ci.newton.ma.us/Library/Kidspage/index.htm, or call 617-796-1370.

Classified

Newton Apartment for Rent: Newton (Zervas/OakHill/NSHS district): 4 Bedroom/2 Bath apartment on 2nd floor of owner-occupied 2-family brick house available for rent Dec 1 (or Nov 15 - negotiable). Prime location on Beacon St. 1 mi west of Newton Ctr, very close to Cold Spring Park (tennis courts, basketball, 17-acre wilderness exertrail). LR, DR with pantry, eat-in Kitchen with new fridge & dishwasher, window treatments, new wall-to-wall carpeting, 3-season porch, large deck, washer & dryer in basement. Garage for 1 car, driveway space for 2 cars. Central Heat & AC. Gas and electric not included. No pets; no smoking. $2000/mo. No realtor fee. Call 617-721-7928, or email chinsb@rcn.com.

Eastern Commonwealth Girls Hockey: Registration for open enrollment begins November 7, 6:00 PM. There will be a pre-skate and registration session (must register to skate). Coffin Arena, Fessenden School, 250 Waltham St., Newton. Further pre-skate sessions to be determined. Registration can also be done through the website at ecgh.org. For further information go to website at www.ecgh.org or contact Bill Walker at 617-964-2799.

Brookline Tutoring: Former English Department Head and Newton Public Schools teacher is offering individualized tutoring in English language skills (writing, grammar, and speaking) ESL, and study and research skills at all levels for students in grades 7-12. Contact Susan Alport at 617-277-7409 or susanalport@earthlink.net.

"The Phantom Tollbooth," a Wheelock Family Theatre Musical: Travel with Milo on a quest to restore sweet Rhyme and pure Reason to the Land of Expectations as you explore a world filled with fantastic characters, perplexing puzzles and superfluous vocabulary. Children in costume are admitted free on opening night, October 31, otherwise ticket prices are between $12-$18. Call the Box Office at 617-879-2300 for reservations. Performances are on weekends from Oct 31-Nov 30.

The Youth Ensemble program: is designed for students who like to play and perform with a steady small group, playing Pop, Jazz, Latin and Rock & Rolland R & B. Currently we're looking for a Drummer for intermediate group (meets Tue), and Sax/Trumpet for an advance group (meets Thu) The ensemble groups meet every other week for an hour and a half, 6:30-8:00. The fee is $20 per meeting. Call Tal for more details: 617-9654071 or go to www.talmusicworld.com.

Adult Sock Hop: to benefit the Newton Girl Scouts. November 8^th from 8 PM to midnight at Newton North High School Cafeteria; $25.00 admits two. Soda and snacks will be available. Prizes will be raffled. Bring your friends and join the party!

YMCA Homework Club: The West Suburban YMCA is starting a new program called the Homework Club. This program is offered Monday through Thursday afternoons from 4 to 5:30 PM. The mission is to provide guidance to students with their homework in all subjects. The coaches are YMCA after school teachers, volunteer teachers and students; 5 to 1 student teacher ratio. Children earn tokens for prizes with every hour of homework completed. Rates: Members: $28.00 per session; Non-members: $35.00 per session; participation is a minimum of two days per week. For more information, please contact Annemarie Cobb, Youth Director, at: 617-244-6050, ext. 3022 or email: AnnemarieC@YMCAinNewton.org.

Ford Windstar for sale: 1999 Windstar LX, 4 door, emerald green, 7 passenger wagon, 67,500 highway miles, 3.8L 6 cylinder engine, 4 speed overdrive automatic, dual airbags, antilock brakes, new tires, roof rack, 4 bucket seats, dual climate control, 6 CD changes and radio cassette player. Excellent condition with extended warranty. $9,499. Call Tan at: 617-332-1346.

Open House: The Presbyterian Church Nursery School is offering an open house on Friday, November 14^th from 9:00 - 10:30 AM. Interested parents are welcomed for an informal tour and talk about the school. Please email to nurseryschool@newtonpres.org or call 617-332-9255 ext. 1 to reserve a space.