[CabotCommunity] Jabberwock Issue 4 January 16, 2007
marykathf at aol.com
marykathf at aol.com
Tue Jan 16 10:16:50 EST 2007
Please note that a copy of this Jabberwock in word, with all the graphics, will be available soon at our website, www.Cabotpto.org. Many thanks to Kim Spencer, the editor of this issue.
Cabot School
e-Jabberwock
Respect for self and others Lifelong learning Commitment to school and community
Issue 4 January16, 2007
Cabot School Contact Information
• Main Office: 617-559-9400 • CASP: 617-964-2749
• Gym: 617-559-9407 • Food Service: 617-559-9021 or 617-559-6315
• .edu/Cabot/index.html"Inclusion Facilitator: 617-559-9409 • Nurse: 617-559-9404
• Library: 617-559-9406 • Psychologist & Social Worker: 617-559-9405
• Call Back/Safe Arrival: 617-559-9390 Call by 8:20 a.m. to report tardiness & absences
Cabot School website www.newton.mec.edu/cabot/
Cabot School PTO www.cabotpto.org
Newton Public Schools www.newtonpublicschools.com
Calendar
January Calendar
January 17, 2007METCO Parents' Council Meeting 7:00 - 9:00 PM
January 17, 2007PTO MTG -Q&A with School Committee Members 7:30- 9:00 PM Cabot Music Room
January 22, 2007School Committee Meeting, 7:30 PM
January 25, 2007CA&S Chinese Ribbon Dance - Grade 2 1:00 - 2:45 PM
January 25, 2007Winter Concert, 10:45 AM & 7:30 PM
January 27, 2007Cabot Connecting Families Bowling, 2-4 PM Ron's Ice Cream & Bowling Hyde Park
February Calendar
February 3, 2007Cabot Family Dance (snow date 2/10)
February 3, 2007PTO "Campaign for Cabot" ends
February 8, 2007Early Release, 12:30 PM Dismissal
February 11, 2007Snow date for Cabot Connecting Families Bowling
February 12, 2007School Committee Meeting, 7:30 PM
February 19 to Feb 23Winter Vacation, NO SCHOOL
February 26, 2007School Committee Meeting, 7:30 PM
February 27, 2007PTO Meeting, 8:35 AM– 9:30 AM
February 27, 2007Affinity Group 12:30 PM
February 28, 2007Incoming Kindergarten Parent Evening, 6:30-8:30PM (Snow date 3/5)
PTO Pen
You have probably noticed the abundance of signs on front lawns all over our city encouraging people to vote one way or the other in the Special Election to be held January 23, 2007. The Special Election will decide the fate of Newton North High School, if whether the City will be able to go ahead with Site Plan 5a which was approved by the Board of Alderman last September, or if they will have to revamp and modify the plan. As individuals we have our own opinions as to which outcome we would like to see and we encourage everyone to get informed and vote. Check out the City of Newton Website for more information, www.ci.newton.ma.us & the Newton Public Schools website at www.newton.k12.ma.us/schoolcommittee There are 2 other websites from the citizen groups lobbying for and against the referendum, they explain each position regarding Site Plan 5a, Newton North Now at www.NewtonNorthNow.org , (Pro) and Voters for a Better Newton North at www.BetterNewtonNorth.org (Con). The Newton Tab published a Pro & Con worksheet in which they asked 10 questions of both groups. This is posted on the PTO bulletin board if you would like to read it. We cannot emphasize it enough – please get out and vote!
Don’t miss the Q&A Session with Reenie Murphy and Marc Laredo, 2 of our School Committee Members, tomorrow night, January 17th from 7:30 – 9:00PM in the Cabot Music Room. Are you wondering about the modulars coming next fall, increasing elementary enrollment numbers, the Newton School Budget, the long-term facilities study or the Newton North High School project? This is YOUR opportunity to ask questions!!
While it’s true we reached our monetary goal for the Campaign for Cabot, and many thanks to all the families who so generously participated, we have not reached our goal of 100% participation. Please do your part – every child benefits from the services we provide, and as we have said, the PTO provides $133 per child per year. Reaching our monetary goal for the year will allow us to balance the budget provided all budgeted items come in as expected. Any additional funds will be used to address any budgetary overruns or provide more benefits for our students and faculty. We will prioritize spending of any additional funds at a future PTO meeting. Please do your part to fill Humpty in – don’t be satisfied that we reached our goal based on the generosity of 37% of families. No matter what your level of giving, we are grateful and will put it to good use!
As we noted in last weeks Jabberlite, there was much concern over the demolition of the house at 242 Cabot Street. Thank you to all the parents who took action for the safety of our children. We were informed by the Newton Commissioner of Health and Human Services, J. David Naparstek, that samples of material from the debris were tested by the Hub Testing Laboratory of Waltham. These tests concluded that none of the samples contained friable asbestos. One sample of the flashing did contain asbestos, but it was not friable asbestos. The Department also received notification that Asbestos Abatement was scheduled to have occurred on September 9, 2005. It is the professional opinion of the Commissioner that no further follow-up actions are required.
Please mark your calendars for the fun Cabot Events we have planned, including Cabot Connecting Families bowling day on January 27, 2007 and the Annual Cabot Family Dance on February 3, 2007! These events are for the whole family, so come join us and have some fun, while catching up with other Cabot families!!
Jo Doherty
PTO co-President Mary Kathryn Fallon
PTO co-President
Recent Events at cabot
Holiday Gift Drive Success
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Community Service Gift Drive for Second Step. All of your generous gifts made the Gift Drive a great success. We filled our lists of assigned gifts 100%, and we also had many extra gifts donated to fill the needs of additional families. Also, thank you to all of our volunteers that came and helped collect and check in gifts in the Cabot School lobby, and to the teachers for distributing the flyers back and forth to their classes. Because of all of you the Gift Drive was once again a great success.
Understanding Our Differences
The fifth grade students have completed the physical disabilities unit. The students learned about these disabilities as well as some of the challenges and adaptive equipment for those with physical disabilities. They learned that one of our most successful U.S. presidents, Franklin Roosevelt, was challenged with a physical disability. The students even had a chance to see our guest speaker’s specially adapted van! Thank you to the following parents who helped with this unit: Rick Reilly, Barry Goldberg, Robin Neiterman and David Taylor. Special thanks to our guest speaker, Linda Hiller, a Newton parent and longtime Understanding Our Differences volunteer. Understanding Our Differences is made possible by funding from the Cabot PTO.
Upcoming Events at cabot
Cabot Connecting Families go Bowling –
Saturday, January 27th 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Ron’s Bowling & Gourmet Ice Cream, Hyde Park
Does your family like to bowl? Would you like to get to know some more Cabot families outside of school & your children’s grade? Well, this is an excellent opportunity to do both! Cabot Connecting Families is a PTO sponsored committee which focuses on bringing Cabot families together outside of the school environment. Bring the whole family and have some fun. See you there!
Save the date for Saturday, February 3rd –
Cabot Annual Family Dance
Cabot PTO invites you and your family to a fun filled evening of music, dance and food. As in previous years, the dance will be held at Bigelow school from 7 to 9 PM. Once again our very own famous faculty'n'musician - Marc Lacatell, will help us all swing to some groovy music. It is a fun, relaxing event for the whole family, held by the PTO every year where we announce our year to date collections for the Cabot's Annual fund drive. In the spirit of Healthy Body and Healthy Minds, the family dance committee asks families to bring healthy snacks to share for this evening.
The social action committee will also be collecting packaged food for the Newton food pantry. Please remember to send in your tax-deductible contributions for the Cabot Annual Fund. Look for a flyer in your child's backpack with detail information. We look forward to seeing you all there.
For the family dance event, we are looking for a dancer to showcase his or her talent, such as Chinese, African, Irish step dance or any other folk dances from different parts of the world. If you know any student within Newton Public school system who would like to participate, please do let us know. The performer gets a gift certificate from a local bookstore.
We are also looking for a Cabot parent to be our official photographer at the Cabot Dance!
If you have any questions, or would like to answer the call for either of these opportunities, please contact Archana Vahalia at auvusa at netscape.net or Suzy Ernheart at srenyeart2 at yahoo.com. Thank you!
Collection for the Newton Food Pantry
At the Cabot Family Dance, the Cabot Social Action Committee will be collecting non-perishable items for the Newton Food Pantry. The Newton Food Pantry has a particular need for the following donations:
canned fruit * meals in a can (beef stew, spaghetti and meatballs, meat ravioli, etc.) * canned vegetables (especially, beets and peas) * peanut butter
Please donate the 14-16 ounce jars/cans, the extra-large/family size ones are difficult to store. Thank you, Isabelle Thacker, isabelle at thackers.net
Volunteers Needed
We are also looking for a Cabot parent to be our official photographer at the Cabot Dance on February 3rd.
Please contact Archana Vahalia at auvusa at netscape.net or Suzy Ernheart at srenyeart2 at yahoo.com. Thank you!
CABOT BROADCAST
Kindergarten Registration Informational Meeting
This is a reminder to all parents of eligible kindergarten children that Marilynne Quarcoo will be holding an evening meeting, February 28th (snow date 3/6), beginning at 7:00 p.m., to discuss kindergarten registration and other pertinent information.
People are reminded that registration is now in progress and letters regarding registration will be sent out to children of kindergarten age soon. Anyone who has not contacted Mrs. Driscoll to schedule an appointment is urged to do so (617/559-9400).
If you know of a parent of a child eligible for kindergarten in the fall who has not received a letter, please urge them to be in contact with Mrs. Driscoll.
"Afterschool Care for Cabot Kids" Brainstorming Session
With CASP enrollment at a maximum and overall Cabot School enrollment predicted to rise over the next several years, the number of families who will experience difficulties finding afterschool care for their kids will dramatically increase. One of the wonderful things that our family has experienced this year is the strong sense of community and cooperation that we are fortunate to have in our Cabot neighborhood. I wanted to take advantage of this and organize a brainstorming session for those of us who would like to work together to see if we can find solutions for afterschool care for our children. This initiative is entirely parent driven and completely independent of both CASP and the Newton Public School system. If you are interested, please email me your contact info this week and I will organize an evening get-together, at my place, later this month when we can discuss our options in detail. P.S. Tea and dessert are included! :-)
Thanks, Janet Hart (Mom of Nathalie, 1st grade) parisharts at hotmail.com (617-332-5411)
Fundraising Humpty continues getting put back together with color, thanks to the 37% of Cabot families who have made donations to the Campaign for Cabot. Last year we had 158 families participating-with your help we can surpass that number. The Cabot PTO provides approximately $133 per child to the school while the Newton Public Schools provides only $88. Please be as generous as possible now that the new year has started and give as much as you can so we can continue to provide all the wonderful opportunities that we do! The Campaign will be finishing up at the end of the month, so if you haven’t already contributed, now is the time.
Cabot has moved up in where we rank regionally (within 25 miles) in participation with Box Tops for Education. We’re up to $195 of our $500 goal. Keep on shopping through through this link: http://www.cabotpto.org/shop.html where you can access many of your favorite stores and earn money for Cabot at the same time. Some of the stores you can order from include Best Buy, Target, Amazon, KB Toys, Barnes and Noble and many many more. Check it out, there’s more than you realize!
Encourage your kids to help you find and clip at least 10 box tops this month. Have a contest with your neighbors and friends to see who can collect more! It’s easy to do and is quick money which adds up for the school.
Thank you all for your continued support of this wonderful school. With your help and generosity, we accomplish great things.
Library Cabot School Library Fund
I wish to thank the many people who recently contributed to the Cabot School Library Fund. Holiday donations in honor of Cabot teachers, students and grandparents and others helped to boost the library book budget tremendously. To date $1473 has been received. This will buy a good number of new books!!
MCBA Program
The Massachusetts Children’s Book Award Program was introduced in the library in the weeks prior to the holidays. Parents read various books from this year’s list and then talked about them with students in grades 4 and 5. The students responded enthusiastically and it is no surprise that the books presented are flying off the shelves. This activity has become a tradition at Cabot and I want to thank the parents and teachers who participated:
Alice Cunningham, Zeina Kahhale, Andrea Plotkin, Lisa Porter and Don Stanton book talked to 4th graders, and Judy Close, Lori Dix, Tracy Martin, Eileen Morrison, Beth Taylor, Mary Emma Robertson and Russell Springer, book talked to 5th graders.
THANK YOU,
Lani Gerson, Library Teacher
Art Corner As you can see from the artwork in the hallways the students at Cabot school have had a very creative 2006! Here’s an idea of a few projects we have been working on in Art:
The Kindergarteners just finished a project based on the artwork of Pablo Picasso. We discussed Cubism, Geometric shapes and Abstract art to create these funky collage and oil pastel portraits.
The 1st graders were inspired to make the fantastic Snow People collages after viewing the book and video “The Snowman” by Raymond Briggs during our Thursday afternoon program. The students used their “finger tools” to tear paper and create a fluffy snow like quality with their collage.
The 2nd graders began the year with a study of Vincent Van Gogh and his Sunflowers. By using a glue-line relief process the students were able to create beautiful chalk drawings of Sunflowers.
The 3rd graders brought a 3-D life to our first floor hallway by creating a community of Blue Dogs! This two-part project of oil pastel and tempera paint began with the book “Why Is Blue Dog Blue?” by the artist George Rodrigue.
The 4th graders also brought a third dimension to our Library after studying the work of sculptor Nancy Graves. Like Graves, the students strived to achieve “Balance through Imbalance” by constructing their balanced sculptures to look as if they were imbalanced through the arrangement of wood.
The 5th graders worked very hard in a collaborative art project to create the awesome Circus Posters on display before the circus. They did such a great job drawing, collaging, painting, and collaborating on the posters that they went on be honored at the Ed Center Fall Art Show!
Be sure to ask your Cabot Artist about the latest in the Art Room!
-Erin Straight, Art Teacher
Physical Education Physical Education Health & Wellness News
Dear Cabot Families,
The excitement is growing as the American Heart Association’s 2007 Jump Rope For Heart event approaches our school. The students will be busy learning more about the benefits of healthy foods and exercise as well as getting into shape to build healthy hearts. With childhood obesity at such epidemic proportions and youth participation in physical activity in decline, we at Cabot School recognize the importance of this program to the health and wellbeing of the children in this school. This is a very special community service program to raise funds for the American Heart Association. Together we’re joining in the fight against our nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers – cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
Our event is taking place the week of February 12th – February 16th. Last year we raised $7,692.00. This year our goal is set at $8,000.00 to help raise funds to fight heart disease and stroke. These events are held nationwide and help students learn about the benefits of regular physical activity and heart health while they raise funds to support vital research about educational programs.
During physical education class students will jump for two 30-minute sessions. This will total 1 hour of physical activity. Family and friends are welcome to support your child’s participation by making contributions. I ask that children NOT go door-to-door or ask strangers for donations. Contributors can donate online at www.americanheart.org/jump or make checks payable to the American Heart Association. Your child will be bringing home a collection envelope the first week of February.
Jump Rope For Heart is a fun event that helps our children understand the importance of community service and physical activity. The money contributed will fund research that will save more lives each year. Our efforts truly make a difference!
Yours In Wellness, Ms. Bennett
CASP CASP Enrollment and Space Meeting
Wednesday, January 24th
The Enrollment and Space Committee of the CASP board is holding a meeting on Wednesday, January 24th, from 7-9 p.m. in the Cabot Gym to discuss Enrollment and Space for the 2007-08 year. This is an opportunity to provide input to the committee as it crafts recommendations. Questions? Email or call Anya Bassett aebbassett at comcast.net; (617) 969-3234.
Community News Bridge of Hope Comes to Boston
Can you help a Russian orphan find a family and a home in the United States? Bridge of Hope is holding an information session on Saturday, January 20, 2007 from 1:00PM to 4:00PM at the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St., Watertown for prospective host families for older Russian orphans, ages 6-11, who will be coming to the Boston area for summer camp in July. Bridge of Hope offers children a homestay with a host family, a summer of fun, and the opportunity to find permanent adoptive homes. Now in our 11th year, Bridge of Hope, sponsored by Cradle of Hope Adoption Center, has placed over 400 children (90% of participants) in adoptive families. We are seeking host families with a serious interest in adoption. To register for the Jan. 20 information session or to learn more about the program, please contact Todd Kates at 617-926-5480 ext. 241 or TKates42 at aol.com or visit www.bridgeofhope.cc. Volunteers also needed to help!
SAVE THE DATE!
The Newton Schools Foundation is pleased to announce a special opportunity to "Treat Your Sweet and Support Public Education."
On February 10, 2007 Newton families are hosting a veritable blizzard of dinners across Newton that feature distinguished members of our community as guest speakers. We invite you to mark your calendars for this special evening. Stay tuned for more details at http://www.nsfonline.org
Upcoming Programs offered through the Newton Parks and Recreation Department
Family Trip to Disney On Ice
Join Newton Parks and Recreation for a magical time on Monday February 19 for a family trip to Disney on Ice – Princess Wishes. Watch in wonder as your favorite princesses, including Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Jasmine, Aurora, Mulan, and Ariel have their dreams comes true. Transportation to and from the Fleet Center is provided.
Fun-tastic Vacation Program
Ready for a Fun-tastic time? Sign up for the Funtastic Vacation Program for children in grades 4 and above. Running February 20 – 23 from 9am to 3pm, each day will feature a special field trip and includes lunch. Sign up by day or for all 4 days.
Family Movie Nights
Join the Newton Parks and Recreation Department for family Movie Night at the West Newton Cinema during the February school vacation week. Watch a movie and get popcorn and soda all for one low price. Tickets are sold the day of the event at the Cinema only starting at 4pm.
A free seminar “Drinking, Drugs and Depression” , Thursday January 18th 7:00- 8:30pm
The Newton PTO Council and Project Interface present a seminar at the Shipley Auditorium at Newton Wellesley Hospital at 7:30 – 8pm. There is no charge to attend and all are welcome. More than 800,000 American teenagers suffer from depression each year. Often, these children have been experimenting with or using drugs and drinking. A panel of experts will share information, tips and resources on this very important topic including Michael Jellinek - President, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Jeffrey M. Young - Superintendent, Newton Public Schools, Nadja Reilly - Director, Swensrud Depression Prevention Initiative, Children's Hospital, Julie Totten - President, Families for Depression Awareness, Chris Fortunato - VP of Teen and Adult Programs, Newton Community Service Center, Nanci Ginty - Riverside Community Care, Coordinator of School and Community Programs, Rich Catrombone - Social Worker, Newton South High School, David Gotthelf - Psychologist, Brown Middle School.
Mary Kathryn Fallon
Cabot PTO Co-President
10 Worth Circle,
Newton, MA 02458
617-244-1821
MaryKathF at aol.com
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