[CabotCommunity] Jabberlite for January 30, 2007

Tue Jan 30 11:02:37 EST 2007

JABBERLITE FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2007
This Jabberlite contains the following items:
Upcoming Events – Cabot Family Dance this Saturday & Newton Food Pantry Collection 
Change of date for Winter Concert! 
Cabot Evening Neighborhood Meeting with Dr. Quarcoo 
Next PTO meeting & issues of business 
What can you do to alleviate congestion next year at Cabot? 
The Campaign for Cabot is Winding down 
Cabot Connecting Families Bowling Event 
A Cabot Student initiative to improve school lunches 
Sam Johnson Memorial Blood Drive 
Girl’s Intramural Soccer Sign-ups 
Newton Central Little League Sign-ups 
Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education Seminar 
Museum of Afro-American Artists 
Family Movie at the Coolidge Corner Theater

CALENDAR 
February 3             Cabot Family Dance (snow date 2/10)
February 3             PTO "Campaign for Cabot" ends
February 5             School Council 5:00 - 7:00 PM
February 7             Evening Neighborhood Meeting with Dr. Quarcoo
 - Virginia Dean & Raoul Choos's Home 7:00PM
February 8             Winter Concert, 11:00 AM & 7:30 PM
February 8             Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education
                                                 - 'Strategies for Parenting the Explosive Child' Seminar 7:30 PM, 100 Walnut Street
February 8             Early Release, 12:30 PM Dismissal
February 11           Snow date for Cabot Connecting Families Bowling
February 12           School Committee Meeting, 7:30 PM
February 13           Evening Neighborhood Meeting with Dr. Quarcoo
 - Kate Dulit & Josh Greenberg's Home 7:00PM
Feb. 19 - Feb 23    Winter Vacation, NO SCHOOL
February 26           School Committee Meeting, 7:30 PM
February 27           PTO Meeting, 8:35 AM– 9:30 AM
February 27           Affinity Group 12:30 PM
February 27           Evening Neighborhood Meeting with Dr. Quarcoo
 - Vicki & Bud Gartland's Home 7:00PM
February 28           Incoming Kindergarten Parent Evening, 6:30-8:30PM (Snow date 3/5)

UPCOMING EVENTS – save the dates!

Cabot Annual Family Dance - Saturday, February 3rd 7 – 9pm
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 Campaign for Cabot. In the spirit of Healthy Body and Healthy Minds, the family dance committee asks families to bring healthy snacks to share for this evening.

We are looking for a dancer to showcase his or her talent at the Dance, 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.  

Thanks to Doug Hoffman who has agreed to be our official photographer for the evening. 
 If you have any questions, or would like to volunteer, 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
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 from Isabelle Thacker isabelle at thackers.net

Cabot Winter Concert – Thursday, February 8th 11AM & 7:30PM
Please be aware that the concert date has been changed from January 25th to the above date. This concert involves the grade 5 chorus, band and the orchestra.

Evening Neighborhood Meetings with Dr. Quarcoo
As advertised recently, Dr. Quarcoo has instigated a series of neighborhood get togethers to reinforce community and an old-fashion meet and greet. Use your Cabot Directory to decide which one is nearest to your neighborhood and RSVP to the host directly! Come along and socialize with some of your Cabot neighbors and Dr. Quarcoo! Our thanks go to these parents who have offered to be hosts!
            February 7th,     7:00pm         Virginia Dean & Raoul Choos
            February 13th,   7:00pm         Kate Dulit & Josh Greenberg                                
            February 27th,   7:00pm         Vicki & Bud Gartland    
            March 12th,        7:30pm        Janet & Daniel Hart                                 
            March 21st,        7:00pm        Claire Ryan-Robertson & James Robertson
            April 24th,          6:30pm         Monalisa & Donald Neville 

PTO Meeting – Tuesday, February 27th at 8:40am, Cabot Library 
Come join us to add your voice to our PTO deliberations. This meeting we will be discussing the state of our finances year to date, what to do with any surplus from this years Campaign for Cabot, upcoming events such as the Invention Invasion and proposed format changes to the Book Fair, what fundraisers we should include in next years schedule and a preliminary look at budget items for next year. In addition an update will be given on the location of the modulars and exploring ways to alleviate congestion next Fall especially at drop-off and pick-up. 

WE GOT WHAT WE WANTED! NOW WHAT? 
What did we get that we wanted? Extra classrooms for next Fall in the form of modulars! The School Committee heard our opinions and voted that Cabot should get 2 modulars to provide the additional classrooms that are projected we will need in the Fall of 2007. That’s great for us…. BUT…… the flipside is there will be even more congestion at Cabot as we learn how to accommodate even more students and faculty, and put even more pressure on Cabot’s amazing but already overburdened administrative staff and specialists. Not to mention our failing infrastructure!

What can we do? YOU can start to think about how you can compromise on your daily activities with respect to Cabot. The site for the modulars will probably be at the rear of the building on the faculty parking lot. Some, not all, parking will therefore be lost. Some discussion has been made to reserve some spaces for teachers on the Cabot Field side of Parkside Street. Whatever happens, you can be sure that drop-off and pick-up is going to be even more congested than it is now. So that’s why we are asking you to begin thinking about what you can do to alleviate this congestion. WE CAN ALL DO SOMETHING!  Maybe its taking the bus to school, or making a determined effort to walk with a buddy system for you & your children, or the revolutionary idea of not parking right on the streets by Cabot but parking a few blocks away!!! If you are interested in exploring the bus or walking buddies then please contact Liz Haas haas.joffe at rcn.com Cabot parent School Council Co-Leader or Janet Hart parisharts at hotmail.com, Cabot parent School Council Representative.

The Campaign for Cabot is Winding Down
We are winding down the Campaign for Cabot, so NOW is your opportunity to make a tax deductible donation. If you are planning on making a donation, please do it now so we can include to total amount in our announcement at the Cabot Family Dance this Saturday.  Thank you to so many of you who have generously contributed.  Pleas help us fill Humpty in.

Cabot Connecting Families Bowling Event  - 
Last Saturday about 45 people enjoyed the afternoon at the Cabot Connecting Bowling Event at Ron's Gourmet Ice Cream & Bowling in Hyde Park.  We took over 8 lanes and bowled in teams of 5 for 2 hours. Not to mention the delicious ice cream many of us enjoyed after bowling those spares, splits & strikes.  Thanks go the Cabot Connecting Families Co-Chairs, Mary Heney and Sara Goldberg!  Keep checking back for future Cabot Connecting Families Events.

What do you think about Cabot lunches?
Do you like school lunches? Do they meet your standards of a healthy meal and do they need your child’s culinary & dietary needs? As we said last week, Sasha MacDonald doesn’t think so and decided to do something about it. So if you, like Sasha, feel there’s room for improvement in school lunches please consider joining Sasha and her mother, Lauri Meizler, on this mission. A group of 8 Cabot Parents, organized by Lauri, met with Rob Clickstein, head of food services at Newton Public Schools, yesterday to discuss the limitations he has with the school lunch program and to brain storm with him how to be effective in promoting healthier lunches.  If you are interested in helping with this initiative, please contact Lauri directly at ldmeizler at hotmail.com

SAM JOHNSON MEMORIAL BLOOD DRIVE
(brother of 1st grader Henry Johnson)
Monday, February 12 - Friday, February 23rd at the American Red Cross Donor Center, 25 Stuart Street, Boston
Please call 617-556-2200 to set up an appointment to give platelets.  Thank you.

NEWTON GIRL’S INTRAMURAL SOCCER
Registration for the upcoming spring season of Newton Girls Intramural Soccer is currently underway for Newton girls currently in grades K-9.  Avoid the $15 late registration fee by registering by January 31. Games are played on Saturdays, starting April 7 (Kindergarten begins on April 21) and continue until June 9.  For grades 2-9, in addition to the games on Saturdays, there is also generally one practice per week.  The goals of the NGS Intramural Program are for the girls to learn soccer skills, have fun and be part of a team.  To register, or to find out more information about the NGS IM Program, please visit our website at www.newtongirlssoccer.org .  Scholarships are available based on need.

Newton Central Little League Registration:  
It's time to register for the 2007 season!  Newton Central is open to children living in the Cabot, Peirce and Ward public school districts. Girls and boys ages 7-12 are eligible to play (birth dates falling between 5/1/1994 and 4/30/2000).  All first grade children are also eligible to play regardless of birth dates.  Newton Central does not offer a program for children under 7.  To register, please visit our website:  www.eteams.com/newtoncentralll  or contact Betsy Nurczynski: nurczynski at comcast.net ; 617-964-7612

The Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education Seminar – Thursday, February 8th 7:30pm
The Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education presents: Strategies for Parenting the Explosive Child on Thursday Feb 8, 2007. The Explosive Child by Ross Greene, PhD of Mass General Hospital provides a compelling new framework for understanding and effectively parenting inflexible, easily frustrated children who experience frequent meltdowns. Greene explains explosiveness and rigid behavior as symptoms of a deficit in the flexible thinking skills children need for handling difficult situations such as hearing the word “No” from a parent.  “Once parents have a better sense about why these children behave as they do,” says Greene, “strategies for helping things improve become clearer.”  His Collaborative Problem Solving approach offers specific strategies for preventing meltdowns and for teaching children the thinking skills they lack.  

We will view Greene’s video outlining his approach, and discussion will follow led by Beth Edelstein, founder of the Foundation for Children with Behavioral Challenges ( www.fsbcsupport.org  ). FCBC is a support group that promotes awareness of compassionate approaches for parenting children with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges.  Information about Greene’s book is available at www.ccps.info   

The meeting is at 7:30 PM at the Education Center, 100 Walnut St, Newton 02460 in Room 318. Please contact Leslie Lockhart for more information about the meeting or the Parent Advisory Council at 617-527-5046 or newtonspedpac at yahoo.com  

Celebrate Black History Month at the Museum of Afro-American Artists 
Saturday February 10, 2007 -10:00AM-Noon Cost: $25
You are in for a treat!  Explore Boston's only museum dedicated to contemporary and historical expressive arts from the global Black world with E. Barry Gaither, the Executive Director and internationally known art expert. Meet at the Museum, 300 Walnut Ave, Roxbury at 10AM or meet our shuttle at Back Bay Station at 9:30AM  Optional lunch after the program at United House of Prayer--great soul food. Lunch not included in the cost. Shuttle will return participants to Back Bay after the program and after lunch.
Pre-registration required.
For more information call Discover Roxbury (617) 427-1006 or email marcia at discoverroxbury.org

Boston Globe Film Critic Ty Burr presents: THE BEST OF OLD MOVIES FOR FAMILIES
Coolidge Corner Theatre Sunday, February 18: Screening; $3, 10:30 AM, Discussion: FREE 12-30-1:15pm
Have a classic film favorite that you want to introduce to your kids? We invite you to join Boston Globe film critic, Ty Burr, for a screening of THE COURT JESTER (suitable for all ages) and a discussion of his new book,The Best of Old Movies for Families: A Guide to Watching Together. Ty will share with you why some classic movies are great for even the youngest member of your family! THE COURT JESTER (1956) stars Danny Kaye and Angela Lansbury. The throne of rightful king of England has been usurped by the evil King Roderick. The task to restore the throne falls to Hawkins(Kaye)--and all he needs is the king's key to a secret tunnel.
www.coolidge.org     Coolidge Corner Theatre 290 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446

This JabberLite has been compiled for you by the Cabot PTO

Mary Kathryn Fallon
Cabot PTO Co-President
10 Worth Circle,
Newton, MA 02458
617-244-1821
MaryKathF at aol.com

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