Around Town                               WINTER EVENTS

jazz it up! the WNC winter party wrap-up

The Winter Warm-Up Party on February 2nd was a huge success with 80 members attending. This year the festivities were held at the Winchester Community Music School.

Members listened to live jazz, nibbled on delicious food from Le Fete, chatted with friends (and met some new ones) and raised $800 for both music classes for underprivileged children at the School as well as money for Music Aid, an international non-profit group that has provided resources and educational opportunities to musicians worldwide. Music Aid provides schooling and educational opportunities to underprivileged children in the third world.

A big thank you to Amy Mariani who chaired the planning committee and many thanks to all who came!

bunco

Thursday, March 20th
To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, wear your wackiest Irish get-up in every shade of leprechaun-emerald to this month’s Bunco! The next BUNCO will be Thursday, March 20th at the home of Maria O’Connor.  Please remember to email me if you would like to be on the evite list for BUNCO at jennifer.rappole@verizon.net.

ladies night out

Unfortunately, planning the Yankee Swap for after the holidays wasn't the best decision! There was such a low turnout that we had to cancel the event. Next year we will be sure to fit it in before Christmas and enjoy a bunch of laughs and holiday cheer!

The next LNO event will be some form of cooking event hopefully happening near the end of March. If anyone has a brilliant idea or would like to offer up their kitchen for this night, please let us know! Margaret (margaretmack@comcast.net) and Vanessa (mvgobes@comcast.net).

cocktails club
Saturday, March 22nd at 7:30 pm

Are you looking for a great night out but unsure where
to go in March?  The Cocktails Club Chairs have a fun night already planned.

Please join Suzanne/Craig Rabe and Lori/Doug Hutchison for our “Game-On” March Madness Event.  We will have all TVs on with March Madness. 

If basketball is not your thing you can try your luck with our Basketball Pool (optional), Air Hockey or Electronic Darts.  You may want to venture out and meet some new people or recap with old friends. You may just be looking for some great drinks and a bite to eat.  Whatever you may be in the mood for we welcome all of you. 

Please feel free to wear your game attire.

Location:  The home of Suzanne and Craig Rabe,
                  17 Hutchinson Road in Winchester
Date:         March 22, 2008
Time:        7:30 PM–11:30 PM

Please bring $15 per person (that will be collected at the door) and an optional $1 if you want to play in the Basketball Pool.

Ongoing Events                                                                               WINTER EVENTS

little tykes playgroup

Over the past few months, we have been getting rid of the winter blahs with a series of fun, indoor playgroups. There has been great turnout at members’ houses, as well as indoor playgrounds such as Arlington’s Together in Motion and Woburn’s Kids Playground. We also launched a separate playgroup for newborns and first-time parents. This new group has about six families, and is growing!

For the most updated information, we highly recommend that you get placed on our playgroup email distribution list. Winter storms and host sickness can change our schedule at the last minute. We also send out weekly reminder emails to give you the host’s address. To be placed on the playgroup email list, please contact Cree McDaniels at creemcdaniels@hotmail.com.

The playgroup is open to all parents and their pre-school kids. Activities at the playgroup focus on ages 1–3, but we encourage everyone to come. If you have one child under the age of one, you are encouraged to join our newborn playgroup. Please contact Jennifer Bradford at jwangbradford@yahoo.com.

Our playgroups will be held on Mondays. In an effort to meet more of the kids’ nap schedules, we will alternate meeting times through the month. Below is a list of dates and times for the first playgroups of the year.

We hope to see you at our upcoming events!

Monday, March 3rd, 3:30 PM
Patty’s Dowden’s house
Monday March 10th, 10:00 AM
Alicia Jones’ house
Monday, March 17th, 3:30 PM
Diane Mayer’s house
Monday, March 24th
No playgroup due to holiday
Monday, March 31st, 11:00 AM
McDonald’s Indoor Playground
Monday, April 7th, 10:00AM
Stone Zoo, Stoneham
Monday, April 14th, 11:00 AM
Together in Motion, Arlington
Monday, April 21st, 3:30 PM
Kid’s Playground, Woburn
Monday, April 28th, 9:30 AM
Leonard Field, Winchester

book club

Monday, April 7th at 7:00 pm

If you love to read (and talk!), please join us.  The WNC Book Group meets about every 6 weeks for a casual discussion about our latest selection. Come share your favorite reads!

Our next selection is "What is the What" by Dave Eggers, to be discussed at 7pm on April 7th, the location to be announced.

Contact Linda Call at calllm@hotmail.com or 781-729-1171 to be included on the Book Group evite with book selection and location information or for general questions.

ladies tennis league
Fridays, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm

We play doubles on Friday nights from 7:30 to 9:00pm followed by a get-together for an hour or so at the tennis center. We are always looking for substitutes. If you’re interested in playing or getting on a sub list, please contact Mary Chmielowiec at mchmielowiec@comcast.net.

Community Happenings                                                                               WINTER EVENTS

movie night

Calling All Movie Lovers…

Wednesday, April 9th Calling All Movie Lovers…Some great movies have been released in the last month and we are excited to go see one of them at a local theatre. Will try to arrange for the theatre to show a 7:30 or 8:00PM performance to accommodate everyone’s schedules. An evite will be sent two weeks before the scheduled date to announce the movie, theatre and time. (Since movie times change frequently a follow up email will be sent to confirm time etc.) Anyone who is interested can meet us at the designated theatre. Depending on the time of the movie, we may also meet in a local café beforehand.

Please look in your inbox for the Movie Night Evite which will include all of the details. Looking forward to seeing you at the movies!

If you have questions or requests for Movie Night please email Mary Ellen Rourke-Falvey at maryellenandpeter@verizon.net.

hearts and flowers

Hearts and Flowers continues to be a strong support group for WNC members! If you have ever received a delivery from a Hearts and Flowers volunteer you already know how much it means to receive some help during a time of need. Volunteers provide a dinner meal, dessert, coffee/bagels, flowers, handwritten note, or a simple phone call to a member in need OR a new resident to Winchester.

To join the email list as a volunteer, or to give notice of an event, please email Mary Ellen Falvey at maryellenandpeter@verizon.net and she will send out an email to the volunteers and anyone who has time can participate.

Thank you to all of those who have provided help in the past.

Make a Difference                PHILANTHROPY/LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

avon walk for breast cancer

Calling all walkers! WNC is gearing up for a great local effort in Winchester with plans to participate in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer (just 39 short miles) during the weekend of May 17–18th.  Last year we had over 20 walkers and raised over $119,000 for breast cancer research, support and awareness, with many of the funds helping underserved communities in and around Boston.

Male or female, fit or hoping to be, member or not, you are perfect for our team! Every three minutes, another person in the U.S. is diagnosed with breast cancer. Women today have a 1 in 7 chance of developing this disease. Help us put an end to this statistic. Please email Cristy Walsh at cristywalsh@hotmail.com for information on walking or volunteering.

And while your at it, be sure to buy your Pink Pass this May. For only $25, the Pink Pass gets you great discounts at stores and restaurants in Winchester and surrounding towns ALL SUMMER  LONG! Locations for purchasing the Pass will be announced at a later date. All proceeds go to the Avon Foundation a 501 ( c ) (3) public charity.

winchester foundation for educational excellence

Founded by Winchester residents in 1992, the Winchester Foundation for Educational Excellence is an independent organization that provides private money to fund initiatives beyond the reach of public dollars in the Winchester public school system. In a recent conversation with Caren Connelly, Executive Director, Caren emphasized the importance of working closely with the Winchester School Committee and Superintendent to ensure that all of WFEE’s projects support the entire school system and match the goals of the school curriculum. By funding teacher grants for continuing education and by raising additional money for system-wide projects, the Winchester Foundation for Educational Excellence or WFEE, supports excellence and innovation within Winchester’s schools.

One of WFEE’s two main focuses is awarding teacher grants. Winchester public school teachers can apply for WFEE grant money to pay for ongoing professional development through classes, seminars, and travel. Previous grants have included seminars at Harvard, Lesley, MIT, BC and BU, nationally recognized literacy workshops, and travel that supports broader teacher development. In addition, WFEE also sponsors guest speakers to address system-wide topics such as special needs education and early reading programs. In 2007, more than $26,000 was awarded to teachers for professional development grants.

The second main focus of WFEE is to provide funds for system-wide projects. Working closely with the school committee and the school superintendent, WFEE funds projects that benefit the entire school and support current curriculums. Past projects include a $70,000 gift to purchase laptop computers for all full-time teachers at McCall, major funding for Authorfest, a LEGO robotics program at Lynch, a weather station at Vinson-Owen, reading software and assessment tools for Ambrose, an egg-science incubator for Muraco, and major support for WiFi at Winchester High. Current 2008 projects include buying laptop computers for all full-time elementary school teachers.

In addition to the annual fund drive, WFEE sponsors an annual Trivia Bee, the Celebration of Education and the Teacher Tribute. For more information, to get on WFEE’s email list, or for ways to get involved, check out WFEE’s website, www.wfee.org or contact Caren Connelly at 781.756.8020

We continue to receive great home improvement contacts that will be available on our web site (www.winchesterneighbors.com) but we are always looking for more!

Thanks to all of those who have sent me your contacts! If you have worked with someone in any of the areas below that you would like to recommend, please email the contact info to: jennifer.adams212@gmail.com. Unless otherwise stated, we will use your name as a reference so other members can contact you with any questions on your experience.
 
This is a great way for members to have instant access to electricians, plumbers, contractors, etc.!  You never know when you will need one and this list will allow you to go to our web site and pull up recommended professionals for any of your projects!
 
Please send us your contacts ASAP so we can get your recommendation on our list before it is posted.  Send any new recommendations to me throughout the year that you feel would be great additions.  Until it is posted online, the current list can be requested by emailing Jenny Adams at jennifer.adams212@gmail.com.
 
We would like to have as many contacts as possible in the following areas:
 

Membership                                                                                           HOW TO JOIN/RENEW

**NEW MEMBERSHIP***

There are two ways you can join WNC:
(1)Visit the website, renew online and pay with a credit card via PayPal:
http://www.winchesterneighbors.com/membership.html

(2)Visit the website, print out the form for new membership:
http://www.winchesterneighbors.com/memberform.pdf and mail a check payable to Winchester Neighbors Club to:

Jenny Adams
212 Main Street
Winchester, MA 01890.

Membership is $30 individual/$60 couple per year. Discount if you sign up for multiple years.
* Membership year runs from September – August.

ATTENTION MEMBERS:

Memberships must be renewed by November 2007. All members not renewed by this time will be REMOVED from the membership list.
Renew online at www.winchesterneighbors.com/membership.html OR print a membership form and send a check (payable to Winchester Neighbors Club) to:

WNC
c/o Jenny Adams
212 Main Street
Winchester, MA 01890

Call (781-729-8456) or email (jennifer.adams212@gmail.com) Jenny with any questions.