North End PRIDE Day on Saturday was a great day. There were groups from all over the neighborhood, from Wesleyan and from First Church, among others. Thank you to everyone for making the day such a success! Thank you to Glen Eason and Sherwin Williams in Cromwell for their donation of gloves and trash bags!
Macdonough School celebrated their first "Walking Wednesday" as dozens of parents, teachers and kids of all ages carrying yellow balloons created a "Walking School Bus." It got a big laugh when an empty school bus happened to drive by as we waited to cross Liberty Street. 
Suggested by Macdonough parent Jeannie Nocera, the walk to school was a big success, as parents chatted and kids found their friends. Macdonough plans to continue the walks every Wednesday to encourage kids to be active and to support a healthy neighborhood.
NEAT's annual Earth Day clean up is coming up on April 24th and we're looking for volunteers. We hope that all North End residents will come out to sweep their street, help their neighbor with a project or work in the Erin Street Garden. The clean up is from 9-12 and NEAT will provide gloves, rakes, brooms and garbage bags. From 12-3, you can come down to Donovan Park (next to Macdonough School) for a neighborhood block party. We'll be cooking out, playing basketball and listening to music. Come on down and bring some friends.
We always love to have other groups join us, as well, so spread the word to your church or other groups that you may be a part of.
NEAT is starting a College Mentoring program and we're looking for mentors to work with students on meeting the deadlines for college readiness. NEAT has prepared a calendar to help you, so none of the information would be your responsibility to find, you just need to be interested in working with a student. Call or email NEAT for more information. 860-346-4845 or neat@neatmiddletown.org
Some updates from the Recycling Office from Kim O'Rourke, the Recycling Coordinator for the City of Middletown:
If you are having difficulty paying your mortgage and fear that you might be at risk of foreclosure, please attend one of our Foreclosure Intervention classes that are being held on the fourth Thursday of the Month at the Green Street Arts Center.
NEAT is starting a College Mentoring program and we're looking for high school Juniors. As part of the program, we'll be hosting, in partnership with Wesleyan's Upward Bound program, a FREE 8 week SAT Prep course that will help students increase their scores on the SAT. Additionally, students can opt in to the college mentoring program and have help with the college application process. Call or email NEAT for more information. 860-346-4845 or neat@neatmiddletown.org
If you are having difficulty paying your mortgage and fear that you might be at risk of foreclosure, please attend one of our Foreclosure Intervention classes that are being held on the fourth Thursday of the Month at the Green Street Arts Center.
Some updates from the Recycling Office from Kim O'Rourke, the Recycling Coordinator for the City of Middletown:
Last night, the Board of Education voted to approve the redistricting plan as recommended. For the Fall, 2010, they will be changing the attendance boundaries for all schools in Middletown.
How will this affect the North End? All students who currently attend Moody School will be moving to either Macdonough or Farm Hill for the upcoming school year. Children on Grand St, Miller St, Bridge St and Portland St will be attending Macdonough. Children who live on Main St, Rapallo Ave, DeKoven Dr, Ferry St and Green St. will be attending Farm Hill School, one of three schools that serves Middletown's downtown. Additionally, students who currently attend Macdonough, but live on Newfield St, Stoneycrest or Rose Circle will sadly be leaving Macdonough to attend Spencer School. Macdonough will also be welcoming new families from both Farm Hill and Snow School, all of whom live in the downtown area.
The board also voted to give children who are going into the 5th grade the option to stay at their old school to finish their 5th grade year. If you have a child that is currently in 4th grade and you are on a street that is set to move, you must inform the school of your choice by May 15th or you will automatically be placed at the new school.
NEAT has invited the principals of both Farm Hill and Macdonough to a North End "open house" to offer a chance for families that were at Moody school to meet their new principal. We're hoping to host it in place of the NEAT meeting on May 12th, but are still checking schedules. We'll let you know once a date is finalized.
You can see the detailed map of the new attendance boundaries if you click here.
To read more about this in the Hartford Courant, click here.
To read more about this in the Middletown Press, click here.
To read more about this in the Middletown Eye, clicke here.
Saturday, April 10 | 10am-12pm
FREE
Join us this Saturday for the North End Family Morning, where you'll find fun for the whole family! From 10-11am, parents can join Dan Barry of De Fabrica Therapeutic Massage for a crash course in relaxation, and kids can learn the freshest hip hop choreography with Eric Quiñones of ThoroEnergy. The whole family is invited to join storytellers Agostino Arts from 11am-noon. The Green Street After School program will sponsor visual arts projects throughout the day. This event is presented in collaboration with the Connecticut Humanities Council, the Erin Street Community Garden and the North End Action Team. Best of all, this event is FREE.
Help your writing blossom and come to Writer's Out Loud: Literary Open Mic on Thursday evening, April 8th! Readings are limited to prose short stories or excerpts less than 10 minutes. Open mic sign up begins at 6:30pm; readings begin at 7:00pm.
Spring is also the perfect time to undertake new endeavors, which is why we have launched our brand new blog so you can stay up to date and informed on all that is happening at Green Street. Check it out for the latest photos and highlights from our programs, students, Membership partners, classes and events and more!
NEAT is starting a College Mentoring program and we're looking for high school Juniors. As part of the program, we'll be hosting, in partnership with Wesleyan's Upward Bound program, a FREE 8 week SAT Prep course that will help students increase their schores on the SAT. Additionally, students can opt in to the college mentoring program and have help with the college application process. Call or email NEAT for more information. 860-346-4845 or neat@neatmiddletown.org
Sneaker recycling starts again on April 1st, 2010. Because of changes at the National Recycling Coalition this program will ONLY be offered April 1st – May 1st, so don’t miss out!!
Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 6th at 7 pm at Middletown High School, the Board of Education will be holding a public hearing and will cast the final vote on the redistricting of Middletown elementary schools. If you'd like to learn more, please call the NEAT office or email us. If you feel strongly about any of these recommendations, it's important to let the board know.
Click here to read more at Courant.com
