Community briefs 1/13

POST 2152, Clothing drive
VFW Post 2152 and the Ladies' Auxiliary is holding a clothing drive for the homeless veterans' shelter in Boston.
Bring in any unwanted jackets, shoes, shirts, pants, etc., in clean, wearable condition. Items must be dropped off before Jan. 24.

NOAM CHOMSKY, At Back Pages Books
Noam Chomsky will discuss local organizing and politics with Back Pages Books' owner Alex Green at Back Pages Books, 289 Moody St., on Friday, Jan. 16, 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 and space is limited.
E-mail tickets@backpagesbooks.com or call 781-209-0631 for tickets or information.

GORE PLACE, Brown Bag Thursdays
Gore Place, 52 Gore St., will offer a free, lunch-time introduction to the mansion called Brown Bag Thursdays at Gore Place. During these informal sessions, Thursdays, 12:30 to 1 p.m., from Jan. 15 through March 26, guests are encouraged to bring a lunch and hear stories of the mansion and life in America in the early 19th century. The talk will be followed by a walk through of the ground floor of the estate. Coffee and tea provided.
For more information, call 781-894-2798 or visit www.goreplace.org.

TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL, Kabbalah Alive!
Kabbalah Alive!, A Soul Journey into Tree of Life Mysticism, will be presented Sunday, Jan. 18, 1 to 4 p.m., at Temple Beth Israel, 25 Harvard St. It will be led by Rabbi Dr. Wayne Dosick & Ellen Kaufman Dosick, authors of ``20 Minute Kabbalah - The Daily Spiritual Practice That Brings You to God, Your Soul-Knowing, and Your Heart's Desire.'' Cost is $36 for members of B'nai Or and Temple Beth Israel; $45 for non-members; $54 at the door.
For more information or to register by credit card, contact Susan Raskin Abrams at 508-358-0299 or srabooks@aol.com.

ESL CLASSES, At WATCH
Registration for Beginner and Intermediate ESL Classes at WATCH CDC, 517 Moody St., is Wednesday, Jan. 14, 6 p.m. Interested students must attend this interview in order to be considered for class placement. Knowledge of English is not important, and Spanish speakers will be on hand. Following the interviews, a class lottery will be held on Jan. 21, 6 p.m. Approximately 25 students will be chosen for this session.
All levels of ESL Classes will run for 10 weeks on Mondays and Wednesdays, Jan. 26-April 1, 6 to 8 p.m. at the WATCH offices. The cost is $40 per student, which includes all course materials.
For more information, contact Liz Straghalis at 781-891-6689, Ext. 202, or liz@watchcdc.org.

SPRINGWELL, Personal Care Attendant
For seniors or individuals with a disability who need on-going support to continue living at home, Springwell's new Personal Care Attendant program could be the answer. The Program allows consumers to have control over the design and delivery of their own personal care services. With the help of Springwell staff, the individual (or a designated adult) hires, trains, and supervises a Personal Care Attendant who can assist with bathing, dressing, eating, mobility, toileting, range of motion exercises, and assistance with medication.
Springwell's PCA Program allows consumers and families to control who provides care and offers caregivers an opportunity to be compensated for the care they provide. Springwell provides support to program participants through individualized trainings and monthly home visits. Call 617-926-4100 or e-mail inforef@springwell.com for more information about eligibility and enrollment.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, Collecting pajamas
The Stanley and Plympton PTOs are collecting new or like new pajamas for PJ's Drive hosted by P.J. Axelsson of the Boston Bruins. These pajamas will go to Massachusetts children in need through Cradles to Crayons. If you would like to donate a pair of new or like new pajamas sizes birth through preteen, drop them off at Plympton Elementary, Farnsworth Street, Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The collection runs until Feb. 12.
For more information, contact Kim King at plymptonpto@yahoo.com or 781-799-2284.

LA LECHE LEAGUE, Breastfeeding ABC's
La Leche League of Waltham will meet Wednesday, Jan. 14, 10:30 a.m. to noon, at St. Mary's Religious Education Center, 30 Pond St. The meeting topic is The ABC's of Breastfeeding: A Journey Through the Alphabet of Breastfeeding Benefits, but other breastfeeding questions can be discussed.
The local La Leche League International Group's mission is to help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education, and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.
For more information on the Waltham meetings, contact Jennifer at 518-229-1684 or lactavistmomma@gmail.com, or Elizabeth at 978-318-9934 or LaLecheLibby@gmail.com.

KINDERGARTEN, Information, registration
Children who will be 5 years old on or before Aug. 31, 2009, are eligible to enter kindergarten in the Newton Public Schools in September 2009. Each Newton elementary school will hold a parent information night, the first Feb. 2, followed by a registration on a separate date. Parents who are new to Newton or who have not received notice regarding the kindergarten registration process should contact their neighborhood school, which can be found at the Newton Public Schools Web site at www.newton.k12.ma.us or by calling the Deputy Superintendent's, 617-559-6115, or the Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education, 617-559-6105.
At registration, a screening, required by Massachusetts Chapter 766 State Law, is given to each child who will be entering kindergarten. This screening is not used to determine if a child is ready for kindergarten. It is used only as a tool to provide local schools with information concerning any special learning needs a child might have before entering school.

ELIOT CHURCH, Chamber orchestra to perform
Kammerwerke Chamber Orchestra presents a free concert Sunday, Jan. 18, 3 p.m., at the Eliot Church, 474 Centre St. Conducted by Alan Pearlmutter, the program, Peaceful Romantics, will include works from Ravel, Pavane for a Dead Princess, Elgar, Serenade for Strings, Mahler, Adagietto from Symphony No. 5, Wagner, Siegfried Idyll, and Duparc, Aux Etoiles. Donations will be accepted.
For more information, contact David Castillo Gocher at 617-244-3639 or music@eliotchurch.org.

ALL NEWTON MUSIC SCHOOL, Chestnut Orchestra
The All Newton Music School's is seeking adult strings, wind, and brass musicians to join its Chestnut Orchestra. Auditions are not required and registration is ongoing. The group meets Thursdays, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., at All Newton Music School, 321 Chestnut St.
For information, call Maija Teigen at 617-527-4553, Ext 305, or visit www.allnewtonmusicschool.com, or Richard Kazimer at rkazimer@allnewtonmusicschool.com.

TEMPLE SHALOM, Shabbat Halleilu!
Temple Shalom's monthly musical Shabbat happening, Shabbat Halleilu!, is Friday, Jan. 16, 6:30 p.m., at 175 Temple St. Welcome Shabbat with the Shabbat Halleilu Band and a rousing service appropriate for all ages.
Call the Temple Office at 617-332-9550 for further information or visit www.templeshalom.org.

EPOCH, Israeli pianist
Classical pianist Eyran Katsenelenbogen will perform at EPOCH Assisted Living at Boylston Place, 615 Heath St., on Friday, Jan. 16, 3:30 p.m. Katsenelenbogen will perform popular jazz tunes, his own improvisations of famous ballet themes and holiday songs for EPOCH residents and guests. Katsenelenbogen was born in Israel, studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and has been a member of the faculty at the New England Conservatory of Music Preparatory School and School of Continuing Education in Boston since 1996.
For more information or to request a reservation, call Brizida Koci at 617-244-6400.

NEW ART CENTER, Opening Lines
The New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, announces, Opening Lines, an exhibit featuring 13 artists who investigate and display the line in its essential self, running through Feb. 22. The opening reception is Friday, Jan. 16, 6 to 8 p.m. The works selected for this exhibition explore the fundamental form, purpose, direction, character, and meaning of line. Line can be solid or fragmented, expansive or contractive, displayed in two dimensions or three. The artists explore these qualities of line and more through diverse materials including paint, wood, steel, fiber, iron nails, painters' tape, paper clips, even hair.
For more information and related events, contact Ceci Mendez at 617-964-3424 or cecimendez@newartcenter.org, or visit www.newartcenter.org.

ALEXANDER CHILDREN'S THEATRE, `Thoroughly Modern Millie'
The Alexander Children's Theatre School production of ``Thoroughly Modern Millie'' is Friday, Jan. 16, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 17, 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 18, 2 p.m., at Turtle Lane Playhouse, 385 Melrose St. Discounted tickets available for canned or boxed food donations.
For ticket reservations, call the box office at 617-244-0169 or visit www.acts1.org. For information on upcoming auditions and registration for the next production, ``Les Miserables,'' school edition, call 781-899-4467.