Give Kids a Smile Day

Friday, Jan 29, 2010 1:00pm  |  COMMENTS (1)

smile.jpgNext week, Friday, February 5, is Give Kids a Smile Day. Since starting in 2003, The New Jersey Dental Association has given almost $2.4 million in free dental services to children. Give Kids a Smile Day is meant to help the 1/3 of children in the U.S. with no dental insurance and to teach good dental hygiene.
Give Kids a Smile Day
Who: Children ages 12 and under who aren’t covered by dental insurance.
What: An annual day to help families provide dental care for their children.
Where:
Kindersmile Foundation, Upper Montclair – (973) 744-7003
Mountainside Hospital, Montclair – (973) 429-6887
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark – (973) 926-7642
UMDNJ-NJ Dental School, Newark – (973) 972-4710
When: Friday, February 5. All visits are by appointment ONLY.
Cost: Free. Download the parental consent form here.
I’m not sure if kids will smile sitting in the dental chair, but I know the free care will put a smile on parents’ faces.

Montclair Teen Heads to GRAMMYs

Friday, Jan 29, 2010 11:00am  |  COMMENTS (9)

Watching the GRAMMYs this Sunday? Montclair High School Senior Robin Baytas will be all eyes. But he’ll see rock stars from inside the Los Angeles Convention Center. Robin was selected for the highly competitive GRAMMY Jazz Ensemble. Not only did he score an all-expenses-paid, week-long trip to California, he also gets to perform on awards night, record a CD and put his name in for college scholarships.

He’s been playing the drums since he was 7, starting on African drums with bassist Reggie Workman and his wife Maya. Today, at 17, he’s been involved with NJPAC’s Jazz for Teens, the Litchfield Jazz Camp and MSU’s Jazz Connections Summer Program. He has performed with pros like Claudio Roditi, Mark Whitfield and Wycliffe Gordon, and Robin regularly does gigs around New Jersey and New York.
About the GRAMMYs, he added, “In my never-ending quest to better myself as a musician, winning this award will help me tremendously, and it is more than I could ever ask for,” he said.

He’s psyched to meet the country’s hottest musicians. To sweeten the prize, he headed to LA with his drummer pal, junior Evan Sherman from Millburn High School who was also accepted. “This is such a privilege, and I am immensely thankful for it,” Robin said.
See him playing Hello Dolly in Queens last year, below.

Moms Helping Haiti

Friday, Jan 29, 2010 9:00am  |  COMMENTS (1)

cadeaufamily.JPGMichelle Cadeau, a West Orange mom, was on vacation with her family when the earthquake struck Haiti. Having ties with the country, her husband is Haitian, Michelle immediately wanted to do something to help. She called her friends in West Orange and asked if they wanted to help. When she arrived back home, she held a meeting in her dining room and Heart Haiti was formed. They collected $4,000 in their first 4 days. “With children of our own we knew we had to help the children especially. So the donations we got together went to UNICEF’s relief fund.”, Michelle said.
Heart Haiti will hold a benefit tomorrow to raise money for their adopted village, Morency. The focus will be on clean water and education. They have partnered with LiquidWater, will be collecting clothing and shoes, and making care packages.
In addition to those efforts, Heart Haiti was contacted by Dr. Mark Reiger from the Orthopedic Center in Cedar Knolls, who asked for help finding host families. Morristown Memorial will bring children that were injured in the earthquake to the U.S. for medical care and surgery. The children need to be hosted before and after the surgery. So they need families willing to take in children in their home. If you are interested in being a host family, you need to meet the following requirements:

  • Willing to make a 2-3 month commitment and host 2-3 different children (not at a time though).
  • The family has to have one person home at all times.
  • Have an understanding of or speak Creole or French.

To attend the benefit and/or host a family, keep reading…

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Little Kids Do a Big Thing

Thursday, Jan 28, 2010 2:00pm  |  COMMENTS (1)

Books1.jpgThe Senior South Pre-K class at Park Street Academy learned all about Dr. Martin Luther King and the Day of Service. We (I’m one of their teachers) decided we would collect books to contribute to Hillside School’s collection for the MLK School in New Orleans and The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair’s Tutoring Program.
What I thought would be a small contribution turned out to be a huge collection of books. See how proud the students are above. They learned that a little effort can bring in big results.

Burgers and Bands: Help Out GRH’s Project Graduation

Thursday, Jan 28, 2010 1:00pm  |  COMMENTS (1)

fitzgeralds1928.jpgEnjoy a good meal and some live music with the family on Saturday, all while helping Glen Ridge High School’s Project Graduation.
Local musicians, students and parents will entertain with jazz, alternative rock, blues and more at Fitzgerald’s 1928 to raise money so the Seniors can have an awesome graduation night. There will be a discounted special menu for any students who eat lunch. Kids under 18-years-old can eat $5 wings or a $5 burger.
Burgers and Bands
Who: All ages
What: A fundraiser for GRH’s Project Graduation, which is an all-night alcohol-free party for graduating Seniors.
Where: Fitzgerald’s 1928, 13 Herman Street, Glen Ridge, NJ.
When: Saturday, January 30 from noon – 3 pm.
Cost: $5 for students / $10 for adults. Open to the public.

What Will Barbie Be Next?

Thursday, Jan 28, 2010 11:30am  |  COMMENTS (0)

Barbie_doll_modern.jpgLove her or hate her, Barbie is an American icon. She dumped Ken in 2004, turned 50 last year and has had over 120 careers; she’s been an astronaut, presidential candidate, professional gymnast, TV news reporter, and everything in between. Now Mattel wants you to choose her next career.
Vote for Barbie’s Next Career is the campaign and you can vote for the following careers:
1. Environmentalist
2. Surgeon
3. Architect
4. News Anchor
5. Computer Engineer
You and your kids can vote here, but first tell us how you want Barbie to earn her next paycheck in comments.

Today Was NOT a Snow Day, But Last Year Was

Thursday, Jan 28, 2010 10:39am  |  COMMENTS (0)

schoolclosing.JPGA tipster wrote in saying he googled “delayed opening NJ schools Montclair” this morning to see if there was a delayed opening. The first search result brought him to the Montclair School’s website saying January 28 was a snow day (see above). But it was from January 28, 2009. Apparently, Mother Nature hit us with snow on the very same day last year, but that time it was enough to close schools.
If you go directly to the Montclair School’s snow day announcement page, you will see that we didn’t get a snow day today, or a delayed opening. Just a very messy commute.

Mind if I Smoke?

Thursday, Jan 28, 2010 9:00am  |  COMMENTS (18)

200px-Avatar-Teaser-Poster.jpgEntry by Stacey Gill Dastis…
A fresh controversy has just premiered at box offices around the country. Should movies be rated R if they depict smoking or even mention cigarettes?
That’s what anti-smoking activists want, and they are taking on Avatar. Despite its titanic popularity, Avatar is stoking the flames of this debate and has gotten some audience members fired up about lighting up in a movie that’s rated PG-13 according to an article in the Sunday New York Times.
For all its moneymaking and record-breaking prowess, the film has managed to spark the ire of moviegoers with a single line. Sigourney Weaver’s character generates the heat when she searches for a cig. But it is, after all, her character that craves a smoke.
The movie doesn’t attempt to lure little kids into a lifetime of lung abuse. As its rating indicates, the film is made for young adults and adults. Are teenagers really incapable of viewing smoking? Yes, teenagers are impressionable and prone to dangerous behaviors, but if watching an actor play a role in which he or she takes a drag is all it takes to convince a teen to smoke, I’d venture previous problems were in play.

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Quiz Night to Benefit MHS Girl’s Basketball

Wednesday, Jan 27, 2010 3:00pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

Are you a fan of Jeopardy? Dream of being like Montclair’s Andrew Fechner? Then show off your knowledge of all things at the Quiz Night Fundraiser and support Montclair High School’s Girl’s Basketball Team.
Teams of six will compete against each other–don’t worry if you don’t have have 5 friends to bring along–they will team you up with others. In addition to playing, you will get dinner and refreshments and you will be supporting the girls.
Quiz Night Fundraiser
Who: Teens and adults who are full of facts.
What: A fundraiser to benefit MHS Girl’s Basketball.
Where: Athletic Furlong Field House, Essex Avenue, Montclair, NJ, 07042.
When: Friday, January 29 at 7 pm.
Cost: $15 per person. RSVP by emailing Dawn Fabbro here or by calling 973.744.5325.

This Week’s Highlights: January 27 – February 2

Wednesday, Jan 27, 2010 1:00pm  |  COMMENTS (0)

This week says goodbye to January and hello to February. Will Punxsutawny Phil give us news of spring? I hope so, but even if he sees his shadow and runs, Baristaville has plenty of indoor activities to keep your family busy. Check our calendar often. Here are this week’s highlights:
Play With Your Food
January 27
Head over to Whole Foods today for a food craft project.
See a Ballet
January 30
Verona Ballet will perform Snow Queen at SOPAC.
Bond With New Moms
February 1
A new Mommy & Me program starts at Shomrei Emunah today.

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