SPECIAL NOTICE: Tea & Talk about Education - Wednesday, March 30, 3:30pm Carlisle Public School Corey Dining Room - The Carlisle School Committee and the Carlisle Public School Administration invite you to join them for Tea, Treats, and Talk about the Carlisle School and the state of education in Carlisle. Take this opportunity to reconnect (or connect for the first time) with the school and your neighbors. Topics for discussion include Effects of the Pandemic on Students; Special Education; Literacy; School Choice; and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. Questions are welcome during the Q & A session. A tour of the school will follow at approximately 5:15pm.
SPECIAL NOTICE: Poppy Project - DEADLINE: Midnight, April 14 - This year in conjunction with the Cultural Council the Poppy Project is holding an ideas competition for community input. It is very easy to participate, just send ideas, a sketch, or a marked-up photo to carlislepoppyproject@gmail.com. Link here for guidelines.
Monday, April 4 Garden Classes - Mondays April-June 10:00-11:30am Center Park - Friends of Center Park invite you to join Massachusetts Master Gardeners in a “hands-on and how-to” series of classes where creating and maintaining sun and shade gardens and landscapes will be discussed and demonstrated in a real garden setting rather than a classroom. Bring a chair to just sit nearby and observe, if you prefer, as the "hands-on" portion of this class is entirely optional. Dress for the weather, and bring garden gloves, your favorite bug repellent, hydration for yourself, and clippers if you have them. Two openings left. Call the COA 978-371-2895 to reserve your place as soon as possible.
Monday, April 4 Community Book Club - 10:30am via Zoom - What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver.Link here to register or call 978-369-4898 for more information.
Tuesday, April 5 Reading Poetry Anew - 10:00am-12:00pm via Zoom - This informal course, led by Mary Zoll, will include poetry readings and reactions, discussions of the patterns and techniques used in the poems, and perhaps some intellectual understanding of the poems. Link here to register.
Wednesday, April 6 Men’s Breakfast - 9:00am Town Hall Clark Room - Stop by, say hello, and sit down with your fellow gentlemen and friendly COA staff for FREE coffee and breakfast treats. To register call the COA 978-371-2895 by Monday, April 4.
Thursday, April 7 FREE Mindful Meditation - 4:00pm via Zoom; 6 sessions Thursdays thru May 12 - Many of us have stressful lives, and mindfulness is proven to have a positive impact on stress and anxiety. The classes are suitable for beginners as well as experienced meditators. Ed LeClair, a Concord resident and former Carlislean, has been a meditator for 30 years and has taught meditation classes since 1994. To register contact Linda Cavallo-Murphy, Program Manager, lcavallomurphy@carlislema.gov.
Tuesday, April 12 Virtual Art in Bloom - 10:00am via Zoom - Enjoy the beauty of The MFA’s Art in Bloom 2022 up close from home with an hour-long live virtual tour of gorgeous floral arrangements paired with the art that inspired them. Two guides - one an art expert, the other a floral expert - will describe each pairing. A lively Q&A will follow the tour. Once we are able to arrange the exact day/time, we will email you with this information. Please make sure we have your email address. Call the COA at 978-371-2895 to register for this virtual offering by Tuesday, April 5.
Wednesday, April 13 Ask a Lawyer - 9:30-11:30am Town Hall - Margaret A. Hoag, Attorney at Law of Eckel, Hoag & O’Connor, is offering free in-person 20-minute legal consultations for Carlisle 60+ residents on the following topics:
estate planning: wills, durable power of attorney, health care proxy, trusts (including reviewing existing documents)
Medicaid applications and eligibility
protecting assets from long term care
guardianship and conservatorship
protecting adult children with disabilities
applying for disability benefits
Call the COA 978-371-2895 for waitlist only.
Wednesday, April 13 Carlisle School 6th Grade Spaghetti Supper - 5:00-8:00pm Corey Dining Room - Link here for more details and tickets.
Wednesday, April 13 How to Achieve Better Sleep - 1:00pm hybrid (via Zoom or maximum of 25 people at the Library) - Join Dr. Kate Madden, a licensed clinical psychologist, to receive an understanding of the basic science of sleep, tips to improve sleep, and information about a specialized treatment for clinical insomnia. Dr. Madden is a graduate of the University of Hartford’s Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. This free lecture is sponsored by the Friends of the Carlisle Council on Aging & Friends of the Gleason Public Library. Call the Library 978-369-4898 or visit gleasonlibrary.org/events to register for this hybrid event.
Wednesday, April 13 Carlisle School 6th Grade Spaghetti Supper - 5:00-8:00pm Corey Dining Room - Link here for more details and tickets.
Tuesday, April 19 Rocky through Time - 1:00pm via Zoom - Take part in National Park Week with a virtual visit to the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in Colorado. A Park Ranger will explore how cumulative changes in wildlife, wildfires and visitation have impacted the Rocky Mountain National Park over the past 100 years. To register for this virtual visit and discussion, call the COA 978-371-2895 by Tuesday, April 12.
Wednesday, April 20 COA Lunch - Drive-thru Fire Station; Pick-up times by last name: A-M: 12:00-12:15pm, N-Z: 12:15-12:30 pm - April 4 is National Chicken Cordon Bleu Day. We will celebrate this blue-ribbon dish complimentary for Carlisle 60+ residents. Registration is required. Call the COA 978-371-2895 by Wednesday, April 13.
News You Can Use - NOTE: Make sure to open links in a new tab. Link here for information on:
Senior Tax Worker Program
AARP News on Healthy Heart and Brain Habits
Nutrition Notes - National Nutrition Month
This Week’s Calendar NOTE:Link here for the current Connections Newsletter. Most programs and exercise classes REQUIRE pre-registration; for details & information call COA 978-371-2895 unless otherwise noted.
12:45 Watercolor Studio Workshop - Until 2:45pm Brick Building, 97 School Street - Contact Holly Mansfield, Director of Carlisle Recreation, 978-369-9815 or hmansfield@carlislema.govfor information.
1:30 Balance and Agility - via Zoom
1:30 Bridge - 2:00pm if more convenient thru 4:00pm Town Hall - Call the COA to register before your 1st session, join in any time.
Tuesday, March 29
9:30 New England Quilt Museum - Van departs Congregational Church
10:30 Zumba - via Zoom
Wednesday, March 30
10:00 FREE Pilates Chair Classes - via Zoom - Offered by Kendra Thyne. To register or get more details link here or email kendrathynepilates@gmail.com.
11:00 Caregiver Support Group - Town Hall - Contact Carol Grueneich cgrueneich@carlislema.gov or 978-371-2895 if interested.
3:30 Tea & Talk about Education - Corey Dining Room
Thursday, March 31
8:45 Feel Good Yoga Group II - Brick Building 97 School Street
9:45 Fitness - via Zoom
10:45 Cardio Boost - via Zoom
2:00 Mah Jongg - until 4:00pm Town Hall
Friday, April 1
9:00 Market Basket - Call the COA transportation line 978-371-6690 by noon each Wednesday.
10:00 Partners in Rhyme - via Zoom - FULL - Email Patti Russo pattirusso317@gmail.com with questions.
1:00 Pilates Mat - 46 Concord Street - Offered by Kendra Thyne. To register or get more details link here or email kendrathynepilates@gmail.com.
3:00 French Conversation Group - Email questions to Daniel Metraux at danmet13@gmail.com
Local Area Events
Tuesday, March 29 A Conversation with Ornithologist Scott Edwards - 7:00pm via Zoom (or in person at the Concord Museum) - The Concord Museum presents Harvard professor and Curator of Ornithology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Scott Edwards, discussing his research on the processes that have generated biodiversity using birds as models to study patterns of speciation, biogeography, evolution of the genome, and the process of adaptation. Link here to register.
Thursday, March 31 Evaluating Your Support System - 10:30am via Zoom - One of a series of Senior-oriented programs presented by the Cambridge Public Library. Explore the unique considerations and planning needs of solo agers (an adult who, because of choice or circumstance, is without the family support structure of adult children or close family members.) Link here to register.
Thursday, March 31 Finding Beauty in a Broken World - 7:00pm via Zoom (or in person at the Concord Museum) - The Concord Museum presents Terry Tempest Williams, as she discusses her literary ancestors (Emerson, Thoreau, and Fuller) and her most recent essay collection, Erosion, in which she asks: "How do we find the strength to not look away from all that is breaking our hearts?" Link here to register.
Saturday, April 2 Music from the Library: American Brass Quartet - 7:30pm Concord Main Library - Join the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library for a FREE concert featuring American Brass Quintet performing works by Luca Marenzio, Jennifer Higdon, Nina C. Young, and Eric Ewazen. Link here to register.
Thursday, April 7Light Therapy & Holistic Approaches for Cognitive Impairment - 7:00pm via Zoom - Sponsored by Bridges by EPOCH & Massachusetts General Hospital - Dr. Paolo Cassano will discuss ongoing studies that explore light therapy for adults with mild cognitive impairment. Dr. Steven Arnold will cover natural and holistic remedies, dietary supplements and other alternative Alzheimer’s interventions. Link here to register.
To provide you with information that we hope will be helpful, interesting, or fun, we may sometimes include information from other organizations. Inclusion of this information in our mailings in no way constitutes endorsement by the COA or the Town of Carlisle.
Virtual Entertainment & Exercise - Link here for a comprehensive list of libraries, videos, games, exercise, learning, and activities on the COA website. If you have a favorite and it isn’t on the list, send email to Carol Grueneich cgrueneich@carlislema.gov to add.
Volunteer for the COA - Do you have some time that you might be available to volunteer? The Council on Aging can always use volunteers to deliver Meals on Wheels, help with programs, and so much more. If you have a talent and are willing share it (play music, sing, provide a lecture or program) or can help with any of the above, call the COA 978-371-2895 to discuss. COA Staff:
Director: Joan Ingersoll
Social Services Manager: Carol Grueneich
Program Manager: Linda Cavallo-Murphy Transportation & Office Manager: Myriam Fleurimond
COA Bits & Bytes Producer: Maxine Crowther
SHINE Counselor & Medical Equipment Volunteer: Clyde Kessel
