Interest Groups

Community Volunteers

Wednesday 16th November, 10:00 a.m
June's home
All welcome, call for directions and to confirm

Co-conveners: Ann G. & Jaime E.

The Community Volunteers are well into the plans for the year, with lots of on going activities that your help with would be gladly received. We are presently knitting scarves for the girls at Naomi Centre for in the Santa Bags. Extra knitters would be wonderful as we are only halfway to the final number. Naomi Centre’s Supper Club (the donated meal, two people prepare for twelve) is covered for the month of November. December has openings yet, call Ann or Jaime to volunteer.

We are making Christmas for a needy family again this year, and will be getting a family of three. The actual family will not be assigned until the first part of November. At the November Social we will have the sign up sheets for their wish list, as well as the cash donation box for the groceries. This is a great way to share with a less fortunate family and to get us in the Christmas spirit. The committee is hoping to organize a table of Newcomers at the Festival of the Trees. It is on December 1st at the Delta Hotel, tickets a $100.00 with a tax receipt for $50.00. If you are interested in attending, call us and we’ll be glad to have you join us. We also plan to help with the bagging of the trees for transport the day after the event. Anyone able to help this way please let us know.

Naomi Centre Supper Club Schedule:

November 14th
Mhorag
Andrea A.

November 28th
Basia
Mary-Ellen

December 12th looking for volunteers

Book Notes
November 8th, 9:30am
Mary-Ellen’s home
Book: We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Co-conveners: Mary & Roberta

October’s Review

We read a non-fiction book called The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes. Bryan Sykes is a well-known research geneticist and a professor of human genetics at the University of Oxford. In his research, Sykes traces back the genetic “beginning” of Europe through the mitochondrial DNA. This particular DNA molecule is passed down through the maternal line (both sons and daughters will inherit this DNA from their mother only). Sykes uses this knowledge to trace the genetic makeup all the way back to seven prehistoric women. Sykes was successful in taking a very complicated subject and presenting it in a fashion that can be understood by the lay person. Although this is classified as non-fiction, Sykes takes the liberty of embellishment at the end of the book when he is describing the seven women and their social situations. Our club gave this book a rating of 6 out of 10. Some comments from the group were: “enjoyed it”, “really liked it”, “author excited about his research, but didn’t find it credible”, “liked it, but expectations not met”.

Thank you Roberta for hosting the meeting.

Other Recommended Reading: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier


Winter Walkers

Convener: Peggy T.

Come along to the MUN gymnasium and join the walkers each Thursday morning at 9 am. We usually walk for an hour, do some sit ups, and occasionally lift some weights, depending on who is there. It costs two dollars to use the WORKS facility track and parking off Elizabeth Avenue is free. Call Peggy for info at any time.
Don't miss out on exercise....no excuses, just do it!


Out To Lunch

18th November 12 noon Our next luncheon will be at Mickey Quinn's Restaurant in the Delta Hotel. After a relaxing lunch we will view the Christmas Trees. (For details see Festival of Trees on p.2) RSVP by Nov. 16th. Any questions ladies give me a call or email me: Millie F.


Couples’ Activities
Convener: Andrea D.

There were 15 of us for the potluck dinner evening and a good time was had by all. The food was delicious; many thanks to the cooks. I was hoping to book dinner theatre for November but weekends are sold out. December is too busy for most people to commit to another evening out, so we won’t meet again until January. I will try to book Spirit of Newfoundland Dinner Theatre for late January. Any suggestions you have are appreciated.

Hi Tea

This month's First Wednesday Coffee will be held at 1 p.m. in the picturesque community of St. Philips at the equally beautiful new home of long time member June . Everyone is welcome to join us for a cup of warm brew, to chat about the day's events and of course, look out the windows and enjoy the view! Please let June know you are coming. We always have an enjoyable time at Hi Tea, so bring your friends.

Newcomers Tennis

Fridays, 9-11 a.m. Greenbelt Tennis Club 114 Newtown Road
Conveners: Sandi F. & Roberta

If you are interested in playing social tennis with the Newcomers’ group, meet us Fridays at 9am for a warm-up, playing or lesson from 9:30-10:30. Usually we have a coffee after our session. All level of players are welcome. For more information contact either Sandi or Roberta co-conveners of Tennis.

Computer Group

Check your email for the upcoming venues. Dates can be found in the calendar at the back of the newsletter. Questions? Contact Pia.

Film Group

Our next meeting time will be the regular one of the last Wednesday evening in the month - Wed. 30th. This will be at the Avalon cinemas, more specifically, close to the top of the escalators, at 6:30. Films can be reviewed at the Empire Theatres web site - or turn up and see!

I also have a schedule for the MUN cinema series of which I have seen one film so far. It was the most beautiful film I have seen for a couple of years! I can copy this if requested, it is also available at www.mun.ca/cinema. There are 6 more of these non-mainstream films for the year. The tickets are $8 and you must get there at 6pm in order to secure a seat! ( 7-9 pm screenings). Screening weekly. Please direct confirmations to Basia if you intend to meet the group for Wednesday, 30th. November. Thank you. See you soon ! Karen

Games Night

Friday night November 4th at 7 pm will be the SECOND big games night! Mary-Ellen will host this month's wild and wacky girls' night out event! Bring a favorite beverage and play hostess' choice games for the evening. Good fun for everyone! Please RSVP to Mary-Ellen , so she'll know how many chairs to put round the table! All are welcome.

Gardener’s Forum

For all those who love to rejuvenate in gardening mode. There are quite a few of us so make yourself known, share your interest and find out how it’s done in N.L! This is a group for pooling information, contacts and sources. Get on the list to hear about open gardens in the summer and lunches in the winter! Please contact Karen P.

Get Together Crafts

The craft group is meeting every Thursday morning from 9 – 12 in the Sobey’s store on Topsail Road (just past the Village Mall). Under the expert guidance of Andrea we finished the rag quilt for the Festival of Trees Silent Auction, it turned out very nice. Thank you to all who participated in this project. We are looking at some group projects for the coming months, if you are interested in any of our projects, feel welcome to join us, we welcome everyone, you do not need to be “member” of the group to drop by!
Jaime

Bible Study

Convener: Marie H.

Very informal discussions about spiritual matters. If I call myself a Christian, what does that look like on a day to day basis? Call Marie for dates and place. Time is usually 10 am.

Atlantic Jingle Bell Walk

The Arthritis Society is getting ready for the 11th Annual North Atlantic Jingle Bell Walk and Run for Arthritis. The event is being held throughout the province in several communities and is a fun way to show your support for The Arthritis Society. Collect pledges, get a great t-shirt, tie Jingle Bells to your shoes and come walk or run 1 km to 5 km to support arthritis programs and services throughout this province. Lets make some noise and raise arthritis awareness.

Click

here

for details

October Social

Last Monday about 27 newcomers gathered at the Stagehead in Quidi Vidi to listen to our guest speaker from the

Cancer Society

There are many ways to become involved in a meaningful way in our community. The Cancer Society does wonderful work and offers us many ways to volunteer, that suite our personallity. The Newcomers' Community Volunteers also mentioned other organizations that need volunteers, like the Naomi House, a transitional home for young women, or the literacy organizations:

The Laubach Society

Teachers On Wheels

One way our community volunteers raise funds is through the book table. You donate gently used books and the volunteers will set up the book table and collect 1$ for each book purchased.

We also enjoyed coffee and sweets and a friendly chat.




Nothing escapes Basia's decorating gift.
Thanks to everyone, who helped organizing this event.

Book Notes Selection for November

Our November Book will be

We need to talk about Kevin

by

Lionel Shriver

.

Read an interview with the author in

Three Monkeys Online

Join us for a morning of coffee and discussion at 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday, 8th November at Mary Ellen's house.



By the way, the author of October's book "The seven daughters of Eve" Bryan Sykes offers DNA analysis for genealogic purposes on the website of his company

Oxford Ancestors

Special showing - films on Nfld, Labrador and Battle Harbour

There will be a special showing of documentary films about Labrador and Newfoundland:
"Voices from the Sea" is a 40 minute documentary from the 1960s on the origins of Newfoundlanders. Dr. Joe McGuinnes is narrator.
Two shorter (5-10 minute) films will also be shown: one is about Labrador and Battle Harbour and one is the new marketing video for Battle Harbour.

Date: Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Time: 8:00 pm
Place: Hampton Hall, Marine Institute, 155 Ridge Road
Attendance: Open to the General Public

This gathering is, in part, a follow-up to the Labrador Fishery Legacy Workshop that was held in Battle Harbour this past August.

The evening will be hosted by Gordon Slade, member of the Battle Harbour Historic Trust.

Book Notes October - Change of venue !!!

We will NOT be meeting at Mary-Ellen's but at Roberta's home. Check your email for directions.

Hi Tea

The first Hi Tea on Wednesday was well attended. Many new ladies made it to the meeting and we all enjoyed a relaxing cup of tea/coffee, goodies and most important of all a nice chat.












Thanks go to our lovely hostess Peggy.

October Message from The President

Welcome to the 2005-2006 Newcomers’ Club! This year is off to a great start! Our kick-off meeting was well attended. If you did not have the opportunity to get to the meeting, you missed a good one! A special howdy to our newest members. We know the Club will provide some sunshine during the next few months. Please call any of the Executive members if you need anything. Our motto is that a smile and a willingness to help out a stranger makes for a happy place to call home! It is NOT too late to join. Please send your renewal form from last month’s Signal, with a cheque for $25 made payable to The Newcomers Club of St. John’s to Karen . You must be a current member to participate in the activities. So, join today. Also, we encourage you ALL to get an email service so the Signal can get to you electronically. We try to do most of our correspondence in this manner, so please let the Membership and Telephone Chairs know your email addresses.

Now let’s think about the October social. This month we’ll have our meeting at 9.30am on Monday 17th October at the Stagehead Restaurant at Quidi Vidi village. We will, as usual, have plenty of time to chitchat, enjoy some refreshments, and hear about interesting activities from around our wonderful area. I believe there will be a speaker from the Cancer Society, so don’t hesitate to call Gaye and let her know you’ll be coming. Remember, we collect $5 to cover the cost of the meeting, so don’t forget your cash. Please join us for this monthly social. The contact is important, especially during the winter months when the weather turns dreary. Enjoy the sunshine for the next few weeks, and I hope to see you ALL, out and about enjoying the activities our Club and fine city have to offer. See you at the Hi Tea on October 5th, then on the 17th at the monthly social. Until then……… keep smiling!

PEGGY TAYLOR

October Announcements

Message from the 2nd Vice- President

Hope you have all had a wonderful summer, I know I have. I survived 2 months of taxiing children and entertaining or visiting friends and family and now its time for me! Newcomers organize a number of special interest groups each year, offering the opportunity to socialize and make new friends in a small, relaxed environment while pursuing your individual interests or developing new ones. Since moving here 2 years ago, I have taken up tennis for the first time; played a little golf; hiked much of the Avalon; read/discussed many books (good and bad); enjoyed couples dinners, preparing and sharing various ethnic cuisines; met new friends for lunch and/ or for a movie night, learned the infamous game of Pokeeno and so much more…….all because I joined Newcomers and got involved! I welcome you to come up with ideas for and/or offers to lead new interest groups at any time during the year. Sign up sheets will be available at all of our social meetings So look for them or call me, just make sure You get involved. Mary-Ellen, 2nd VP .

Executive Meeting

The next Executive meeting will take place on Wednesday 12th October and will be held at Gaye’s home at 9.30.

Around Town

• Fall Craft and Art Fair, Sunday October 9th at the Holiday Inn

• Christmas at the Glacier
October 19th-23rd at the Glacier

• Deck the Halls Craft and Art Fair, November 13th

• Santa's Craft and Art Fair, November 23rd

Newsletter deadline for the November newsletter issue will be Monday, 24th October.

Reminder

Membership fees are now due. They must be received in order to participate in Club activities and receive this newsletter.

See President’s Message for details.

Welcome Tea/ Coffee

This month’s Hi Tea will be hosted by the Executive, and will serve as the Welcome Coffee for the newest and potential members. Please come along for a cup of tea or coffee and take the opportunity to meet members of the Executive along with other new/ potential members. If you know someone new to St. John’s who might be interested in learning more about Newcomers, do please invite them along too.

The Welcome Tea/ Coffee will be held at Peggy 's home on October 5th. We look forward to seeing you there!


“October Social Meeting”

Date: Monday, 17th October 2005
Venue:

Stage Head Restaurant

(downstairs room)
Time: 9:30 am
Cost:$5.00 per person
RSVP: Gaye on or before Friday 14th October (for catering purposes)

The guest speaker for our October Social is from the Canadian Cancer Society. This Society is a national, community-based organization of volunteers, whose mission is the eradication of cancer and the enhancement of the quality of life of people living with cancer. The Newcomers Club participates in many of the Cancer Societies’ activities with volunteers and participation in their events. In the last year we took part in the Relay for Life, the Festival of Trees and the Daffodil campaign; all great events that were organized by the local Cancer society.

October Interest Groups

BOOK NOTES
When: 11th October, 9.30am
Where: Mary-Ellen’s home
Book:

The Seven Daughters of Eve

Bryan Sykes

Co-convenors:
Mary
Roberta

September’s Review
Our September book was The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory. The story takes place in England, starting in the winter of 1553. Pursued by the Inquisition, Hannah Green, a fourteen- year-old Jewish girl is forced to flee Spain with her father. This young woman is caught in the rivalry between Queen Mary and her half sister, Elizabeth. Hannah must find her true destiny and choose between the safe life of a commoner and the dangerous intrigues of the royal family that are inextricably bound up in her own yearnings and desires. Our book group unanimously enjoyed this book. We rated it a 9 out of 10 overall! Comments about the book included: “great read”, “well developed characters – just loved Hannah ‘the fool’ and Will’s character”, “loved the history of the time period , would have liked even more historical information”.
Thank you, Gaye, for hosting our meeting.

COUPLES ACTIVITY
Convenor: Andrea D.
Pot Luck Dinner and Gathering
When: Friday October 21st, 7:30pm
Where: Andrea and Keith's home

Enjoy an evening of great food, fine wine and lively conversation. All Newcomers and their partners are welcome to this relaxed and informal social evening. Catch up with old friends and meet some new ones. If your other half is out of town, grab a friend or come on your own. Hope to see a good crowd. Please RSVP to Andrea.


BIBLE STUDY
Convenor:
Marie
Where: consult newsletter
When: Wedneday, October 5th & 12th
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Study: Very informal discussions about spiritual matters. If I call myself a Christian, what does that look like on a day to day basis?


GET TOGETHER CRAFTS
Convenor:
Jaime
When: Thursday mornings 9-noon
Where: Sobey’s Community Room
Topsail Road

Already in full swing, the craft group is meeting every Thursday morning from 9 – 12 in the Sobeys store on Topsail Road (just past the Village Mall). At this moment we are all doing our own crafts (or just come in for a chat and coffee), but later on we will work on projects of interest to the group. We welcome everyone, you do not need to be “member” of the group to drop by!

Our first “group” project will be a quilt that we will donate to the Festival of Trees Silent Auction. In the past years members of our Craft group have personally donated crafts to the Silent Auction for the Cancer Society, we thought it would be nice to work together on a project for the Silent Auction this year. Andrea has volunteered to gather the materials needed, and we hope that many of you will help us make this quilt a reality. You can help us in two ways; first is by working on the quilt on Thursday mornings, the second way is to donate some money towards the materials of the quilt. We estimate that the materials will be in the range of $80- $100 for the quilt. Give Jaime a call or Email if you want to be part of this project!


OUT TO LUNCH
Convenor:
Millie
When: 12 noon Friday 21st October
Where: Peter Belbin’s Steakhouse & Salad Bar, 223 Duckworth St.

We try to have our lunch the third Friday of every month. Sometimes we hook a wonderful place and then sometimes we don’t! We have no set rules. Eat, Drink and be Merry. Everyone is most welcome. If you wish to come to lunch this October, please reserve your place by contacting Millie by Oct. 18th.

GOLF GANG
Convenor:
Marie Hanni

As you look out your windows most mornings, there can be little doubt as to why our days of golf are numbered. We are still hopeful for a few more rounds once the hurricane rains stop and just before the snow begins to fly. Every fall we try to play on Dec. 1st and we have been successful for 3 years running!

In January and February we will be hitting the odd bucket of balls at D’Angelo’s and then on to Chapters for coffee and a chat. In early spring we will take lessons or a clinic or two. Meanwhile, practice putting on the living room rug and try chipping over the chairs with a light ball. It’s that short game that really counts!!!


COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS
Co-convenors:
Ann
Jaime
When: Wednesday 19th October
Where: Jaime’s Home

The Community Volunteers started the year with the Relay for Life, a team of 10 members of the Newcomers Club participated in this 12 hour relay. It was a wonderful event and thanks to the indoor location this year, we stayed dry all night! The event raised $80,000 in St. John’s for the Canadian Cancer Society.

We want to welcome all members to the Community Volunteer interest group; you can become part of the interest group or just participate in events as they come up. It is a great way to get connected to St. John’s volunteer community and at the same time make some new friends.

Our ongoing project is the Naomi Centre Dinner Club; once every two weeks on Monday night, we cook dinner for this centre for girls at risk. If you want to know more about this, please contact Jaime or Ann or sign up at our next Social meeting in October.

Naomi Centre Dinner Schedule: As you see, we still have a few spots to be filled this month, give us a call if you can fill any of these spots!

October 3 Roberta
Andrea D.

October 17 Looking for volunteer
Looking for volunteer

October 31 June
Looking for volunteer

Win a Quilt and Support the Library
As a fundraising project the St. John’s Library Board is holding a ticket draw for a reversible quilt, hand stitched by Marjorie Coleman-Sadd of the Cabot Quilters’ Guild. The size of the quilt is approximately 6’x7’ and is valued at $800.00. Pictures of this beautiful quilt and tickets will be available at the October general meeting. Ticket prices are $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00 and proceeds support the materials and programs of the Public Libraries. Your support for this project would be greatly appreciated


WINTER WALKERS
Convenor:
Peggy

Winter walkers will begin at 9.30 September 29. We meet at The Works gym at MUN off Elizabeth Avenue. Cost $2 to use the track. Please wear clean walking shoes. We will continue to meet each Thursday through the winter! Same time. Same station!
Happy walking!



NEWCOMER TENNIS

Co-convenors:
Sandi
Roberta
Well the new year of Newcomers officially got underway on September 19th with a fabulous turnout at the Gallery. Now, following on from that, you may or may not be aware of the Newcomer Tennis Group. It is a group established to encourage Newcomer members to get together for a social hit and/ or lesson followed by coffee. Of course we have members of all different skill levels, but please don’t feel that you can’t join it – we welcome one and all!

We play at the Greenbelt Tennis Club (a facility with 6 indoor courts and 4 outdoor courts) every Friday morning year round.
Whilst the Club is mostly for members only, they do run clinics and lessons for both members and non-members. So the Newcomer group, in conjunction with the Greenbelt Tennis Club, have been able to arrange a private Clinic (if we have enough people interested) to help new players, or returning players who may or may not be members, learn more about the game and develop their skills. The clinic would run for 10 weeks and the cost would vary depending on numbers, but we anticipate it being in the vicinity of $10 - $25 per week. In addition to this, those Newcomers who are members of the Club may opt not to do
the Clinic but would like to come down for the social hit – we can organise that too!

So having said that, please feel free to drop either Sandie or Roberta an email or give them a call and let them know if you would be interested in joining the group this year – they would love to have you come along!


Brush Up Your Computer Skills
Convenor: Pia
Whether you are interested in getting started with using a computer, or want to know more about MS Word, or learn a bit about computer maintenance or how to surf the web or how to organize digital photos, this group is for you. We will meet in small groups according to skills and interests - hopefully with a few computers or laptops at hand. Some of you have already signed up at the September Social. I will contact all interested in a week from now to set up our first meeting.


Friday Adventure Touring Group
Also known as the Walkie-Talkie-Munchie Group. This is not a Newcomers’ interest group, but open to anyone who wishes to take part. It is a wonderful way to get to know
St .John’s and the surrounding areas. The group meets every Friday morning at 10 a.m. in the lobby of the Holiday Inn, Portugal Cove Road, next to the kiosk. If you are interested, please, mail Elizabeth.


GAMES NIGHT
Convenor:
Peggy

The first Games Night will be held on Friday, October 7th at 7pm at Gaye’s home.. We'll play Chicken Foot or cards, depending on the number of ladies present. Please RSVP to Gaye. Come casual.

October Welcome & Farewell!

We would like to extend a very warm welcome to all the new members who have joined Newcomers this month, including

Andrea A., Heather B., Moira D., Gail G., Dorothea H., Keri McGrath, Marlene R., Mhorag R. and Margaret K..

To our friends who are leaving, we wish you the best of luck for a new start, wherever you may go.