From the Co-Presidents:

It has been truly wonderful to see our community come together during the month of September. Our first big event of the year, the Ward PTO Fall Picnic, was such a magical evening and it wouldn’t have happened without the help of our many volunteers. Special thanks to Katie Megrian for organizing everything! Thank you Cuicui Chen, Helen Huang, Mary Jo Sisk, and Becca Brogadir for helping with serving pizza. We also loved seeing so many of you at Back to School Night last week and we know the teachers enjoyed getting the chance to meet and speak with each of you.

Potluck season has begun, with Emily Derr and Brent Markus kicking it off with the fourth grade this past Friday - thank you! We have also officially found potluck hosts for every grade level! Amazing! We are so appreciative of our hosts for their generosity in opening up their homes to this community.

Get ready for two more big events coming up next month: 1) The Fall Spooktacular on October 20 and 2) the Ward Fun Run, which also doubles as a fundraiser, on October 24. Please read below for more information about these events and how to participate.

As PTO presidents, we want to best represent you and our school community. We would so appreciate you taking a few minutes to complete this brief survey to help us plan and prioritize. As always, please email us at copresidents@wardpto.org with any ideas, questions, concerns, or ways we can help.

- Elizabeth Loehr + Elizabeth Weinberg, Ward PTO Co-Presidents 2024-26

The Fun Run is Back!

The 3rd Annual Ward Fun Run is officially back thanks to the amazing work of Penny Ismay and Lexi Sullivan. While the event will happen during school hours at 9am on Thursday, October 24, fundraising starts now! If you are a returning Ward family, you can login here with your credentials and click “add to event”; if you did not register your child(ren) last year or are new to Ward please register here. All students are welcome to participate in this fun community event regardless of fundraising or registration and will receive a 2024 Fun Run t-shirt.

What are we raising funds for? Any donations will be put towards our Creative Arts and Sciences (CAS) programming which brings three in-person learning experiences (authors visits, Mass Audubon, The Discovery Museum, for example) to each grade level. We’re hoping to reach our fundraising goal of $13,000 that would cover the cost of our CAS expenses and accounts for 15-20% of our PTO budget.

Do you have/work for a local business that wants to support Ward? New this year, we are seeking sponsors. This event is a highlight of the school year for students, faculty, families and neighbors. The Fun Run has two important goals: build community AND raise critical funds for school programming. As with all events, the Fun Run costs money to host (t-shirts, decor, prizes, web site, etc). We are seeking sponsors to help us cover the event costs so that all money raised can go towards our Ward students!

The Ask: $250 (or more) from your business (tax deductible donation)
The Return: Your logo advertised (with gratitude) at the Fun Run AND on the back of every fun run t-shirt....that's close to 300 t-shirts that are then worn over and over again all around town and beyond! PLUS - you get the priceless feel good benefit of helping out Ward.
When: For printing purposes, all sponsors MUST be secured by Friday September 27th at the latest.
Please contact Caitlin Cusick (caitcusick@gmail.com) with questions and/or to offer your support. Also, spread the word locally....we are aiming to get at least 6 sponsors for this event and we could use your help!

For more information and answers to FAQs, please go to the Events page on our website.

To volunteer, see below or sign up here.

Questions about the Fun Run? Please contact Penny Ismay (Bea’s Mom, 4M) or ismay@bc.edu or Lexi Sullivan (Jojo, 4M + Aug’s, 1C) mom at lexilee180@gmail.com.

Upcoming Event Highlight

Boston College Women's Soccer vs. Florida State (Wear Pink Night) - Saturday 10/12 at 7PM: Join us for an exciting "Night Under the Lights!" as we cheer on Boston College, pink clothing optional. It's a perfect opportunity to come together as a community, enjoy some fall soccer, and connect with fellow Ward families. Dress accordingly and we hope to see you there. Address: 885 Centre Street, Newton, (behind the law school on Boston College's Newton Campus). Free Entrance and Free Parking. No tickets required. See you there!
Fall Spooktacular - Sunday 10/20 from 2-4PM: We encourage your kids (and you!!) to wear your costumes and meet us on the playground to celebrate together. Interested in being a part of this fun event? See Volunteer Opportunities below for more information or sign up here. Many thanks to Kerry Reynolds for her creativity bringing this event to life.
PTO/Principal Coffee - Monday 10/21 from 8:30AM-9:30AM: We are looking forward to this opportunity to focus on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) at Ward. What is SEL? What does it look like at Ward? We will be joined by Principal Becca Brogadir, Social Worker Erin Byrne, School Psychologist Meghan O’Brien, SEL Interventionist Megan Power and Nurse Deana Salameh. We hope to see you there!
Fun Run - Thursday 10/24 at 9am: Click here for more information and to read FAQs. Questions? Email Penny Ismay at ismay@bc.edu or Lexi Sullivan at lexilee180@gmail.com.

Volunteer Opportunities

Thanks to all our volunteers. We couldn’t do any of this without you!!

Fall Spooktacular: Do you have a chili recipe you love? Do you love to face paint or do temporary tattoos? Have a fun game you want to set up? Or maybe you just want to bring the hot chocolate :) Please sign up here and help us make this fun event possible.
Fun Run: We’re looking for volunteers on the morning of Thursday, October 24 to help set up, pass out water, give high fives and take photos! We always love seeing so many parents show up for this event. Thanks for being a part of this fun event!

Story Starters

Thanks to a generous grant from Newton Schools Foundation, Ward will be hosting a Ward community specific opportunity: Story Starters– Family Conversations.

Story Starters uses children’s literature to help caregivers preempt racial bias in their children ages 3-8, and increase their own comfort and skill in talking about race. Along with a curated set of books, families receive research-based tools and strategies to support family conversations, strengthen adult-child connections, and build empathy for others. For registration, please sign up by clicking on the following link.

Community Highlight - SEPAC

WHAT IS SEPAC?

Does your child have an IEP or 504 plan? Are you interested in getting support services for your child? Then you need to know about the Newton Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) at NewtonSEPAC.org.

We are a volunteer organization of parents of children with special needs from preschool through high school. We run an online forum where parents and caregivers can ask each other about special education programs, issues, policies and resources both within and outside of the public school system. We work directly with the school administration regarding our children’s special education through our school liaisons, meetings with the Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, and by attending Newton School Committee meetings.

We hold monthly board meetings that are open to all families whose dates and Zoom links are listed on our website NewtonSEPAC.org under the "Meetings" tab. In the meantime, you can join our "Newton SEPAC" Google Group by clicking on the link on our website. On this online forum, you can post any questions or concerns about anything related to your child with special needs. We also use this group to publicize local/online presentations and conferences as well as DESE policy updates.

Other ways to contact the SEPAC:

Email: Info@NewtonSEPAC.org

Facebook: Newton Special Education Parents - SEPAC

SEPAC AT WARD

As the SEPAC Liaison for Ward, my role is to answer any questions and discuss any concerns about your child's special education services and evaluations at Ward. As a SEPAC member, I can also help with any issues outside of NPS relating to your child's disability including private therapies and evaluations, community resources, and social opportunities. You can always contact me directly for more information about the SEPAC or with any questions or concerns about your child:

Tabatha Flores, tabflores@gmail.com

New IEP Form Workshop Series by the Federation for Children with Special Needs

October 7 and October 28 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Introduction to the New IEP Form, October 7, 2024
6:00-7:30pm
Review and understand the new IEP form and understand why changes to the form were made.

Crafting Effective Student/Parent Concerns, October 28, 2024
6:00-7:30pm
Student/Parent Concerns is an opportunity to have your concerns included and addressed in the IEP. You should carefully draft your concerns in writing in preparation for the IEP meeting. Let’s look at some of the steps involved.

Registration is for both presentations in this series. It is not necessary to register for each date separately.

The Federation for Children with Special Needs is funded by grants which require us to collect data. Our registration is confidential and used to ensure we are supporting all communities. We do not share personal information nor do we sell to third parties.

Click here to access the registration: https://fcsn.org/event/new-iep-form-workshop-series/