ForWard 4.20.25
From the Co-Presidents:
We have made it to April vacation! Whether you are here for the week or traveling, we hope you have a chance to enjoy it. It's wild to think that there will be less than two months left in the school year when we return. We are gearing up for another busy end to the school year, so please be sure to save the date for all the upcoming events on our calendar.
Earlier this week, you should have received an email and a paper invitation for the Mystery Dinner on Saturday, May 10th. This is a true highlight of the school year, and we hope you can all join us for this fantastic community event and fundraiser. Tickets can be purchased here until May 1st. We are still looking for a couple more dinner hosts for a dinner party of 8-15 people. For more information or to sign up, look at our website or email our incredible Mystery Dinner chairs, Betsy Blazar and Emily Derr.
NPS Budget Update…
We are committed to keeping our Ward community apprised of the current status of the School Budget. As a reminder, there continues to be a gap between the Mayor’s allocation and the budget that the School Committee passed. Frustratingly, the Mayor has allocated additional funds that match the total amount in the Level Services + Budget. However, the Mayor has indicated that this $2.5 million can only be used for building projects. We desperately need the Mayor to change this and allocate this additional funding to the operating budget so that cuts do not need to be made. As a reminder, you can read this page on our website for more information and resources.
Thank you to the parents from our Ward community who attended Thursday night’s City Council Committee Hearing on the NPS Schools Budget. The meeting lasted over three hours and didn’t end until after 10 PM. The room was completely packed and overflowing, and seeing so many people from the broader Newton community come out in support of our schools was uplifting. Please save the date for a follow-up City Council meeting on May 8th, as there were still more questions from City Councilors and discussion to be had. The Mayor has yet to present her official budget to the City Councilors, but should be doing that on Tuesday, April 22nd. We will share more information and updates as we have them.
Thank you to everyone who has sent emails, made phone calls, and shown up in person. Our presence and pressure are important, and it’s clear that the City Council is listening and largely supports Superintendent Nolin and the School Committee’s passed budget. If you haven’t already, we encourage the following steps
1. Attend a School Committee Meeting on April 30 or the City Council Meeting on May 8.
2. Write or call the City Council to express your support for the Superintendent’s Proposed Budget and urge them to approve it.
3. Write or call the Mayor to advocate for an increased allocation to Newton Public Schools to support the Superintendent’s Proposed Budget.
4. Talk to your neighbors and friends, especially those without students in the Newton Public Schools. Only 30% of Newton voters have children enrolled at NPS, and many who don’t have students may not be aware of this issue.
Your involvement is crucial!
As always, please email us anytime at copresidents@wardpto.org with your ideas, questions, concerns, or ways we can help.
- Elizabeth Loehr + Elizabeth Weinberg, Ward PTO Co-Presidents 2024-26
Please Join Us for Ward School’s Mystery Dinner
The most fun you’ll ever have as an elementary school parent/caregiver! (This is an adults-only event.)
6:00 pm - Appetizers at the home of Elizabeth and Jon Loehr
8:00 pm - Dinner
9:30 pm - Dessert Party
We are looking for host families to make this night a success! Please visit our website for more information or to volunteer to host. Or email us with any questions about what this fun, adults-only community event and fundraiser entails. This is THE event of the year. Please save the date and get those babysitters lined up!! Thank you in advance to Betsy Blazar and Emily Derr for leading this incredible event!
SAVE THE DATE!
All parents and guardians are invited to a PTO Coffee with Mr. Tugwell focusing on online safety.
Friday, May 9 at 8:30 am at Ward School.
Ward Community Day (Sponsored by NewtonSERVES)
Ward Community Day (Sponsored by NewtonSERVES) is May 4! It is an AMAZING event where Ward families work to clean and beautify our school grounds. It is a great way for students and families to give back, meet other families, and make a difference! This is a fun family event; we need our entire community to help! Past efforts at Ward have included clearing debris and spreading mulch, trimming branches, tidying flower beds, and adding new plantings.
This event is sponsored by NewtonServes, an annual citywide event focusing on building community through the clean-up and “greening” of public spaces. This one-day event spans many sites in Newton, and the Ward school grounds are a designated site. If you have any questions, please email us at copresidents@wardpto.org. We are so thankful for our incredible volunteers, Jessie Jackson and Mary Jo Sisk, who are chairing this event!
Story Starters at Ward
We are hoping to offer a Story Starters program at Ward Elementary in Fall 2025. This is an incredibly meaningful program that helps families have conversations with their young kids about race and racism, using picture books as tools. The goal is to help kids become comfortable with their own and others' identities, and be mindful of how to create a more just world.
Because this is a family program, events will be scheduled when parents can participate. The two in-person family events last about 90 minutes and will be scheduled either on weekends or other times when parents can be available. The two online parent workshops will take place on weekday evenings and are also 90 minutes.
Interested in joining the program? Please fill out this form. If you have any questions, reach out to elizabethweinberg@wardpto.org
Register Now for Kindergarten 2025-26 - Don’t Delay:
Please fill out your kindergarten form as soon as possible! To join the kindergarten class in September 2025, your child must turn five years old on or before August 31, 2025. It is essential that you log on to the REGISTRATION GATEWAY now to register your child for the 2025-26 school year!
Without this information, we cannot include you in all of the related upcoming events and scheduling, and plan for classrooms for the fall!
For more information about the kindergarten registration process, please click HERE. And feel free to contact Ms. Tempesta at 617.559.6450 directly with any questions or concerns.
Ward Community Member Highlight
Raising Readers: What Every Parent Deserves to Know
We wanted to share this wonderful Substack post by Katie Megrain about how to help children thrive as readers. She has a 1st grader at Ward, and is an educator and literacy leader.
Read her article here
Upcoming Creative Arts and Sciences (CAS) Programming:
May 5th - 3rd Grade: Origamido
May 21st - 4th Grade: Mitali Perkins
June 6th - 3rd & 5th Grade: Techsploration
Volunteers Needed
Ward Community Day (Sponsored by NewtonSERVES), May 4: We are so grateful for Mary Jo Sisk and Jessie Jackson, who volunteered to lead this amazing event! Please save this date to your calendar so you can join Ward families in helping clean up and beautify our school. Whether you have an hour to spare or a whole afternoon, we need as many hands as possible to help. Bring your whole family; everyone is invited! For more information, check out the NewtonSERVES website or email elizabethweinberg@wardpto.org with any questions.
Ward Color Day, June 4: Color Day is held during the school day, and kids are assigned to one of three teams: red, green, or blue. They are encouraged to come to school on Color Day proudly representing their team colors (t-shirts, socks, colored hairspray, etc.). Teams then spend the day playing field games such as a water balloon toss and three-legged races. It's great to see everyone building camaraderie with their teammates and cheering each other on.
Parent volunteers are the glue that makes this event a success. Volunteers help lead and/or oversee pre-organized games in which our kids compete by team color. Volunteers may also be asked to help at the water tent or provide general assistance to Ms. Pargoli.
Please help make this day a success by volunteering! We encourage you to consider helping for the entire morning; otherwise, select the time slot that suits your schedule. Keep the day open if you can, and we will have a signup list available soon!
Please be sure your CORI form is up to date!
Attention 5th Grade Parents: Would you like to see some more great events for your Bigelow students in the next school year? Volunteering with the PTO can enhance your student’s middle school experience while meeting other parents and building a stronger school connection.
It is time to start to planning for the 2025-26 school year! We are actively recruiting for several positions that will be open next year as 8th grade families move on from Bigelow. Now is the ideal time to volunteer as overlap with current volunteers will make for an easy transition. In particular, we would like to identify volunteers for the following:
President/Co-President Lead and support the team, preside over PTO meetings, serve as primary contact and representative of the PTO.Communications/Website Send weekly PTO newsletters and other communications. Maintain PTO website. **Training available from current volunteer!**
In addition to the positions highlighted above, there are many other ways to get involved in the PTO. Please email bigelowbulldog@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering or learning more about any of the opportunities to become involved with the Bigelow PTO. Co-volunteers welcome!
Upcoming Event Highlights
Tanglewood Marionettes presents: Sleeping Beauty
Tickets are on sale now for a spectacular production of the classic story Sleeping Beauty on Friday, April 25, at 11 a.m. This classic tale is told by wooden marionette puppets brought to life by the artistic talents of Peter and Anne Schaefer—Tanglewood Marionettes. Tickets are on sale now at www.newtonmarec.com (click Show Tix then Ticket Sales). Tickets are $10 per person in advance or $15 at the door if seats are available; admission is free for children under 12 months who sit on an adult’s lap.
Tanglewood Marionettes is a nationally touring marionette company whose unique productions have been seen by hundreds of thousands of children and families across the country. Don’t miss the beautifully hand-crafted marionettes, colorful sets, and integrated lighting and sound that create a fully immersive theatrical experience for audiences of all ages.
This event is brought to you by Newton Cultural Development. There is a limited number of tickets available for families with financial need through the Newton Arts Pass program. Email culture@newtonma.gov or call 617-796-1540 with questions.
Newton Community Education Classes! Are you looking for fun and enriching activities for your child after school? NCE has two classes that will take place at Ward:
Check out their full schedule here!
Newton’s S.P.A.C.E. (Summer Program for Academic and Creative Endeavors)
Newton’s S.P.A.C.E. is a four-week summer enrichment program run by the Newton Public Schools from July 7th through July 31st. Students entering kindergarten through 9th grade in the Fall of 2025 are eligible to attend. We offer two programs - an upper camp (entering 5th-9th grade) and a lower camp (entering kindergarten- 4th grade).
LOWER CAMP - Campers are assigned to age-appropriate classes taught by two licensed teachers. Teachers create project-based activities that focus on the theme of the lower camp. Last summer, the theme was “Summer Olympics”. Campers learned about the history, countries, cultures, and sports of the Olympics. Lower Campers will also attend various specials throughout the week led by certified staff, which include Physical Education, Yoga/Minfulness, Art and Science classes.
UPPER CAMP - Campers will create their own schedules by choosing from a variety of electives to design their own camp program. Elective choices include studio and digital arts, performing arts, athletics, STEM, music, and language arts classes.
Check out the S.P.A.C.E.website for more information or REGISTER NOW!
Questions?SPACE@newton.k12.ma.us
LigerBoxes: A STEAM Extravaganza with the LigerBots!
Ever wondered how to make magnetic slime, tie-dye milk or a robotic arm? In this fun and engaging class developed and led by members of the LigerBots, Newton's award-winning high school robotics team, get ready to explore chemistry and physics properties, conduct labs with friends, and gain a better understanding of the world we live in all through STEAM activities! Register here!
Students are welcome to join us for one, or both weeks- no prior experience or knowledge is necessary!
Grades 3-6
Angier Elementary School
August 11-15, 2025 from 9:00-12:00 pm
August 18-22, 2025 from 9:00-12:00 pm
Please reach out to Sarah Housman, Summer Program Coordinator at NCE with any questions: housmans@newton.k12.ma.us.
Newton Girls Softball: Registration is OPEN for the 2025 spring season of Newton Girls Softball. We are a warm, welcoming community open to grades K-8 for any girl interested in playing softball. Any skill level is welcome, so if you are a new (or returning) player, sign up today! Register at www.newtongirlssoftball.org. Questions? Please contact info@newtongirlssoftball.org.
Newton Girls Lacrosse Registration has been dedicated to providing Newton lacrosse players and their families a community based developmental lacrosse program since 1999. The program delivers a fun, safe and inclusive youth sports environment. The goal of this instructional program is to teach our players sportsmanship, lacrosse skills, core lacrosse elements (attacking, defending, transition) as well as to provide a space for building new friendships with players from across Newton. Our program is open to players in grades 1-8. Please note, our program offers financial assistance to families that have a need for some financial support. Before you register please email ngl.program@gmail.com and the Program Director will follow up with you. A large part of our program relies on parent coaching volunteers. We will train you! If you would like to coach with us we offer a 50% Discount on one child's registration. Use 2025COACH at checkout.
Newton Youth Lacrosse Spring 2025 Registration. Learn to play North America’s oldest team sport and the fastest game on two feet! Newton Youth Lacrosse 2025 season registration is now open! NYL is a town-based program teaching and playing boys' lacrosse. We field teams at Grades 1/2, 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8. NO PRIOR LACROSSE EXPERIENCE is NECESSARY – we welcome new players at EVERY level! Our season runs from March through early June, with practices twice a week with volunteer and professional coaches and games on Sundays against local towns.
Learn more about our program and the sport of lacrosse on our website and follow us on Instagram at @newtonlax !
Please contact us with any questions about the program or to be connected with a current NYL parent: registrar@newtonyouthlacrosse.com
Ward Community Day (Sponsored by NewtonSERVES) is May 4. This is an AMAZING event where Ward families work to clean and beautify our school grounds. It is truly a great way for students and families to give back, meet other families, and make a difference!
Please reach out to us by emailing copresidents@wardpto.org