ForWard 9.5.21
Upcoming Events
Thursday, Sept. 9 at 8:10am
First Day of School
Thursday, Sept. 9 at 8:30am
Principal/PTO Coffee
Please join us under the tents on Ward Field for a first day of school coffee! Meet the PTO leadership as well as Principal Brogadir, greet old friends, and celebrate the start of a new year.
Monday, Sept. 13 from 5:30-7:00
Fall Family Picnic
The Fall Family Picnic will include pizza and games for all and is a great chance to gather with new and old friends.
Thursday, October 7 at 7:30pm on Zoom
Fall PTO Meeting
Agenda items to include the annual budget and the annual calendar of events. All are welcome and encouraged to attend!
News
Principal and PTO Coffee
Immediately after drop-off on the first day of school, join us for a cup of coffee and greetings from Mrs. Brogadir: Thursday, September 9th at 8:30 AM at the tents.
Fall Family Picnic
An evening not to be missed! The Fall Family Picnic will include pizza and games for all and is a great chance to gather with new and old friends. Want to help out? We will need help with selling Ward t-shirts, giving out pizza and more on the night of the event. Reach out to zlatenas@gmail.com if you can lend a hand. Monday, September 13th 5:30-7:00 PM, Ward Field.
A Note from PTO METCO Rep
My name is Jonathon Leib and I am excited to serve as the Ward PTO METCO representative for the 2021-2022 school year. We moved to Newton in January of 2021 and the Ward community made the mid-year transition for our family extremely easy. We are thrilled to be part of such an inclusive school and I look forward to doing what I can to welcome new and returning METCO families to Ward. Please feel free to contact me any time: jonleib@gmail.com.
Parent Handbook 2021-2022
The Ward PTO Parent Handbook is live and updated for the new year! It’s available on our website under the “Your PTO” heading in the navigation bar. There is useful and important information for both new and returning families!
Directory
The Ward School PTO Family Directory is hosted online at Membership Toolkit. The access is free and it can be used by all Ward families. The directory is run and funded by the PTO thanks to your support! It can be found online at wardpto.membershiptoolkit.com. The online platform is a secure and easy to use tool that organizes contact information from all Ward families unless they specifically opt out. It is a convenient, environmentally conscious system that can be updated throughout the school year.
Please confirm that your information is correct and up-to-date. Most families already have an email associated with the online directory, but if there is a problem please contact Sarah Lenz at directory@wardpto.org.
STEP 1: Review the Parent/Family and then Student Information. Most of this information should already be available. Please just confirm it is correct. Or add new contact information.
STEP 2: Complete the Directory/Publish Preferences.
Note: Once the Primary Account is set up, the Primary User can “invite” other email addresses to access his/her account. This allows the Secondary User to have their own login information, but still have access to the family account.
For Families new to Ward School - primarily families who have a student starting Kindergarten but other grades as well!:
Login as NEW USER, and create a new account
Click “Verify my email” and then check your email for a link to complete the process. The link expires in 2 hours. If you do not receive the email, check your spam or junk folders. Once you have verified your email address, log back in and finish the registration process.
STEP 1: Complete the Parent/Family and then Student Information.
STEP 2: Complete the Directory/Publish Preferences.
Note: Once the Primary Account is set up, the Primary User can “invite” other email addresses to access his/her account. This allows the Secondary User to have their own login information, but still have access to the family account.
Volunteers Needed
It truly takes a village and the PTO is expanding ours. We have lots of opportunities for parents/guardians whether you have time each week or just an hour or two over the entire school year - let us help match you up with the right position. Email Caitlin and Susan at copresidents@wardpto.org or plan to stick around after the first day coffee to learn more. A listing of open roles and descriptions is available in the parent handbook which is available on our website under the “Your PTO” heading in the navigation bar.
Community Notes & Announcements
Attention Kindergarten and 1st Grade Families: Story Starters registration is open
Story Starters is enrolling families with 3- to 8-year-olds to participate in our fall 8-week program. Our program is designed for parents who want to start and strengthen conversations about race with their young children. Story Starters gives families age-appropriate tools and skills to have meaningful conversations about race and racism. Story Starters families learn from educators, racial justice advocates, and each other.
Our program provides families with:
A bundle of 6 books
5 parent guides full of research, resources, and family activities to help parents start and deepen family race conversations
4 curated book lists to support further exploration and conversation
2 family events and 2 parent workshops
A vibrant community of families seeking to make an impact in their homes and beyond
Local playground meet-ups to facilitate community connections
The program kickoff is October 3rd from 5:00-6:00pm. For additional program dates and details, visit: www.story-starters.org/program
Newton-based IvyMath: Is your child ready for math this year?
IvyMath offers private online math coaching, enrichment & tutoring for students in grades 3-8. Our current back-to-school promotion includes a FREE math assessment and 6 FREE, private, math sessions. At IvyMath your child will work 1-on-1 in focused, 30 minute sessions with fun and engaging math instructors. IvyMath is the best way to make sure your child has a mastery of basic math fundamentals and gets a head start on more advanced concepts. Get started by scheduling a FREE online assessment for your child. We’ll talk through your child’s strengths and weaknesses with you and set up a plan just for them, starting with six free sessions. Contact us at info@ivymath.com to schedule your free assessment! Or sign up now at ivymath.com.
Register now for the Tour de Newton bike ride – Sept 19th
Tour de Newton is Newton's very own family-friendly biking event, is back for 2021! The 9th annual Tour de Newton will take place on Sunday, September 19th starting at 9AM. Registrations by 9/1 pay early-bird rates: $10 child, $15 adult, under 3 FREE. Register now at https://www.bikereg.com/tour-de-newton2021.
Newton Kindergarten Soccer
Registration is now open for the fall season of Newton Kindergarten Soccer. The fall program is for children entering kindergarten in the 2021-2022 school year. The games will be played at Oak Hill Middle School on Saturday mornings beginning September 11th. To be eligible, children must live or attend school in Newton, including private schools. The cost is $90 through August 27th. To find out more or to register, please visit our website: http://kindergartensoccer.org/. Note: If you’re interested, email newtonkindergartensoccer@gmail.com as soon as possible as it is likely to fill up very soon.
Japanese Language and Culture program (JLC)
Hello! My name is Karina Peak, and I am a senior at The Winsor School. I am also the co-founder of Boston Sakura Kids (https://bostonsakurakids.wixsite.com/website), a volunteer-based organization dedicated to fostering cultural awareness through the Japanese and English language and culture. Since our founding in July 2020, we have served 150 students in the Greater Boston area, providing over 500 hours of live instruction. Our program is aimed at kids ages 3-12 who are interested in learning more about Japan. No prior experience is necessary, and our program is entirely free. It will start on Tuesday, September 14, and run for eleven weeks. Registration is open until September 10 via this Google form.