ForWard 01.30.22
Upcoming Events
Jan 18 - Feb 18, 2022
Support the Student Council Book Drive
Weds, Feb 2, 2022
Winter Walk and Roll to School Day
Thurs, Feb 3, 2022
District ELPAC Meeting
Tues, Feb 8, 2022
Pedestrian Safety Training (Grades 2-5). Volunteers Still Needed
Thurs, Feb 10, 2022
Pedestrian Safety Training (Grades 2-5). Volunteers Still needed.
Thurs, Feb 17, 2022
Winter PTO Meeting with Dr. Fleishman and School Committee Members
News
Our Blue Zone is feeling Blue
Tip of the week - BE PATIENT. The rush of the blue zone can often cause tensions to run high. Timing is not exact, things may be different than they appear and mistakes will happen - we can always treat each other (and our amazing school staff out there helping to keep kids safe) with kindness and patience though.
NPS COVID Testing Policies Change - Sign Up Required
A reminder that NPS has adjusted testing protocols and sign up is required!
This new weekly at-home rapid antigen test is for ALL students PreK-12+ (vaccinated and unvaccinated.) All families need to “opt-in” to this new testing program. The previous consent form will not apply. Access the Opt-in form through your Aspen parent/guardian account. https://aspen.newton.k12.ma.us/aspen/logon.do
Lost and Found
Winter temps just mean more gear to lose at school! Please check out the updated lost and found on our website and claim your items!
Winter Walk and Roll to School
This week! Warm up with a walk this winter. We’re cheering on students who walk, bike, bus or roll to school with our annual Winter Walk. Be a part of the excitement together with schools from all over Massachusetts and throughout the world and join us on Wednesday, February 2nd! Walking & Rolling to school enhances safety around our school building, is environmentally friendly and provides a great social and physical outlet to start the day! Resolve to walk and roll as you are able in 2022.
February District ELPAC (English Language Parent Advisory Council) Meeting
The English Language Parent Advisory Council will hold its next meeting on Thursday, February 3, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. ELPAC supports ELL families districtwide and collaborates with schools and districts to improve the ELL programming. Meetings are held every other month. Interpreters and/or same language groups are provided with RSVP by January 31, 2022. The February 3, 2022 meeting topics are: Newton Free Library Resources & ACCESS Testing.
RSVP to the meeting here.
Once you RSVP, you will be sent a Zoom link to attend the meeting virtually.
Safe Routes to School Pedestrian Safety Training: Volunteers Needed!
All students in grades 2-5 will participate in Pedestrian Safety Training this February. Trainings will be led by Massachusetts Safe Routes to School but we need a couple of parent volunteers for each training too. Ideally we are looking for parents who are interested in supporting children but also learning from SRTS representatives so that we can continue to offer trainings on our own at Ward in years to come. Volunteers are needed on two dates: Tuesday February 8th and Thursday February 10th (weather dependent as these will be held outdoors). Email copresidents@wardpto.org for more information and/or to sign up to join us!
Winter PTO Meeting
Please mark your calendars for our Winter PTO Meeting on Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 7PM on Zoom. We will be joined by Mrs. Brogadir, Superintendent Dr. Fleishman and members of the Newton School Community. We will hear from them and also have an opportunity for live questions and answers across any topics that may interest you. Don’t miss this important meeting!
We will use the following Zoom link:
https://newton-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/2039139153
Meeting ID: 203 913 9153
Passcode: Ward2022
One tap mobile
+525568269800,,2039139153#,,,,*40275179# Mexico
+525586596001,,2039139153#,,,,*40275179# Mexico
Interpretation For Families:
Interpretation for this meeting can be available. Please complete this Google form at least three days before the meeting if you require interpretation.
NCE Winter and Spring Offerings at Ward School
Newton Community Ed will be offering new classes at Ward this winter and spring! For more information and/or to get registration information please contact Anna Ford McKeown of Newton Community Education at mckeowna@newton.k12.ma.us or visit https://www2.newtoncommunityed.org/registration/.
Winter offerings include:
Spring offerings include:
Ward is fortunate to have a site coordinator to assist with the transition from the end of the day to the beginning of class. The site coordinator handles this completely and no one has to come and pick up their child/children in the interim time period. There is, however, no lunch period or snack time, but kids can have a water bottle in the class for sipping.
Community Notes & Announcements
Ivy Math Offering Ward Students FREE Math Catch-up Classes
Free Math Help Due to Covid-19: If your child in grades 3-8 is currently missing school or has missed class at all this school year because of Covid-19, the amazing instructors at IvyMath will gladly spend a couple of weeks helping them get caught up with math - for FREE! Maybe your child missed a lesson, or needs help with their at-home assignments. Maybe they were already struggling and now feel even more frustrated and confused. We will help!
There are no strings attached to this offer, just the promise of math help. Simply fill out this form (https://form.jotform.com/220165460461145) and we'll be in touch very soon. Our instructors are great at math and excellent at working with kids. We are confident they can help your child stay on top of math this year.
For more info, email info@ivymath.com.
Empow Studios Enrolling Now for School Vacation and Summer STEM Classes
At Empow Studios, kids have fun exploring all that STEM includes, finding their passion, and accelerating their learning. With classes and camps across five STEM domains – Digital Art & Design, Minecraft, Coding, Robotics, and Video Game Design — kids deepen their technology skills as they build amazing beginner to advanced projects.
Empow Studios is honored to be trusted by more than 150 educational and enrichment organizations that support STEM programs. We’ve won more awards than any other STEM after school program or camp provider in Massachusetts!
We offer many programs including BUILD After School Classes, One Day School’s Out Camps when kids have days off of school, Vacation Camps during February and April vacation and of course, Summer Camps.
Visit our website today: https://empow.me/
Center Street Food Pantry Kids Club Bags
As some of you know, the Center Street Food Pantry distributes around 100 Kids Club bags to families with children under 18 each time the Pantry is open. In an effort to better manage the influx of bags, we are asking for help. It would be most helpful if bags could be dropped off on Mondays, as our distribution day is Tuesday. Of course, we can accommodate you any time if Mondays are not convenient.
The bags should be doubled bagged with handles and contain:
1 jar jam/jelly
2 boxes mac n’ cheese
1 box of cereal
1 six-pack of applesauce or fruit cups
2 packs of cereal/granola bars
1 large bag of pretzels/chips
The items are also listed on our website. If your school is interested in participating in this great project, please sign up here.
Deborah Elliott will get back to you to confirm a drop-off date and answer any questions. You can also contact her directly at kidsclub@centrestfoodpantry.org.
Repurpose Unwanted Home Goods
Do you have gently used or new household items doing you no good? Please consider donating blenders, toasters, queen and king bedding, pots, pans, dishes, cooking utensils, silverware, towels and other basic household necessities. Welcome Home in Newton Centre collects home goods and redistributes them, at no cost, to people who need them. Please be sure your items are clean and not rusty, torn, stained, chipped or broken before donation.
Please contact us to schedule a dropoff appointment or make a request for items at www.welcomehomemass.org.
Stem Enrichment Program Spring Semester
Our names are Yuen Ler Chow and Elena Su, and we are current freshmen at Harvard and MIT. We are the co-founders of the Greater Boston STEM Program (gbSTEM), an enrichment program that delivers free introductory computer science, math, and engineering courses to elementary and middle school students in the Greater Boston area. Since March 2020, our team of dedicated high school volunteers have brought free lessons to over 600 Massachusetts youth. Classes will be held through Zoom, and we pride ourselves in our innovative curriculum and collaboration-based learning model.
We are delighted to announce that we will be offering a spring semester of gbSTEM to Ward students, which will run from March 14th to December 12th, 2022!
The registration deadline is March 6th, 2022.
Information about our program and the registration form can be found at our website: https://gbstem.org
If you have any questions, please contact gbstemprogram@gmail.com. We are so excited to work with your family this fall!
See more Community Notes at https://newtonptocouncil.org/community/