FAMILY READ-IN
The Respect for Human Differences Committee is planning a Family Read-In for Thursday, March 7 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM.  The purpose of this event is to provide an opportunity for parents, students, and staff to reflect upon our human differences.   Using picture books as a vehicle for discussion, a facilitator will read a story aloud and lead a discussion about the message of the book.  Our PTO is taking orders for pizza that will be available prior to the event from 5:45 - 6:00 PM in the cafe.  By now, you should have received a flyer describing each book so that you can prioritize your selections for a book group and pre-order pizza.  You may also order pizza through the PTO web site under Read-In.  This is a family event you won't want to miss.

FAMILY MATHEMATICS/TECHNOLOGY NIGHT
This year, Family Mathematics/Technology Night will take place on Thursday, April 4, from 5:45 - 7:00 PM.  At this time, our students will demonstrate some of the daily activities from our curriculum.  Math activities will be available in classrooms at each grade level for students and parents to work on together.  You may also tour the building and share strategies with your child for our Estimation Week questions. Classrooms will also display examples of ways that students use technology to construct knowledge and communicate what they have learned.  There will be interactive opportunities to experience some of these activities.  In order to ensure safety for all students, please remember that you are responsible for supervising your child on this evening.

NO HOMEWORK ON MARCH 13
Newton Unplugged & Connected is a month long effort to encourage children to engaged in activities that do not require being "plugged in".  It is sponsored annually by the Child Abuse Prevention Program at the Newton Community Service Center. We will not be assigning homework on March 13 and encouraged students to explore some "unplugged" activities after school.  Visitwww.NCSCweb.org for the full calendar of events during March.
 

Audrey Parad Peller

Principal

John Ward Elementary School

10 Dolphin Road

Newton Centre, MA 02459

(617)559-6450

GOT BOOKS?

Donate your books to benefit the 5^th Grade Class.

 

All books welcome. Have books laying around that you've already read? Books your kids have outgrown? Cookbooks gathering dust in the kitchen? We'll put them to good use. The fifth grade will host a book sale March 12^th (election day) - come to purchase great books at reasonable prices all to benefit the 5^th grade.

 

Book donations can be left on the shelf in the foyer of Ward school. Thank you for your support.

 

Questions? Contact gail.fitzgerald@tufts.edu

 

Sneak Peek ~ April 6^th Spring Auction Items

Spring is in the air and the Ward Spring Auction on Saturday April 6th will soon be here! Keep your eyes open for invitations coming home with your children on March 1^st.

 

The response from our community has been incredible and we have assembled an irresistible list of goods, services, and experiences available for our live and silent auctions. Many of these items may be on your wish list for this summer and beyond. Take a look:

• A vacation home in Ireland for July 4th week - sleeps 10
• Kids camps at Beaver, Rivers, JCC, Babson, Camp Cody, All Newton Music School
• Red Sox and Patriots tickets
• One-of-a-kind signed drum head by Boston's own Aerosmith
• Principal for a day - priceless!
• Walt Disney World vacation including 6 nights at the Melia Orlando Suite Hotel and 4 1-day Disney hopper passes
• Signed Wes Welker Patriots jersey
• Private in-home dinner party for 10 prepared by renowned check Ken Oringer
   

***Upcoming Events***

 

Naomi Singer Read-In ~ March 7^th @ 5:45PM

Our Respect for Human Differences Committee will be holding our annual Naomi Singer Read In (named in honor of our former Literacy Specialist). Sign-up sheets are posted on the PTO website and also came home in folders before vacation week. Click here to sign-up online:www.wardpto.org/read-in

 

Your family is invited to join a small group discussion about a book with an important message. An optional pizza dinner is at 5:45PM at the Ward Dolphin Café and the program starts at 6PM. Sign-up sheets are due by Friday, March 1^st. A box for sign-up sheets is on the counter in the Ward Lobby. Contact Julia Johnston-Ketterer for volunteering (discussion leaders and bakers wanted) atjulia.jk@verizon.net or 617.244.1815.

 

PTO Meeting ~ March 8^th @ 8:45AM

Come to the Dolphin Cafe after drop off and hear about what's going on this spring at Ward!

 

CARe Committee Event ~ Early Release Thursday, March 14^th @ 12:30PM

Parents please sign up your child/ren for the March 14^th early release CARe Committee event. Sign up here. Please note this is limited to 15 participants. We will be planting spring bulbs for residents who live at Golda Meir in Newton. Hope you see you there!

 

International Night, Wednesday, March 20^th @ 5:30PM

International Night will be held on March 20^th from 5:30 to 7:30. This is a "Best of Ward" event. An opportunity to learn about many different cultures, there will be booths for more than 20 countries, activities for kids, performances and a pot luck dinner. Everyone is welcome to attend. We still need volunteers to help setup, during the event and to help clean up, if you are interested in volunteering for the event, contact Anna Olivella at olivellaferran@gmail.com or call 617.314.0087.

 

3^rd Grade Understanding Our Differences ~ Thursday, March 28^th @ 1:00PM

The 3rd Grade Understanding Our Differences Blindness and Low Vision Unit is scheduled for Thursday, March 28^th from 1:00pm - 3:00pm. Understanding Our Differences is a non-profit organization, working in partnership with the Newton Public Schools, to provide a unique and creative disability awareness program for all elementary school children. This program is taught by volunteers such as yourself and promotes inclusion, understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities and individual differences at our schools and in our community. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Alexandra Chakalis at alexandra.chakalis@yahoo.com.

 

 

 

Newton News and Events

 

Newton Youth Players: Newton Youth Players is delighted to announce the registration schedule for the Fall 2013 - Spring 2014 shows. The new location will be the War Memorial Auditorium at Newton City Hall!

  

Fall 2013: West Side Story - registration begins March 15 at 6am

Winter 2014: You're a Good Man Charlie Brown - registration begins April 1 at 6am

Spring 2014: Oliver! - registration begins May 1 at 6am

 

Please visit www.newtonyouthplayers.com for more information.

 

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Summer Overnight Music Camp: DARTS Pre-Applications Now Available

 

Information and pre-applications for the Boston Symphony Orchestra's popular summer overnight camp, DARTS (Days in the Arts) 2013 are now available from the music & visual art teachers at your child's school. All students currently in grades 5, 6, & 7 who have never attended DARTS are eligible to participate in Newton's designated time frame, Week 6, July 29-August 2, 2013.

 

The pre-application deadline is 4:00PM on Friday, March 15th. Fifteen (15) students will be selected by lottery to represent Newton at DARTS along with students from Boston, Beverly, Lanesborough, Sheffield, and Berkshire Hills. The cost to attend DARTS remains $500 for week jam-packed with arts instruction and arts excursions during the week.

 

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Community Farm Spring & Summer Programs: Newton Community Farm is pleased to announce our 2013 spring and summer education programs for youth and families!  

Children and families, join us for vacation week programs and other classes during the spring.   If you are looking for summer programs for your children (pre-school through grade 9), check out our popular offerings including Farm Sprouts, Little Diggers, Farmer in Training, and Socially Aware Young (SAY) Farmers. For high school students interested in farming and working outdoors, consider serving as a volunteer intern with our Farm Manager. Adults and older teens, join us to learn about gardening, cooking, or raising chickens!  

For more information about all of these programs, visit our website athttp://newtoncommunityfarm.org/education/ or download our 2013 Spring Education Brochure and 2013 Summer Programs flyer.   We hope to see you on the farm!

 

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Watertown Children's Theatre Announcements:

February 25 Spring Registration Opens

March 7 Spring Early Bird Deadline

March 15-17 The Pajama Game performances

March 21 Summer Early Bird Deadline

 

WCT Sheet Music Drive:

Do you have vocal sheet music you are no longer using?

Consider donating your old vocal sheet music or music books to WCT's Music Library!

Drop off any donations between 2 pm and 5 pm Tuesday - Friday.

Thanks for continuing to help us grow!

 

WCT Wish List:

As WCT continues to grow, there are some items that we'd love to have for our shop and office. If you have any of these items that you are not using, and you would like to donate them, please contact us!

• 1 18-volt cordless drill
• 1 socket set and ratchet handle
• 2 sets of Loc-bins
• 15-20 bin clips for Loc-bins
• 1 small heat gun
• c-clamps, squeeze clamps, pipe clamps
• laptop with working graphics card
• folding easels
• 25 or 50 ft tape measure
• large box fan
• portable sewing machine 

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Flute Concert: Magic Flutes Concert at the Waban Library Center, 1608 Beacon Street, Newton

Saturday, March 9, 2013, 11am

 

Magic Flutes is an ensemble of young flutists from Newton, Mass who study flute and ensemble performance with longtime Waban resident, Deborah Charness. On March 9, 2013 at 11am, they will present their 4th annual concert at Waban Library Center located at 1608 Beacon Street in Newton. For this performance, they will be joined by flutists Lynne Krayer-Luke, and Mindy Scharlin. Magic Flutes is named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Opera of the same name. Magic Flutes has performed at such venues as the Cartoon Festival in Symphony Hall, Boston, The Newton Free Library, Cabot Park Village, Russell's Garden Center, and Whole Foods Market. Coffee is provided by Starbucks of Waban Square, and refreshments by Whole Foods Market. Suggested donation is $5 per person, or $10 per family. All proceeds benefit the Waban Library Center (WLC). The WLC is staffed completely by volunteers and funded solely by private donations.

 

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Spiral Foundation Programs:

 

Don't miss the opportunity to join our exciting Spiral Foundation 2013 Symposium: Early Identification of SPD and Related Difficulties on March 22 - 23, 2013. We have something for everyone! Early Bird Rates End Friday March 1, 2013.

 

Interested in the identification of sensory integration and related problems in early childhood? Want information on cutting edge research and clinical applications as it applies to young children with SPD?

 

This is the course for you! Our lineup of expert and nationally known speakers will cover topics on mother-child interactions, effects of institutionalization, relationship of colic to sensory integration, infant cognition, early motor skill markers of autism, influence of prematurity on sensory processing and much, much more. Speakers include:

* Dr. Ed Tronick, developer of the still-face paradigm

* Dr. Karen Adolph, expert in development of motor affordances

* Dr. Margaret Bauman, autism expert

* Dr. David Lewkowicz, expert on infant cognition

For a complete list of speakers and topics, click here.

 

Do you work with young children, infants or toddlers? Then join us for our Pre-Conference Institute: Tools for Tots: Sensory Strategies for Toddlers and Preschoolers™ with world-wide known occupational therapist, Diana A. Henry, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA on Thursday, March 21.

 

Learn practical and fun treatment activities for sensory processing, self-regulation and motor skills that are suitable for implementing in home, school or clinic. This presentation is ideal for therapists, teachers and parents. For more information on the pre-conference course, click here.

 

Interested in research in the area of sensory integration? Want to know what is happening in SI and how you might be able to contribute? Interested in learning more about how to conduct research for evidence-based practice in sensory integration?

 

As a FREE event with your conference registration, you are invited to attend our post-conference open research forum on Sunday morning, March 24, 2013, from 8:30 to 12:00.

* Listen to researchers in sensory integration present their research projects and learn how they have implemented studies in a variety of settings and topics.

* Network with leading and novice researchers in sensory integration. Find out how you can contribute or learn more about evidence-based practice.

* Contribute to a discussion on the state of sensory integration research, discuss what is needed to move the field forward and support sensory integration!

 

Lastly, for fun, check out our vendors and join us for our wine and cheese open house Friday evening at the new state of the art facility, OTA The Koomar Center in Newton, MA! Help us celebrate with music, food and tours!

 

The symposium is just around the corner. You won't want to miss it!! Register soon to take advantage of early bird rates! For more information and registration click here!

  

ForWARD Submissions