As shared in the January 2020 letter to the Underwood and Ward communities, the district is forming a task force to jointly address the future of both Underwood and Ward.
Facilitated by Eva Thompson, The Underwood-Ward Task Force will be comprised of the following members:
(3) Underwood staff
(3) Ward staff
(2) Underwood parents/guardians
(2) Ward parents/guardians
(2) School Committee members
(2) City Councilors
(2) Assistant Superintendents
Director of Planning NPS
City of Newton Building Commissioner
Purpose of the Task Force:
The Task Force is charged with presenting options to the School Committee and Superintendent Fleishman on the future of both school buildings by the end of the 2019-20 school year.
Meeting Dates and Location:
Wednesdays, 5:00-6:30: March 11 & 18, April 1 & 15, May 6 & 13 (June 8 -School Committee presentation) in Room 111, Education Center, 100 Walnut St., Newton.
Member Requirements:
Be present at each of the six meetings.
Be willing to work on a sub-committee during and between meetings to research, review and collate pertinent information.
This is our last attempt for Ward/Underwood Task Force volunteers. Please contact us ASAP if you are interested:
Walk, bike or bus to school on Friday March 6th! To keep some "spring" in your step as the seasons change, Safe Routes to School is sponsoring another raffle! All walkers, bikers and bussers will be entered for a chance to win one of two Coch Fitness Tracker Watches. Keep track of those steps as you commit to walking to school more often!
Save the Date:
Ward International Night is on April 16th!
We're calling out to all families to please consider hosting a booth representing a country - whether it's your native origin, a place you've lived in, or a part of the world that you're interested in or connected to. Your stories can provide a cultural lesson of celebrated diversity. This is a wonderful opportunity for our children to learn about countries, cultures and customs beyond their own.
Please use the sign-up sheet below to select a country or a role to pitch in:
The Annual Art Show will take place on May 20, 2020 from 5-6:30pm.
If you are interested in framing art work (this can be done from home!), or helping with setup or takedown, please email Betsy Blazar at betsy@blazardesignstudio.com
Lost and Found
The Lost and Found is located in the school entrance foyer. Please have your child check for missing items or come in to school and check out the Lost and Found (after signing in at the office). Please consider writing your students name on sweaters, jackets, lunch boxes, water bottles, etc. Items not picked up will be donated every other month.
The pick up date will be 4/17/2020.
If you have any questions, please contact Sandra Kelley at skelley021@gmail.com.
Box Tops for Education
Box Tops for Education gives families an easy way to earn cash for their school, with products they already buy. The Box Tops program has changed and now you can scan your store receipt (within 14 days of purchase) with the Box Tops mobile app to identify participating products and instantly add cash to Ward's earnings. Participating products have phased out the Box Tops for clipping and will now just have the Box Tops logo indicating that they are a participating product. Currently, while the old clippable Box Tops are being phased out, the program is still accepting clipped coupons. If you purchase a product that has a clippable Box Top you can both scan your receipt and clip the Box Top for double earnings.
A submission of clipped Box Tops will be sent in soon. Please send your clipped Box Tops to Ward this week and leave them in the Box Tops box on the desk in the lobby outside the office.
Did you know that you can follow Ward School on Twitter? If you have an account or plan to make one, follow us: @ward_elementary.
Make Money for Ward When You Shop on Amazon
Simply bookmark this new link and click it every time you want to shop on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zp3zZW
Qualifying purchases made through the Amazon.com link above result in a payback range of 4% - 8.5% on total purchases.
But you have to click the link EACH time you go to shop as the cookie expires after 24 hours.
The payout percentage Ward receives on purchases through the Amazon Associates program (using the link above) is much greater than the payout percentage received through the Amazon Smile program.
Josephine Bolling McCall is the author of The Penalty for Success: My Father was Lynched in Lowndes County, Alabama. Her presentation will focus on the story of how her father's success as a businessman in Alabama led to his lynching and how that impacts his descendants and the community even today. She will also provide updates on the Equal Justice Initiative's Legacy Museum and Lynching Memorial in Montgomery, both of which honor her father as one of many victims. McCall challenges her audience to rethink the reality of life for blacks in mid-20th-century rural South and to consider how prospects for children living in Lowndes County now might be improved, particularly through the promotion of literacy.
Ms. McCall will be bringing copies of her books for sale. We will also be collecting children's books, especially those that feature African American authors or characters, that will be distributed to public school children in Lowndes County, Alabama. (Click on this link for titles.) Donations instead of books can also be made out to The Elmore Bolling Foundation. This is a free event open to families. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
If you're looking for news about local educational and non-profit events, or services offered by local tutors, merchants, and other service providers, check out the Community Notes page maintained by the Newton PTO Council. Click here to link to their website, which you can search by category.
