ForWard 05.15.22
Upcoming Events
Weds. May 18, 2022
5th Grade Pizza Sale! 12:20pm
Friday, May 20, 2022
Lost and Found Donation Day
Sunday May 22, 2022
Ward FORJ Picnic
POSTPONED Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Ward FORJ Discussion Meeting
Monday, June 13, 2022
End of Year Picnic
See all events on our Calendar
News
From the Co-Presidents
World travelers came together on Wednesday for a beautiful Ward International Night. It was a celebration of community, diversity, cultures and friendship and we are so grateful to the many families who participated as both hosts and attendees. We owe a huge thank you to our incredible committee of volunteers who went above and beyond with coordinating, planning, changing plans to move outdoors, decorating, creating and so much more! Thank you Ron Farrar, Zena Al-Adeeb and Krysia Villon for your continued efforts in support of the PTO!
We are grateful for the community input we have received from our recent survey process and spring PTO meeting and we now excitedly look to planning for the 2022-23 school year. Volunteers are the backbone of the PTO and as a very small school community, we realize we ask a lot of all of you. We hope that you will consider adopting a PTO role that inspires you for the school year ahead. We can promise, from experience, that the rewards of serving Ward far outweigh the personal sacrifices in time! We ask that everyone CHOOSE ONE FOR WARD and we have included a sign up with more details.
For those who are interested, please view the slides from our spring PTO meeting that include some aspects of future planning.
Happy Spring!!
Best,
Susan and Caitlin
p.s. We are having a little bit of trouble figuring out how to make our PTO google calendar events show up on our iPhones using iCal. Does anyone understand this stuff???
Purchase Ward Student-Designed Notecards to Benefit the Newton Food Pantries
Purchase a pack of notecards to support a great cause! We all appreciate having beautiful stationery on hand and these one-of-a-kind fun cards were created by Ward school students with our amazing Art Teacher, Mrs. Corbo-Hudak! Special thanks to Keren Wainger and WardCares for spearheading this meaningful community initiative. Samples will be available for viewing at International Night. Order online now before it is too late! Ordering closes on May 31, 2022. All proceeds will go to Newton’s food pantries.
Ward Garden Day
Our wonderful Garden Committee will be hosting Spring Garden Day on May 19th. All students will have a chance to spend time in the Ward garden and do some spring planting and gathering. Be sure to ask your student(s) about the experience! Huge thanks to Elizabeth Apgar for her Garden leadership over many years and for her time this year transitioning that role to our newest Garden Committee Members Heba Haddad, Helene Perennes and Elizabeth Atlas. Our garden remains in great hands!
FORJ Picnic
May 22 (Sunday), 12:30 – 3:30 pm: Spring Picnic at Franklin Park Playstead, Pierpont Rd, Boston. Please join us for a spring picnic with music, games, pizza, and dessert. Playstead area is across from the Zoo entrance. Questions? jeannechoe73@gmail.com or elizabethscooper@gmail.com.
FORJ Article Discussion Meeting - POSTPONED
Note: Meeting postponed, new date to be announced shortly. More time to get the reading done!!
Ward FORJ Article Discussion Meeting: The history of tensions — and solidarity — between Black and Asian American communities: How white supremacy tried to divide Black and Asian Americans – and how communities worked to find common ground. You can find this article in Vox: https://www.vox.com/22321234/black-asian-american-tensions-solidarity-history.
Lost & Found Spring Clean Up - LAST Call
With warmer temperatures, layers of clothes get lost at school. We have MANY jackets and sweatshirts that have been left behind and we don’t want you to be wondering about them next fall when needed again. The Lost and Found is set up in the front hallway of the school - stop in to look and encourage your child(ren) to check regularly. This is a last call to retrieve current items as our amazing volunteer Heba Haddad will donate all remaining items on Friday, May 20th. Thank you, Heba!
Community Notes & Announcements
Panel Discussion: Asian Americans in Newton
Our neighbors from China, India and Korea represent three prominent Asian American groups in Newton. Join us for a panel discussion as we explore and honor these cultures in celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month at Asian Americans in Newton: Reflection and Reimagination on Tuesday, May 24 at 7 p.m. Panelists will reflect on the impact of current events on the Asian American community, the successes, and challenges of adjusting to life in a new country, and how we can all come together in solidarity. Participants include: Rakashi Chand (Massachusetts Historical Society), Anping Shen (Newton School Committee), Hyeouk “Chris” Hahm (Professor, B.U. School of Social Work), Lisong Liu (Professor and Moderator), and Newton student Shiv Sawhney.
Discussion on the complex dimensions of antisemitism
Temple Beth Avodah and Newton’s Human Rights Commission are considering the complex dimensions of antisemitism. Join Rabbi Ron Fish from the ADL, David Rhodes from Facing History and Ourselves, and Brady Epstein, a senior at Newton South High School. They will delve into the status of antisemitism in greater Boston and what we can do. Come on Tuesday, May 24 at 7 p.m. at Temple Beth Avodah, 45 Puddingstone Lane, Newton.
ASA Basketball Camps
ASA Hoops is back in Newton for its 26th consecutive summer. In 1997 ASA started at the Cabot School court as a small program for Newton Parks and Recreation, it has expanded to 60 + basketball camps throughout MA and NH. Our Newton location is held at the Brown Middle School in Newton: boys and girls ages 7-16.
For more information visit: asahoops.com/camps or contact Coachb@asahoops.com
Empow Studios #1 STEM Programs - Registration NOW OPEN!
At Empow Studios, kids have fun exploring various STEM programs, finding their passion, and accelerating their learning. With classes and camps across five STEM domains, kids deepen their technology skills as they build amazing beginner to advanced projects:
Minecraft
Coding
Video Game Design
Digital Art & Design
Robotics
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, Vacation Camps during Winter, February and April vacation and of course, Summer Camps.
Ward families can use the discount code WARD50 to save $50 on in-person programs!
Visit our website today: https://empow.me/
See more Community Notes at https://newtonptocouncil.org/community/