ForWard 10.09.22
Upcoming Events
Weds, October 12
International Walk-Roll-Ride to School Day
Saturday, October 15
Grade 4 Parent/Guardian Potluck
Saturday, October 22
Grade 3 Parent/Guardian Potluck
Thursday, October 27
Ward Fun Run
Saturday, November 5
Grade 5 Parent/Guardian Potluck
Sunday, November 13
Ward Fall Fest
12:30-2:30 (tentative)
See all events on our Calendar
News
From the Co-Presidents
Sincere thanks to Brian Saltzburg and Troy Golladay for hosting the kindergarten potluck on Monday evening. Our kindergarten this year is small but lively, and we appreciate Brian and Troy’s generosity in getting the year (and the week!) off to a fun start. Next up - 4th grade on 10/15!
And now for a Ward Fun Run UPDATE! As of today at noon:
Highest participation rate - Team Sylvester at 76%!
Closest to fundraising goal - Team Hingston at 69%!
As a school, we are at 35% of our goal of $8,000
with 29 days left to go! Can we hit it? Can we surpass it?
You can see how our school is doing at the
Ward Fun Run dashboard!
If you haven’t yet registered your child, please take a moment to do so (see registration information below). This is a great opportunity to get friends and family involved in fundraising for Ward School. No donation is too small, and we are confident that together we can reach our goal!
Have a great week!
Caitlin, Rashi & Susan
copresidents@wardpto.org
Walk, Roll & Ride to School Day
Step right up! The 26th annual International Walk & Roll to School Day is Oct. 12 and our Ward community will commit to walking, biking & bussing to school along with the rest of the world.
Whether addressing the need to make routes to school safer for active trips or encouraging children to be more active, these events can be powerful tools to inspire lasting change. Of course, they are also fun! Please make a plan to walk (maybe even just park and walk part of the way if that is what works for you) or roll to school on 10/12 with us! Questions about Ward’s Safe Route to School Program? keren.wainger@gmail.com
Brought to you by the Newton Safe Routes to School Task Force
https://www.facebook.com/NewtonSafeRoutes
newtonsaferoutes@gmail.com
Ward Fun Run - Registration and Volunteer Information
We are excited to introduce a new event this year, the Ward FUN Run. With an emphasis on fun, the Ward FUN Run will promote our community in a fun, healthy way while raising funds for Ward School. The event is planned for October 27, during the school day from 9:00-11:30.
What is the Ward FUN Run?
Each grade level will have 30 minutes to run, walk, or skip the ¼ mile route around the Ward baseball fields on 27 October. Teachers will get the fun started with a 10-minute warm up/stretch, and then students will have about 20 minutes to do as many laps as they would like in whatever fashion suits them!
How Do We Participate?
1. REGISTER YOUR CHILD:
Please help support our FUN Run by registering your child here. Once registered you can easily share your child’s donation page via email or social media to solicit donations from relatives and friends. Donations can also be sent by cash/check to the school; checks can be made out to WardPTO. Donations are per child, not per lap. Regardless of donations, all students get to participate in the Fun Run and all students will receive a t-shirt!
2. JOIN US:
We would love to see you on the day of the event to cheer on your child/ren. There are also several volunteer opportunities, including set up, handing out water and snacks, taking photos, guiding students around the course, and helping to clean up! Sign up here.
3. Questions? Contact Penny at ismay@bc.edu
Understanding our Differences
Families new to Ward in the last few years may not be familiar with the Understanding our Differences (UOD) program. Understanding Our Differences is a non-profit organization founded in Newton in 1978. UOD works in partnership with the Newton Public Schools to teach students in Grades 2-5 about disabilities, and foster inclusion of people with disabilities in our schools and in our community.
Students in Grades 3-5 participate in 2 programs each year: one in the Fall/Early Winter and the second in the Spring. Grade 3 will learn about Blindness/Low Vision and Deafness/Hard of Hearing. Grade 4 will learn about Physical Disabilities and Learning Disabilities. Grade 5 will learn about Autism and Intellectual Disabilities. UOD is excited to expand into Grade 2 this year with the Allergies program! Each program consists of a video presentation, a guest speaker with Q&A session and two hands-on activities. PTO’s appoint a UOD Liaison who works closely with us to ensure the program is being delivered to the students. The UOD Liaison role may include: recruit parent volunteers for activities in the classroom, help teachers set up the UOD video, lead a small group activity, greet and introduce the guest speaker, facilitate Q&A.
As you may suspect, we are looking for a volunteer to serve as UOD Liason. If you’d like to learn more about UOD, please watch this short video (https://vimeo.com/477258034), or send us an email!
Community Notes & Announcements
Newton’s Indigenous Peoples Day Ceremonial Celebration
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2022: 11am-5pm
Albemarle Field, Newton MA
Each year we celebrate and amplify Indigenous peoples and voices on Indigenous Peoples Day in Newton, Massachusetts. All are welcome to this free-to-attend, family-friendly, day-long event where one can listen to great music, watch various performances, listen to cultural presentations, meet local vendors, and eat delicious food. We can't wait to see you!
For more information: www.ipdnewton.org
Second Annual Newton Halloween Bike ride
Organized by Ward Parent Jon Leib!
SATURDAY OCT 29 at 11am
This is a family friendly bike ride and all ages and levels are welcome. There will be safety marshals, costumes and prizes. This is a low-stress parent-led large group ride. Costumes are strongly encouraged for this 1.5ish mile ride that starts at the Newton Center playground loops Crystal lake and the Highlands. Parents or guardians must stay with their kids during the ride that ends with a costume contest and snacks (provided by parents) at the playground. If you like the idea of kids biking in costumes, this is the event for you!
We will meet at Newton Centre Playground at 11am on Saturday, 10/29. Reach out to Jonathon Leib with any questions: jonleib@gmail.com or RSVP here: https://www.newtonfamiliesbikes.org/home
Join Newton Cub Scouts Pack 210
Boys and girls grades 1-5 are invited to join Newton Cub Scout Pack 210 (http://pack210newton.scoutlander.com). Scouting is a great opportunity to make new friendships and learn new skills. We have an exciting year planned, with fun activities including camping, hiking, Pinewood Derby, outdoor activities, community service, and monthly Den/Pack meetings. We meet monthly at the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton Centre, and also have fun weekend activities planned.
Our next meeting is on Thursday, October 6 at 6pm at the Carroll Center, 770 Centre Street in Newton (1st-3rd grade Dens meet 6-7pm and 4th-5th grade Dens meet 7-8pm) and we have an exciting camping trip planned for later in October. Please join us or email Colin at (c.elliott.murphy@gmail.com) with questions or if you’re interested in joining. We look forward to a great Scouting year ahead!
Newton's Cultural Development Office Fall Events
October 16th on the Newton Centre Green: the Harvest Fair is a wonderful family event in Newton Centre where kids can enjoy games, rides, and entertainment (and all that yummy fair food their parents won't want them to eat).
Halloween Window Painting Contest: A once-a-year opportunity for creative kid artists to adorn Newton storefronts with Halloween-themed art. It's open to all Newton students in grades 3-8, and they can register here.
Upcoming ASA Hoops Offerings
ASA Hoops is offering School Holiday Clinics throughout the Fall for boys and girls ages 7-15 in Newton (9/26, 10/5, 10/10, 11/10. In addition, after-school and Saturday skills training takes place at 1337 Centre St. Since 1997 ASA has been serving the Newton community offering camps, clinics, skills training and AAU basketball. We hope to see you soon: Register at: asahoops.com / Contact: Coachb@asahoops.com
MIT Autism Research Study
MIT is looking for 7-11-year-old children with autism who have strong passions, interests, or hobbies to participate in an MRI research study. Participants will receive up to $100 and a picture of their brain! Sign up here to see if your child is eligible for this study. Feel free to email palstudymit@gmail.com with any questions.
Please follow Community Notes updates at: https://newtonptocouncil.org/community/
And please continue to follow the PTO on instagram @wardelementary_pto