ForWard 11.13.22
Upcoming Events
Monday, November 14 - Wednesday, November 16
Learning Express Shopping Fundraiser
Friday, November 25
Annual Fund Launch
Saturday, December 3
SEPAC Playground Event
Monday, December 5
PTO General Meeting In-Person with Principal Brogadir
Monday, January 9, 2023
Ward Night at the Celtics
See all events on our Calendar
News
From the CoPresidents
It was with a heavy heart that we had to cancel today’s Ward Fall Fest due to weather (this was a first for us!). The goal of this event was to bring the community together in the spirit of building relationships AND giving back and that was not lost. While the fun of the event was sorely missed - our community will move forward with the Food Drive for the Newton Food Pantry this week (note drop off details below!) AND we will repurpose some of our festive fall treats to thank our amazing teachers and staff tomorrow morning. This still says community to us!
We owe sincere gratitude to our hard-working and passionate Fall Fest Committee: Allison Blank, Kerry Reynolds and Danielle Tanguay. The only thing harder than all of that hard work is all of that hard work without the fun celebration at the end and we are grateful for their energy and flexibility.
Have a great week!
Caitlin, Rashi & Susan
copresidents@wardpto.org
Fifth Grade Drive for Newton Food Pantry THIS WEEK
If your bags are all packed from the missed chance at Fall Fest - send them to school this week! Donation boxes will be outside Monday morning and in the school lobby after that. LAST CALL for donations -Thursday 11/17. Help out Ward’s 5th graders’ school-wide food drive for the Newton Food Pantry (https://newtonfoodpantry.org/). The Pantry will distribute these donations to families experiencing food insecurity in these times of uncertainty.
Items most needed by the Newton Food Pantry:
Cereal: 12 – 16 oz., brand names preferred
Hearty soups: meat, bean, veggie
White tuna in water: 5 oz.
Ground coffee: 1 lb.
Shampoo
Deodorant
Toothpaste
Diaper sizes 3 and 4
Baby wipes
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to:
Susan St. Pierre (sestpierre@gmail.com, Mia Inada's mom)
Tony Ezzat (tonebone@mit.edu, Nicholas’s dad)
Start Your Holiday Shopping and Benefit Ward at the SAME Time
A favorite local business of so many - Learning Express - will be opening their doors in a special way to Ward Families this week Monday - Wednesday. When you mention “Ward School PTO” at check out November 14th, 15th and 16th - YOU get a 10% DISCOUNT on your purchase AND Ward PTO gets a donation of 10% of all sales. Shop local, get a discount, make a donation…..we call that a WIN, WIN, WIN!
Dark Walks Home
We have all noticed that our after school pick-ups feel very different this week after Day-light Savings. Do you travel on the back path towards Woodchester Drive? We need your help! The Newton 311 system REALLY works and is the best way to get action on issues of concern. Can you support our grassroots effort to get lighting on this path? Download the Newton 311 App or Call 311 from a Newton landline and ask for lighting to keep all of our students and families safe this winter!
Save the Date: Joint SEPAC Event
The SEPACs (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) of Ward, Underwood, Lincoln-Eliot and Cabot Elementary Schools are hosting a playground meetup (all are welcome, not just families of students with special education needs) on Saturday, 12/03 2-4p outside at Cabot Elementary School Playground. We will provide refreshments and are working on some activities with accessibility and inclusivity in mind. If you have particular accessibility and inclusivity needs, considerations or ideas to make the event awesome, feel free to leave in the Public Comment of your RSVP or email jordyne@gmail.com
We hope to see you there!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F49AEA723A7F58-ward1
Community Notes & Announcements
Newton Neighbors Gift Card Drive for Thanksgiving
As we approach the holiday season, Newton Neighbors is looking to support our neighbors struggling to put food on the table. Last year, through the support of our community, Newton Neighbors provided 150 families throughout Newton, Brockton, and Waltham with $50 supermarket Gift Cards! With increasing food costs, the goal is to give out $75 gift cards this holiday season through partner agencies to families in Newton, Waltham, and Brockton. The Thanksgiving Gift Card Drive will run from November 1 – 19.
Newton Turkey Trot
Saturday, November 19th
Sign up today at www.newtonturkeytrot.org – This race will sell out! Looking for community service hours? Join in the fun as a volunteer and get one of our famous Turkey Trot Beanies! Details are in the volunteer section of our website or sign up here.
All proceeds from this year’s race will go to the Newton Food Pantry and Journey Forward.
Thank you very much!
Green Newton School Connections Meeting
We hope you can join us at our next Green Newton School Connections (GNSC) meeting, which will be on Thursday, November 17th from 4:30 to 5:30 pm on Zoom. (Note the change in date for November.) Liora Silkes, Newton’s Energy Coach, will join us to talk about how schools and Green Teams can partner with her to combat climate change in Newton. She will walk us through an activity that she does with students!
11/17/22 Agenda
For more community notes: https://newtonptocouncil.org/category/community/
And please continue to follow the PTO on instagram @wardelementary_pto
