ForWard 09.17.23
Upcoming Events
Monday, September 18
Back to School Picnic - CANCELLED
Wednesday, September 20
K Parent / Guardian Potluck
Tuesday, September 26
Fall PTO Meeting
Thursday , September 28
Grade 1 Parent / Guardian Potluck
Wednesday, October 4
International Walk-Ride-Roll to School Day
Thursday , October 5
Back to School Curriculum Night 6:00pm-7:30pm
Wednesday, October 18
Grade 2 Parent / Guardian Potluck
Friday, October 27
Ward Fun Run
See all events on our Calendar
News
From the Co-Presidents
We regret to inform you that, due to a 100% chance of rain tomorrow, we have decided to cancel the Back to School Picnic. While we were eagerly anticipating this event, the heavy rain throughout the day, will make it impossible to host an outdoor picnic. We understand how disappointing this news may be, but there are exciting events for community connections coming up such as Grade potlucks, Fall PTO meeting, Fall Fest and Fun Run so stay tuned!
In the meantime, we want to thank Caitlin Cusick, who generously offered time and resources to make this event a success. Your support means the world to us!
Have a great week,
Rashi Khanna & Bryan Saltzburg
Ward PTO Co-Presidents 2023-24
Call for Grade-level Potluck Hosts for Grades 3-5
We could use your assistance! One of our cherished fall traditions at Ward Elementary is the grade-level potlucks. Would you be interested in hosting a grade level gathering this coming fall? The hosting process is straightforward. All you need to do is provide a space, some paper goods, and send out invitations. Your guests will take care of the rest! Last fall, many of us enjoyed delightful outdoor events, so we encourage hosts to select a date SOON to take advantage of the pleasant September weather. We're pleased to announce that we have potluck hosts for Kindergarten (Sep 20th), first grade (Sep 28th) and 2nd grade (Oct 18th) and are hoping for additional hosts for grades 3-5.
We want to express our gratitude to Tracy Buckner for generously offering her assistance in coordinating these potlucks for the fall. If you'd like to learn more or if you're ready to sign up, please don't hesitate to reach out to her at bucknertracy3@gmail.com.
Call for Room Parents
Seeking volunteers for 1C, 4G, 5C and 5G!!
We are seeking 1-2 parents per class to serve as “Room Parents”. Here is a glimpse at some of the responsibilities of a room parent:
Serve as a liaison between the classroom teacher and the parent/guardian community to coordinate classroom events, volunteers, supplies, teacher appreciation, gifts and more.
Serve as liaison between the PTO leadership and your classroom community by helping to solicit volunteers (example field trips, grade level potlucks, grade level programming, etc), encouraging participation in events/meetings and representing your class to the PTO.
Support all Creative Arts and Sciences programming for your grade level - this could involve coordinating volunteers, providing materials for guests and more.
And more! You will have regular communication with the PTO Board to support overall efforts to build community amongst your class and grade level.
Interested? Please email copresidents@wardpto.org with your name, contact information, grade level and classroom of your student.
Ward Directory
Whether you are a new or returning family - please be sure your information is current in our directory! Remember this quickly becomes the key to all playdates, birthday parties and more - you don’t want to miss out! This directory is a must for family access to class lists so please be sure your child(ren) is/are listed. It just takes a minute!
Community Notes & Announcements
Free STEM Enrichment Program for Ward Students K-8
The Greater Boston STEM Program (gbSTEM), is a non-profit enrichment program that delivers free introductory computer science, math, engineering, environmental science, and science courses to elementary and middle school students in the Greater Boston area. Since March 2020, our team of dedicated high school volunteers have brought free lessons to over 1000 Massachusetts youth from K-8. Classes will be held both through Zoom and in-person. We pride ourselves on our innovative, creative, and engaging curriculum. This is a great opportunity for students to supplement their learning and get ahead in their STEM education.
We are delighted to announce that we will be offering a fall semester of gbSTEM to Ward students, which will run from September 24th to December 23rd, 2023! The registration deadline is September 20th, 2023.
Information about our program and the registration form can be found at our website: https://gbstem.org. If you have any questions, please contact contact@gbstem.org. We are so excited to work with your family this fall!
Join Newton Cub Scouts Pack 210
Boys and girls grades K-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, overnights, and monthly Den/Pack meetings. Our Dens meet monthly on Thursday evenings at the Carroll Center in Newton Centre. Upcoming events include Pack Hike on Sept 23, and our annual camping trip on Oct 7 - please join for these or our upcoming Den meetings. Please email Tom at (tom@tdwright.co.uk) with questions or if you’re interested in joining. We look forward to a great Scouting year ahead!
Story Starters Fall Registration is open through September 17!
Story Starters is enrolling families with children ages 3-8 to participate in our upcoming Fall program. Our eight-week Family Conversations Program is designed for parents who want to start and strengthen conversations about race with their young children. Story Starters gives families age-appropriate tools and skills to have meaningful conversations about race and racism. Story Starters families learn from educators, racial justice advocates, and each other.
Our program provides families with:
A bundle of 6 books tailored to your children's ages
5 caregiver guides full of research, resources, and family activities to support and deepen family race conversations
4 curated book lists to support further exploration and conversation
2 in-person family events and 2 virtual caregiver workshops
2 virtual office hours
A small, curated support network of current families and alumni to lean on and learn from
Special events to facilitate community connections
The program kickoff is October 1 from 3:00-4:30 pm. For additional program dates and details, visit: www.story-starters.org/program. Questions? Email kari@story-starters.org
Join a cool after school class this fall! Check out the Newton Community Education schedule to enroll now. Financial assistance is available too, just apply here. We look forward to welcoming your child! Newton Community Education
And please continue to follow the PTO on instagram @wardelementary_pto