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ForWARD
The John Ward Elementary School PTO
Newsletter
April 7, 2008
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Dear WardPTO Notice,
Welcome to the latest edition of the Ward Elementary School Newsletter "ForWARD". Please see the Table of Contents on the left for quick access to any particular articles.
NOTE: Important dates on our calendar
SCHOOL
CALENDAR
Thursday, April 10 - Early
Release
Friday, April 11 - PTO
meeting 8:30am
April 21 to 25 - Spring
Vacation
Reminder:
The ForWARD is published
each month. The next publication will be May 5. Please e-mail entries by May 1
to: sarahschoettle@comcast.net.
Entries of one paragraph or less can be left in the ForWARD mailbox in the
school office.
Contact
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617 559-6450 Office
617 559-6470 Childwatch
617 965-3087 After School |
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From the Principal
Audrey Parad Peller
Thank
you for your overwhelming support of our school's spring fundraiser. Your
generosity will provide enrichment for students through our Creative Arts and
Sciences program, updated technology, and additional playground equipment. We look forward to these added resources for
our children.
The
fifth graders are grateful for your support of their school store. There was a
great deal of excitement generated by the lively valentine school supplies. The profits financed the shipping of over 134
pounds of donated books to libraries in Guyana. Thank you for allowing this project to be so
successful.
Cathy
Martens, our school secretary, plans to retire at the end of this school year.
Her career in the Newton Public Schools
began with eighteen years as a Lunch Manager at the Cabot School.
This year marks her twentieth year as secretary for the Ward School.
Mrs. Martens has been an essential part of our school community and will
surely been missed. As for her future
plans, Mrs. Martens says she has been around the world but not visited much of
our country. She looks forward to
visiting friends in other parts of the US as well as tending to her
garden. Please join me in wishing her a
happy, healthy and fulfilling retirement.
Please
note that whenever possible we are sending home flyers reproduced at school with
the youngest child in the family. We
find younger students to be the most reliable transporters of information. This measure will conserve paper which helps
our environment and our budget.
The
initial round of MCAS testing is just ending.
Below is a reminder of future MCAS testing dates. Be sure to note the changes in the fifth
grade schedule. Since it is difficult to
schedule make-up sessions, please make every effort to have students in school
for these tests.
Grade 3: May 14 & 15
Mathematics
Grade 4: May 21 & 22
Mathematics
Grade 5: May 14 & 15
Mathematics
May 21 &
22 Science & Technology/Engineering
May 27 &
28 History/Social Science pilot
Our
annual placement letter will be arriving next week to explain the process we use
to form classes for next year. Please
read this letter carefully. You will
also receive an optional form to provide additional information about your
child's learning style and friendships.
Do not feel you must submit this form to ensure your child's placement
will receive careful consideration. Your
child's teacher has valuable information about your child and is an important
part of the placement team.
Ward
School will be participating in
Newton's annual
day of community service, Newton Serves, next Sunday, April 13. We welcome your participation in a variety of
indoor and outdoor projects including painting, applying stair treads, and
clearing brush near the playground. It is not necessary to commit for the entire
day; any help is appreciated. Please contact Helen Ceres-Marsh for more
information.
Reminder:
Bigelow Middle
School Principal, Todd Harrison, and Counselor, Martin Kaufman,
will be visiting Ward School for a Parent Coffee on Tuesday,
April 29 at 8:30 AM.
Audrey
Parad Peller
Principal
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OH WHAT A NIGHT! We were transported to the disco era and
beyond guided by our amazing "Come as you were" event chairs - Beverly
Craig, Sheryl Kalis and Carol Kirson. The evening was a complete success both
financially and enjoyed by all! Our
creative team, comprised of Mindy
Peckler and Klee Miller
transformed the local "440" into a blast from the past complete with decorative
items and artifacts from the 70's, 80's and 90's. Deb Homsi
Gilpin's
invitations were so inviting that it inspired great participation at our event
from the community. (The program book
was a work of perfection as well!)
Maria
Sullivan, LindaMcLaughlin
and Lesley Silberstein and their
team kept us fed with a never-ending supply of food and dessert.
We would like to thank our entire
Ward School Community for supporting our Spring event and fundraising
efforts. (Thanks to all of you, our
children can look forward to playing on a new Jungle Net Climber that is set to
arrive later this spring!) All of us;
our children as well as we their parents, are truly so fortunate to be part of
such a caring and supportive community!
A special thank you to the following teachers and staff that came out to
support the night - Amy
Abramowitz, Jill Nectow, Sheila Packard, Naomi Singer, and of course Audrey
Peller!
ICE CREAM! ICE
CREAM! ICE CREAM!
This
Thursday, April 10th (early
release) the Ward School Community is invited to Citrio's in Newton Highlands
(formerly Ice Cream Works). Come enjoy a
scrumptious homemade ice cream and a portion of the proceeds will go directly to
our PTO. (P.S. They also have a full
lunch and dinner menu!)
PTO
MEETING - Friday, April 11th
Please come support our city! Marc Laredo and Matt Hills, and representatives of Move Newton
Forward, will be present to answer any questions you might have regarding the
proposed override or any concerns regarding the Newton North project. (Note:
The override does not impact the cost of building Newton North!)
NEWTON
SERVES -
Coming to
Ward this Sunday, April 13th a day of
community service bringing together volunteers of all ages to over 40 nonprofit
agencies throughout the city of Newton.
Register now at www.ci.newton.ma.us/newtonserves and come out to "make
a difference" at our own Ward project site.
Show up anytime between 9am and 3pm to help both inside and outside our
school. It doesn't matter how much, or
how little time you can give, just come and be part of this great day. A special thanks to Figler
Painting Corp. and
Carpenters
Local Union #275for their
help with this project.
EVANS
PARK - The
residents of Evans
Park were entertained by
several of Ward school's talented kids (including a few of your fabulous PTO
President's kids!) Thank you
Care
Committee for
organizing this program. The smiles on
the resident's faces said it all!
Have a
great month!
Helen
Ceres-Marsh and Laurie Gershkowitz
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Creative
Arts and Science Highlights
Meg Tabacsko from the Massachusetts
Water Resources Authority was the special guest this month. She visited with the Kindergartners, the
First Graders and Second Graders. She
read the book The Day the Water Stopped.
It sparked curiosity and awareness of the importance of water in the
daily lives of children. The children
also learned about the Quabbin Reservoir, where the reservoir came from and how
long it took to fill up. It was an
educational and fun presentation with a fun book left behind for the
kids.
The Fifth Graders had their Poetry
Read today, April 7th. Their poems were
the result of work they did with Poet, Judith Steinbergh during her 4 workshops
with the two Fifth grade classes. The program truly bought out the poets within
each of our departing students!
On April 11, Author/Illustrator,
Emilie Boon will be the guest presenter for the First Graders. Emilie is best known for her beguiling
depictions of animal characters. The
visit is perfect timing with the animal research and animal coverings the
children have been hard at work on.
Emilie's presentations are interactive which include a short talk,
examples of her work, and a drawing demonstration which is left behind for the
class.
With the generosity of all the
Ward
School families that
support the PTO, these wonderful curriculum related programs are made
possible. Thanks for the support and
enabling these programs to continue for the remainder of the school year and
into next as well!
*Save these dates:*
*Spring
Concert with 4th Grade Chorus and all Instrumentalists Wednesday,
June 4th at 7:30pm*
And
*PUSS
IN BOOTS presented by the Ward School Fifth Grade on Thursday, June 12th at
7:30pm*
Care Committee
Report
Drive of the Month:
This
month the CARE Committee is sponsoring a T-SHIRT drive to help The Sharing
Foundation (sharingfoundation.org). This
organization helps to meet the physical, emotional, educational and medical
needs of orphaned and disadvantaged children in Cambodia. Please
dig through your closets and bring to the CARE Corner your children's gently used or new t-shirts.
SAVE THE DATE for a visit
to a local farm... Mark your calendars for
Friday, May 2nd. The Care
Committee is sponsoring an afternoon at Angino Community Farm. The
program includes a tour of the farm, discussion of life cycle of plants and
benefits of eating locally, weeding, and
planting pea plants for the kids to take home. It should be a lot of fun. Please email sherriwolf@alum.mit.edu if you would like more
information or would like to attend.
Thank you for your March
donations to the CARE Corner...We would like to thank Ms.
Belcher for her enthusiastic support and everyone who made donations
tohelp
animals in need. We collected more than a twenty bags of
towels, sheets & blankets that will help to provide warmth and sense of
security to animals in need. Ms. Belcher is going to spread the joy among
several local animal shelters.
A hearty thank
you
to Mrs. Brodsky and all the exceptional Ward students who participated in the
5th Annual Talent
Show at the Evans Court Retirement Home on April 4th! The show
was a wonderful success, thoroughly enjoyed by kids, families, and seniors. With
11 acts in tow, the Ward School was very well represented and the
enthusiasm of the children made us all very proud to be a part of this
community. The Seniors that filled the lounge clapped and sang along with all
the children. It was a very special show and it would not have been possible
without the wonderful talents of the Ward children and the musical talents and
energy of Mrs. Brodsky.
Interested in Getting
Involved?
Please
join us at our next meeting on Monday, 4/14 at 8pm at the home of Sherri Wolf
(21 Overlook Park). Everyone is
welcome!
CARE
Committee Tip of the Month:
Use
power strips for computers, printers, cell phone & i-pod charging.
Turn
off the power strip when not in use, otherwise they pull electricity when
plugged in.
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What's New
at After-School?
April always seems to be
the busiest month at After-School. One
reason, of course, is the annual After-School show! We are looking forward to presenting "Ten
Journeys" to the Ward community on Tuesday, April 15. We will have a 10:00 am show for the school
and a 6:30 pm show for the families.
Enjoy!
April is also the month to
register your child for After-School for 2008-2009. If you filled out an application in March,
you will now receive your registration packet with all the necessary forms
(families with incoming Kindergartners will receive their packets in June, once
the "A" and "B" groups are determined by the school). For children in grades 1-5, registration
packets are due back by April 30, along with a one month's nonrefundable
deposit. If you have not applied to
After-School for next year and you are interested, slots are now being filled on
a first come, first serve basis so please call me (617-965-3087) or email
(wardafter@juno.com) as soon as possible.
We are already looking
forward to a fun-filled year ahead!
Happy
Spring!
Sincerely,
Donna
Marohn
Director
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Internet Safety for
Elementary Parents: Are you worried about
cyber-bullying? Do you wonder about social networks that your child might be
joining online? Do you have questions about what is appropriate use of the
Internet? Join fellow parents at the Newton Free Library 330 Homer Street May
13th 7-8:30 p.m. for an Internet Safety Presentation. On hand will be an
expert explaining recent Web trends and offering tips on Internet Safety for
children who are--or will soon be--in grades 3-5. There will be a question and
answer period. Sponsored jointly by Newton's Elementary School Library Teachers and
by the Newton Free Library. There is no charge for this event. For more
information, contact Director of Information Technology Shelley Chamberlain at
617-559-6190 or email shelley_chamberlain@newton.k12.ma.us.
Do you want to keep
current about the proposed override and the Newton Schools? Here's a great new
resource for parents and for all members of the Newton Community, pulled
together in one place: the PTO Council website. The Newton PTO Council is the
umbrella group for all of the PTOs in the Newton Public Schools. Go to www.newtonptocouncil.org and click on "2008 Override."
You will have access to links directing you to all sorts of
information.
Invitation
from the School Committee to sign up for Newsletter.InContinuing our effort to
communicate with the Newton community, the School Committee has
started publication of a biweekly newsletter. The purpose of this newsletter is
to keep all Newton citizens apprised of our ongoing
activities. Newsletters include a link to the summary of the most recent School
Committee meeting (posted on our website) and other news of note.
We are
hopeful that our mailing list will grow to include an email address for every
parent or guardian of a student in the Newton Public Schools. To sign up,
please go to our home page http://www.Newton.k12.ma.us/schoolcommittee/ and enter
your email address in the Sign Up for Our
Newsletter box.
Part-Time Administrative
Assistant needed at 'Understanding Our Differences'. This non-profit
organization provides the elementary school disability awareness program in the
Newton Public Schools. Applicant must be extremely organized, detail oriented
and personable. Excellent computer skills required. 25 hours per week. Office
is at the Education Center. Responsibilities include:
Materials Coordination, Maintaining Database and Spreadsheets, Communicating
with Volunteers and Preparing Financial Reports. If interested, please contact
Program Director Carol Weigert at 617-559-6075 or carol_weigert@newton.k12.ma.us.
Your
Rights Under Special Education Law
is the focus of the next Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education
meeting. Wed. April 9th at 7:30 pm at the Education Center, 100 Walnut Street. Attorney Dan Ahearn
will speak on special education law and parent rights. Learn how to advocate
more effectively for your child. For info or to join an online discussion
group, contact 617-559-6025 or info@newtonpac.org
or visit www.newtonpac.org.
Meetings are monthly
during the school year and are open to all who
are interested in education.
April Vacation "Seuss on
the Loose" at the New Art Center
Bring on the Sneetches,
Thing 1 and Thing 2, Yertle the Turtle, Red Fish and Blue! Just leave the Grinch
at home as we spend the week creating art inspired by the wacky worlds of Dr.
Seuss. April 22-25 9AM-3:30PM. Students grades K-5 attend 4 classes
daily, including drawing and painting, ceramics, sculpture, and activities
taught by our talented art instructors. For more information call 617-964-3424
or visit us online www.newartcenter.org
Girls
Science Clubs
Due
to popular demand, Newton Community Ed is offering three additional Wicked Cool
Girls Science Club classes this spring. There will be two classes at Peirce on
Thursdays: the first class will start on May 1 and the second on May 15. A third
class will run at Zervas on Wednesdays starting April 30. All will run for four
weeks from 3:15-4:15. The name of the class is "Colorful Chemistry." Projects
will include lava lamps, slime rainbows, UV bracelets, and colorful tote bags.
For more information or to register, please call our office at 617-559-6999 or
visit our website at www.newtoncommunityed.org. Be sure to check out
our vacation and summer programs too!
Time for tennis!
Newton Parks & Rec. offers Spring
and Summer 2008 Tennis for kids and adults of all levels. Most kids' classes begin the last week of
April and adult classes start the first week of May. Summer clinics begin during the last week of
June and continue through part of August.
Kids may enroll for one or several weeks and may attend a.m. and/or p.m.
classes. Please visit www.newtontennis.com for more info and to
download a registration form. Questions
- send to newtontennis@earthlink.net (or call 617
661-PLAY). Classes are filling up
fast. Register
today!!!
Citywide Bike Rally Sunday
May 18th. Register at 12:30 at
Newton
City Hall, War Memorial
Steps. "Family and Friends Ride - 3 miles" tentatively scheduled for 1:30, "All
Newton Ride - 24 miles through all Newton villages" at 2:15. Not a fundraiser,
but a rally to drum up support for safer bicycling in Newton. Sponsored by the
Green Decade Coalition. For more info go to www.bikenewton.org. (Please note this is not related
to the Newton Schools Foundation Bike-a-Thon event planned for the
fall)
NEWTON NORTH STUDENT
SHOWCASE - Please join us on
Thursday, April 17th from 5:00 - 8:30PM at the Newton North High
School. Student Showcase is an evening of
entertainment designed to celebrate the remarkable and highly varied talents of
the student body. Come and see what Newton North has to offer and why it is so
special! Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students and $25 for families.
Funds support the Educational Excellence Campaign. Tickets can be purchased
online at www.nnhsedex.net. For more information contact reillyliza@comcast.net
Heartbreak Hill Youth
Race
Sunday April 20th 12-3. Starts at City Hall. Register online at www.newtonpride.org. On Friday April 18 at 5:30,
'carbo-load' at the pizza/pasta party at the War Memorial Auditorium at
Newton
City Hall. Info:
617-527-8283.
Stand
for Children's annual Day on the Hill
On
Tuesday morning, April 15, Newton parents and
other education advocates will join hundreds of Massachusetts residents at the State House as
part of Stand for Children's annual Day on the Hill. The group will meet with legislators
to ask that they use tax dollars wisely by investing them in our future-strong
public schools for our kids. The event begins at 9:30.
A bus will leave from Cold Spring
Park at 8:50 a.m. and
depart from the State House at 11:25 so parents can be back in time for
early-release pick-up. (Reservations required for those wishing to take the
bus.) To learn more or sign up to attend, visit www.stand.org/ma.
The Newton-Beijing
Jingshan School Exchange Program has been creating
long-lasting friendships since 1979. You
can be part of this expanding, dynamic community by hosting a Beijing Jingshan
student or teacher in your home for Fall 08.
The students and teachers, who all speak English, are here to further
improve their English listening and speaking skills, and to learn first-hand
about American education and culture. If
you are interested in learning about the Chinese culture, if you are thinking of
traveling to China in the
near future, or if you simply wish to extend your hospitality, this is your
chance to have direct input about China and Chinese life. Please contact the chair of the exchange
program if you are interested in hosting for the Fall of 08 and if you have any
questions. E-mail: Donna_Fong@newton.k12.ma.us; Phone:
617.559.6731.
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FREE KIDS' KARATE
EXHIBITION, SUMMER and FALL BEGINNERS
CLASSES:
Children and parents are
welcome to attend the 23rd Annual KIDS' KARATE Exhibition and see our program in
action; free admission, at Boston College, Saturday, May 15, 10:00-11:30
a.m.
Summer and Fall Beginners
classes available - please leave message for Rich Jacobs, Director, for more
information. (617) 527-8052.
April
Vacation Basketball Clinic: April 22 - 24, 9pm - 1pm at
Newton.
Mackenzie Canter; cost
- 1 day rate $55, 2 days $105, 3 days $150. For more information please contact
Brendan Smith at 617-909-5990 or Coachb@asahoops.com.
Former 4th Grade
Newton Teacher with a wealth
of experience in the classroom as well as private tutoring is accepting students
for tutoring opportunities. If you are
eager to enrich your child's overall academic experience or hoping to support
their classroom efforts please contact Kerri Falzone at kerri@falzonetutoring.com or call 781-844-1513. Please visit my website http://www.falzonetutoring.com for more information.
Private
Tutor Available:
Newton
Elementary School Literacy
Aide is now scheduling students. Former Brookline teacher with 25+ years of experience,
M.ED. in Curriculum Development. Resume and references available. 1st session
complimentary. Sessions in your home or
Newton Public Library. Reading/Writing/Math/Time Management and Organizational
Skills/MCAS review. Contact Nancy at 617-797-9738 or NVM1948@yahoo.com.
Sarah
Miller
(3-T) will be performing the role of Samphyre in the North Cambridge Family
Opera Company's performance, entitled The Puzzle Jigs, on
Saturday
April 12 at 3 pm; Sunday April 13 at 1 pm. For
more information and directions, go online to www.familyopera.org or
call 1-800-838-3006.
Here's a great
graduation/bar mitzvah/birthday present idea for young and old, current
and former Newton residents: 'Newtonopoly', the classic board game, featuring
local businesses like Cabots, JP Licks, Bill's Pizza and more. Lots of fun to
play. A product of the Newton North Business Club. Proceeds benefit the Club
as well as the Carroll Center for the Blind. Send a $20 check
payable to "Newton North Business Club", c/o Robert Kane, NNHS, 360 Lowell Ave.
Newtonville, MA 02460. Include your name, address, phone and email. Free local
delivery.
Oklahoma, the classic musical, will
be featured this summer by the Newton Youth Players. Registration is underway
for summer classes, June 30 through July 24, 9-noon held at the Newton Cultural Center, 225 Nevada Street, Newtonville. Oklahoma features memorable songs including "Oh, What a
Beautiful Morning", "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" and "Oklahoma". Students
learn basic acting techniques, dancing and scenery. Parts for everyone. For
info and to register call the Mayor's Office for Cultural Affairs 617-796-1540.
Fee $650 for Newton Residents, Non-resident fee: $700.
Soccer Tech
April Vacation Camp - Mon-Fri April 21-25 at Fessendon School, W.
Newton. Boys &girls ages 7-15. For information or sign-up see: www.ricksewallsoccertech.homestead.com
or call 617-527-0128
Reminder:
The ForWARD is published
each month. The next publication will be May 5. Please e-mail entries by May 1
to: sarahschoettle@comcast.net.
Entries of one paragraph or less can be left in the ForWARD mailbox in the
school office.
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About NPS TAC Support for PTO Communications
Volunteers from the Newton Public Schools Technology Advisory Council (NPS
TAC) are helping to set up and support PTO communications, including this system used by the Ward PTO. Learn more here.
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Sign-up
