ForWard 9.21.25
From the Co-Presidents:
Dear Ward Families,
It was great to see so many of you at our Back-to-School Night last week. If you missed the presentation or would like to review the information we shared, you can view the PTO slideshow here. The energy and enthusiasm in the building were a great reminder of what a special community we have. Thank you to our incredible teachers for taking the time to meet with families and share their plans for the year ahead. A big thank you to our wonderful principal, Becca Brogadir, whose leadership guides and inspires our school community. We’re so fortunate to have her leading us.
FUNDRAISING UPDATE:
We are thrilled to share that thanks to the generosity of our community, we’ve raised over $14,000 towards our goal of $40K which covers all our existing PTO programming and school supports. What’s even more amazing is that this came from 20% of families so imagine the impact we can make if everyone participates. We are truly grateful for your support of the PTO and our school. Your support plays a vital role in helping us fund events, resources, and programs that enrich the school experience for all our students. We truly couldn’t do it without you! As a reminder, if every family donated $200/student we would reach our baseline goal of $40,000. If you would still like to contribute, donations can be made in the following ways:
Check: These should be written to "Ward PTO" and can then be put in an envelope labeled "Ward PTO". Feel free to drop them off in the office yourself or send them in with your child.
PayPal: here!
Venmo: our Venmo is still shut down to the volume of donations (truly amazing - thank you!). We’ll send an email once Venmo is open again - hopefully in the next couple of days.
Thank you again for your continued support!
UPCOMING EVENTS
2nd Grade Potluck - TBD: Be on the lookout for an invitation soon!
5th Grade Potluck - Friday 10/3: Save the date!
1st & 3rd Grade Potluck - Wednesday 10/8 from 6:30PM - 8:30PM
Story Starters Launch Event - Thursday 10/9: More information and how to sign up can be found below.
4th Annual Fun Run - Wednesday 10/15, from 9:00 AM to 9:45 AM: Support and cheer on students and staff as they run, walk, or stroll around Ward Field! This is a fun Ward event that everyone looks forward to! We are looking for volunteers to help set up, distribute water, give high-fives, and take photos! Sign up here! We always love seeing so many parents attend this event. Please note that this is no longer a fundraising event due to new NPS regulations.
4th Grade Potluck - Thursday 10/23 from 6:30 PM to 8 PM: Mark this date on your calendar, 4th-grade families. More information will be made available soon!
Ward PTO Meeting with Marc Laredo - Thursday 10/23 from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM: An event you don’t want to miss! We welcome you to this morning's PTO meeting, where you will have the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of our special guest speaker, Marc Laredo - a mayoral candidate and the current City Council President. Let’s turn up as a community to show him how invested we are in our schools and ask the important questions about his priorities for NPS.
Fall Spooktacular - Sunday 10/26, from 2 PM-4 PM: Interested in volunteering? Please sign up here! Thanks to Kerry Reynolds and Jaclyn Rubin for planning and coordinating this event. More details, below!
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Room Parents: Thank all of the parents who have signed up! We are still looking for 1-2 parents per classroom for Tugwell (5T). Please sign up here. This is the perfect volunteer opportunity for parents who want to volunteer but cannot physically come in during the school day, as this role can be done via email!
Grade Level Potluck Hosts: We’re still seeking a kindergarten potluck host. Hosts choose a date, provide a space and paper goods, and send an Evite - your guests do the rest! Please email us at copresidents@wardpto.org if you would like to learn more or to sign up!
As we look ahead at the 2025-26 school year, we are looking for a few specific volunteer roles*:
Mystery Dinner Co-Chair (1) with a focus on design and the website for Mystery Dinner
Silent Auction - please email auction@wardpto.org if you 1) are interested in helping coordinate this online auction or 2) have items you could contribute. We are starting to plan now!! More information will come in the next few weeks but we are planning on holding the auction in December. Stay tuned!
As always, please email us at copresidents@wardpto.org with your ideas, questions, concerns, or suggestions on how we can help you. You can also subscribe to our PTO calendar here.
- Elizabeth Loehr + Elizabeth Weinberg, Ward PTO Co-Presidents 2024-26
The Annual Fall Spooktacular! Sunday, October 26th, 2025, from 2–4 PM
We are so excited for our upcoming WARD Fall Spooktacular! Join our school community for a memorable event that is fun for the whole family!
What’s New and FUN This Year:
Costume Parade at 3 PM! Kids (and families!) can strut their stuff – in costumes, on wagons, in strollers, on floats, or just with a festive spirit. A fun, open celebration for everyone, starting at 3 PM with a lap around the school.
Volunteers Needed For:
Running the Costume Parade
Cider Donuts & Drinks
Face Painting
Temporary Tattoos
Music/Karaoke Station
Leaf Art Project
Estimation Station
Games Table
Sac Races
Art Table
Even if you can only volunteer for half the event, your help would make a huge difference. These events can’t happen without the support of our fantastic community, and every bit of time given helps the kids have a wonderful experience. Please take a moment to review the available slots below and click the button to sign up. Thank you so much for your support—we couldn’t do it without you!
Ward Family Fun Night - Boston College Men's Soccer vs. Notre Dame
Friday, October 24th @ 7 PM
Bring the whole crew for an evening of soccer, laughs, and Ward family fun. Join us to connect, cheer, and make some fall memories together! It's a perfect opportunity to come together as a community, enjoy some fall soccer, and connect with fellow Ward families.
Address: 885 Centre Street, Newton, (behind the law school on Boston College's Newton Campus).
Free Entrance and Free Parking. No tickets required. Questions? Email Kevin Woo at wootaiwain@hotmail.com
Girls on the Run is back at Ward! (GOTR)
Girls on the Run, a 3rd-5th-grade after-school running program, has started at Ward successfully! This empowering program uses running and other fun activities to help girls build confidence, connection, and resilience. Registration is happening now, don’t hesitate to sign up!
The 8-week season kicked off last week and culminates with the Girls on the Run Regional Celebratory 5K at Boston Common on November 16th. Ward’s team will join over 180 teams and 2,700 girls from across Eastern Massachusetts for this exciting event!
The team will be coached by Ward parents Aleksandra Lamont, Christopher Lamont, and Alexis Fish! If you have any questions, please reach out to Alexandra at Alessandra.itk@gmail.com or our GOTR coordinator, Teresa Ferguson, at teresa.ferguson@girlsontherun.org for more information. Girls who attend after school are more than welcome to join and will be brought back to after school once practice ends.
We can't wait to see our girls run, grow, and shine this fall!
Story Starters at Ward and Mason-Rice Elementary Schools!
Join us for Story Starters at Ward! A book-based, anti-bias program for Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade families.
Story Starters envisions a community where, by middle school, all kids are able to uphold a just, equitable, and inclusive community. Research tells us that racial and cultural biases form early in childhood, so it's important to have conversations with our kids to disrupt that bias just as early. That's why we've developed a program for families using picture books to start conversations with our kids and help them view ALL racial and cultural identities, including their own, in a positive light. We hope you'll join us this fall along with other Ward and Mason-Rice families. You can register your family at story-starters.org/wardandmasonrice now through September 29. This program is sponsored in part by the Newton Schools Foundation. Questions? Check out our list of FAQ or email kari@story-starters.org.
Location: 2 in-person family programs and 2 evening virtual parent workshops.
Program Dates: Oct 9th - Nov 19th, 2025
Room Parents - please sign up here for this fantastic opportunity to get to support your classroom teacher and be involved in the PTO.
Grade Level Potluck hosts for Kindergarten and Grade 2. Please email us at copresidents@wardpto.org.
Mystery Dinner Co-Chair: Our fabulous dynamic duo Betsy Blazar and Emily Derr will be coordinating this event next year. Betsy Blazar will be graduating from Ward at the end of next year, so we are looking for another volunteer to be involved and learn from the best!
Silent Auction Committee: We’re looking for volunteers to work with PTO Board members Cristina Garcia and Jenn Epstein to help plan and coordinate this online auction.
Upcoming Event Highlights
CUB SCOUTS PACK 210
Who: Boys and girls grades K-5
When: Thursday Sept 18, 6-7:30pm
Where: Carroll Center for the Blind, 770 Centre St in Newton Centre
What: Kick-off Meeting with Reptiles of New England and Frozen treats!
Pack 210 (Friends of Hemlock Gorge) has an exciting year of activities planned including camping, hiking, Pinewood Derby, outdoor activities, community service, overnights, and monthly Den meetings. We are a strong and vibrant Pack; Scouts are encouraged to attend one meeting per month, and we have additional fun events every month for those who would like to participate. Join to learn more at our Kickoff Meeting – we will have an interactive and educational session meeting with scaly friends, followed by parent Q&A and allergy-friendly frozen treats (pls reach out with food allergy questions).
Please email Kevin newtoncubscoutspack210@gmail.com with questions.
Our Mission
Run Chestnut Hill is a non-profit organization that aims to build an inclusive community around the sport of running. We aspire to foster children’s growth into healthy, confident, and inspired individuals.
Our Vision
To build a future where collegiate athletes join with local communities to ensure team sports are accessible to all kids regardless of socioeconomic factors.
Program Structure
Run Chestnut Hill is a 6-week program that occurs in both the fall and the spring. It is completely free and open to kids in grades K-8. Within each season, there are three practices and three race days, alternating between the two throughout the 6 weeks. We are located each Sunday afternoon at Newton South High School outdoor track.
Our program begins on September 4th and will conclude on October 26th. Interested parents can sign their kids up, using this link.
Please reach out to us by emailing copresidents@wardpto.org