ForWard 10.5.25
From the Co-Presidents:
Dear Ward Families,
We have made it through September — and what a great start to the school year it’s been! Thank you to our 5th grade potluck hosts Danielle and Josh for hosting a fun potluck on Friday evening. As we settle into the fall season, things are only getting busier (and more exciting). October is packed with fun activities and meaningful community events, and we can't wait to share them with you.
You should have received a PTO calendar and event overview in your child’s Friday Folder last week. We’ll continue to send out paper reminders and calendars throughout the year to help you stay informed and organized.
Thank you for your continued support — we’re looking forward to a fantastic month ahead!
FUNDRAISING UPDATE:
We are thrilled to share that thanks to the generosity of our community, we’ve raised over $21K 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 36% of families, so imagine the impact we can make if everyone were to participate. 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: here! We are excited to share that our Venmo account is now active! Your donations caused a temporary shutdown (truly incredible - thank you!). Thanks, Jun Ma, for quickly helping us get the accounting back up and running.
Thank you again for your continued support!
UPCOMING EVENTS
International Walk/Bike/Roll to School Day - Wednesday 10/8: Please help us celebrate this day by walking, biking, or rolling to school! We have included more information below.
1st & 3rd Grade Potluck - Wednesday 10/8 from 6:30PM - 8:30PM
Story Starters Launch Event - Thursday, 10/9: More information and sign-up details can be found below.
4th Annual Fun Run - Wednesday 10/15, from 9:00AM to 9:45AM: 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.
2nd Grade Potluck - Saturday 10/18 at 7PM
4th Grade Potluck - Thursday 10/23 from 6:30 PM to 8PM
Ward PTO Meeting with Marc Laredo - Thursday 10/23 from 8:30AM to 9:30AM: An event you don’t want to miss! We welcome you to this morning 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.
BC Mens’ Soccer Game - Friday 10/24 at 7PM: Join Ward families for this free event to support the BC Mens soccer game. See below for more information.
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
Fun Run Volunteers: We’re looking for a few more volunteers to help with set-up, clean-up and to stand at designated cheering sections to cheer on our runners. Whether you sign up to volunteer or not, we hope to see many of you there at 9AM on Wednesday 10/15.
Fall Spooktacular: We’re looking for some more volunteers to run the Costume Parade and help run some of the activities tables. Look at our sign-up genius for more information and to sign up.
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!
Mystery Dinner Co-Chair - this role will have a focus on invitation design and the ticketing website for Mystery Dinner. For families new to Ward, this is one of our biggest (adults-only) fundraisers and one of the most fun nights of the school year! Be sure to line up the babysitters now for Saturday, May 16!
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
Wednesday, October 8, is International Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day.
Celebrate by joining a "Walking School Bus" or a "Bike Train" and enjoy an active commute while making connections with neighbors and classmates. Pick a route for you or your children to join from THE MAP. Show up at the departure point or wait for the bus/train along the way. If you don't see a suitable route on THE MAP and would like to lead one, please reach out to keren.wainger@gmail.com.
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
Ward School Garden Meet Ups!
Thursdays and Fridays (around pick-up) | 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY
Come check out the garden, learn about the Weed of the Week, and help with whatever needs to be done! It's absolutely a "drop in when you can" activity, not a drop-off activity. Every kid needs a responsible grown-up with them.
Story Starters at Ward and Mason-Rice Elementary Schools!
It isn’t too late to sign up! 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
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
Halloween Window Painting | City of Newton, MA
Registration is now open for the 26th annual Halloween Window Painting event in Newton. This year's painting takes place on Saturday, October 25 (rain date Sunday, October 26) in seven villages across the city. Newton students in grades 3-8 are invited to paint Halloween images on participating merchant windows in all these villages. Sign up today to make sure you get a spot in your preferred village and share your artistic talent with your community. Details and registration info can be found here.
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