From the Co-Presidents:

Dear Ward Families,

It finally feels like autumn! The crisp air, changing leaves, and cozy sweaters are making their appearance—and we’re loving every minute of it. What’s been even more heartwarming is seeing how generously families have been opening their homes and hearts for recent potlucks and gatherings. It’s a wonderful reminder of the strong community we’re building together. We wish to thank Jen Sweet and Mike Contreras for hosting the 1st and 3rd grade combined potluck at their home on Wednesday, 10/8. Additionally, thank you to our 2nd-grade potluck hosts, Danielle and Justin Lappen, for hosting a great potluck last night!

Our upcoming PTO meeting, initially scheduled for October 23, will be delayed due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict with our guest speaker, Marc Laredo. Unfortunately, he was inadvertently double-booked and committed to attend an important meeting with the Charles River Regional Chamber at the same time. The Charles River Regional Chamber meeting is open to the public. If you’re interested in attending, please use this link to register. We know many of you were looking forward to hearing from him, and we are working to reschedule the meeting for a date after the election cycle has quieted down, when everyone's availability is more flexible. We appreciate your understanding and will share the new meeting date as soon as it’s confirmed. Thank you for your continued support and engagement in our school community!

Thank you so much to Sara O’Connor, our Garden Committee Chair, for organizing and volunteering her time last week with the 2nd-grade classes. They discussed the lifecycle of sunflowers and harvested the flowers that the classes had planted as 1st graders. She helped distribute garlic bulbs to the 1st graders that they had planted as kindergartners. This is the 15th year for this self-sustaining project at Ward!

And the fun isn’t over yet! We’ve got more exciting events on the horizon, so read on to find out what’s coming up and how you can get involved.

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 $23K 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 38% 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:

Kindergarten Potluck - Tuesday 10/21 from 6:30 PM to 8:30PM
4th Grade Potluck - Thursday 10/23 from 6:30 PM to 8PM
BC Men’s Soccer Game - Friday 10/24 at 7PM: Join Ward families for this free event to support the BC Men’s 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!
4th Annual Fun Run - Wednesday 10/29, from 9:00AM to 9:45AM (Rain Date: 11/5): We had to reschedule our original date due to the rainy weather. Please update your calendar for the new date! Come and 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. If you signed up for the original date and cannot help on the 29th, please take a moment to update your signup here. We are still looking for volunteers to help set up, distribute water, give high-fives, and take photos! 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.

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 10/29.
Fall Spooktacular: We’re looking for some more volunteers to run the Costume Parade and help run some of the activity 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

*NEW Silent Auction Announcement!

We’re excited to share that we are having an online silent auction and are looking for exciting donations from our amazing school community! Do you have a special talent, own a small business, or have access to fun experiences/homes, or items you could share? Donations can include movie nights for a group of students, wine tastings, bouncy house rentals, tickets to local events, and even a few hours of professional services (photography, tutoring, baking, etc.). If you have an idea, we’d love to hear it—no contribution is too small, and every donation helps make our event a success!

If you have any items to donate, please email us at auctions@wardpto.org.

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!

Sign Up to Volunteer!

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

Please Join Us for an Outdoor Movie Under the Stars!
Monday, November 3, 2025

Please join us for an outdoor movie under the stars!
When: Monday, November 3 (there is no school Tuesday, November 4!)

Tickets: $10 per person or $40 per family - please purchase ahead at here!

Time: 5:00pm: Concessions and Pizza; 5:30pm: Movie begins

Details: Wear your pajamas! Dress warmly!
Bring blankets and lawn chairs!
Open to all Ward Families and Neighbors/Guests
Pizza & concessions will be available for purchase night of!

100% of the proceeds will benefit the graduating fifth-grade class activities. This is a community event, if you would like financial assistance please reach out to our Ward Cares coordinator Keren Wainger at Keren.Wainger@gmail.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.

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

Calling all little ghouls, ghosts, and superheroes! Newton Cultural Development invites you to two great events on **Sunday October 26**, Halloween Window Painting weekend:
On Sunday morning, we'll see you at the **West Newton Cinema at 11am** for a special screening of **Hotel Transylvania**. **Click** **here** for details. Halloween Window painters get in for free!
Later that day please join us for a Family Concert with the New Philharmonia Orchestra at 4pm. Get ready for a spooktacular concert filled with Halloween tunes, then stick around for an instrument petting zoo where kids of all ages can try out the orchestra’s “magic wands” (a.k.a. instruments)! Costumes are highly encouraged! The concert will be held at the brand-new Newton Community Stage at 15 Walnut Park, Lincoln-Eliot School. Admission is free, but seats are limited, and we expect a full house—**Sign up** **HERE** to reserve your tickets today! Come at 3:45 for the ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of this new venue. If you need accessible seating, please email culture@newtonma.gov. Don’t miss this hauntingly good time with the whole family! **Halloween Window painters**: bring a printout of your painting for display in our gallery at the concert!

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.

After-School & Weekends with NCE

Newton Community Education is offering fun and engaging programs for students this season, including Buildwave, Weird Science Television, Cinema Kitchen, Dungeons & Dragons, Comics & Digital Animation, Kangaroo Math, and Winter Swimming & Diving Lessons. If a club has already started, give us a call—we’ll do our best to include your child.

We're excited to announce the launch of Special Early Release Afternoon Programming at Bowen, Burr and Mason-Rice! Starting on October 28th, each club runs from 12:15-4:00pm and features STEAM related fun and activities.

Click here to learn more and register!

If NCE is not yet at your school, email Sarah Housman at housmans@newton.k12.ma.us and we'll work with you to get clubs started!

Get playing with Newton Athletic Association (NAA) Basketball!

NAA is a volunteer-run non-profit that runs youth basketball leagues in partnership with Newton Community Education. Registration is now open for the upcoming season!

There are separate basketball leagues for each grade from 3 to 9. Open to all skill levels, this is a great way for kids to learn the game, build confidence, and have fun with their peers.