From the Co-Presidents:

Dear Ward Families,

As we enjoy the final days of winter break, the PTO would like to wish our entire school community a wonderful rest of the holiday season and a very happy, healthy start to the New Year! We hope this time has been filled with moments of rest, joy, and connection with family and friends.

We are incredibly grateful for our students, families, teachers, staff, and volunteers. Your continued support, generosity, and involvement make such a meaningful difference and help create the strong, welcoming community that makes our school so special. Thank you for all you do—big and small—to support our school throughout the year.

As we look ahead to 2025, we’re excited for all that’s to come and look forward to continuing to work together to support our students and school. Enjoy the remaining days of break, and we can’t wait to see everyone back at school on Monday, January 5th.

Wishing you all a joyful New Year and a smooth return to the school routine!

Upcoming Events

PTO Meeting with Superintendent, School Committee + City Councilors - Thursday 1/15 at 8:30AM
NPS Info Session at Bigelow Middle School - Monday, February 9, at 6PM - Save the date for this information session, which will help parents make sense of all the data we are receiving on our students’ academic performance. NPS Literacy Specialists will lead these meetings and the Q&A and will bring together families from the other two schools that feed into Bigelow Middle School (Ward, Underwood, and Lincoln-Eliot). More information to come as we have it!

Volunteer Opportunities

Ward Library Volunteers - Our wonderful librarians are looking for help shelving books in the library every Monday and Thursday from 10-10:30 AM. Please sign up here! Thank you to the many volunteers who have already signed up!
International Night - host a table! - This every-other-year tradition returns in March 2026! The International Night Committee is beginning to plan and will share more details soon. In the meantime, please think about whether you would like to showcase your culture by hosting a table. How you do so is entirely up to you - whether it’s sharing savory delights, intriguing giveaways, or finding a way to share different elements of your culture. More to come!
Mystery Dinner Hosts - Do you love to host or know a Ward family who does? Would you be interested in hosting a dinner party for 8-16 people at your home on May 16? While you certainly don’t have to commit yet, it’s never too early for us to start planting some seeds :) Reach out to Betsy Blazar (betsyblazar@gmail.com) and Emily Derr (emilyjderr@gmail.com) if you’re interested or have any questions!

You can always reach us at copresidents@wardpto.org with any 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

Celebrating 100 Years of Ward — 1928 to 2028

In 2028, our school will mark an incredible milestone: 100 years of learning, growth, and community. As we prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime celebration, we’re inviting you to play a special part.

Our centennial events will bring together students, alumni, families, and the community. To make it unforgettable, we’re building a dedicated team of volunteers and school alumni to support planning and day-of activities.

Be part of a historic milestone
Connect with other parents and staff
Help create meaningful memories for students
Show your pride in our school community

We Need Our Community. Join Us in Honoring the Legacy by filling out this form to let us know if you are interested in attending or participating in the Ward School's 100th Celebration, which will take place in June 2028.

We're currently only collecting contact information; the celebration committee will get in touch as we get closer to the event.

Interest Form

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 this spring. 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!
International Night - host a table: This every other year tradition is back this year! The International Night Committee is starting to plan and will share more details soon. In the meantime, please think about whether you would like to showcase your culture by hosting a table. How you do so is completely up to you - whether it’s sharing savory delights, intriguing giveaways, or finding a way to share different elements of your culture. More to come!

Upcoming Event Highlights

NAA Basketball Clinic (Dec 29–Jan 2, Grades 4–9)

Join the NAA Basketball Clinic over winter break! Each day focuses on a core skill: ball-handling, shooting, finishing, footwork, defense, and game situations. Led by NAA alumni and current college athletes, the clinic provides high-quality instruction, positive mentorship, and a fun, supportive environment. Families may register for the full week or individual days. Scholarships available.

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.

NCE Summer Camps & Swim Lessons

2026 summer camps are now live, with offerings such as 3D Printing, Glass Art, Creative Filmmaking, Wide World of Storytelling, Art Adventures, Swim Lessons, and so much more! Families can view full camp listings and register through the new NCE Registration Portal. Scholarships are available through NCE’s Financial Assistance program

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!

Please reach out to us by emailing copresidents@wardpto.org

ForWard 12.28.25