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WELCOME TO THE 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR!

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ALOHA

Ward

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Demonstrates the ability to stay curious, persevere through challenges, take risks, reflect on mistakes, and use feedback to grow. It involves asking thoughtful questions, taking risks, seeking opportunities to learn, supporting others, and approaching tasks with a focus on growth and understanding rather than outcomes.

Critical Thinking

Empathy

Learner’s Mindset

NPS

Our Portrait of a Learner

Demonstrate the ability to adjust their learning strategies, behaviors, and thinking to effectively navigate changing situations, new challenges, or different learning environments within the classroom.

Adaptability

Communication

A Vision for Every Learner, Every Day

Seeks to understand other perspectives, articulates thoughts and ideas, and communicates across multiple contexts.

Critical Thinking: Questioning deeply, analyzing rigorously, and collaborating effectively to solve complex problems with clarity and reason.

Embracing diverse perspectives with flexible thinking, compassion, and cultural awareness to adapt, connect, and create meaningful growth.​​​​​​​

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Ward School

Vision Statement

We are a school community that embraces all students, staff members, and families for who they are and ignites a love of learning through meaningful relationships and joyful learning opportunities that include:

  • Engagement in learning
  • Focus on developing positive social skills and relationships
  • Productive struggle
  • Professional learning and relationships that make our community stronger and better at supporting one another, students, and families

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Ward’s instructional focus

Educators will engage in instructional practices to help students to understand and embrace their responsibility to the classroom community and to engage and sustain productive struggle when presented with non-preferred or challenging tasks.

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School & Family Partnership

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  • Our children are capable
    • Promote independence
    • Responsibility (chores, helping others, cleaning up)

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  • Learning can and should be hard work
    • The process of learning means not knowing all of the answers or getting it right the first time
    • Editing, revising, correcting is how we learn and part of the process
    • Acknowledge mistakes and celebrate the growth.

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Important School Reminders

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  • Student Attendance
    • On time and daily attendance matters! Students thrive when strong routines and consistent daily instruction are in place. Plan vacations outside of the school calendar whenever possible.
    • Student attendance impacts our school’s accountability grade.
  • Attendance Communication:
    • Absence due to illness, etc.: Call 617.559.6470 by 8:20am
    • Planned absence: Email is acceptable in advance if more than 24 hours
    • “Day of” Dismissal Changes MUST be called in to office (617.559.6450) or handwritten note delivered to teacher at arrival time. Email is not reliable.
  • Communication with Educators
    • Immediate needs/ emergencies need to be called into office
    • Educators are with young students all day: 48-72 hour response time is expected for emails

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Important School Reminders

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  • School Lunch:
    • universally-free meals available for the 2026-27 school year - for first meals only; all students will need to have their meal counted.
    • Any single items, including milk, or additional lunches will be charged. Set up an account MySchoolBucks

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  • Arrival & Dismissal Safety:
    • Park only in designated areas.
    • Walk only on the sidewalk and walkways. Do NOT use the driveway and parking lot as a path! This is very dangerous and poor modeling for children.
    • Blue Zone is for live drop off only.
      • Stay in the car.
      • Be ready to move up or loop around, as directed.

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WARD CONCERT DATES 2025-26

January 14 at 6:15pm: Winter Concert

Performances by 5th Grade Instrumental & Chorus only

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May 19 at 6:15pm; Spring Concert

Performances by 4th & 5th Grade Instrumental Groups

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Spring Evening of the Arts– TBD

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Ward Elementary School website

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Ward PTO

Back to School Night

Presentation

Thursday, September 17, 2026

ForStudents | ForFamilies | ForWard

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Welcome to the PTO!

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Introductions

Anchoring belief: Engaged parents + teachers = stronger schools

Goals for tonight:

  1. Feel great about our school
  2. Understand what the PTO is and what we do
  3. Understand our PTO finances and why fundraising is so important
  4. Have events to look forward to and put on your calendars
  5. Know different ways to be involved

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Who We Are

All parents, teachers and staff are members of the PTO.

We are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

  • IRS recognized charitable tax-exempt organization
  • All donations are tax deductible

PTO Board:

  • Becca Brogadir, Principal
  • Elizabeth Loehr, Co-President (2024-27)
  • Elizabeth Weinberg, Co-President (2024-27)
  • Jenn Epstein, Co-President (2026-28)
  • Jun Ma, Treasurer (2025-27 year)
  • Cristina Garcia, Vice President
  • Jaclyn Rubin, Vice President
  • Julia Maggiore, Secretary

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What We Do

At a high level:

  1. Support enrichment programs
    • Creative Arts and Sciences
  2. Facilitate community events
    • Potluck, Fall Spooktacular, Fun Run, Picnics, Ward Community Day, Mystery Dinners
  3. Help teachers + classrooms
    • Teacher stipends, Principal Discretionary Fund, classroom supplies,

What this actually looks like:

  • Board meetings once per month plus informal meetings throughout
  • Coordinating events and volunteers
  • Sending newsletters and shares information about Ward and NPS
  • Reporting to the IRS and NPS about our spend and fundraising

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Save the Dates!

Fall Grade-Level Potlucks

  • K: Thursday, September 24 at 6PM
  • 1st: Saturday, October 3 at 6:30PM
  • 2nd/4th: Tuesday, September 22 at 6:30PM
  • 3rd: TBD - we need a host!!
  • 5th: Tuesday, October 6 at 6:30PM

Fun Run: Wednesday 10/21@ 9AM on the Ward Field (*rain date Wednesday 10/28)

Fall Spooktacular: Sunday 11/1 from 2-4PM

  • Volunteers needed! Sign up to come!

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Movie Night (run by the 5th Grade Committee): Monday 11/2 (no school the next day)

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Mystery Dinner: Saturday, May 15 :)

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Helpful Links - Take a Photo!

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Ward Online Auction

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We need you!

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PTO Finances

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Financial Overview:

Fundraising Trends

  • Fundraising down across all Newton PTOs
  • Ward PTO’s fundraising down significantly between 2020 and 2025
    • 30% drop in $ fundraised/student since pre-pandemic

Spending Trends

  • In previous years, the PTO invested more in programming than we fundraised
  • In 2024-25 we prioritized financial sustainability and a balanced budget

Last Year, Ward Families Delivered!

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While still finishing the year with a ~$5K cash surplus.

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$51K+

raised

+ $10K more

invested in student programming

vs prior year

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Your generosity helped us do more!

Flexible Seating

Books for our earliest readers

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New Ward Sign

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**PLUS**

  • an extra all school Creative Arts and Sciences assembly
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  • new technology: 3 voice amplification systems, 1 document camera, and 1 projector

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2025-26 Fundraising Results: ~$51,000

  • Direct Appeal: $31,000
  • Online Auction (new in 2025-26): $10,000
  • Mystery Dinner: $10,000

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Where Did the ~$47,000 Go?

The PTO spent $250/student in 2025-26

  • Creative Arts and Sciences: 27%
  • Technology: 17%
  • Teacher Appreciation: 12.5%
  • Grounds and Garden: 12.5%
    • Includes cost of sign
  • Principal Discretion: 10%
  • Community Events: 10%
  • Teacher Stipends: 6%
  • Other: 5%

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Help us fund Creative Arts and Sciences (CAS) this year!!

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This is our single biggest PTO spend category.

What is CAS?

  • CAS = Creative Arts and Sciences
  • In-person field trips that are tied to the curriculum and picked by the teachers.
  • Entirely run by parent volunteers (shout out to Jaclyn Rubin with grade level support from Erica Soberman, Ilana Seidman and Chloe Comins)
  • Up to 3 CAS experiences for each grade

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The PTO spent $13,000 ($75/student) on CAS in 2025-26

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2025-26 CAS Programs

  • Kindergarten: visit from author illustrator Jef Czejak
  • 1st: MA Audubon experience on Animal Adaptations
  • 2nd: A Day in the Life of Ghana
  • 3rd: Origami
  • 4th: Comics in the Classroom
  • 5th: Geodomes - 3D building

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DONATE TONIGHT

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Our goal: Raise at least $40,000 to support Ward students this year.

$200 per student: If every family gives this amount tonight we’ll nearly reach our fundraising goal.

$75 per student: If every family gives this amount tonight we can fully fund CAS for the year.

Every amount makes a difference. Donations are tax deductible.

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WAYS TO GIVE

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Check: Payable to “Ward PTO”

Venmo: @WardPTO

Paypal: Scan the QR code

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Double your impact: Check whether your employer matches charitable donations.

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Other ways to support the PTO:

  • Read our newsletters
  • Come to our PTO meetings & events
  • Sign up to volunteer:
    • Room Parents Needed: KCM, 3G*, 3K, 4M, 5G*, 5T*
    • Host a potluck: 3rd grade
    • Ward Fun Run
    • Fall Spooktacular
    • Online Auction - donations and fun events!

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Volunteers must fill out a mandatory CORI SORI form and the Ward Volunteer and Chaperone Safety and Confidentiality Agreement, found on the “Volunteer Forms” page on the PTO website.

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Ward School 2025-26