Category Archives: Volunteer

Calling all Parents!!

During this time of year, we start getting ready to think about what next year will hold. With more regular programming returning, we need your help more than ever! We have several active board members who will be leaving LE this year and we hope YOU will come join us!!

Most other PTO boards in Newton have 20+ active board members. With so many people, they are able to truly divide up the work and have it be manageable, even with a full-time job. It’s my hope that we can get more people involved in small roles and provide our students with the same experiences as other PTOs in Newton.

I always say – you commit to as much as you are able. There’s no mandatory meetings or previous knowledge needed. Just a passion to make the time our students spend at LE the best it can be.

Roles can be anything from helping to organize the Fall Festival to picking out enrichment programs for our kids thru CAS (Creative Arts & Sciences). We really need your help to keep the PTO running!!  Without the PTO and volunteers like yourself, we wouldn’t be able to hold family events like the Book Fair or Back to School Picnic, provide mini grants and stipends to our teachers, or partner with The Discovery Museum to bring in special programming for our kids.

The best way to jump in is to grab a friend! Attend a meeting! Connect with someone on the board and ask questions! Email me at secretary@lepto.org!

Inside Look at Upcoming CAS Programs – How to get involved!

We hope you and your families have been enjoying all the wonderful Creative Arts & Sciences (CAS) programs this year for each grade level, including last week’s onsite The Discovery Museum program for 4th graders.

We have additional CAS programs planned for May and June.

These are exciting and enriching programs all planned by our volunteer parents, Karen Hite and Ronda Morra, with our teachers.  If you would like to learn more on how you can help shape our Creative Arts & Sciences offerings at LE, please feel free to reach out to Karen and Ronda.

With these upcoming events already planned and scheduled, they are a great way to shadow and get an inside look at how CAS works. Come meet the presenters with Karen and Ronda and learn how to get involved next year. Email Karen Hite at kkhite@yahoo.com or Ronda Morra at ronda.billings@gmail.com. We’d love to welcome you!

ANNAWON WEEDON Grade 3

Tuesday May 24
Minimal set-up required, with presenter arriving shortly before 1st program at 9:50

New program! Annawon provides historical information about Wampanoag people and their culture. As a modern-day representative of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, Annawon shares stories, language, clothing, tools, from a uniquely personal perspective. He is funny, engaging, and a great storyteller.

CATERPILLAR LAB Grades K-2

Thursday May 26
Arrival/Set-up Time: 7:30 am
Much-loved 2nd grade program from the past. The programs for K & 1 are new.

WINGMASTERS WORLD OF OWLS Grade 5

Monday, June 13
Arrival/Set-up Time: 8am
Much-loved 5th grade program from the past. This is 1 program for entire grade from 9-10am. Exact location is TBD.

2022-2023 Kindergarten Registration and Upcoming Info Sessions at LE, 5/4

Reminder – if you have a Kindergarten-aged child and still need to register for 2022-2023, please do so now via the Newton Public Schools Online Registration Portal

Details on the registration timeline are here: Timeline for Registration

This will continue to help us plan staffing and programming most effectively.

We will also host a Kindergarten info and screening session on Wed, 5/4 from 9am-3pm for all incoming Kindergarten families.

If you’re interested taking part in the screening and showing your support of the LE community, please call the front office (617) 559-9540.

Feel free to communicate these registration links and upcoming events to members and families in our community.

PTO Meeting (Virtual) RESCHEDULED Tuesday 3.29

This month’s PTO meeting is rescheduled for Tuesday, March 29th at 6:30pm. due to the Bigelow Rising 6th graders night. If you’re unable to attend or want to submit a question ahead of time, please email secretary@lepto.org.

This is a great opportunity to connect with the LE community, learn about what’s planned for the spring, and find out how you can get involved.

Hope to see you then!

Stay tuned for a Zoom link early next week.

Pizza Wednesdays are Back!

The 5th Grade Parent Committee is pleased to announce that pizza sales are back – now on Wednesdays! Starting March 16th at pick up time (12:10pm), we will have pizza by the slice available for sale, along with yummy baked goods. Plan lunch ahead by ordering a full pizza pie! All proceeds go to support the 5th Grade Graduation Fund.

To pre-order your pizza, please sign up through this form no later than Mondays at 10pm. https://forms.gle/NHsf2pFe482fBTLk6

Questions or want to help volunteer (or donate baked goods/water bottles)? Please text Leah Grinvald at (619) 887-1818. So excited to bring this great weekly fundraising event back to LE!

Book Fair on Tues 11/23

We are so excited for our Book Fair event – Books & Bites at Night on Tuesday 11/23 from 5-7pm. This will take place outside in the overhang, so please bundle up!

The fair will also be open before and after school for shopping, and online for two weeks after the fair.

We will provide free cocoa and cookies. Pizza will be available for sale along with The Nada Cart. Pre-order ends tonight at 11:59pm – order now to secure your pickup time!  Live ordering on Tuesday night will also be available during the event.

Pre-order Nada here: The Nada Cart

We are still looking for some volunteers to help during the event to hand out cocoa & cookies, gift wrap, and help run the book fair! Older students are welcome to help during your shift, younger kids can enjoy storytime in the book corner. Or grab a friend and take turns!
Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E44ABA72EA2FD0-2021

Book Fair Nov. 23rd! (Volunteers Needed!)

We are so excited for our book fair and cozy winter celebration on Tuesday, November 23rd; we hope everyone can bundle up and join us!

We plan to have the fair open before and after school for shopping, and then party under the stars from 5-7pm with cookies and cocoa and storytimes and more.  And we need your help to make it all happen!  Please visit our SignUp Genius to choose a volunteer slot or sign up to bring cookies:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E44ABA72EA2FD0-2021

And please reach out to us at secretary@lepto.org if you have any questions or want to help with organizing!

We hope to see you all there!

Bake Sale Success!

Thank you to everyone who generously contributed to the bake sale to make it such a huge success – we made $508! From the selection of baked goods to taking extra shifts at the table, we appreciate you. It was especially wonderful to see so many new faces, connecting to one another, and connecting to the Newton community at large.

Fall Festival Volunteers Needed

Are you interested in seeing the Fall Festival happen this year? We need your help to plan and organize the event! If you are interested in leading this committee to make the Fall Festival a reality this year, please contact secretary@lepto.org.

Due to COVID restrictions, this event must take place outdoors. Time is running out so don’t wait to contact us! This event can’t happen without parent volunteers!