UPDATE: The caregiver coffee originally scheduled for Tuesday, Feb 3 at 9:00 am in the Bigelow auditorium has been postponed. Please stay tuned for future dates.
The topic for discussion will be mental health in middle school. Please email the PTO at bigelowbulldog@gmail.com if you would like to submit questions ahead of time.
This Saturday, Jan 31 from 4–8pm at the Newtonville Chipotle, get your family’s burrito fix and support Performing Arts at Bigelow at the same time!
Here’s how to order:
*Please note that fundraiser online ordering is only valid through pickup during your fundraiser’s scheduled date, time, and assigned restaurant. Ordering delivery for fundraisers is not permitted at this time.
Newtonville Chipotle is the 847 Washington St location
For Parents/Caregivers/School Administrators and SROs
Tuesday, February 3rd at 6:30 pm, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts will host a Webex Webinar Keeping Kids Safe and Secure Online: A Project Safe Childhood Presentation in partnership with the Homeland Security Investigations Digital Forensics/Child Exploitation/Cyber Crime Unit.
Advanced registration is required: please click HERE to register.
The webinar will bring awareness to the dangers children face online today and will educate adults how to keep children safe online.
Capacity of the Webex webinar platform is limited. In the event we reach capacity, those who are unable to register can email USAMA.PSCOutreach@usa.doj.gov to be put on the list for the next webinar.
Webinar topic:
Keeping Kids Safe and Secure Online: A Project Safe Childhood Presentation for Parents
Date and time:
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 6:30 PM | (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Please click HERE to register.
*The webinar will NOT be recorded. In the event someone is not able to attend on February 3rd, we hope to host several more throughout the school year.
Each year, the PTO runs events and programs that support our students, our teachers, and our school community. This collective effort enriches the middle school experience for everyone. To make it happen, the PTO depends on community donations of time, money, and other contributions.
We launched our annual fundraising drive in November. The Annual Appeal is our biggest fundraiser and covers the bulk of our programming expenses for the year. We are suggesting a gift of $110, which amounts to PTO spending for one student, but a donation amount of any size would be incredibly helpful.
Thank you, as always, for your support!
2025-2026 Bigelow PTO Board
How Your Donation Works for Bigelow
Please consider adding Bigelow PTO to your company’s annual donation matching program, if applicable. Bigelow Middle School PTO is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Tax ID #20-0348453. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law.
Join us for Bigelow Global Diversity Night on March 3rd at 6:30pm
Mark your calendars for the Bigelow Global Diversity Night to celebrate our school’s diversity through delicious foods and diverse displays. Save the date for Tuesday, March 3rd in the gym from 6:30-8:00pm.
We are recruiting volunteers from all countries to host a table. If your family would like to be part of this year’s celebration – even if you’re not hosting a table – please email Lanni, lanni_harris@yahoo.com, and we will include you as we plan for the event.
Last year was our first Global Diversity Night celebration, and we are looking forward to continuing this new tradition with food, interactive demonstrations, displays of textiles, art, music, musical instruments or whatever makes the night meaningful to you, our community!
The Green School Connections Committee works to strengthen sustainability education and environmental action across Newton Public Schools. Our goal is to connect families, educators, students, and community partners to support greener, healthier schools. Click here to read more about their efforts in their newsletter.
If you have a story idea, school update, or would like to get involved, please contact:
Alexander Lee, alee@alexanderplee.com | Parent Bigelow MS ’27 and NNHS ’27
Phoebe Cushman, MD, phoebecushman@gmail.com | Parent Brown MS ’26
Sunwoo Kahng, sunwoo@greennewton.org | Green Newton, newsletter editor
What’s happening: Led by Newton North senior Cindy Qiao, uneaten or unwanted food from elementary and middle school cafeterias is collected and redistributed through weekly snack bags to students in need or to the Newton Community freedge. Along with pantry donations, they provide snack bags to 100 Newton students weekly across 17 schools. Green Captains help with collection of items like apples and cheddar goldfish which then get picked up by a parent and ferried to the site where the packages are assembled. Interested in volunteering? Volunteer with Cindy and her crew. Let’s get all 17 schools being served to participate!
Featured Schools: Bigelow Middle School, FA Day Middle School, Underwood Elementary School, and Williams Elementary School.
Project or Focus Area: Food Diversion Program
“At Bigelow, students know that the fruit they don’t want will go to someone who needs it, and learn that food diversion helps all of us.”
–Crista Cavvichio, Green Captain at Bigelow Middle School
“We at Underwood couldn’t have been more excited to join in the Food Diversion Programs efforts, which helps save good food from being thrown away. Instead, it is shared with people in our community, mainly our students, who need it most.”
–Jean Van Putten, Green Captain at Underwood Elementary School
Image: Cindy Qiao © 2025 | Food Diversion Program bag and cooler
Newton Serves is focused on cleaning and improving our city’s parks, school grounds, open space areas, and conservation lands. If you are interested in bringing this back to Bigelow, we need your help!
Bigelow’s past project leader graduated to NNHS and we need new volunteers to continue to benefit from the program.
Project registration opens February 1st.
Please email bigelowbulldog@gmail.com to express interest and visit the Newton Serves page to learn more.
Each year, the PTO runs events and programs that support our students, our teachers, and our school community. This collective effort enriches the middle school experience for everyone. To make it happen, the PTO depends on community donations of time, money, and other contributions.
We launched our annual fundraising drive in November. The Annual Appeal is our biggest fundraiser and covers the bulk of our programming expenses for the year. We are suggesting a gift of $110, which amounts to PTO spending for one student, but a donation amount of any size would be incredibly helpful.
Thank you, as always, for your support!
2025-2026 Bigelow PTO Board
How Your Donation Works for Bigelow
Please consider adding Bigelow PTO to your company’s annual donation matching program, if applicable. Bigelow Middle School PTO is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Tax ID #20-0348453. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law.