Does your child like CAS (Creative Arts & Sciences) Programming? Enjoy School Dances and Field Trips? Plan to participate in 8th Grade End-of-Year Activities?
These are examples of events funded by our PTO.
Our goal is to raise $12,000 to support Bigelow events throughout the year. Thank you for your donations so far! Since November, we have raised nearly $4,000.
Please consider donating $10, $20, $45, $75, or $110
Creative Arts & Sciences (CAS) programs are 100% funded by PTO dollars. Each school funds their own programs. Bigelow tries to fund at least one CAS program per grade. In December, 7th Graders learned from Dr. Dan Perlman, Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at Brandeis University, about the history of climate change and the future implications on water availability, wildfires, and flooding; greenhouse gasses and the greenhouse effect – and more. March will be a big month for CAS at Bigelow! Upcoming presentations include a local author, a theater group that encourages critical thinking and student civic engagement, Greek mythology, and Holocaust survivor, Elly Gotz.
Field Trips & 8th Grade Activities: Busses are expensive! PTO support helps keep field trip costs, banquets and 8th grade graduation activities low- or no-cost for families and sponsors students who may be unable to pay at all.
School Dances: Our PTO sponsors upfront costs of all Bigelow school dances, which are only partly offset by ticket sales. This year’s October dance was a blast –– we’re looking forward to another dance in the Spring!
Global Diversity Night: Our PTO funds this incredible annual event that celebrates Bigelow’s unique global community with food, music, and fun for all.
FORJ Events: Our PTO funds Bigelow’s annual welcome picnic and supports Families Organizing for Racial Justice (FORJ) events throughout the year.
Registration Fees: Our PTO supports registration fees for students to participate in regional Math Competitions, Music and Drama events.
Teacher Appreciation & Classroom Support: You all participate in the BIG Teacher Appreciation week each May, but Bigelow teachers also enjoy snack, dessert, or breakfast spreads sponsored by our PTO once each quarter. If teachers need extra supplies for their classroom or gym, our PTO reimburses them. When teachers feel appreciated, our children benefit the most!
Bigelow PTO Family Directory, and More!
With your support, our PTO will continue to be able to fund enriching content for our community.
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.
Please join the Bigelow PTO Board on Wednesday, Feb 25th at 7pm for a Community Meeting in the Bigelow Library. Learn about how the Annual Appeal Fundraiser benefits Bigelow students throughout the year, and explore opportunities to get involved with our PTO.
Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Time: 7:00pm – 8:15pm
Location: Druker Auditorium (Newton Free Library, 330 Homer Street, Newton)
Registration encouraged: here (walk-ins also welcome)
Presenter: Dr. Kabria Baumgartner, Northeastern University
Click HERE for more information on this event
Many of us learn about school desegregation in the context of the mid-twentieth-century South: Brown v. Board of Education, Ruby Bridges, and the Little Rock Nine. Yet a century before that, young Black women in Massachusetts led the fight for equal school rights—the right of all to a quality education on an equal basis. This lecture examines the lives of young Black women whose activism reshaped public education in the Bay State.
Don’t forget to mark your calendar for Bigelow Global Diversity Night! We will see you on Tuesday, March 3rd at 6:30pm in the gym. We have heard from many families and teachers who will host a country/culture table – it’s sure to be a great night for our community! So far, we have representation from Armenia, Italy, Uruguay, China, Germany, Philippines & Vietnam, and we’ll have teas from around the world (back by popular demand)! You can still sign up to host a table/join a table and/or volunteer.
Feel free to contact 8th grade Mom Lanni Isenberg with any questions or suggestions: lanni_harris@yahoo.com (she will grant permission to access the sign up sheet). Thanks so much to everybody who has signed up so far!
Last year’s restart of Bigelow’s traditional Ten Tables progressive dinner was such a success that we’re doing it again!
On Saturday, May 2, we will join together for appetizers at one Bigelow family’s home and then split into smaller groups for dinner at a number of other families’ homes. This event is a wonderful night of community-building, and a great way to raise money and engagement to support our PTO.
If you are interested in hosting either the appetizers gathering, or one of the dinners, please email the PTO at bigelowbulldog@gmail.com, or the event chairs, Kathy Shields at kburdetteshields@yahoo.com or Amy Davis at amygdavis84@gmail.com.
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 is NOW OPEN.
Please email bigelowbulldog@gmail.com to express interest and visit the Newton Serves page to learn more.
Help us celebrate Bigelow’s beautiful and diverse community!
Sign up in this worksheet to host a table or join a table, help plan and/or bring supplies. (You will be granted worksheet access upon request.) Contact 8th grade parent Lanni Isenberg if you have questions, lanni_harris@yahoo.com.
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.
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!
Current 8th graders are preparing for the transition to Newton North High School. This month 8th graders will begin to choose their classes in collaboration with their 8th grade teachers!
The second of the NNHS transition events, In Person Open House for students and families, is coming up quick:
When: Thursday, February 12, from 5p-7pm
Where: IN PERSON –– NNHS
What: This evening is for students AND families.
The Class of 2030 Website is up and running!
Please mark your calendars for all upcoming events designed to prepare our current 8th graders and their families for the transition to Newton North High School: