Category Archives: From the PTO

Big Night 2019 – Auction Items Needed

We are excited about Big Night, Bigelow-On-The-Charles, on March 30, 2019, 7:30-10:30 pm, at the Cambridge Boat Club! 

Planning is well underway and we are actively seeking donations for our silent auction. Your support and help is so critical to making this event successful and being able to reach our goal of 60 donated items.

Gift cards for restaurants, spa services, sporting event tickets, weekends at a vacation home, etc. are all great ideas for our auction. And whether it is your family that is donating or a business, we cannot thank you enough for your generosity.

Donated items are due by March 10, 2019, and we appreciate receiving auction items as soon as possible!

Below you will find a link for a printable business solicitation letter and donation form. Please contact committee chairperson, Karen Markson, at kmarkson@gmail.com or bigelowbulldog@gmail.com if you have any questions. Thank you so much for your support of the Bigelow community’s biggest fundraiser of the year!

Download business solicitation letter here.

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon – Call for volunteers and food contributions

The Bigelow Teacher Appreciation Luncheon will be Wednesday, February 6th, at the Library.

It is a great way to take a moment to thank the amazing teachers and staff at Bigelow for all they do for our children. Bigelow families provide the food, beverages, and financial support for this event. Please, consider making a contribution to the luncheon, or help with set up and clean up. We still need some volunteers and donations for this appreciation event.

To donate or volunteer please sign up HERE.

To make a monetary contribution for the luncheon, please click HERE.

  • Please send in your favorite lunch food! Salads, sandwiches, entrees – whatever you think our wonderful teachers and staff will enjoy.
  • It is most helpful if items are brought in recyclable containers.
  • All items may be dropped off on the morning of the luncheon in the teacher’s lunchroom (in the library) or put in the refrigerator there.
  • Please drop off all items no later than 10:30 AM.

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact the Teacher Appreciation Chairs, Miriam Alandydy (Miriam.alandydy@gmail.com) or Andrea Hemment (ahemment@gmail.com).

Thank you again for helping us show our appreciation for our teachers and staff.

Show Your Love for the Bigelow Library!

Honor a teacher or student with a donation to the Bigelow Library. By clicking on the Bigelow Library Donation Website, you can purchase a book from the requested list of books to help maintain Bigelow Library’s rich collection of independent reading books. Each book purchased will include a bookplate on the inside cover of the book with both your name and the person you would like to honor. The books are covered and bound in a special way to last for a long time and come shelf ready so that each book can be in the hands of a reader as soon as possible.  

Love the Bigelow Library by making a donation today!  

Thank you for your consideration and generosity.
Patty Summa, Bigelow Library Teacher

Steps at Lunch – an opportunity for fresh air

The winter version of “Laps at Lunch” is “Steps at Lunch”. Parents and guardians in the Bigelow community are invited to help out, giving our students the opportunity to get outside in front of the school in the cooler months, whenever it’s a nice day.  If interested please contact Mary Fitzgerald (physical education teacher) at: Mary_Fitzgerald@newton.k12.ma.us. More about the program here.

Cabot Alumni and neighbors, you are invited to a celebration

You and your family are invited to take part in building the Cabot School Mural!

WHO: The Cabot School Community – Cabot Families, Cabot Alumni, Cabot Staff & Faculty, and Cabot Neighbors! (Please note that this is not a drop-off event – all children must be accompanied by an adult.)

WHAT: Help us build a 100-square foot glass-tile mosaic mural (under the supervision of muralist David Fichter) that will be installed in the main lobby of the new Cabot School when it opens next fall!

WHERE: Cabot @ Carr School – 225 Nevada St, Newton, MA 02460 – in the Art Room. Please enter from the doors nearest the staff parking lot on the front of the school (off of Nevada Street).

WHEN: Saturday, February 2nd and Sunday, February 10th from 10am-3pm.

HOW: Please sign-up for a time slot below, and indicate how many people will be in your group. (There is a maximum of 15 people per timeslot.)

CLICK HERE to learn more about the mural project.

Questions? Send them to cabotmural@gmail.com

Bigelow Concerts this week

This is going to be a musical week at Bigelow. Please come watch our students in two concerts in the Bigelow Auditorium. Both performances start at 7 pm.

  • Wednesday,  January 23rd – Chorus
  • Thursday, January 24th – Band & Symphonic Band

Tuesday – Talk with Superintendent Fleishman

Please join us this Tuesday, January 22nd, at 7pm in the Bigelow library for our PTO meeting with Superintendent David Fleishman and members of the School Committee.  They will talk briefly about district initiatives and then spend the majority of time answering your questions.

We hope to see you there!

Big Night 2019 – Auction Items Needed

Please save the date for the Bigelow PTO’S biggest fundraiser of the year, Bigelow Big Night, held this year on March 30, 2019, 7:30-10:30 p.m.

Once again, we will be celebrating at the Cambridge Boat Club in Cambridge, where we will enjoy great food, an open bar and music provided by a DJ!

Last year, Bigelow-on-the-Charles raised over $20,000, which went to supporting many programs that benefit our students. Whether it is scholarships for field trips or classroom supplies, these funds are critical as so many costs are not covered by the Newton Public School budget.

Our goal is to surpass the money we raised last year through ticket sales and the silent auction. Here’s where we ask for your help!

We need 60 items for the Silent Auction. We are asking that each grade donate 20 items. Please see more details HERE. 

  • Can you donate a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant, workout site, movie theatre?
  • Or would you be willing to ask a local business for a donation?
  • Do you have tickets to a sporting event or concert?
  • Can you cook and host a meal, football game, or cocktail party?
  • Do you have a vacation house getaway you can donate?
  • Would you like to donate a wine basket, an Italian Dinner basket, Lottery Card Wreath, Car Detail Basket, Moscow Mule Basket, Olive Oil Basket, Game Night Basket? Just to name a few ideas!


Download here a donation form and an informational letter. 

You can also help by soliciting local businesses for an auction donation. Or you might want to sponsor a portion of the evening?

Please contact committee chairperson, Karen Markson at  kmarkson@gmail.com  if you have any questions.

Thank you in advance for your support of this event.

New clubs at Bigelow

Harry Potter – Thursdays, 3pm -3:45pm, Ms. Hajjar (room G03) – Informational meeting January 24th at 3pm.

Anime Club –Thursdays, Mr. Waldman (G10)

Magic/Dungeons and Dragons/Pokemon –Wednedays, Mr. Burtch (Room 201)

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon

The Teacher Appreciation Luncheon is an annual event organized by the PTO in early February.

It is a great way to take a moment to thank the amazing teachers and staff at Bigelow for all they do for our children. Bigelow families provide the food, beverages, and financial support for this event.

The event is held on an Early Release Day, and teachers and staff can enjoy a joyful lunch-time. They absolutely love and appreciate every aspect of this day!  

In 2019, the Luncheon is on Wednesday, February 6th. Set up is at 10:30am and clean up is at 2:30pm.  

To donate or volunteer please sign up HERE.

To make a monetary contribution for the luncheon, please click HERE.

  • Please send in your favorite lunch food! Salads, sandwiches, entrees – whatever you think our wonderful teachers and staff will enjoy.
  • It is most helpful if items are brought in recyclable containers.
  • All items may be dropped off on the morning of the luncheon in the teacher’s lunchroom (in the library) or put in the refrigerator there.
  • Please drop off all items no later than 10:30 AM.

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact the Teacher Appreciation Chairs, Miriam Alandydy (Miriam.alandydy@gmail.com) or Andrea Hemment (ahemment@gmail.com). Thank you again for helping us show our appreciation for our teachers and staff.