The Bigelow PTO sends out weekly newsletters on Thursdays as well as other targeted communications throughout the school year. Please review the items below to ensure you are up to date.
Stay current! As we start a new school year, please take a moment to review and update your newsletter communication preferences, including subscribing to grade-specific and staff communications, through the update your preferences link at the bottom of Bigelow PTO newsletters and emails.
Help spread the word! If you know new members of the Bigelow community, please encourage them to subscribe to the PTO Newsletter via the PTO websiteor this direct link.
Left Bigelow? If you are no longer affiliated with Bigelow and want to be removed from the list, you can use the unsubscribe link at the very bottom of Bigelow PTO newsletters or emails, or scroll to the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the update your preferences link.
Need Help? If you have any questions or need help troubleshooting issues with your Bigelow PTO Newsletter (e.g., duplicate communications, updating preferences, unsubscribing) please email bigelowbulldog@gmail.com.
The Bigelow PTO Family Directory is hosted online at Membership Toolkit. The access is free and it can be used by all Bigelow families. The directory is run and funded by the PTO thanks to your support!
The online platform is a secure and easy to use tool that organizes contact information for all Bigelow families. It is a convenient, environmentally conscious system, that can be updated throughout the school year.
Please confirm that your information is correct and up-to-date. Specific directions for accessing the Directory and verifying contact information are below.
Incoming 6th gradersfrom Underwood, Lincoln-Eliot and Ward have been automatically added to Bigelow’s Directory if the information was available in the elementary school directory. The Membership Toolkit account for Bigelow will use the same login as your elementary school. Mason Rice, Cabot, and out of district families will need to enter their information manually (see directions for new users below).
PLEASE NOTE that regulations and privacy laws do not allow information from Aspen and/or Newton Public schools to flow into this Directory and vice versa. We acknowledge that it is painful to update information in more than one place. The success of this Directory is dependent on every family logging in and adding or updating their information.
Instructions: Accessing and Adding/Verifying Information
Login Information
Login as RETURNING USER, using the same login as last year at Bigelow or your elementary school, if you are:
A returning Bigelow family
An incoming family from Lincoln-Eliot, Underwood or Ward that participated in the elementary school directory
Login as NEW USER, and create a new account if you are:
An incoming family from Mason-Rice, Cabot, or starting Grade 6 from out of the district
A new family with students in Grade 7 and/or Grade 8
A family that did not participate in their elementary school (Lincoln-Eliot, Underwood or Ward) Directory
Click “Verify my email” and then check your email for a link to complete the process. The link expires in 2 hours. If you do not receive the email, check your spam or junk folders.
Once you have verified your email address, log back in and finish the registration process.
Note: Once the Primary Account is set up, the Primary User can “invite” other email addresses to access his/her account. This allows the Secondary User to have their own login information, but still have access to the family account.
Completing/Confirming Information
STEP 1: Complete the Parent/Family and then Student Information. Families can enter their name, address, and phone numbers. For returning users, most of this information should already be available. Please just confirm it is correct.
STEP 2: Complete the Directory/Publish Preferences. Each family can decide which pieces of information will be available for others to view through the privacy settings.
If you are unfamiliar with the platform or if you are unsure about whether or not you are in it, please email us with your name and your child’s name(s) at bigelowbulldog@gmail.com.
Bigelow is turning the space outside the leadership offices into a waiting room/quiet space for students waiting to speak with leadership or who are in need a comfortable quiet space and could use donations to complete this space. If you have any gently used furniture that you no longer need that might work (e.g., comfy chairs, small sofa, bean bags, floor pillows, small table) please email Kersten Raso at rasok@newton.k12.ma.us.
Stay tuned for a wish list for other items (e.g., calming tools) to get the space finalized.
Thank you for your help creating a positive space for students and staff!
Starting in September 2023, to better serve the growing number of clients, the Newton Food Pantry will add client shopping hours on Thursdays from 10am to 1pm, by appointment only. The Newton Food Pantry will continue to be open for clients on Wednesdays, by appointment from 12pm to 3pm and for walk-in hours from 3pm to 7pm. Walk-in hours will NOT be available on Thursdays.
The Newton Food Pantry is located in the basement of Newton City Hall, 1000 Commonwealth Avenue. Clients enter City Hall on the side facing Homer Street, by the large Newton Food Pantry sign.
Clients must be Newton residents or be students and staff at a Newton-based college or university, show proof of residency, and complete a New Client Registration Form, found here.
We offer a client choice pantry and all clients may “shop” twice every month, choosing from a large variety of fresh produce, dairy products, frozen proteins, shelf-stable goods, personal care items, and culturally-relevant foods. All food and personal care items are free of charge.
Wednesday walk-in clients are welcome to shop from 3pm to 7pm on any two Wednesdays per month. Wednesday walk-in clients do not need to sign up in advance. They wait to enter the pantry and shop in the order of their arrival.
Clients who have made appointments on Wednesday between 12pm and 3pm or on Thursday between 10am and 1pm are welcome to shop on their assigned day and time any two weeks each month.Clients with appointments do not need to tell us when they will visit the pantry. If they are unable to come on their assigned appointment day and time, they are welcome to shop during walk-in hours on Wednesday from 3pm to 7pm.
To schedule an appointment, clients should use the contact form on the Newton Food Pantry website and select “make or change an appointment” or email vicepresident@newtonfoodpantry.org
Individuals who are homebound due to age or disability may qualify for home delivery. To inquire, clients should use the contact us form on the website and select “client help” or email vicepresident@newtonfoodpantry.org
Lastly, in addition to our choice pantry, the Newton Food Pantry, in collaboration with other Newton organizations, runs theNewton Community freedge. The freedge is a free refrigerator and pantry open all day, every day to anyone. No forms or Newton residency is required. The freedge is located at 420 Watertown Street, in the Central Drapery and Dry Cleaning parking lot.
All students will need 2 locks; one for their main locker & the other for their PE locker. Master Lock type padlocks with a numeric combination dial fit best and are most secure.
Note: Master Lock 2-packs often include 2 locks with the same combination so your student only needs to remember 1 combination.
We hope you’ve had a fun and relaxing summer break. We are excited to welcome you and your student(s) to the 2023-24 school year at Bigelow Middle School!
As parents or guardians of students at Bigelow, you are all members of the PTO. The PTO acts as a liaison between parents and the school, helps to build community and foster communication, and fundraises for the priorities set by Bigelow.
Please, take a minute to read about the Bigelow PTO’s purposes and what it does to promote the core values of the Bigelow Middle School by supporting performing arts, technology, and lots more for our children and the school. The Bigelow PTO is a volunteer organization and your participation enriches the school environment.
We are fortunate to be part of such a wonderful community and we look forward to serving you in the coming year. We wish you and your students an outstanding year!
School Hours: 7:55 a.m. – 2:25 p.m. (early release Wednesdays at 1:40 p.m.)
School Supplies: Please click here for school supply list broken down by grade level. The PTO invites you to think about school supplies in a sustainable way. Let’s practice the three Rs of sustainability – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle with our students.
***One Additional School Supply Needed***
All students will need 2 locks; one for their main locker & the other for their PE locker. Master Lock type padlocks with a numeric combination dial fit best and are most secure.
Note: Master Lock 2-packs often include 2 locks with the same combination so your student only needs to remember 1 combination.
On Wednesday August 30th Bigelow teachers and staff were treated to an Opening Day Luncheon catered by Jersey Mike’s. Many thanks to chairs Ron Farrar and Suriya Ziblatt for organizing teacher and staff appreciation for the 2023-24 school year and to Kristin Golden for her help with this first event.
In this last Bigelow Notes of the 2022/2023 school year, we would like to thank you for your generosity and continuous support for another wonderful school year.
A special call-out to all our amazing volunteers who worked tirelessly to make sure that PTO sponsored events were successful.
In particular, we would like to express our deep gratitude to the following parents:
Giulia Guffanti (Treasurer), Sukanya Ghosh (Secretary), Elizabeth Apgar (Communications/Website), Sarah K. Lenz & Heather Thiessen Philbrook (Directory), Zlatena Simeonova (Creative Arts & Sciences), Gabriela Kroszynski & Heather Pozen (8th Grade Activities), Ron Farrar & Suriya Ziblatt (Teacher Appreciation), Shana Smythe, Charlene Gillespie, & Carolyn Gillespie (Ten Tables), Elizabeth Apgar (NewtonServes), Karen Hite (PoPs), Jeanne Choe-Arrieta (METCO), and Margo Michaels & Jeanne Choe-Arrieta (FORJ) for making it all happen.
Last but not least, we would like to thank Gabriela Kroszynski (President) and May Chen (Vice-President) for their service to the Bigelow PTO during these last two school years.
We wish you all a very restful and joyous summer! Look for information over the summer for upcoming events and ways to be a part of the PTO. For those of you leaving Bigelow, we wish you all the best and hope our paths cross at Newton North.
