The Annual Fund will run through October 31

2025-10-05 Newsletter

Dear Countryside Families,

Happy October! It’s hard to believe but our first month of the school year is already in the books. We hope all your children have settled in nicely to the school year and day-to-day routines.

We’ve wrapped up the first full week of our Countryside PTO Annual Fund drive—thank you to everyone who has already donated!

Early this week, your child will bring home an Annual Fund brochure with more details about the programs and events the PTO supports throughout the year, along with ways to contribute. We are requesting a donation of $150/student to help fund programming for our children and the Countryside community. Every gift makes a difference—no donation is too large or too small.

Check out below for more details and to see our fundraising progress to date. Thank you for your generosity and support!

Be sure to save or bookmark the link to our Countryside PTO website. There you’ll find a variety of PTO resources, including past issues of our Sunday bi-weekly newsletters and all email blasts, in case you missed one.

Big thanks to our webmaster, Ian Li, for updating and maintaining this incredibly useful resource!

Warmly,
Melissa, Steve, and Tera
PTO Co-Presidents

Coming Up

Wednesday, October 8

PTO Meeting, 7:00 p.m., in Library
Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day

Monday, October 13

No School, Indigenous People’s Day

Saturday, October 25

Halloween Party, including Pumpkin Contest

Tuesday, October 28

Early Release Day, Dismissal at 12:10 p.m.

View Calendar

Updates

Annual Fund Update

Thanks to your generous donations we are at 31% of our goal! THANK YOU! If you haven't had a chance to contribute to the Annual Fund yet, we still need your help to reach our goal. We are requesting a donation of $150 per student by October 31. Each family’s circumstances are different; please give as generously as you can, knowing that no gift is too small to make a difference!

1) Venmo (preferred method)—please make sure to reference your child's name and grade/classroom.

2) Check made out to Countryside PTO, submitted along with the completed

brochure form. Please return it in the envelope provided via your child’s home to school folder.

3) Cash, submitted along with the completed brochure form. Please return in the

envelope provided via your child’s home to school folder.

More info about the Annual Fund

Donate to the Annual Fund

PTO Meeting

Please join the PTO on Wednesday, October 8 at 7:00 p.m. We will meet in the library, or you can join via Google Meet. Please contact Casey Allen if you have any questions or items you’d like to add to the agenda.

Google Meet joining info

Video call link Or dial: ‪(US) +1 985-260-2924‬ PIN: ‪287 995 815‬#

This meeting is open to all Countryside parents/guardians. We always welcome new involvement and volunteers. We hope to see you there!

Halloween Party

Exciting news! Planning for the annual Halloween Party is in full swing and we need your help. If you're interested in joining the Halloween Committee, please email Denitsa Brown. We're seeking enthusiastic parents to assist with setting up, volunteering during the event, and cleaning up after the party.

Do you love to decorate? We need a team to help transform Countryside on Friday, October 24, from 7:00–10:00 p.m.

This Spook-tacular event will take place on Saturday, October 25, from 4:30–8:00 p.m., and the following time slots will be allocated to:

Sensory Friendly Space: 4:30–5:00 p.m.

Grades K–2: 5:00–6:30 p.m.

Grades 3–5: 6:30–8:00 p.m.

Students with sensory sensitivities (any grade) who benefit from reduced noise and lighting effects are welcome to join us for early access from 4:30–5:00 p.m. In addition, a dedicated Quiet Zone will be available during the event.

This is NOT a drop-off event; children must be accompanied by an adult.

A volunteer sign-up email will follow shortly.

Pumpkin Decorating Contest

Countryside's Annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest is back! Unleash your creativity and design a masterpiece. Whether you paint, draw, or carve a pumpkin (real or fake), bring it to this year's Halloween party on October 25! Students at the party will vote, and winners will be announced the following week via email.

More information and instructions will follow shortly.

Join the Countryside Student Green Team!

Who? All 3rd–5th grade Countryside students are welcome to join.

What? Work on fun, earth-friendly projects and activities to help green our community!

When? The first meeting is Thursday, October 9 after school from 2:50–3:50 p.m.

Where? We will meet in the Countryside art classroom.

Why? Because you care about the environment, enjoy spending time in nature, and want to help our community be more green!

How to join? Click here to sign up! We will meet monthly, on the 2nd Thursday of the month. Join our first meeting to learn more.

Questions? Email Countryside parent and Green Team leader Julie Winsett.

Get ready for another exciting session of BOKS (Active Kids)!

The fall session of BOKS (Active Kids) is off to a great start! We kicked things off on Wednesday, October 1, and the kids are already having a blast getting active before class. If your child is already in BOKS, consider spreading the word to their friends’ caregivers—let’s get more kids moving in the mornings!

This free before-school fitness program at Countryside helps children stay active and start their day ready to learn. BOKS runs Wednesdays & Fridays, 7:30–8:10 a.m., and we still have spots available for students across all grade levels—register now!

Reach out to Chris Campbell, Nanda Campbell, or Ryan Allen with any questions.

Thank you

Picture Day!

Picture Day was a success! Thank you to Ayca Yalcin Ozkumur for organizing and to all of our amazing volunteers— Monica Shook, Tera Hickle, Sue Johnston, Nirmala Doddannara, Dimitra Simou, Melissa Monokroussos, Kristin Lepri, and Beth Harmon—for keeping things running smoothly. We would also like to give a special thanks to our principal, Beth Herlihy, administrative assistant, Emma Ardiff, custodian, Mark Repta, and all of our wonderful faculty and staff for helping to ensure every student (and their smiling face!) was photographed!

Community Notes

Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day

Wednesday, October 8 is Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day! Students are encouraged to get to school by walking, biking, or using other active modes of travel. It’s a fun way to get moving, reduce traffic, and help the environment. If your family lives farther away, you can still participate by taking the bus or carpooling with another family. Together, we can make our community safer for everyone! More information can be found on the NPS website

Newton SEPAC

Meet the Candidates (Newton SEPAC) | October 22–23 | 8:00–9:30 p.m., Online.

Hear School Committee candidates discuss priorities for special education in Newton Public Schools.

NCE FALL CLUBS FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

Newton Community Education is the place for after-school fun this fall! NCE offers clubs and classes designed to help elementary school children discover new passions and make friends outside the classroom. Kids can learn to play chess (beginner through advanced), build and create in Buildwave, learn cheer basics, or take swimming lessons—and that’s just a small sample of the enriching programs NCE offers! Visit our website to explore the full catalog of clubs!

Newton Children's Book Festival

The 2nd Annual Newton Children’s Book Festival is back for 2025! This is a free event co-organized by the Oak Hill Middle School Librarian, Jean Stehle, where you’ll have the opportunity to meet 60+ children’s book authors and illustrators who will also be on hand to sign books. One of Newton’s local businesses, Newtonville Books, will be book seller at the event. Last year’s inaugural event was highly successful with over 1,000 attendees. More details about Newton Children's Book Festival.

You can find info about upcoming engagement opportunities in and around Newton at NPS Community Notices page.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse