October Highlights Bowman Fall/Winter Swag Store: Now open through Oct 15. Shop now!
Passport to the World: Friday Oct 16 - Join us 5:30 - 7:30pm for an evening of learning, sharing and celebrating the cultural diversity of our Bowman community. Sign ups to share your heritage are open until 10/2. Student Marketplace:Register to be a seller at our 4th Annual Student Marketplace on November 14. Fiorella's Fundraiser: Dine at Fiorella's Lexington on Tuesday, October 20 and mention the Bowman PTO fundraiser to get 15% of sales donated to the PTO. Family Craft Night: Stop by the Bowman gym on Thursday, October 29 from 5-7pm for a night of free family craft activities! No registration is required but please RSVP if you can!
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| Fall/Winter Swag Store October 1-15
Gear up for cooler weather with Bowman cold weather swag! Shop now for Bowman hoodies, jackets, beanies, blankets, flannel pajama pants and athletic wear. Get your holiday shopping done early with Bowman spiritwear for extended family. This is your opportunity to get your hands on the out of stock Gold Tie-Dye Paws Up Tee many of you have been waiting for! Also check out the new tees and bags featuring our new Bowman mural! |
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| Passport to the World Thursday, October 16, 5:30 - 7:30
Travel the globe, celebrate our community! Mark your calendars for Passport to the World on October 16! Join us for an evening of celebration and learning as Bowman families share their heritage and traditions from around the globe. Come rejoice in the many cultures that make our community special, meet your neighbors, and enjoy a passport-worthy adventure right here at school.
Note: Today is your last chance to sign up to represent a country at Passport to the World. Registration closes on 10/2. |
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| Student Marketplace Seller Registration Open
Calling all budding student markers, crafters and entrepreneurs! Register now for the 4th Annual Bowman Student Marketplace in November! This is a wonderful opportunity for students to make, market and sell their very own products. They also get to keep the profits! Register now and take advantage of the free PTO-run workshops to support our young entrepreneurs.
Register to be a seller at Student Marketplace |
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| Fiorella's Fundraiser Tuesday, October 20
It's Fiorella's night for the Bowman PTO! Take a break from cooking dinner on Tuesday, October 20 and support Bowman PTO with Fiorella's for dinner!
Just mention this fundraiser at checkout and 15% of sales will be donated to the PTO. |
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| Family Craft Night Thursday, October 29, 5-7pm
Stop by the Bowman gym between 5:00 - 7:00pm on Thursday, October 29th for a night of free family craft activities! All materials will be provided, just bring your imagination!
No registration required, but please RSVP here if you think you will join us so we can plan for enough supplies. All students must be accompanied by an adult. |
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Our Mission The Lexington METCO Family Friends Program connects Boston and Lexington families, creating opportunities to build meaningful relationships that foster cultural exchange and community integration. |
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Family Friends Program, Re-imagined Last year, we introduced the large-scale community events that brought our Boston and Lexington neighborhoods together. We recognized that these gatherings alone didn't always spark the deep, individual family pairings that are the heart of the Family Friends Program.
This year, to return to our roots of fostering authentic, one-on-one connections, we are evolving our model. Moving forward, we will balance our calendar with 3 large-group community events and 3 dedicated individual family play dates each year.
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We Need Your Help We need your help. To ensure every family feels supported in these individual family matches, we are also reintroducing the Family Friends Coordinator roles. We are seeking one Boston and one Lexington resident to partner as Bowman's Family Friends Co-Coordinators. You will collaborate with Bowman's METCO Social Worker, Ms. Tania Altidor, to facilitate personal introductions and help plan our three individual playdates and large group community events.
This shift ensures that while we enjoy the energy of the full community, we don't lose the intentional, lasting friendships that has defined the Family Friends experience throughout the years. |
Participate as a Family Friend If you'd like to be a Lexington- or Boston-based METCO Family Friend and participate in three individual playdates, please sign up here. A family friend coordinator will reach out after you have signed up.
Dates for Individual Playdates (on half day Fridays):
- October 30, 2026
- February 5, 2027
- May 21, 2027
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Library Volunteers Needed! We're looking for volunteers to help out in the Bowman library this year! Library volunteers check in and check out books, assist students during Library class, and help keep the library organized. No prior experience is necessary, and you can sign up for as many or as few volunteer shifts as you'd like. It's a great way to meet the other students in your child's class, and the students are always excited to see their parent in the library! If you're interested in learning more, please register here to receive information about volunteering in the library. If you decide to volunteer, we can set you up to shadow an experienced volunteer for your first shift. |
REMINDER: Update Your Directory Contact Info If you haven’t already, please update your child(ren)'s contact details on Membership Toolkit (MTK) with your child(ren)’s Current Teacher's Name. This allows your child(ren) to appear in class rosters. We'd greatly appreciate it if this is done as soon as possible.
While you’re there, remember to join the PTO. Membership is free but membership needs to be renewed annually. We also hope you will consider donating to help fund enrichment activities and supplies for your child(ren). The Bowman PTO appreciates your donations and contributions!
Click here to update your family information in Membership Toolkit, become a member, and consider donating to the PTO! |
Maximize Your Contributions with Employer Matching Did you know you could potentially double or triple your contribution to our PTO through your company’s donation matching program? Last year, just a handful of families unlocked over $8,000 in extra support for Bowman PTO simply by using their employers’ matching programs. When you donate or volunteer, companies like Google, IBM, Microsoft, Moderna, Takeda, Veeva Systems, and many more will match your generosity, turning every dollar or every volunteer hour into twice the impact for our students, staff, and community. Check with your employer about charitable matching programs. We are registered as “Bowman Elementary School PTO Inc.”
To participate, you can either pay as usual in Membership Toolkit for all your PTO donations and submit your emailed receipt to your employer’s charitable matching program OR you can choose “Offline Payment” in Membership Toolkit, pay in your employer’s charitable program portal, then email matching@bowmanpto.org with your receipt. (This option is recommended for programs with long wait times for matching reviews.)
Email matching@bowmanpto.org with any questions or if Bowman PTO needs to be registered with your employer’s charitable program. |
CORI Check Reminder Please remember that it is district policy that anyone who volunteers (lRoom Helpers, Library Volunteers, PTO events, etc) in our school must have a CORI check completed by Lexington Public Schools. CORI checks are good for 3 years. For any questions regarding the CORI check, please email Mrs. Ashness (cashness@lexingtonma.org) or Mrs. Barnes (bbarnes@lexingtonma.org) in our Main Office. Get your CORI check done now so you do not miss the fun - this can take up to 30 days! Click here to submit your CORI Check. |
| | Thursday, October 1 | | | Monday, October 12 | | | Thursday, October 15 | | | Friday, October 16 | | | | Tuesday, October 20 | | | Thursday, October 22 | | | Friday, October 23 | | | Thursday, October 29 | |
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Subscribe to the Bowman PTO Calendar Don't miss events - subscribe to the Bowman PTO Google Calendar: Visit the Bowman PTO Calendar for all events. |
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