School news, events, and volunteer opportunities, published monthly by the Hardy PTO. Visit the Hardy PTO website to sign up for PTO emails, access the student directory, and learn more about our programs.

Families can expect to be notified of their students' class/teacher assignments for the 2024-25 school year in mid to late August via USPS mail and it will also be available in PowerSchool.

Once you receive your assignment you can add or update your child's information in the Hardy PTO Directory and start connecting with your future classmates.

Hardy's Staff directory can be found here and will be updated when final teacher hiring/placement is complete.

The Hardy PTO will be ordering $8,000 worth of school supplies to help reduce back-to-school supply costs for families. Click here to see what the PTO has provided for the 24/25 school year.  Supplies will be delivered directly to teachers.  This is funded by YOUR direct donations each fall - so thank you in advance!

Depending on the grade, some students may not receive any additional supply lists from teachers, as they have already been purchased. Some grades may still receive a shortened supply list.

Examples of items students may still need: corded headphones, pencil box, and notebooks. If you are interested in participating in a bulk-purchase through the PTO of volume-limited, over-the-ear kids headphones for $8 each, please fill out this form.

Teachers and specialists love to receive extra tissues, paper towels, and wipes (Wet Ones, Clorox, baby wipes), so always feel free to send those in!

Families will still need to provide a backpack, lunch box if your student plans to bring lunch, daily snacks, and a water bottle.

If you need labels for your students’ items, consider purchasing from Mabel’s Labels, where 20% of your purchase price is donated to the PTO. Visit the site and search for “Hardy Elementary Arlington” to select our program, then shop for products.

We already have some events scheduled and wanted to give caregivers advance notice!  

Stay tuned for opportunities to volunteer and sign up to participate!

Saturday, August 17th 10AM - 12PM: Meet the Principal at the Lake St playground

Tuesday, August 20th 6:30 - 8PM: August Hardy PTO Meeting – see details below

Last week of August TBD: Kindergarten Popsicles with the Principal - stay tuned for the date and time!

Wednesday, September 4th: First day of school.  1/2 of the Kindergarten class will begin this day, and the other 1/2 will begin on Thursday September 5th - the details will be communicated by Hardy Admin

Friday, September 6th 8AM: Kindergarten caregiver coffee on the Lake St playground and Grades 1-5 on the Chandler Street playground

Friday, September 13th 5:30PM: Back to school evening social with frozen treats (dairy and non-dairy), optional BYO picnic. 

Saturday, October 5th: *tentative* Harvest Fest + Bike Rodeo (bike safety classes)

Friday, October 25th 6:15 - 7:30PM: Hardy PTO Trunk or Treat – come decorate your car and join Hardy families for an outdoor trick-or-treat from car to car in the Hardy parking lot.  Candy and non-candy treats will be available

Please check out the PTO's events page to learn more about these events and get a sense of the events throughout the school year.

The PTO Board is working hard on a calendar for the 24/25 school year and will be asking caregivers to "adopt" events - some traditional, and some new to Hardy!

In order to offer events, we are relying on caregivers to commit to running some of these events (with support from the PTO board!)

If any of these events are interesting to you and you may want to adopt them or join the team working on the event, please reach out to president@hardypto.com

• Caregiver Coffee Socials
• Movie Night (new idea, needs lead volunteer)
• Hardy Garden Planting 
• Harvest Fest
• Bike Rodeo (bike safety event)
• Trunk or Treat 
• The Great Pumpkin Rescue!
• Craft Day
• Jim Swan Memorial 5th Grade Trash Pick-a-Thon
• Hour of Code Week
• Hardy Auction
• Book Fair & Literacy Night
• Family Skate Night
• Multi-cultural festival (new idea, needs lead volunteer)
• STEAM Maker Festival
• Field Day
• End-of-Year Picnic

Learn more about some of these events on the PTO Events page.

Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a statewide organization that works to improve safety for the community at arrival and dismissal times. The SRTS team at Hardy works closely with crossing guards Linda (Lake/Brooks) and Katherine (Chandler/Hebert) and also Arlington Police Officer Corey Rateau, the safety team for Hardy. We appreciate their dedication to our students.

SRTS is looking forward to students and families having safe commutes to and from Hardy.  Please review the arrival/dismissal plan developed by the MA SRTS statewide coordinator.

Please note that Chandler Street is not available for parking during dropoff and pick-up times, but is a "kiss and go" area where students may be dropped off to walk independently to the school entrance.  There are many different signs about parking around Hardy.  Please review this document to learn more.

If you are interested in joining the SRTS team, please email Marloes Rozing, Ashley Kresl, and Becky Gibree at saferoutes@hardypto.com.

Part of what makes Hardy strong is its warm, welcoming community. You can help ensure a smooth transition for incoming and existing Hardy families that need guidance by signing up to be a Buddy Family.  

This program is open to anyone, particularly families that:

• Have students starting in classes other than Kindergarten, when it can sometimes feel more challenging for both kids and caregivers to break into established friendship groups.
• Are starting partway through the school year.
• Have just moved to the Hardy School area.
• Currently attend Hardy but would benefit from a mentor family matched specifically for their needs.

Our goal is to pair these families with existing Hardy families to act as a personal point of contact for any questions regarding Hardy School. Please email buddyfamilyprogram@hardypto.com if you'd like to volunteer or have an incoming family that might benefit from this program.

The Arlington Public Schools also have a welcome center, which families new to the area may benefit from.  Learn more here.

Caregiver webinars are available for viewing:

• Finding the Words: Speaking with Youth about Suicide Prevention

• Helping Our Pre-Teens and Teens Thrive: Parenting Strategies for the Adolescent Years

• Breaking Generational Cycles: Rewriting Parenting Patterns

• Recognizing and Treating OCD and Tic Disorders in Youth

• When and How to Seek Mental Health Support

• Five Keys to Parenting Children with ADHD

• Raising Healthy Kids in a Digital World, and

• Addressing School-Related Anxiety and Avoidance

• School’s Out! Supporting Youth & Family Mental Health Over the Summer and Being Ready for Back to School 

Have a school-related or community announcement that would be of interest to the Hardy community? Please contact newsletter@hardypto.com.

Hardy Elementary School

52 Lake Street

Arlington, MA, 02474

Hardy PTO Website