Timely Notice (04-28-08)
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Welcome to the April 28th 2008 PTA Timely Notice newsletter.
Welcome back from Spring Break!
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome back from Spring Break. There's quite a lot going on over the next few weeks; Scholastic Book Fair (end of this week), PTA General Meeting (Wednesday night), Paddlewheeler festival (May 10th), plus important news on fund raising and also elections for both the PTA Executive Board and PS8's School Leadership team.
Hopefully this Timely Notice will help lay out the facts, and provide the links you may need to more information, where appropriate, on our website.
Tim Eldridge
On behalf of the PTA Executive Board.
$130,000 RAISED. $160,000 TO GO.
We've raised another $10,717 since our last update on fund raising, mainly attributable to checks received from the very successful Spring Auction.
The total income now available to forward-fund 2008-09 activities is $130,010.
Unfortunately that's still $159,990 below the target.
To better understand this gap, and the impact it will have on the school and our children, it's recommended that you join this week's PTA General Meeting.
Scholastic Book Fair at PS8 May 2nd & 3rd
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Help raise money for the PTA and contribute to the PS8 Library and classroom wish lists, while shopping from hundreds of quality books in every price range, interest, and reading level.
- Friday, May 2: Children in all classes will be visiting during the school day, the fair is opened to parents at 3-6 p.m.
- Saturday, May 3: Open to the general public from 12-4 p.m.
The Scholastic Book Fair will be held in the PS8 Gym. The fair is open to children in all classes on Friday.
If you want your child to buy their own books we suggest you send them to school with $5-10 to spend!
Please come join the book fair, spread the word and bring other families with you too!
We need volunteers for the fair! If you can help, contact Anne Marie at 718 694 9270.
ELECT TO JOIN-IN
We have two different but complementary opportunities for parents to get involved with PS8 coming up: the PTA Executive Board elections and the PS8 School Leadership Team elections both take place next month.
We'll talk more about these opportunities at this week's General Meeting, but in the meantime...
Look out for more details, coming out mid-week, on the PTA Executive Board elections
Go here to learn about the SLT and how to nominate yourself for that election
Both elections will take place at the May 29th PTA General Meeting.
The Wildlife Conservation Society visits PS 8
Recently, Ms. Davis's Kindergarten finished their study of penguins.
The parents of the children in the class raised money and brought an in-school Wildlife Conservation Society field trip to K-201.
Students arrived in the room to find "Admiral Drake" in his heavy winter coat, and a 6-foot-tall penguin waiting to greet them.
Read more here.
PTA GENERAL MEETING WEDNESDAY APRIL 30TH, 6.30PM
Among several things on the agenda for this month's PTA General Meeting will be an update on PTA fund raising. There's never been a more important time to understand where things stand and the implications for the school and the children. As outlined above, we remain a long way from our fund raising target of $580 per student, and as a result at least half the things on the priority list will need to be eliminated unless this picture changes. So please come. The meeting takes place in the auditorium. For a taste of what's at stake, you may wish to take a look at this Enrichment Program overview.
(We're unable to confirm at this time whether the meeting will be preceded, as it usually is, by our usual half hour "Conversations With The Principal", which normally begins at 6pm.)
PADDLEWHEELER FESTIVAL AT PS8 MAY 10TH, 10AM - 1PM
Volunteers are needed to help staff a great many fun filled family festival activities including arts and crafts including face-painting, tattoos, ring toss, fishing pond, bubble fun, design and make-your-own bag, fish-magnet picture frame making, make a button fish, spin art, bean bag toss, outdoor games and chalk zone, animal balloons, fire-fighters and, weather permitting, one-minute madness basketball and how low can you go limbo, plus food and drinks of course.
Please send an email to us if you are willing to lend a hand - for the whole three hours (10am to 1pm), or just a an hour or two, or just before to set up or just after to wrap up...mail to ps8pta@gmail.com
Posted on: April 28, 2008.
Timely Notice April 14th
Welcome to the April 14th 2008 PTA Timely Notice newsletter.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
There's plenty of good reading in this week's PTA Timely Notice, and it contains important information for our community. We hope you find it helpful.
Reminder: The PTA Executive Board meeting is on April 16th at 6pm. As reported last week, the Grant Writing and Future Of PS8 committees will meet the same evening, at 6pm, and the Communications team will meet at 6.30pm. The Enrichment committee will be meeting April 30th at 8:50 am, in the parent room.
Happy reading,
Tim Eldridge
On behalf of the PTA Executive Board.
Continue reading "Timely Notice April 14th"
Posted on: April 16, 2008.
Timely Notice (03-23-08)
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Reminder: the March PTA General Meeting will be held in the school auditorium on Tuesday night at 6.30pm, preceded by Conversations With The Principal at 6 pm.
Agenda items include PTA fundraising and budgets, food allergy management, DoE budget cuts and their impact on PS8 and much more - so do come along. |
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PADDLEWHEELER FESTIVAL 2008
Note the date: this year's Paddlewheeler Festival - always a big hit with the PS8 community - will be held at PS8 on Saturday May 10th from 11am to 3pm.
Since its début in 2004, Paddlewheeler has become a popular Spring tradition in the Heights. Everything from live entertainment, games, arts & crafts, face-painting, a raffle, ice-cream, climbing aboard fire-engines, singing and dancing and delicious food and much, much more make it massive fun for the whole family and a great community builder.
As many as 130 volunteers have been needed to run an event of this scale in previous years, so once again we are hoping that the community will contribute to PS8 by sharing its time and many talents. Please contact event organizers by sending at email to ps8pta@gmail.com
View photo's from previous Paddlewheeler Festivals here.
By the way, as you'll see below this year the Scholastic Book Fair will be the weekend before Paddlewheeler. |
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SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR RETURNS TO PS8 MAY 2ND & 3RD
The Scholastic Book Fair is a special reading event that is held in schools throughout the country where kids and families get to shop for their very own books. It's like a mini-bookstore, only much better. And every book has been hand-selected, reviewed and approved by reading specialists. See more details here.
Here are five reasons not to miss the Book Fair at PS8 on May 2nd and 3rd:
- You can shop from hundreds of quality books in every price range, interest, and reading level.
- You'll find exclusive, more affordable editions of many of the most popular books sold in retail stores
- You'll help your child's school earn books and funds for classrooms and libraries.
- You'll connect with your child's school reading and literacy initiatives.
- And best of all, you and your child will have fun choosing books together.
Here's the program of events for PS8's Scholastic book fair.
- Friday, May 2: an all day sale the children will be able to visit during the day, and then it will be opened to parents at 3 p.m.
- Saturday from noon to 4:00: the book fair will also be open to the public.
The book fair raises funds for the school in two ways. One is that the PTA gets a portion of each sale either in cash or credits for books. Also we incorporate a wish list for all the teachers and the librarian. Parents can purchase books from the wish lists and their
children will benefit by having the books available at school either in their class or in the PS8 library.
Please come a join the book fair - and bring other families with you too. |
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FAMILY NIGHT MOVIES, MARCH 28TH
Looking for a good movie? Jump start your weekend with the PS 8 Family Nite on March 28th - doors open at 6pm. Enjoy pizza, popcorn and drinks from the concession stand. All proceeds go towards the 5th Grade's Washington Trip. |
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JAZZ MUSICIAN JEFF NEWELL LEADS NEW RESIDENCY AT PS8
A fabulous new project launches soon at PS8 made possible with funds from the Local Capacity Building Initiative, a regrant program of the Arts in Education Program of the New York State Council on the Arts, administered by BRIC Arts|Media|Bklyn and the Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
PS 8 parent and jazz musician extraordinaire
Jeff Newell will be leading a four-week residency called Sousa, Music of All Americanse, which focuses on cultural blending as seen through the lives of several influential American musicians and how the musical traditions they represent impacted the music of John Philip Sousa
Jeff will be working with the fifth grade classes in collaboration with PS 8's music teacher, Ms. Martin, and explore the music of Scott Joplin, Robert Johnson, WC Handy and John Philip Sousa. Discussions and musical demonstrations will be conducted in fifith grade classrooms, culminating in a performance by
Jeff Newell's New Trad Octet for all grades in the auditorium.
(If you're interested, the lesson plan is attached.)
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Posted on: March 24, 2008.
Timely Notice (03-10-08)
Dear PS8 Parents,
First things first. If this email begins "Dear % % YourFirstName % %" then it means you didn't get a chance to update your PS8PTA contact details online as outlined in the last email (March 6th).
It's easy. Just go to "Update Profile" at the bottom of this page and fill in the blanks. It'll take just a few seconds. And it will ultimately help the PTA get the right information to the right parents. |
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Forward-March
The best way to forward PTA emails is to use the Forward To A Friend button at the bottom of this box. This is better than using your email system's forwarding-function for two reasons:
Recipents will automatically be invited to sign-up for PTA emails and provided with links through which to do so.
This is particularly useful for Class Parents: if you have parents in your class who don't receive PTA emails, press the forward to a friend button below, and fill in the blanks.
- Also, by using this forwarding button you deactivate any links to your contact information.
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Support The Spring Auction, April 10th, Tickets On Sales Now
The PS8 PTA Spring Auction raises funds that are vital for the school to achieve it's vision and mission for our community.
The action will be held at
Plymouth Church's Hallis Hall on April 10th from 7pm to 9.30pm. Tickets can be
purchased on line by clicking here. They are $50 if purchased in advance or $75 at the door.
There are some great items up for auction this year. Read about them (including the home in the photo above) and the auction in general by clicking here for an article on the PTA website.
Proceeds from the auction pay for Teachers' Aids and Enrichment Programs. Teachers Aids are very important now that class sizes are increasing. Enrichment Programs are a crucial component of our children's education and an important part of PS8's transformation from a failing public school a few years ago to one of the city's best.
So, purchase a ticket, come to the auction and enjoy the bidding! |
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Life After The Magnet Grant
In case you missed it, here's a link to an article on the PTA website about Life At PS8 After The Magnet Grant...it is jolly informative, but if you're a cut-to-the-chase kinda person you can simply
donate here. |
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Parent-Teacher Conferences
Just in case you missed it, they're happening March 13th. Be sure to sign up for a conference with your teacher. |
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PS8 Gets Thumbs Up In DoE Quality Review Report
Those members of our community able to attend the last PTA General Meeting had the opportunity to hear, during the preceding Conversations With The Principal, Seth Phillips talk about the latest Quality Review Report on our school. We thought it might be useful to post this on the website, along with an article providing a little context. So, click
here to find out more and download the report. |
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Posted on: March 10, 2008.
Timely Notice (02-28-08)
Dear parents and guardians,
We hope your families enjoyed the mid-winter recess. Here the new and noteworthy from the PS8 PTA this week.
Remember, web links look like this.
1. Thursday Night "Conversations With The Principal" and PTA General Meeting.
Thursday February 28th (yes, that would be today) brings with it this month's Conversations With The Principal - during which Seth talks to topical matters and answers any questions from PS8 parents - and the PTA General Meeting. It happens in the auditorium at 6pm, and usually finishes around 6.30pm when the General PTA Meeting begins, typically featuring:
an update from PTA Co-Presidents Lisa Edstrom and/or Joanne Singleton
an update on funds raised and PTA spending from Treasurer Amy Linden
updates from the chair-persons of the various volunteer committees like fundraising, communications, enrichment programs, the library and so on
getting a nomination team in place for this year's exec board elections
other general PTA announcements / business
Childcare is provided for this meeting: see footnote at the end of this email for details.
2. The Art Of Real Estate
Anyone perusing 'for sale' notices at Douglis Elliman Real Estate at 156 Montague Street over the past couple of weeks will have had more to feast their eyes on than picturesque Brooklyn brownstones and co-ops. Seemingly every square inch of wall-space not in use to display homes-for-sale is being used to display the art work of PS8 students. For more on this story and links to photographs by PS8 PTA photographer Aki Tucca please look out for an article on the website in the next day or so and if not sooner.
3. Can you outsmart a P.S.8 5th grader?
On Thursday March 6th, from 6-8pm (doors open at 5:30pm), for an entry fee of $25 per team (up to 5 players), you can find out. Pizza, refreshments and snacks will be on sale during this trivia-night during which questions will be asked, answers entered onto a sheet, the correct answers tallied and the winning team will receive a $75 in AmEx gift cards. Sign up for this fun night, in room 302 or 304, which is being run to help raise funds for the 5th grade's trip to Washington DC.
4. Get Your New Newsletter: Latest Edition Of Currents Published.
The latest edition of Currents, PS8's printed newsletter, is being published this week and will be distributed to parents shortly. That said, as a bit of a treat, a pdf-copy of it is attached to this email, because we know that you'll be sitting on the edge of your seats to read the stories which include:
A letter from Principal Seth Phillips - looking toward a bright future amidst funding reductions.
Enrichment at P.S. 8 - Amy Shire, pre-k parent and Georgie Stout, kindergarten parent, take a look at the diverse and ever- important enrichment programs offered at our school.
Life After the Magnet Grant - Wendy Azzouni, kindergarten parent, tells us what to expect now that the magnet grant has run out.
Raising Funds - Todd Glass, kindergarten parent, writes about fundraising efforts afoot to ensure the continuation of our enrichment programs.
Sentimental Journey...to the Present - Philip Wilentz, first-grade parent, writes about the P.S.8 alumni celebrating the centennial of our school building
(You can also access the file from the PTA website by clicking here.)
Credit for this not insignificant project goes with great thanks to:
Editor: Jane Pook, fourth-grade parent
Designer: Eric Janssen, fourth-grade and kindergarten parent
Staff Photographer: Nathalie Schueller, second-grade and kindergarten parent
Communications Committee Co-Chairs: Georgie Stout, kindergarten parent & Susan Sellers, first-grade parents
Additional photos: Ulalume Zavala, Randi Pellett, and P.S. 8 Alumnus Daniel Socolov
5. Bargemusic, Tonight, 8pm, Free: Perfect Way To End The Evening After The General Meeting
Jeff Newell's New-Trad Trio (Jeff Newell-saxophone, Tricia Woods-piano, Dave Bargeron-tuba) will present a uniquely contemporary look at traditional American music~from 19th Century hymns to Cole Porter to Hank Williams in the intimate chamber music setting offered by Bargemusic. Before a beautiful view of the Lower Manhattan skyline, this trio of musicians will follow a common thread in American music, allowing a nation's musical story to unfold. Tickets are $35 ($20 for students) and can be purchased in advance at www.bargemusic.org or by calling: (718) 624-2083. 20 tickets will be given FREE to PS 8 families - first come/first serve. For free tickets contact Jane Stageberg at jane@bscarchitecture.com.
See www.new-trad.com or www.bargemusic.org for more information.
That's all for this week folks,
Tim Eldridge, on behalf of the PS8 PTA
Childcare at the PTA General Meetings
To make it easier to attend, the PTA provides childcare at general meetings for elementary school age children. Children younger than pre-kindergarten age and older than 5th grade should remain with parents at the meeting. The children are be divided into two groups.
- Children pre-k through first grade will be in one room, where they can play quietly under the supervision of two teachers.
- Children second grade through fifth will go to another room to complete homework or engage in quiet activities such as reading* or board games. This group will also be under the supervision of one or two teachers, depending on the number of children present.
The children will be offered pizza in the classrooms. Obviously parents are required to sign their children into childcare when they drop them off and sign them out at the end of the meeting when they pick them up. Also, if you use this service, please help your child clean up any materials they used in the classroom so that when the teachers come in the next day the rooms are as they were when they left them. Finally, experience has taught us that bringing a book to read is a good idea
