This Week
From East Village Community School
October 10th, 2008
PA Meeting: Wednesday, October 15, at 6 pm is our first PTA meeting of the year—that is, a Parent Association meeting where we will be joined by members of the teaching staff. Every other month, at our evening meetings, teachers will attend PA meetings so you can ask your questions and hear about what is on their minds, too. Attached is the flyer, and if you need childcare, be sure to turn in the tear-off or send me an email by Tuesday morning, Oct. 14.
Lunch helpers: We still need parent volunteers for salad bar duty on Mondays (from 11:50 a.m. to 12:20 pm) and as back-ups for other days. If you have that time slot free on Mondays and would like to volunteer in the cafeteria, or if you would like to be a back-up in case someone can’t be here on any other day of the week, please contact Hilary, Guthrie and Violet’s mother, at hbrougher@gmail.com or at 646-326-2406.
Fall Ball helpers and stuff! As Susie, Milo’s mother, has been letting you know, the Fall Ball is coming up on Saturday, October 25, and we need bodies! Please be sure to contact me or Susie (susiecunnington@hotmail.com) or sign up on the sheets outside the office. We need decorators, game attendants, food servers and chaperones, to name a few job. Susie will be sending out a list of supplies still needed on Monday—but Polaroid film for our photo booth (for Polaroid 600 camera) is high on the list!
Parent Workshop, Monday Oct. 20: A week from next Monday, Valerie Preston, our PreK social worker, will be leading a workshop on establishing routines and setting limits for our children. Valerie works with our youngest children, I always find great value in her workshops even though my children are older—the lessons and solidarity can help us parents, no matter what the ages of our children. Hope to see you there, at 8:45 a.m. in the auditorium. Coffee and treats, too!
Clubs: On Friday, October 24, we begin our first Clubs cycle of the year. This is a time, from 1:40 p.m. until the end of school, when all of our children go to different classrooms or outside to take part in clubs that they have chosen to join for a seven-week period. This year, clubs will include theater improv, running, playdough, boxing, cardboard construction, dance and many others. Remember, the choice of club is up to your child!
Family Fridays: It was wonderful to see you all in the halls last Friday—and this is to make sure you know that there is an error on the Family Friday brochure: there will be Family Friday next Friday, October 24. We hope you can make it for the first period of school, from 8:45 to 9:30 a.m.
Class Parents: This is a final (maybe) plea for class parents. We could use extras for all the classes, but particularly for Velda’s, Beth’s, Meredith’s and Stephanie’s classes! I am hoping to have an orientation meeting for those of you who have thrown your hats into the ring, so expect to hear from me next week about that. If you have any questions about what this role entails, and you haven’t seen the Class Parent brochures, please let me know!
September 26th, 2008
Days Off: There will be No School next Tuesday, Sept 30, Wednesday October 1, Thursday, October 9 and Monday, October 13 because of holidays.
Family Friday, October 3: On one or two Fridays a month, you are invited to visit and take part in your child’s class from morning meeting through the end of the first period, 8:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. This is a wonderful opportunity, when your schedule allows, to get a taste of what daily life at EVCS is like! See that attached brochure for more info about Family Fridays. The first one will take place next week on October 3.
Half-days for Staff Professional Development: I confused many of you by noting on the September calendar that Oct. 3 would be a half-day for students. Oct. 3 will not be a half day! However, There will be 11:30 a.m. dismissal for all students on the first Friday of November (11/7), December (12/5), February (2/6/09), March (3/6/09), April (4/3/09) and May (5/1/09). Our staff will be using the time to meet and take part in professional development workshops.
Third Street Music MILES Program: On Columbus Day, Monday, October 13th, at 3:30 pm, 6- to 12-year old students from East Village Community School will be invited to the MILES Open House at Third Street Music School Settlement. This is the only afternoon during the year that students may register for a year of subsidized after-school classes at Third Street. The program is free of charge the first year and just $40 or $55 for the entire second year. There are many activities to choose from. Offerings include chorus, group percussion lessons, art workshop and ballet, to name just a few. Children list three course preferences, and wherever possible, they are placed in one of their top choices.
In order to register for this free program, children must come to Third Street with a parent or guardian to the Open House on Columbus Day. The event will begin promptly at 3:30 pm with an orientation, followed by a sampling of course offerings and an individual meeting with a member of our registration staff. Working parents may come with their children at 5:30 pm.
Class Parents: I forgot to mention last night that we still need people to volunteer as class parents! I will be sending home the brochure that describes this crucial role, and if you have any questions about what it involves, please contact me. We specially need reps for Stephanie’s class!
Days of Taste: Maizy and Haddy’s mother, Helen Greenberg, is spearheading a 4th-grade nutrition and ecology program called “Days of Taste” which will take place in October. She wanted to let us know that Panificio, the restaurant around the corner from our school, at the corner of 11th and Avenue B, is underwriting the event for our students. They have the cheapest lattes in the neighborhood, so patronize them if you can and tell them you’re a parent at EVCS!
Jazz in Brooklyn: Monique Nri, our PA President and mother of Tara, and Ahmed Abdullah, the chair of our music arts committee and father of Tara, are involved in weekly performances at Sistas’ Place, a jazz club in Brooklyn. This Saturday, Sept. 27, Sistas' Place continues its 14th season with an ongoing traditional Tribute to John Coltrane. This week, Rene McLean brings in a top flight ensemble he calls "Chasin the Trane." Showtimes at 9 and 10:30pm. Check out the web site at www.sistasplace.org for more information or call 718 398-1766 for reservations. Admission: $25 For more information on Jazz: A Music of the Spirit, visit Ahmed’s website, www.ahmedian.com.
September 19th, 2008
This weekend and next week are chockfull of events and opportunities to be involved in school and community life:
1) Saturday September 20th, Fundraising Party: This Saturday, a number of our parents are involved in a family party and fair at St. Marks Church at 10th St. and 2nd Ave to raise funds for the treatment of a neighborhood girl who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Please see the end of this letter for the text of the flyer, and come if you can! There will be food, music, crafts, games and much more. The event starts at 3 p.m.
2) Curriculum Night! I hope you all got your flyers and childcare request forms for Curriculum Night, which takes place Thursday evening, Sept. 25, from 5:45 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This is a great opportunity to hear about what the school and year has in store for your child/ren and to ask your questions about the content and schedule of the school day. Please call me with any questions about this.
3) Fall Ball Committee Meeting—all welcome! On Tuesday morning, Sept. 23 at 9:00 a.m. in the office, we will have our first planning meeting for the annual Fall Ball, a costume party and fundraising event for our families that will be held in the lobby and auditorium on October 25, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Fall Ball is probably our kids’ favorite event of the year, and we need your participation to pull it off!
4) First Town Hall Meeting of the Year! As many of you know, our school gathers twice a month on 'Wednesdays for Town Meeting first thing in the morning to share classroom and school news, and for a little entertainment. The first Town Meeting will be hosted by Georga and Jeanine’s class, so be sure to join us in the auditorium!
5) Music and Arts Committee Meeting: On Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 5 p.m., (room TBA) parents and staff who would like to work on bolstering our music and arts curricula will be meeting to discuss programming and fundraising for this year and beyond. Tara’s father, Ahmed Abdullah, will chair, and if you have questions about the committee and its activities, please email him at ahmedian@aol.com.
6) Salad Bar volunteers needed! We are looking for parent volunteers who can commit? once a week (or every other week) to serving at the salad bar during? lunch time. The shift this year is from 11:50 until about 12:35. It's? a great way to both help out and be a part of the EVCS school day. If? you are interested please contact Hilary (Violet and Guthrie's mom) at? hbrougher@gmail.com.
Finally, as we have so many parents who work in the arts, I’d like to be able to alert our community if and when any of you have performances or shows—so let me know, and I will try to put it out there.
December 25th, 2007
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
December 11th, 2007
Dear Families,
A reminder that this coming Thursday, Dec. 13, our social worker Valerie Preston will be leading a Workshop on Reducing Holiday Stresses and rediscovering the joy of the winter season. Coffee and breakfast, too! The workshop will begin at 8:45 a.m. in the lobby or auditorium (we'll keep you posted).
Also, this Friday, Dec. 11, is Family Friday. Please come if you can and join your child's class for morning meeting and morning work. Take part and get to know some of the other kids in the room! Also, at 9:30 a.m., Robin will host her principal's coffee hour. Again, location to be determined!
Next Thursday, December 20, is our school's annual Festival of Lights. Every class does a performance and if you have not already been contacted by your child's teacher, please ask them if there's any way you can help. On Wednesday evening, the 19th, Roberta and other teachers will be decorating the auditorium. Please join us!
Finally, three of our community's kids, Natalie and Ella Mattson and Willa Pittman, are performing in Bread and Puppet's winter circus at Theater for the New City on First Avenue and 9th St. The final two performances are next Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 15 and 16, at 3 p.m. It's a fantastic show for kids, and there are many child volunteers in the cast. Come if you can!
Please call or email with any questions. The Dept of Ed server has been down for two days, so if you tried to email me or any of the teachers, we may not know about it! But we're up and running again. Take care and all best wishes, Mary
November 20th, 2007
Picture Day! It wouldn’t be November without Picture Day, and this year it’s Thursday, November 29!
Parent Workshop: On Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 8:45 a.m. in the auditorium, Buffy Smith, school psychologist at the Bank Street School for Children, will visit us again to lead a workshop on Separation, Divorce and Parenting Differences. Buffy led a fantastic workshop last year on bullying, and this one promises to be just as helpful and engaging. All parents are invited.
Harvest Festival: Every year, our entire school community runs a canned food drive in November and celebrates the harvest season and generosity with our Harvest Festival. This year, the festival is Wednesday, November 21, the day before Thanksgiving. (It’s also the day of the Pie Sale!) We’ll gather in the school yard at 9:30 and proceed to the local soup kitchen with our cans. Please help by sending your child in with cans for the next week! It is very important that all our kids experience the benefits of contributing and being part of this event!
Pie Sale! Also every year, we sell pies the day before Thanksgiving as a Parent Association fundraiser. Every pie made gets sold, so the more pies we have, the more money goes to programs for our kids! Please bake a pie (or cake) and send it in on Wednesday November 21st.
November 2nd, 2007
On Saturday, Nov. 10, the principals of the three schools in our building are asking that parents with good painting experience gather to repaint the cafeteria. After several lousy painting crews have invaded our schools, we've decided we can do it better ourselves. Please let me know as soon as possible if you have experience doing interior painting and prep, and if you would be willing to come for a few hours on that Saturday.
November 1st , 2007
Dear EVCS Parents:
I hope this e-mail finds you well. As many of you know, Oasis usually provides out-of-school care on school holidays. On Election Day, Tuesday, November 6th, East Village Community School will be closed, but Oasis will provide an all day program if enough families are in need of our services.
On school holidays, we have fun-filled activities for the children all day. Sometimes, we take children to the museum or another educational outing, depending on parental consensus.
Our fees for Election Day are as follows:
8:00am-8:30am - $10
8:30am-5:30pm - $90
5:30pm-6:00pm - $10
Ideally, we would like to have more than 8 students in order to run program. Please let Kenton or I know as soon as possible if you are interested in our Election Day program.
We would also like to provide program on the next upcoming school holiday Veteran's Day, Monday November 12th.
October 29, 2007
Dear Friends,
The Fall Ball, thanks to the efforts of so many of you, was a fantastic success and a day to remember for our kids. Many of the older ones, with the hindsight of their many years, said it was the best one ever. It was parents, and all your creativity and energy and good will, that made it so. Thank you!!!
I also want to remind you that Valerie Preston, our social worker, will be leading a workshop called "Discipline, With Love" on Thursday morning, Nov. 1 at 8:50 a.m. in the lobby. There will be some emphasis on early childhood, but parents of all aged children are encouraged to come.
Later in November, we will have a workshop for parents of kids applying for middle school, and another on how to navigate divorce, separation and marital differences while raising kids.
Look out for the November calendar tomorrow for all of these dates and more.
October 4th, 2007
Dear Families of Fifth graders,
Many of us are beginning to think about what lies ahead for our kids, and wondering what the middle school application process will be like. I will be acting as our school’s middle school liaison, and since we’re all in this together, I’d like to start sharing some information with you and invite you to a Parent-to-Parent Middle School Workshop on Thursday, October 25 at 6 p.m. (room TBA). By that date, I will have new information from the Department of Education about the application process. The deadline for applications has been moved to later in the school year (applications used to be due in early December). At our meeting, you will have a chance to meet with parents of EVCS alumni and hear about their experiences making the transition to middle school.
In the meantime, you should consider calling schools you may be interested in to set up a tour for you and your child. I am attaching a list of the District 1 middle schools, as well as some school reports from Insideschools.org about a number of the middle schools are alumni are attending or have attended, in Districts 1 and 2.
I will have a lot more info following a meeting next Tuesday, Oct. 9 and I will share that at the October 25 meeting, but don’t hesitate to call me if you have questions.
With all best wishes, and in solidarity, Mary Talbot
October 3rd, 2007
Read the New York Times article: "In the Classroom, Blazing a Path From Fidgeting to Focus" about Roberta Valentine, our art teacher and former 1/2 teacher:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/education/03lessons.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
