HAPPY NEW YEAR !
Vision Screening of Grade 5, 3,
2 and Special Ed. students will be conducted by staff members and parent
volunteers this month. The Department
of Health will screen children in grades K & 1 for hearing and vision from 1/13/05 -1/21/05.
CEC MEETING – Thursday January 13, 2005
The January meeting will be
hosted by PS 69, located at 63rd St. and 9th Ave.
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REMINDERS:
Science Fair Projects are due in classrooms on January 31st. You may contact Mrs. Willie with any
questions by writing a note or leaving a message at the office. Display boards are on sale in the lunchroom
from 9-10:00 a.m. for only $5.00.
Safety: All visitors MUST present picture identification to enter
the school. If you come to the school without ID, you will be asked to go
home and get it.
PLEASE do not allow your
car engine to idle. Idling
vehicles waste resources, damage the environment and can easily be stolen or
cause damage if accidentally engaged. Most importantly - the fumes are
hazardous to human health – especially our children! Please see: www.afsz.org www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/antiidling.htm,
or
www.northstar.sierraclub.org/campaigns/air/schoolbus
for more information. Information cards are available in the school lobby for
parents, students and staff members and can be handed to drivers who leave
their engines idling.
Our January Volunteer of the Month, Maria
Mottola, has created the PS 102 PTA Calendar each month for the last TEN
years – working with PTA presidents and PS 102 staff to keep parents informed
of the many activities at the school.
She generously donates her computer and art skills and weekend time to
this effort, often working with her son, Joseph Loonam, a 5th grader
here. Maria first became involved as a
classroom assistant one day a week when her older son, John, started
Kindergarten. Later, she worked with
students to create scenery for the first PS 102 Opera and with other classroom
art projects. “To be very involved
in the PTA is hard for everyone – working parents and those who work at
home. PS 102’s great strength, though,
has been the involvement of the parents.
I have met some amazing parents who devote an incredible amount of time
to the school because they believe it is a wonderful place, they support the
staff and they believe the community as a whole benefits from having a good
school.” Maria’s concern for
community-building and support extends to her professional life as Director of
the New York Foundation, which gives grants to small non-profit groups in
neighborhoods all over NYC. Maria
admits that a parent who works full time can find it hard to volunteer because
many activities happen during the day and the evening is the only time left for
the family. She likes to attend events that involve the whole family - such as
the Opera, Family Fun Night, and open school night. “I think working parents have to be creative in finding ways
to support the school … everyone has a skill or talent the school could benefit
from and if you ask and are flexible you can always find a way to help.”
THANK YOU MARIA!
All
January Books of the Month are by Faith Ringgold. See www.faithringgold.com for more information
on this exciting artist and author.
Grades
3-5: My Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Grades
1 & 2: Tar Beach
Grade K: Cassie’s Word Quilt
JANUARY QUOTE:
We may have all come on different
ships, but we're in the same boat now. - Martin
Luther King, Jr.
In celebration of
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 17th, I wanted to
quote him in this newsletter. Dr. King
said many beautiful and important things, but the words above reminded me of PS
102. Our families speak over 30 languages at home and hail from many
nations. PS 102 is a place where
students, staff and families can draw strength from the many cultures of Bay
Ridge, where we respect and celebrate our diversity and work well together. We
do this in many ways – from the school banner which reads “Unity in Diversity”
that we carry in the Ragamuffin Parade, the Unique Minds program, the artwork
and holiday decorations displayed throughout the school, assemblies, our HeartShare One-World after-school
program, and Mrs. Dovi’s decision four years ago to have a full-time
multi-culture teacher, Mrs. Pellegrino, who delights in sharing her broad
knowledge of world cultures - gained from many travels, research and an open
minded approach to all she meets – with our students. On January 27th the PTA hosts the International Tea
where you can sample delicious desserts from many countries and be entertained
by some of our own very talented students (and experience the new sound-system
in the lunch room first-hand!) – I hope you can join us.
--Margaret
Sheri, Parent Coordinator
School
Office: 718-748-7404 Parent
Coordinator: 347-563-4586, or email:
School Web Site: http://schools.nycenet.edu/region7/ps102
PTA email: ps102pta@yahoo.com
New students are always welcome. A listing of other
classes offered in the area is available at the Parent Information Table in
the main lobby (see ESL drawer) or on the PS 102 web site.
ESL CLASSES
Beginners: Monday 8:30-10:30
Wednesday 8:30-10:00
Intermediate/Conversation:
Wednesday
10:30-12:00
Friday 8:30-10:30
Grades 3-5 Princeton Assessments
October and December
Assessment Results can be found on–line. Please contact your child’s teacher,
or Mrs. Sheri, if you have trouble accessing your child’s information at: http://k12.princetonreview.com/nyc. This web site can be used by students and
parents at home to identify and practice ELA or math areas in need of improvement.
BOWLING LEAGUE
The
PS 102 Bowling League took a one-week holiday break and will be back on the
lanes starting 1/3/05. Barbara, of Mark
Lanes, complimented our bowlers on their progress and on the kindness and good
sportsmanship they have shown since the league started. Way to Go!
Brooklyn Museum – Gallery/Studio Program
The
Brooklyn Museum offers fun and challenging studio art courses for students aged
six to adult on Saturday and Sunday.
The spring semester runs from March 5-May 22. Scholarships are available for children up to age 18 –
deadline is January 23rd.
Registration runs from 1/31/05-2/27/05. See Margaret Sheri or visit
www.brooklynmuseum.org for information and scholarship applications. Other free
family programs are offered on weekends.
A special thanks to:
…Ms. Sichenze for arranging two famous author visits in Dec. - Sharon Callen (Gr. 2) and Melanie Hope-Greenberg (Gr. 5)
…Mrs. Willie for a great workshop on “Parenting a Science Fair Project.”
…Mrs. Syrdahl and Ms. Mealing and the Bay View Chorus – WOW!
…Ms. Fasanelle and Ms. Paschetta for their workshop on the ELA test.
…The PTA for all the work they do (December sure was a busy
month) and the delicious popcorn!