Dear PS 144 Families,
June has arrived and with that is the final month of another school year! However, before we all dive into another summer of fun activities, here is some important information to know about these last weeks at PS 144.
Events/Important Dates:
Saturday June 1st is Science Fest in the cafeteria. From 12-3pm, please come support Science Education in this year’s last fundraising event. Admission is $5 for adults and children are free. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Sunday June 2nd is Family Day at the Guggenheim (a bus will leave from PS 144 at 11:45am)
Tuesday June 4th School is closed for Eid al-Fitr
Thursday June 6th School is closed for students (Anniversary Day). Family Day Mets game at Citi Field (tickets sold in advance)
Friday June 7th Preview for the Fall 2019 PA Afterschool Program begins.
Monday June 10th Final PA Exec Board Meeting at 7pm.
Tuesday June 11th School is closed for students (Clerical Day).
Staff Appreciation Week is June 10-14 where each day we celebrate the amazing work the entire PS 144 staff does in educating our children. To view the daily gifts
click here.
Residency Round Up
All grades should be concluding their residencies for the year. The end of May saw Kindergarten’s showcase for both Music with Betina and the Together In Dance movement program. Third grade concluded their Learning Through Art Guggenheim residency. Fourth grade had their Broadway Class: Beatles performance while the fifth graders wrapped up the DNA STEM enrichment class. Coming up on June 13th & 14th, the first grade will be having their showcase of Music with Betina. The second graders Architecture of the Neighborhood residency will have their show on June 13th as well.
Annual Giving Campaign
With a month of school left we are about $40,000 away from our goal. Remember to support our residencies for next year to enrich our children’s education beyond what the city is able to provide. We hope to continue funding residencies in art, music, theatre, dance, science, and mindfulness. However, to do this, we need your help, and we ask those families who have not yet contributed to Annual Giving to visit this
link.
More Important Dates and Deadlines:
June 17: Fall 2019 PA Afterschool Program Open Enrollment Begins
June 17: Final PA meeting, 7:00 PM--Preliminary Budget Approval and Fall Fundraisers
June 18: 5th Grade Graduation
June 19: PreK Moving Up Ceremony
June 19: Field Day for K-5
June 20: 5th Grade Graduation Party
June 20: School Kidz supply orders due
June 21: K Moving Up Ceremony
June 21: Last Day of ASP Classes
June 26: Last Day of School/Half Day
We’d like to congratulate the 5th graders on their upcoming graduation and wish them success in their new middle school programs this fall. We’d also like to wish a fond farewell to Stella Xu, whose child is graduating. Stella has served on the PA board as Co-Vice President and Communication Secretary and has also been a member of the School Leadership Team for four years. In addition, she has chaired or co-chaired the After School Program for 5 years and helped expand it to its current level. She chaired the Basket Raffle and was a class parent as well, and has been instrumental in making the operations of the PA more efficient with many behind-the-scenes changes and improvements. Over the years her involvement with the Parents Association had a positive impact on many families’ lives. Thank you also to the many other parents of graduating fifth graders who have served on the board over the years, and who have volunteered countless hours fundraising, running events, answering questions, and building our community.
Finally, we’d like to thank the outgoing members of the PA board and SLT who will be continuing with PS 144: Wendy Lau Wong, Elizabeth Polkovitz, Melissa Sawicki-Mallien, Melissa Ventimiglia, Titi Yasukawa and Fred Yee. Welcome new board and SLT members: Jamie Abbell, Joanne Baker-Smith, Elisa Cheng, Sonia Duchatellier, Sanchita Geramita, Steve Gravitz, Jefferey Herskovitz, Farah Lyner, Eliza Williams and Rinat Yifatch El. Returning as members of the board and SLT are Natalie Dauphin, Beth Goldstein, Kristin Gorman, Jon Krosney, Sharon Levy, Lauren Nagel-Krosney and Anna Solomon.
We are also shouting out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to Annual Giving, who has chaired events, who has volunteered at those events, who has volunteered as a class parent, and who has come to the events and made them a success. We truly could not have done this without YOU. Remember, we are ALL the PA, together.
Summer Help Wanted:
November Raffle Committee
Summer is prime time for collecting items for our November Raffle, which brought in over $18,000 last year, and is in need of co-chairs. If you would like to help solicit businesses, if your company might be willing to make a donation, or if you would like to be a part of the team that makes this event happen, please contact us at
president@pa144.com.
School Kidz Delivery
The school supply kits are convenient, and they help us raise some funds while saving you time and gas or shipping costs. But they refuse to walk up the stairs on their own! We’ll need help carrying the boxes to classrooms in Late August. More information to come.
As always, we thank you all for your support.
The PA Executive Board
