Design Day

At a standing room-only Design Day forum this afternoon, parents, teachers and administrators had an opportunity to come together with representatives from Out2Play, a nonprofit organization that builds and refurbishes NYC public school playgrounds, to express their hopes and dreams for our upcoming schoolyard renovation. Kids also got an opportunity to have their say during their own session! The team from Out2Play was led by founder and executive director Andrea Wenner and program administrator Marnie Kaplan.

While the kids went full throttle with their ideas for ice stating rinks, carousels and swimming pools, the parent and teachers' wishlist included visions for:
An enclosed farm area;
Trees and bushes, along the schoolyard fences and integrated into the playspace design;
Sun protection and shade from trees and/or structures;
Flexible open areas for soccer, kickball, basketball and other sports;
A jungle gym to accommodate elementary school-age children, including those in upper grades;
Monkey bar and/or other jungle gym equipment that encourages upper-body exercise;
Play equipment that fosters imaginative play;
Benches;
Adequate space for the continued use of bikes and scooters after school and on weekends;
An outdoor locker to store portable outdoor play equipment;
A mural; and an
An overall design aesthetic in keeping with the surrounding neighborhood architecture.

There are still timeline issues to resolve with the School Construction Authority, which has committed to excavating and properly resurfacing the playground. The ultimate design will be dependent on budget and space. According to Ms. Wenner, Out2Play's next step is to work on integrating the wishes and views expressed today into a presentation of three viable designs. So stay tuned for more news!

Pastries + Polling Place = PTA Profits, So Please Pitch In!

Please help fill in the remaining gaps during our Super Bake Sale on Super Tuesday! Help is still needed for the following shifts: 6-8 AM, 7-9 AM and 5-7 PM. Also, please do not forget to bake! Baked (or bought) goods should be dropped off in the school lobby before 9 am on Tuesday (2/5) or left on the table at the rear of the auditorium on Monday afternoon. This sale brings in lots of money for the school, so help is appreciated. Please email or call Susan Panepento,( 718) 757-8061. Thanks!

Lunar New Year Celebration & Flower Market This Sunday at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden will hold its annual Lunar New Year Celebration and Flower Market this Sunday from 10:00-4:00 PM. If it's cold, don't worry: this is an indoor event! Family Discovery Workshops will include "Fun with Paper Flowers," "Lucky Citrus" and "Pot Up a Lucky Bamboo." There's also a full lineup of colorful performances by the Red Silk Dancers; Korean Traditional Dance and Music Institute of New York; and Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera.

For those bummed to be waitlisted for Mr. Choey's PS 29 PAAP workshop, Mr. Choey, a BBG faculty member, will lead two workshops for adults, "The Art of Chinese Brush Painting." See the full schedule! Events are FREE with garden admission (adults $8; children under 12, FREE).

Kwak Kay Choey Presents First PAAP Workshop at PS 29

Tuesday evening's first Parents As Arts Partners workshop, An Evening with Mr. Kwak Kay Choey, had an amazing turnout! Parents had the opportunity to share with their children the experiences the kids have enjoyed this past month in art class with artist-in-residence Mr. Choey. Participants learned brush techniques for representing bamboo and landscape elements (the trick for making a rainbow was very popular!), and even how to cure everyday aches and pains through tai chi. Mr. Choey demonstrated the Erhu, a Chinese two-string fiddle, and the kids got an opportunity to perform with him on various other Chinese instruments. Anika Selhorst, In-School Program Director for City Lore, helped lead the session.

Please keep an eye out for the next two FREE PAAP workshops. The series is made possible by a Parents As Arts Partners grant from the Center for Arts Education. The PTA extends a huge thanks to Mr. Choey and Ms. Selhorst for both the in-school residency and Tuesday's workshop!

Magazines and More!

The PTA is pleased to introduce a brand-new online MAGAZINE, BOOKS, MUSIC, and GIFTS fundraising program that earns our school 40%-50% of each purchase!!

The QSP online catalog offers a tremendous selection of magazines—choose from hundreds of titles for both new subscriptions and renewals. Magazine subscriptions make great gifts! Excellent list of kids' magazine titles, too! QSP is our partner for our ever-popular Candy Sale, and everything available during that sale, plus much more, is now available to us online. Great for Valentine's Day orders! Click the link above to get started!

Super Bake Sale On Super Tuesday! Volunteers Needed!

Next Tuesday, February 5th is a rare pivotal Presidential Primary for New York State, not to mention Super Tuesday, and the PTA is sponsoring a super-duper bake sale fundraiser to sweetly spur on the voters! Please bake or buy something for the sale! Donations can be dropped off before 9:00 AM in the school's front lobby.

In addition, WE NEED VOLUNTEERS to work two-hour shifts: 6:00 AM-8:00 AM; 7:00 AM-9:00 AM; 9:00 AM-11:00 AM; 11:00 AM-1:00 PM; 1:00 PM-3:00 PM; 3:00 PM-5:00 PM; 5:00 PM-7:00 PM; and 7:00 PM-9:00 PM.

We also need two or three people who wake up early to pick up bagels at local bakeries and deliver them to the school by 6:30 AM. Please email Susan Panepento or call 718-757-8061 if you can spare a few hours of your time to help. The Election Day Bake Sale is a major PTA breadwinner (sorry for the pun...), so your help really makes a difference!! THANK YOU!

This Week at 29: PAAP Workshop, Schoolyard Design Day and More!

Tuesday, January 29th, 6:00 PM- 7:30 PM
Parents As Arts Partners Workshop: The Art of Chinese Brush Painting with Kwak Kay Choey

This first 2008 Center for Arts Education/PAAP workshop is full! But if you were wait-listed, there is a silver lining! Mr. Choey is giving two FREE workshops on Sunday afternoon at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Lunar New Year Celebration. Mr. Choey, this month's Artist-in-Residence at 29, learned Chinese brush painting from the master artist and teacher, Chen Wen-hsi. Mr. Choey has been practicing and teaching Chinese brush painting and tai chi chuan for more than 20 years. Keep an eye out for announcements for the next two FREE Parents As Arts Partners Workshops. Coming soon!

Thursday January 31st, 12:30-1:05 PM, Schoolyard Design Day with Out2Play

Please see earlier post and also note changed RSVP info for the event. All are welcome! Please email Natalie Green Giles or call 718.643.0094 and leave a message.


Thursday, January 31st: Deadline for Auction Donation Forms!!

Please get those forms into the PTA box in the main office! THANK YOU!

Thursday, January 31st Parents As Arts Partners Orientation & Celebration at NYU


On January 31st, CAE will hold an all-day welcome and celebration at New York University for the 2008 Parents As Arts Partners (PAAP) grant recipients. PS 29 Arts Committee representatives, other grantees and CAE staff will work together at morning workshops and afternoon breakout sessions on program design, building parent advocates and connecting to New York City's vast creative industry.

Friday, February 1st, 8:30-9:10 AM, Families As Learning Partners

Coffee to follow in Outer Cafeteria.

REMINDER: Don't get shut out! Buy your tickets now to upcoming PTA events!



Plus, please keep our online fundraisers in mind!

A Winter Update from the PTA

Dear Families, Staff and Friends of PS 29,

It is incredible to us how quickly the school year is passing! We would like to take this time to thank all of our families, staff and friends for the support that you have shown PS 29 so far — from your contributions of time, energy and talent at PTA events through your tireless efforts to bring positive change into our school community (a salad bar in the lunchroom, a food and farming initiative, automated links for donations, a blog!).

We would like to update you on our schedule of fun and fundraising events that we will be presenting in the coming months. As always wewelcome and depend on your input and participation for the success of everything we do. Please watch your inboxes and backpack mail for information on the following events:

PS 29 LITERARY SALON SERIES
SCHOOLYARD DESIGN DAY
PARENTS AS ARTS PARTNERS WORKSHOPS
SUPER TUESDAY BAKE SALE
LEAP INTO SPRING CELEBRATION AND SILENT AUCTION FUNDRAISER
TALENT SHOW
MARC RIBOT CONCERT TO BENEFIT PS 29
"THE BULLY," A PRESENTATION BY VITAL THEATRE TO BENEFIT PS 29
SCREENING AND TALK BACK: PS 29 PARENT DEBORAH TWISS'S FILM "THE IN BETWEEN"
SUPER SCIENCE SATURDAY
GRAND FINALE MUSIC PERFORMANCE
PS 29 BLOCK PARTY AND CHILDREN'S ART AUCTION
DRAMA CLUB PRODUCTION


Many of you have already noticed that the PTA has made a greater effort this year to communicate with our families via our listserv and this blog. Registration and payment for our events and donations to the Annual Appeal can now be done online with a credit card. We have also added a number of links to our website and blog that contribute to our fundraising efforts for our school. If you have not had a chance to do so yet we encourage you to log on and check out changes to our main website. To receive regular updates via e-mail please subscribe to our listserv by sending an e-mail to the PS 29 PTA. [You can also scroll the left-hand sidebar of this blog and enter your email address under "Get Updates Directly from This Site Directly In Your InBox."] Our hope is to reach as many of you as possible, as frequently and efficiently as possible, using the least amount of paper possible.

Your PTA Co-Presidents,
Annie Montgomery and Jeanmarie Giordano

Don't Forget Our Leap Day Bash! Today, 1/25, Is Last Chance for Early-Bird $55 Tickets!!

We know you want to support the PTA, but maybe you'd rather do so via auction purchases rather than higher ticket prices. Friday, January 25th -- today, in other words-- is your last day to pay $55/ticket for the Leap Into Spring Party. Starting tomorrow, it's $65 per person...So don't forget to buy 'em now!

Literary Salon Takes Place Tonight at 7:00 PM! Come Hear Critic Lee Siegel!

The PS 29 Salon 2008 Literary Series gets underway tonight, Friday, January 25th, at 7:00 PM with critic Lee Siegel, who will read from his new book, Against The Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob. The evening will be moderated by Edwin Frank, editor, New York Review of Books. There will be a discussion, as well as books for sale. Babysitting and refreshments provided! Admission: $5.

Lee Siegel is a senior editor at The New Republic, author of the essay collection Falling Upwards, and winner of the 2002 National Magazine Award for Reviews and Criticism.

About Against the Machine:
From the author hailed by the New York Times Book Review for his "drive-by brilliance" and dubbed by the New York Times Magazine as "one of the country's most eloquent and acid-tongued critics" comes a ruthless challenge to the conventional wisdom about the most consequential cultural development of our time: the Internet.

P.S. 29 DESIGN DAY on January 31st! Playground Planning!!

If you haven't already heard, we have exciting news! Plans are moving forward for our much needed schoolyard renovation!! Next Thursday, January 31st from 12:30-1:05 PM, the school community will have an opportunity to participate in a Design Day session with Out2Play, the organization that will be helping us redesign and carry out the renovation of the schoolyard. At this meeting, we will start thinking about what we want our beautiful new schoolyard to look like!

Remember, the redesigned schoolyard will also include our brand-new garden (as part of our Food and Farming Initiative!). Facilitated sessions will be conducted by Out2Play at our school on that day. We would like to invite any parents interested in participating in this very exciting planning process to attend the session from 12:30-1:05 PM. If you are interested, please RSVP as soon as possible to Nathalie Green Giles, 718.643.0094/leave a message.

You will then receive confirmation and further details about the meeting. We hope you can join us as we move towards creating an environment that truly supports our children's outdoor play needs and helps us achieve our vision for our farming program at P.S. 29!

Support 29 on the 29th! Tomorrow Is the Final Day for Early Bird Tickets!

Leap Into Spring ticket prices go up after tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 25th)!! Catch the early-bird price of $55 per ticket by purchasing your tickets now!! Tickets are going fast!

Buy online or click and print the ticket form above and send in your check with tomorrow's backpack mail!

SAVE THE DATE: Marc Ribot Concert to Benefit PS 29, Wednesday, March 26th at 7:00 PM!

Please mark your calendars! On the heels of a brand-new CD launching in February, Marc Ribot will be perform a Benefit Concert for PS 29 on Wednesday, March 26th at 7:00 PM in the auditorium. Tickets will soon be available online via NYCharities.org, so stay tuned! His CDs, downloads and more are available on Amazon. Use the School Rewards link or click the below for your purchases to automatically benefit the PTA!

Get Your Tickets for Vital Theatre's "The Bully" at PS 29!!

The PS 29 PTA Proudly Presents
THE BULLY, A Vital Theatre Production
A BENEFIT FOR PS 29!
The 2nd Presentation of the PS 29 2007-2008 FAMILY NIGHT AT THE THEATRE Series! Q&A WITH THE CAST, AUTOGRAPH OPPORTUNITY and FAMILY SOCIAL will follow the performance!!

Friday, March 28, 2008
6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
In the PS 29 Auditorium


THE BULLY tells the story of Lenny, the smartest kid in school. Unfortunately, he is not necessarily the strongest kid and is constantly picked on by Steve, the school bully. A bus mix-up leaves the two boys stranded at the wrong school where they both get picked on for being the “new kids.” Taunted by the terrifying “Mega,” the boys learn what life is really like for the other and are forced to work together in order to get back to their own school. In the end they make the realization that they might not be so different after all.

Music & Lyrics by JOHN GREGOR. Book by DAVID L. WILLIAMS. Directed by SUZU MCCONNELL-WOOD. Choreographed by MARCO JO CLATE. Musical Direction by JOHN GREGOR.

Praise for "THE BULLY":
"With a peppy score and lyrics...With a sense of humor as well as a sense of mission...'The Bully,' like the best kind of teacher, nudges children toward the truth and then lets them discover it on their own." -New York Times.
“THE BULLY’S music and lyrics are clever and engaging… the cast were full of talent, enthusiasm, and energy …Vital can chalk up another success.” - Off Off Broadway Review.

Tickets are $10 each and just a click away! Remember, Pinkalicious was booked to capacity! Click the tickets button above or the The Bully poster image above to buy your tickets now! The volunteers who man the ticket-sales tables will thank you for minimizing the time they spend out in the cold!

PTA Events This Week

SKATING PARTY THIS EVENING!


TODAY!!! Tuesday, January 22nd-Upper Grade Skating Party, 6:00-8:30 p.m., $4 individual or $12 family suggested donation. Donate online! (Whether or not you can make it to the event, your support is appreciated and helps the PTA defray its costs for hosting this event!) The skating party will be held regardless of weather conditions, so dress warmly!!! Plenty of hot cocoa will be served!!!



PTA MEETING TOMORROW EVENING!

TOMORROW, Wednesday, January 23rd-PTA General Meeting, 7:00 in the lunch room; childcare and pizza provided.

Don't Miss Critic Lee Siegel at the First Literary Salon of the Year this Friday, Jan. 25th!

The PS 29 Salon 2008 Literary Series gets underway on Friday, January 25th at 7:00 PM with critic Lee Siegel, who will read from his new book, Against The Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob. The evening will be moderated by Edwin Frank, editor, New York Review of Books. There will be a discussion, as well as books for sale. Babysitting and refreshments provided! Admission: $5.

Lee Siegel is a senior editor at The New Republic, author of the essay collection Falling Upwards, and winner of the 2002 National Magazine Award for Reviews and Criticism.

About Against the Machine:
From the author hailed by the New York Times Book Review for his “drive-by brilliance” and dubbed by the New York Times Magazine as “one of the country’s most eloquent and acid-tongued critics” comes a ruthless challenge to the conventional wisdom about the most consequential cultural development of our time: the Internet.




Early-Bird Deadline for Leap Into Spring Is Almost Here!! Buy Now and Save!
Friday, January 25th-LAST DAY TO PURCHASE EARLY-BIRD TICKETS FOR LEAP INTO SPRING PARTY/SILENT AUCTION (2/29/08). Please note that tickets leap from $55 to $65 after January 25th and are not available at the door due to the Brooklyn Lyceum's capacity.



The deadline is approaching too for auction donation forms!! Please be creative!! Thanks!! Click and print:

PS 29 2008 Authors Series Launches Tomorrow with A Special Visit from Author/Ilustrator Kam Mak!

Acclaimed Hong Kong-born author/illustrator Kam Mak will lead off the PS 29 2008 In-School Authors Series tomorrow morning, Wednesday, January 23rd with presentations to the third grade.

Mr. Mak is the author/illustrator of My Chinatown: One Year in Poems.
Other authors in the series will be announced soon, with one author's visit per grade planned.

Mr.Mak moved with his family to the United States in 1971 and settled in New York City. His interest in painting was awakened through involvement with City Art Workshop, an organization that enabled inner-city youths to explore the arts. Mr. Mak continued to pursue his interest in painting while attending the School of Visual Arts, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1984 through a four-year full scholarship.

Mr. Mak‘s artwork has been exhibited at the Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibition and The Original Show (dedicated to the Best of Children’s Picture books). His paintings have appeared in books and covers produced by numerous publishers. Mr. Mak’s current book title, My Chinatown: One Year in Poems, is an autobiographical tale about a little boy growing up in Chinatown. Earning a starred review from Kirkus, My Chinatown was a Parent’s Choice Recommended Award Winner (Parents’ Choice Foundation). The Dragon Prince, published by HarperCollins, won Mr. Mak the Oppenheim Platinum Medal and National Parenting Publication Gold Metal for Best Children’s Picture Book. Mr. Mak was recently awarded the Gold Medal for the cover art to The Kite Rider and Silver Medals for the cover art to My Chinatown from the Society of Illustrators 45th Annual Exhibition. Mr. Mak is the recipient of the prestigious Steven Dohanos Award for Artistic Excellence from the Society of Illustrators.

In January 2008, the United States Postal Service introduced Mr. Mak’s new 12-year series of stamps celebrating the Lunar New Year. A new cycle begins with the Year of the Rat.

Mr. Mak is Vice Chair of the Illustration Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology and is presently working on series of paintings inspired by imagery of animals as food in Chinatown. He lives in Brooklyn with his family.

Click the flyer for information on Mr. Mak's special visit to PS 29.

Celebrate the Spirit of Dr. King at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden!

For its Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration tomorrow, Monday, Jan. 21st, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden invites the community to two performance of spirituals featuring the Great Day Chorale, led by founder and director Louvinia Pointer. Performances are at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Plant lovers can enjoy a special tour at 1 p.m. highlighting the plants of Africa and the Caribbean in the Steinhardt Conservatory. Free with garden admission (children under 12 enter free; adults $8).

2008 Box Tops Goal! Involve Your Kids In Helping Their School!

We have a 2008 Box Tops goal of clipping $500 worth of Box Tops to help purchase needed school supplies. If you make it a family goal of clipping at least one Box Top (10-cent value) per month, you'll be helping out! This is a fun way for kids to participate in school fundraising (and for the small ones, to have fun counting)! Nature Valley, Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Ziploc, Yoplait, Fruit Roll-Ups, Kleenex, Huggies, and Scott tissue are just a few of the pariticpating brands. Click the flyer for the full list (and put it on the fridge as a reminder)! Drop box is in the main lobby.

Our Online Fundraising Gallery!

There are lots of great, easy new ways that you can support our school online! Just click to get started!

NYCharities.org: Make easy, secure donations to the PTA (any amount from $5 up)! Buy PTA event tickets: Tuesday's Upper Grade Skating Party; tickets for the Literary Salon Event on Friday with Lee Siegel; and the Spring Fling/Silent Auction on 2/29. Buy now for Spring Fling Early Bird discount; the offer is only through January 25th!
Amazon.com: Buy on Amazon, and we earn 6-7% of your purchase!
Givenik.com: Get great deals on Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, and we receive 5% of your ticket purchase!
GoodSearch.com: We earn a penny every time you search the Internet!
Time Out New York Kids: Buy a subscription for only $10 (for 1 year/12 issues) and PS 29 gets $5!
GoodShop.com Shop from hundreds of online vendors, and PS 29 gets a percentage of your purchase! Click the GoodShop icon and start shopping!

Earn A Penny for PS 29 Every Time You Search The Internet!

GoodSearch update: There have been over 400 searches on GoodSearch.com to support PS 29! You can now earn the school a penny every time you search the Internet, and so can your relatives, neighbors, co-workers and friends. If you go to our GoodSearch link, you can shop through hundreds of online vendors for virtually all imaginable goods or services.

The school can benefit every time you buy a song on iTunes, rent a car, send flowers, book a vacation, order photo prints, subscribe to papers and magazines, buy exercise/sports gear, clothes, books or electronics. You name it, you can support your kids' education through it!

Visit GoodSearch.com to find out more. It's easy to add the GoodSearch toolbar to your browser and to make GoodSearch your homepage. Click the links to get started!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute at BAM — FREE EVENT!

22nd Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mon, Jan 21 at 10:30am
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
FREE!!
First come, first seated

Marty Markowitz, the President of the Borough of Brooklyn, Medgar Evers of the City University of New York, and BAM invite you to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Also speaking will be United States Senator Charles E. Schumer, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, and Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes.

Enjoy songs and stories by soul and gospel legend Mavis Staples and performances by Gary Anglin and the Voices of CCC. At 1pm, there will be a free screening of At the River I Stand (1993) in BAM Rose Cinemas.

Also visit BAMcafé to view the youth art exhibition Picture the Dream, featuring work by residents of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).

See a Show This Holiday Weekend and Support PS 29!

Givenik January Newsletter for PS 29 PTA
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Support PS 29 PTA by purchasing Broadway tickets on Givenik.com. You can purchase tickets to any of these available shows, with special Givenik discounts, and we will earn 5%! Visit Givenik.com and enter Organization Code: PTA

This month's shows include: A Catered Affair, A Chorus Line, August: Osage County, Avenue Q, Chicago, Curtains, Grease, Hairspray, Jersey Boys, Jump, Legally Blonde, Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins, Rent, Spelling Bee, Spring Awakening, The Fantasticks, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, and Xanadu.

Parents as Arts Partners and Center for Arts Education Workshop with Kwak Kay Choey

Parents as Arts Partners and the Center for Arts Education present the first of three FREE family workshops on Tuesday, January 29th from 6:00 PM-7:30 PM: Mr. Kwak Kay Choey of City Lore returns to PS 29 to offer parents the opportunity to share together with our children in his arts residency!

At the upcoming workshop, which already has a wait list, participants will learn to say a few Mandarin phrases, listen to traditional Chinese music, learn to laugh through Tai Chi, and participate in Chinese watercolor brush painting! Healthy snacks and refreshments will be provided.

The limit of 28 participants for this workshop was quickly reached, but if you want to add your family to the wait list, please contact Nina Jalowayski, 347-463-9641, by Wednesday, January 23rd.

This workshop is funded by a Parents for Arts Partner grant from the Center for Arts Education. Members of the PTA Arts Committee last fall submitted the successful application.  (This year's competition for the grant was steeper than ever: Only one in two applications were funded, and 40 percent of grant recipients were first-time applicants.)

At a welcoming celebration at NYU on Wednesday, January 31st, PS 29 Arts Committee representatives will be congratulated and will work with CAE staff at workshops on successful program design, building parent advocates, and connecting to New York City's vast creative industry.

The PTA extends an enormous thank you tor Kristen Adamczyk and Nina Jalowayski for spearheading the PS 29 2008 PAAP program!!! (Photos by Nina Jalowayski, from Mr. Choey's PS 29 residency this month.)