Tuesday, September 30, 2008

PS 29 Magazine, Candy & Gift Sale Is On Now!


Click the image above to shop now! Your purchases will count towards your kids' prizes! Please tell aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, and cousins to support the sale today! Choose from lots of great gifts, wrapping paper, candy, and magazines! 

This sale helps funds teaching assistants, learning materials and supplies, and our extensive Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music / Music Partners program. Other PTA-sponsored cultural-institution partners include American Ballroom Theater, New Victory Theater, and City Lore (visual artists-in-residence at PS 29), among others.

This is all due to your generous support! Thank you in advance for your participation!

[Thank you for creating the graphics, August!]

Monday, September 29, 2008

A New Year for the Running Team - More Kids Participating Than Ever Before!

The PS 29 Running Team held its inaugural 2008-2009 run today, fielding an astounding 53 girls and 24 boys (with more kids still to bring in permission slips). Special thanks to Stephanie Carney Manske and physical education teacher Kathy Nobles for serving as the team's lead coaches, and to all the other parents who turned out to coach the team!! If you would like your 4th or 5th grade child to run this year, please make sure to return the permission slip ASAP to Kathy.

Kids Get Cooking!

Check out the lineup of FREE Kids Get Cooking! events, during the New York City Wine & Food Festival, October 9th-12th, and reserve space for your kids.

For parents, there's a panel called Beyond Chicken Nuggets: How to Raise a Healthy Eater, Friday, October 12th, 12:00-1:30 PM, featuring Rachel Ray, Jessica Seinfeld, and Alice Waters, in addition to several childhood health researchers, hosted by Tara Parker-Pope, the Well columnist for the New York Times. Tickets for the panel are $35 per person.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Atlantic Antic - Cupcake Bakers and Volunteers Needed!


We need more help with the Atlantic Antic this Sunday, October 5th! This year, our table is in the heart of the action, on Atlantic between Smith and Hoyt Sts., and our PS 29 presence at the fair is both fun and a school fundraiser. To volunteer to bake cupcakes for kids to decorate at our Antic table or to help out at the event, please contact Kathy Cavalaro! Thanks for getting involved!

This Week at PS 29: September 29th-October 5th


Monday, September 29th
  • Harvest Celebration Outdoor Activities  -
    11:10-11:40 - 1-305, 1-324, and All Second Grade Classes
    11:40-12:10 - All Kindergarten Classes and 1-300, 1-303, 1-304
    12:10 - 12:40 - 4-521, 4-524 and All Fifth Grade Classes
    12:40-1:10 - All Third Grade Classes and 4-505, 4-507, 4-508
Third graders presenting worm composting! Greenmarket games and information! Live chickens! Farmers you can talk to! A scavenger hunt with your child to find the lifecycle of a ladybug! And MORE!

Tuesday, September 30th
  • Rosh Hashanah, NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, October 1st 
  • Rosh Hashanah, NO SCHOOL
Thursday, October 2nd
  • Scholastic Book Fair Set Up (morning); and Teacher Preview, with refreshments (2-5 PM)
Friday, October 3rd 
  • Families As Learning Partners, 8:25 AM-9:00 AM in your child's classroom
  • 2nd & 3rd Grade Enrichment Cluster Cycle Meeting for Interested Parent Facilitators, 9:15 AM in Room 317
  • Scholastic Book Fair is Open for Business - check it out after Parents As Learning Partners! Browse featured books online. 
Saturday, October 4th
  • Scholastic Book Fair! Open hours: 8:00 AM- 6:00 PM
Sunday October 5th
  • Atlantic Antic!! Stop by PS 29's table at the street fair, on Atlantic Avenue, between Smith and Hoyt Streets, in front of Providence Day Spa!! (10 AM- 4PM) Contact Kathy Cavalaro, event co-chair, to volunteer for a shift, bake cupcakes or sign on as a face painter!
Our Candy, Gifts & Magazine Sale is happening now!! Let out-of-town friends and family know they can shop online!! We earn 47% from all purchases!

Thank you to all who supported the PTA's first Flower Bulb Sale!

Parent Volunteers Needed for Upcoming 2nd & 3rd Grade Enrichment Cycle!


The second and third grade Enrichment Cluster Cycle will begin on Thursday, October 16th! We have 14 staff members facilitating in this cycle, and we'd like to have at least 6 parents, as well. This would give our children 20 clusters to choose from and make their group sizes as small as 10. There will be an information meeting for parents interested in the possibility of facilitating their own cluster on Friday at 9:15 AM, immediately following Families as Learning Partners, 8:25-9:00 AM.

If you are interested, please either email Frank Thomas, assistant principal, or click the letter above, print out the slip and return via backpack mail to your child's teacher. Thank you very much!!

PS 29 is a Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) school. SEM provides enriched learning experiences and higher learning standards for all children through three goals; developing talents in all children, providing a broad range of advanced-level enrichment experiences for all students, and providing advanced follow-up opportunities for young people based on their strengths and interests. The SEM focuses on enrichment for all students through high levels of engagement and the use of enjoyable and challenging learning experiences that are constructed around students' interests, learning styles, and preferred modes of expression.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Third Grade Girls Raise $172 for the PS 29 PTA!


If you saw a bustling bake sale and lemonade stand in the schoolyard last Thursday at pickup, you might not have realized that it was entirely organized and produced by a quartet of third-grade girls: Alexandra Giles, who spearheaded the plan, along with Elizabeth Cloutier, Sophie Scavuzzo, and Abby Futterman. The girls all pitched in to bake, provide infrastructure (cups!), advertise, and sell. In total, they raised $172 in astoundingly short order - including a $10 donation from Mr. Softee! - with all proceeds already donated to the PS 29 PTA! Ka-ching! Thank you, girls!!

Over 700 Online Merchants Donate to PS 29 When You Shop Through Our Link!


GoodSearch: You Search...We Give!

Over 700 top merchants are participating in GoodShop, including eBay, Apple, Gap, Old Navy, Expedia, Travelocity, Zappos, HP, Staples and more! These companies donate a percentage of each of your online purchases to PS 29; all you have to do is click here to shop to benefit our school!

GoodSearch donates half of its revenue to participating nonprofits. Powered by Yahoo!, the application is used just like any other browser, but each time you enter a new search, GoodSearch sends about one cent to PS 29. The pennies add up: 500 people searching four times a day yields around $7,300 in a year. Search now to benefit PS 29!

Try Amazon Prime and Earn $12 for the PTA

We earn $12 through October 31 on each Amazon Prime trial subscription that we refer. If you use Amazon, give it a try! Just click the link below.

Friday, September 26, 2008

More on Our Harvest Celebration!

Brain FoodBrain Food
SchoolFood Chef Billy Doherty (left) was in the PS 29 cafeteria all week, working with our own Chef Richard & team, to prepare today's wonderful harvest menu. David Berkowitz (right), Executive Director of SchoolFood, joined the celebration as did John Ameroso (below), Extension Associate, Emerging Initiatives, Cornell Cooperative Extension. John was an architect of our garden! Pictures from today will be posted soon!
Photo of John Ameroso

See Movies, Make Money for PS 29!


Looking for an alternative to blockbuster films for your internationally art-flick savvy kids? Experience the New York International Children's Film Festival, a Cannes- or Sundance-type festival just for kids and teens! Although the festival itself is not until February 2009, NYICFF has a very special fall line-up including premieres, short film collections and classics that you won't want to miss and won't find anywhere else. This weekend see Azur & Azmar at 11 AM Saturday and Sunday at IFC. Click the flyer for details!

And the best news is $2 OF EVERY TICKET YOU BUY GOES DIRECTLY TO OUR SCHOOL – THAT'S 20-30% OF EVERY PURCHASE!

Here's how:
Click here and select PS 29 John Harrigan School from the "Choose my participating school" drop-down menu. The rest is automatic!  Share the wealth! Be sure to print out the calendar below to share with family and friends. See you at the movies!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Brooklyn Monopoly

BK owns the family fun.

Meet Our Harvest Day Special Guests! Hilary Baum, Christina Grace, Michael Hurwitz, Ian Marvey!

While our Harvest Day Celebration's outdoor activities have been moved to Monday (due to lousy weather tomorrow), indoors we're thrilled to be hosting a Who's Who of food-and-farming activists, here tomorrow to celebrate the accomplishment of PS 29's first harvest and to speak to our kids!

Hilary holding two heads of organic lettuceHilary Baum is the Director of Baum Forum and President of Public Market Partners, a not-for-profit corporation established in 1991. For 15 years, as a producer of educational seminars, multi-day conferences and special events focusing on food, farming and markets, she has advanced the dialogue on critical issues among industry professionals and culinary students, market managers and family farmers, government officials and concerned citizens. She recently completed her term as founding Coordinating Director of Food Systems Network NYC, a collaborative effort of government agencies, non profits and individuals to further access to fresh and healthy food in all NYC neighborhoods and to strengthen the regional farm and food economy.

michael hurwitzMichael Hurwitz is Director of New York City's Greenmarket program. Greenmarket, founded in 1976, is a program of the Council on the Environment of New York City, a nonprofit group that promotes sustainability. Greenmarket operates 46 producer-only farmers’ markets throughout the city and works with 180 producers to preserve 30,000 acres of regional farmland.

Before joining Greenmarket as director in February 2007, Michael was the co-director of Added Value and Herban Solutions, a nonprofit youth and community development organization that he co-founded in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and that operates a 2.5-acre urban farm and two independent farmers’ markets as well as a local community-supported agriculture, or C.S.A., project. Mr. Hurwitz, who grew up in Pittsburgh, graduated from the University of Michigan in 1990 and received a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999. He graduated from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, where he was a Public Service Scholar, in 2007. He was a 2006 Union Square Award, given to grass-roots activists, and a 2004 Petra fellow.

Christina Mitchell Grace is Manager, Urban Food Systems, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. She is a pivotal force behind the SchoolFood Garden-to-Cafeteria Pilot.


Ian Marvey is co-founder and director of Added Value Farm, Red Hook. Added Value's mission is to promote the sustainable development of Red Hook by nurturing a new generation of youth leaders. The farm works towards this goal by creating opportunities for South Brooklyn's youth to expand their knowledge base, develop new skills and positively engage with their community through the operation of a socially responsible urban0farming enterprise. In six years Added Value has trained more than 120 young people, while founding the Red Hook Farmers' Market and CSA and growing a local food system.

Ian, a graduate of Hampshire College, has been organizing youth to become a positive force for social change in postindustrial cities and towns like Holyoke, MA, Camden NJ, and Philadelphia PA for many years. Prior to founding Added Value, Ian designed and implemented innovative service-learning programs for first-time juvenile offenders and non-incarcerated juvenile felons. Ian has also been honored with a Union Square Award and Petra Foundation Fellowship.

Harvest Celebration Schedule - Friday, Sept 26th and Monday, September 29th! Join Us!


Due to the rain forecast for tomorrow, Friday, September 26th, the outside activities for Harvest Day have been rescheduled to next Monday, September 29th. Please see the schedule below for the times to come and share with your kids in the joy of the First Annual PS 29 Children's Garden Harvest!

Friday, September 26th - Indoor Activities Schedule:
Assembly with Special Guest Speakers - Grades: 3-5 - 9:25 AM
Assembly with Special Guest Speakers - Grades: K-2 - 10:30 AM
Lunch and Tasting Table — Enjoy Our PS 29 Garden Harvest!
11:10 AM-11:40 AM -  All Kindergarten, 1-300, 1-303, 1-304
11:40 AM-12:10 PM -  1-305, 1-324, All Second Grade
12:10 PM-12:40 PM - All Third Grade, 4-505, 4-507, 4-508
12:40 PM-1:10 PM -  4-521, 4-524, All Fifth Grade

Monday. September 29 - Schoolyard Activities Schedule:
11:10-11:40 - 1-305, 1-324, and All Second Grade Classes
11:40-12:10 - All Kindergarten Classes and 1-300, 1-303, 1-304
12:10 - 12:40 - 4-521, 4-524 and All Fifth Grade Classes
12:40-1:10 - All Third Grade Classes and  4-505, 4-507, 4-508

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

October KidFest on Roosevelt Island


Spend every Saturday in October on Roosevelt Island with the family!
Dance and sing to live musical performances by popular kids' bands - including PS 29 parent Audra Rox! - during Kidfest. Performances will be located on the lawn at Riverwalk Commons, located 5 minutes from midtown. Food, live music, fun rides, and exploration of Roosevelt Island!

Bands perform from 2pm to 4pm:
October 4th-The Deedle Deedle Dees
October 11th-Broadway Babies
October 18th-Uncle Rock & The Playthings
October 25th-Audra Rox (PS 29 parent!)

Transportation:
• F Train to Roosevelt Island
• or The Roosevelt Island Tram (only 4 minutes) at 60th St. & 2nd Ave.

Click here for more information.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

UFT's 11th Annual Citywide Parent Conference: Strengthening the Home-School Partnership

The United Federation of Teachers and the Dial-a-Teacher Program are presenting the 11th Annual Citywide Parent Conference: Strengthening the Home-School Partnership, Saturday, November 8th, 8:00 AM-2:30 PM. This is a FREE event. Register by October 17th. The conference is for parents only; Dial-a-Teacher will offer a YWCA-operated camp-for-a-day for participants' kids ($10 pre-paid, per child). Click here for more information on both the conference and day camp.

The Brooklyn Parent Academy Free Financial Connections Seminars

The New York Urban League in collaboration with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and The Brooklyn Parent Academy will present a FREE Citigroup Financial Connection Managing Your Money Wisely Certificate Series, including session topics:
  • Banking and Money Management 
  • $$ Management: Saving and Investing
  • Spending & Credit
  • The Credit Landscape
The sessions take place from 6:00 PM-9:00 PM at the Borough Hall Courtroom, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, Tuesdays October 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th. Call to reserve your spot: (212) 926-8000, ext. 147 or send an email.
Other upcoming Parent Academy workshops include:

October 16th (evening):
  • Advocating for Your Child with Special Needs
  • The New Middle School Success Initiative
October 23rd (evening):
  • Helping Your Child Succeed in Reading and Math
  • Recognize and Avoid Gang Violence & Bullying
If you are interested please, sign up HERE before Thursday, October 9th. 


Monday, September 22, 2008

URGENT Call for Scholastic Bookfair Volunteers!!


The following time slots are where we're in most dire need, but we will gladly take volunteers for any time you can spare for the Fair!! Please contact Jeanmarie Giordano to sign up for a time slot. 

Friday, 10/3: 1:00-3:15, 3:00-6:00

Saturday, 10/4: 8:30-11:15, 11:00-1:15

Monday, 10/6: 8:30-11:15, 11:00-1:15, 1:00-3:15; 3:00-6:00

Tuesday, 10/7: any time 11:00-6:00

Wednesday, 10/8: 1:00-3:15; 3:00-6:00

Friday, 10/10: 11:00-2:00 (breakdown of Fair)

Butterfly Memorial for Zander



PS 29 Schoolyard, Sunday, September 26, 2008.


After the memorial, a Monarch rests in a Baltic Street backyard, a few houses east of the schoolyard.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

This Week at PS 29 – September 22nd-26th

Monday, September 22nd
Candy/Magazine/ Gifts Sale Begins! Please click the link to shop!

Tuesday, September 23rd
The First School Leadership Team (SLT) Meeting of 2008-2009, 5 PM, New Staff Resource Room, Rm. 318.Election of officers, set up of subcommittees, school progress report follow-up, other business. SLT meetings are open.

Wednesday, September 24th
Flower Bulb Sale Extended Deadline! Orders due today!
Staff Training Session, Renzulli Learning Engine - PTA co-presidents will attend. 3:30-5:30PM
Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music, Instrumental and Band Program, Welcome for Families, 7 PM, auditorium.

Thursday, September 25th
Lower Grades Curriculum Night (K-2), 6 PM, in your child's classroom.

Friday, September 26th
Harvest Day Celebration - School Assemblies with speakers - 3rd-5th grades at 9:25 AM and K-2nd grades at 10:20 AM; Join the kids for the assemblies, farm-related activities, and for a meal prepared from the vegetables from the PS 29 Children's Garden!

Upcoming Events:
Scholastic Book Fair, October 2nd-10th. Click the link to volunteer and browse the selection.
Atlantic Antic, Sunday, October 5th:
Volunteer to bake cupcakes, paint faces, or take a two-hour shift at the table. Please contact Kathleen Cavalaro.

Cupcakes & Face Painters Needed for Atlantic Antic, Sunday October 5th!


Please volunteer to bake cupcakes to decorate at the PS 29 table at the upcoming Atlantic Antic, Sunday, October 5th! We also need face painters! Please contact Kathleen Cavalaro, event co-chair. Thank you in advance for helping to make this a successful fundraiser!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

You're Invited! PS 29 Harvest Day Celebration Is Next Friday, March 26th!!


Parents, PS 29's Harvest Day is a not -to-be-missed celebration! Please encourage your child to eat and enjoy the garden treats from their very own garden! Please click the flyer for details! (A special thank-you to third-grade parent Tina Manis for the beautiful poster!)

Friday, September 19, 2008

Flowering Bulb Sale Extended Until Wednesday, September 24th!

We're pleased to announce that we're extending our 1st Flowering Bulb Sale until Wednesday, September 24th, due to popular demand and the good nature of our Dutch bulbs importer John Scheepers. We earn 50% on your orders!! 

Here are some of the beautiful options (see our order form in previous post): Pictured left to right/top to bottom: Peony-flowered Tulip Angelique, Narcissus Acropolis, Narcissus Topolino, Narcissus Litte Gem, Crocus Biflorus Purity, Crocus Tommasinianus, Tulip Fringed Family, Tulip Black Parrot, Tulip Green Wave, Tulip Lemon Snow, Tulip Carnevale de Nice; Tulip Miranda, Tulip Yellow Mountain, Chionodoxia Gigantea Alba, and Chionodoxia Blue Giant.

Thank you for ordering and for supporting the school! Tina Reres, our lower-grades science teacher, has her eye on tulips for the big rectangular plant box out front! Please consider supporting this perfect fall science activity for the kids - planting bulbs that they'll see come up in spring! Just indicate on the form which set(s) you wish to donate.

Memorial for Zander



Dear Third Grade Families, Teachers and Friends,

We will be having a Butterfly Release Memorial for Zander this Sunday, September 21st, at 5:30 p.m in the school backyard. This will be an opportunity for our children to say goodbye to our beloved Zander and to come together as a community. We will have a memory box for children to place any letters, drawings or photos if they wish for Zander, Bonnie and Chris.

In lieu of flowers, Zander's family is putting together a fund to commemorate Zander and contribute to an educational charity.

Folks should use the following info on their donation (David Perper is Zander's uncle):

Cantor David Perper
Discretionary Fund / Alexander Toulouse

Temple Beth Haverim Shir Shalom
c/o Cantor David Perper
280 Ramapo Valley Road
Mahwah, NJ 07430

If you have any questions please call Monica Gutierrez-Kirwan at (347) 446-4752 or Alison Cohen at (773)960-5838.

Volunteers Needed for Scholastic Bookfair, October 2nd-10th!!!



This year's Scholastic Book Fair at PS29 is scheduled for Thursday October 2nd- Friday, Oct. 10th. As always, we will have lots of wonderful books at great prices!! This is not just a great fundraiser for your childrens' school, this is an opportunity to put more books into your child’s hands and classroom!

To be successful we need volunteers to help with setting up, organizing books, assisting the children with their choices, and running the register. Please check your calendars and let us know as soon as possible if you are free to volunteer

We will need volunteers for time slots below! If you are able to volunteer please contact Jeanmarie Giordano. Please include your name, phone, which and how many slots you would like. It would be great if you could give a few choices since various slots may fill up. Thank you for your help with this popular event!

Thursday, 10/2: all day-set up of books; Teacher preview and wishlists

Friday, 10/3: 8:00-11:15; 11-1:15; 1-3:15; 2:00-4:00; 3:00-6:00

Saturday, 10/4: 10-12:15; 12-2:15; 2-4

Monday, 10/6: 8:00-11:15; 11-1:15; 1-3:15; 2:00-4:00; 3:00-6:00

Tuesday, 10/7: 8:00-11:15; 11-1:15; 1-3:15; 2:00-4:00; 3:00-6:00

Wednesday 10/8: 8:00-11:15; 11-1:15; 1-3:15; 2:00-4:00; 3:00-6:00

Friday, 10/10: 8:00-11:15; 11-1:15; 1-3:15; 2:00-4:00-fair closes-breakdown of fair.


Thursday, September 18, 2008

The 2008 PS 29 Candy, Gifts & Magazine Sale Starts Now!



PS 29 2008 CANDY, GIFTS & MAGAZINE SALE
Monday, September 22 – Tuesday, October 14

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Dear PS 29 Families,

Welcome to the new school year at PS 29! My name is Margaret Halliday and I am a third grade parent. I will be coordinating the PS 29 2008 Annual Candy, Gift & Magazines Sale. This wonderful fundraising event raises significant sums each year, allowing the PTA to enhance our children's learning environment here at PS 29. The merchandise ranges from candy and wrapping paper to magazine subscriptions (both new and renewals) and household gift items.

Many families use this sale to jumpstart their holiday shopping — magazine subscriptions are great gifts! Increasingly, families are ordering online. The online service, accessed by clicking the link above, allows out-of-town friends and relatives to place their own orders, at their convenience, and to receive their items directly and efficiently. Please click
HERE!

47% of all sales go directly to P.S. 29!

There are no school assemblies to publicize the candy sale to PS 29 students. If you would like your child to participate in the sale, please review the material with him/her and remember, for safety purposes, students should only sell to family, friends and neighbors with whom you are familiar, not door-to-door. In many cases, it's the parents who do the selling — at work, among friends and extended family.

Any and all support is greatly appreciated. PS 29 is a great school because of all the dedication, hard work and support of its staff and parents!!

If you have any questions or would have some time to assist me in this fundraiser, please feel to contact me at directly at 646.479.6926 or via email at taxi0341@juno.com or PS29PTA@gmail.com.

Thank you for your support of this major PTA fundraiser!!

Margaret Halliday
PS 29 Parent & 2008 Candy Sale Coordinator

Fall Bulb Planting = Spring Flowers + Cash for PS 29!

Do you have a window sill, tree bed, fire escape, terrace or backyard space to brighten up? Or would you like to donate bulbs for our science teachers to plant with the kids? 
Don't forget to order bulbs from our first PS 29 flowering bulb sale! Print and fill out the forms and return with a check to your child's classroom teacher or place in the PTA mailbox in the main office. We earn 50% on each order! Pictured: Crocus tommasinianus.

For other images check HERE.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Minutes of the PS 29 PTA Executive Board Meeting, 9/15/08

The minutes of the PTA executive board meeting held on Monday, September 15, 2008 have been submitted by co-secretary Ariane Ben Eli, and are now available HERE.

Monday, September 15, 2008

First School Leadership Team Meeting, 9/23

The first School Leadership meeting for the 2008-2009 school year will be on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 5:00 pm in the new staff room (Room 318). Elections for officers (chair and secretary) will be held at the meeting.

There's No One Like Me

The poem, "There's No One Like Me," by Zander Toulouse was read yesterday by Brooklyn's Poet Laureate Ken Siegelman, at the opening of the Brooklyn Book Festival, on the steps of Borough Hall.

The following introduction was given by Zander's PS 29 second grade teacher, Andi Wissot:
Zander was so much to so many.

Perceptive. Generous. Kind. So passionate. So animated. So electric. An incomparable bundle of energy, talent, creativity and intellect who touched us all in such profound ways. Zander was one-of-a-kind.

He was driven by a singular curiosity about the way things worked, about life, and about people.

Archived in our minds are the indelible images of Zander... his contagious smile, his piercing blue eyes. Watching him dance... so whimsical. Watching him read (and Zander could read for hours anywhere - anytime)... Watching him think, eyes lost in space, tuning everything out while his mind unraveled the complexities of some algorithm or subway line...

Above all, Zander understood and appreciated where he came from and what he had in his life. He had a strong sense of gratitude and truly saw the miracles in his young life. How lucky he was to have a family that gave him a place to be himself.

Zander, who had just started third grade at P.S. 29 in Cobble Hill, wrote this poem in first grade. It shares and celebrates, from his own mind, who he was and the influences that shaped his “one of-a-kind” identity.

There's No One Like Me
by Zander Toulouse

Nobody's like me
For all my special reasons
For example: A board game
To me there is nothing like a nice board game.
I always like my bath water hot.
I always like trains.
I LOVE to dance a lot.
Blue is my favorite color.
I am the pride of the world.
I know I can be a problem.
But I am very useful sometimes.

YOUR DONATIONS: Zander's family is establishing a fund to commemorate Zander and contribute to an educational charity.

The family is discussing a wish to help projects at PS29 and at Fordham University. Cantor David Perper (Zander's uncle) will administer the fund.

If you wish to contribute, please send donations to:
Cantor David Perper
Discretionary Fund / Alexander Toulouse
Temple Beth Haverim Shir Shalom
c/o Cantor David Perper
280 Ramapo Valley Road
Mahwah, NJ 07430

Sunday, September 14, 2008

This Week at PS 29!

Monday, September 15th
Tuesday, September 16th  
Wednesday, September 17th
  • Grade 5 Welcome Breakfast in your child's classroom, 8:30 AM
  • Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music's Music Partners/Orff-Kodály Music and Movement Program with Sheri Gottlieb begins! - Grade 2
Thursday, September 18th
  • Dancing Classrooms - Grade 5
  • Class Parents Meeting with Lisa di Liberto, parent coordinator, and Natalie Green Giles, Class Parent Liaison, auditorium, 8:30 AM
  • Extended Day Program, 2:50 PM
  • Curriculum Night - Grades 3, 4, 5, in your child's classroom, 6:00 PM
  • PTA General Meeting, auditorium, 7:00 PM
Friday, September 19th
  • Family Orientation for ELL (English Language Learners) - new and returning students, 8:30 AM
  • Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music's Music Partners/Recorder Ensemble Program with Sheri Gottlieb begins - Grade 3
  • PTA Flower Bulb Fundraiser - DEADLINE for your orders; please return your form to your child's classroom teacher. Thank you for supporting this new fundraiser! Fifty percent of your order benefits our school!
Tributes to Zander Toulouse
The Brooklyn Poet Laureate Ken Siegelman paid tribute to Zander Toulouse by reading two of Zander's original poems on Sunday, September 14th at the Brooklyn Book Festival.

Grief counselors are available on an ongoing basis to our children, families, and staff. The books Tear Soup and The Tenth Good Thing About Barney, which both deal with loss, are also on hand. Tentatively, a few families are planning a release of butterflies in Zander's memory next Sunday, 9/21. 

Looking Ahead…
9/22: Candy Sale Begins (Gifts/Magazines/Candy) - Please support this fundraiser! Fifty percent of your order benefits our school!
9/23: School Leadership Team Meeting, 5:00 PM
9/23: Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music's Music Partners/Instrumental Music & Band Program Welcome for Families, 7:00 PM
9/25: Lower Grades Curriculum Night (Pre-K, Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2), 6:00 PM
9/26: 2008 Farm to You Fest/New York Harvest for New York Kids Celebration

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Call for Volunteers: PS 29 Scholastic Bookfair, October 2nd-10th

PS 29's annual, ever-popular Scholastic Bookfair will take place from October 2nd-10th! This year we're happy to introduce our own bookfair webpage where you can sign up to volunteer (please do this; this event takes a lot of helping hands!!); preview the featured books selection; and create a wish list to print and take with you to the fair. We're looking for Team Leaders for each day, who can supervise an entire day.  For more information, please contact Jeanmarie Giordano, event chair. Thanks in advance for donating your time! Our kids love this event!

Parent Speakers Sought for Brown Bag Lunch Series


Molly Dubow, our new PS 29 enrichment specialist, is working on producing a new brown bag lunch series that will bring guest speakers to meet with groups of kids during lunch periods. Parents have been an amazing resource for enrichment clusters, and Molly is now eager to hear from parents with interests, talents, and passions to share with kids in this new format. Please email Lisa Trollbäck if you would like to participate or can recommend a speaker.

Thank you!

Fundraising Flower Bulb Sale


The PS 29 PTA has found extraordinary flower bulbs at unbelievable wholesale prices - and, what's even better, the PS 29 PTA will earn 50% of each order! 

Plant some this fall for a lovely spring. Bulbs should go in the ground here in NYC in mid‐ to late‐October. Or, you can force bulbs indoors, plant them in a window box, or become a PS 29 Garden Angel and donate some to the school. 

Please include a check (made out to the PS29 PTA) or cash for your order in an envelope. You can click and print the forms below. Don’t forget to include your name, your child’s name and classroom number! Bulbs will be delivered in October. You can pick them up at a table in the front lobby, or they will be given to your child and sent home with them. Please feel free to email parent and fundraiser organizer Marion Gropen with any questions or call her at, 718‐596‐5354.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Letter from Melanie Regarding PS 29 Community Support

September 10, 2008

Dear PS 29 Families,

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you. The strength and profound bond of our PS 29 family is ever so clear as we cope with the tragic loss of our beloved Zander Toulouse.

This afternoon members of our PS 29 community attended Zander’s funeral service. Many of us have expressed the need to talk, to console one another and to grieve together. Please know that tomorrow morning, following our Third Grade Breakfast, parents and caregivers are invited to meet with our support staff in the Staff Resource Center (318). They will be available throughout the day.

It goes without saying that our teachers and our support staff are working closely together with one another and with students in response to their changing needs. Please do not hesitate to contact us in the challenging days ahead.

We are so grateful for your amazing involvement and we thank you for your continued kindness, in both word and deed.


Sincerely,

Melanie

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Service and Memorial Fund for Zander Toulouse

The service for Zander Toulouse will take place tomorrow:

Wednesday, September 10th at 1:15pm
Riverside Memorial Chapel
180 West 76th Street NYC (Amsterdam Avenue and 76th Street)

The family will receive visitors after the service on Wednesday until 10 pm and Thursday from 10 am to 10 pm at their home, 140 Warren Street, Apt 1C.

If you wish to attend, and have no other possible childcare arrangements, please call the school office ASAP, (718) 330-9277, to let them know that your child will remain at Kids’ Club (to be picked up no later than 6 PM). There is no fee for parents who will attend the service and require childcare, however, the office does need to know ahead of time if your child will stay for the afternoon.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to a fund, for an educational charity, that the family is setting up to commemorate Zander. From the family's tributes page for Zander: "We are talking about helping projects at his school, PS29, and at Fordham. (Maybe Field Trip grants where everyone has to go by subway?)" [Those who knew Zander know that he loved the subway, and knew the entire system by heart.]

Donations should be directed to: 
Cantor David Perper
Discretionary Fund / Alexander Toulouse

at this address:

Temple Beth Haverim Shir Shalom
c/o Cantor David Perper
280 Ramapo Valley Road
Mahwah, NJ 07430

Monday, September 8, 2008

A Tributes and Condolences Page for Zander Toulouse's Family

Chris Toulouse, Zander's father, has set up a condolences and tributes page where family friends can write in messages about Zander.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Letter from Melanie Regarding PS 29 Third Grader Zander Toulouse




Sunday, September 7th, 2008

As many of you may know by now, one of our beloved PS 29 third grade students, Zander Toulouse, was the victim of a tragic bicycle accident and passed away yesterday afternoon. Our hearts are truly broken.

We know that Zander’s parents, Bonnie and Chris, have asked not to be contacted at this point in time and, of course, we all respect that wish. Third grade parents are welcomed to escort their children to classrooms tomorrow morning where we will have members of our support staff provide grief counseling to help them cope with this terrible loss. We will also provide support for our parents and caregivers on how to talk with their children about this tragedy. A room will be designated for ongoing support for families.

Our hearts go out to the Toulouse family and to the entire PS 29 community.

Thank you,
Melanie

Friday, September 5, 2008

SAVE THE DATE: PS 29 to Participate in Atlantic Antic '08, Sunday October 5th

SAVE THE DATE: PS 29 will have a table with face painting, PS 29 merchandise and more at the 34th Annual Atlantic Antic, on Sunday, October 5th! To volunteer, please contact co-chairs Kathleen Cavalaro and Providence Hogan

Spanning Atlantic Avenue, from Hicks St. to Fourth Avenue, the Antic is a great family-oriented festival, offering plenty of pony rides, face painting, balloon sculptures, live storytelling, music for kids and more! Ten live musical stages offer free performances all day. 

The New York Transit Museum's 15th Annual Bus Festival  also will coincide with the Antic, taking place at the midway point of the festival, on Boerum Place. A collection of vintage buses dating back to 1917 will be on display and ready to board, and visitors can  enjoy free admission to the museum, one block away on Schermerhorn Street.

The Antic features foods from around the world, from baklava and funnel cake, to grilled sardines and pulled pork sandwiches, to street fair favorites like fresh lemonade, fried mozzarella, and roasted corn.  

Atlantic Avenue's restaurants and boutiques along with a host of local vendors, craftspeople, and nonprofits offer fabulous merchandise, too. 

Please come support the PTA and have fun while you're at it!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Seeking a Co-Leader for New Brownies Troop of PS 29 Girls

PS 29 parent Kathleen Cavalaro is launching a new Brownie Girl Scouts troop comprised entirely of PS 29 girls (ages 6-8). Due to a wait list of several keenly interested girls, Kathleen is hoping to find a troop co-leader. The troop will meet from 3:30-5:00 PM on Thursdays beginning on September 18th at St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Carroll St @ Clinton St.). Parent volunteers will escort the girls from the schoolyard to St. Paul's, which is graciously donating space. If you can serve as a co-leader, please email Kathleen!