Weekly Update from the P.S./I.S. 217 (Roosevelt Island School) PTA

Dear PS/IS 217 Parents and Teachers! Thank you for everyone who helped our kids to have a really good time and celebrate Halloween! We are grateful to the people who volunteered for the Halloween Parties, donated various food and craft items, helped to decorate the room and many others. Thank you for all the parents and kids who came to the parties for supporting PTA and our school! NOVEMBER, 1st - DEADLINE FOR OCTOBER BOXTOPS COLLECTION Please Note that the deadline for October BOXTOPS submission has been moved to November, 1st Students can turn BOX TOPS in to their teachers by: 1) putting their Box Tops into a Zip-Loc bag (be sure it is sealed so they all stay together!) - PRINT the students name in Permanent Marker on the outside of the bag OR 2) gluing or taping their Box Tops to a Collection Sheet that you can get print fromhttp://www.boxtops4education.com/Image.aspx?Id=6292&WT.ac=FMA_PCollSheets PS 217 is now accepting Tyson Project A+ box tops! Please check Tyson brand products in your frozen food section for these labels. Clip the label from your products and submit them with your Box Tops for Education.Remember! Please carefully cut out the Box Top coupon from the product! Be sure to cut along the dotted line, and keep ALL words on the Box Top. They will not count any Box Tops that don't contain all information on the coupon. PTA MEETING AND PRINCIPAL CHAT Thursday, November 3rd EMERGENCY PTA MEETING at 8:40 am Bylaws Vote PTA Officers Vote SLT Members Vote Principal Chat at 9:00 am LEARNING LEADERS TRAINING GIVE A LITTLE. MAKE A DIFFERENCE. BECOME A LEANING LEADER If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at PS/IS 217M with the Learning Leaders Program, the training program will be conducted by Bell Wells, Program Coordinator for Learning Leaders, and will be held at the Learning Leaders Headquarters, which is located 80 Maiden Lane, 9th floor, New York, NY 10038 Here are the training dates: 1:00 – 3:30 pm Monday, November 14 Wednesday, November 16 Monday, November 21 Tuesday, November 22 OR 10 am – 12:30 pm Tuesday, December 13 Thursday, December 15 Tuesday, December 20 Wednesday, December 21 To learn more about Learning Leaders, check their website http://www.learningleaders.org/ UFT-PARENT COMMUNITY MEETING & WORKSHOP for Parents, Gradparents, Educational Activists Wednesday, November 9 9:00 am and 6:30 pm 52 Broadway 10 th floor (subway 2/3, 4/5 to Wall st.; 1 or R to Rector st.) To Discuss: School Leadership Teams – follow up from September workshop Increasing Parent Involvement – share ideas, discuss what works Fair Student Funding Report of Millionaire’s Tax Campaign and Occupy Wall Street Activities To RSVP and for more information, contact Francine Streich, UFT parent community liaison, at 212-701-9464 or fstreich@uft.org ANTI-BULLYING HOTLINE A new anti-bullying campaign launched on Oct. 19 will offer students counseling by mental health professionals for incidents both inside and outside the classroom. The service will begin by offering a telephone hotline in the afternoon and evening, and next January adding assistance through text messaging and online chat. To read more, go to http://www.uft.org/press-releases/new-anti-bullying-initiative-offer-telephone-hotline-after-school-hours Beginning in January, counselors will also be accessible via text messaging and online chat. The hotline is part of an anti-bullying campaign called “BRAVE,” which stands for “Building respect, acceptance and voice through education.” HAVE A GREAT WEEK! Disclaimer: All the information distributed in these messages originates from the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) Executive Board. The information, opinions, data, and statements contained herein are not necessarily those of the PS/IS217 administration and should not be interpreted, acted on or represented as such. List members are reminded of their responsibility to critically evaluate the content of the postings.

©2011 PS/IS 217 PTA | Roosevelt Island School

NYPL "Start a New Chapter"

Dear PS/IS Parents and Teachers, We would like you to know about a great opportunity at the The New York Public Library, Queens Library and Brooklyn Public Library At the last PTA General Meeting, Miranda Murray, a manager of the Roosevelt Island Library, talked about a program called "Start a New Chapter," in which kids 17 years and younger can come into the library and get their fines completely waived. Here is how it works: THROUGH OCTOBER 31 If you are 17 or younger, just return your overdue books to any public library in the five boroughs and you will not be charged late penalties. Just return the materials and your fines will be erased. You can start checking out materials right away. Hurry! This offer only lasts until October 31! Disclaimer: All the information distributed in these messages originates from the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) Executive Board. The information, opinions, data, and statements contained herein are not necessarily those of the PS/IS217 administration and should not be interpreted, acted on or represented as such. List members are reminded of their responsibility to critically evaluate the content of the postings. ©2011 PS/IS 217 PTA | Roosevelt Island School

Weekly Update from the P.S./I.S. 217 (Roosevelt Island School) PTA

Hawks' Happenings October 24-28th The school goal is to have as many students participate as possible! Awards will be given daily to the classes that have the most participants. Monday - SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY Wear a 217 T-shirt or school colors - Purple or Yellow The new school T-shirts will continue to be on sale this whole week by the PTA. T- sirts can be purchased for $15 DARE TO CARE ASSEMBLY Come and see: performance by Community 203 our first 100% attendance award presentation and much more Grades 1 – 5 - 8:40 am Kindergarten - 10 am Tuesday - PAJAMA DAY Wear your favorite pajamas. We will show RESPECT for the reading by having a lower school read-a-thon on the 2nd floor hallway Wednesday - TEAM DAY and SCHOOL BASKETBALL GAME Dress to to represent your favorite sports team. Dare to care about Good Sportsmanship. Thursday – DRESS FOR SUCCESS DAY Dress in nice clothes, look your best! Dare to Care about your future! This day will focus on thinking about our future and what we want to be when grow up! Friday – CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN DAY Halloween Dress-up. Please NO MASKS or WEAPONS! Grades K-2 – activities in the classroom Grades 3-5 – activities in the yard across the street. Every month social worker and early childhood expert Don Duerr invites you to parent workshops. Join us on Wednesday. October 26th at 8:37 am at PS217 Library to learn about behaviours that are typical for 3-5 and 6-7 year olds and how to handle some of the more difficult ones. This Thursday the 27th of October, we are changing things up for our Coffee Hour. Please come over to Manhattan Park Theatre Club (behind 10 River Road) starting 8:35 am to help decorate the room for our Halloween party taking place on the next Friday, Oct 28. We will provide coffee, and hot water for tea or hot chocolate. If you can bring a snack to share, if you cannot, please come anyway for fun and adult conversation. Small children are welcome! We look forward to seeing you there, spread the word! October 28th at Manhattan Park Theatre Club 3 - 5 pm - FAMILY FUN - Crafts, Pumpkins, Activities Snacks and drinks for purchase Admission: $5/person (children 2 years old and under - FREE) 7 - 9 pm MONSTER MASH DANCE!! for Middle School Students and PS/IS 217 Alumni up to 10th grade. Admission $10 (includes 1 slice of pizza and 1 soda) We are very excited to held these Halloween Parties , but we need help with donations and also volunteer hours. Please read below and find a way that you and your family can help with these events. Please send an email topsis217info@gmail.com with the items you can donate and/or the times you can volunteer. As always, thank you so much for your generous support! All donated items can be put in the HALLOWEEN BINS in the School Lobby. DONATION ITEMS: PLEASE donate the following by WEDNESDAY in the Halloween Bins: Dessert size black plates - 200 plates White dinner plates (the FLIMSY variety for art projects) – 200 plates Dum-Dum Lollipops - 200 lollipops Halloween Candy – we are looking for donations of both regular candy and also “peanut-free” candy such as ‘Wonka Brand’, Smarties, Skittles, Starburts, etc. PLEASE DONATE the FOLLOWING ON FRIDAY MORNING (you may either bring these to the Manhattan Park Clubhouse or contact a PTA Executive Board Member to put into the PTA Room): Regular size Cupcakes (2 doz.) Water Bottles Juice Boxes or Canned Soft Drinks VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Please email and let us know the day(s) and time(s) that you can help out! We’ll tell you where to go and have a lot to keep hands busy! Wednesday 10:30am - 2:30pm (drop in whenever) Thursday 8:40am – 2:30pm - Join us for Coffee Hour and help decorate! Friday 8:40am – 12noon During the Event: 3-5pm Food Station to help sell food Craft Table help – making crafts with the children Additional volunteers for the Middle School Monster Mash Dance are still needed, and also for clean-up on Friday Night. Please email and come have fun!! This month deadline for BOXTOPS submission is OCTOBER 31, Monday! What are Box Tops? The Box Tops Collection program is a simple way to help our school. To participate you simply clip and save labels and box tops from the food items you are already using – Cheerios, Ziplock, Juicy Juice, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Avery, Hefty and many more. Each box top is worth $.10 (ten cents) to our school – and that adds up fast! You can help earn cash for our school every time you shop for groceries! This is not something each student is required to do - but it's a great and easy way to make extra cash for our school - so we hope that as many students as possible will join in collecting and bringing in as many BOX TOPS as possible! Students can turn BOX TOPS in by: 1) putting their Box Tops into a Zip-Loc bag (be sure it is sealed so they all stay together!) - PRINT the students name in Permanent Marker on the outside of the bag OR 2) gluing or taping their Box Tops to a Collection Sheet that you can get print fromhttp://www.boxtops4education.com/Image.aspx?Id=6292&WT.ac=FMA_PCollSheets Remember! Please carefully cut out the Box Top coupon from the product! Be sure to cut along the dotted line, and keep ALL words on the Box Top. They will not count any Box Tops that don't contain all information on the coupon. BOX TOP COMPETITION REWARDS! 100 BOX TOPS - ALL students that submit 100 Box Tops will receive a Certificate for 1 free book ($5 or less) of their choosing from a Book Fair during the year. 500 BOX TOPS – ANY class which brings in 500 or more BOX TOPS wins a classroom party of either ice cream, popsicles, or similar treat. What class will be the first to win their Ice Cream Party?! Visit www.boxtops4education.com for more information, sweepstakes to earn BIG Box Tops or CASH for our school and coupons for your grocery shopping! Thank you for helping P.S./I.S. 217 to earn this FREE and easy money! NEW!! PS 217 is now accepting Tyson Project A+ box tops! Similar to the Box Tops program already in place, Project A+ will give our school 24 Cents for EACH label. Please check Tyson brand products in your frozen food section for these labels. Clip the label from your products and submit them with your Box Tops for Education. It's that simple! Thank you for all your support and help with the many wonderful events that are planned through the PTA to benefit our students and PS/IS 217! Have a great week! Disclaimer: All the information distributed in these messages originates from the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) Executive Board. The information, opinions, data, and statements contained herein are not necessarily those of the PS/IS217 administration and should not be interpreted, acted on or represented as such. List members are reminded of their responsibility to critically evaluate the content of the postings.

©2011 PS/IS 217 PTA | Roosevelt Island School