PTA Updates

The new Ross holiday PTA store is now open online. Order by November 21 and pick up at Ross December 18-21. All sales go to PTA programs supporting Ross. Questions? Contact Sarah Berglund at rossmerchandise@gmail.com.

We would like to wrap up our Fall for Ross fundraising drive this month, but currently we're only 48% of the way to our goal of raising $50,000. We need your help! We've raised $30,500 from 44 families and three Ross staff members. If you haven't donated yet, please make your contribution now.

We're asking all Ross families to consider giving at least $50/month ($600 annually) to help the PTA continue to fund operational expenses at Ross and support our community. If $600 isn't possible for your family, please contribute what you can. Everything helps!

The PTA uses funding to:

• Cover Ross's operational expenses, enabling Principal Searl to invest more of Ross's DCPS budget in staffing,
• Host community-building events, and
• Fund teacher and staff appreciation activities.

Please mark your calendars to attend one of Ross Elementary School's open houses. We also need parent volunteers for the open houses. Please contact sushmitajena@gmail.com to volunteer.

• Thursday, November 9 from 9:00-10:30am
• Saturday, December 2 (Super Saturday) Time TBD
• Thursday, January 18 from 9:00-10:30am

The annual Spooktacular was spectacular thanks to the help of lots of volunteers and the leadership of Holly Kilness Packett. We are also grateful to the greater community for their support with trick-or-treating and post-event dinner discounts.

Please upload your Spooktacular photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/HtBbAAjmrkfJkc6M8

Thank you to everyone who donated coats, boots and winter wear items to the Ross clothing swap. The swap was a great success. Ross is donating remaining items to HD Cooke Elementary School's clothing pantry. Thank you, as well, to our swap volunteers!

Ross students feed into School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens (Francis-Stevens or SWWFS) for 6th through 8th grade. Francis-Stevens will enjoy a brand new, fully modernized building starting next year at its 24th and N St NW location. All Ross students and parents, especially those in 4th and 5th grade, are encouraged to attend an open house to hear more from the Francis-Stevens leadership about their school.

In particular, we encourage Ross families to visit on Monday, November 13 at 9:00am as a group. You can register for the November 13 open house or a later date here. (Open houses take place in their temporary space on Euclid St.) The LSAT will also be organizing opportunities later in the year for Ross parents to speak to parents of Ross alumni at Francis-Stevens.

DCPS will convene a public budget hearing on Tuesday, November 14, at 6:00pm. The purpose of the hearing is to gather input from the public about the upcoming fiscal year 2025 (school year 2024-2025) budget. Members of the public are invited to provide testimony at the hearing. Individuals or groups wishing to testify should register online here by Friday, November 10.

POC: ceo.info@k12.dc.gov

Ross’s first Learning Celebration of the year will occur Tuesday, November 21, from 9:00-9:30am. At this informal event, you will sit with your child for 15-20 minutes as they show and explain the great work they completed during the first quarter of school. The celebration is intended to foster communication between a student and his/her family, and there is no presentation from school staff. Three more Learning Celebrations will occur later in the year (February 2, April 12, and June 7).

The Ross garden is in need of repairs and maintenance. Please let us know if you can help or if you have connections to landscapers or garden supply stores who might be willing to donate time or supplies. We are looking for someone who can do or donate:

• Wood repairs (bridge)

• Paint/painting

• Live plants/gardening skills

• Sawing (down the dead tree, and stumps)

To help: Contact Holly Kilness Packett (hollykilness@gmail.com)

Interested in free sports for your kids? Volo is offering soccer on Thursdays at Stead Park. More: https://volokids.org/city/washington-dc/

The EDCJCC at 16th and Q Streets NW, which hosts an afterschool program for Ross, is considering adding new offerings for children, teens and families and they are seeking input. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey to help them understand what would add value for families in the area.

The ANC has nine members, each of whom represents a small area of about 2,000 residents. The seat for ANC 2B07, which mostly covers the blocks between P and either Q or Corcoran between 16th and 19th, is now vacant. It would be great to get a member of the Ross community to run for this seat, which will be decided in a special election in November. If you live inside the blue shape marked 2B07 in this map and would be interested in finding out more about the responsibilities and process, please contact David Alpert at alpert@gmail.com.

At Ross and for field trips: Want to volunteer at Ross or chaperone field trips? Make sure to complete the DCPS volunteer clearance process.

The PTA is ISO volunteers for the following:

• Partnership with Miriam's Kitchen: This year, we’re excited to continue and grow our partnership with Miriam’s Kitchen, a local nonprofit working to end chronic homelessness in DC. This partnership will include a range of activities and ways for Ross families to engage, such as education around homelessness, opportunities to donate high-value items, a student volunteer event and a weekend family volunteer event. We’re looking for parent/caregiver volunteers to support this partnership. If you’re interested, please reach out to Liz Lowry at ptapresident@rosselementary.org.
  
• Holiday Tree Sale & Festival - This is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year. For two weeks, the Ross field is transformed into a holiday tree lot, where we sell trees and wreaths to the Ross community and our neighbors! We will also host a Holiday Festival and Bake Sale on Saturday, December 2, open to the neighborhood. During the weekends of Nov 24th and Dec 2nd, we will need volunteers to sell and deliver trees, donate baked goods, and staff the bake sale. Email PTApresident@rosselementary.org to get involved!
  

• Ross Auction: The 16th Annual Ross Auction Committee is seeking volunteers with video editing and graphic design skills. Please email rosselementaryauction@gmail.com if you can lend a hand!

• Drop in to the National Gallery of Art East Building from 11:00am-3:00pm Saturday, November 4 for art-making and open play activities for little ones. There will also be a sketching lab from 11:00am-3:00pm and a pop-up library where you can write and illustrate your own mini book. More information here.
• Bilingual storytime at the National Gallery of Art meets on the first Friday (and now the first Saturday!) of the month, with the next one coming up on Friday, November 3 and Saturday, November 7. They'll be reading the story, My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith in both English and Spanish. All ages are welcome. Storytime meets in the East Building, street level (Atrium). Open play activities will be available before and after the story reading. For more information here.
  

Have you ever wondered about how dinosaur fossils get to the museum? Let’s find out together by becoming a paleontologist and looking for fossils. This class will begin by exploring dinosaur themed play stations outside on the National Mall and will end in the National Museum of Natural History where we will be able to see the dinosaur fossils in the museum!

Starting Location: National Mall (Directions and a map will be sent prior to the event)

Museum Visit: National Museum of Natural History

*Time: 10:00 – 11:00 am *Age Range: 0-8 years *Price: $35.00 1 ticket admits whole family*

Tickets:

• Saturday, November 4: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/51517633/families-togethermeet-upsdinosaurs-saturdaynovember-4th-10-am-washington-smithsonian-early-enrichment-center-families-together

• Sunday, November 5: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/71581652/families-togethermeet-upsdinosaurs-sundaynovember-5th-10-am-washington-smithsonian-early-enrichment-center-families-together

• Sunday, November 19: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/41184355/families-togethermeet-upsdinosaurs-sundaynovember-19th-10-am-washington-smithsonian-early-enrichment-center-families-together

More information: https://seecstories.com/community-programs/families-together-meet-ups/

The Dupont Circle Business Improvement District is bringing the festival back for a second year. The event will take place on Saturday, November 11 from 1:00-5:00 pm in Dupont Circle Park. Family-friendly activities will include pumpkin and gourd painting, bluegrass music, and more. Regionally renowned bluegrass bands – Shannon Leigh and the Good Bygones, Line Drive, Patuxent Partners, and Big Howdy – will be performing live on the main stage. More information here.

Get a jump start on your holiday shopping during the Dupont Circle BID's first annual shop local Holiday Sip & Shop event on Thursday, November 16 from 5:00-7:00 pm. Enjoy sips, snacks, and specials from four participating small businesses:

• GREYEWOLFE: Original handcrafted jewelry for women and men. Complimentary wine and snacks while you shop. 1627 Connecticut Ave.
• TEA MANSION: Exclusive teas from around the world, teaware, gift sets, stocking stuffers, and gift cards. Complimentary almond delight tea and snacks while you shop. 1627 Connecticut Ave.
• BLUEMERCURY: Gifts for women & men. Bath & body, fragrances, gift sets, skincare, candles, and more. 1625 Connecticut Ave.
• COPENHAVER: Greeting cards, gift wrap, stationery, and gifts. Complimentary wine and snacks while you shop this local treasure. 1621 Connecticut Ave.

The Washington Hilton and Living Well Health Club will be closing the pool for the season, and they are thrilled to invite canine friends to a community doggie dip! Join them on Saturday, November 4 from 12:00-3:00 m to make a splash and close out another pool season. They will have doggie treats for the pups and apple cider for their families. The suggested donation is $5, and all proceeds benefit the Humane Rescue Alliance. The outdoor pool is heated to 75 degrees and saline treated. Please enter at the corner of 19th Street and Florida Avenue NW.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo holiday tradition is back! ZooLights will take visitors into a winter wonderland lit by more than half a million environmentally-friendly LED lights and illuminations. Visitors can stroll through immersive lantern displays showing rainforest, grassland, desert, ocean and polar habitats and the animals that call them home. Tickets went on sale on October 26.

2023.24 DCPS Calendar

Friday, November 3: Professional Day for Teachers (NO SCHOOL)

Thursday, November 9: Ross Open House #1 (9:00-10:30am)

Friday, November 10: Veteran's Day (NO SCHOOL)

Saturday, November 11: Mariam's Kitchen/Ross Fun Run, 7:45-10:00am

Monday, November 13: Francis-Stevens Middle School Open House (9:00am)

Monday, November 20: Ross LSAT (virtual, 5:15pm)

Monday-Tuesday, November 21-22: No EDCJCC Aftercare

Tuesday, November 21: Learning Celebrations (9:00am, your child's classrooms)

Wednesday-Friday, November 22-24: NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Holiday

November 24 - December 3: Holiday Tree Sale & Festival

Saturday, December 2: SUPER Saturday at Ross (Tree Sale, Bake Sale, Book Fair, Open House #2)

Thursday, January 11: Ross Winter Concert and Art Show (Garrison Elementary School)

Thursday, January 18: Ross Open House #3 (9:00-10:30am)

Saturday, February 24: Ross/Imagination Stage Theater Trip, 1:00pm

Saturday, March 2: Ross Auction

The mission of the Ross PTA is to support the education of all Ross students, to support Ross faculty and staff, to foster relationships among parents, staff and community members, and to assist faculty and staff to provide a safe and nurturing environment where all students, families and faculty can thrive and grow.

Email: ptapresident@rosselementary.org
Website: http://rosselementary.org/pta-board/
Location: 1730 R Street NW Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 202.673.7200
Facebook: facebook.com/RossElementarySchool/
Twitter: @RossESDC

If this email was forwarded to you, subscribe to Ross PTA emails here.

Do you have updates or announcements that you think would be of interest to our school community? If so, email Ross PTA Secretary Melanie Mayhew.