Dear Ross Community,
It was a bonanza weekend for Fall for Ross, as we flew past 45% of our fundraising goal! We are loving this momentum and look forward to reaching our $50,000 goal by the end of the campaign. A popsicle party is looming for your class, let's make it happen!
My father used to say that you should ramp up to your birthday for one week and ramp down for another, so I'm not sure how to calculate the insanity of our family's birthday bonanza this week. Telling statistical probability to hold my piñata, yesterday was my birthday, today is my mother's, and tomorrow is my daughter's. I don't understand it, either--but do we do a three-week ramp up and down? Seems appropriate. If you see me wearing a matching tiara with my daughter this week, or even next, you will understand.
Speaking of fundraiser and birthday bonanzas: for my birthday, if you haven't already, please join the four teachers and 47 families who have already contributed to Fall for Ross. Many birthday thanks!
🍰
-Aimee
Every fall we invite all members of our community to Fall for Ross by contributing to our annual fundraising drive, with the goal of raising $50,000 between now and the end of November. As of today, we are at 46% of our goal, with 51 supporters (of more than 100 families).
Principal Searl recently remarked on the Fall for Ross campaign: "I am grateful our school community supports Ross Elementary with their time, talents and financial gifts. Your donation to Fall for Ross directly supports our students and teachers by funding supplies, field trips, enrichments and professional development."
Did you know that this year, the Ross PTA bought 20 iPads that teachers are using in all classrooms? That the PTA spends thousands of dollars restocking the school library, and $10,000/year on curricular supplies? And that last year when PE was briefly interrupted, the PTA was able to cover a substitute teacher when the district could not respond quickly enough? These are just a few examples of where your donations make a difference, every day, in your kids' education.
Kids were over the moon to meet Screech, the Washington Nationals mascot! Thank you to Principal Searl for arranging this!
Monday, 10/21: We are united! Wear orange to show unity for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion and to send a visible message that no child should ever experience bullying.
Tuesday, 10/22: We can walk in other people’s shoes. Wear your favorite shoes to symbolize walking in someone else’s shoes.
Wednesday, 10/23: Throw Kindness Around Like Confetti! Wear as many different colors as you can!
Thursday, 10/24: We Are a Team! Wear a team jersey or number on your shirt to show “everyone counts.”
Friday, 10/25: We are Ross Elementary School, and we do not bully. Wear school colors or a Ross t-shirt to celebrate coming together as a school community to promote a bullying-free environment.
Additional Resource: American Psych Association: How parents, teachers, and kids can take action to prevent bullying
The time is here! Please join Ross families to clean up our school’s garden this Sunday, October 20 at 10:00am. Please bring shovels and any other gardening tools with you. If you have any extra bags of mulch or gravel, they would also be much appreciated! Volunteers will be in the garden planting bulbs and other plants, repairing the bridge, and possibly participating in an art project to beautify the space. There will be coffee and donuts and volunteers will be there until the work is done. Kids are welcome to join with their parents/caregivers. Questions? Contact Shilpi at shilpi.malinowski@gmail.com.
Spooktacular is one of Ross students' most beloved school events of the year. We are in great need of volunteers to pull this off for our kids! Please sign up to help set up, hand out pizza (and eat some), curate the music (you know you want to play "Thriller" and loudly lament that no child recognizes the song), hand out Halloween goodies, and clean up!
The event will take place on Halloween, Thursday, Oct 31, on the Ross playground. We invite families to gather at 5:00pm in their costumes for music, pizza, fun giveaways, and to take pictures. After 6:00pm, kids will head out for trick-or-treating on Swann Street and other locations. This year students will not be trick-or-treating at 17th Street businesses since Spooktacular is happening on Halloween and because the Little Goblins Parade (Oct 26) offers an opportunity to collect candy from these businesses a few days before. (Note: No costumes/face paint are permitted at Ross during the school day.) Questions? Contact ptapresident@rosselementary.org.
What: Open piano! It's like open mic night, but especially geared for pianists. Any performer can sign up to play 2-3 songs. While any type of instrument is welcome, the venue only offers a piano and mic. For singers, we can usually provide an accompanist (please bring sheet music) or plan to sing a capella. We often host a kid-led sing-a-long as well!
Who: Any and all kids with musical interest! There will be a sign up sheet upon arrival. If you and your kid simply want to listen to the musical stylings of their friends and peers, please join too!
Where: The Saloon (upstairs) 1205 U Street NW, more info on standing open piano night here.
Grab your best costume and enjoy the season’s festivities while stopping at 30 trick-or-treat stations. Plus, feast your eyes on the Zoo’s amazing animals as they interact with jack-o'-lanterns and other spellbinding Halloween-themed enrichment. Outside the animal exhibits, enjoy spooky scenes of frolicking skeletons and other fantastic creatures haunting the Zoo’s main walkway. Get info and tickets here!
Children and adults will learn side-by-side with roofers, plumbers, designers, artisans, and more at this FREE, hands-on festival celebrating the world we design and build. Kids of all ages will explore a wide variety of unique, interactive activities from professions including plumbing, home remodeling, construction, woodworking, and many more. Register here!
Families of children in kindergarten through third grade are invited to use all their senses to engage with Jewish holidays and traditions in this monthly series led by the EDCJCC’s Rabbi Atara Cohen. Each standalone session will explore themes and values of the calendar through accessible texts and joyful creative activities. All sessions meet on Sundays from 2-3:30pm at the EDCJCC at 16th and Q Streets NW. There is a session this Sunday, October 20, about the joyful harvest festival of Sukkot. See details and register for one or more Sundays at https://edcjcc.org/jewishyear.
About the Ross PTA
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
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Do you have updates or announcements that you think would be of interest to our school community? If so, please email me here.
