Evans Park - Community Newsletter

Dear Evans Park Elementary Community,

I hope all families had a wonderful and restful Winter Recess filled with time spent together with loved ones. We are so excited to welcome our students, staff and families back to school and begin celebrating the New Year together!

During the months of November and December, our students celebrated community with events focused on kindness and gratitude. In the letter below, you will find lots of information about past and future events. The New Year is going to be filled with lots of learning, fun and opportunities to celebrate together. As we begin 2025, we aim to continue to challenge ourselves, look to the future and grow as Tigers!

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership!

Sincerely,

Joe Avdek

Principal

The annual Thanksgiving Feast serves as an opportunity to celebrate all the ways we are so grateful! K-4 students came together to sing festive songs, celebrate all together and eat a delicious meal to kick off the holiday season. Thank you to our amazing Evans Park PTA for their support in organizing and arranging the many volunteers who make this event possible each year.

On Thursday, December 19th, our students gathered in our multi-purpose room to spread holiday cheer and celebrate our school community. Teachers and students sang together to bring on the holiday cheer and share the joy of music.

On Wednesday, November 13th, we celebrated World Kindness Day as a whole school community. Together, we gathered for a brief assembly led by our clinical team to share how one little act of kindness spreads happiness throughout our community. Students then had the opportunity to participate in a letter writing campaign where they wrote letters to their peers, teachers, or community members about how their acts of kindness have spread happiness.

Our fourth grade students have been working all year on their oral speaking skills, collaboration and creativity to explore our Social Studies curriculum. Every Friday, we have been joined by Stage Left - a community organization that teaches through the performing arts. As students learn about our New York State and American history, they develop acting chops and real-life collaborative skills.

We look forward to welcoming our fourth grade families for their classes' performances on:

• Wednesday, April 2nd @ 1:30pm - Alm/Mitchell
• Thursday, April 3rd @ 9:30am - Sheridan/Donnelly
• Thursday, April 3rd @ 1:30pm - Smith/Servello

As the holiday season comes to an end and we begin to plan for the spring, I believe it is worthwhile to reflect on the venue and format for our outdoor concerts.

Our outdoor events provide us the opportunity to welcome all family members and friends to see our children perform and to come together as a greater community. These events are attended by far more people than could be contained within our indoor spaces, and allow families to easily rotate to the front rows to see their child perform. However, these events are contingent on the weather and we may have to use a rain date in the event of inclement weather.

It has been suggested to consider the planning for indoor events. This would allow for families to be prepared to attend regardless of weather. However, indoor events would be limited to two persons per family (regardless of multiple students) and would cause disruptions to our daily programs (student arrival, PE, lunch in the classrooms, etc.).

The planning and format of our Winter and Spring Concert is, ultimately, a school decision. However, I do wish to provide the opportunity for the community to share their opinions and reflect on the format for these events. The purpose of these concerts is to strengthen our community-to-school connection and showcase the fabulous work of our students and staff.

Please complete the FORM LINKED HERE to share your insight.

This year, our PTA will again partner with the incredible Harlem Wizards for another night of family fun. On Thursday, February 27th at Pearl River High School, the Evans Park staff will take on the Harlem Wizards in an exciting exhibition game.

We welcome families, kids, and community members to join us for a fabulous night out to support our PTA and all of their hard work.

Ticket Info will be available soon!

If you can help with this event, either with planning or the night of, please add your name to the google sheet linked below. You can also contact Lauren Manning- lcrowley2@gmail.com or Gina Whalen - gak2mc3@aol.com

Registration is still open for PTA Sponsored Afterschool Programs. If you are interested in your child participating in one of these clubs, please use the LINK PROVIDED.

The safety of our children, families and staff are of the utmost priority. Working together for the betterment of our children and school community, we can make the necessary changes for the safety of all.

At the entrance of our campus on Marion and Patton Place during arrival and dismissal, cars have parked on both sides of the street facing the wrong direction, or are parked in the "No Parking" zones. These cars are obstructing the view of our buses and walking families. This has led to congestion, later dismissal times, and an unsafe environment for our students and families both on, and off, of our campus.

I ask for your partnership and support in maintaining the safety of our students, families, staff and buses during arrival and dismissal. We ask that you follow all traffic laws and safe practices, both while driving and parking on and off of our campus, during arrival and dismissal times.

All parents and teachers are urged to join the Evans Park PTA to unite home, school and the community for our children. Money raised through dues and fundraising is used for cultural arts assemblies, after-school programs, field trips, instructional equipment and materials, and similar needs. Please follow this link for more information.

We are grateful for the amazing support of our PTA and their partnership in creating incredible opportunities for all of our students!

Please be sure to complete our DAILY DISMISSAL CHANGE FORM before 11:30am in order to inform us of any changes to dismissal for the day. In an effort to coordinate a safe and efficient dismissal, we kindly ask for your support and cooperation.