PTA Newsletter

Dear Ross Community,

At some point every year between Halloween and Thanksgiving, my mother will see a winter holiday reference and exclaim with exasperation, "This is disrespectful to Thanksgiving!" It has become a running joke in our family. So you can imagine what her response would have been if she'd heard my Roadrunner shriek on Halloween night: "So if today is Halloween, is tomorrow THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS?!?!" No, young man, no it is not. While I may not have the reverence for Thanksgiving that my mother does, for goodness' sake, kid, please give your mom one second to relax.

It's been two weeks since Halloween so why not unveil the illustrious Super Saturday (no Thanksgiving disrespect intended, Mom)! On December 7, Ross will host a Bake Sale/Tree Sale/Book Sale extravaganza, volunteer activities included. Save the date, sign up to volunteer, and get your elf hats out. While you're ramping up for the big day, why not check out the new Ross holiday merch? See below for all the details and all the school news that's fit to print.

-Aimee

Isabella & Ferdinand's before-school Spanish program at Ross is open for winter enrollment (grades K-5 only). The 15-week, 30-session program will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Ross from 7:55am-8:40am and you may register here for winter and spring sessions.

iGen’s After School Program provides a safe, secure, and engaging environment for children to enjoy the company of friends while participating in developmentally and age-appropriate STEAM activities. The STEAM Club is open to all grades and is exclusively for Ross students. The winter session will run from January 6 to March 31, 2025 and runs Monday through Friday until 6:00 pm. Sessions will be held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on 18th Street, and iGen will pick up students from school. Closures follow the DCPS calendar. A 10% discount is applied for the second/additional program (days) added and for siblings. For more information and to register, click here.

Keegan Theatre will continue to offer Aftercare this winter. Students will be picked up from Ross and caregivers will pick them up from Keegan. Registration opens next Thursday, November 21, at 11:00 am. Contact Jared Graham for more information.

Information from the JCC on upcoming registration:

Registration for our Winter 2025 session will be opening on November 21st at 11:00am. This session will begin on January 2nd and go until March 28th. The Spring Session will begin on March 31st and go until the last day of school. (We will let you know when registration for the spring session will take place, at this time registration is only for the winter).

As a reminder, our registration portal is called MyEDCJCC. If this is your first time using this portal, please read this information fully. If this is not your first time using this account, please familiarize yourself with the portal, and check to make sure an accurate credit card is on file under stored account. This will make signing up a lot easier for you and save you time. Please reach out with any questions about this, or if you notice anything on your account that needs correcting.

MY EDCJCC (our registration portal)

Registration for Winter After School will open on November 21st and will be a MUCH smoother process if you have already created your account.

CREATING YOUR ACCOUNT (Only do this if you do not already have an account)

You will all need to create accounts in our new system to register for Fall After School. Please follow these steps to do so:

1. You will go to https://edcjcc.my.site.com and see the option to “Create Account.” You will then receive an email confirmation prompting you to create a password for your account from noreply@edcjcc.org (check your spam folder if you don’t see it immediately in your inbox). Click on the link in the email and complete sign-up! The link in the welcome email is good for 7 days.
2. Once you have created your password and logged into your account, you will likely see information already populated in your Household record. Anyone who had an account in our prior registration systems (like campminder) has been brought over into the new system already. HOWEVER, please take a few minutes to check and update the information in your account. Use the Create New Contact option to add household members. Make sure that all adults have up-to-date contact information and that all children have accurate birthdates. And please store a valid credit card on file as payment method under “Stored Accounts” prior to the registration date.

REGISTERING FOR WINTER AFTERSCHOOL 2025 (starting November 21st at 11:00am)

Here is the link to register. You can click this link now and view all the course options and prices! You can also head over to our website and find the registration link there, with the course options, prices, and calendar. https://www.edcjcc.org/programs/after-school/ .

On November 21st at 11:00 am, click the link and start registering. If you are redirected to sign in and it brings you to the home page, click on “Sign Up for Upcoming Programs.” You’ll see a list of Category options on the left side of the screen – select Youth & Family. Then select “School-Aged Programming” as the program to see all the winter options.

To register in an individual class, expand the options and select the class option you want. Please note the following:

• It will prompt you to select which of your household members should be registered. Please select the CHILD, not the parent in this option.
• If you want to register more than one child for the same class, select both children.
• You can register for as many classes as you want at the same time – the system uses a shopping cart model, so you will see the shopping cart in the top right corner with a timer.

Calendar

Attached is the updated Winter/Spring 2025 Calendar with important dates that the EDCJCC After School is closed due to holidays, center-wide events, and DCPS school closures.

Enrichments

Enrichment schedules will stay the same but be on the lookout for new enrichment additions on Monday and Friday!

Please contact Michelle Iken (miken@edcjcc.org) or Arielle Bodner (abodner@edcjcc.org) with questions.

Get excited: the Ross Holiday Merchandise Sale will take place online from now until December 1! Check out brand new items including ornaments, updated class notebooks, and more. Opportunities abound to support Ross and show your school spirit. 🎉 Make sure to get your order in by December 1 and plan to pick up at school December 18-20. Questions? Contact Sarah at rossmerchandise@gmail.com.

With the holiday season approaching, we have an opportunity to bring joy to children in our community who may be facing challenges. If you’re interested in helping by donating holiday gifts for families in need, please reach out to Mrs. Sharkey at jillian.sharkey@k12.dc.gov for more information.

This Saturday is calling for a sunny 65 degree day, so if you haven't signed up for the run, there is still time! Don't love running? You can still donate to the Ross team here.

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Come join the Ross Roadrunners at the Run 4 MK, taking place at the gorgeous C&O Canal path in Georgetown the morning of Saturday, November 16th! Kids and adults are both welcome to join in the fun. The run includes distances suitable for a range of age and ability levels, including a 500 meter at 9:00 am, 5k at 8:00 am, and 10k at 7:45 am. You do not need to be a runner to join, as you can walk all or part of the race amidst the beauty of the natural surroundings on the light gravel flat trail, however the terrain is not suitable for biking. This should be a great community building event as we support each other in getting across the finish line while advancing Miriam’s Kitchen’s critical work to end homelessness in our community.

You can find out more information on the race and register here. If you register please also sign up for the Ross team and the Ross Run 4 MK team WhatsApp groups. And if you have any questions please reach out to Becky Ballard (PK4 and 2nd grade parent) at BeckyBall@gmail.com.

This year we will host Super Saturday at Ross on December 7. We will have a Tree Sale, Bake Sale, and Book Sale, as well as a volunteer activity. We are in search of volunteers for this event as well as our two-weekend Tree Sale. Sign-ups for the Bake Sale are forthcoming. Please sign up to volunteer today!

The Tree Sale will run Sat Nov 30, Sun Dec 1, Sat Dec 7, and Sun Dec 8. We need volunteers to sell trees onsite and deliver trees, for 2-3 hour shifts these days. Children are welcome to join for volunteer shifts!

Questions? Email PTApresident@rosselementary.org and thank you in advance; a successful event is not possible without your support!

On Monday, November 18, the PTA will organize a potluck breakfast buffet to show our gratitude for Ross teachers and staff. Please sign up here to contribute a delicious treat or help with set up or clean up. All food items must be dropped off the morning of Monday, November 18 between 7:45am and 8:00am in the staff kitchen/lounge. The PTA will provide bagels and cream cheese and coffee. For food donations, please assume you are feeding 12 people, make sure the food is nut-free, and label whether a food item is vegan or gluten free. Thank you!

LEAD Camp (Leaders, Entrepreneurs and Athletic Development) is a unique Bethesda camp that provides a great balance of learning leadership and entrepreneurial skills while also having fun with outdoor athletic activities/competitions. LEAD Camp was featured on The Great Day Washington Morning Show as a top camp in the DMV area!

Campers launch a product or service using the skills and tools learned through daily team challenges, interaction with guest entrepreneurs and weekly "Shark Tank" style pitch competitions. Guest entrepreneurs from Under Armour, Cirkul (water bottle), Rev Town Jeans, and more were hands-on this past summer inspiring the campers and helping them to build confidence in a positive learning environment.

LEAD Camp offers programs for 4th-8th graders as well as a HS Entrepreneurial Bootcamp. Camps are held at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. 2025 camp dates are June 16-27 and July 14-25 for LEAD Camp rising 4th-8th graders. In addition, the HS 3 day Entrepreneur boot camp is June 24-26. Please check out the web-site for more info: www.leadcamp.org

Super early Bird discount: save 20% with code LEADCamp20 at checkout. Offer valid through Nov. 27th.

The MySchoolDC EdFest for PK3 to 8th grade will take place on Saturday, December 14, from 10 am to 1 pm at DC Armory. Students and families will be able to explore the city’s public and public charter school options and learn more about the public school lottery. With the launch of the public school lottery application on Dec. 16 for the 2025-26 school year, this year’s EdFEST events will help families make informed choices.

EdFEST will also feature many free services and fun activities for the whole family including guidance on navigating the lottery process from the My School DC team and Parent Advisory Council, routine childhood vaccines and flu and COVID shots for adults (appointments required), recreational activities from DC Department of Parks & Recreation (Dec. 14), free meals from DC Central Kitchen (Dec. 14), and more! Register Today!

DCPS School Year 2024-2025 Calendar

Saturday, November 16: Miriam's Kitchen 5K/10K

Monday, November 18: Gratitude Breakfast for Teachers & Staff

Wednesday, November 27 to Friday, November 29: Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL

Saturday, December 7: Ross Super Saturday (tree/bake sale, book fair, volunteer activity + more)

Monday, December 23 to Wednesday, January 1: Winter Break, NO SCHOOL

Saturday, February 1: "Community Day" at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, showing of "Petit Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood" Use code RedRoss20 for 20% discount

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.