PTA Updates

Please help celebrate our incredible Ross teachers and staff this week! See below for the schedule of activities. Please help your child bring in requested items for Tuesday and Friday.

Ross Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week Activities:

• Monday - PTA provides breakfast for teachers and staff.
• Tuesday - Students bring in flowers for teachers and staff. We will have buckets for the flowers set up on the picnic tables in front of school.
• Wednesday - PTA provides coffee gift certificates for teachers and staff.
• Thursday - PTA supports a teacher/staff happy hour.
• Friday - Students bring in cards/art for teachers and staff. PTA provides lunch for teachers and staff.

Our Book Drive was a smashing success over the weekend, raising more than $7,000, which means over 280 new books for the library. THANK YOU to all who volunteered at our Book Drive table and sponsored books online! Today (Monday, May 6) is your LAST CHANCE to sponsor books online and fill out your form for dedication / acknowledgment.

*** Where do I find that form? If you sponsored books online, watch for the auto-response email with a link to name your honoree(s). Search your inbox for an email from Ross Elementary School PTA with the subject line: “Thank you for your order!” If you sponsored books in person, use the QR code you received.

Class Competition Update: Congratulations to both PK4 and 1st grade for leading the charge on book sponsorships! It was such a close competition that BOTH classes will win a popsicle and water balloon party at recess. Date TBD. Thank you to students + parents from these classes for their amazing volunteer efforts this weekend!

If you recently ordered Ross spring merchandise, pick up your orders on the Ross playground this Wednesday and Friday between 8:20am and 9:00am! If you need to pick up another time, contact Sarah Berglund at 202-460-1180.

Five Ross students, ages 9-11, recently designed and implemented a new Swiftie-themed Q Street Barbies installation. The families of Neena, Lois, Josey, Flora and Lyla, won "an afternoon at the pond" through the Ross auction. The installation will be up for the next few weeks, so check it out here and at 1454 1/2 Q Street NW.

Thank you to the creators of the Barbie Pond on Avenue Q for generously contributing this experience to the Ross auction (and for putting a link to donate to Ross in their popular Instagram profile), and to some of our school's most enthusiastic Taylor Swift fans for bringing joy and music to the neighborhood!

Before the end of the school year, we will elect the members of next year's PTA Executive Board. Nominations will open soon, and we are looking for more parents to join the Board. Getting involved in PTA activities is an incredible way to support our school and get to know other Ross parents and families. Help us build and strengthen our school community next year!

Ross PTA Executive Board Positions, 2024-2025:

• President

• VP Fundraising

• VP Events

• Treasurer

• Secretary

• Upper School Representative

• Lower School Representative

To learn more about PTA board positions and committees, or if you have other ideas about how you'd like to support Ross, please email Liz Lowry at PTApresident@rosselementary.org.

The PTA is in search of a Ross parent or parents to coordinate Ross family and staff participation in the Capital Pride Parade. Each year, Ross marches in the parade with the DCPS group. Organizing doesn't take a lot of time--and this is often one of the highlights on the Ross calendar. Contact PTApresident@rosselementary.org if you're interested in volunteering.

Join Ross families for the Children's Hour at the Saloon (1205 U Street NW) on Thursday, May 16 from 6:00-7:30pm. This is an inclusive space for all young musical artists to share their talents, and for the adults and friends and family who love them to celebrate and enjoy it. Please join Ross families for the best adult-friendly, kid event in the DMV. See the attached flyer for more information.

DPR summer program registration is coming on May 14 and 15. Registration for summer aquatics programs begins at noon on Tuesday, May 14; registration for all non-aquatics summer programs begins at noon on Wednesday, May 15. Learn more here: https://dprprograms.com/.

DCPS is seeking engagement regarding calendars for school years 2026-29. More information is available here: https://dcps.dc.gov/page/sy-26-29-calendar-engagement.

https://www.kidfriendlydc.com/2024/05/02/ideas-for-celebrating-mothers-day-around-the-dc-area-2024/

Come to the Zoo for an unforgettable cinematic experience! Introducing Summer Film Nights at the Zoo, a free outdoor summer event series set to dazzle and entertain. Movies will be shown on May 16, June 20 and July 18 on Lion-Tiger Hill, the grassy lawn located near the Harvard Street entrance. Learn more here.

The Drive In at Union Market, the outdoor monthly movie series that takes place during the warm seasons, begins on Friday, May 10, with a screening of Grease.! The parking lot opens at 7:30pm, and the movie begins at 8:45pm, so you can also get food from the many vendors in the food hall for a pre-movie bite. Tickets are $20/car, and they often sell out, so snag a (parking) spot while you can. Purchase here.

A few area farms have opened their strawberry fields to the public, so you can get out there and gather your own. More places will start welcoming guests over the next few weeks, and more fruits and veggies will be available during the next few months. This Kid-Friendly DC round-up has details on where you can enjoy a pick-your-own outing.

• Parent Ed Workshop Recording: Understanding and Supporting Your Anxious Child
• Parent Ed Workshop Recording: Kids, Smartphones and Social Media
• Parent Ed Workshop Recording: Navigating Friendships through Elementary School
  
• Ross Unofficial Compilation of Summer Camps
• Ross Skiing WhatsApp Group

2023.24 DCPS Calendar and DCPS Google Calendar

Ross PTA 2023.24 Calendar

Monday, May 6 - Friday, May 10: Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week

Thursday, May 16: Ross Piano/Open Mic Night, Saloon (1205 U Street NW) 6:00-7:30pm

Wednesday, May 22 and Thursday, May 23: Ross School Musical (Day and Evening Performances)

Monday, May 27: NO SCHOOL

Friday, May 31: Ross Field Day

Saturday, June 9: Playdate for Incoming PK4 Families (1:00pm, Ross Playground)

Tuesday, June 4: NO SCHOOL

Saturday, June 8: Ross Participation in Capital Pride Parade

Thursday, June 13: Fifth Grade Promotion

Monday, June 17: Last Day of School for Students

Thursday, June 20: Ross Piano/Open Mic Night, Saloon (1205 U Street NW) 6:00-7:30pm

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

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.