PTA Updates

On Thursday, June 6, from 5:00-7:00pm, join students, families, teachers and staff to celebrate the end of the school year with a potluck picnic on the Ross playground and field. Pizza, a shave ice truck and a DJ will be brought to you by the PTA. We will also need families to contribute food and help with setup and cleanup. Sign up here to contribute and/or volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CA8AA2AA2FEC61-49666930-ross.

As part of the 2024 Capital Pride Parade this Saturday June 8, we again will have a Ross Elementary School Family, Friends and Allies parade contingent. We will be part of the larger DCPS parade group, carrying our Ross banner and pulling two wagons full of swag to hand out along the route.

We hope all Ross families will consider marching in our Family, Friends and Allies group for a high energy Pride Parade! It was a lot of fun last year, and we expect to have even more fun this year!

Meet-Up Details: Our group will meet up at 2:30PM on T St between 14th and 15th Streets, near the side of Room&Board (across from Colada Shop). Look for a Ross ES sign being held by a (hopefully tall) volunteer.

Day-of Contact: Ross parent Brian Racilla, 202-276-6470 (cell)

Registration: If you can, please register using the DCPS Google Docs form so you can receive DCPS parade updates, etc.

For more information, or if you would like to volunteer, please reach out to Brian Racilla at briantr@gmail.com. Also, check out some additional pride events below, in the news section.

• The Summer Reading Book Fair will be held in the Ross Library beginning on Monday, June 3 at 8:15am. The fair will be open daily from 8:15-8:45am for students who are accompanied by an adult or who have funds to purchase books. The fair will end on Thursday, June 7 at 6:00pm; it will be open during the first part of the end-of-year picnic. Cash and credit cards will be accepted- cards and eWallet purchases are encouraged and appreciated. Go cashless: Set up eWallet Here
• All library books must be returned to the library by Friday, June 7.
• Want a Ross yearbook? Order here for $30: https://square.link/u/t49xTeZo. There are no cash transactions this year; you must purchase through the link. You can pick up your yearbook at school by showing your receipt afterschool to Ms. Juriga. (If the link doesn't work the first time, refresh and it should work.)

The next PTA General Body Meeting will be held on Thursday, June 13 at 6:00pm via Zoom (details below). This meeting is open to all members of the Ross community. During this meeting one of the discussion/action items is voting on next years' PTA Executive Board and our LSAT, which is a group of parents, teachers and staff at each DCPS school who advise the principal on topics like the school's academic performance, curriculum, budget and more. The Ross LSAT meets monthly, currently alternating between in-person morning meetings and virtual afternoon meetings. Four parent members will be elected for the 2024-25 school year. Any Ross parent is welcome to run for a position on the LSAT. For more information contact LSAT chair David Alpert at alpert@gmail.com.

Topic: Ross PTA General Body Meeting

Time: June 13, 2024 06:00pm ET

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89614965118?pwd=WPlEu6Lyz8F6R8aTmleNFpa3WwpFcr.1

Meeting ID: 896 1496 5118

Passcode: 372675

We recently learned that the Story of Our Schools has selected Ross as one of the next schools that the nonprofit will work with to create a permanent exhibition at our school about its history. Students will have an opportunity to participate throughout the research and exhibit development process. Much more information is to come on this two-year process, but to help get us started, we're asking parents and other members of the Ross community to help us identify people who might have stories or photographs to share about Ross. Know someone who has told you an interesting story about Ross? Please fill in their information here so we can reach out to them. The more people we talk to, the better! Have questions? Contact Principal Searl, Ms. Juriga or parents Becky Ballard (beckyball@gmail.com) and Melanie Mayhew (melanie.mayhew@gmail.com).

Reminder that there is NO SCHOOL tomorrow (Tuesday, June 4, 2024) for Primary Election Day. Don't forget to vote!

To support the efficient and reliable service of Metro’s free shuttles during the upcoming Red Line service closure between the Glenmont and Takoma Stations, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will temporarily restrict parking along 16th Street NW, and some parallel streets to allow space for Metro’s shuttles to efficiently service the Takoma, Fort Totten and Silver Spring Metrorail Stations. 16th Street NW Northbound and Southbound between Arkansas Avenue NW and I Street NW will have emergency no parking 7:00am-10:00pm (all parking spaces), to allow efficient shuttle bus service along 16th Street NW to use the existing peak-period bus lanes all day, during the Red Line service closure. For more information about the WMATA Red Line service closure please visit wmata.com/majorconstruction.

The Capital Pride Alliance is committed to providing a safe and festive space along the Parade route for families and children. Join us on June 8 from 10:00am-3:00pm at Stead Park for a day of family fun. We’re excited to be joined by our Family Area partners including Playtime Project, DC Central Kitchen, the National Children’s Museum, Drag Story Hour DMV, Mermaids for Pride, and Rainbow Families. Activities will include crafts, cooking demonstrations, and drag story time from11:00am and 1:00pm.

Learn more about this and other events here: https://www.capitalpride.org/event/block-party-2024/.

Join the EDCJCC for a free outdoor family concert on Sunday, June 9 from 10:00am-12:00pm in celebration of Pride and Shavuot and in appreciation of the community. Enjoy a performance by Marsha and the Positrons along with crafts, face painting, snacks, a dance party, Pride swag and more. There will also be an ice cream truck on site selling frozen treats. This event is free but pre-registration is required.

Volo Kids summer sports' registration is open (and FREE). Reserve a spot here. Registration closes July 9. Nearby programs include:

• Thursday Socccer at Stead Park
• Saturday Soccer at Walter Pierce Park
• Saturday Flag Football at Walter Pierce Park
• Tuesday Multi-Sport at The Salvation Army
• Tuesday Basketball at Columbia Heights Recreation Center

Washington DC Youth Rugby's touch rugby program, which is free for all children aged between 5 and 14 years old, begins on Tuesday, June 4th with the first practice at Hardy Park in Foxhall. Practices will be held at Hardy Park on Tuesdays and Fridays from 6:00-7:30pm, with games against teams from DC and across Virginia on Saturdays. No previous experience or knowledge of the game is required and newcomers are invited to join us to learn this sport. The program follows the FIT rules for touch rugby (i.e., no head contact, tackles, rucks, mauls etc.) and players will be grouped by age level to ensure appropriate instruction. Registration is now open here.

Bring your family to The Phillips Collection on June 8 from 10:00am-1:00pm to investigate Jacob Lawrence’s use of color, line, and shape in The Migration Series, then explore ways to tell your own moving stories with printmaking, collaging, and painting. In addition to exploring art materials and methods in the studio, families can enjoy the carpeted, creative-play area with blocks, books, toys and games.

Enjoy the permanent collection as well as the special installation Where We Meet, which brings works from Howard University Gallery of Art and The Phillips Collection into conversation. In addition, DCPL and the Phillips will offer art activities and a story time for families on the auditorium level on June 15 from 12:00-3:00pm. This day is part of DCPL’s Discover Summer, an all-ages, city-wide celebration of reading and learning at home, at the library and in your community.

Keegan Theatre will be offering Matinee Care for our upcoming production of THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM on Sunday, June 9. Keegan will be hosting care for children in their classroom so adults can watch the performance while a PRK Teaching Artist keeps them entertained. Links to purchase tickets for the performance as well as the registration link for the matinee care are below.

Get Tickets Here

Register for Care Here

• 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, June 3-Friday, June 7: Ross Summer Book Fair

Tuesday, June 4: NO SCHOOL

Thursday, June 6: Ross End-of-Year Picnic (Ross Playground, 5:00-7:00pm)

Friday, June 7: Rainbow Day, Wear PRIDE Colors

Friday, June 7: Deadline to Return Library Books

Saturday, June 8: Ross Participation in Capital Pride Parade

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

Thursday, June 13: Fifth Grade Promotion

Thursday, June 13: PTA General Body Meeting (Zoom, 6:00-7:00pm)

Friday, June 14: Flag Day and Hat Day, Wear Favorite Hat or Headband and Wear Red/White/Blue

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.