PTA Newsletter

Dear Ross Community,

What is the Mondayest Monday of every year? The gold medal is bestowed upon "the Monday after Daylight Savings begins," with no other contender even making it past the Olympic trials. Our bleary eyed family embarked on our journey to school yesterday by emerging into what can only be referred to as the middle of the night. My sage Roadrunner took two steps out the door and proclaimed, "This is the worst day ever." Ever the positive mom, he'd think I was going to tell him about the actual greatness of this moment. Instead, my husband and I affirmed his sentiment by assuring him "That's fair, dude. Everyone thinks so." 😉

I have drowned my exhausted DST sorrows by splurging on a ticket to Blooms Collective's flower-arranging workshop (spots still available!). Treat Yo Self! The Ross Auction is an important fundraiser for our school so I hope you'll get in on the fun, whether by attending the auction itself, bidding online from home, and/or becoming a sponsor. We have a variety of school updates in today's edition, some new family resources, and many fun events around town to check out. See you next week, and don't outbid me on the class experience I'm vying for cause I have my fingers crossed!! 🤞

Aimee

Don't miss your chance to bid on some of the fabulous items posted on the Ross auction website! You have until the evening of March 22 to bid! Here are some of the items that have gone live in the last few days:

• Our teachers and staff worked very hard to develop full-class experiences, which parents in each class can coordinate on to bid together.
• The auction offers ticketed experiences (no bidding required) to a flower-arranging class at Blooms Collective and a Champagne master class at District Champagne.
• You can bid on gift certificates to many area restaurants, including Pupatella and Commodore and for a Sushi by Bou's Omakase experience--and many, many more.
• Interested in building a terrarium? Check out PLNTR's gift certificate for a terrarium class for two.
• Keegan Theatre is a great partner to Ross, providing one of our afterschool programs and helping out the school in a variety of ways. Check out one of their shows.
• Love the Wizards, Caps or Nats? We have tickets!
• Planning a kids' birthday party? Check out these packages at Silver Star Gymnastics, Labyrinth Games and Puzzles, Glen Echo and Annie's (Annie's is a party for any age). Need cookies for your party? We have a gift certificate from Captain Cookie for 50 cookies.
• Going out of town and need a place for your pup to stay? Check out a weekend getaway package from City Dogs.
• Interested in fitness? Check out this family membership to the EDCJCC or private classes at Pure Joe Pilates.
• Want to try acupuncture? Here are some options.
• Ready to get your ears pierced, or ready for more piercings? Thanks to Trilogy Atelier in Adams Morgan for this donation. (Not for kids.)

All proceeds benefit our school. More than $100,000 of funds the PTA raises each year directly support our school (science and technology investments, teacher training, field trips, library books, and a lot more).

Thank you to our growing list of sponsors--many of them Ross families. In the last week we have raised $2,500 in sponsorships following a generous Ross family's offer to match up to $2,500 in sponsorships. This is an incredible testament to the generosity of the Ross community! We still need more sponsors, though! Would you like to sponsor the auction (it comes with auction tickets)? Learn more here.

Don't forget to buy your tickets!

Budget update from Principal Searl: Principal Searl submitted the Ross Elementary School FY26 budget on Wednesday, which included an increase in classroom positions aligned to Chancellor Ferebee’s priority of continuing to strengthen our Tier 1 instruction across the district. The budget also includes staffing for Art, Music, PE, and World Language as part of Inner Core instruction. Students will also continue to have regularly scheduled Library classes. Librarians are part of the Schoolwide Instructional Support budget and are not part of Inner Core. After reviewing the remaining balance, Principal Searl decided to budget for an Assistant Principal, and said that she looks forward to mentoring and supporting an aspiring school leader for the 25.26 school year and sharing how we create and maintain a positive school climate and successful academic program.

Class photos will be taken at school on Wednesday, March 19. You may pre-order here; enter code ROSS25CL, follow instructions, and enter the student's name. Please contact Freed Photography with any questions at support@freedphoto.com or (301) 652-5452.

Isabella & Ferdinand's before-school Spanish program at Ross is open for spring enrollment (grades K-5 only). The 9-week spring program will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from April 1 to June 12, 2025, at Ross from 7:55am-8:40am and you may register here.

DCPS recently announced that the school year for students ends on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 because of snow days. More information and the updated calendar are available here.

The DC Government has a specially curated webpage for impacted federal workers, including resources on job seeking, unemployment, health insurance, and more: https://does.dc.gov/page/resources-impacted-federal-workers

These two local opportunities shared in the DupontForum Listserv (dupontforum@groups.io) may be of interest to impacted federal workers:

1. Georgetown University's Leadership Coaching program: this "is a leading program for Executive Coaches/Coaches nationwide and the alumni program has over 500 coaches nationwide who are offering three pro bono coaching sessions to those affected [a former federal employee, contractor, or implementing partner who has been recently furloughed, laid off, put on administrative leave, are otherwise unemployed as a result of executive action and federal workforce reductions] using the ICF Code of Ethics (International Coach Federation)."

2. A local group of impacted employees will be formed "to meet roughly biweekly at the Cleveland Park Library. The group of 8-12 will work through career transition exercises and job hunt preparation as well as provide a place for sharing experiences and tips." The group will be scheduled for at least two months and the group can continue beyond that if there is interest.

Please email Tom Crowder (tcofnj@gmail.com) if you're interested in either opportunity.

There's always plenty to worry about, but things can get overwhelming for kids very quickly. In this podcast episode of "Best of Both Worlds," licensed therapists Ashley Graber and Maria Evans chat with Laura about how we can encourage calm, even when the news feed isn't. BONUS: many of these tips apply to adults, too! Listen on Apple Podcasts

Stead Park Athletic Field and Track will be closed from March 10 to 17th for track resurfacing. Questions? Call DPR Customer Service at (202) 673-7647 during business hours or visit https://dgs.dc.gov/page/stead-park-athletic-field-replacement

Spring Program Registration Information

Registration for DPR’s spring programs is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to high demand, a virtual “waiting room” will be in place on registration days to ensure a smooth process.

Spring registration opens:

• TODAY, Tuesday, March 11, at noon – Aquatics programs only
• Wednesday, March 12, at noon – All other spring programs

To streamline registration, residents are encouraged to create an account in advance here. DPR also offers reduced rates for qualifying DC residents. To apply, residents must receive approval before registering. The online application is available; click here to see if you are eligible. For more details and a full list of DPR programs, visit DPRprograms.com.

For the second year in a row, Dupont Circle will be celebrating India’s most colorful holiday, the Holi Festival, on Sunday, March 16, 2025 from 12:00-4:00 p.m. Festivities begin in Dupont Circle park with music by DJ Pandu and then Indian cultural dancing on stage by Studio Dhoom and Kathak Dancer Artist. And then the party will progress to The Ven Hotel at 2:00 with dancing and powder throwing. Powder will be available for sale, and there will be vendors selling Indian food! More info here.

Open to both boys and girls aged 8 to 17, the event will feature Maryland Men's and Women’s Soccer players —Brian St. Martin, Colin Griffith, Kelsey Smith, among others — who will lead a skills training session and team play, concluding with a panel to speak with the players about student-athlete life at the Division I level. This event will take place at Wheaton Sports Pavilion, 11751 Orebaugh Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20902. Sign up here!

The popular floral event, now in its fifth year, fills the Society of the Cincinnati with dozens of floral arrangements inspired by the art and architecture of Anderson House from March 20-23, 2025. Art in Bloom provides a unique opportunity to stroll through the museum at your own pace, viewing interpretations of specific artworks, furnishings, and architectural details rendered in a floral medium by some of Washington’s most creative and innovative floral designers. Anderson House (2118 Massachusetts Ave NW) is the exclusive venue for Art in Bloom DC, which is co-produced by the Society's American Revolution Institute, Margo Fischer of Bright Occasions, and Ashley Greer of Atelier Ashley Flowers. Get your tickets here!

"Come outside and enjoy the springtime season during the Dupont Circle BID's shop local Holiday Sip & Shop event, Thursday, March 27th from 5-7 PM! At Sip & Shop, we provide free wine and snacks while you shop around the block! A perfect way to treat yourself while you get the perfect gift for your loved ones - shopping is better with free wine! Enjoy complimentary wine, cider, and snacks while you shop at participating SIP + SHOP businesses around Dupont Circle. Just show up, shop, and enjoy!"

An Open Book Foundation's mission is to connect "Washington DC-area students with authors, illustrators, and their books to nurture a lifelong love of reading. We support educational justice by building equitable access to interactive literacy enrichment and high-quality books." The Foundation will be hosting a Kid Lit Trivia afternoon in support of its mission on Sunday, March 30, from 2 to 4 pm at the Jane E. Lawton Recreation Center in Chevy Chase. Get your tickets here and use the code ROSS for 50% off!

DCPS School Year 2024-2025 Calendar

Thursday, March 13: Parent/Teacher Conferences, NO SCHOOL

Friday, March 14: WTU Wellness Day, NO SCHOOL

Wednesday, March 19: Freed Photo Class photos (rescheduled)

Saturday, March 22: Ross Auction, Toolbox Pilates Art Studio, 7-10 pm

Friday, April 4: Term 3 Learning Celebrations

Monday, April 7: PD/Records Day for Staff, NO SCHOOL

Monday, April 14-Friday, April 18: Spring Break, NO SCHOOL

April 22-May 12: CAPE TESTING WINDOW (All students in grades 3-5)

*please do not schedule any appointments or trips during the testing window to avoid your child having to complete make-up testing which will interfere with their regularly scheduled school day

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.