PTA Updates

On Thursday, October 26, Ross students and families will meet on the Ross field and playground starting at 4:30pm for the annual Ross Halloween Spooktacular, with music, games, crafts and prizes! Costumes encouraged, and bring your treat bags! We still need volunteers to help with games and the event set up. Please SIGN UP to volunteer for Spooktacular! To see a list of businesses participating in trick or treat discounts for after Spooktacular, visit this website: 2023 Spooktacular! Parents and guardians should accompany their child at all times. Siblings welcome. More information coming tomorrow!

Do you have coats and other winter wear your kids no longer need, but that are clean and in good shape? If so, please contribute your coats, snow pants, hats, gloves, scarves, heavy sweaters, sweatshirts and boots through October 25. Please leave these items downstairs by the cafeteria in the marked bin, or drop them off Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings this week, at the tables outside of Ross. The mornings of October 25, 26 and 27, we'll have tables set up on the playground, where you can "shop" for free for these items. Any items that aren't claimed will be donated to a nearby charity or school. Questions? Contact melanie.mayhew@gmail.com and sbottum@gmail.com.

This week, Ross will conclude bullying awareness month with a spirit week, while also providing an opportunity for each student to make the Ross pledge to stand up against bullying. Here's what remains this week:

• Wednesday, 10/25: Throw Kindness Around Like Confetti! Wear as many different colors as you can!
  
• Thursday, 10/26: We Are a Team! Wear a team jersey or number on your shirt to show “everyone counts.”
• Friday, 10/27: We are Ross Elementary School and we do not bully. Wear school colors or Ross t-shirt to celebrate coming together as a school community to promote a bullying free environment.
  

The Ross community is pushing for improvements to pedestrian safety at 17th and R Streets NW after a student was hit by a driver turning onto 17th a few weeks ago. The Dupont Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) will discuss this with DDOT representatives at its Mobility Committee meeting on Monday, October 30 at 7:00pm on Zoom. The link to the meeting will be posted here. All members of the public are welcome. The Ross LSAT & PTA have brainstormed a set of draft suggestions for improving pedestrian safety at this corner and on R Street in front of Ross.

One issue is that we lack a permanent crossing guard at 17th and R, and so the temporary guards often have been either late or not there at all. If you are passing 17th and R on a school day between 7:00am and 9:00am, or between 2:00m and 4:00pm, and there is not a crossing guard there (or they are on their phone not paying attention or anything like that), please report this by calling 311 or online at 311.dc.gov.

Ross students feed into School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens (Francis-Stevens or SWWFS) for 6th through 8th grade. Francis-Stevens will enjoy a brand new, fully modernized building starting next year at its 24th and N St NW location. All Ross students and parents, especially those in 4th and 5th grade, are encouraged to attend an open house to hear more from the Francis-Stevens leadership about their school.

In particular, we encourage Ross families to visit on Monday, November 13 at 9:00am as a group. You can register for the November 13 open house or a later date here. (Open houses take place in their temporary space on Euclid St.) The LSAT will also be organizing opportunities later in the year for Ross parents to speak to parents of Ross alumni at Francis-Stevens.

DCPS will convene a public budget hearing on Tuesday, November 14, at 6:00pm. The purpose of the hearing is to gather input from the public about the upcoming fiscal year 2025 (school year 2024-2025) budget. Members of the public are invited to provide testimony at the hearing. Individuals or groups wishing to testify should register online here by Friday, November 10.

POC: ceo.info@k12.dc.gov

Ross school pictures are now online for viewing and purchasing. At this point, all families of photographed students should have received an email from Freed Photography with private gallery information. If you have not received this (check your spam too), please contact them at support@freedphoto.com or call 301-652-5452

Ross’s first Learning Celebration of the year will occur Tuesday, November 21, from 9:00-9:30am. At this informal event, you will sit with your child for 15-20 minutes as they show and explain the great work they completed during the first quarter of school. The celebration is intended to foster communication between a student and his/her family, and there is no presentation from school staff. Three more Learning Celebrations will occur later in the year (February 2, April 12, and June 7).

The Ross garden is in need of repairs and maintenance. Please let us know if you can help or if you have connections to landscapers or garden supply stores who might be willing to donate time or supplies. We are looking for someone who can do or donate:

• Wood repairs (bridge)

• Paint/painting

• Live plants/gardening skills

• Sawing (down the dead tree, and stumps)

To help: Contact Holly Kilness Packett (hollykilness@gmail.com)

Please mark your calendars to attend one of Ross Elementary School's open houses. We also need parent volunteers for the open houses. Please contact sushmitajena@gmail.com to volunteer.

• Thursday, November 9 from 9:00-10:30am
• Saturday, December 2 (Super Saturday) Time TBD
• Thursday, January 18 from 9:00-10:30am

The ANC has nine members, each of whom represents a small area of about 2,000 residents. The seat for ANC 2B07, which mostly covers the blocks between P and either Q or Corcoran between 16th and 19th, is now vacant. It would be great to get a member of the Ross community to run for this seat, which will be decided in a special election in November. If you live inside the blue shape marked 2B07 in this map and would be interested in finding out more about the responsibilities and process, please contact David Alpert at alpert@gmail.com.

At Ross and for field trips: Want to volunteer at Ross or chaperone field trips? Make sure to complete the DCPS volunteer clearance process.

The PTA is ISO volunteers for the following:

• Partnership with Miriam's Kitchen: This year, we’re excited to continue and grow our partnership with Miriam’s Kitchen, a local nonprofit working to end chronic homelessness in DC. This partnership will include a range of activities and ways for Ross families to engage, such as education around homelessness, opportunities to donate high-value items, a student volunteer event and a weekend family volunteer event. We’re looking for parent/caregiver volunteers to support this partnership. If you’re interested, please reach out to Liz Lowry at ptapresident@rosselementary.org.
  
• Holiday Tree Sale & Festival - This is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year. For two weeks, the Ross field is transformed into a holiday tree lot, where we sell trees and wreaths to the Ross community and our neighbors! We will also host a Holiday Festival and Bake Sale on Saturday, December 2, open to the neighborhood. During the weekends of Nov 24th and Dec 2nd, we will need volunteers to sell and deliver trees, donate baked goods, and staff the bake sale. Email PTApresident@rosselementary.org to get involved!
  

• Ross Auction: The 16th Annual Ross Auction Committee is seeking volunteers with video editing and graphic design skills. Please email rosselementaryauction@gmail.com if you can lend a hand!

The Ross Game Library is now open on the top floor right next to the library. This is a library of games that teachers and families may borrow. Games are arranged by age, and there is a self sign-out/-in binder for teachers and parents (children should come with their parents/guardians) to fill out when borrowing a game. You can find more information here, including how to donate games. We are especially in need of games for older kids. If you have questions, suggestions, or games you would like to donate games, please contact Sarah Roma (sarahandsokol@gmail.com).

Our neighborhood park renovation is nearing completion. Find out the latest here.

• DC Department of Parks and Recreation and the Metropolitan Police Department will host dozens of Halloween events from Wednesday, October 25 through Tuesday, October 31. The free, family-friendly events will provide a safe and fun way for residents to celebrate the Halloween season throughout the city. See the full list.

• Garrison Fall Festival (see below): Friday, October 27, 4:00-6:00pm
• The 12th Annual Little Goblins Parade will be hosted this year at Garrison Elementary School (1200 S Street NW) because of the renovations at Stead Park. Families will meet at Garrison at 1:00pm on Saturday, October 28, and parade around the perimeter of the school and then take to the track around the field for a variety of festivities, treats and entertainment.
• Day of the Dead events at the National Mall (see below): October 28-29, 10:00am-5:00pm

• Free outdoor music festival outside the historic grounds of Georgetown Library: This Saturday, October 28th, from 2:00pm to 5:00pm, we invite you to immerse yourself in the captivating sounds of Kinda Evil, Red Medicine, Lucky So and Sos, and DJ Wonder at the LIBRARY JAM FEST. This outdoor music festival promises a musical journey for every music lover. Featuring local bands that have graced stages across the DMV area, including the prestigious Kennedy Center, our lineup spans a diverse array of genres: rock & roll, punk, blues, garage, jazz, hip-hop, and funk.

• Come to Mitchell Park (23rd and S Streets NW) on Sunday, October 29 from 2:30-5:00pm for the return of the annual Mitchell Park Fall Fun Day, with free activities, food, music, crafts, a free yoga class, a firetruck, pumpkin decorating, a haunted house and more.
• The 1700 block of Swann Street will be hosting its annual Halloween Block Party from 5:30-8:00pm on Tuesday, October 31. The street will be closed to traffic. It will have a DJ, free food and drinks, and a costume parade starting at 7:00pm.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo holiday tradition is back! ZooLights will take visitors into a winter wonderland lit by more than half a million environmentally-friendly LED lights and illuminations. Visitors can stroll through immersive lantern displays showing rainforest, grassland, desert, ocean and polar habitats and the animals that call them home. Tickets go on sale on October 26.

2023.24 DCPS Calendar

October 23-27: Ross Bullying Awareness Spirit Week

Thursday, October 26: Ross Spooktacular

Monday, October 30: 17th and R Pedestrian Safety Session (7:00pm, Zoom)

Friday, November 3: Professional Day for Teachers (NO SCHOOL)

Thursday, November 9: Ross Open House #1 (9:00-10:30am)

Friday, November 10: Veteran's Day (NO SCHOOL)

Saturday, November 11: Mariam's Kitchen/Ross Fun Run, 7:45-10:00am

Monday, November 13: Francis-Stevens Middle School Open House (9:00am)

Monday, November 20: Ross LSAT (virtual, 5:15pm)

Tuesday, November 21: Learning Celebrations (9:00am, your child's classrooms)

Wednesday-Friday, November 22-24: NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Holiday

November 24 - December 3: Holiday Tree Sale & Festival

Saturday, December 2: SUPER Saturday at Ross (Tree Sale, Bake Sale, Book Fair, Open House #2)

Thursday, January 11: Ross Winter Concert and Art Show (Garrison Elementary School)

Thursday, January 18: Ross Open House #3 (9:00-10:30am)

Saturday, February 24: Ross/Imagination Stage Theater Trip, 1:00pm

Saturday, March 2: Ross Auction

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
Facebook: facebook.com/RossElementarySchool/
Twitter: @RossESDC

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.