The Wednesday Weekly
December 18. 2024
Dear PS 107 Families,
This is the last Wednesday Weekly of 2024, and I want to take a moment to express my deep gratitude for this extraordinary community that consistently goes above and beyond to support our students and staff members. Thank you for all that you do to make PS 107 the incredibly special place that it is!
Speaking of which, I would like to thank all of the parent volunteers who have made this past week such a special one at PS 107:
Huge thanks to Zoe Young, Mike and Margaux Turchiano, Carissa Kelly, and Carla Shaw who helped Ms Ali haul mulch and soil into our new-and-improved garden – all in the pouring rain! You are all my heroes!
Thank you to Diana Gatschet and Meghan Hartley for leading the charge to make all of our staff members feel so special during the annual Holiday Potluck last Friday. And thank you to all of the families who contributed to this community-wide effort. We felt the love!
Big thanks to Francesca Furlan for stepping up to organize our annual Holiday Craft Fair this past Saturday. With assistance from Sunny Hwang, Julie Schmidt, and Amber Fox, this event was a huge success. I love that we have student vendors at the craft fair, many of whom donated their proceeds back to our school and to other worthy causes. They truly exemplify what’s written into our mission statement: that student agency creates change and that our entire community has the power to build a more equitable world.
RECENT THEFTS AT PS 107
As some of you may have heard, we have recently experienced a number of thefts in our school building. Over the course of a three-week period, field trip and book fair money was taken from a classroom; two staff wallets went missing; and one after-school staff member’s credit card disappeared. We are working collaboratively with the NYPD and School Safety to tighten up security measures to ensure that this does not happen again. I also want to thank the many members of our community who stepped up to replace the missing classroom funds so that we could move forward with all of the wonderful experiences we had planned for our students. I will continue to keep you updated on this evolving situation.
SEEKING VOLUNTEER DEBATE JUDGES!
Any former high school debate team members out there? Our district participates in the New York City Urban Debate League, and while PS 107 does not currently have a debate team, the district is looking for volunteer judges to support at upcoming tournaments on January 8th (elementary school tournament) and January 14th (middle school tournament). If you would like to volunteer as a judge to support our larger district community, please sign up here. Side note: if there are parents interested in coaching a PS 107 debate team next year, please reach out to me. We’d love to bring debate to our students (former HS debater here!), but we do not currently have the staff capacity to coach a team.
I wish all of you a happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year! We will see your children on Thursday, January 2nd, the first day back from the holiday break.
Warmly,
Ms Joanna
PS Please note that Monday, 12/23 is now part of the Winter Recess, which will run from December 23rd through January 1st.
BIG APPLE AWARDS
As in prior years, the DOE recognizes and celebrates teacher excellence through the Big Apple Awards (BAA). The BAA nomination process for the upcoming cohort of fellows for the 2025–26 school year is now open through January 21. You are invited to nominate a teacher for the Big Apple Award by completing this nomination form by January 21.
Nominated teachers will receive an email from bigappleteachers@schools.nyc.gov with a request to complete a nomination application by February 24. All winning fellows will receive surprise visits to their classrooms in May and June 2025.
*Please see the attached flyer for more details!
LOST & FOUND - Updated 12-17-24
The older items in the lost & found will be donated at the end of this week.
Please check this document for some updated pictures : Did You Lose Me?
*If you see an item you now have in your possession, please just ignore the picture in the document
DISTRICT 15 / NYCPS / COMMUNITY
DISTRICT 15 FAMILY WORKSHOP
Understanding Your Child's IEP (Individualized Education Program)
- Overview of what an IEP is and its purpose.
- Explanation of the IEP components (e.g., goals, accommodations, services).
- The importance of measurable goals and progress monitoring.
- Step-by-step breakdown of a sample IEP document.
**If possible, bring a copy of your child's IEP to this meeting to follow along.**
Presented by: Johanna E. Rodriguez from the Special Education Office (SEO) Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning (DIAL)
Date: Wednesday January 15, 2025
Time: 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/7268853826?%20pwd=N0hhMDZCSzZ2NUtvNEJLSGpoYU%20NoZz09&omn=98513435339
Meeting ID: 726 885 3826 Passcode: 251368
D15 FAMILY WORKSHOP : LUNCH & LEARN SERIES
This 7 part series will share ideas & strategies to positively support your child's behavior at home.
Join us this Friday at 12pm : Dec 20
- Click here for Zoom
- Click for Lunch & Learn Flyer
ABT (AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE) RISE
ABT RISE Workshops are a series of complimentary dance classes offered to students that have historically been underrepresented in classical ballet. These workshops align with ABT’s mission to bring classical dance to the widest possible audience by supporting students of all abilities and skill levels in their quest to engage in the performing arts.
This free dance workshop will host 80- 100 second and third grade students from public schools across the five boroughs of New York City! We welcome all interested NYC public school second and third grade students to apply for a fun day of classes in the welcoming environment of ABT’s Studios. No dance experience required.
The workshop will take place on Monday, January 20th 12:45-4:00 pm at ABT Studios located at 890 Broadway, New York, NY 10003. The workshops will offer two complimentary classes for students, a ballet technique class and a second foundational dance class in modern or character dance.
FAIR FARES NYC
Fair Fares NYC is a City program created to help New Yorkers with low incomes manage their transportation costs. For more information, please visit the FAIR FARES NYC website.
CLUBS AND MEETINGS
THURSDAY MORNING TRACK RUN (TMTR)
Every Thursday, rain or shine, students and guardians are invited to join the legendary PS 107 Track Team for a weekly morning run in Prospect Park. TMTR will meet in front of PS 107 each Thursday at 7am, where participants will warm up before heading to Bartel-Pritchard Square for a 45 minute run/trot/jog.
No running experience required - we hope to see you there!
BOOK CLUBS
Everyone is a reader – some just haven’t found their favorite book yet! If your child is looking for literary inspiration or loves to talk about a good book with friends, please consider joining us for monthly book club meetings Tuesday mornings. Meetings are underway for Grades K, 1, 3, 4, and 5. Note: Participating students in all grades must remain with a parent or guardian throughout book club meetings.
Want to be a PS 107 Literacy Legend and lead a book club for grade 2? Sign up using the link here.
MATH MAGIC
On Wednesday mornings from 7:30-8:20am, join us in the 4th floor art room for games, puzzles, worksheets, coffee, doughnuts, and Pi. (Bring your own reusable mug, if possible.) Sharpen your math skills with friends and mingle with kids and parents from other grades. All ages and proficiencies welcome.
Please note: Participating kiddos are asked to remain in the art room until 8:20am and parents or guardians of students in all grades are asked to stay for the duration. We hope to see you there!
PTA GENERAL MEETING
Please join us on Thursday, December 19th at 6:30pm for our December PTA General Meeting. Meeting will take place on Zoom.
FUNDRAISERS
ANNUAL FUND
Contribute to the Annual Fund, which directly supports essential school programs and resources. Here's how:
- Donate via Konstella here,
- Share this link with non-Konstella using friends and family, or
- Leave a check made out to PS 107 PTA with Ms. Nadia in the office.
- We also accept gifts of stock here - stock donations are tax-free!
YOUR GIFT MATTERS! Many thanks to our amazing school community for all of the ways you contribute.
FOLEY FIRS CHRISTMAS TREE SALE
If you are planning to purchase a Christmas tree this holiday season, Foley Firs is partnering with PS 107 to help raise money for our school. NOW through Monday, December 23rd, mention PS 107 and sign the school’s fundraiser list when purchasing your tree at Foley Firs and The PS 107 PTA will receive a $10 donation for each tree purchased. Foley Firs is located on the corner of 8th Street and 8th Avenue; free tree delivery is available. You can also order online - be sure to enter PS107 during checkout.
COMMUNITY HELP IN PARK SLOPE (CHiPS) FOOD DRIVE
Every Wednesday at morning drop-off, rain or shine, the Community Outreach Committee will be collecting food donations for CHiPS, a soup kitchen and food pantry which helps support neighbors currently experiencing food insecurity.
Find volunteers by the school’s main entrance where they will be collecting:
o Sandwiches, (please label w/ contents)
o Bread Packages
o Lunch Meat Packages
o Eggs
o Tortillas
o Individually Portioned Prepared Meals, (please label w/ contents)
o Microwavable meals
o Jars of Peanut Butter and/or Jelly
o Cereal/Instant Oatmeal
o Shelf Stable Milk and Juice
o Fruit Cups
o Fresh Fruit
o Individually Wrapped Snacks
o Ziplock and Grocery Bags, and Plastic cutlery
SCHOOL-WIDE LICE CHECK
The PTA organizes school-wide lice checks as needed throughout the year to help prevent and/or contain the spread of lice around our school. The next check will take place on Tuesday, January 7th. If you have not already done so, please contribute to the cost of school-wide, professional lice checks by submitting a one-time payment of $15 per child here.
DISNEY ON ICE
Step inside the magical adventures of Disney's Frozen and Encanto as they are brought to life like never before at Disney On Ice. Nearly 160 tickets have already been purchased by PS 107 families; join in the fun on Saturday, January 18th at 7pm at the Barlcays Center. Tickets can be purchased through Zeffy for $45 each, with $11 per ticket going to the PTA. If you would like to attend but need financial assistance, please contact Parent Coordinator, Nadia Benlarbi. If you bought your tickets before December 16, you should have now received them by email from Barclays Center. If not please email gemma@ps107.org .
HERITAGE DAY
Heritage Day, a long-loved PS 107 tradition, returns on Saturday, January 25th from 12 to 3pm. On Heritage Day, volunteers from our school community take over the building to host rooms highlighting their family's home country or state. Students are offered an opportunity to visit these destinations - all in one afternoon - with a passport to prove it! Heritage Day allows our diverse school community to share traditions and expose others to the sights, sounds, foods, stories, and music that are our unique cultural touchstones. We would love to invite all members of the school community to contribute. If you would like to host or co-host a room, please fill out this form https://forms.gle/pTNaoJXqr61QyhTv9 to apply. If you are unable to host/co-host but would like to help, please consider volunteering at the event. Please email Brad Allen (bradallen1@gmail.com) for further information. We hope to see you all there!
SPECIAL EVENT: SPRING AUCTION
Our Spring Auction in April is the single largest fundraising event of the year. We need these contributions to make it a success:
Help plan the event - signup on Konstella to lead or join the committee. Our growing team has already booked a venue, started soliciting donations and begun planning food, beverages and decor. Join them!
Donate an auction item - can you - or someone you know - donate a vacation home stay, tickets for a show or game, a hospitality or entertainment gift, or any other service/experience/item? Complete this form to tell us about your donation or get in touch to discuss how we can turn your connections into a cool auction lot!
2024-2025 NYCPS CALENDAR
For the complete 2024-2025 school year calendar, please click here.
*Please note that Parent Teacher Conference Day on 3/6 is a non-attendance days for students. This is not reflected in the DOE calendar but was a school based decision.
For the complete 2025-2026 school year calendar, please click here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
December 10 to January 25 - Kindergarten Application Process Open
December 19 - PTA General Meeting 6:30 pm
December 20 - NDI Fourth Grade Residency Final Performance (invitation sent separately)
December 20 - Middle School Application Process Closes!
January 7 - School Wide Lice Check
January 7 - PS 107 Day
January 15 - D15 Family Workshop
January 16 - PTA Meeting 9:00 am (virtual)
January 23 - Parent Workshop conducted by Dr. Erica Miller 8:45 am (in person)
January 25 - Heritage Day
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
December 23 to January 1 - Winter Recess - School Closed