PTA Updates

The Ross auction team is in search of sponsors for the 2024 Ross auction, which will be held on March 2, 2024 at 6:00pm at Toolbox Pilates Art Studio. Sponsorships are a rad way to show your support for Ross. So ... stop, collaborate and listen if you're interested in sponsoring Ross Auction: The Mixtape at one of the following levels:

• Ice Ice Baby: $250
• Smells Like Teen Spirit: $500
• Waterfalls: $1,000
• Wonderwall: $2,500

You also can buy your tickets now for the auction, which is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year. In addition to attending and/or sponsoring, you can donate items or experiences, and ask businesses and people you know in the community to donate. Have questions? Contact rosselementaryauction@gmail.com.

Yoga is a fun way for children and teens to learn techniques for concentrating, reducing stress, and connecting to their bodies in a loving way while building fitness and having fun. Your child (ages kindergarten through 5th grade) can join a Wednesday yoga class at Ross--and there's still time to sign up for the Wednesday 8:00 AM - 8:40 AM, class (10 weeks: 01/10/24 - 03/13/24). Register here!

Thank you for attending and supporting our first winter concert, which was held on Thursday, January 11. Special thanks to Ms. Hailu and Ms. Cirillo, and many others for making it happen, and to Garrison Elementary School for hosting!

Trying to find somewhere for your kids to go while they're out of school this summer? Here's an incomplete list of some options around the DMV area. These are not affiliated with Ross. If you have a camp to add to the list, contact melanie.mayhew@gmail.com and we'll include it in the next newsletter.

Registration open:

• Treehouse Atelier Art Camp
  

• Lessans Camp JCC

• HeadFirst Summer Camps
  

• MadScience
  

• Camp Barrie

• Keegan PLAY Summer Theatre Camp for grades 1-3 (Jun 24-28, Jul 8-Aug 23, July 1-5)

• Imagination Stage

• Sidwell Summer

• Georgetown Day School Camp

• Valley Mill Camp

• Steve & Kate's Camp

Registration opening later this month:

• Calleva Camp (registration for new campers opens on January 16)
• DC Sails (January 18)
• Camp Beauvoir (January 24)
• CASA at Sheridan School (January 26)

Registration opening in February:

• National Building Museum (for non-members on February 5)
• Smithsonian (for general public on Feb. 16)
• PedalHeads (February 27)

*DPR summer camp information has not been posted yet for 2024; registration likely will be in the early spring.

Are you concerned about pedestrian safety? If so, consider making your voices heard at this budget hearing on Tuesday, January 16 from 7:00-8:00pm. Funding for speed bumps on R Street goes into the FY25 budget. Details of the meeting are available here. Have questions? Reach out to libbyjanefranklin@gmail.com.

Ross is again partnering with Imagination Stage for a special discounted theater outing to the children's theater, which is a ten-minute walk from the Bethesda metro station. Please get your tickets for Cinderella: A Salsa Fairytale on February 24 at 1:00pm. The Ross community can use the code "Ross15" to save 15% on the tickets. (Note: This code does not apply to balcony tickets.)

Parents of elementary school children are invited to attend a virtual workshop coordinated by Ross school counselor Jillian Sharkey on Monday, January 22, from 7:00-8:00pm with Dr. Francois Williams, focusing on childhood anxiety. This online session will help you identify anxiety in children and provide you with effective strategies for support both at home and in collaboration with their schools.

Dr. Williams completed his studies at Xavier University of Louisiana and Morehouse School of Medicine, with further training in adult psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine. His expertise in group psychotherapy and DBT is complemented by his current role as a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow at Georgetown University Hospital and his private practice, where he leads parenting groups.

Workshop highlights:

• Differentiating normal behaviors from signs of anxiety in children
• Parental roles in easing childhood anxiety
• Practical strategies for home and school environments
• This virtual workshop is a fantastic opportunity to gain insight and tools for supporting your child's emotional development and mental health

Zoom Link and RSVP: https://georgetown.zoom.us/j/92840430765

The MySchoolDC lottery is open here. Please encourage friends and neighbors to apply for PK4 if their children will turn four years old by September 30, 2024. If you know of incoming, in-boundary kindergarteners, please let Principal Searl know so she can anticipate enrollment numbers for kindergarten. The next open house for prospective families is Thursday, January 18 at 9:30am. Current Grade 5 Ross students have a right to attend Francis-Stevens Middle School, Cardozo Education Campus or their neighborhood in-boundary school for Grade 6 without applying to the lottery. Any other school choices in DCPS/DC Charters would come through a lottery match. Please see Principal Searl or Ms. Segovia with any questions regarding the lottery and transitioning to middle school.

Congratulations to Ross parent Libby Franklin, who won the special election for the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B07 seat! Now, there is another vacancy in 2B04, which is between 17th and 15th streets, south of Corcoran (see map). If you live in 2B04, consider joining Libby on the ANC to advocate for neighborhood issues including Ross, Stead Park, and more.

From the notice: "Any resident of district 2B04, a map of which can be found here, who has an interest in running for the vacant seat can pick up petitions to run for the seat by emailing: candidate@dcboe.org or by visiting the Board of Elections at 1015 Half Street SE, Suite 750. Residents must collect the signatures of at least 25 voters registered in district 2B04 in order to run for the seat. The beginning of the petition pick-up period is Monday, January 8th and the completed petitions are due back to the Board of Elections by 4:45 pm on Monday, January 29th."

Email Libby Franklin at libbyjanefranklin@gmail.com or David Alpert at alpert@gmail.com to find out more about the ANC or the process.

Building Stories, a new exhibit at the National Building Museum, opening January 21, will bring kids and adults alike on an immersive exploration of the world of architecture, engineering, construction and design found in the pages of children’s books. Geared toward an intergenerational audience, with special attention paid to children in grades K-3 and their parents and caregivers.

(Note: Learning celebrations at Ross start at 9:00am on February 2.) On Friday, February at 8:30am, Potomac Phil, the National Groundhog, is ready to emerge within Dupont Circle and share his meteorological and political wisdom. The weather prophet will spill the beans on whether we're in for six more weeks of winter blues or an early springtime fiesta.

Don your top hats for this peculiar spectacle, featuring DC's most interesting ritual. Complete with polka music, an abundance of coffee and pastries to keep you warm, VIP celebrities making surprise appearances, and much more, the excitement starts at the fountain in Dupont Circle. The main event—Potomac Phil's grand emergence—kicks off precisely at 8:30am. Learn more here.

2023.24 DCPS Calendar

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

Monday, January 22: January LSAT (5:15pm, virtual); Ross Parenting Workshop on Anxious Children (7:00-8:00pm; RSVP here)

Friday, January 26: NO SCHOOL

Friday, February 2: Ross Learning Celebrations (9:00am)

Friday, February 16: NO SCHOOL

Monday, February 19: NO SCHOOL

Saturday, February 24: Ross/Imagination Stage Theater Trip (1:00pm; use "Ross15 for 15% off)

Friday, March 1: MySchoolDC Lottery Closes (PK3 - Grade 8)

Saturday, March 2: Ross Auction (6:00pm, Toolbox Pilates Art Studio; learn more here)

Thursday, March 14: Parent-Teacher Conferences, NO SCHOOL

Friday, March 15: NO SCHOOL

Friday, April 5: NO SCHOOL

Monday, April 15 - Friday, April 19: NO SCHOOL

Monday, May 27: NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, June 4: NO SCHOOL

Monday, June 17: Last Day of School Year

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.