PTA Updates

Thank you to the many volunteers who helped sell and deliver trees and bake and sell delicious treats for members of our extended community! And thanks to everyone who supported with purchases of holiday decorations and food! This event takes a significant amount of time and effort, and it would not be possible without the involvement of many Ross families! Thank you all! Here are some highlights:

• The tree sale raised $27.7K and the bake sale raised $2.6K for the PTA!
• The volunteer project to make tied blankets for Miriam's Kitchen to provide to individuals experiencing homelessness in DC also was a success, with 8 blankets completed by students and parents on Saturday (and 7 additional blanket kits donated to Miriam's Kitchen).
  
• Supplies left at the bake sale (crock pots, cutting boards, etc.) have been left on the table in the teachers' lounge for pick up.

This year, parents are organizing a school-wide, coordinated holiday cash gift for all of our teachers and other Ross staff to thank them for all their efforts to support our children. If you would like to contribute, please send any funds you wish to Auri Lopez Vargas via Venmo (@AuriLopez), PayPal or Zelle (see QR codes below).

There are around 40 outstanding and hard-working staff members at Ross, from our classroom teachers and aides to our inner core ("specials") teachers, ELL and special ed teachers, admin staff, custodians, and more. Therefore, Auri will divide up the funds among the teachers and staff to ensure everyone's contribution is recognized and appreciated. We will include our crossing guards, too! (This is replacing the separate per-class gifts that room parents have organized in previous years. Individuals are of course free to give gifts separately if they wish.)

Please send Auri any contribution you wish by Friday, December 15. Any amount is welcome, and contributing is completely optional. For questions, you can contact Auri at auri.susana.lv@gmail.com.

iGen Academy is offering a new offsite STEM/STEAM aftercare enrichment for Ross students (grades PK4 - 5th). Programming will include robotics, computer science, makerspace, science experiments, and team building. Programming is available to students in all grades on both Mondays and Tuesdays, starting in January and running through the end of the school year in June. iGen staff will pick up Ross students at the end of the school day and parents can pick up at Au Lait Cafe on 17th Street until 5:30 pm. Please use this link to sign up, and a document with additional information is attached. Please sign up ASAP as spots are limited and a waitlist will start once the program reaches capacity. Additionally, iGen is providing two confidential full scholarships for families based on need; please contact Principal Searl to participate.

If your family is traveling for the holidays, please consider purchasing a few unique souvenirs to create a regional gift basket to donate as a silent auction item! Here's an example basket from the 2022 auction:

Taste of the Rhone Valley and Lyon Gift Basket - This basket included a bottle of Côtes du Rhône wine, some locally sourced honey and marmalade, mustard samples, biscuits, and other treats from France’s gastronomy capital.

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME) is conducting a Boundary and Student Assignment Study 2023 to review DCPS boundaries and feeder patterns and district-wide public school student assignment policies. DME will hold three townhall public meetings on Tuesday, December 12, from 6-8pm (in-person at Anacostia High School; register here), Wednesday, December 13, from 6-8pm (register here), and Thursday, December 14, from 12-2pm (register here).

The Ward 2 Education Council will discuss the latest public proposals from the Student Assignment and School Boundary Study at our their monthly meeting, on Monday, December 11 at 7pm. Register for the meeting here.

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

Do you want to make room for new games you may get during the holidays? Please consider donating games to the Ross Game Library, which is now open on the lower level next to the Ross Cafe! Feel free to leave games on top of the game library, but make sure to also contact Sarah Roma (sarahandsokol@gmail.com) or text 617-233-7349 to let us know you've dropped games off so we can log them into the library. The Ross game library has 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 you borrow a game. You can find more information here. We are especially in need of games for older kids.

The Metropolitan Police Department (Second District) invites families to join them for breakfast with Santa, on Saturday, December 9, from 8:30-10:30am, at the MPD Second District Station (Community Room), 3320 Idaho Avenue NW . The event will include a hot breakfast, arts and crafts, story time, and photos with Santa. There is limited seating. RSVP here, and include the child's name and age.

Keegan Theatre opened AN IRISH CAROL this weekend but you still have plenty of time to see it. The show runs until December 31. AN IRISH CAROL is an homage to Dickens’ classic – told as only the Irish can. This comic and touching play, set in a modern Dublin pub, follows one evening in the life of David, a wealthy pub owner who has lost touch with his own humanity in the interest of self-protection and material success. But on this Christmas Eve – challenged by a voice from the past, provoked by those in the present, and faced with the reality of a lonely future – David’s life may change forever. Special events include on-site childcare, Kingman Island Quartet, Pub Nights, and a Young Professionals Happy Hour. Visit their website for more information: https://keegantheatre.com/portfolio/an-irish-carol-2023/

2023.24 DCPS Calendar

Monday, December 11: MySchoolDC Lottery Opens

Monday, December 18-Thursday, December 21: Spirit Week

Monday, December 18: Wear/Green and White Day

Tuesday, December 19: Crazy Mismatch Day

Wednesday, December 20: Dress to Impress Day

Thursday, December 21: Pajama Day

Friday, December 22- Tuesday, January 2: NO SCHOOL

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

Monday, January 15: NO SCHOOL

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

Friday, January 26: NO SCHOOL

Friday, February 16: NO SCHOOL

Monday, February 19: NO SCHOOL

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

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

Saturday, March 2: Ross Auction

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

Friday, Match 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: NO SCHOOL

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.