PTA Updates

The PTA is excited to host our annual Back-to-School Picnic for Ross families on Thursday, September 28 from 4:30-6:30pm on the Ross playground and field. The picnic will be potluck style, with the PTA providing some pizza and popsicles. We also ask Ross families to sign up to bring food and/or beverages to share! In addition, we're in need of volunteers to help with setup, pizza serving, and clean-up. Please sign-up to contribute here! Thank you for helping to make this event a success!

We’re 88% of the way to our goal of raising $13,400 for students’ school supplies. THANK YOU to families who have donated so far! If you haven’t yet made your contribution, we ask families who can to donate $100 per student to fund the purchase of school supplies for the new school year. Contribute here!

The September meeting of the Ross Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) will be held Monday, September 18 from 5:00-6:00pm. The LSAT is a committee of parents and teachers who meet monthly to discuss and advise the principal on matters such as school budgets, student performance metrics and the school's goals. LSAT meetings are open to all members of the school community. The September meeting will be conducted online and you can join the meeting using this link or call in (audio only) at +1 202-539-1291,,971664946#. It will cover organizational matters (electing a chair for the year, setting a meeting schedule, norms, etc.) and a review of end-of-year 2023 performance data and PARCC scores for Ross.

Please join us for a Ross parent happy hour on Thursday, September 21 from 4:00-6:00pm at Commodore, to connect with other Ross parents and learn about ways to engage with the PTA.

Planning for the Ross Spooktacular Halloween event will begin this month. Do you enjoy Halloween? Got a little goblin at home? We need volunteers and ideas for decorations, games, and trick or treating! Please contact Holly Kilness Packett at hollykilness@gmail.com if you are interested in participating.

The 16th Annual Ross Auction Committee is seeking volunteers for our 2024 event, to take place on March 2 at Toolbox Pilates Art Studio. The Ross Auction is the single largest fundraiser of the year, critical to meeting PTA fundraising goals to cover basic supplies, extra-curricular activities and technology updates at Ross. It is a large undertaking, only possible with the help of this community. Beginning in late fall, we need volunteers to help with donation outreach to local businesses, event planning, and more. Please email rosselementaryauction@gmail.com if you can lend a hand!

Ross is again partnering with Imagination Stage for a special, discounted theater outing to the Bethesda. MD, children's theater. Please save the date to see Cinderella: A Salsa Fairytale on February 24 at 1:00pm. Tickets will go on sale in November and the Ross community can use the code "Ross15" to save 15% on the tickets.

DC's Deputy Mayor for Education (DME) is leading a study of modifying school boundaries and policies for student assignment (like lottery preferences). This will affect Ross because the study will create a boundary for the future Euclid Street middle school, which Ross is likely to feed into starting in fall 2028, and other feeder or lottery changes may affect Ross as well.

Parents are encouraged to find out more about the study and weigh in. The Ward 2 Education Council will discuss this at its September meeting, Wednesday 9/20 at 7:00pm. Click here to register for the meeting. DME is hosting two town halls (both cover the same content) for residents to learn more and give feedback about the study:

• Tuesday, September 26, 12:00-1:30pm: Click here to register for this virtual town hall.
• Wednesday, September 27, 6-7:30pm. Click here to register for this virtual town hall.

Want to volunteer with the PTA and/or at Ross? Here's how:

With the PTA:

Upcoming Events: The PTA is busy planning fun events to bring our community together this fall and WE NEED YOUR HELP! Save the date for these upcoming events, and let us know if you’re able to volunteer some time to support them. Fill in this form to get started!

• Back-to-School Picnic - Thursday, September 28

• Walk and Roll to School Day - Wednesday, October 4 (morning)

• Spooktacular Halloween Celebration - Thursday, October 26

• Teacher Appreciation Activities - November and May

At Ross and for field trips:

Want to volunteer at Ross? Make sure to complete the DCPS volunteer clearance process:

https://dcps.dc.gov/page/dcps-fingerprinting-background-check-and-id-badge-processes-and-requirements

Dupont Circle Citizens Association's next meeting on Thursday, September 7 at 7:00pm in the Chastleton Ballroom (1701 16th Street NW) will feature Gregg Pemberton, Chairman of the DC Police Union, who will be speaking on “Crime on Our Streets.” He will address the current crime wave from the union’s perspective. More: https://www.dupont-circle.org/Items-of-Interest

From September 23 through October 1, the Smithsonian's National Zoo will host Panda Palooza, which will engage audiences of all ages in a series of fun, family-friendly and conservation-forward events. Panda Palooza programming will include hashtag-worthy photo backdrops, hands-on arts and crafts, 'Kids Area’ in the Great Meadow with a soft play section; chalkboard, coloring and stamping activities; morning family stretching and yoga along with panda talks, temporary tattoos, a conservation-themed scavenger hunt, live music concerts on the Mainstage by Lion Tiger Hill and free film screenings of Kung Fu Panda and The Miracle Cub in the Visitor Center Theater. In addition, zoo food and beverage vendors will offer panda-themed items, and tasty celebratory treats will be provided courtesy of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China. Get your tickets here.

Connect with other families, check out lots of different bikes, and have fun together. Join a leisurely, family-friendly bike ride from Dupont Circle to the DC Family Bike Fest on Sunday, September 17. They will depart at 10:00am from Dupont Circle and ride to Alethia Tanner Park at 227 Harry Thomas Way NE, Washington, DC. Register now!

Kick off the High Holiday season at the EDCJCC’s Annual Day of Awesome on Sunday, September 10 from 10:00am-12:00pm! This year’s program will feature Rosh Hashanah-themed fun for children ages 0-4 in the parking lot, and learning and activities about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with Hadar Institute educators for ages 4-8 inside. Register at https://www.edcjcc.org/calendar/day-of-awesome/. Questions? Email Shoshana Parker at sparker@edcjcc.org.

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.

2023.24 DCPS Calendar

Thursday, September 14: Back-to-School Night (all grades), 6:00-7:30pm

Monday, September 18: Next LSAT Meeting, 5:00-6:00pm

Thursday, September 21: Ross Parent Happy Hour, Commodore, 4:00-6:00pm

Friday, September 22: Portrait Day

Thursday, September 28: Back-to-School Picnic, 4:30-6:30pm

Thursday, October 26: Ross Spooktacular

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

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