Read November's Newsletter

Linda Osborne, Co-Pres. 212-924-1797

Barbara Somlo, Co-VP 212-255-4921

Deborah Traussi, Co-VP 212-268-0292

Pam Winberry, Corresp. Sec. 212-977-9857

Didi Re, Recording Sec. 212-675-1088

Anna Matos, Treasurer 212-627-7298

Lucia Santiago, Financial Sec. 212-691-6058

Andrea DiFiore 212-366-4621

Kathy Ellman 646-336-8649

Anne Finkelstein 212-242-6706

Ann O’Dell 212-268-8106

Martha Gallo 212-736-3974

Gil Santiago 212-691-6058

Dec. 5, 6 ~ B&N Book Fair

Dec. 6 ~ House Tour Benefit

Dec. 10 ~ PTA meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 11 ~ Holiday Fair, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Dec. 24 – Jan. 2 ~ School closed

Jan. 19 ~ School closed (Martin Luther King,

Jr. Day)

Dear Parents and Families of Our PS 11 Children,

We will be in a new calendar year the next time my thoughts fill this space. I get very anxious feeling that the year is slipping away and that there are never enough hours in the day. This urgency is felt, in a very professional way, throughout the building. I am extremely proud and pleased with all that our staff is learning and sharing to improve their practice and to guarantee that all our children reach their potential. We are looking so closely at classroom assessments, libraries, and small group instruction. Take the time to thank them for their dedication to their profession and their desire to constantly improve. I know I can never thank them enough.

Please make sure that your children are engaged in lots of reading over the break. It is a long vacation and my fear is that many children won't even pick up a book. Talk with your children, engage them in thoughtful conversations. Read at least one book that will be read over several days, keeping them on the edge of their seats till the next reading. Find all the places where math, reading, and writing take place in everyday situations. Let them connect the importance of their work to the real world. Let them be well rested and filled with wonder and excitement when you drop them back at PS 11's doorstep Jan. 5th.

I thank all our families for whatever contribution, big or small, you have given and will continue to give us.

On the way into the main office the words of Eleanor Roosevelt have hung on the wall since I've been here. Let us all dedicate ourselves to bringing peace to all our "small places":

I know you will join me in a prayer for a more peaceful world in 2004.

May the season fill you with joy and wonder.

Need books? Bring your coupons—and your friends—to Barnes & Noble (6th Ave. and 21st), on Dec. 5 and 6 and a percentage of your purchases will be donated to our school. Check your child’s home folder, the Parent Room door, and the cafeteria bookshelf for more info and the Library wish list.

The holiday season, as busy as it can be, is also traditionally a time when people look back on the past year and count their blessings.

In the spirit of counting our PS 11 blessings, we're attaching Barbara Somlo's "Top Ten Reasons to Send Your Child to PS 11" to the newsletter this month.

It's a great reminder of what makes PS 11 such a wonderful school. We'd also like to say "thank you" to everyone -- all PS 11 staff and parents -- who work hard every day to make it so.

Happy Holidays to you and your families -- and all the best in 2004.

Why do we expect our children to be proficient in all subjects throughout their school career? Parents pursue a career choice that makes use of individual talents and strengths; we are not expected to be experts at everything.

To help parents recognize children’s individual learning styles, PS 11 is sponsoring a workshop, "Exploring the Developing Mind," based on the work of Dr. Mel Levine, a leader in the area of student assessment and behavioral development, and facilitated by Jayne Cohodas, clinical psychologist at the Lenox Hill Hospital, School-Based Primary care program.

The goals of the workshop are to educate parents about the different stages of neurological development in children and how these stages impact learning, to give parents a basic understanding of how different children learn, and how to identify strengths and weaknesses so that we can learn to develop strategies that help children become successful learners.

I am very excited to bring this valuable information to PS 11. The series begins in Jan. 2004. Registration information will be sent home, and you can contact me at 347-563-5095.

Attendees at the Nov. PTA meeting enjoyed a dynamic, fact-filled presentation by Aaron Flagg of The Juilliard School about the fabulous music programs Juilliard runs in our school. Did you know: there are programs in grades 1 – 5, including an all-year concert/study series for all 4th graders?

For more info see www.juilliard.edu, Outreach Programs, Morse Fellowships (under Public School Education Programs) and Concert Fellowships.

Juilliard also offers hundreds of free events each year. See their Web site or get a calendar at the box office, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza. If you would like to join monthly outings to free events with other PS 11 families, call Carol Lee Brawner, 212-828-0699.

Girl Scout meetings are ongoing and open for new members to join. Meetings are held on the first and third Thurs. from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at school. Girl Scout cookie sales will be starting mid-December.

I am pleased to announce our new fundraising program with Tyson products: Clip labels stating "Project A+" and put them into the large Campbell’s Soup bag in the lunchroom (by the guard’s station). We earn 24 cents per label from Tyson.

Having run the labels program for about 3 years, I am looking for someone to replace me. The program is a great way to help our school earn money and it just takes a little organization and time. Please contact me if you can help. Thank you.

212-255-4934