PTA Executive Board

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

Barbara Somlo, CEC Applicant 212-255-4921

Allia Matta, Co-VP 718-353-9190

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

Members at Large

Delia Acosta—212-243-9254 / 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, CEC Applicant—212-691-6058

Principal’s Message

Dear Parents, Families and Friends of PS 11,

I sent home a letter for everyone to read and discuss with their children concerning some new procedures that our staff and myself have agreed to follow. Please sign and return. Gum is no longer allowed in school. CD players, cards, games and toys are no longer allowed. They tend to get in the way of instruction and cause problems when they are missing and we have to get involved. They will be taken away and only given back to a parent. If no parent comes up for the item, we will hold it until the last day of school. Candy can only be eaten at lunch in the lunchroom. Please support us in this effort and talk to your children about learning and interacting being the reason they come to school. The above items get in the way of conversation and positive interactions between and among our children.

Special thanks to our teachers and parents for supporting our extended day and, this year for the first time, our Saturday Academies. The children benefited from some smart extra support in preparing for the 3rd and 5th grade tests.

Also thanks to Matthew Yang and Ardi Demaliaj in Ms. Hedigan's class 4-405 for inventing a new way to do subtraction and sharing it with their class and other classes. I will try to get them to share it with you in the next newsletter.

See you next month. Testing will be over!!!

Sincerely,

Francis Del Monaco

Thanks to Kinko’s at 24th St. and 7th Ave. for donating the printing of our newsletter — 212-929-2679.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!! The Taste of Chelsea evening (Friday, May 21) runs from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (tastings and silent auction 6:00–8:00, live auction 8:30–9:30). If you've been feeling guilty about not doing enough for the school, now is your chance help. You can work as little as 1 hour or as long as 3 or 4 hours. Sign up to volunteer at the ticket-selling table outside school on mornings starting Monday, May 10, or by contacting Pam Winberry at 212-977-9857 or [email protected]. MORE DONATIONS ARE NEEDED FOR THE EVENT. If every family got just one donation, we'd have over 400 items to auction off. So get out there and get a donation! Remember, all the money we raise at this event directly benefits our kids.

Mark Your Calendar!

All-School Events

May 5, 6, 7 ~ Plant & flower sale, 2:20–4 p.m.

May 12 ~ PTA meeting, 6:30 p.m.

May 15 ~ Spring Rummage Sale

May 21 ~ A Taste of Chelsea, 6–9:30 p.m.

May 26 ~ West Side Story

May 31 ~ Memorial Day, School Closed

5th Grade

June 1 ~ Trip to Pocono Valley, 7 a.m.

June 11 ~ Senior Awards, 8:30 a.m.

June 17 ~ Grad. Dance, 5:30-7:30, 4th & 5th grade

June 22 ~ Graduation, 9 a.m.

Pre-K and K graduation: June 21

Standardized Testing

May 4–6: State Mathematics, Grade 4

May 4–11: NYS Manipulative & Science Evaluation Test, Grade 4

May (TBD): ECLAS-2, Grades K-3

From Your PTA Co-President

Thank you to all who have raised your hands to run for next year's PTA Executive Board. And if you're still considering running, it's not too late. There are a few important positions that have no nominees: Corresponding Secretary,

Co-Treasurer, and Chair of the Technology & Science Committee. Please refer to the hand-out that was distributed in homework folders for more information on these positions.

Also, there's still time for you to suggest the creation of a Standing Committee dedicated to helping the school in any specific way that's important to you. Standing Committee chairs will be able to attend Executive Board meetings and vote on expenditures—but they can't be created without approval by the current Executive Board. So please submit your ideas by May 7 to allow time for Board consideration. You can do so by dropping a note in my PTA folder or calling me at 212-924-1797.

Again, there's no better way to serve PS 11 than by serving on the PTA Board—and no better way to really make a difference in your child's school. Elections will be held at the next General PTA Meeting on Wednesday, May 12 at 6:30pm. See you there!

Linda Osborne

P.S. Good luck to PS 11's 2 CEC (Community Education Council) Applicants, Gil Santiago and Barbara Somlo. The CEC elections are being held May 3–11.

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Do you have or need Free Stuff? Before May 7, bring in your extra, outgrown, unused items on Tues. or Thurs. morning at drop off to the Parent Room for the Rummage Sale on May 15.

Starting next month, whenever space permits, the newsletter will post announcements from parents who have items to pass along to another PS 11 family. That stroller collecting dust in the closet, for example. Announcements will be printed on a first-come, first-served basis. Send item description and your contact info (to be printed) to Susannah Driver-Barstow, 212-675-7930 or [email protected].

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Want affordable, farm-fresh, organic vegetables in Chelsea? Join your neighbors in their fifth season of partnership with family-run Stoneledge Farm in South Cairo, NY. The 2004 Harvest begins mid-June so find out more at www.chelseacsa.org or leave a message at 212-924-6710, voice box #245 or via email at [email protected].

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Waste-less Web site: New York City now has a Web site that every PS 11family should know about: www.nycwasteless.org. It's a one-stop online resource that teaches you—and your children—how to prevent waste, cut energy costs, and conserve resources at home, work, or school. From how to find a non-toxic alternative to your household cleaners to where to donate your old kitchen set, the answers are all right here. Check it out!

PARENT COORDINATOR ANNOUNCEMENTS

YEARBOOK

Once again the Yearbook Committee is reaching out to our school community—to support the 2003–2004 PS 11 yearbook. The Yearbook Committee is made up of 5th-grade graduating students, teachers, and parent volunteers. The yearbook is a keepsake for each student and staff member as a remembrance of the school year. The book is especially important to our graduating 5th-grade class.

Our yearbook is an annual school publication that contains a message from our principal to the graduating class, class pictures, photos of school celebrations and other events, student writing, individual photos of each graduate and supporter advertising.

We need your help in soliciting contributions and ads. Cash contributions and ad placement are what make this yearbook available to each student in our school. We need you to submit photographs taken of your child participating in class events for each grade’s memory photo collages. Please keep in mind that these photographs should be clearly identified and may not be returned.

Your help and generosity are greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, or need ad/donation forms, please contact me at 347-563-5095.

PARENT VOLUNTEERS

If you are interested in supporting the lunch/recess staff to make this time safe and enjoyable for our children, stop by room 101 to pick up an application.

PS 11 TRACK TEAM

Due to DOE budget cuts there will not be a District 2 Track and Field competition this year. We have promises that there will be a budget appropriation for next year.

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More Camp News: Oasis is holding open houses for their Central Park and Downtown summer camps. The Central Park program is a comprehensive camp and educational summer program for children ages 6–11. Their Downtown program is for children ages 4–8. Both programs provide an extraordinary outdoor camp experience without having to leave the city.

The Downtown open house is on May 4th from 6–8 at the Earth School, which is located on 6th St. between Aves. B and C. The open house for Central Park is on May 6th from 6–8 at 300 East 85th St., off of 2nd Ave.

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Fall Festival Chair Needed For Next Year—Or We're Going To Have To Cancel It! Committee heads are already in place. Won't you help? Call Linda Osborne at 212-924-1797.

PTA NEWSLETTER

YEARBOOK

PS 11 TRACK TEAM