PTA Newsletter - January 2002
 
ACCELERATED PROGRAM
District Superintendent Shelly Harwayne will be visiting the school on January 10 to meet with parents of all kindergarten and first grade students to discuss how to put together a program offering enrichment and an accelerated program for gifted students beginning in the fall. Three options will be discussed. The most favored option is to mix and match schedules of children so that groups are formed in the afternoon. Each group would follow a different schedule, and the gifted children would be doing more advanced activities than the others. Another option is training teachers to handle all kinds of children while specialists are made available to work with children who are falling behind, in an extension of the reading-recovery program. There would be an enriched curriculum including science and a second language. More of the day would be spent in varied activities like music, art and learning another language rather than the current morning literacy program and afternoon math program. The third option is to have a separate section of hand-picked students who have been tested using a formal assessment.
217’s middle school offers an accelerated program, but this is the first time the program will be offered in the lower grades. This issue is of great concern to many parents in choosing a school for their children, and we hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity to discuss it with the superintendent.

SCHOOL UNIFORMS
We are required to periodically review the policy on school uniforms and decide whether to require uniforms at our school. At the next PTA meeting on January 16, parents will have an opportunity to offer their opinions. Based on this input, the School Leadership Team will make a recommendation to the school board for District 2, which makes the final decision. Please attend this important meeting, on January 16 at 6:30 PM, to help decide on this issue.
January 16 was also scheduled for the date of our spaghetti dinner, but it has been postponed until April. The exact date will be announced shortly. In past years, the school principal graciously made and served spaghetti to parents and children, giving everyone a chance for a fun get-together. Our current principal, Sherry Gregory, agreed to resume this tradition, but the timing so soon after the holidays was not workable.

NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY
The New Year’s Eve Big Band Dance at the Manhattan Park Theater Club was lots of fun and even made about $500 for the PTA, which we will use, as with all our funds, to support school activities. Our thanks to all who helped make it a success: Sandra Morbito, Rose McCarthy, Fay Christian, Pete and the custodial staff, Dick Lutz, editor of the Main Street Wire, Robin Russell of River Music, Carol Elbaz, Aleena Hawkins, Julie of Julie’s Sports Bar, Israel Wengerd from the farmers market, Gristedes, the staff of Manhattan Park, Delores Green of the senior center, and the Main Street Theatre.

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES
In addition to the New Year’s Eve party, other recent school events have brought in new funding for the PTA’s support of school activities and programs. The book fair resulted in purchases totalling more than $3,300, of which the PTA retained about $1,000. In addition, Scholastic gave us a $100 bonus to buy books because of the success of the book fair. The winter music concert brought in $855, which went into the repair fund to maintain the band’s musical instruments.
The school recently was visited by members of the Tuskegee Airmen, the historic group of African-American pilots who performed heroically during World War II. Students had an opportunity to meet the heroes, hear their stories, and ask questions.
The annual International Dinner is scheduled for Wednesday, February 6. This event is usually one of the highlights of the school year, giving us an opportunity to celebrate the cultural diversity of our community. Families are asked to prepare their favorite dishes from their home countries, and everyone is invited to attend to sample these delicious main courses, appetizers, and desserts. Please note the date, and please come with food. Volunteers are needed. Please contact either Sandra Morbito at 223-1975, Rose McCarthy at 588-0388 or Erin Feely-Nahem at 339-0016.