PTA News - May 2015

Flowers blooming with the New York Federal Reserve building in the background, just down the street from Spruce

Families,
Teacher appreciation day is May 5th...and the Gala is fast approaching. Aside from this, the PTA is advocating for making Beekman Street and the parking lot area safer. EB members have been attending 1st precinct meetings and CB1 meetings. Contact pta@sprucestreetnyc.org for more info on how to get involved.

May Meetings

• The May General PTA meeting is on Wed. May 20th @ 8:45am in the Cafeteria

• The May PTA EB meeting is May 1st @8:15am in PTA Room 

• The May SLT meeting is on Tuesday May 19th, 4-5:30pm in the Library.

Hilda Bergman, PTA Co-President, assists at the Spruce Street School booth during Tribeca Family Festival in April

Events

April
Big kudos to Saida Barker & Hilda Bergman & Stacey Kurylo for organizing and making the Tribeca Family Festival booth such a hit. Also, to Saida Barker for connecting Spruce & Peck Slip School families for the Bridge night out on what was a warm April Saturday night.

May
1980s Spring Gala - Saturday May 9th 7-10:30PM in the Gym
Well, it is almost here! Thank you for all the volunteer efforts that go into producing this. We are looking forward to celebrating a fun night of 1980s costumes and revelry with a delicious sampling of appetizers from neighborhood restaurants, plus generous alcohol donations. See you and the rest of our Spruce family on Saturday, May 9th 7-10:30PM.  
Remember: register to bid on both Silent and Live Auction beforehand to avoid long lines at the Gala here: https://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/auctionhome.action?vhost=397 and post your pictures to www.dropbox.com, username: sonnimun@gmail.com, password:spruce397

Science & Math Night at the school - Wednesday May 13th 5-8PM

Basketball on May 19th from 6:15-7:40PM ($5). RSVP, by paying here. 
Please only use this link and not previous ones, since this one is linked to the PTA paypal account. Drinks to follow in Beekman Pub.

Harvest Day - Wed. May 20th in Cafeteria

Student Spring Concert performances by grade - Wed. May 27th - see calendar for details

5th Grade NDI - Final share - Friday May 29th - see calendar for details

Magical Dave - Friday May 29th 6:15-7PM in the Auditorium
We are excited to have Magical Dave, the infamous magician, come back to Spruce on Fri., May 29th, 6:15pm.  The show will be 45 minutes and is expected to sell out.  Tickets are $10 in advance (link will be sent so you can pay via paypal) and $15 at the door.  Dave is a NYC school teacher and a dad and not only brings his rabbit but also a very friendly snake!  He is very funny and silly and we hope you can bring the kids to join us.  We will also need volunteers to help us with check-in and to sell snacks so please look out for updates on Julie's weekly and from class parents.

"Night Market" Under the Stars - Saturday May 30th 6PM-10PM at 207A Front Street, Seaport
Celebrate the start of Summer, get to know your neighbors, and support the Old Seaport Alliance ~ and our neighborhood improvement mission. Please join us for a festive "Night Market" featuring local artisans, wine, beer, sangria and light refreshments from our local restaurants. We will have music and a Raffle with great prizes. A $10 suggested donation goes directly to support the programs of the Old Seaport Alliance. For more information, visit the OSA on Facebook, or at www.oldseaportny.com

Classic Spruce T-shirt in mens, womens and kids sizes.

PTA Executive Board

Treasury
Thank you to those who joined the Audit Committee. These folks are parents that will review the tax return before being signed by the Treasurer amongst other things. If you want to join please reach out to treasurer@sprucestreetnyc.org

The Budget Committee is getting ready to work on the budget for next school year (2015/2016). Please email treasurer@sprucestreetnyc.org if you'd like to participate.

Merchandise
With May 5th being National Teacher Appreciation Day, this is a great opportunity to buy Spruce Merchandise for a teacher at the 'Teacher Price'.

• New oversized beach bag $30,  Teacher Price: $15
• Adult size small hoodie $50, Teacher Price: $30
• Vacuum insulated beverage bottles $25, Teacher Price: $20
• Shop Spruce Apparel

Fundraising
Thank you for your direct appeal contributions. Thank you 5th grade families for funding the 5th Grade graduation, class trip & yearbook. Thank you sponsors for the Gala!

Website/Tech
Class parents, reach out to Shelley, tech@sprucestreetnyc.org, to learn how to update your Classroom page. They are a great, password protected page for posting pictures, assignments or any other classroom specific info.

If you haven't registered, go to your child's classroom page and register. Approval usually happens shortly after but can take up to a week.

Public Relations

• There is a new Spruce Parents forum on Facebook. Check it out here.
• Like the Spruce Facebook page
• Follow @PS397PTA on Twitter

Nominations to EB Next Year
Calling all dedicated Spruce parents! Please consider nominating yourself or others for one of the vacant positions on the PTA Executive Board for our next school year 2015-2016!!! Our search for nominations begins now for the elections that will take place later this year. The PTA pools our collective talent to create, coordinate, and collaborate on some of the most fantastic fundraisers and community building events in lower Manhattan. We put the fun in fundraising but all that fun can’t happen without you!! For more information contact Hilda Bergman at ptapresident@sprucestreetnyc.org. 

'Back to the Future' booth at Tribeca Family Festival in April

Committees

New Programs Committee (NPC) - SLT/PTA
All new program ideas for enrichment are being routed to the SLT first and from there to the NPC for assistance/vetting. If you have any enrichment ideas or questions, please email: slt@sprucestreetnyc.org

Inclusion & Special Education Committee - SLT
For the next meeting please see the calendar for more details.

Communications Committee - SLT
For more info please check the calendar.

Middle School Committee - SLT
Contact Laetitia if you'd like to contribute to this committee. For more info please check the calendar.

Art Committee - PTA
For more info please check the calendar.

Wellness and Green Team - PTA

• The Green Team is excited to announce Spruce Street’s first HARVEST DAY, hosted by Garden to School Cafe, to be held in the cafeteria on Wed, May 20th. A chef will come into school with seasonal and local produce and prepare a special meal for all of our students, staff and teachers to enjoy. If your child usually brings in home lunch, please ask them to consider sharing a special meal with our community that day, as everyone is included!
• The first grade has started their Seed to Market unit and are visiting Battery Urban Farm as well as farmer’s markets. The Green Team will continue to host the EAT WHAT YOU GROW Days in the cafeteria by bringing the produce from the farm to the school salad bar. ALL children are welcome to serve themselves from the salad bar (both school and home lunch kids).
• We would love to encourage parents to volunteer just a few hours with us for both events, particularly K and 1G parents who can learn the ropes and run the events next year. Please contact yasgirl888@icloud.com
  
• We encourage everyone to send their kids to school with the new Spruce Kleen Kanteen water bottle. Our bodies are made up of 70% water and it is important for kids to stay hydrated during the day.

Taste Of The Seaport Committee - PTA
The TOTS Committee is already starting to get ready for the TASTE OF THE SEAPORT on October 17, 2015. Please email Tami Kurtz, tamikj@gmail.com, for more info.

Spirit Project Committee - PTA
The Spirit Project will be happening again in June! Contact Learan Kahanov learan@lkdp.com for more details or to volunteer.

Flowers blooming at the World Financial Center, not far from Spruce Street School

Community

Manhattan Community Board 1 (CB1)
Get involved in the community, attend CB1 Meetings & Events.

1ST Precinct
Attend a 1st precinct community council meeting to learn more about what is going on in our precinct. Meetings are held at 6:30PM on the last Thursday of each month at the First Precinct (16 Ericsson Pl) in Tribeca.

School

Cell Phone Policy
The school updated the cell phone policy, please read with your child here

Front Desk Sign-In
Reminder: everyone must sign-in at the front desk with a photo ID. Fill out all information completely. And please, if you are going to an area of the school different than your stated location, please notify security at the front desk.

School Survey
Thank you for completing the school survey. It will help school leaders understand what key members of the school community say about the learning environment at each school.

3rd, 4th & 5th grade
Congrats on finishing state testing!

During the month of May, all students in grades 3, 4 and 5 will be participating in the Advance Student Survey Pilot. This survey allows students to share their feelings about their learning experience in the classroom. 

Students in grades 3 and up throughout New York City will be participating in this survey, not just Spruce Street School . Please see the link below. It has a letter from the Department of Education regarding the survey, as well as an Opt Out letter, and an FAQ sheet. 

http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/449FE744-41CD-4348-9481-ED1BFF9E5645/0/TripodParentLetter_English.pdf

Please feel free to reach out to Sarah Maiolo, Guidance Counselor, if you have any question or concerns. 
smaiolo@sprucestreetnyc.org 212-266-4800 x1

Thanks for reading!

A tall building and a tall clown at the Tribeca Family Festival in April