THE MESSENGER
December 2008/January 2009
Principal’s Message
Hello Midtown West. Thanksgiving has come and gone but we have much to be thankful for in our school community. I am thankful for the great support and assistance that we continue to receive in our community. Parents have carried books and music supplies to our new library and music room. Everyone is so excited to be "almost" in our new space. Without everyone in this community helping and funding this project it would not have happened. Our teachers and students have been very patient as they waited for the rooms to open. Thank you all for this much needed help.
Please pay attention to notes from classrooms as well as the December calendar that came out. This month is full of activities at Midtown West. I wouldn't want anyone to miss out or be late for one of these events.
Book Club was a huge success this month. We will be reading Julie of the Wolves for the January meeting. Copies of the book are available in the main office. We love to have new members join and will continue to discuss children's literature and comprehension strategies during these sessions. Happy reading over the holidays.
Reading is essential in our students development. Try to carve out some time at home to read with your child or to listen to your child read. I hope you will find this a rewarding experience and be assured that your involvement will propel your child to new academic heights. We can all get so busy that it is easy to do "something else,” but it is a great gift to your children when you listen to their reading. We have wonderful students at MTW and much of it is due to wonderful parent involvement, great teachers, and dedicated students. Keep up the great work.
Please remember that if you have questions or concerns you should first speak with your child's teacher. My office is always open and all of you who know me will understand when I say "I love to talk." Kidding aside, please see me if there is any way in which I might be able to support your family or your child. Thank you all again for making this one of the most positive educational communities I have ever had the opportunity to work in. Your support is evidenced in your children's academic progress and the behavior that they showcase during the school day. All the best during this hectic time.
Sincerely,
Dean
FUNDRAISING
We start with a round of applause! Erika, Trini, and Mary’s 80’s Night earned MTW $8,000! And to think they did all the hard work—all we had to do was dance to the Village People!! ( Ladies, words are not enough to thank you—perhaps a lifetime supply of hair mousse? ) THANK YOU! We would also like to thank the amazing China Club for donating their space and refreshments.
A second drum roll please…this time for Elena: gift wrap and bulbs brought in approximately $7,000! And remember, Innisbrook is available all year round—online. Make sure Midtown West is your school (or enter our school code 101672) of choice and we get 50% or whatever you and your loved ones spend on the website: Tell everyone you know….
And since we’re talking about online shopping, have you signed up with Onecause yet?? Peternelle has circulated information on how to make the site work. Give it a try before you do all your holiday shopping online, and let your favorite companies give Midtown West money. Here’s how you start: Go to www.onecause.com. If you want a really quick and easy explanation of the site, click on “take a tour” OR you can just get started. Here’s what to do: Click on “join now” in the window on the center of the screen, or “join” in the upper right corner of the screen. You can follow the directions from there. (If for some reason you have problems with this, it may be because you already had an account with Schoolpop.com. If so, try plugging in your info for that account, and proceed from there.) After you’ve registered and it’s time to choose your cause, note that there are two categories: causes and schools. You want to click on schools. Then choose the state and type in Midtown West. Our school should come up immediately as Midtown West School-PTA. It’s that simple!
And while you’re happily supporting Midtown West by shopping in the virtual world, don’t forget to check your pockets for a real world way to help out Midtown West: Common Cents. Look for the big money jar on Friday mornings at drop-off and dump your pockets into it! Every little contribution helps. Let’s face it, we’re all tired of having all that change cluttering up our homes and doing nothing with it!
And while we’re giving . . . please give in the most efficient, completely tax deductible way possible: The Pledge Drive! Whether you can give a little or a lot, this is the easiest way to do it: all proceeds go to MTW and all contributions are tax deductible! We all win! You can give a one-time donation or sign up for monthly donations. Using the fundraising button on our website, you can pay early, late, or in-between with PayPal. We accept Mastercard, Visa, Amex, Discover, debit cards, checks, and cash! Check at your job for Corporate Matching Grants. Keep on pledging!
Do you own scissors? Try cutting out BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION—found on many products located on your grocery store aisles and kitchen cabinet shelves. Drop them in the marked envelopes by your child's classroom.
TAKE A “STANCE”! Our own Jodi Moccia (Mary), international and B’way choreographer, is currently teaching an exercise class at MTW. Classes are held every Monday at 8:45AM, Wednesday at 9:00AM and Friday at 9:00AM (works around MTW meeting schedules). Price is $15 per class. They are held in the PPAS 5th floor dance studio. ALL PROCEEDS GO TO MTW!!! Contact: Jodi Moccia
SPECIAL FUNDRAISING ORIENTATION—WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, AT 8:45 IN THE FAMILY CENTER
Lastly . . . auction arrangements…need to be made, and we need your help! Please come forward if you’re good at soliciting, have excellent computer skills and unlimited babysitting, we want you to take over! Seriously, we did amazingly well last year, but we don’t want to rest on our laurels. Please contact Andi or Marion if you have fun fundraising ideas and, even more timely, please contact them to volunteer for the auction! Please also start thinking about ways you can help—soliciting? Running the food banquet? Following up on possible offers for goods and/or services.? Merging documents? Creating spread sheets? Any and all will be helpful! Please let us know at midtownwestfundraising@gmail.com.
Look for information about upcoming events . . . holiday wine sale . . . family bowling night . . . wine tasting . . . and more!
Fundraising Committee Co-Chairs:
Marion Mackles (Jennifer)
Andrea Casson (Jessica)
MTW Holiday Wine & Spirits Sale!
Fill your home with spirits this holiday season--we're talking the fun kind, not from Dickens but from Vintner on Ninth!
Dale Weiner and Mitchel Cohen (Gina's class) are offering an MTW DAY to all MTW families and staff.
Monday, December 8, between 9AM and 7PM, all profits made on sales to the MTW community will go to the school.
Vintner on Ninth, 669 9th Ave, between 46th and 47th streets: wine and spirits, champagne, neighborhood delivery, case discounts, cash, credit/debit cards.
No sales tax will be charged, and no ghosts from Christmases past will appear!
PTA Co-presidents message
Dear Midtown West Families:
Traditionally, the end of the year is time to say “thank you” and we again are using this opportunity to thank the principal, assistant principal, teachers, administrative support staff, and building personnel for providing a great educational experience for our children in a safe and nurturing environment. We also would like to thank all the families at MTW for their dedication. There are no small or big jobs we are doing to support our children and the school and all of them are greatly appreciated.
We would like to thank our administration for setting a good example of positive attitude dealing with current and prospective cuts of the MTW budget. From our side we would like to build a reserve of PTA funds to be able to partially compensate for such cuts, if needed. It means we need your help to raise as much money as we can. The first three months of the school year showed your active participation in various fundraisers and we would like to thank all who helped to organize and managed our well-established and quite successful newly introduced fundraising projects and to everybody who supported them. Please read the Fundraising column on page 3 to see what you can do next.
We want to remind you that the money raised by the PTA pays for arts enrichment programs (i.e., Studio in a School, Teachers and Writers Collaborative), day trips, the Bank Street College liaison, classroom supplies, maintaining the garden, and much, much more. It would be a big loss if we have to drop some of these “extras,” which actually make our school such a desirable place.
Our December PTA meeting will be held in the Auditorium before the Winter Concert on December 4, but we will see you all in the halls, classrooms, and the Family Center.
Greetings and happy holidays to all of you.
--Elena van Schendel (Nicole, Kay) and Jennifer Collins (Jeremy, Yolene)
DECEMBER CALENDAR
DEC 1 MON PTA Executive Board meeting, Family Center, 8:15am
DEC 2 TUE School Tour, Family Center, 8:45am
DEC 3 WED Asian Cultural Connections Committee meeting, Library, 8:45am
DEC 4 THU Extended Day closes early before the concert; pick-up at 5:30pm
DEC 4 THU 5th grade pre-concert dinner, Cafeteria, 5:30pm
DEC 4 THU Brief PTA meeting before concert, Auditorium, 6:15pm
**There will be no Friday morning PTA meeting in December**
DEC 4 THU Winter Concert, Auditorium, 6:30pm
DEC 5 FRI MLK Committee meeting, Art Room #316, 8am
DEC 5 FRI Fundraising Committee meeting, Family Center, 8:45am
DEC 8 MON Volunteer Orientation, Family Center, 8:45
DEC 9 TUE Garden Committee meeting, Cafeteria, 8:45am
DEC 10 WED School Tour, Family Center, 8:45am
DEC 12 FRI Fundraising Committee meeting, Family Center, 8:45am
DEC 15 MON SLT meeting, Library, 4pm
DEC 16 TUE School Tour, Family Center, 8:45am
DEC 17 WED Class Rep meeting, Family Center, 8:50am
DEC 18 THU Principal’s Breakfast, Family Center, 8:45am
DEC 19 FRI Fundraising Committee meeting, Family Center, 8:45am
DEC 19 FRI 1st grade bake sale, Cafeteria, 3pm-6pm
DEC 22 MON Extended Day Committee meeting, Extended Day Office, 6pm-8pm
DEC 24 WED WINTER RECESS, NO SCHOOL through Friday, January 2
JANUARY CALENDAR
JAN 5 MON 1st day of school
JAN 7 WED School Tour, Family Center, 8:45am
JAN 9 FRI Fundraising Committee meeting, Family Center, 8:45am
JAN 12 MON PTA Executive Board meeting, Dean’s Office, 8:15am
JAN 12 MON School Tour, Family Center, 8:45am
JAN 12 MON SLT meeting, Library, 4pm
JAN 13 TUE ELA Testing for 3rd, 4th, 5th grades
JAN 13 TUE Garden Committee meeting, Cafeteria, 8:45am
JAN 14 WED ELA Testing for 3rd, 4th, 5th grades
JAN 14 WED Class Rep meeting, Cafeteria, 8:50am
JAN 15 THU ELA Testing 4th grade
JAN 15 THU PTA meeting, Family Center, 6pm
JAN 16 FRI PTA meeting, Family Center, 9am
JAN 16 FRI Kindergarten Bakesale, Cafeteria, 3pm-6pm
JAN 19 MON NO SCHOOL, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
JAN 21 WED School Tour, Family Center, 8:45am
JAN 22 THU Extended Day closes early before MLK celebration, pick-up at 5:30pm
JAN 22 THU Martin Luther King Dinner & Concert, Cafeteria & Auditorium, 5:30/6:30pm
JAN 23 FRI Fundraising Committee meeting, Family Center, 8:45am
JAN 26 MON Extended Day Committee meeting, Extended Day Office, 6pm-8pm
JAN 27 TUE Book Club, Family Center, 8:45am
JAN 29 THU Principal’s Breakfast, Family Center, 8:45am
JAN 30 FRI Fundraising Committee meeting, Family Center, 8:45am
EARLY FEBRUARY CALENDAR
FEB 6 FRI Fundraising Committee meeting, Family Center, 8:45am
FEB 6 FRI 3rd grade bake sale, Cafeteria, 3pm-6pm
Inch by Inch, Row by Row
The MTW Children’s Garden has been put to bed for the winter, after planting an ample supply of spring bulbs by the children and parents! Thank you to everyone who participated in the bulb and bedding events, as well as those who generously contributed the bulbs. We all look forward to the splendid display that will come in the early spring.
As the garden begins its winter rest, the MTW Green Team is having a lively discussion on the subject of “Nature Deficit Disorder.” In case you’re not familiar with the term, it refers to the fact that by spending so much of their free time indoors plugged into computers, videogames, television, and mp3 players, many children are becoming alienated from the natural world. There is a growing body of scientific research that shows that children exposed to nature thrive in intellectual, physical, and spiritual ways. Given that MTW is so fortunate to have its own natural urban oasis in the Children’s Garden, the MTW Green Team is trying to identify ways to maximize its usage. The Green Team welcomes any new suggestions and volunteers from the MTW community.
Anyone with an interest in joining the Garden Committee should contact Aimee Margolis or Elena van Schendel or just sign–up on the bulletin board across from the office. Meetings take place on the second Tuesday of every month at 8:50 AM in the cafeteria. Next meeting: Tuesday, December 9, see you there!
—Sharon Daly (Gina, Mary)
Lost & Found
Please check out the Lost & Found at the top of staircase #3 under the bench (next to the copy machine room.) We’ve collected a lot of hats, gloves, sweatshirts, and even coats although, amazingly, no one ever seems to find anything. It’s always a mystery. So please come and look through the boxes for your child’s lost clothing. We will donate the collection by Friday, December 5, to start anew on Monday, December 8.
Family Center
Please see the monthly schedule and the weekly e-mail reminders for upcoming family meetings and events. We all want to communicate more successfully. Check out the glass bulletin boards as you enter the building, notices on the sign-in table, and the PTA bulletin board across from the main office. Please see the monthly schedule and the weekly e-mail reminders for our upcoming family workshops. Be sure to check out our new website at: midtownwest.net.
The Asian Cultural Connection Committee is considering moving the annual breakfast, usually held in January, to an evening in March in order to include children in the event. So if you miss the date on the January calendar, don’t worry. It is evolving and will surely become a wonderful evening celebration.
Our next book club meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 27 (no meeting in December). The book to be discussed is Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George.
--Tisa Farley, Parent Coordinator
Extended Day
All children must fill out an Activity Selection Form asap for the second semester, which begins February 1. Look for these selection forms in mid-December. They will be e-mailed to Extended Day families and hard copies will be available on the office door. Please return asap, no later than Tuesday, December 23 (the last day before winter break). Activities are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Even if you want the exact same activities you must return a completed form. You do not need to fill out a new registration packet unless you are registering for the first time. Remember: kindergarten children can sign up for one structured activity each day and one kindergarten activity. Please consider the appropriate age levels.
If you are not receiving your monthly statements via email, please let us know immediately, preferably by email. We may need to correct your email address and you should make sure that our emails are not going into your spam file. (You can also pick-up a hard copy of your statement in the ED office.) Please note the actual balance on your statement. Many families pay an arbitrary amount that is not reflected on the statement. This makes reading the statement much more challenging.
Please remember:
• Tuition payments are due the first of each month. A $15 late fee will be charged after the 10th.
• We will strictly adhere to the policy that all monthly tuition payments must be kept current and paid in full every month. There will be no extended payment plans if balances carry over into the next month.
• Children will not be able to continue the program the next month if they have an outstanding balance. Parents’ deposits will be used to pay the outstanding balance and the family will be required to pay a new deposit and the new month’s tuition in advance before the child can return to the program.
New email contacts at Extended Day:
For general information: mtwextendedday@verizon.net
To contact the director: director.mtwed@verizon.net
For scheduling issues: registrar.mtwed@verizon.net
For billing questions: billing.mtwed@verizon.net
If you have any questions concerning your child’s schedule or anything else concerning Extended Day, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am always available for any questions or concerns about the Extended Day Program. Please consider joining the Extended Day Committee. Meetings are the last Monday of every month. Childcare is available with prior notice.
--Tisa Farley, Extended Day Director
A Little History
Many families have shown an interest in hearing more about MTW history. As a member of this community for nineteen years, first as a parent of two children attending MTW and then as a staff member for the last eleven years, I know much of that history and am happy to share some of it with folks who are interested.
About Extended Day: Midtown West began in 1989 as an inter-age, early childhood learning center modeled on Bank Street School for Children, with only a few classes in the early grades (including a pre-k) and plans to grow through 5th grade as those initial classes aged. The Extended Day program also began that first year, originally as a District 2 initiative but soon evolved into a real parent co-op. The goal was always to provide safe, enriching childcare for children of working parents while preserving a sense of continuity and “extending” the school environment through the day. To meet this goal, staff members were utilized as much as possible. What better way to insure that sense of continuity than for children to spend their after school time with their own and other cherished MTW teachers?
Over those first years parents also taught some classes and did everything else to facilitate the smooth running of the program. The first year there were approximately 40 students. Parent volunteers, within the structure of the Extended Day Committee, did all the bookkeeping, payroll, hiring, scheduling, ordering supplies…everything. After a few years, an MTW teacher was hired as a part-time director to oversee the program onsite and help with programming. Finally, a part-time bookkeeper and payroll company were added but the ED Committee was still heavily involved in the hands-on management of the program.
When I entered the picture in 1997 we had approximately 70 children. Parent volunteers were really ready to hand over the day-to-day operations to a new director but maintained a supervisory role that the ED Committee still retains. The MTW community had known me, at that point, in various roles as PTA president, member of the District 2 School Board, a strong parent representative and advocate, director of the Family Center, and alumni of Bank Street’s graduate program, as well as mother of three children.
Extended Day grew at an amazing rate. We increased in size almost 20% each year for several years until evening off around 180 students enrolled. With parent input from the EDC we started experimenting with bringing in various outside organizations to engage children in new ways, adding to our MTW staff. Some of the outside programs included Circus Minimus, Dazzling Discoveries, SwimJim, Fencing, Languages, Baseball, Soccer, Chess, Tai Kwon Do, Karate, Studio in a School, Anti-Gravity, TADA!, and Violin. Some activities still remain in our schedule and others have phased out. We are always interested in growing and trying new things.
Although we are no longer exactly a parent co-op we have always held onto that spirit in the community. We have functioned all these years under the umbrella of the PTA and have finally grown large enough to separate and form our own not-for-profit organization. We will continue under a similar structure with parents forming the supervisory ED Committee and retaining their sense of ownership in their children’s after school experience.
--Tisa Farley, Extended Day Director
