Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 PTA Reports On Upcoming School Tour For Prospective Parents, Gifted & Talented Forum, Parents Workshops, Cornell Tech Partnership Presentation, Amalgamated Bank Donation, Amazon Shopping, After School Programs, Christmas Tree Sale, Pizza Making & More

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Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 PTA representative Erin Olavesen reports on this week's programs and services at Roosevelt Island's PS/IS 217.

School Tour for Prospective Families - 8:45am, Tuesday, December 8
Have friends or neighbors with pre-schoolers considering 217? Invite them to the tour!

The kindergarten application period is from December 7 to January 15. Find more information about the process and apply online on the NYC Department of Education website.

Prospective families are invited to learn more about PS/IS 217 at our upcoming tours. Join us on December 8th at 8.45am or December 14th at 6.00pm. Please RSVP to eolavesen@gmail.com.

We're looking forward to meeting you and sharing all that's happening at our school.

Tuesday Parents Workshops

Please join us on Tuesday, October 20 for one of three parent workshops:

• "Science Connections: Connecting Parents to Fun Science Resources",
• "Math Games",
• "Models in Science."

All workshops will be held from 7:50–8:25am. Students may be sent to breakfast while you attend. Flyers have been sent home with more information prior to each workshop. Workshops are open to all 217 families.

We look forward to parenting with you during this Parent Engagement Activity!

Community Board 8 G&T Education Forum at PS/IS 217 - December 14, 6pm

Education Forum on the Gifted and Talented Program at PS 217, Monday, Dec. 14: school tour at 6:00 pm and program at 6:30 pm.

Learn about the G&T test, the G&T curriculum, school choice and options for students.

Bring your questions about the G&T test and how the curriculum differs from the regular curriculum of PS 217, and other topics.

Speakers:

• Daniel Hildreth, Enrollment Director, New York City Department of Education
• Mandana Beckman, Principal, PS/IS 217
• G&T curriculum educators at PS/IS 217
• Parents of students enrolled in the G&T program

Program sponsored by Roosevelt Island Residents Association, Roosevelt Island Committee and Youth and Education Committee of Manhattan Community Board 8, PS/IS 217 and the PTA of PS/IS 217.

For more information, please contact Jeffrey R. Escobar, Chair of the Roosevelt Island Committee of Community Board 8 and President of RIRA at jeffrey.escobar@gmail.com. Visit http://bit.ly/1Pa12oQ.

217PTA Roosevelt Island Annual Christmas Tree Sale

Shop with Amazon and Make Money for 217!

Getting ready to do some holiday shopping? Whenever you shop at the online retailer Amazon go to their website by using our link (HERE) - click on our link BEFORE you add items to you cart! It's hard to tell if you're in the right spot because Amazon does not give any signs that you've used the affiliate link. If you enter Amazon through the link before adding items to your cart and check out within 24 hours, the PTA will receive at least 4% of your total purchase. Bookmark it! Share the link with friends and family! Help 217's PTA expand our reach with more funding.

FREE Family Event: Computer Coding With Cornell Tech - December 10

Amalgamated Bank Supports 217

Amalgamated Bank made a $1000 contribution to our general fund. This isn't the first time Amalgamated has stepped up to support our school. In October, Amalgamated sponsored a booth at the Halloween Carnival and had their Roosevelt Island team along to help our kids build with Construction Kids. Thank you Amalgamated Bank, as well as, Albert Salas, Roosevelt Island Branch Manager, and his team for supporting our students!

PTA General Meeting & 217 Safety Meeting - Wednesday, December 16

Save the date for our next PTA General Membership Meeting - it will be held on Wednesday, December 16, 8:35am in the auditorium.

We need your participation! Topics of discussion will include:

• Updates from 217 Administration
• Updates from PTA board members on Fundraisers including the Annual Fund Donation Drive, Christmas Tree Sale, Pajama Drive
• Upcoming events including Spirit Day, January Dance, and Annual Auction
• Treasurer's Report - do we have enough money to keep our programs?

PTA meeting will begin with 217 SAFETY MEETING presented by our School Safety Team and Assistant Principal Jenn Allen. Join us to learn about:

• An overview of the General Response Protocols (GRPs)
• Tips for Internet Safety/Cyber Bullying Awareness for Parents
• Update on 217 safety campaigns (i.e. completing the evac bags)

After School Survey Follow Up

Thank you for taking the PTA After School Programming Survey. We appreciate the feedback, and understand just how important having more choices for after school activities at 217 is to your family. Due to limited after school PTA volunteers, the only offering next semester will be Bricks4Kidz. The PTA is continuing to evaluate and pursue programming options for Fall 2016.

Please continue to be a part of this discussion by attending our upcoming PTA meeting at 8:45am on Wednesday, December 16th.

Bricks4Kidz After School Program Season 2 Registration

We open registration for Bricks4Kidz Spring Semester 2016!

• register for 12 classes - January-March - your fee would be $360, and you will have an opportunity to sign up for 11 more classes (April-June) later.
• register for 23 classes - January-June - get a 10% discount for signing up till the end of the school year, pay $620 instead of $690.

Please fill out registration form available HERE and submit it along with your payment into PTA mailbox by Friday, December 18 if you would like to register for Bricks4Kidz classes in January.

217 Middle Schoolers Partake in a Pizza Making Cultural Event

Many thanks to Ciro Casella, owner of the San Matteo Pizzeria, and his special chef, Daniele Sellami, who taught 217 Middle Schoolers and their parents how to cook Italian pizza following the traditional recipe. We thank RIRA's Adib Mansour and Lynne Strong-Shinozaki for sponsoring this wonderful cultural event at our school!

Have a great week!