Weekly Newsletter

COMING UP


March 15 - Lip Sync Battle, 6:00pm

March 19 - Armory Visit for Grades 2-5 - Volunteers Still Needed - Sign Up

March 20 - PTA General Meeting, 6:30pm

March 21 - 4th Grade Shakespeare Performances, 10am & 1pm

March 22 - 4th Grade Shakespeare Performances, 10am & 1pm

March 26 - SLT Meeting, 4pm

March 27 - 2nd Grade City Worker Day

April 2 & 3- ELA State Tests for 3rd - 5th grades

April 8 - PTA Exec Meeting, 6:30pm

April 9 - Armory Visit for Grades 2-5 - Volunteers Still Needed - Sign Up

April 12 - Kids Heart Challenge, during recess

April 13 - PS 154’s Science Fair







SAVE THE DATE FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS

PTA 5K FUN RUN
Sat, May 11 in Prospect Park

CYCLONES GAME
FRIDAY, JUNE 14 at MCU Stadium in Coney Island

SPRING TEXTILE DRIVE
APRIL 15-18
Start saving clothes, shoes, sneakers, hats, linens, towels, handbags, and belts!

TAKE THE NYC SCHOOL SURVEY

CALLING ALL PARENTS & GUARDIANS
DEADLINE IS APRIL 3

Give us your honest opinion. Your feedback helps improve our school.

Complete the Survey online in five easy steps!

  1. Go to nycschoolsurvey.org

  2. Click on the link to the parent & guardian survey

  3. Enter your access code (found on the paper survey given out at Parent Teacher Conferences OR through the code lookup tool on the survey login page)

  4. Complete the survey

  5. Click “Submit”

Contact Debby Wattenbarger at dwattenbarger@schools.nyc.gov with questions.

For help getting an access code, call 1-877-819-2363.


City Worker Day for 2nd Grade!

NEW DATE: March 27, 8:40am

Are you a city worker? Have you ever worked for the city? Come join the second grade at our assembly on March 5th! We are looking for volunteers to talk with the students about what you do and how you help the city. We will sing and have a celebration to thank you for your hard work!  Contact Ms. Varriale to volunteer at lvarriale@ps154.org




LIPSYNC01-email.jpg


LIP SYNC BATTLE

FRI, MARCH 15, 6:30-8:30PM
DOORS OPEN 6pm, PERFORMANCES START AT 6:30
FREE WITH SIGNUP

You’re invited to our first-ever Lip Sync Battle!  This is a FREE EVENT, brought to you by the PTA of PS 154!

Bring your best lip syncing performance to our MMR stage!  Please sign up below, indicating which song you will lip sync.  Also, please consider signing up as a group -- due to time constraints, we will cap the performances at 30 songs.  

PARENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO COMPETE! Things to consider: your costume, props...  There will be [meaningful, inexpensive] awards in every category!

SIGN UP TO PERFORM




PTA MEETING FEATURING A PRESENTATION ON RESPONSIVE PARENTING

WED, MARCH 20 AT 6:30-8:30 PM IN THE MMR
FREE!

Babysitting and pizza will be available for school aged children for a suggested donation of $5 per child

THE PRESENTATION: RESPONSIVE PARENTING: INTENTIONAL LANGUAGE AND EMOTIONALLY RESPONSIVE TECHNIQUES TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD

Carolyn Lyons, a gifted and experienced expert in child development and communications, will lead an interactive discussion that will provide participants with specific verbal prompts, questions, and responses to use to strategically support children.

Carolyn Lyons is a Certified School Counselor with over 15 years of experience working with children in educational and therapeutic settings. She worked as a Child and Family Therapist at Joseph J. Peters Institute in Philadelphia. She has worked in the counseling offices of P.S. 120 and P.S. 506 in Brooklyn. She is currently Director and Lead Teacher at Chickpeas Cooperative Preschool in Park Slope.

anxiety-email.jpg


HELPING YOUR CHILD COPE WITH ANXIETY

THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 6:30-8:00PM IN THE MMR
FREE!

This talk is open to the community
Babysitting available for school aged children for a suggested donation of $5 per child

Rates of anxiety among young people in America have been increasing steadily for the past 70 years. Does your child have anxiety? In this workshop, former 154 parent Neil Weintraub, LCSW, will help parents identify signs of anxiety in children and discuss short-term relief and long-term solutions. He will help parents distinguish between common stress/worry and clinical anxiety. He will also help parents to identify ways in which they unknowingly put pressure on their children and discuss strategies for changing the dynamic.

Neil Weintraub works with children to help them develop an age-appropriate understanding of their challenges and utilize their strengths to make a plan. He specializes in children and adolescents struggling with anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and general social difficulties. Neil sees clients individually and in social skills groups designed to help children with real-world social interactions. He is also the social worker for the ASD Nest Program at PS 32 in Brooklyn.

Weekly Newsletter

COMING UP

March 8 - American Heart Association Assembly-Kids Heart Challenge Kick Off
March 12 - Armory Visit for Grades 2-5 - Volunteers Needed - Sign Up
March 13 - Testing Info Session with Mr. Buckley for 3-5th grade parents, 8:30am in the MMR
March 14 - Parent Teacher Conferences, 11:30am dismissal
March 15 - Lip Sync Battle, 6:30pm
March 19 - Armory Visit for Grades 2-5 - Volunteers Needed - Sign Up
March 20 - PTA General Meeting, 6:30pm
March 21 - 4th Grade Shakespeare Performances, 10am & 1pm
March 22 - 4th Grade Shakespeare Performances, 10am & 1pm
March 26 - School Leadership Team Meeting, 4pm
March 27 - 2nd Grade City Worker Day
March 28 - Helping Your Child Cope with Anxiety, 6:30pm
April 2 & 3- ELA State Tests for 3rd - 5th grades



SAVE THE DATE FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS

PTA 5K FUN RUN
Sat, May 11 in Prospect Park

CYCLONES GAME
FRIDAY, JUNE 14 at MCU Stadium in Coney Island

SPRING TEXTILE DRIVE
APRIL 15-18
Start saving clothes, shoes, sneakers, hats, linens, towels, handbags, and belts!


PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

THURS, March 14, DISMISSAL AT 11:30 AM

Appointment slips went home last week. Please return them as soon as possible.

Please note, it is difficult to meet with everyone in the short time teachers are given for this. Teachers are allotted a limited amount of time on this day to discuss your child's progress so we are asking that you arrive on time to your appointments. If you are late, you will most likely have to reschedule for another date. If you have other concerns that aren't able to be discussed, please send a note to your teacher to meet at another time.

In addition, if you cannot meet on March 14 during the times available (12:30–2:30 pm or 4:30-7:30 pm), please make alternate arrangements directly with your teachers. Throughout the year, dedicated time for parents to conference with teachers is on Tuesdays after school. You can contact your child’s teacher for more information about this parent time.

You can contact your teacher directly if you have questions, or contact our Parent Coordinator, Debby Wattenbarger, at dwattenbarger@schools.nyc.gov.

TAKE THE NYC SCHOOL SURVEY

CALLING ALL PARENTS & GUARDIANS
DEADLINE IS APRIL 3

Give us your honest opinion. Your feedback helps improve our school.

Complete the Survey online in five easy steps!

  1. Go to nycschoolsurvey.org

  2. Click on the link to the parent & guardian survey

  3. Enter your access code (found on the paper survey given out at Parent Teacher Conferences OR through the code lookup tool on the survey login page)

  4. Complete the survey

  5. Click “Submit”

Contact Debby Wattenbarger at dwattenbarger@schools.nyc.gov with questions.

For help getting an access code, call 1-877-819-2363.


City Worker Day for 2nd Grade!

NEW DATE: March 27, 8:40am

Are you a city worker? Have you ever worked for the city? Come join the second grade at our assembly on March 5th! We are looking for volunteers to talk with the students about what you do and how you help the city. We will sing and have a celebration to thank you for your hard work!  Contact Ms. Varriale to volunteer at lvarriale@ps154.org





SchoolDays_Tea March 2019.jpg


TEA SCHOOL DAYS FUNDRAISER

March 4-11

Get a jump on spring clothing at a discount and help earn money back to our school with Tea’s School Days next week!  

LIPSYNC01-email.jpg


LIP SYNC BATTLE

FRI, MARCH 15, 6:30-8:30PM
DOORS OPEN 6pm, PERFORMANCES START AT 6:30
FREE WITH SIGNUP

You’re invited to our first-ever Lip Sync Battle!  This is a FREE EVENT, brought to you by the PTA of PS 154!

Bring your best lip syncing performance to our MMR stage!  Please sign up below, indicating which song you will lip sync.  Also, please consider signing up as a group -- due to time constraints, we will cap the performances at 30 songs.  

PARENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO COMPETE! Things to consider: your costume, props...  There will be [meaningful, inexpensive] awards in every category!

SIGN UP TO PERFORM




PTA MEETING FEATURING A PRESENTATION ON RESPONSIVE PARENTING

WED, MARCH 20 AT 6:30-8:30 PM IN THE MMR
FREE!

Babysitting and pizza will be available for school aged children for a suggested donation of $5 per child

THE PRESENTATION: RESPONSIVE PARENTING: INTENTIONAL LANGUAGE AND EMOTIONALLY RESPONSIVE TECHNIQUES TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD

Carolyn Lyons, a gifted and experienced expert in child development and communications, will lead an interactive discussion that will provide participants with specific verbal prompts, questions, and responses to use to strategically support children.

Carolyn Lyons is a Certified School Counselor with over 15 years of experience working with children in educational and therapeutic settings. She worked as a Child and Family Therapist at Joseph J. Peters Institute in Philadelphia. She has worked in the counseling offices of P.S. 120 and P.S. 506 in Brooklyn. She is currently Director and Lead Teacher at Chickpeas Cooperative Preschool in Park Slope.

anxiety-email.jpg


HELPING YOUR CHILD COPE WITH ANXIETY

THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 6:30-8:00PM IN THE MMR
FREE!

This talk is open to the community
Babysitting available for school aged children for a suggested donation of $5 per child

Rates of anxiety among young people in America have been increasing steadily for the past 70 years. Does your child have anxiety? In this workshop, former 154 parent Neil Weintraub, LCSW, will help parents identify signs of anxiety in children and discuss short-term relief and long-term solutions. He will help parents distinguish between common stress/worry and clinical anxiety. He will also help parents to identify ways in which they unknowingly put pressure on their children and discuss strategies for changing the dynamic.

Neil Weintraub works with children to help them develop an age-appropriate understanding of their challenges and utilize their strengths to make a plan. He specializes in children and adolescents struggling with anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and general social difficulties. Neil sees clients individually and in social skills groups designed to help children with real-world social interactions. He is also the social worker for the ASD Nest Program at PS 32 in Brooklyn.


Community NEWS

CCELL (Citywide Council on English Language Learners)

Chancellor Town Hall Meeting
March 12, at 6:30pm
Location: Tweed, 52 Chambers Street, 2nd Floor Conference Room

Please see flyers for more information: English, Spanish & Chinese

29281_CCELL_TownHall_03.12.19_V2_Chinese.jpg
29281_CCELL_TownHall_03.12.19_V2_Spanish.jpg
CCELL_TownHall_03.12.19_V2_English.jpg




Weekly Newsletter

COMING UP

March 1 - Movie Night - with a LIVE PERFORMANCE!, 6pm
March 4 - PTA Executive Board Meeting, 8:15am
March 5 - City Worker Day! (see info below)
March 7 - Spring Gala!
March 8 - American Heart Association Assembly - Kids Heart Challenge Kick Off
March 12 - Armory Visit for Grades 2-5 - Volunteers Still Needed - Sign Up
March 14 - Parent Teacher Conferences, 11:30am dismissal
March 15 - Lip Sync Battle, 6pm
March 19 - Armory Visit for Grades 2-5 - Volunteers Still Needed - Sign Up
March 20 - PTA General Meeting, 6:30pm
March 21 - 4th Grade Shakespeare Performances, 10am & 1pm
March 22 - 4th Grade Shakespeare Performances, 10am & 1pm




SPRING GALA IS NEXT WEEK! JOIN US!

THURSDAY, MARCH 7
7 - 10 PM AT THE PICNIC HOUSE IN PROSPECT PARK

Join us for a fundraising event masquerading as a extraordinarily fun party with open bar, hors d'oeuvres, dancing and a live auction! (for grownups only, festive attire). Let’s raise money for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) at PS 154!  

SAVE $ ON TICKETS!

Now is the time to book your tickets if you haven’t already. Get a group of friends together and save! Book 3 for $250 or 5 for $400, now through Sunday, March 3.
Tickets are available here!

DONATE COOL STUFF

We still need your creativity — what items, sponsorships, or donations can you connect our Gala team with?
DONATE HERE

YOU CAN START BIDDING NOW!

We’re adding new items to our auction preview every week until the Gala. Check out silent items, available for your bids now, and live items exclusive to attendees (marked "preview only")! Don’t forget to throw your hat in the ring for our class pizza party and 50/50 raffles

Please reach out to Spring Gala Chair, Jenny Dumlao or Events Chair, Jess Wright if you want to join the Spring Gala team, or with any questions about the event.


aristocats.jpg


MOVIE NIGHT: ARISTOCATS PLAY + MOVIE  

FRIDAY, MAR 1, 6:00-8:30PM

JOIN US for “Movie Night” featuring a special presentation of the Aristocats by the Broadway Jr. club’s after-school students

Come see PS 154 students in a production of Aristocats, featuring all the same comforts of a typical movie night, with a new twist: first, we’ll watch the play, and then we’ll enjoy the movie!



Save the date FOR THE PTA 5K FUN RUN

Sat, May 11 IN PROSPECT PARK




City Worker Day for 2nd Grade!

March 5, 8:40am

Are you a city worker? Have you ever worked for the city? Come join the second grade at our assembly on March 5th! We are looking for volunteers to talk with the students about what you do and how you help the city. We will sing and have a celebration to thank you for your hard work!  Contact Ms. Varriale to volunteer at lvarriale@ps154.org

SchoolDays_Tea March 2019.jpg


TEA SCHOOL DAYS FUNDRAISER

March 4-11

Get a jump on spring clothing at a discount and help earn money back to our school with Tea’s School Days next week!  

LIPSYNC01-email.jpg


LIP SYNC BATTLE

FRI, MARCH 15, 6:00-8:30PM
FREE WITH SIGNUP
DOORS OPEN AT 6:00PM; PERFORMANCES START AT 6:30PM.  

You’re invited to our first-ever Lip Sync Battle!  This is a FREE EVENT, brought to you by the PTA of PS 154!

Bring your best lip syncing performance to our MMR stage!  Please sign up below, indicating which song you will lip sync.  Also, please consider signing up as a group -- due to time constraints, we will cap the performances at 30 songs.  

PARENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO COMPETE! Things to consider: your costume, props...  There will be [meaningful, inexpensive] awards in every category!

SIGN UP TO PERFORM




PTA MEETING FEATURING A PRESENTATION ON RESPONSIVE PARENTING

WED, MARCH 20 AT 6:30-8:30 PM IN THE MMR
FREE!

Babysitting and pizza will be available for school aged children for a suggested donation of $5 per child

THE PRESENTATION: RESPONSIVE PARENTING: INTENTIONAL LANGUAGE AND EMOTIONALLY RESPONSIVE TECHNIQUES TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD

Carolyn Lyons, a gifted and experienced expert in child development and communications, will lead an interactive discussion that will provide participants with specific verbal prompts, questions, and responses to use to strategically support children.

Carolyn Lyons is a Certified School Counselor with over 15 years of experience working with children in educational and therapeutic settings. She worked as a Child and Family Therapist at Joseph J. Peters Institute in Philadelphia. She has worked in the counseling offices of P.S. 120 and P.S. 506 in Brooklyn. She is currently Director and Lead Teacher at Chickpeas Cooperative Preschool in Park Slope.

Weekly Newsletter

COMING UP

Feb 18 - Feb 22 - NO SCHOOL - Mid Winter Break
Feb 26 - Armory Visit for Grades 2-5 - Volunteers Still Needed - Sign Up
Feb 28 - PS 154 Parenting Book Club, 6:30 pm
March 1 - Movie Night, 6 pm
March 5 - City Worker Day! (see info below)
March 7 - Spring Gala!
March 8 - American Heart Association Assembly-Kids Heart Challenge Kick Off
March 12 - Armory Visit for Grades 2-5 - Volunteers Still Needed - Sign Up
March 14 - Parent Teacher Conferences, 11:30 am dismissal
March 15 - Lip Sync Battle, 6:00 pm

A NOTE FROM OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM

The Makerspace is open for business! Read more about it here

WE ❤️ PS 154
ANNUAL FUND DONATIONS ARE BEING MATCHED THROUGH 2/18!

Thanks to an anonymous Valentine, all donations made between 2/14 and 2/18 will be matched, up to $1,000. Please donate today, so we can maximize these funds for our school — no amount is too small!!
DONATE HERE

CITY WORKER DAY FOR 2nd GRADE!

March 5, 8:40 am

Are you a city worker? Have you ever worked for the city? Come join the second grade at our assembly on March 5th! We are looking for volunteers to talk with the students about what you do and how you help the city. We will sing and have a celebration to thank you for your hard work!  Contact Ms. Varriale to volunteer at lvarriale@ps154.org




THE SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) COMMITTEE'S PS 154 PARENTING BOOK CLUB!

THURS, FEB 28 AT 6:30 PM IN THE MMR

*Please* join us for the third book club meeting! For this half of the school year, we are doing a deep dive into the work of Dr. Laura Markham, a psychologist, parenting expert, best-selling author and mom who happens to be local to Brooklyn! Her writing and coaching are beautifully aligned with the PS 154 Parent SEL Committee’s goals of parenting through building connection, positive discipline and deepening our children’s and our own emotional intelligence.  

Book: “Peaceful Parents, Happy Kids,” by Dr. Laura Markham
Get a book discount from Terrace Books
MORE INFO HERE



SPRING GALA

THURSDAY, MARCH 7
7 - 10 PM AT THE PICNIC HOUSE IN PROSPECT PARK

Join us for a fundraising event masquerading as a extraordinarily fun party with open bar, hors d'oeuvres, dancing and a live auction! (for grownups only, festive attire). Let’s raise money for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) at PS 154!  

SAVE $ ON TICKETS!

Save $15 per ticket in our flash sale, valid through 2/18. PS 154’s party of the year is only 20 days away. Kick off mid-winter break daydreaming about your night out in March!
Tickets are available here!

DONATE COOL STUFF

We still need your creativity — what items, sponsorships, or donations can you connect our Gala team with?
DONATE HERE

CHECK OUT WHAT YOU CAN WIN

We’re adding new items to our auction preview every week until the Gala. Check out silent items, available for your bids now, and live items exclusive to attendees (marked "preview only")! Don’t forget to throw your hat in the ring for our class pizza party and 50/50 raffles

Please reach out to Spring Gala Chair, Jenny Dumlao or Events Chair, Jess Wright if you want to join the Spring Gala team, or with any questions about the event.




BoxTops.jpg

Box Tops Deadline is Feb 25!

BoxTops submission is around the corner! Check participating items for an easy way to have money donated back to our school.  Please submit in bags or on a collection sheet to Ms. Guzzi’s office in the MMR.


COMMUNITY EVENTS

Founders Workspace Discount for PS 154 Parents

PS 154 Parents & Founders Workspace Owners, Abby Palanca & Terersa Lagerman are now offering a $25 month discount on full-time desk memberships for the PS 154 community. If interested in learning more or signing up please email us at hello@foundersworkspace.com or visit our website at http://foundersworkspace.com/