March-April 2023 Newsletter

Do you want to get more involved in our schools, collaborate with our school administrators and advocate for students and families?

Consider applying for one of the 10 open positions on the PTSA Executive Committee for the 2023-25 term!

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Co-President #2

Executive Vice President

Assistant Treasurer

Treasurer

COMMUNITY/SCHOOL LIAISONS

VP, Development

Dows Lane VP (2 positions)

Main Street School VP

Irvington Middle School VP

Irvington High School VP

For a list and description of the open positions, visit www.irvingtonnyptsa.org/ecjobs. Curious, but have questions? Email nomcomm@irvingtonnyptsa.org

To apply, click on the button below. Deadline to apply is Monday, April 10, 2023

Calling All IHS Families of Sophomores & Juniors!

Our annual Parent to Parent panel discussion is back and in person! Come and hear from soon-to-graduate IHS seniors and parents of seniors share first-hand experiences, advice and tips to navigate the college selection and application process!

Tuesday, April 18th

7 - 8:30PM

IHS Campus Theatre

The panel will address pressing questions like -- do you really need to submit test scores? How many schools should you apply to? Early decision, Early acceptance, Regular Decision...how to decide what's right for you?

2023 PTSA SenioScholarships: Now Accepting Applicants! 

The Irvington NY PTSA is excited to kick off another scholarship season with seven awards totaling $20,000 and a new, simplified application process! All graduating Irvington High School seniors with plans to pursue postgraduate studies OR technical/vocational training are eligible. Deadline to apply is May 15, 2023. 

Here’s what your senior needs to get started:

• Read the PTSA Scholarships Overview to learn about the criteria, the process and the timeline
• Read How to Apply to gather everything needed for the application.  
• Complete and submit the Online Application form 

Questions? Email scholarships@irvingtonnyptsa.org. 

Mark Your Calendars for Our Biggest Fundraising Event of the Year!

The 2023 Spring into Summer (Camp) party to support the Bulldog Family Fund summer camp drive is scheduled for Friday, May 18 at the Irvington Boat Club from 7-9pm! Expect a casual evening on the beach with the sunset, friends, food, refreshments and live music by Grateful BRO! Tickets go on sale after April recess!

Clean Out Your Bookshelves! Donate to the PTSA Used Book Sale!

We're collecting gently used children's books for our annual used book sale fundraiser! Donations can be dropped off through May 3rd at collection boxes located in the IHS main office, the main lobbies of Dows Lane and MSS and the upper lobby at IMS.

Sale opens to Dows Lane Classes: May 9, 10 and 12

Sale opens to Parents/Community: May 11 and May 13

To volunteer to sort or work the sale, click on the button below. Questions? Email Karen Arnett, Ali Saber or Rachel Gorman

Dows Lane Yearbooks: On Sale Now Through May 5!

Don't miss out on your opportunity to memorialize your child's precious time at Dows Lane! Visit www.yearbookordercenter.com and enter code 18660 to place your order today!

Mark Your Calendars for a Panel Discussion about Post-High School Planning!

Rivertown Parents invites high school parents and students to attend a panel discussion and Q&A about planning for life after high school.

Thursday, April 13th

7 - 8:30PM

Hastings Middle School Auditorium

Panelists include: Director of School Counseling at Hastings High School, Curriculum Leader / School Counselor at Ardsley High School, Campus Director Office of Student Financial Services at Fordham University and Principal at Southern Westchester BOCES Center for Career Services.

ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Zoom Option Available.

Questions? Email rivertownparents@gmail.com

PTSA Events Highlights

The 2023 Irvington PTSA Science Fair took place on  March 18th 2023. Over 100 projects were showcased with almost 150 students participating from K through to 8th grade including students from the Vocational Independence Program. All students received a medal and certificate to celebrate their hard work and several students received honorable mentions after careful deliberation by a talented group of judges. It was a wonderful community celebration of science!

Honorable mentions

Kindergarten: Emma Kapilevich “Growing and using water beads: what is best?”

1st Grade: Natalie Gardner “Soil Erosion” 

2nd Grade: Alex Weiss “Crash Test Eggs”

3rd Grade: Lorelai Gemma “The Effects of Konjac Plant”

3rd Grade: Abigail Tropp, Rosie Coughlin, Matilda Fell “Super Soaking Science: What Material is Most Absorbent?”

4th Grade: Aaron Rodriguez “Is whitening toothpaste bad for the wear of teeth?”

4th Grade: Lily Armogan “Do dogs or humans have cleaner mouths?”

5th Grade: Noah Wong “Bread Mold Test”

6th Grade: Charley Adler, Zadie Bloom “Yawning”.

7th Grade: Kavi Manchanda “What impact does acid rain have on microscopic creatures?”

VIP: Will Richman, Brooke Furtado, Rebecca Merlos, Christian Leary, Nicholas Rittmeyer, John Fitzgerald, Tobin Kerness, John Victor Samples, Elijah Hylton, Julian Schutz, Ethan Marino, Nicholas Biaggi, Janice Dalzell:

“Propagating Plants by Air Layering”

PTSA Committee Updates

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

March is a time when we recognize and celebrate the boundless contributions of women to society both in the present and throughout our history. March has been observed as Women's History Month since 1987, and International Women's Day, which is celebrated on March 8th every year, goes back farther to 1911. 

Would you like to connect with other families in the District and to do your part in working toward the DEI committee's mission?

Come join the DEI committee for our next in-person committee meeting on April 25th at 7:30 p.m in the Campus Presentation Room (CPR, located in the HS library) where we will focus on how the community can best support LGBTQIA students and families. RSVP

Remember to check out the District DEI website soon for more information on important holidays and significant dates in April.

Help us plan our Spring events, and/or help us draft communications and community engagement around Arab-American Heritage Month in April and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. Just email us at dei@irvingtonnyptsa.org for more information!

Subscribe to the DEI Committee listserv for updates and opportunities to get involved! To learn more about the DEI Committee mission, visit www.irvingtonnyptsa.org/dei 

Advocacy is required to achieve success for all children. There are many ways to achieve social change, and all have their uses, one tool is to use the NYSPTA Take Action Campaign to contact legislators and advocate for all students. Time is of the essence as the state budget is due April 1st, please reach out to legislators now and make your voice heard.

NYS PTA Legislative Priorities

Support our students! Increase school-based mental health funding, school meals for ALL NYS children and protect kids from the harms of tobacco

National PTA Legislative Priorities

Urge Congress to Adopt the Substitute to Parent Bill of Rights

Important IUFSD Updates

Sign Up for Coffee with Superintendent Dr. Kris Harrison

Superintendent Dr. Kris Harrison is eager to re-launch his regular engagements with the community, where casual conversations can be had about our great school district and student experiences. Community members are invited to join him for one of the upcoming “Coffees with Kris”.

Upcoming Coffee Sessions (click to register):

• April 14 - 1:00PM - IMS/IHS Campus Green Room
• May 9th - 8:00AM - Dows Lane Library

Volunteers Needed for Site Committees

Now is your chance to become a volunteer at your child's school. Participating in your child's School Site Committee will afford you the opportunity to help make a difference in their school. Just some of the improvements made because of the leadership of the Site Committees are:

• At Dows Lane - Revitalizing Recess, Imagination Playground and the Peaceful Playground
• At Main Street School - the development of the Community Garden, the Community Playground and improvements to indoor/outdoor recess
• At the Middle School - the creation of the Insider's Guide to IMS, making revisions to the Student Handbook and recommendations for beautification
• At the High School - enhancing the senior internship experience and the development of the Core Value Awards program.

Each of our schools are in need of Site Committee Members. If you would like further information about the Site Committees, please review the Shared Decision Making Plan by clicking here. If you wish to volunteer, please contact Donna Friedlander, donna.friedlander@irvingtonschools.org. When emailing, please be sure to include the name of the school where you are interested in becoming a Site Committee member and remember that you must have a child in that school in order to be eligible.

Supporting Our Schools: Recently Funded Grants

A major focus of the PTSA is to support teacher- and administrator-driven projects/programs and provide necessary resources for our schools.

Thanks to your generous donations to our General Fund, we approved the following grants in the past month:

• IMS Camera for Yearbook Committee $600
• IHS Band Field Trip $4,233
• IHS Prideworks $177.67
• MSS Geography Club $839
• IMS 7th Grade Field Trip $5,000
• IHS Visiting Artist $2,500

Warm Up with Hot New Spirit Wear Styles

From hoodies to tees, we’ve got you covered for fresh new Bulldogs Spirit Wear styles. New teen styles available with our super comfy PJs. Shop online and arrange for local pick-up in Irvington.

Meetings and Events

Parent Advisory Councils (PACs)

Our Parent Advisory Committees (PACs) met last month to discuss community-submitted questions and concerns. You can find the notes by clicking on the links below:

• Dows Lane Elementary
• Main Street School
• Irvington Middle School
• Irvington High School

See all upcoming PAC meeting dates on our PAC calendar.

Did you know? Anyone can submit a question, idea or concern using our new Google Form, and your PAC representatives will be sure it gets addressed during the next monthly meeting.

Save the Date: Upcoming Events

Apr 3 - 7: Spring Recess

Apr 10: Last day to Apply for the PTSA Executive Committee

Apr 13: Rivertown Parents - Beyond High School Panel Event

Apr 18: Parent to Parent Panel (College Admissions) 7PM Campus Theatre

Apr 11: Board of Education meeting 7:30PM CPR

Apr 18: Board of Education meeting 7:30PM

Apr 19: Kindergarten Orientation 6:30PM DL Gym

Apr 22: 5th Annual "Irvies" Irvington Choice Awards 7PM Campus Theatre

Please Support Our Sponsors

Interested in becoming a Sponsor? Contact hello@irvingtonnyptsa.org