NOVEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER

New Families Welcome Mixer! 

Nov. 2 | 6 - 8PM | Hudson Prime

It’s not too late to get your tickets to our annual New Families Welcome Mixer this Thursday. It's a casual gathering with passed apps and drinks to meet fellow new families and PTSA representatives. Brought to you by the PTSA New Families Welcome Committee. Reserve your spot using the link below!

Nov. 13 - Nov. 18 | DL Multipurpose Room

We’re excited to kick off the first of many PTSA school-based fundraiser events: the Dows Lane Book Fair! Your child’s teacher will send an email with the day and time your child’s class will visit the fair. You can visit the fair to shop with your child’s class, send cash OR fund your child’s eWallet so they can shop on their own! 

The Book Fair is open to all families on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 9am - 1pm. For details, click here. Questions? Email Melanie Robbins or Brittany Marcus.  

Did you know that membership dues and cash donations help us raise nearly $40,000 towards providing programs, events and infrastructure in our schools? We contributed to the build of the new Dows Lane playground, and we’re planning to bring back Family Bingo & Movie Nights, the Science Fair, the Talent Show, and Spelling Bee, while also funding new grants for clubs, programs and events for our students.

We need your support to keep up the work we do. Please consider renewing your annual membership ($50) with an additional donation!

PPS Workshop: Supporting Social & Emotional Growth - Behavioral Strategies

Nov. 14 | 7:00PM | RSVP for Details

The PTSA Supporting Children and Families with Learning Differences (SCAFLD) Committee invite parents and guardians of students with learning and development differences to the first event in a 4-part series hosted by IUFSD Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) on Supporting Social and Emotional Growth.

PPS school psychologist, Kim Manikas, along with Kathleen Mooney, BCBA, will share skills, perspectives, and tools to help families support students who may be challenged by behaviors that impact social and emotional development. Please email patricia.riccobono@irvingtonschools.org or scafld@irvingtonnyptsa.org to RSVP.

Buy a Brick: Leave a Lasting Legacy!

Commemorate a milestone or your student's legacy in stone on the IHS Campus Quad!

Buy a custom-engraved 4X8 or 8X8 Belden brick to celebrate a special occasion (graduation, birthday), honor a beloved teacher, memorialize a loved one, or simply mark your student's legacy at Irvington!

A portion of the proceeds from all brick sales benefit the PTSA General Fund to support grants and programming.

Join the Dows Lane

Birthday Book Club

Looking for a special way to celebrate your child’s birthday while memorializing their legacy at Dows Lane Elementary School?

Join the birthday book club to donate a book labeled with your child's name to the Dows Lane library. 

Got Questions or Comments? Email Your School's PAC Representatives

The Parent Advisory Council or PAC is a forum for parents to anonymously raise questions/concerns or share suggestions with school administrators about topics that impact the District, the school, the grade or a class. Each school (Dows Lane, Main Street School, Irvington Middle School and Irvington High School) has its own PAC which is composed of that school’s principal and assistant principal, and the PTSA Vice Presidents (VP) and Grade Parents. 

Visit www.irvingtonnyptsa.org/pac for meeting dates and minutes from past PAC meetings. Click below to submit a question or comment to your school's PAC.

Student Voter Registration Drive

On October 23 and 24th, PTSA volunteers hosted our annual student voter registration drive at IHS. Over the two days, we pre-registered/registered over 80 students to vote upon turning 18. If your student is 16 - 18, and didn’t have a chance to register, you can register online (LINK) or through the DMV (LINK). A big thanks to IHS Asst. Principal Sara Rust for championing this cause, to Beth Propper and Meg Tubman for leading the charge on organizing this important initiative, and to all the PTSA volunteers who staffed the table on two full school days!  

PTSA Grants

A major focus of the PTSA is to support teacher- and administrator-driven projects/programs and provide necessary resources for our schools. This month, we approved the following grants:

• IMS: Various Events/Initiatives for Students and Teachers to Foster a Welcoming and Affirming Environment - $1,075
• IMS: Fundraiser to Support 8th Grade Class Trip to Washington DC - $150
• IHS: A student-led initiative to host Uno games during recess to fundraise for the American cancer Society for Breast Cancer Awareness Month -  $92.92
• IHS - Ancient Greek Class & Latin Club Field Trip to Greek art exhibit at Met Museum - $1,016 (total for 2 grants)
• IHS - Seed Funding to establish Music Club for all IHS students - $2,289

Upcoming Events

• Nov. 1: PLRD One-Hour Early Release
• Nov. 2: PTSA New Families Welcome Mixer - 6:00pm - Hudson Prime
• Nov. 7: Supt. Conference/Election Day - SCHOOL CLOSED
• Nov. 7: Board of Education Meeting - 7:30pm - Campus Presentation Room (CPR)
• Nov. 8: Dows Lane PAC Meeting
• Nov. 9: IHS PAC Meeting
• Nov. 10: Veterans Day - SCHOOL CLOSED
• Nov. 12: Diwali
• Nov. 13 - 18: Dows Lane Book Fair Fundraiser
• Nov. 14: PPS Workshop: Supporting Social & Emotional Growth - Behavioral Strategies, Part 1 Nov. 15: PLRD One-Hour Early Release
• Nov. 16: PTSA MSS Talent Show - 7:00pm - MSS Auditorium
• Nov. 17: IMS PAC Meeting
• Nov. 18: MSS PAC Meeting
• Nov. 21: Board of Education Meeting - 7:30pm - Campus Presentation Room (CPR)
• Nov. 22: Early Dismissal - Thanksgiving Recess
• Nov. 23: Thanksgiving - SCHOOL CLOSED
• Nov. 24: Thanksgiving - SCHOOL CLOSED

Useful Links

• District & School Calendars
• School Newsletters: Dows Lane Buzz | MSS Scoop | IMS Bulldog Bark | IHS Bulldog’s Blast
• District Newsletter
• Board of Education
• Irvington Athletics
• IUFSD Staff Directory
• Home Access
• School Hours & Closing Schedules

VISIT US: www.irvingtonnyptsa.org | CONTACT US: hello@irvingtonnyptsa.org