Manhattan's Public School 40

Our first traditional bake sale of the year is coming up this Friday, January 16th! And, it is always a wonderful array of tasty treats! So, please help by donating home-baked goodies, as well as by volunteering some time, and remembering to send your children in with some money to purchase these treats, as they will have time at their lunch to shop!

You can drop-off donations in the cafeteria or at the 19th Street entrance, the morning of the sale.But remember, for the safety of our children, please leave the nuts at home! We absolutely CANNOT SERVE any items containing peanuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews, macadamia, pistachio, pecan, hazel or pine nuts. (In addition, if your child has food allergies, it may be helpful to send them in with an index card detailing what they are allergic to.)

Please email Amy (amybglick@gmail.com) or Lauri (ps40lauri@gmail.com), if you are able to volunteer, or to let us know what you would like to bring. Please include your name, your child’s name and their class number, in the email. If you would like to volunteer, help is needed with set-up, morning rush (at and following drop-off), lunches, clean-up, or any time that you choose.

Thank you in advance, for your donations, and for your help!!

We are thrilled to announce the P.S. 40 Annual Auction will be held Friday, May 1, at Slate located at 54 West 21st Street. The auction is the largest fundraising event of the year and generates nearly half of the PTA’s gross annual income. It’s a fun and exciting night for our community to come together and raise funds that go directly to enhancing our children’s educational experience at P.S. 40.

Tickets to the benefit include dinner, cocktails, dancing and a number of different fundraising opportunities, including:
• LIVE AUCTION
• SILENT AUCTION
• TEACHER RAFFLE
• CLASS PROJECTS
• ONLINE AUCTION
Soon we will launch our 3rd annual online camp auction. This online-only auction will run from February 23 through March 2 and is a great chance for parents to pick up deals on popular summer camps. More details will follow as the date approaches.

Your help is needed in order to make all of these events succeed. Here are some ways you may be able to contribute:

SOLICITATIONS:  The auction is only as good as the items we procure and we need parents to solicit local businesses. Tips and hints for soliciting are included below. Click the P.S. 40 PTA logo in the left side-bar for the auction donor form.

SPONSORSHIPS & UNDERWRITING: Sponsorships support the costs associated with running our auction. Defraying the auction cost translates into more funds for our children’s education. Does your employer sponsor non-profit organizations? Do you know someone with a foundation or a family member who wants to donate money? Let us know and we can provide you with more information.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: We are always looking for catalog writers and editors, people who can set up and clean up on auction day, and organizers for class projects.

Click the P.S. 40 PTA logo in the left side-bar for the auction donor form.
Email any questions to ps40annualbenefit@gmail.com.

We are looking forward to a fantastic event. Thank you for your help and support!

Lori Capon & Florie Huppert
Auction Co-chairs

HELPFUL HINTS AND TALKING POINTS FOR 2015 SOLICITATIONS

Below are some key points to mention when soliciting local businesses for auction donations:
• P.S. 40 is a public neighborhood school serving over 650 children from pre-k to 5th grade who live in the Gramercy, Flatiron, Union Square, Stuyvesant and Peter Cooper Village neighborhoods.
• Many of the parents and children at P.S. 40 shop and dine out in the neighborhood, so the auction provides an excellent opportunity for locals to give back to locals.
• Over the years, school budgets have been cut drastically, making us more dependent on fundraising to provide many aspects of our children’s education.
• Money raised at the auction helps pay for teaching assistants, library books, musical instruments, chess instruction in all grades, computer upgrades and much more.
• The donation is 100% tax deductible and the restaurant/store name will be featured prominently in our auction catalog, on our PTA website and in the school newsletter.
• Distribute the accompanying letter and donor form to the business instructing them to complete it and send it to the auction donation address.
In addition, here are some ideas of other personal or business connections with great solicitation potential:
• I know someone who works for or has an affiliation with a Broadway show or sports organization. Could tickets to a show/game be donated; can a special backstage or stadium tour be donated? Or perhaps signed merchandise?
• My child/children take a dance/music/sports class. Would the studio donate a free class or a birthday party?
• My spouse or I travel for business. Could we donate extra airline miles?
• My friend works in the restaurant industry. Could he/she obtain a gift card for dinner, hard to get reservation, or a meet-and-greet with a chef?
• My sister makes jewelry. Could she donate a piece?
• I patronize the same restaurant/shop/nail salon, etc. all the time and they know me, so perhaps they will donate something if I ask!
For all donations, get a business card and contact information for a person to follow up with. Do they want to mail in the completed donation form or have you pick it up? Once a business verbally commits to a donation, please let us know so we don’t solicit them twice.

If you have any questions or want to discuss solicitations ideas, please contact Lori Capon or Florie Huppert at ps40annualbenefit@gmail.com.

Training for Monday’s kick-off of the Reading Olympics?  Barnes & Noble in Union Square is providing even more support to P.S. 40 and more motivation for our readers!  From 1/10 – 1/15, Barnes & Noble Union Square will be offering a 25% discount on purchases made by P.S. 40 families.  And from 1/16 – 1/25, the location will be offering a 20% discount on purchases made by P.S. 40 families.  In addition, the store will be donating a percentage of these sales back to the school!  All you have to do is mention at check-out that you are with P.S. 40 and you will receive the discount and the school will receive book fair credit.  Please remember, this applies to the Union Square store only and cafe purchases will not apply. You do not have to be signed up for the Reading Olympics to receive the discount, but remember, there is still time to sign up. Just click here to sign up by Monday, January 12.

What is the Reading Olympics?
The Reading Olympics is a fundraiser for the P.S. 40 PTA.  It is also a celebration of reading, where all participants receive an award.  Please email ps40readingolympics@gmail.com if you have any questions.

What counts as reading?
Since it is difficult to keep track of reading time during school hours, we ask that you only track reading time after school hours.
• Reading on Your Own
• Someone reading to you (Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades only)
• Homework reading
• Reading just for the fun of it

What do I need to do?
• Sign up by filling out this form at http://goo.gl/forms/CyoFEPkakm . If you’re unable to use the form, please reach out to ps40readingolympics@gmail.com.
• Complete the pledge and tally form (this will be provided to you after you sign-up): The Pledge form is used to solicit sponsors to pledge donations for participating in the event and the Tally form is to record the number of minutes read each day between January 12 – January 25
• Calculate the total number of minutes read between January 12th – January 25th on the Tally form
• Collect the money from each of your sponsors
• Submit the tally form and all donations to the Reading Olympics box in the main office or through your teacher by February 6

Is my pledge tax deductible? Does the PTA accept corporate matching gifts?
Yes to both!  All pledges are tax deductible. We also welcome corporate matching gifts. Please submit any forms we need to fill out along with your Final Tally Form and payment.

When are the pledge donations due?
Pledge donations will be collected from Monday, January 26th through Friday, February 6th. The donations and tally forms must be submitted by February 6th in order to receive an award for participation. We can only accept checks and money orders which are made payable to P.S. 40 PTA. Please do not put cash in the box.

REMEMBER, you do not need to donate money to participate in the Reading Olympics, but you do need to submit a tally form in order to receive an award.

Celebrate Reading and Thanks for Your Support!!

Please email Chetna at ps40readingolympics@gmail.com if you have any questions.

This Monday is retake and makeup picture day.  Anyone who was absent on Picture Day will be photographed, as well as new students.  If you’d like your child’s picture retaken, please send them to school with the original packet of photos you already received.

We’re also reshooting all three 5th grade class photos, a large group shot of the entire 5th grade, and all clubs and bands.

Mediators and Monitors, please bring your T-shirts to school.

4th and 5th Grade Bands, please wear white or light shirts and dark pants.

If you have any questions you can contact Chris Bierlein at chrisbierlein@me.com

The P.S. 40 Barnes & Noble Bookfair “Holidiay Edition” starts this Saturday, December 13! Shop for those last minute holiday gifts in any Barnes & Noble store or online AND support P.S. 40 at the same time by using the special P.S. 40 Bookfair ID #11515012 at checkout.

The Bookfair runs from December 13-17 (in store) and December 13-22 (online).  Feel free to send our Bookfair ID #11515012 to friends and family who would like to support our school.We encourage you to make your purchases in the store, if possible, as we receive a larger percentage from in store purchases.

If you are purchasing online, please note the following:
• When you reach the “Payment” page, scroll to the very bottom and choose “check this box if it is a book fair order”.
• Input Bookfair ID #11515012.
• If you are signed into your bn.com account, you may need to click “change” on the payment section on the checkout page and then scroll to the bottom.
• Enter bookfair ID as indicated.

If you have any questions, please contact Sara Steinberg at sarajanesteinberg@yahoo.com or Tracey Yonteff at ps40tracey@gmail.com.

Thanks for your support & Happy Holidays!

Each year the families of P.S. 40 provide holiday gifts for underprivileged children in New York City. As we have done for the past several years, we will be supporting Good Shepherd Services (www.goodshepherds.org), an organization that works with children in foster care.  Last year our community provided toys for over 450 children.  We hope that we can be just as generous this year.

This event provides a simple way of teaching our children the importance of helping others who are less fortunate.  If you choose to participate, you will be given the name, age and gender of a child (or children) for whom you will be buying a gift. The suggested expenditure is $20-30 per recipient.  We will be collecting the gifts from December 8th through December 11th. Need some ideas? Click here.

If you would like to be a part of this year’s toy drive, please sign up ONE of these 3 easy ways:

•    Best way:  Visit http://tinyurl.com/qj9heen and sign up by Monday, 12/1
•    2nd Best:  Email the info requested below to PS40Outreach@gmail.com by Monday, 12/1
Thank you for your participation!  We’ll get back to you with details soon!

Come enjoy a really fun evening!

Lower Grade Potluck Dinner for Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade families.

Where: P.S. 40 School Cafeteria
Date: Friday, November 7
Time: 6pm – 8pm (Looney Louie performs at 7:15pm)

Pre-K: Please bring Salads
Kindergarten: Please bring Entrees
1st Grade: Please bring Desserts
2nd Grade: Please bring Side Dishes

Please do not bring any dishes containing NUTS (peanut, walnut, almond, macadamia, pistachio, pecan, hazel or pine nuts).

Bring your hot or cold dish in a 9”x13” aluminum pan, available FREE from the school store, at the 19th Street entrance and across from the office on 2nd floor.

VOLUNTEERS are needed for SET UP, SERVING & CLEAN UP
Please contact Judy Young (nycjudy2@gmail.com) if you’d like to help.

Upcoming Dates/Events:

Lower Grade Potluck Dinner: November 7
Veterans Day: No school – November 11
Parent/Teacher Conferences: Half day for students – November 13
Upper Grade Potluck Dinner: November 14
Winter care Packages collection: November 10 – 14
PTA meeting: November 19
Thanksgiving break: November 27 – 28
Executive Board meeting: December 3
Scholastic Book Fair: December 8 – 12
Donate toys for Toy Drive: 8 – 12
Picture Re-take Day: December 15

On Friday, November 7, Chef Josh Capon will be visiting P.S. 40 during
lunch for our first Café Day to talk to children about avocados and to
offer tastes of guacamole. Wellness in the Schools encourages these
visits as a way to expose children to healthy foods they may not try on
their own.

The ingredients in the dish are as follows:

Avocado,lime, onion, tomato, cilantro, lemon, jalapeno, and salt. Corn tortilla chips made from corn and canola oil will also be served.

If you do not want your child to eat the sample, please send a note to
your child’s teacher so they know to notify staff who will be in the
cafeteria that day.

With the colder months approaching, perhaps faster than we’d like, P.S. 40’s Community Outreach Committee has partnered with the Coalition for the Homeless to provide Winter Care Packages for the population it serves.

We are inviting any interested member of the P.S. 40 community to pick up a shopping bag at the School Store or from the Security Desk and fill it with a selection of any of the following items:

Hygiene Items:  toothpaste – toothbrush – dental floss – mouthwash* – deodorant – lotion* – body wash* – bar soap – sunscreen – comb/hair brush – small washcloth or hand towel – baby powder* – shampoo* – conditioner*

*small or travel-sized, please

Food Items:  non-perishable snacks (granola/cereal bars, small packaged items)
Winter Items:  mittens/gloves – scarves – hats – warm socks
- Please send only new / unused / unopened / unexpired items –
- Items for adults and for children are welcome –

We hope that families will include their children in the selection of items, and encourage them to decorate the bags before they return them to school.

Bags will be available for pick-up at the school store and by the Security Desk the week of November 3 – 7.

Filled, decorated bags should be returned to school (drop-off bins behind the Security Desk on 20th Street and inside the 19th Street lobby) the week of November 10 – 14.

“The Coalition for the Homeless is the nation’s oldest advocacy and direct service organization helping homeless men, women and children. We believe that affordable housing, sufficient food and the chance to work for a living wage are fundamental rights in a civilized society. Since our inception in 1981, the Coalition has worked through litigation, public education and direct services to ensure that these goals are realized.”

For more information about Coalition for the Homeless visit www.coalitionforthehomeless.org.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Fran Shapiro & Hillary Perlman – P.S. 40 Community Outreach Committee – PS40Outreach@gmail.com