Mary Ellen Mark to Visit on Wednesday, May 2nd!

Famed documentary photographer Mary Ellen Mark will visit the Lower School this Wednesday, May 2nd to show the children her photographs and video of Indian circus performers! Her visit is perfectly timed to launch the first-grade cultural-history unit on India.

Here's an intro from a Salon "Brilliant Careers" profile: "In 1965, at the outset of her career, what documentary photographer Mary Ellen Mark wanted to do more than anything was get away: journey to distant countries, travel to unfamiliar places in America, explore and try to understand the lives of as many different kinds of people as she could. That she's put together a world-class body of work on just those initial terms is a testament to her fortitude and self-assurance, and also to her ability to connect, quickly and deeply, with her subjects." (A big thanks to Mary Shanahan for arranging this visit!)

Photograph © Mary Ellen Mark: Ram Prakash Singh with His Elephant Shyama, Great Golden Circus, Ahmedabad, India, 1990, from the book Indian Circus.

Help Your Child Study Chinese!!

Even if it's Greek to you, you can still help your kids study Chinese!! Limei Shan, the Chinese teacher, recommends these sites as tools to help your child become more familiar with the Chinese language, grammar, word recognition, and Chinese characters, as well as Chinese culture: Chinese Tools ("This one is good; it starts with greetings, counting numbers, and goes deeper lesson by lesson") and Super Chinese Websites, which lists a wide array of Chinese language and culture sites. These sites are now permanently linked here from the Learning section in the lefthand sidebar. The sites are FREE; as always, parents are advised to monitor their children's use of the Internet. (Thanks, Limei, via Sherrill!)

One for Books!

Please send a dollar with your child tomorrow for One for Books!! You should have received the One for Books form last week via backpack mail. If, um, the dog got the form, please just send a dollar to school in an envelope labeled with your child's name and "One for Books."

One for Books is a community donation activity that generates additional dollars to buy more books from the Scholastic Book Fair. The dollars collected through this activity can be used to buy books for less affluent students and help teachers add more books to their classroom shelves!! Scholastic donates one book per dollar raised — so please take a moment to support this worthy cause!! Thank you very much!!

Eager Readers!!

Those readers (and eaters!) sure are ready —but are you?? Parents, not to get all competitive or anything...but the class that buys the most books at THIS WEEK's Scholastic Book Fair earns a pizza party!! The kids were thrilled this morning to browse the great books available at the Fair. Open your wallets, please, and try not to disappoint those adorable little faces!!

Draft Minutes from Last Friday's PA Board Meeting

The draft minutes from last Friday's PA Board Meeting have been posted!

Parents, Post Comments, Please!

Do you want to post a comment on this site, but are not sure how? It's easy! If you don't have a Google account, take a minute to open one! Doing so will allow you to use Google services, such as Blogger, for free and to post comments here!!

How To Tribeca For FREE!!

You don't need a ticket to everything! Not only does Tribeca Film Festival show movies, but the organization also gives back to the community by offering FREE events, ranging from FREE premieres of Spider-Man 3 (check out Spider-Man Week NYC, April 30-May 6),Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair, Sports Saturday (including an NBA interactive experience), film-technology workshops, and more!! Keep an eye out for updates!

Marbles and Other Muses

Courtney Sale Ross, Chair of the Ross Global Academy Board of Trustees, joined the Metropolitan Museum of Art trustees at the first in a string of opening events for the Met's New Greek and Roman Galleries, involving the installation of thousands of works of classical art from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The new galleries opened to the public on April 20. Spring tours for school groups were booked up in January, but if anyone has any contacts at the museum that would allow our kids the very special opportunity to visit the new galleries—which the Met's director calls "a museum within a museum" and the "biggest event of the art season"—please get in touch with the Parents Association!!!

Fundraising Committee: Read Up! Ross School in East Hampton Plans Concerts with Prince, Dave Matthews

Hey, check out this front-page article in the current East Hampton Star about the high-profile fundraising concert series, featuring Prince, Tom Petty, Billy Joel, James Taylor, and Dave Matthews, planned for this summer to benefit the scholarship fund of the Ross School in East Hampton. Last summer's Ross gala with Aretha Franklin brought in $1.3 million.

Does anyone have suggestions for how we can get something like this going??? Ross Global Academy's Saturday, summer, enrichment-cluster and after-care programs need funding!!!!

Clip Box Tops And Earn Cash For Our School!!!

Earn cash for our school every time you shop for groceries!!! Clip Box Tops from hundreds of your favorite products. Each Box Top is worth 10¢ to our school — and that adds up fast! For a list of Box Top products, please click on the Box Tops logo above or check this out!

Support RGA! Remember to Use GoodSearch Every Time You Search the Internet!

Raise money for our school just by searching the Internet with GoodSearch — powered by Yahoo! We get a penny per search! Just go to the GoodSearch home page and enter Ross Global Academy in the box where it says "enter charity" and start searching!

Jakob Trollbäck to Vist RGA on Friday, May 4th

Jakob Trollbäck of Trollbäck + Company, a creative studio known for film and TV design projects, has a new visit date of Friday, May 4th at 9:30 AM at the Ross Global Academy Lower School. (Trollbäck + Company's animation for Nickelodeon's 2007 Kids' Choice Awards.)

School Daze: Back-to-Back Saturday School, 4/28 and 5/5!!!

The kids have back-to-back Saturday School: Tomorrow, April 28th and next Saturday, May 5th!!

The next general Parents Assocation meetings are scheduled for Saturday, May 5th and Saturday, June 2nd.

RGA Board of Trustees Bios

Do you want to know who is on the Board of Trustees of our school? Please see the new RGA Board of Trustees bios page. This page will be permanently accessible from the lefthand links column.

Who's Got the Moves?

Here's a snippet from the second day of Joaquin Noguera's enrichment cluster, Say It Loud! (Thanks, Joaquin...via Louis!)

Check Out Our Own RGA Scholastic Book Fair Website!!!

The Ross Global Academy Scholastic Book Fair website is now online!! Isadora Bolton, PA Treasurer, is chairing the event, which takes place next week, April 30 - May 4. If you can volunteer, please sign up on the new book-fair website!! (A HUGE thanks to Isadora for setting up the fair AND the website!!)

Please click the bookfair-beach button to volunteer and to find out more!!

Fair Schedule:
Mon, Apr 30 8AM - 12PM
Tue, May 1 8AM - 12PM
Wed, May 2 8AM - 12PM
Thu, May 3 8AM - 2PM
Fri, May 4 2PM - 6PM

Theater Mania: Kids' Shows!

You can buy your tickets to the best of New York family theater by clicking the link above! A permanent link has been newly added to the sidebar. (Thanks, Sherrill!)

Homework Links

The homework links at the bottom of the page are acting up. This calendar program from Google is in beta release...so there is not much to do about it! While Google works it out, please refer to the homework link in the sidebar, which takes you directly to the relevant page on the main school website. Thanks for your patience!

FREE: Upper West Fest Kick-Off Block Party!

Saturday, April 28th, 12 pm
Location: 80th St, between Broadway and West End Ave (right next to Zabar’s)

Kick off the Upper West Fest with a free block party in the heart of the Upper West Side. Participants will include The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, with a stone rubbing workshop for kids; The JCC in Manhattan and Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center. Entertainment on stage will include Ballet Hispanico’s Children’s Ensemble performing flamenco; country-western singer/songwriters and members of the political cabaret ensemble Thalia Follies, The Chalks; The New York Teen Theatre of The JCC in Manhattan performing scenes from Disney’s smash hit, High School Musical; and members and friends of the amplified string quartet ETHEL, including Dorothy Lawson (cellist), Ralph Farris (viola), special guest Kevin Kuehn (guitarist from the Broadway play The Lion King orchestra) and Robert Levin (drums) accompanied by the P.S. 75 Third Grade Singers. Hosted by Heidi Jones, Weekend Weather Anchor, Eyewitness News, WABC-TV.
Check out the full block-party press release for more information!

Poem in Your Pocket Day

Poem in Your Pocket Day
Friday, April 27
10:00am – 4:30pm

Calling All Poetry Lovers: Celebrate New York City's 5th Annual Poem in Your Pocket Day at the Bryant Park Reading Room, Friday, April 27, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Bring a favorite poem to Bryant Park and receive a free book of poetry; one book per person while the supply lasts. An open mic forum will be available in the afternoon to NYC students who wish to read their poems. Teachers may register students age 18 and under for the open mic.

In addition to NYC student poets, the lineup includes guest poets from NY Scores, Academy of American Poets, Cornell, CUNY and Urban Word NYC.

This Bryant Park poetry program is co-hosted by the Academy of American Poets, Bryant Park Reading Room, and the NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs, NYC Dept. of Education and the Mayor's Office.

NYC GROWS Garden Festival: A Day of FREE EVENTS for Kids!

NYC GROWS Garden Festival
Union Square Park, South Plaza
Broadway & 14th St., Manhattan, NY
Saturday, April 28, 2007
FREE
See full schedule of events for kids and young adults!

The Road to Tomorrow: Exploring Pathways to the Future: College and Career Fair for Students with Disabilities

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Please join the New York City Department of Education on Saturday, May 19th at the Marriott Hotel, Brooklyn Bridge (8:00am – 3:30pm) in welcoming families to "The Road to Tomorrow: Exploring Pathways to the Future," College and Career Fair for Students with Disabilities.

This college and career fair will give students the opportunity to attend workshops, panel discussions, as well as meet with college and trade school representatives to assist them in planning for their future. They will also receive current information relevant to the career possibilities that await them.

We look forward to your attendance at this important and exciting event. For further information contact Judi Tucker or (212) 505-6390.

Keishea Allen
Office of Parent Engagement
49 Chambers Street
Room 503
New York, NY 10007
212-374-2427 (Phone)
212-374-0076 (Fax)
E-Mail Address: kallen@schools.nyc.gov

Mavis Staples Performs Modern-Day Freedom Songs

The Apollo Legends Series
sponsored by THE BOWERY PRESENTS MAVIS STAPLES
Featuring Ry Cooder
Jim Keltner, Mike Elizondo
With special guest SNCC FREEDOM SINGERS
MONDAY & TUESDAY MAY 14 & May 15, 2007
8 PM
TICKETS $88 & $52.50

An Apollo Legends Series Concert: Mavis Staples featuring Ry Cooder, Jim Keltner and Mike Elizondo PERFORMING MODERN DAY FREEDOM SONGS FROM THEIR POWERFUL NEW RECORD “WE’LL NEVER TURN BACK.” Ms. Staples has said that she was moved to make the album after hearing from a teacher about a 17-year-old girl who did not know who Rosa Parks was. Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster or by calling 212-307-7171 or the Apollo Box Office.

Pizza Party For Top Class at Scholastic Book Fair!

Get those readers (and eaters!) ready! The class that buys the most books at next week's Scholastic Book Fair earns a pizza party!! (Ayo's idea!)

The Scholastic Book Fair is Next Week, April 30th through May 4th!!

Just a reminder that the Scholastic Book Fair is NEXT week, Monday, April 30-Friday, May 4!! If you can lend a hand, please do! More volunteers are still needed!! Please contact Isadora!

Fundraiser on Sunday, April 29th for the Agape Orphanage, South Africa

The Children of Agape from Durban, South Africa will perform in Brooklyn on Sunday, April 29th at 2 PM. The show, presented by Anna Zanes in cooperation with Keep a Child Alive, will take place at the Kane Street Synagogue, 236 Kane Street, in Cobble Hill. Dan Zanes is a musical guest.Tickets are $10 for kids, $20 for adults. The Agape Children's Choir is comprised of 12 young people, ages 7-16. This concert is a fundraiser for the Agape Orphanage, which burned down in 2005. The new building is underway, but more help is needed.

The Children of Agape are in New York for the screening of "We Are Together (Thina Simunye)," a film by Paul Taylor (now at the Tribeca Film Festival), about their courageous and inspiring story in the global epicenter of the AIDS pandemic. The group puts a human face on the staggering tragedy of AIDS orphans in Africa (13 million today, a number which is expected to reach 25 million by 2010) .

Parent Empowerment Rally at City Hall

Tim Johnson, President of the Chancellor's Parent Advisory Council, issued this notice today:
By popular demand, we have decided to proceed with plans to have an
event for ELECTED PARENT LEADERS (& their supporters) on Wed., May 9
@ 5:00 p.m. on the steps of City Hall. The theme of the event will
be RESPECT for Parents & PARENT EMPOWERMENT. More details will
follow shortly. We will be reaching out to CEC members to join with
Parent Council leaders & PA/PTA leaders on the 9th.

Tomorrow is National Take Our Daughter and Sons to Work Day

Take Our Daughters and Son to Work Day
Date: Thursday, April 26, 2007 (always on the fourth Thursday in April)
Theme 2007: Revolutionizing the Workplace
Age Range: Recommended for girls and boys, ages 8-12
Creators: Ms. Foundation for Women
Why the program is called "Our Daughters And Sons": When we say "Our Daughters And Sons" we mean more than our own children. The Ms. Foundation encourages workplaces and individuals to ensure all our nation's daughters and sons participate in the program by inviting children from housing authorities and shelters, nieces and nephews, neighbors and friends, and more, to join them for Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work®.

PA Meetings!

Just a reminder to all that the Executive Board of the Parents Association meets weekly on Fridays at 8:00 AM in Room 115. The Executive Board of the Parents Association consists of all class representatives and PA officers (listed in sidebar). These are open meetings. The next general Parents Association meeting is May 5 at 10 AM during Saturday school.

Surf's Up: FREE Sneak Peak

The Tribeca Film Festival's annual FREE Drive-In series gets under way on Friday, April 27th at 6:30 PM at the World Financial Center (walking distance from school!) with Surf's Up: A Special Sneak Peak.
Details:
Hosted by Mario Cantone
LUAU-themed event - Tiki Huts, Flame Jugglers & Hula Dancers
Limbo Contest – Delta Tickets Giveaway
The Kustard Kings performing live Surfer Rock and Beach Boy covers
Click on the bookmark above for more specifics! (Thanks, Isadora, for the info!!)

Library Cards for 1st Grade!

Class 1B took a walk over to the New Amsterdam branch of the New York Public Library this morning and the kids got their own library cards. (Thanks for setting this trip up, Isadora!)

Carnegie Hall Brings FREE Concerts to Your Neighborhood!

The Carnegie Hall / Citigroup Neighborhood Concert Series features over 30 FREE concerts this spring! See full calendar! Next concert:

Shemekia Copeland
SAT, APR 28 at 7:30 PM
Shemekia Copeland
and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Langston Hughes Auditorium
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
515 Malcolm X Boulevard
New York, NY 10037
Phone: 212-491-2200
Perelman American Roots Concert
FREE!

Cherries Are So Very...!

Flowering, in pink
Canopies of fragrant spring.
Brooklyn celebrates.
—a Haiku in honor of the Cherry Blossom Festival

Brooklyn Botanic Garden has over 200 flowering cherry trees, many of which will be blooming in time for this weekend's Japanese-themed celebration of the cherry blossom. Learn about Japanese culture with over 60 events and performances including the Okinawan pop sounds of happyfunsmile, a J-pop concert by Tokyo sensation ZAN, hip-hop artist Akim Funk Buddha's "Urban Tea Ceremony," a taiko drum concert by the kids from the Genki Daiko team, and a presentation on the history of geisha by documentary filmmaker Miyuki Sohar.

Saturday April 28
Time: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Place: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn
Price: Free with garden admission of $8, seniors and students $4, children under 12 free

Saturday, June 16 Set for RGA's First Cultural Day! Click on Flyer!

Saturday, June 16th is the approved date for RGA's first CULTURAL DAY! Please help make the event a success!

Maximum Magnolias!

What a difference a week makes! (Thanks, Jakob!)

IMPORTANT! Noon Dismissal Tomorrow!

Please remember that tomorrow, Tuesday, April 24th, is a professional-development day. The kids will be dismissed at noon sharp!

Click for Important Message from the Diversity Committee!

Please help make the upcoming Cultural Day a true representation of the many cultures of the RGA community!

Homework Calendars and RGA Events Calendar—Scroll Down, Please!

Amy Wright, RGA's director of technology, has provided direct feeds to the homework calendars for each class and to the main school calendar! These are posted at the bottom of the page. (Thanks a lot, Amy!)

RGA PA BOARD, DRAFT MINUTES, 4/20/07

Here are draft minutes from last Friday's PA Board meeting, April 20, 2007. Please note that there is a permanent link to RGA PA meeting minutes in the lefthand sidebar. And don't forget the suggestion box!

From the Sunday Times: Why School Food Is So Bad

"You are What You Grow" an article in The New York Times Magazine explains how the farm bill shapes the lousy standard for school food—and everything else in the center aisles of supermarkets.

DOE Mulls Change in Principals' Authority Over Parents' Associations

Read the New York Post article.

Director/Designer (And RGA Parent!) Jakob Trollbäck to Visit Lower School

Jakob Trollbäck of Trollbäck + Company, a creative studio known for film and TV design projects, will visit the Ross Global Academy Lower School on Friday, April 27th. (Pictured here: Trollbäck + Company created the animation for Nickelodeon's 2007 Kids' Choice Awards.)

Get Time Out New York Kids — Only $10 Per Year and Our Parents Association Keeps $5!!!

Get TIME OUT NEW YORK KIDS—only $10 for 12 issues! The RGA parents association keeps $5! Click on the magazine cover to go straight to Ross Global Academy's subscription sign-up page!!

NPR Children's Health Newsfeed

The National Public Radio's Children's Health newsfeed has been added to the lefthand sidebar!

NEW: Newsfeeds for Kids

There's a couple of NEW feeds for kids in the lefthand sidebar: Yahoo! Education: Word of the Day and Science News For Kids!

Help Build a Great Summer Program!

Do you have a great idea for activities and field trips for the summer program? Click the box and jot it down, please! Your input is welcome!

Happy Earth Day, Everybody!!

Central Park Zoo Earth Day Party, Sunday, April 22

You don’t have to leave New York City to save tamarin monkeys in South America or polar bears in the Arctic! Through games, zookeeper chats, live theater, and other special activities, find out what you can do to save wildlife and wild places right from home.

To join the Central Park Zoo in its commitment to saving wild places, bring along your old cell phones to recycle in EcoCell bins. Your contribution will help reduce the demand for Coltan, an element required in cell phone battery manufacture. Coltan is mined in Congo’s forests, which are home to many endangered wildlife species that need our protection.

Schedule of Events, Sunday, April 22

The “Bear” Facts: 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.
Learn from zookeepers about polar bears and their plight in the face of global warming. Watch as bears Gus and Ida are given special animal-enrichment toys.

The Captain Cocoa Show: 11:00 a.m., noon, 2:45 p.m., 3:30 p.m
Join Captain Cocoa’s super-sidekicks, “The Cocoa Kids,” and fly to South America on an adventure to save tamarin monkeys.
Discover your own superhero powers that will help you to save animals on the other side of the world!

Getting Crafty: 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m
Help save the environment by decorating your own Earth-friendly canvas bag to use in place of plastic shopping bags.

Eco-Bingo: 11:00 a.m. –4:00 p.m.

Earth Day bingo (learn tips on what you can do to help protect our planet!): 11:00 a.m. –4:00 p.m.

Draft Minutes from Last Saturday's General Parents Association Meeting

The draft minutes of last Saturday's general PA meeting are posted here. Please note that the minutes are also linked from the lefthand sidebar. There are several other new links—including to the PA's suggestion box and to the kids' homework! Please use them!

RGA's First-Ever Cultural Day Celebration: Click Flyer For Info!! Please Get Involved!

Volunteer today—in whatever way you can, big or small. All help is welcome and appreciated!

Author/Illustrator Mari Takabayashi Explains Her Creative Process

In her visit on Monday, author/illustrator Mari Takabayashi showed her original naive-style artwork, layouts, and text for her recent books— stepping the children through the process from inspiration to published book.

More Photos from Author/Illustrator Laura Ljungkvist's Visit!

The kids help Laura Ljungkvist show her original paintings and drawings for the books she read during Thursday's visit. (Thanks, Nathan!)

NEW! Homework Projects For Each Class Are Now Posted Online!

The homework schedules for each class are now available online on the main school website! There's also now a new homework link in the lefthand sidebar of this page. Click the dog!

TOAST: Tribeca Open Artist Studio Tour!!

TOAST 2007 Takes Place On
Friday April 27, 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Saturday, April 28, 1:00 to 6:00 PM
Sunday, April 29, 1:00 to 6:00 PM
Monday, April 30, 1:00 to 6:00 PM

The TriBeCa Open Artist Studio Tour is a free, self-guided tour of approximately 100 artists' studios throughout TriBeCa. Bringing artists and the public together, it provides an opportunity for visitors to interact with the artists and see their artwork at the source, the artist’s own studio.

Bring the children with you to The Church Street School for Music and Art, 74 Warren Street, Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29, for free art activities for children, TOAST maps, music by students and faculty throughout the day, and an exhibition of the artwork of Church Street School children and their parents. (Great tip from Elina!!)

Alvin Ailey II Trip Tomorrow!

The fifth and sixth grade classes are going on their Alvin Ailey II trip tomorrow. The New York season of Alvin Ailey II is entirely sold out!

Author/Illustrator Laura Ljungkvist Visits Lower School!

Swedish-born author/illustrator Laura Ljungkvist today visited the Lower School. She read from her book, "Follow the Line Through the House," which comes out next month, as well as her first book, "Toni's Topsy-Turvy Telephone Day." She showed her original paintings, sketches, and layouts for the books. She said that as a child she liked to draw more than anything and now gets to do it all day long, and make her living at it — an intriguing thought for many of the kids. (A HUGE thanks to Laura!)