 Dear AmPark Families, With Black History Month, Respect for All Week, and Valentine’s Day all in this month of February, there is no shortage of reminders to show love, tolerance, and inclusion. We have a large number of happenings this month that shine a special light on these values. For the fifth consecutive year, we will be honoring the countless achievements of African American people that have been central to the history of this nation through our Read In event. This year’s theme is Black History Happens Everyday: Learn, Live, and Celebrate the Legacy. Be on the lookout for bulletin boards and musical exhibits throughout the month, as well as a mini-assembly at breakfast on February 12th to kick off the Read In. In December, we asked our students for their opinions and they gave them to us with heartfelt honesty and tremendous praise through the upper grade student survey. The vast majority of students feel supported by their teachers and celebrated for their hard work. Improvements that they suggest for AmPark include more movement and cleaner bathrooms - which I think we can all agree with and are working to achieve!  Calling all artists for our AmPark Owl Logo Contest! We’re looking for a newly redesigned AmPark Owl that we can use as our official logo and know that there are many artists in the AmPark Family. We’re hoping for something that reflects our unique nature of the Bronx as well as something that can be emblazoned on our AmPark swag! If you are interested in submitting, please reach out to Bonnie at [email protected] for more details and thank you so much! In collaboration and with appreciation, Kelly, Bonnie, & Francisco  Important Upcoming Dates: 2/7 - Family Sweetheart Dance @ 7:00pm 2/10 - SLT & PA Exec Board Meetings 2/12 - National African American Read In @ 8:30am 2/12 - General PA Meeting with ELA Test Readiness Workshop led by 4th Grade Teacher, Donya Lewinson @ 5:30 2/14 - Wellness Committee Meeting @ 8:30am 2/14 - No One Eats Alone Day 2/17-2/21 - School Closed for Winter Recess 3/2 - K-2 Sing 3/9 - 3-5 Sing  From the Wellness Committee: This week our amazing Chef Ricardo visited all of our PreK-2nd grade classes to teach about the importance of getting good nutrition by "Eating the Rainbow" of fruits and veggies. It's always exciting to hear from even our youngest AmPark Owls about their awareness of taking care of their bodies and minds by making healthy food choices. Our next Wellness Committee Meeting is on 2/14 in K-Cafe at 8:30. Wondering what’s for lunch this month? Check out February’s PreK-8 Alternative Lunch Menu here. Yours in health, The Wellness Committee P.S. On a Wonderful Wellness Related Note: NYBG partnered with the DOE’s NYC STEM Matters team to offer our spring break camp for FREE to grades 3-5. There are also lots of other camp options (including Bronx Zoo and Wave Hill) available through this program for other ages and science themes. Our marketing department sent out a note about this opportunity to our partner schools on Monday but I also wanted to be sure to share it with the Ampark community—the deadline to apply for Spring Break camps is February 10th. Apply Now for Exciting Spring Break STEM Enrichment Programs! This spring break, STEM is taking over the city! Kindergarten through grade 12 students can apply now to attend exciting enrichment and experiential learning programs with STEM Matters NYC. A wide range of programs are offered at the NYC Department of Education’s Genovesi Environmental Study Center and NYC Center for Aerospace and Applied Mathematics; the Bronx Zoo; Central Park Zoo; Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum; Museum of the City of New York; New York Aquarium; New York Botanical Garden; New-York Historical Society; Prospect Park Zoo; Queens Botanical Garden; Queens County Farm Museum; Queens Zoo; Solar One; Staten Island MakerSpace; Staten Island Zoo; and Wave Hill. Students will meet and work with field experts in programs that feature real-world learning experiences. Don’t miss out, spots are limited and the application deadline is Monday, February 10. Preference is given to students who attend Title I schools. Download our flyer, learn more, and apply now. For questions, contact [email protected].  Our February Blast from the Parent Association: Good Evening AmPark Parents and Families, Coming Up: 2/7- 7pm-9pm: Family Sweetheart Dance. Sign Up Genius link (for volunteering): https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080445AEAD2FA7FC1-ampark11 2/10- 8:20am: 3rd - 5th Grade Sing 2/12- 8:30am - 9:30am: National African American Read In (contact [email protected] if you'd like to volunteer to read to a class). ***This month's General PA Meeting is next Wednesday 2/12 beginning at 5:30pm. Donya (one of our 4th grade teachers) will be starting the meeting off with a test readiness discussion. Please RSVP using the evite link: http://evite.me/WxsAkqsvAg. We look forward to seeing you!*** We're headed into the Roaring Twenties for this year's Spring Auction! Early Bird Tickets are on sale now for only $15 apiece! A ticket includes unlimited food and drink, free childcare for AmPark students, and the opportunity to take home some fabulous auction items - often way below cost! Click the Early Bird link above or purchase tickets at the upcoming Feb 7th Sweetheart Dance In case you missed last year's (incredible) party, we had a lot of amazing Auction items and we were able to raise $10,000 for school programs and teacher grants. We're aiming for even better this year! Soliciting donations is underway, but we always need help. Come join us at an Auction Committee meeting or contact me to see what you can do - [email protected] Also, do you or anyone you know, have a business that may be interested in donating goods or services to the auction? It's a wonderful way get new customers and demonstrate your commitment to supporting our school. All donations are 100% tax deductible. Congratulations to Joanna Ross for winning 2 tickets to the Spring Auction! 2 tickets will be raffled off at every PA meeting, so come join us! Thank you! AmPark PA  Comments are closed.
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