In this Newsletter
Upcoming Events
Read-A-Thon - Mon, Jan 13 - Sun, Feb 2
Read-A-Thon kickoff event - Tue, Jan 14, 6-7 pm, MMR
January Equity Meeting - Wednesday, 9 am, Zoom
No School, MLK Day - Mon, Jan 20
Twin Day - Wed, Jan 22
No School, Lunar New Year - Wed, Jan 29
A Note from Principal Fitzgerald
Join Read-A-Thon 2025 is on!
TONIGHT: Read-A-Thon **READ-IN** Kick-off Event in the MMR
Tickets on Sale now: PS 154 Nets Game! Sun, Mar 16, 6pm
PS 154’s Service Week Project
Calling All Hosts for Our School's First-Ever Stoop Crawl Fundraiser!
Spring Auction
A Note from Principal Fitzgerald
Dear P.S. 154 Families,
We are very excited to have Read-a-thon in full swing this week! We hope you can join us for our community reading event tonight from 6-7 pm in the MMR. Students will also get to enjoy a hot cocoa reading party with their classmates as a part of the read-a-thon (if their classes meet their sign-up goals). Your child’s teacher will share how many minutes the class reads during school with you via ParentSquare twice a week. Be sure to log everything your child reads so we can try and meet the school wide goal of 200,000 minutes. If we meet this goal then I will get slimed in front of the whole school this spring!
We are so proud of our 4th and 5th grade students who participated in the D15 debate tournament. All of the students worked hard to prepare, and a big thank you to Mr. Buckley for coaching them this fall. Eight of our students received a medal at the end of the tournament, and we are so excited to see what they accomplish this spring!
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day this weekend, 4 of our fourth-grade equity team students will be joining D15 staff and students to volunteer at City Harvest on Wednesday. The entire student equity team is also going to be starting to do some exciting work with the text This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewel. Ms. Diana, Mr. Buckley, and Mr. Marquis will be supporting the students with this work.
Read-A-Thon 2025 is on!
Our annual Read-A-Thon started yesterday!
If you haven’t already done so, please register your child on RallyUp. We will use this site to track reading and donations.
Students will work with their teachers and grown-ups to set reading goals, track progress, and celebrate their accomplishments. This year, it’s about TIME spent reading not # of books. So pledges will be against # of minutes of reading fun. More info can be found on our website, here
This year’s Read-A-Thon will include class prizes (hot chocolate party, anyone???) for participation, as well as grade-level lotteries for goal meet-ers, and a special prize for the top-earning class. We also have an exciting new incentive this year... SLIME! If the school community meets the reading goal of 200,000 minutes, Principal Kathryn Fitzgerald will be slimed this spring. And if we meet our fundraising goal of $40,000, the PTA President will also be slimed.
We can’t wait to see what these kids can do. Happy reading!
TONIGHT: Read-A-Thon **READ-IN** Kick-off Event in the MMR
Grab a book and something cozy, and join us TONIGHT in the MMR for an hour-long READ-IN to kick off the 2025 Read-A-Thon.
Tuesday, January 14, from 6-7
Guest readers will read stories to the kids
Parents will have an opportunity to get help registering on Rally-Up (getting your kid's class thatmuchcloser to their hot chocolate party)
Kids will get the chance to log 60 minutes of reading time!
We can't wait to see you there!
Tickets on Sale now: PS 154 Nets Game! Sun, Mar 16, 6 pm
Join your friends from PS 154 to watch the Brooklyn Nets play the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, March 16th, 6pm at the Barclays Center. We have a group of tickets in Section 214 that will be distributed before the game. Tickets are $40 each.
Tickets are limited, so buy yours today! Each purchase helps support our PTA.
PS 154’s Service Week Project
PS 154 is thrilled to celebrate MLK Day with a Service Week project that empowers our students to give back to the community. This year, we’re partnering with CHiPS (https://chipsonline.org/) to create personal care kits for individuals and families in need.
We will be collecting grade-specific donations between Jan 21 and Jan 31.
More information, including donation lists, can be found here.
Calling All Hosts for Our School's First-Ever Stoop Crawl Fundraiser!
We're excited to announce a unique new fundraiser that promises to bring fun and community spirit right to our neighborhood: a Stoop Crawl! This event is all about connecting local families, having a great time, and raising funds to support our school—and we need your help to make it happen!
How It Works:
Families will have the opportunity to volunteer their stoops, patios, backyards, living rooms, or even open a tab at a nearby bar to host 20 guests for a drink and snack (adults only). Each stop can be as simple or fancy as you like, from Natty Light + Cornuts to Dom Pérignon + Caviar— creativity is encouraged! Our parent community will then purchase tickets, allowing them to enjoy 3 “stoop” stops throughout the event.
We Need Volunteers!
To make this fundraiser a success, we're looking for at least 15 families willing to host. Being a host means you’ll help create a welcoming and memorable stop for guests to enjoy a sip, snack, and socialize. We are targeting the evening of May 2.
How Exactly Will This Work??
We expect that each host will host for 2-3 time slots of approximately 45 minutes each, with a cap of 20 attendees at a time. Ideally, we will cluster hosts in the school district so that folks can walk easily between stops, but we are open to discussing having a cluster of hosts elsewhere! We ask you to email and express interest by Friday, Jan 17, so we can work out the details!
What’s In It for You:
The reward of knowing you’re helping raise funds for the students at PS 154
The chance to showcase your unique hosting style
An opportunity to connect with other school families
Interested in Hosting?
Please reach out to us with any questions and let us know if you'd like to host by Friday, January 17. We'll follow up with all the details and ensure you’re set up for a fun and easy hosting experience.
Thank you for helping us make the Stoop Crawl a great success. Let’s bring our community together and support our school in a new and exciting way!
Stoop Crawl Chairs,
Stephanie Schiada (stefanieschiada@gmail.com)
Cheryl Gladstone (cgladstone@gmail.com)
Spring Auction — Volunteers and Donations Needed!
We are starting to plan the Spring Auction, one of our biggest fundraisers of the year! Can you help?
We need volunteers! No matter how much or how little time you have, there’s a role for you. We need people to:
Contact prior business/parent donors
Identify and/or reach out to potential new business donors by email or by walking around and speaking with (friendly!) neighborhood businesses.
Help with communications
We need donations! Are you willing to donate an item or experience for a silent auction? Examples include a gift card to a local business, tickets to a game or show, or a stay in your vacation home — just to name a few. Ask a friend, too! Or please pass on a name or idea using the form above and we can get in touch.
Please fill out this short form to let us know you’re willing to volunteer or donate. You can also email Auctions & Sponsorships Chair Judd Gartenberg (judd.gartenberg@gmail.com).