ESMS PTA FUNDRAISER!! Join Principal David Getz for a special night at Madison Square Garden
NEW YORK KNICKS vs. DENVER NUGGETS
Friday, March 22, 7:30pm
Section 320-323
More details on this homepage!
Project Cicero - The Book Drive for Public Schools
With your help over the past 19 years, Project Cicero has placed over 4 million books in under-resourced classrooms throughout New York City public schools and other organizations in need. ESMS is a proud participating school. We are once again collecting hardcover & paperback books for NYC school children in grades PK-12. Please bring suitable* new or like-new books to our lobby between February 28th and March 6th:
picture books - early readers - fiction
graphic novels - biographies
books about sports, math, science, art, music
current reference, nonfiction & test prep books
If you'd like to get more involved, Project Cicero seeks adult and student volunteers March 8-10 in midtown, to help sort and ready books for distribution.See PROJECTCICERO.ORG to sign up or to find more information about the drive.
* Project Cicero DOES NOT accept: library or classroom discards, textbooks, out-of-date non-fiction/reference books, adult books not appropriate for high school students or books not in gently used or new condition. If any are brought in they will be discarded.
To buy books that go straight to Project Cicero, shop through their Amazon WISH LIST of popular titles.
Sign up HERE by 3/22 to audition
Group acts: one person signs up & fills in group names.
PERFORMERS: Up to 1 minute excerpt from your full act is ideal for this audition.
MCs: Do a < 1 minute bit in which you welcome the audience, intro yourself, say a thing or two about the show and introduce an act.
Parent-Teacher conferences will be held on Thursday, February 28th (evening) or Friday, March 1st (afternoon). If you did not receive a registration email, please contact Beth Servetar, Parent Coordinator, at esms.bethservetar@gmail.com or (212) 360-0112
Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, Ph.D., of Hunter College & Graduate Center/Emotion Regulation Lab has provided us with the slides from her recent Teen Anxiety presentation to ESMS parents. You can find her presentation below under our Youth Mental Health section.
When I grow up, I hope…
This year’s theme invites you to show us what you hope for in your future.
Classrooms on Mars? Shoes that can fly? Food for everyone? A pill that cures everything?
Take your ideas and put them into your Doodle! doodles.google.com/d4g/
Students can work with any materials they want, but all doodles must be entered using the official online entry form, found with the rules, criteria and submission procedure in the link above. The contest is open for entries until March 18, 2019 8:00pm Pacific Time (PT).
Our Boys and Girls LEGO Robotics teams placed 2nd in the City Qualifiers! This means they'll be participating in the finals in March!
CATES Tutoring, a participant in October's East Side Middle School Academic Resource Fair, is offering free mock SHSAT Exams:
New dates added. Registration is HERE
The NY Int'l Children's Film Festival 2019 is just around the corner and will be showcasing the best new films for ages 3-18. The Festival is once again packed with fantastic film programs for your family. Tickets are on sale starting today. Celebrate the best new international films through the Festival's wildly-popular short film programs, in addition to feature films including Opening Spotlight Pachamama, ladybug adventure Minuscule: Mandibles From Far Away and the breathtaking Aïlo - a Lapland Odyssey - alongside many other terrific feature film selections. Film schedule HERE.
ESMS can earn $3 for every ticket you purchase. To buy tickets and raise money for our school, click here.
Congrats to our Girls and Boys Varsity Basketball teams! They won their recent games against the Computer School! Great job!
Congrats to our Fencing Team on winning their first match against Salk! Well done!
Student Insiders @ Carnegie Hall have the benefit of purchasing $10 tickets online or over the phone. They are also eligible to purchase Hope and Robert F. Smith Chairman Student Seats (Parquet Level) at the Box Office. With the pass, students are allowed to purchase up to 2 tickets per concert with the discount. See more details on our Activities and Opportunities for Students page.
Summer offerings, with approaching deadlines, are starting to roll in so be sure to check out our 'Activities and Opportunities for Students' Page.
You can find it HERE
Shout Out and Congrats to Jacob Abroon, Darragh Boyle, Rhone Galchen, Zachary Meryn, and Jared Meryn on their debut edition of the Tiger Times. Read it HERE
Shout out to the 2018-19 ESMS reps on the Manhattan Student Leadership Council (MSLC): Acadia Bost, Sasha Hamel, Amani Khan and Kaitlin Kushnir. Earlier this fall, the MSLC received a resolution of support from the D2 Community Education Council, and - on Dec 20, 2017 - after hearing from the MSLC, Community Board 3 passed its own recommendation that the city "provide each NYC school a full-time social worker and implement a mental health curriculum across NYC schools". The full text of the CB3 resolution is available on p. 1-2 HERE. The MSLC will be presenting to CB5 on January 3rd.
Congratulations to ESMS Student, Neel Iyer, winner of the 2018 New York City Spelling Bee!
We were so proud to watch Neel on the televised Scripps National Spelling Bee in May!
Read all about Neel's victory HERE!!
Congratulations to ESMS Students, Valerie Franchitti, Lili Matta and Sydney Philips, for their quarter-final placement in the 2018 New York City Urban Debate League Middle School Championship!
Congratulations to ESMS Student, Ellery Bergman Chudnow, Winner of the Middle School Principals' Association Youth Leadership Award!
Congratulations to Angela Iong and Jacob Berger on being the 2018 ESMS Spelling Bee Champs!
Congratulations to OUR AWESOME 2018 ULTIMATE FRISBEE TEAM - Undefeated through the regular season and runners-up to the New York City Championship. Go Tigers, Roar!
Winter Break
Details to come
The Gender and Sexuality Alliance meets during lunchtime in a discussion group led by Mr. Forigua. All students are welcome.
Elected representatives of the ESMS Student Council and their committees meet during lunch.
Model U.N. examines the work of the United Nations and its diplomatic role within the global community. Students engage in research, negotiation and debate to develop plausible solutions to contemporary global problems. Participants will represent ESMS at the International Model U.N. Conference in the spring. Open to 7th and 8th graders, only.
CEC Mental Health Workshop: How to Nurture Resilient Children Without Burning Them Out
Tuesday, February 26 6:30-8:00pm
A workshop discussion with Dr. Cindy Y. Huang, Assistant Professor Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology Teachers College, Columbia University and Beverly Shin, M.D., Psychiatry Resident, Weill Cornell / NY Presbyterian
Moderator: Dr. A. Jordan Wright, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Psychology, New York University
P.S. 130 Hernando De Soto
143 Baxter St, between Hester and Grand Streets
6, R, Q, W Train to Canal Street Station
Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish translation available
Free Childcare Provided
Students volunteer during their lunch period to read to children at PS 527, next door to our school.
Fencing - 2/27 - Baruch v ESMS @4pm - ESMS
No after-school programming today due to parent/teacher conferences.
Young poets are invited to write, share and publish their works. Join us every Thursday morning for our Poetry Corner!
Girls Leadership Organization (GLO) gives us space to learn about ourselves as future leaders of the world. Through discussions and activities, we look at how women are viewed by our peers, community, and the world at large, and we work to help one another discover our strengths.
Students work with Mr. Sven Vilim to help our environment, both locally and globally. Among other initiatives, this club oversees the ESMS recycling program and maintains the school's gardens at the front and back entrances.
Model U.N. examines the work of the United Nations and its diplomatic role within the global community. Students engage in research, negotiation and debate to develop plausible solutions to contemporary global problems. Participants will represent ESMS at the International Model U.N. Conference in the spring. Open to 7th and 8th graders, only.
Details to follow
Students will be dismissed at 10:47am due to afternoon Parent-Teacher Conferences
All after-school programs are canceled today due to Parent-Teacher Conferences
ESMS students develop and nurture friendships with students at our sister school, The Red Rose School in Kibera, Kenya.
Monthly Meeting to include four student representatives from ESMS
Details to follow
Project Cicero is a non-profit that creates and supplements classroom libraries for children in under-resourced New York City public schools, homeless shelters, juvenile detention facilities, community centers, pre and after school programs, and wherever else there is a need. Now in their 19th year, they have placed over 3,250,000 books inthe hands of New York City children in need.
Please donate NEW & GENTLY USED hardcover and paperback books for pre-K – 12th graders:
picture books - early readers - fiction - graphic novels
books about sports, math, science, art, music
current reference, nonfiction, biographies & test prep books
NO library or classroom discards, textbooks, out-of-date non-fiction/reference books, inappropriate adult books or anything heavily worn.
Here is their Amazon wish list of high demand books that ship right to the Cicero distribution center: http://www.projectcicero.org/wish-list/
East Side Middle School's
3rd Annual International Festival
Monday, March 18 at 6:00-8pm
ESMS cafeteria
The International Festival features country tables, hosted by families who wish to share & display various aspects of their culture, such as food samples, arts & crafts activities, holiday traditions and music. This celebration is a joint effort of the ESMS Student Council, the PTA, parent volunteers and host families. With your participation, this will be another fun filled evening!
We're excited to announce that we already have 21 countries represented, including: Albania, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Bulgaria, China, Ecuador, Egypt, Guyana, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Panama, The Philippines, Poland, Russia, Serbia, and South Africa. We have room to accommodate about 5 more countries and would love to have additional representation. Please reach out as soon as possible; our committee is here to assist.
Parents, students and teachers who have questions or are interested in hosting a table at Festival, please send an email to the Festival Committee at junniemark@yahoo.com.
Want to Share More Of Your Culture With Our Community?
The organizing committee is looking to add 5-6 performers who can give 5 minute performances (e.g., cultural dances, martial arts performances, etc.) to the evening's lineup. Any student, parent, or teacher who would like to participate should email Rose Villazor (Rose.c.villazor@gmail.com)
Have a Favorite Tune From Your Country?
The PTA and Student Council would like to create a playlist of music representing different cultures: Interested students can contact the Student Council or Viki Galchen (orenviki@yahoo.com)
ESMS PTA FUNDRAISERNEW YORK KNICKS vs. DENVER NUGGETS
Friday, March 22, 7:30pm
Section 320-323
Two types of tickets available. Supplies are limited, and sales are first come, first served.
VIP TICKETS
Tickets go on sale Thursday, Feb. 14 at 12:00 noon.
VIP tickets include a seat plus the opportunity to be on court with members of the Knicks team AND access to the fan tunnel to high-five the players!
A ONCE IN A LIFETIME PHOTO OP!
Just 21 VIP TICKETS available @ $175! VIP Guests should meet in the MSG lobby between 6:30-6:45pm.
You will be escorted to the court by a Garden employee promptly at 6:45pm.
BUY $175.00 VIP
REGULAR TICKETS
Tickets go on sale Friday, February 15 at 12:00 noon. Regular tickets are for seats only; they do not include the VIP fan experience.
BUY $80.00 REGULAR
VIP and Regular ticket holders will all be seated together in section 320-323.
ALL tickets eligible to win Knicks memorabilia!
Students may attend without an adult, but dropoff and pickup must be arranged by families in advance; there are no chaperones.
Sotheby's Student Art Show
(Feb 13-14, 2019)
Congratulations to the four dozen ESMS Students who had their work exhibited
at this year's Student Art Show hosted by Sotheby's Auction House
An excerpt from Mr. Getz's 2/13/19 email:
What happens to our girl leaders? Will this wave of young women who are currently in our schools help change the current status quo? What traditionally happens to a girl's confidence as she gets older? These are questions we have been asking at East Side Middle School. The article I've attached provides one professional's insight into these questions. It's a great article to start a conversation. We'd be eager to hear your thoughts. Best, David Getz
Read the NY Times opinion piece by Dr. Lisa Damour HERE
A shout out for Ms. Kalinkos and the ESMS MathCounts team!
They beat some stellar competitors and were named won Best New School at the recent MathCounts Manhattan 2019 Competition.
MATHCOUNTS Manhattan promotes enthusiasm for and achievement in math among middle school students in our community.
More Information is HERE
Please take a moment to review the linked list of subcommittees. Sign up for one in your area of expertise or take the opportunity to learn something new. This is the biggest fundraising event for the school and we need your help to make it successful.
Money raised by the event allows the PTA to fund technology upgrades, art, teacher training & development, incredible field trips and MORE!
The Spring Auction will be held on Friday, May 10th
Auction Subcommittee Descriptions:
Spring Auction 2019 Subcommittees
Auction Subcommittee Sign-up Sheet:
Auction Sign-up Sheet
Donation Forms (Share with friends and family):
May 2019 Auction ESMS Donation Request Letter
Questions? Email pta@esms.org
We are in need of auction item donations for our upcoming Spring Gala and for the online auction.
Popular items include: Restaurant Certificates, Gift Cards (clothing stores, beauty/accessory stores, Apple iTunes, Amazon, electronic stores, etc.), Gym/Fitness Memberships & Classes, Entertainment Venue Certificates, Premium Merchandise, Medical/Cosmetic Services ...and much more.
Companies and Service Providers with whom you do business are often eager & happy to donate so please ask.
Donation form is below and items can be dropped off at Beth Servetar's (parent coordinator) office or emailed into auction@esms.org
The Spring Auction will be held on Friday, May 10th
Donation Forms (Share with friends and family):
May 2019 Auction ESMS Donation Request Letter
Questions? Email pta@esms.org
New York City’s Education Councils help create educational policies, provide input to the Chancellor, and promote student achievement.
The only experience you need is to be a parent of a New York City public school student.
You can impact how New York City public schools work for all the children in your community.
Application period is February 14 - March 6, 2019. Interested? Learn more HERE
When I grow up, I hope…
This year’s theme invites you to show us what you hope for in your future.
Classrooms on Mars? Shoes that can fly? Food for everyone? A pill that cures everything?
Take your ideas and put them into your Doodle!
Students can work with any materials they want, but all doodles must be entered using the official online entry form, found with the rules, criteria and submission procedure in the link above.
The contest is open for entries until March 18, 2019 8:00pm Pacific Time (PT).
Throughout the school year, Mental Health is an important topic covered in our classrooms and discussed at our PTA meetings. Utilizing curricula and guest speakers, topics relevant to our kids, and their well being, are explored.
Here are select resources you might find helpful:
Dr. Dennis's full presentation with tech slides from her 2nd visit
(Courtesy of Guest Speaker, Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary of Hunter College)
Teen Mental Health Handout for ESMS Parents (Courtesy of ESMS Parent & Guest Speaker, Michele Galietta)
Mental Health Resources, Tri-state (Courtesy of Emotion Regulation Lab @ Hunter College)
NAMI Basics (Courtesy of Guest Speaker, Clara S. Kiely, MSW @ NAMI-NYC Metro)
Teen Anxiety Presentation & Teen Anxiety Study (Courtesy of Guest Speaker, Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary of Hunter College)
How to Help Your Child in an Unhealthy Relationship (Courtesy of Guest Speaker, Annie Robertson, RAPP (Relationship Abuse Prevention Program)
RAPP offers free relationship counseling through their uptown offices. Students or parents may reach out to arobertson@egscf.org
Mar 12, 9:15 AM
General Meeting
Guest Speaker - Maurice Frumkin
President, NYC Admissions Solutions
Topic - High School Admissions Process
Apr 15, 7:00 PM
General Meeting
Guest Speaker - Prof Gaia Bernstein
Director, Institute for Privacy Protection
Topic - Data Safety
May 7, 9:15 AM
General Meeting
Guest Speaker- Anthony Becker, CFP
Topic - Planning for College Costs
Jun 12, 9:15 AM
General Meeting
Seton Hall University School of Law's Institute for Privacy Protection's is teaching a four-class program on "Privacy and Balancing Technology Use" to sixth graders at East Side Middle School. The program will be taught during the weekly advisory period by Seton Hall Law School students who are fellows at the University's Institute for Privacy Protection. They will cover privacy, reputational impact, advertising & content choice, and balancing time spent on screens and time spent offline.
If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to Professor Julia Hernandez, who will be running the program through Seton Hall at julia.hernandez@shu.edu
Parents are invited to join our book-loving principals for monthly gatherings in the ESMS Library.
The Principally For Parents Book Club explores books chosen by Mr. Getz and Ms. Hyman, including notable fiction and non-fiction for adults as well as interesting books our middle school children are currently reading.
Have you donated to your favorite middle school this year?
Please contribute to ESMS by donating HERE!
The Yearbook Committee is seeking photo contributions.
Sports, club, trip, event and other school-spirit photos can be emailed into esmsphotos@gmail.com
Forget to purchase a 2018 Yearbook? Books can be obtained from Beth Servetar, Room 112.
$20 Cash or Check (made out to ESMS PTA)
Vendors at the Resource Fair are offering special incentives to ESMS families.
Please take advantage of these great discounts and be sure to mention ESMS.
Please show them your support!
If you are not receiving email communication from the school and the PTA, you may not be registered in our system.
All new families must complete this form in order to receive emails, newsletters, and other notifications from ESMS.
More information HERE.
Congratulations and with appreciation to Jacob Abroon, Darragh Boyle, Rhone Galchen, Zachary Meryn, and Jared Meryn for this fabulous offering.
Stay tuned for future issues
The Marx Brothers Historic Committee at ESMS
created this map so that people can take a self guided tour of the historic locations connected to the lives and careers of the Marx Brothers, America's greatest comic family. Enjoy!
(Stay tuned for our next map, Gilded Age Mansions)
Are you entered in our internal database of student and parent cell phone numbers? We will program cell numbers into the School Messenger system in order to be able to send important text messages to kids and/or parents if needed. (For example, if there is a safety event at our school while students are out for lunch or right before school starts, we would like the ability to immediately send them instructions.)
CLICK HERE to enter cell phone information for the student and at least one parent or guardian. THIS APPLIES TO ALL FAMILIES GRADES 6-8, even if you submitted last year.
Nothing you submit through this link impacts your child's information elsewhere (not in the DOE's main database or on your child's blue card), and it will not be shared or used for purposes other than urgent notifications.
Undefeated through the regular season and runners-up to the New York City Championship.
Go Tigers, Roar!
Welcome to our corner, where we gather to write, share and publish our poetry.
It’s a wonderful creative space for young poets to embrace their inner talent.
If that appeals to you, please come join us to explore great poems!
Thursday mornings at 8:00 in Mr. Getz's office
-The Students of the ESMS Poetry Corner
Read some of our published poetry here.
One Saturday a Month
11:00am at The Frick Collection
Classes are free for East Side Middle School students
but registration is required HERE.
ESMS Principal David Getz and His Wife Jacqui Getz (Principal of the new 75 Morton School)
Visit Chile to Collaborate With Educacion 2020
If you read Spanish, you can learn more about this international education forum here!
Thank you to the talented musicians from Jazz at Lincoln Center for performing at East Side Middle School!
This series of concerts at ESMS was part of
illustrating the ideals of American democracy through the lens of America’s greatest and most democratic art form: jazz.
Enriched Curriculum
With the Integration of Dance for
All ESMS 6th Graders
View this short video (below) of Ken Robinson, PhD, a noted expert on creativity in schools who lectures worldwide on the importance of valuing arts education, especially the instruction of dance. His philosophy helped guide our plans to bring more dance education to our students. Dr. Robinson is the author of the influential book on learning, The Element, as well as the best-selling Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That's Transforming Education, a book chosen by Mr. Getz in a recent "Principally For Parents Book Club."
See a portion of his widely-viewed TED Talk on the subject, HERE.
Our thanks to all parents who attended Dr. Michele Galietta's recent seminar on mental health issues affecting teens and adolescents. Stay tuned to this space for a link to further resources.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ESMS STUDENTS
Valerie Franchitti, Lili Matta and Sydney Philips
FOR THEIR QUARTER-FINAL PLACEMENT IN THE 2018 NEW YORK CITY URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE MIDDLE SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIP!
We are so proud of you, Tigers!
Advocating That All NYC Middle and High Schools Create a Gender Sexuality Alliance
Murit is an orphaned elephant in Kenya, adopted by ESMS students through the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Click here for a diary about our elephant's progress (enter keyword "Murit") and to see the impact of our funds.
If you would like to add a donation, please email our Parent Coordinator (esms.bethservetar@gmail.com).
The Manhattan Borough Arts Festival Featuring Works by Public School Students
The Museum of Modern Art
ESMS Students Speak at Press Conference for New Housing Unit on our Block
"Affordable housing helps the community and aids families during hard times," said East Side Middle School student Jack Zimmerman. "It is a dream to many people and we support that dream."
Women in Need, a non-profit agency that houses and provides social services for families, will soon offer safe apartments to single women with children until they can get back on their feet. This initiative has been supported by the ESMS Student Council, whose members joined community leaders in announcing the new housing.
View the entire press conference here
or read the DNAinfo article.
Make Your Amazon Purchases Work For ESMS
Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible purchases to the ESMS PTA when you shop via our Amazon. If not signed up, register at the Amazon Smile Page: smile.amazon.com, select:
East Side Middle School PTA
Location: New York, NY
