The 2023-2024 Year in Review

Message from our PTA Co-Presidents

 

Dear EMS Community,

 

It has been a fantastic year at EMS! We welcomed our new Principal, Marc Guarino, and together with our board, parents, volunteers, teachers, and staff, we’ve continued building our nearly 70-year tradition of supporting our children’s education and well-being and fostering a strong EMS community.

 

Our strategic priority was STUDENT WELLBEING. This year, in collaboration with EMS, we launched "THE AMAZING TWEEN YEARS," a community platform for parents featuring speaker events, discussions, and resources. This initiative aligns with Marc Guarino's student-centric vision for EMS and supports the strategic priorities of both PTAC and GPS. 

 

Thanks to the generous support of our community, EMS students enjoyed diverse enrichment and social activities in art, culture, dance, music, poetry, field trips, traveling exhibits, digital safety and self-motivation speakers, and more to support and complement classroom education. 

 

This year, we spent $96 per student, with an average contribution of $84 per student. Next year, we aim to reach 100% membership and increase our per-student expenditure.

 

As we all slow down to celebrate our children and their achievements throughout the year and move on to our summer plans, we wanted to thank you—our community of children, parents, teachers, and staff. We would like to acknowledge all our volunteers who shared so much of their energy and time to develop creative ideas to provide the best experience for all EMS students.( see below)


We wish you a fantabulous summer and look forward to seeing all of you at our annual EMS Back to School Family BBQ on September 6th, 2024!


Be well! With Gratitude,


Joanna and Ruchita

PTA Co-Presidents, 2023-2024

Your PTA at Work

6th Grade Enrichment
Diego Rivera Exhibit (10/9-16): Display of Diego Rivera’s murals.
Scott Driscoll, Internet Safety (10/23): Internet safety presentation.
Poets in Residence (1/23-27): Poetry workshops by Sara Holbrook and Michael Salinger.
3GNY Holocaust Talk (4/9): Stories of Holocaust survivors by Stacey Delikat and Hilary Daniels.
Varsha Bajaj, Author Visit (4/8-9): Virtual session on storytelling.
Soundwaters Field Trips (4/25-28; 6/5, 12, & 14): Coastal Explorers program.
Ballet Hispánico (5/15): Latinx dance and culture presentation.
Max Stossel, Social Awakening (5/2): Social media discussion.

 

7th Grade Enrichment
Diego Rivera Exhibit (10/9-16): Display of Diego Rivera’s murals.

Dr. Michael Fowlin (10/13): Theatrical performance on inclusion and tolerance.“You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me”
Scott Driscoll, Internet Safety (10/23): Internet safety presentation.
Soundwaters Field Trips (4/25-28; 6/5, 12, & 14): Coastal Explorers program.
Bronx Zoo (6/3): Educational wildlife field trip.

Lost Boy Gabriel Bol Deng (5/31): Presentation on resilience and education in South Sudan.

Max Stossel, Social Awakening (5/2): Social media discussion.

Alvin Ailey Percussion Lecture and Demonstration (6/7): Rhythm, movement & percussion.

 

8th Grade Enrichment
Dr. Michael Fowlin (10/13): Theatrical performance on inclusion and tolerance."I Am Not the Enemy"
Judith Altmann, Holocaust Survivor (4/25): Virtual session on Holocaust experiences.
Washington DC Field Trip (5/15-17): Exploration of the Nation's capital.
Career Day (5/21): Professional journey talks by various speakers.
Shamiel Gary (5/21): Motivational talk by a former pro athlete.
Max Stossel, Social Awakening (5/2): Social media discussion.

 

Community Engagement

 

Family & Parent

Back-to-School Grade-level Coffees: Informational meetings with school staff
New Families Coffee: Introduction for new families.
*Back-to-School Family BBQ: Cancelled due to rain.

New Families Coffee and Events: Social support for new families.

Veteran’s Day (11/10): Veterans discuss military experiences with students.

Green Schools Committee: Recycling and environmental initiatives.

Parent Social (4/5): Our biggest fundraising Event for EMS parents.

 

Student

6th Grade Social Dances: Traditional dance program by Arthur Murray Dance School.

7th Grade Gaga Ball Social (10/21): Evening of games and music.

8th Grade Gaga Ball Social (10/21): Fun evening for our graduating class

Book Fairs (11/611 and 5/285/31): Fundraising for the media center.

8th Grade Beach Day (6/13): Endofyear celebration.

Ice Cream Socials: End-of-year celebration for 6th and 7th grades.

GatorWalk (11/3): Fundraiser for student activities.

EMS International Day (4/26): Cultural event with parent volunteers.

8th Grade Washington DC Trip Fundraiser (3/8): Fundraising event for 8th-grade trip.

Bakesale at Riverside School: Fundraiser during election day.

Spirit Wear: EMS merchandise sales.

 

Teacher & Staff

Back to School Teacher's Luncheon: Provided by PTA.

Teacher Appreciation Week (5/610): Hospitality and treats for staff.

Holiday Breakfast and Gift Cards: Provided by PTA.

 

Scholarship Initiatives

EMS Book Awards: Financial support for graduating GHS seniors.
PTAC Scholarship: Contributions to the Greenwich Scholarship Association.

Washington DC Fundraising Committee: Scholarship funds for 8th graders.

 

Mini Innovation Grants

Lego Education Spike Prime for EMS Robotics Club to teach students how to code

“Outsiders Book Box project”: material for students to showcase their work.

Balloon Race Cars to demonstrate Newton's Law of Motion

Furniture and accessories to make the guidance suite more welcoming

Solar Eclipse Sunglasses: for students to safely view the solar eclipse on (1/8) on EMS campus, 

 

The Amazing Tween Years -EMS community platform with speaker series, parent roundtable discussions, and resources

  

Speaker Presentation 4/9: Social Media and Our Tweens by

Speaker Presentation 2/6: Executive Functioning -Skills for Life and Learning

Speaker Presentation 1/31: A Conversation with Jennifer B. Wallace, Author of -Never Enough

Speaker Presentation 11/14: Understanding and Supporting Your Tween Development

 

Parent Roundtable 4/25: Social Media

Parent Roundtable 2/27 -Continuing the Conversation about Jennifer B. Wallace's presentation

Parent Roundtable 2/6: Executive Functioning

 

Facilities

School Beautification: Seasonal plantings at the entrance.
Media Center Display Board: Highlighting various topics.
Property Donations: Items like banners and EMS swag for teachers.

 

Communications

Summer Gator Bytes Mailing: Back-to-school newsletter.
Gator Bytes Newsletter: Weekly updates on school and PTA events.
Eblast Announcements: Special event notifications.
Student and Faculty Directory: Online directory via Membership Toolkit.
Online Membership: Efficient sign-ups and information provision

Event Sales & Tickets: Ease of buying tickets

Volunteer Signups: All signups are in one place for convenience

 

Thank you

 

A huge Thank You to all of our parent volunteers who helped out this year.   As you can see from the list below, it takes a village to pull off the many events that make EMS so special. 

 

PTA Executive Board: Joanna Willot, Ruchita Chhajed, Katrina Sabeti, Amena Ali, Roli Agrawal, Erin Lubman, Kristin Sterling, Gia Burton, Monika Shubert, Lindsay Dalton, Heeyoon Slater, Sarah Klocinski

 

6th Grade Social Dance: Jane Anderson, Sowmya Gadey, Chhavi Gupta

7th Grade Social: Kerry Murphy, Jaimie Voehl

8th Grade End of Year Celebration: Mikaela Baig, Katie Vairo

8th Grade Graduation Celebration: Cristina Broderick, Mikaela KullBaig, Ginny Hoffman, Inga Skuratovsky

8th Grade Social: Inga Skuratovsky, John O'Neill

Back to School BBQ: Lynda Cha, EuGene Sung

Beautification: Angie Hartofilis  Thank you for sharing your green thumb with us and making the school so beautiful.

Book Fair: Danielle Coleman

Building Tours: Lisa Palmer & Sarah Sippel, Thank you for helping potential new families navigate the halls of EMS.

Career Day: Allison Maus, Harriet Gilmer, Inga Skuratovsky, Teresa Gutierrez Zaldivar, Nitya Ramanan, Ipashri BhartiDC Fundraising Committee: Julia Galotto, Gia Burton, Monica Huang, Paz Campos

Gator Walk: Julie Dozier, Amy Johnson

GatorBytes Newsletter: Cristina Broderick, John O'Neill

Hospitality: Mikaela KullBaig & Danyelle LaRosa  Thank you for spoiling our teachers and staff all year long!

Media Center Display: Wendy Browning, BeyShan Liu, Lisa Palmer  Thank you for the fun, thoughtful & fabulous media center displays!

Membership Toolkit: Erin Lubman

Newcomers: Elda Buonanno Foley, Caroline Pardo, Inga Skuratovsky, Niina Davis. Thank you for making everyone feel so welcome when they join the EMS community.

Nominating: Roli Agrawal, Cristina Broderick, Nitya Ramanan, Kate Fix, Amy Johnson

Parent Social: Elizabeth Coelho, Dara Johnson, Nina Lindia, Michelle O’Donnell, Kerry Murphy

PTA Council Representatives: Gabriela Marcus, Gitika Jain (Academic Excellence), Preeti Mittal (Advanced Learning Program), Roli Agrawal (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), Roli Agrawal (Facilities), Carolina Mohr, Angie Hartofilis, April Hardwick, Emily Klooster, Jenna Lowe (Green Schools), Joanna Willot (Scholarship), Natasha Kloster, Chalon Lefebvre, Ipashri Bharti (Health and Wellness), Annabella Jucius (Twice Exceptional)

School Beautification: Angie Hartofilis, Thank you for sharing your green thumb with us and making the school so beautiful.

Spirit Wear: Karen de Sousa, Vanessa Adovasio

Teacher Appreciation Week: Tabitha Wunderlich, Kristine McCue, Alicia Collier, Elda Foley, Ginny Hoffman, and Laura Huizi, Thank you for making our teachers and staff feel oh so appreciated and spoiling them for a full week!

Veterans Day: Alicia Collier,  Dedicated to making this event a memorable celebration of our family and local veterans for their service to our country.

Website: Erin Lubman