Reference Guide
Hello and Welcome to the Parents Association of P.S. 144!
You are automatically enrolled as a member of the P.S. 144 Parents Association. The PA is here to support all P.S. 144 families. There are so many ways to get involved with our school community. You can attend a monthly PA meeting, volunteer at one of our fundraising events, serve as a class parent, or join a steering committee. By participating, you will influence your child’s school experience and connect with other parents.
Our Goals
- Build a nurturing and inclusive school community
- Act as a liaison between parents and school administrators
- Provide support and resources to our families
- Fund enrichment programs, provide supplies and equipment
Our efforts and student enrichment programming are funded by YOU. Support P.S. 144 students by donating to the PA today! Send your donation via Zelle to treasurer@pa144.com and include your name, email address, and purpose of donation (e.g. annual appeal) in the comments. To donate via credit card, visit pa144.rallyup.com/appeal. You may also write a check payable to PA of P.S. 144. Or donate via Paypal to president@pa144.com.
P.A. Executive Board
|
Position |
Officers |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Co-Presidents |
Diana Baldermann & Steve Lozic |
|
|
Co-Vice Presidents |
Karl Chen & Mickey Zacharias |
|
|
Treasurers |
Arien Garber & Tina Lin |
|
|
Communications Secretary |
Laura Weber |
|
|
Co-Recording Secretaries |
Alison Dei & Jenn Shaffran |
Contact & Connect
| Parents’ Association |
P.S. 144 Administration |
|---|---|
| Website: www.ps144q.org | Phone: (718) 268-2775 |
| Email: info@pa144.com | Address: 69-20 Juno St, Forest Hills, NY 11375 |
| Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/pa144 | Jennifer Lucadamo, Principal |
| IG: @pa144q | Lydia Ra & Victoria Richardson, Assistant Principals |
| Twitter: twitter.com/PA144Q | Siobhan Kyne, Parent Coordinator |
What Is the P.A.?
All parents, and those in a parental role to a child enrolled at P.S. 144, are members of the Parents’ Association (PA). Each spring the PA elects an executive board, consisting of volunteers who are parents or in a parental role to a P.S. 144 student. While the members of the PA executive board work with the school administration when planning enrichment programs, fundraising, and community events, they are not members of the administration or school staff. Questions or suggestions about PA fundraising, events, and enrichment programs should be directed to the PA executive board.
What Does the Parent Coordinator Do?
The Parent Coordinator (PC) is a member of the school’s administrative staff. The PC works with the administration, school staff, SLT, and PA to engage with and increase involvement from the parents in the school community. The PC organizes events, such as Family Nights, to increase parental involvement in the school community. The PC serves as a facilitator for parent and school community concerns and issues including, for example, school policies or facilities issues. Questions about school policies or procedures and school-sponsored events should be directed to the PC.
What Does the P.A. Do?
Enrichment Programming
The P.A.’s number one budget priority is funding enrichment programming. All of our enrichments are paid for by YOUR donations. Programs are offered to all P.S.144 students during school hours, and include grade-appropriate, hands-on opportunities. We work closely with the school administration and faculty to select classes like puppetry, art with the Guggenheim Museum, hip-hop dance, drumming, chess, introductory language classes, and more. Visit www.ps144q.org/enrichment_programs for more information on each enrichment program.
Events
Throughout the year, the P.A. organizes fundraisers and community-building events to help students and parents get to know each other, such as the Fall Festival, Talent Show, Culture & Food Festival, and more.
PA General Meetings are held the first Monday of every month at 7pm. We encourage everyone to attend and learn more about what is happening at our school. Join our meetings via Zoom.
Advocacy
The Parents’ Association takes on causes that support the safety and happiness of all students including: ensuring safety around the school at drop-off and dismissal, campaigning for building upgrades, and working closely with the school administration.
Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee (DEIB) advocates inclusion and diversity for all activities, events, and initiatives for P.S. 144. The committee strives to create a community where diversity in all forms, including language, culture, race, immigration status, ability, economic class, and religion, is valued and respected. Please reach out to deib@pa144.com to learn more or join the committee.
Classroom Supplies and More
Thanks to your generous donations, the P.A. is also able to provide monetary support to the school for classroom supplies, teacher appreciation, student planners, and beyond.
Calendar of P.A. Events & Fundraisers, 2023 - 2024
|
Date(s) |
Event |
Description/Details |
|---|---|---|
|
Sept 6 |
Back to School Meet & Greet |
Meet your child’s teacher in the schoolyard |
|
Sept 11 |
First P.A. General Meeting |
Meet the P.A., learn about our plans for the year, and get involved! |
|
Sept 14 |
I&D Committee Meeting |
|
|
Sept 19 & 20 |
Picture Day |
|
|
Oct 2 |
P.A. General Meeting |
|
|
Oct 14 |
Fall Festival |
A day of games, food, & crafts (raindate Oct 15) |
|
Nov 2 |
I&D Committee Meeting |
|
|
Nov 6 |
P.A. General Meeting |
|
|
Nov 7 |
Election Day Bake Sale |
Bakers needed! Check Facebook to sign up closer to the date |
|
Dec 4 |
P.A. General Meeting |
|
|
December 2023 |
Ice-Skating Fundraiser |
Skate with P.S. 144 friends at the World Ice Arena while raising money for the P.A.! |
|
Jan 4 |
I&D Committee Meeting |
|
|
Jan 8 |
P.A. General Meeting |
|
|
January 2024 |
Readathon |
Encourage a love of reading while raising money for the P.A.! Dates TBD |
|
Feb 5 |
P.A. General Meeting |
|
|
February 2024 |
Culture & Food Festival |
Sample food from the many cultures of our P.S. 144 community |
|
Mar 4 |
P.A. General Meeting |
|
|
Mar 7 |
I&D Committee Meeting |
|
|
March 2024 |
Super Saturday |
Talent Show & Teacher Experience Silent Auction |
|
Apr 8 |
P.A. General Meeting |
|
|
April 2024 |
Bowling Fundraiser |
Come bowl with P.S. 144 friends while raising money for the P.A.! |
|
May 2 |
I&D Committee Meeting |
|
|
May 6 |
P.A. General Meeting |
|
|
May 2024 |
Spring Festival & Raffle |
|
|
June 3 |
P.A. General Meeting |
|
|
June 2024 |
Staff Appreciation Week |
|
|
June 2024 |
School Supply Kit Fundraiser |
Order your supplies for next fall while raising money for the P.A.! |
More events to come and some dates subject to change. For the latest news and updates, please visit our calendar at https://www.ps144q.org/pa_events and join our Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/pa144.
Donate To the PA!
Fundraising is a vital part of the Parents’ Associations’ efforts. Your donations to the P.A. provide ALL the funding for P.S. 144 enrichment programs for the entire year.
P.A.-funded enrichment programs include art, music, language instruction, science and more, to all grades, 3K-5. To learn about the specific programs the P.A. funded for your child’s grade last year, visit https://www.ps144q.org/enrichment_programs.
A donation of $144 per student in September will help us reach our fundraising goal for the year! We understand everyone’s financial situation is different. Each gift — no matter the size — is meaningful. There is no right or wrong amount to contribute, but donating is vital to our community.
How to Give
-
- QuickPay with Zelle: Send your donation to treasurer@pa144.com and include your name, email address, and purpose of donation (e.g. annual appeal) in the comments.
- Check: payable to the P.A. of P.S. 144, please write your child’s name and class on the check
- Online: visit https://www.ps144q.org/annual_giving for a 1-time credit card payment, monthly installments, or PayPal
- Don’t Forget Employee Matching: if your employer has a donation matching program, please use it to support us! This is an easy way to increase the impact of your donation! You can find out if your employer has a matching program by contacting your HR department or looking on the company website.
All contributions are tax-deductible, as the Parents’ Association is a recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (EIN# 11-6201843 or search for PTA-PS 144 Boro of Queens).
With your help, we look forward to creating amazing programs for the students this year!
Get Involved
Volunteering is an easy and fun way to be more involved with your child and get more connected to our school. If every P.S. 144 parent commits just two hours to helping out this year, together we can do amazing things for our kids and our school.
If you’re wondering how you can possibly make a difference in two hours, just leave that part to us (and trust us—you can!). Any and all help makes a huge difference for our school, and throughout the year we’ll have lots of ways to pitch in for short spurts.
We are eager to help you get involved in any way that works for your schedule and interests. What would you like to do? When would you like to do it? We’ll gladly work with you to find a way that you can help—involvement is for everyone. Simply email us at president@pa144.com and we’ll be in touch to find opportunities that fit your interests and availability.
Become a Class Parent
Class parents play a vital role in facilitating communication between parents and the school administration. Class parents distribute information about upcoming school events to their fellow parents and may assist teachers in planning events for their child’s classroom, depending on the needs of the teacher.
This is an easy way to get to know your child’s classroom community. If you are interested in volunteering as a class parent this year, please send an email to classparents@pa144.com and include your child’s name, grade and class number.
Drop-Off and Pick-Up
We are deeply committed to keeping the streets and crosswalks surrounding P.S. 144 safe and pedestrian-friendly. Please help by following these guidelines:
- Get your steps in! Walk to school instead of driving
- If your child is assigned to a yellow bus, please utilize the bus instead of driving
- If you drive: leave early and allow time to park, keep no stopping and no standing zones clear
- Don’t park on sidewalks or in crosswalks, don’t stop on 69th Avenue
- If you hire a cab, please get dropped off near the entrance to the school yard
Shop to Earn
We participate in several shopping programs that donate a portion of your purchase to the P.A.
TDBank
The next time you visit TDBank, have them link your account(s) to The Parents' Association of PS 144Q. TDBank will make a donation to the P.A. based on linked accounts (code AG862).
Box Tops
Traditional Box Tops clips are being phased out of production, but may continue to be found on many products throughout the store. You can still clip and send them to school. They may be sent throughout the year through your child's homework folder. Every valid Box Tops clip is worth 10¢ for your school. Make sure each one has a clearly visible product acronym and expiration date.
The new and improved Box Tops mobile app uses state-of-the-art technology to scan your store receipt, find participating products and instantly add Box Tops to your school's earnings online. Eventually the Box Tops program will become digital-only as participating brands are starting to change their packaging from a traditional Box Tops clip to the new Box Top label. If you see this label, use the new Box Tops app to scan your receipt. Box Tops are still worth 10¢ each for your school.
Visit https://www.ps144q.org/shopping_fundraisers for more programs and information.
ShopRaise
The ShopRaise app allows you to raise money for our school at no cost
to you. There are hundreds of participating retailers, and our PA can earn up to 10% of each purchase when our members simply shop through the app. To learn more and download the app, visit https://shopraise.com/support/paofps144q
