240 Convent Avenue, New York, New York 10031

THE HIGH SCHOOL FOR MATH SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING @ CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK 240 Convent Avenue, New York, New York 10031 TEL: 212-281-6490 FAX: 212-281-6918 HSMSE PTA NEWSLETTER March 2010

UPCOMING HSMSE EVENTS:  March 11: Our 7th PTA meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in Baskerville Room B-01  March 13: Saturday School Credit Recovery begins at 10:00 a.m.  March 15: End of first marking period of the second semester  March 18-19: Parent-Teacher Conferences, Thursday 5:30-8:00 p.m., Friday 12:00-2:30 p.m.  March 29-April 6: Spring Recess---No school.  April 15: Our 8th PTA meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in Baskerville Room B-01  April 24: Spring Fair 12:00-3:00 p.m.---Please NOTE the date change! Location TBA

COLLEGE EVENTS FOR THE CLASS OF 2011  Small Group College Counseling Sessions begin on Monday, March 8th  4th Annual College Trip to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Union College on Friday, April 16th  HSMSE/A. Philip Randolph College Fair on Friday, May 21st (2nd period)  Individual family college consulting sessions will begin after Spring break on April 8th. This is an opportunity for families to meet individually with Mr. Klein to discuss their child’s college aspirations, goals, and choices. Please contact Mr. Klein ([email protected] or 212-281-6490 ext. 1023) to make an appointment. Individual family sessions will be held during the student’s Physical Education class during 2nd period (9:30 – 10:30 a.m.) or after school, every Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.  “Brown Bag” Workshops to teach you how to successfully complete parts of the application process will begin after Spring Break. The “Brown Bag” workshops will teach students how to:  Research Colleges and Make Good College Choices  Write Excellent and Effective Essays  Prepare for Interviews  Use the On-Line Common Application  NEWS AND NOTEWORTHY:  The Harlem-Is Artists (Dance, Video/Film, and Poetry/Spoken Word) are at HSMSE for workshops on Wednesdays from 4:05 - 6:05 p.m. in C2. The program began on February 3, 2010. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to develop their creative talents.  New email and newsletter distribution system The PTA is switching to an email system to distribute notices and newsletters. If you would like to continue to receive newsletters, you must opt in to the new system by submitting the following information to [email protected]. Please include in the email, as the PTA must have in order to process, one or both parent’s names, email address, phone number, child’s name and grade. You must submit your information to [email protected] to opt in and receive the newsletter even if you previously submitted a directory form. This system will save time and lower the costs of distributing the newsletter; allowing us to lend more support to our students.

1 We may be able to provide the online newsletter in different languages. Please email [email protected] to let us know what language you would like us to make available.

 Spring Fair This year’s fair is gearing up to be the best in school history. HSMSE students will construct baseball, football, and Frisbee toss games for the event as well as displays of academic projects. Parents, contact Caryn Elvove to volunteer at [email protected].  Help gather Donations for the Spring Silent Auction The HSMSE Spring Auction planning is in full swing and it's time to kick our donation efforts into high gear! WE NEED YOUR HELP! This year we are going to hold an online silent auction for the first time and it will kick off on April 24th, the day of the Spring Fair. The auction is our biggest opportunity to raise a significant portion of our budget for the year! With DOE budget cuts looming, we risk losing academic clubs and sports teams if we don't have the necessary funds. Please help by donating items for the silent auction! Our event is a little more than two months away, so we're asking for your help soliciting donations. WITHOUT MERCHANDISE, WE HAVE NO AUCTION! And without an auction, we can't raise the much-needed funds for our school programs. The possibilities are endless! You can get started by downloading a donation form from the PTA website at http://hsmse.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/auctiondonationform.pdf. And, don't forget to keep those donation forms handy as you go about your day! The success of the auction depends on the generosity and involvement of all of us, so please help if you can! Want ideas? Take a look at these WISH LIST ideas and please try to make a donation! Stay tuned for more ideas/information & updates! For questions, please contact [email protected]. . Restaurant or store gift certificates . Fashion (handbags, accessories, sports jerseys and more!) . Gifts (iPods, cameras, video games, gift baskets, cosmetics, toys) . Professional services (hairstyling, massage or spa sessions, donate a will planning session if you're an attorney, tax preparations if you're an accountant, contracting services, interior design, test prep, consulting etc.) . Family activities (sports tickets, theater tickets, museum passes, classes, entertainment...) . Travel (airline certificates, hotel stays, vacation home use)

SPORTS—Go Dragons!  Boys Varsity Volleyball has its first game on March 23 at 4:30 p.m. against Hunter High School at the Central Park East Gym. Click on Student ActivitiesAthletics on the HSMSE website for a calendar of all game dates.  A Running Spring! After a very successful first season, the members of the new Cross-Country team have taken a much deserved rest this winter. Well, most of them did. Of the twenty-five Flying Dragons on the fall team, six hardy young souls and their coach, Tom Henning, have braved wind, snow, and cold and continued running outdoors all winter long. They've gone out a couple of times per week for three to seven mile runs, and have made it as far as the Cloisters, High Bridge Park, and Columbus Circle. Do you know a student who might enjoy running? Along with the coming warm weather, the team is looking forward to the promise of new recruits from the freshman and sophomore classes. Organized workouts begin right after Spring Break on April 8th, and will take place three times per week. Intended to develop new runners, the spring workouts are open to all regardless of ability. One-mile times of 8 1/2 minutes for boys and 9 minutes for girls are ideal, but according to the coach, the only real requirement is enthusiasm. Interested students should see

2 Mr. Henning in Room B8 immediately to get the required forms. A meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 16th, in Room B5, at 4:00 p.m. INTERNSHIPS AND SCHOLARSHIPS: Thanks to Mr. Yanakis, Mr. Hesse, Ms. Trebour, and Ms. Sanchez you will no longer have to log in to view the Summer Opportunities. Just click on this link: http://sites.google.com/a/hsmse.org/2010-summer-opportunities/ Scholarships for New York City high school students http://www.millenniumhs.org/pdf/Scholarships%202009-2010.pdf Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. Scholarships http://www.cbcfinc.org/cbcf-scholarships.html The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute also has scholarship programs available. http://www.chci.org/scholarships/ PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION Join the HSMSE-PTA Yahoo group. Send an email to: hsmse_pta- [email protected]. Teachers and Counselors post information about opportunities, deadlines and upcoming events. Unless you check the hsmse.org web site daily, this is the only way to receive this information in a timely manner. Most of the information from the yahoo group is not included in the monthly newsletter.

Family Contributions to PTA

# of Students = 425

# of contributions = 45

10% of families have contributed to the PTA this year. Your contributions are needed to support student activities and to enrich your child’s experience. Please contribute whatever you can. WE ARE AIMING FOR 100% PARTICIPATION. The PTA at HSMSE is a 501(c)(3) organization and your contribution is tax deductible. Write checks payable to PTA of HSMSE. Checks can be dropped off at school in the PTA mailbox or mailed to PTA of HSMSE@CCNY; IMPORTANT HSMSE PTA CONTACT INFORMATION: PTA Officers 2009-2010 President: April Feffer [email protected] Vice President: Jane Marlowe [email protected] Treasurer: Caryn Elvove [email protected] Recording Secretary: Alice Lesman [email protected] Corresponding Secretary: May Rao [email protected] Senior Representative: Nancy Britton [email protected] Junior Representative: Rima Berzin [email protected] Sophomore Representative: Yumiko Nolan [email protected] Freshman Representative: Ellen Hawa [email protected]

Parent Coordinator: Ruth Taina Sanchez [email protected] 9th & 10th Grade Counselor: Mrs. Dawn Trebour [email protected] 11th & 12th Grade Counselor/College Advisor: Mr. Wade Klein [email protected] 3 The PTA is recruiting for next year’s slate of officer positions. If you are interested in a rewarding means to participate in and strengthen the school community, enhance your child’s academic life, meet wonderful faculty and like-minded parents, please contact April Feffer, president of the PTA. The description of each position’s responsibilities follows: Duties of Officers President The President (or Co-Presidents) shall preside at all meetings, be member(s) of all committees, provide leadership for members, delegate responsibilities to other PTA members and encourage meaningful participation in all Member activities, be a core member of the School Leadership Team (“SLT”) and attend all regular meetings, and meet regularly with the Executive Board Members to plan agendas for General meetings. The President will be a signatory on PTA checks. Vice President The Vice President will assist the President in conducting the business of the PTA and assume the duties of the President in the President’s absence. Recording Secretary The Recording Secretary will keep an accurate and permanent record of all minutes, proceedings and actions of general membership and Executive Board meetings, including notices, agendas, sign-in sheets, and distributed materials. The Recording Secretary will prepare minutes of each PTA meeting in time for review and adoption at the following membership meeting. The Recording Secretary shall maintain custody of the records and reports pertaining to the PTA on school premises, except those of the Treasurer. Corresponding Secretary The Corresponding Secretary is responsible for publishing the dates of all PTA and Executive Board meetings to the members. The corresponding secretary is responsible for preparing the monthly newsletter, in which are listed the records and actions of previous meetings, and publishing its contents to the website. The corresponding secretary is responsible for admitting new members to the PTA Yahoo group. The corresponding secretary attends all Executive and regular PTA meetings. Treasurer The Treasurer is responsible for all financial affairs and funds of the PTA and will maintains an account of receipts and disbursements. The Treasurer shall provide financial reports at all PTA meetings and prepare and provide the interim report and the annual accounting report. The Treasurer shall chair the Budget Committee, make available all books or financial records and be one of the signatory on all checks. The Treasurer shall prepare financial records, and file financial forms. Parent Delegates (one per grade) Parent delegate is responsible for the representation of their class parents and their students. Duties include getting to know parents and students via e-mail, phone calls, social gatherings, or whatever seems appropriate, polling them for views, for soliciting Parent Membership and participation in the PTA, being a member of the Membership and Fundraising Committees as representative of their grade, and being a coordinator of their Parent Peer Groups. There are at least two meetings each month for the PTA Executive Board. There is an Executive Board meeting and the PTA meeting. The PTA President also attends the School Leadership Team meeting and the Manhattan PTA Presidents meeting. ------Next PTA Meetings –March 11 @ 6:30 p.m. in Baskerville Room B-01 April 15 @ 6:30 p.m. in Baskerville Room B-01

4 February 2010

Dear Parents and Friends,

It is time to mark your calendars for this year’s PTA fundraising event - our First Annual Online Auction will take place from April 24th – May 3rd in conjunction with the Spring Fair. We need your continuing support and enthusiasm to make this year’s Auction a great success. It's fun and easy to ask for donations! Just download forms from the website and ask away! Some popular categories have been spa services, entertainment, sports, restaurants and fashion. There are many ways in which you can help out this year:

 GIVE DONATION FORMS to your local stores, service providers and restaurants and think about what you may be able to donate.  Please MAIL completed donation forms to "PTA Auction” at HSMSE PTA, 240 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031 no later than April 1st, 2010, but of course the sooner the better. Please note that the Online Auction ends May 3rd and therefore the expiration date of the donations should extend from May 4th, 2010 for at least 6 to 12 months. Extra forms will always be available at the PTA meetings and on the PTA website.  PUT HSMSE ON YOUR SHOPPING LIST. We need gift certificates of all denominations from restaurants and stores. Going to the Gap? Barnes & Noble? Starbucks? Purchase a gift certificate from any of your favorite haunts and drop them off at the front desk.  GET INVOLVED WITH THE PTA! There are several areas, in particular, where we could use your help: donation solicitations, web design, copy writing, photography, data management. If you would like to work in one of these areas or any of the MANY other areas in the PTA, please contact April Feffer at [email protected] or Jane Marlowe at [email protected] for more details.  BID, BID, BID! There will be a wide array of items available online. Remember that every dollar you spend goes straight to the HSMSE PTA fund.  As noted in this month's PTA newsletter, there are a number of popular categories of auction merchandise that are often popular and can help us raise the big bucks:

 Restaurant or store gift certificates  Fashion (handbags, accessories, sports jerseys and more!)  Gifts (iPods, cameras, video games, gift baskets, cosmetics, toys)  Professional services (hairstyling, massage or spa sessions, donate a will planning session if you're an attorney, tax preparations if you're an accountant, contracting services, interior design, test prep, consulting etc.)  Family activities (sports tickets, theater tickets, museum passes, classes, entertainment...)  Travel (airline certificates, hotel stays, vacation home use)

Please feel free to call me at (917) 362-4997 with any questions or ideas.

Sincerely,

Jane Marlowe - Vice President, PTA

5 February 2010

Dear Neighbor/Merchant:

Invest in the future of New York City by investing in the best public high school you’ve never heard of: The High School for Math, Science & Engineering at City College ("HSMSE").

The Spring Silent Auction of the PTA of HSMSE is a highly anticipated event that provides one of the New York City's finest public high schools with a primary source of extracurricular funding. We are fortunate to have a wonderful school community with dedicated administrators and enthusiastic teachers, students and staff. Unfortunately, this is not enough. This year we are facing unprecedented changes due to budget cuts. In the past the auction has been a great success due to the generous support of community businesses like yours. 100% of the proceeds go directly to support programs for over 400 talented and diverse high school students.

Your donation of goods, services, gift certificates, or cash to the PTA Silent Auction at the Spring Fair will help fund scientific and humanities activities for our ethnically diverse, five-borough student body. In addition, the PTA pays for student trips, teacher enrichment, SAT prep classes, and parent gatherings. And during this time of fiscal belt-tightening, the PTA is being called upon to provide even more.

All of our students had to score in the top 15% of students taking the NYC Department of Education’s Specialized High School Test to earn admittance to HSMSE, and their accomplishments are impressive, even though the school is only eight years old. Two of our students, for example, won the award for best speakers at a Junior Statesmen of America convention last year. We’re proud that our school was ranked number seven on the NY Post's ranking of top public high schools in New York City. And HSMSE received a grade of A on its first two Dept. of Education school report cards. Although the school is small, we have an impressive group of parents from every walk of life and every economic stratum. Your donation will be noted by them, and your business’s name, address, phone number and website URL will be included in our auction catalog. And because HSMSE PTA enjoys a 501c(3) non- profit status, your donation is completely tax-deductible.

If you wish to donate:  Please fill out the enclosed forms and return one copy to HSMSE by April 1st, 2010 along with your item. One copy is for your tax records  If there is a specific image of your item, logo, store, menu, etc. that you would like displayed in our Online Auction, please e-mail a JPG to [email protected]  Please note that the Online Auction is April 24th – May 3rd, 2010 and therefore the expiration date of donations should extend from May 4th, 2010 for at least 6 to 12 months  HSMSE is a the kind of high school that educators and parents dream about—and better yet, it’s real and it’s thriving. And, with your help, it will continue its mission to produce math, science, and engineering leaders for New York City’s future. If you have any questions, please contact PTA Vice President Jane Marlowe at 917-362- 4997. Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

HSMSE PTA Auction Committee

6 Febrero 2010

Estimados Padres y Amigos,

Es hora de que marquen sus calendarios para este año el evento de recaudación de fondos de la PTA - nuestra primera línea de la subasta anual se llevará a cabo de abril 24 a mayo 3, en relación con la Feria de Primavera. Necesitamos su continuo apoyo y entusiasmo para hacer de subasta de este año un gran éxito. Es divertido y fácil de pedir donaciones! Sólo descargar los formularios desde el sitio web y solicitar de distancia! Algunas de las categorías populares han sido los servicios de spa, entretenimiento, deportes, restaurantes y moda. Hay muchas maneras en que usted puede ayudar a cabo este año:

 DAR formularios de donaciones para sus tiendas locales, proveedores de servicios y restaurantes, y pensar en lo que pueda a donar.  Favor de enviar los formularios de donación a "PTA Auction" en HSMSE PTA, 240 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031 a más tardar el 1 de abril 2010, pero por supuesto cuanto antes mejor. Tenga en cuenta que la subasta termina en Línea 3 de mayo y por lo tanto la fecha de vencimiento de las donaciones que se extienden desde 4 de mayo 2010 por lo menos 6 a 12 meses. formas extra siempre estará disponible en las reuniones de la PTA y en el sitio web de la PTA.  HSMSE PONGA EN SU LISTA DE COMPRAS. Tenemos certificados de regalo de todas las denominaciones de los restaurantes y tiendas. Ir a la Gap? Barnes & Noble? Starbucks? Compra un certificado de regalo de cualquiera de tus lugares favoritos y dejarlos en la recepción.  Involucrarse con el PTA! Hay varias áreas, en particular, en el que podría utilizar su ayuda: solicitudes de donación, diseño web, copia de la escritura, la fotografía, la gestión de datos. Si a usted le gustaría trabajar en una de estas áreas o en cualquiera de las muchas otras esferas en el PTA, por favor, póngase en contacto con abril Feffer en [email protected] o Jane Marlowe jane.marlowe @ gmail.com para más detalles.  BID, BID, BID! Habrá una amplia variedad de artículos disponibles en línea. Recuerde que cada dólar que gaste va directamente al fondo de la PTA HSMSE.

Como se señala en el boletín de este mes de la PTA, existen una serie de categorías populares de la subasta de las mercancías que a menudo son populares y pueden ayudar a recaudar el dinero grande:  Restaurante o certificados de regalo de la tienda  Moda (bolsos, accesorios, camisetas deportivas y mucho más!)  Regalos (iPods, cámaras, juegos de vídeo, canastas de regalos, cosméticos, juguetes)  Servicios profesionales (peluquería, masajes o sesiones de spa, se donará una sesión de planificación si usted es un abogado, la preparación de impuestos si usted es un contador, la contratación de servicios, diseño de interiores, preparación para los exámenes, consultas, etc)  Las actividades de la Familia (entradas a eventos deportivos, entradas de teatro, pases de museo, clases, espectáculos ...)  Viajes (certificados de avión, estadías de hoteles, uso de casa de vacaciones)

Por favor no dude en llamarme al (917) 362-4997 con cualquier pregunta o ideas.

Atentamente,

Jane Marlowe - Vice President, PTA

7 Febrero 2010

Estimado / a Vecino / comerciante:

Invertir en el futuro de la ciudad de New York mediante la inversión en la escuela secundaria pública mejor que nunca has oído hablar de: la Escuela Superior de Matemáticas, Ciencias e Ingeniería en el City College ("HSMSE").

La Subasta de Primavera Silenciosa de la PTA de HSMSE es un evento muy esperado que proporciona uno de los mejores de la Ciudad de New York escuelas secundarias públicas con una fuente principal de financiación extra-curriculares. Somos afortunados de tener una comunidad de la escuela maravillosa con los administradores y profesores dedicados entusiastas, estudiantes y personal. Lamentablemente, esto no es suficiente. Este año nos enfrentamos a cambios sin precedentes debido a los recortes presupuestarios. En la subasta el pasado ha sido un gran éxito debido al apoyo generoso de empresas de la comunidad como la suya. 100% de los ingresos van directamente a apoyar los programas de más de 400 talentosos y diversos estudiantes de secundaria.

Su donación de bienes, servicios, certificados de regalo o dinero en efectivo a la Subasta Silenciosa de PTA en la Feria de Primavera ayudará a financiar las actividades de científicos y humanistas de nuestra diversidad étnica, de cinco estudiantes municipio. Además, el PTA paga para viajes de estudiantes, profesores de enriquecimiento, sáb clases de preparación, y las reuniones de los padres. Y durante este tiempo de apretarse el cinturón fiscal, el PTA está llamado a facilitar aún más.

Todos nuestros estudiantes tenían que marcar en el 15% superior de estudiantes que tomaron la ciudad de Nueva York Departamento de Formación Especializada de la Escuela Secundaria de prueba para obtener la admisión a HSMSE, y sus logros son impresionantes, a pesar de que la escuela es tan sólo ocho años de edad. Dos de nuestros estudiantes, por ejemplo, ganó el premio a la mejor oradores en una serie de estadistas Junior de la convención de América el año pasado. Estamos orgullosos de que nuestra escuela fue clasificada número siete en el ranking de NY Post's de las mejores escuelas secundarias públicas de New York. Y HSMSE recibió una calificación de A en sus dos primeros Departamento de boletas de la educación escolar.

Aunque la escuela es pequeña, tenemos un impresionante grupo de padres de familia de todos los ámbitos de la vida y todos los estratos económicos. Su donación será observado por ellos, y el nombre de su empresa, dirección, número telefónico y la URL del sitio web se incluirán en nuestro catálogo de la subasta . Y porque HSMSE PTA goza de una 501c (3) sin fines de lucro, su donación es completamente deducible de impuestos.

Si usted desea donar:  Por favor, rellene los formularios adjuntos y devolverá un ejemplar a HSMSE de 1 de abril 2010, junto con su tema. Una copia es para sus registros de impuestos  Si hay una imagen específica de su artículo, el logotipo, tienda, menú, etc que quiere que aparezcan en nuestra subasta, por favor envíenos un correo electrónico a un archivo JPG jane.marlowe @ gmail.com  Tenga en cuenta que la subasta en línea es 24 abril a 3 mayo 2010 y por lo tanto la fecha de vencimiento de las donaciones que se extienden desde 4 de mayo 2010 por lo menos 6 a 12 meses

HSMSE es el tipo de escuela secundaria que los educadores y los padres sueñan-y mejor aún, que es real y es próspero. Y, con su ayuda, que continuará su misión de producir las matemáticas, la ciencia, y los líderes de ingeniería para el futuro de New York. Si usted tiene alguna pregunta, por favor, póngase en contacto con la PTA Vice President Jane Marlowe al 917-362-4997. Gracias por tu apoyo!

Atentamente,

8 HSMSE PTA subasta Comité