NEST+m PTA Gala & Auction APRIL 6, 2011 7:00 to 10:00pm at BRIDGEWATERS in the Bridge Room 11 Fulton Street atop the Fulton Market Building at South Street Seaport celebrating 10 years Dear NEST+m Parents, Faculty, and Friends: Welcome to the celebration of the 10th year of NEST+m! I always enjoy coming the PTA’s annual Gala & Auction where I see our community come together to celebrate the wonderful year we’ve had at school. Again, it has been a year in which our children have had great aca- demic success, inspired us with their musical and dramatic performances, and brought home championship trophies in chess, track & field and more! This evening’s festivities and the much-needed funds it will bring to our school are a testa- ment to the hard work of the parents and faculty of NEST+m. The room is filled with treas- ures made with love and a lot of effort by our students, and with offers of special treat experiences with the teachers, another sign of the warmth of our community. Bid generously on all of the things you’ve always wanted, from handbags to summer camp experiences for your kids. The businesses that donated want to see NEST+m raise as much money as possible. Thanks to your extraordinary generosity tonight and throughout the year, NEST+m can continue to offer a unique and exceptional educational experience for our children. The money raised by the PTA pays for so many things that would not be possible with the increas- ingly limited funds from Albany and the DOE. Tonight the PTA is focused on helping to update and make our school’s library state-of-the-art. Last year our Gala raised more than $100,000 after expenses—let’s try to top that number this year! Once again, I would like to thank all the members of the NEST+m community, parents, teachers, and friends who have worked together all year to ensure our students’ extraordinary education and enriching experiences at NEST+m continue. Enjoy the Gala! O. Livanis GALA GIRLS, AUCTION CHAIRS Jill Neiberg Susan Townes-West Claudia Musumeci CO-CHAIRS Rosie Morgan Kristen Bearse ENTERING/DATABASE Malcom West Katie Sperling Jill Neiberg Carmine Musumeci Patricia McGuiness Rosie Morgan Erica Hill / Class Projects Sarah Jarkow Nadia Minchella-Griebsch Andrea Salerno / Art Marisa Cohen Judy Scherzer Katie Reeves Wendy Israel Jennifer Lubelsky and Pamela Usdan / Boutique Rena Amitay ACRYLIC FRAMES/SIGNAGE Anita Ng Michelle Trotta Aparna Tambar Michael Neiberg Upper School Student Volunteers Nadia Minchella-Griebsch Catherine Milligan Ivy Arce THANK YOU DONATIONS Lucy Green THANK YOU Flowers by Ann Wenniger DONATIONS AND CAMP GUIDE Deepanjana Klein Piano music tonight by Binyumen Kristen Bearse Sarah Oakes (“Ben”) Schaechter Jodina Clanton Benjy Kile & Trish Ryan SERVICES EVENT Dave Miller Audio and Visual by Sound Response Tuesday Minor Yvette Ortiz Gina Wong Ellen Hertz School Swap PS9 Volunteers Ripna Grover Ronni Siegel Dear Parents, Just ten years ago NEST+m was founded with us in mind—parents who care dearly about their children and want a seamless transition through the years from K-12 in an environment that can properly challenge our eager, bright kids. We are all lucky to be a part of what was considered to be an experiment, one that we can say proudly was a successful one. And while NEST+m is often considered the “private” school of the “public” system, it still operates on public funding, of which there is never enough. That’s why we’re here tonight. To celebrate the decade of excellence and look forward to the next ten years, and to help make sure that our kids have access to all of the extras they need to get ahead. For that we need more money than the DOE provides us, and we are counting on you to help us do some serious fundraising. The PTA office, room 253, is the one place faculty and staff can go to always get the answer they were hoping for—“Of course you can have that!” “That” being the photocopiers that are used by all faculty, the projectors in the classrooms, Guided Reading Kits, fees for teachers who come early and stay late to tutor or teach enrichment classes, Professional Development for teachers, sports uniforms, US student clubs, lockers and much much more. In fact, each day your kids stop by to borrow a ball for the playground (or grab a pretzel)! This year’s FUND-A-CAUSE is for the library, the resource used by all of our kids. Be sure to raise your paddle to support the effort to update the physical structure of the library as well as fill it with the up to the minute technology, updated light fixtures, paint, shelving, tables, chairs, and so much more that is desperately needed. Thanks for attending the Gala, for bidding and for all of your support—both volunteer time and financial support—throughout the whole school year! With humble gratitude, Your PTA Co-Presidents, Katy Stokes and Susan Townes celebrating 10 years We promised a shout out to NEST+m parent owned businesses! The Kaaterskill Silk Tapestries Peking Duck House The Pridwin Beach Hotel Baby Moves, Go Pop Kids Saul and Perry School & Cottages Downton Cairo Kitchen Gruppo Scott & Nix New York’s Little Elves Posto Binyumen Schaechter Susana Honig, Architect Tappo Full Metal Mamas NYCBikes MAMAPALOOZA Spunto Jake Chessum, photographer Kaori Watanabe / Vezzo www.studioee.com Hibino Archipelago Old Village Hall Tortilla Flats Everyday Parenting If we left someone off the list we are very sorry! RULES AND GUIDELINES GETTING IN If you’ve purchased your ticket and provided your credit card number, you’ll have a badge with a bidder number before you show up at Bridgewaters. Bring it, walk in and start the bidding. If you register on site you can get your bidder badge there. SILENT AUCTION Bidding: The silent auction begins at 7:00 pm. All items in the silent auction have bid sheets attached or fixed nearby. To bid, write your name and/or bid number on the bid sheet. Write clearly! Follow the specified opening bid and increments to raise. Bid as often as necessary to win your desired items. Closing obligations to silent auction bidding: The person offering the highest bid prior to closing will be deemed the purchaser. Your written bid is a binding offer to purchase the item. The silent auction sections will begin closing at 8:15 pm, once closed, NO new bids will be accepted. LIVE AUCTION Skip to page 6 to view the fabulous items donated for the Live Auction. Think about how much you’d be willing to pay and then get in on the action (remember, ALL funds raised here support NEST+m!) Raising your hand and being recognized by the auctioneer enters a bid. The auctioneer will determine the successful bidder. The Live auction items will have a minimum bid and will not be sold unless the bid is met. At the close of a bid on each item the successful bidder will sign a live auction receipt on which you can verify your bid number, amount bid and that the item description(s) are correct. PAYMENT AND CHECKOUT When each section of the silent auction closes one copy of the bid sheet will remain where each item was, the other copy goes to the PLEASE REMEMBER, EVERYONE checkout stations where your payments are processed. If you are the winner of any WORKING AT THE EVENT IS A silent or live auction lots, please proceed to the checkout area. VOLUNTEER AND IS WORKING AS Cashiers will tally winning bids. Payments may be made on the card you registered with or by check made out to NEST+m PTA. There will be a dedicated check out QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. AS CAN BE station (or two, if necessary) for those paying by check. EXPECTED, WHEN HUNDREDS OF Payment in full on the evening of the event is mandatory. Once payment is PEOPLE ATTEMPT TO LEAVE AT THE made, gift certificates/vouchers will be given to you. For any other items, you will SAME TIME THERE WILL BE A receive a paid receipt. Please present your paid receipt to the auction volunteers in SHORT WAIT. PLEASE EXHIBIT THE exchange for the item. Merchandise will be distributed only upon presentation of a paid receipt. SAME PATIENCE WE EXPECT OF OUR CHILDREN AND RESPECT THE THE FINE PRINT All items must be paid for by the winner by the end of the VOLUNTEERS WHO HELPED MAKE evening. Items not paid for will be forfeited to the PTA for resale. THE NIGHT A GREAT ONE FOR YOU All merchandise won must be taken the night of the event, regardless of how long it AND FOR OUR SCHOOL. takes the volunteers to get it to you. They are moving as quickly as possible. Any merchandise left behind will be taken to the school and you will be charged an additional $25 for the hassle of volunteers shuttling items all over town during all hours of the night. Which is to say, PLEASE BE PATIENT and wait for your items and take them home and enjoy and savor them. We are ok with you leaving gift certificates behind and then picking them up in the PTA office. We can carry them easily. Bids are binding offers to purchase. Once made, bids cannot be withdrawn. In the event of a dispute the auction official and/or the auctioneer will act as the final authority and will determine the winning bid.