Author: PTA Admin

Giving Tuesday!

Every year, PPAS needs your help to enrich our children’s middle and high school experience. This year we need you more than ever!  NYC budgets have been cut and even though were are back in person, Covid is still limiting our ability to fundraise successfully.

We need our entire community to pitch in, please!  Any amount (one-time or recurring) can really help. Would you consider $30/month to cover your own child or $60/month to cover two students? Please don’t forget this donation is TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!

If you haven’t heard, the countdown to Giving Tuesday, the world’s biggest day of generosity, is on and we are trying to reach our goal of 100% participation. The PPAS PTA needs your support today to ensure our students’ success continues into the winter and spring semesters and beyond.
We are so grateful for the donors who have already given — but we’re not there yet! We need your help! In celebration of Giving Tuesday on 11/30, help us reach our goal with your tax deductible gift to the PPAS Family Giving Fund. Your generosity will show PPAS students how proud you are of their fall accomplishments and support our students into the months ahead.

The Family Giving Fund (FGF) pays for programs that are not paid for by the Department of Education. Through donations to the Family Giving Fund, and monies raised through fundraising efforts, thePTA will fund all of the essential and enrichment programs that make PPAS the exceptional school it has always been.
We encourage you to give any amount your family is able to give. All donations are tax deductible truly make a difference in our community! Online donations are being accepted now at ppaspta.org/donate

Peer Tutoring Is Back!

We want to inform you about an exciting new initiative at PPAS!

The PPAS Peer Tutoring program is up and running! In fact, tutors are already working in a number of PPAS classrooms and we are now initiating phase 2, which is one to one peer tutoring: that is, individual students tutoring other students.

Who can seek a peer tutor?
Any high school student who needs help in one or more core subject classes

When are volunteer PPAS peer tutors available to meet?
8:00-8:30am
8:30-9:14am: First Period
10:45-11:20am: High School Lunch

Where will peer tutoring take place?
Initially, students will be working in specific locations under the guidance of an adult on staff.

How were student tutors selected?
PPAS peer tutors have been endorsed by a teacher in the core subject area for which they will tutor. Peer tutors are students who are dedicated to helping their peers, and are committed to the program.

What happens if a student is not able to attend regularly scheduled tutoring sessions?
That student must email the tutor or student they are helping and cc Ms Conn and Isabella Tinney, one of the peer tutoring reps, to maintain status in the program. All students must maintain a good record of attendance in order to practice mutual respect between peer tutoring partners.

How are tutors trained?
Tutors completed an orientation training session where they learned expectations for conduct, professionalism, and a growth mindset approach to their work as a tutor. They have signed an agreement to maintain good attendance and to attend regularly scheduled training sessions to address tutor-related skills.

How does my student gain access to a tutor? And will they have the same tutor each time?
If your student would benefit from extra help in any subject area, please have them sign up by filling out a request form. Students will then be matched with a peer tutor who meets at a time that is convenient to your student. If all tutors’ schedules are filled for the time and subject area for which your student needs help, our peer tutoring representatives and I will work to find a qualified tutor as soon as possible. The expectation is that each student will build a working relationship with one peer tutor per core subject area for which they are seeking help.

When should students sign up for tutoring help?
Please note that sign up can happen at any time during the year. The best time to sign up for tutoring is when your student first feels the need for some extra support or when their teacher indicates to them or you that tutoring would be beneficial. Please urge your student not to wait! Please direct any and all related questions to Ms. Conn at sconn@ppasshare.org

Thank you for encouraging your student to take advantage of this exceptional academic support at PPAS.
Ms. Conn
PPAS Peer Tutor Coordinator

Playwriting Fellowship

The NYC Public School Playwriting Fellowship at the Lucile Lortel Theatre is an outstanding opportunity for high school students.

Here is the link: https://www.lortel.org/hspf

The contest focuses on the next generation of diverse playwrights with something to say by supporting student creative writing in the parameters of a ten-minute one-act play.  

If you’d like to see last year’s presentation, visit the Lucille Lortel Theatre’s YouTube channel by clicking HERE.

WHO: Seven playwright Fellows–one student from each borough as well as one high school student each from our D75 and D79 high schools— are chosen. In addition to these seven Fellows, honorable mention students of merit will be announced as Finalists.

WHAT: Select Fellows are mentored by professional playwrights and directors as their plays receive a staged reading or online presentation by professional actors in June 2022. Fellows get access to NYC professional playwrights for mentoring and receive other benefits including having their play published in a Fellows anthology and a certificate of recognition. 

HOW: The FREE program provides two months for students to write and submit their plays. Select Fellows then will have another two months of play development, culminating with a performance of Fellows’ one acts in June 2022.

WHEN: Plays should be submitted by the January 24, 2022 deadline. Culminating event is in June 2022.

Questions?: Please address all questions to Jeffrey Shubart at HSPF@lortel.org.

Drama 3 Performance Live!

Mark your calendars for the Drama 3 live performance!

Indecent, by Paul Vogel
December 8-11, 7pm; additional show at 4pm on Friday, Dec 10

Indecent recounts the controversy surrounding the play God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch, which was produced on Broadway in 1923, and for which the producer and cast were arrested and convicted on the grounds of obscenity.[1]

Indecent was first produced in 2015. It had an Off-Broadway run in 2016, followed by a Broadway run in 2017 at the Cort Theatre. The play was nominated for three Tony Awards and won Best Direction of a Play for Rebecca Taichman and Lighting Design in a Play for Christopher Akerlind.Remember, you don’t have to have a child in 11th grade to turn out and support our students! Come help celebrate the return of in-person performances!

Engage with Roundabout

Now that theatres are opening back up, Roundabout Theatre is providing many opportunities for students to re-engage with live theatre!

An online article published in the American Theatre magazine details the Roundabout Youth Ensemble’s performance of Fractured this past summer.

If technical theatre is of interest to anyone, Roundabout offers the Theatrical Workforce Development Program — a three-year paid training program for multiple disciplines of technical theatre. Fellows from Cohort 4 are now working at our Employment Partners including The Music Man on Broadway, The Public, Signature Theatre, Second Stage, and many more.

Roundabout also offers many ways to engage with the plays in its season, from Upstage Playgoer’s Guides to various post-show lectures and talks.

Native American Heritage

From Waterwell:

November is Native American Heritage Month — “a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people” (from the National Congress of American Indians). It’s important to acknowledge that we’re living on colonized land and Indigenous communities are still alive and well all over the US. The Lenape Center is based in Manhattan and is an incredible resource to learn about the Lenape people.

PPAS Student Film Screening

Coming soon: a film screening! In-person for selected PPAS audience and streaming premiere of “The Hidden Force” by new wave filmmaker and actor Denis Prendi. 

Cast
Júlia Calgaro
Ananda Loizzo
Nareh Aseyan
Denis Prendi

The Knowledge Project Coaches

Direction: Jose Esquea, award winning film and theatre director

Production: MB Hunnewell, feature motion pictures and award winning educational animation, commercials and documentaries. 

Production & editing: Adriana Davis, award winning producer and editor for documentaries and short films with her company, D-Squared Productions.

Dance Alum Shout-Out

Congratulations to Martina Viadana, PPAS Ailey major class of 2016, and Alex Policaro, PPAS Ailey major class of 2017. Both ladies performed this month at City Center’s Fall for Dance. Martina performed with Hope Boykin Dance while Alex is a company member of, and performed with, Ballet X.  We are all so happy and excited for our alumnae. We can’t wait to see what’s up next!

Tickets to Showstoppers!

Showstoppers! is located at 234 West 42nd Street. Formerly the home of Modell’s, world-renown design firm, Thinc Design, has transformed the Times Square space into an immersive maze featuring more than 100 of the industry’s most beautiful and complex garments. As guests make their way through the exhibit, they will get to see up close the detail and craftsmanship typically only seen far away on stage or screen. Costume makers and experts will be on-site demonstrating their techniques and skills and interacting with guests, and multimedia elements will provide a rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the process. This one-of-a-kind, immersive exhibition can only be seen in New York City’s vital Theatre District. All proceeds from the exhibition will raise money for the Costume Industry Coalition Recovery Fund, which continues to support one of the hardest hit sectors of the entertainment industry.

Tickets are $28 for students and $33 for the general public — Visit the Web site and use the code NYCARTS for a discount!

Discounted Internet

All New York City families with a student enrolled in a DOE school or program are eligible for a discount of up to $50/month for broadband service, equipment, and device rentals as well as a one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer (with a co-payment of $10 – $50), where available. Families can confirm their eligibility, apply for the program, and find participating broadband providers via the USAC website. There are also many other free and low-cost internet options for New York City families.