Join the fun!
One of the great things about PS 199 is the many opportunities to be involved at the school. Our PTA committees offer parents a variety of ways to get involved that are personally meaningful. Whether you have a few minutes or want to take the lead, you’ll find a fun way to be involved through our committees. We encourage every parent to volunteer in some way throughout the school year – it’s such a fun and rewarding opportunity.
Information about each of our committees is below. If you aren’t sure which committee is the right place, email the PTA and we will gladly talk through ideas to find the right spot for you. We’d also love to hear about any new committee or event ideas.
Click on the committee names below to learn more about each committee and to sign up for committees through our new communication and volunteering system, Konstella. Alternatively, click here to see all Committee sign-up opportunities in Konstella at once. (Note, you must be logged in to Konstella to view.)
Board & Leadership
Co-Presidents: Jennifer MacFarlane and Scott Oscher
The PTA Executive Board oversees all our of PTA activities – from fundraising, to community building events, to providing support and resources that ensure a rich educational environment for our children and more.
The Exec Board meets monthly in the evenings. All members of the PTA are welcome to attend. Meeting dates are posted in the school calendar.
Elections for PTA Officer positions are held each May. We will also be holding a special election in October to fill open positions and elect our PALs.
If you’re interested in an officer role or have any questions/comments regarding the PTA, please email ps199pta@ps199pta.org
For details about the PTA Exec Board, see http://ps199pta.org/pta/.
PTA Exec Board Designee: Scott Oscher
The School Leadership Team (SLT) is a group of parents and staff that is mandated by state law to play a significant role in creating a collaborative structure for school-based decision-making. The SLT’s goal is to ensure that children are provided with quality education through increased teacher and parent participation and heightened self-esteem for the entire school community.
The PS 199 SLT consists of 16 representatives (8 parents, 8 staff) elected by the parents and staff as their representatives. The parent members (except for the PTA president or his/her delegee) are elected to the SLT for two-year terms at the general PTA meeting in May each year.
Regular SLT meetings are held on Fridays at 7:15am in the library. The dates of the meetings are in the PTA calendar. Learn more about the SLT here.
Communications
Chair: Claudia Jannucci
Committee for co-corresponding secretaries 2019-2020 school year.
Community Building
Chair: Debra Plafker, Marianna Crespi
This committee plans events and drives to serve the community beyond our school. Past endeavors have included City Harvest, NY Cares Coat Drive, Toys for Tots, Back to School Supply Drive, and many more.
Chair: Tracey Martinez
Help welcome new families to PS 199! The Welcome Committee organizes several events including the Kindergarten Parent Coffee on the first day of school, the Kindergarten Parent Meet + Greet on Curriculum Night and a New Family Coffee at the start of the school year. The committee also hosts Kindergarten Orientation each June. In addition to these events, the committee connects new families with the school community and organizes summer playdates for new PS 199 students and families to meet.
Enrichment
Chair: Bindu Kurra
The Diversity Committee’s mission is to celebrate diversity, nurture respect and acceptance, and challenge assumptions—in our school community and in the world. We broadly define diversity to encompass differences in culture, race, religion, language, learning styles, physical and mental abilities, political beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomics, among others. We aim to reach out to the entire school community, and promote awareness, discussion, and positive actions, through programs for adults, families, and children.
Chair: Elisa Konofagou, Vladislav Sandler
The goal of the STEM Committee is to help integrate STEM-related (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) educational activities into the lives of PS199 students on a periodic or ongoing basis through events like Earth Day, and offerings like during- or after-school coding classes.
The STEM Committee has been instrumental in the development of the PS199 Science Center classroom and will continue to participate in its progress. The STEM Committee works closely with the Garden Committee and other PS199 “green” committees and the student “Green Team” run by PS 199 teacher and sustainability coordinator Rachael Patalano.
Chair: Sharon Soen
The Wellness & Fitness Committee coordinates the Wellness In The School program, Fitness Fundraisers, and other health and wellness initiatives.
Event Committees
Our event committees help organize and execute the many great events the PTA hosts each year. Commitments for each event range from a few hours and up.
Chair: Karen Kennedy and Angie Labrozzi
The annual PS 199 Auction is the biggest fundraiser of the year! Save the Date for Auction 2020! Party Like It’s PS 199 will take place on Saturday, February 29, 2020 at Stage 48, 605 West 48th Street and we need YOU to make it happen!
Please email auction@ps199pta.org or sign up on Konstella if you would like to get involved with the party of the year –- 90’s style!
Thank you!
Karen Kennedy (Jake & Isabel, 4th grade) & Angie Labrozzi (Zoe, 1st grade)
2020 Auction Co-Chairs
Chair: Melissa Dye, Andrea Badino
An evening of show-stopping Broadway hits featuring professional performers from the PS 199 community and beyond. We need assistance identifying performers and planning event logistics, handling day-of setup and coordination, and marketing and promoting.
Chair: Abigail Schlaff, Samantha Tawfik
The Bake Sale Committee is now Eats & Treats!
We cook, bake, or assemble a variety of food for the PTA when needed to help keep down costs. Maybe it is sweets or savories, we need your help to make it happen! Please sign up so you can know when our school needs us!
Due to the expected low turnout in this fall’s elections, we will not be putting on a bake sale this year. Instead, we will ask volunteers to make or bake for certain events to save the PTA’s hard earned funds!
Chair: Angela Labrozzi, Jennifer MacFarlane, Karen Kennedy, Scott Oscher
The Fall Festival is the first big event of the school year and is a key fundraiser for the school. This year, the Fall Festival is happening Saturday, Oct 19th. We fill the school yard and W. 70th St will loads of fun activities, games, crafts, and more.
We’re looking for parents to help organize sections of this event – details are below. Please help out however you can.
Communications:
- Help with banners, email, and other ways to promote the event
Food & Snacks
- Snacks and food are sold at the festival (exchanged for tickets)
- Solicit food donations from local restaurants (ie: sliders from Lincoln Square Steakhouse, pizza from Little Italy, donuts from Dunkin)
- Purchase prepackaged snacks
- Beverages – lemonade, apple cider, waters
Carnival Games
- Looking for fun ideas that are good across grades such as bean bag toss, duck pull,
Crafts
- Craft ideas for kids of all ages
- Would love for these to be seasonal appropriate and can be related to Halloween
Activities
- Recruit local companies to run an activity or provide materials for an activity during the event
- Past companies include: Super Soccer Stars, Manhattan Fencing, Central Park Tae Kwon Do, etc.
Sponsors
- Recruit businesses to sponsor the event
Volunteer Management
- Reach out to local middle schools and high schools to recruit students to help run the event
- Setup konstella sign-up sheets
- Communicate expectations to all volunteers before event
- Serve as one point of contact during event
Chair: Needed!
Help organize our annual Holiday Party! Planning starts in early Fall, culminating in a fun event in December.
Each December, the PTA hosts a holiday party for our children and families. The Holiday Party is held on a Saturday afternoon and includes fun games, crafts, music, and a shopping area where the children can buy gifts for family and friends.
Chair: Jennifer Zana, Veronika Surla
Stars on Stage is a school-wide talent show for 4th and 5th graders. It will take place on Friday, 22nd March. It is a kid driven and parent run event. Parents are needed to assist with backstage efforts and with the overall organization of the event. It is a wonderful community builder and great fun to work on!
Help is needed on the following dates:
- March 1 – Show us Your Act
- March 15 – Dress Rehearsal 5:30- 8:00
- March 22- Real Show 6:00- 8:00
Volunteers are needed to help move performers around the auditorium, label chairs, sign people in, help on stage and back stage, write signs, decorate, and calm nerves 😉
Fundraising
Chair: Needed!
This committee organizes several fun evenings of fitness to benefit PS PS199.
Chair: Andrea Badino, Rebecca Zimba
The Scholastic Book Fair is like a book store right in PS 199. At each fair, every class has a specified time to shop. Parents are welcome to come and help out during your child’s shop day or volunteer to assist customers.
Chair: Jill Erlichman
Help design, market, sell, and distribute PS199 merchandise at key events throughout the year. On Spirit Day, usually the first week in June, students are encouraged to wear their PS199 gear, either bought or home-made.
General
Chair: Needed!
Each year, a group of 5th grade parents organize events and projects to celebrate their 5th grade students including fundraising for the 5th grade trips, the 5th grade project, yearbook, and more.
Chair: Needed!
The audit committee is responsible for reviewing the accounting and financial reporting processes of the PTA on an annual basis.
Chair: Raeka Delong and Rebecca Zimba
Help cultivate the school gardens and environmental, ecological and botanical learning opportunities for our children. Work closely with the STEAM Team and our science specialist, Ms. Schuleman, in presenting garden-related and hands-on events for the PS 199 community.
Chair: Magda Karaoglu, Michelle Gere
PS 199 students are checked for lice several times during the school year by an independent company paid for by your PTA. Parent volunteers (along with the teachers) organize the day(s) and help escort classes to the checking location which is set up within the school. Parents are notified privately if there is a problem.
Chair: PS 199 PTA
The first grade parents get to participate in the MYSTERY READER fun! Sometimes finding a costume to really disguise yourself is hard – let us know here if you have a costume you’d be willing to share.
Chair: Angeline Huang
Elections are run by parents and the ballots are created and counted by parents. PTA Executive Board officers and School Leadership Team (“SLT”) members are nominated from the parent body and elected in May. Executive Board Parent at Large (“PAL”) positions are nominated from the parent body and are elected in October. Click here to sign up.