PTA School Support
The mission of our PTA is to support our school, our principal, our teachers, and our families by raising funds to support curricular and enrichment programs benefiting our entire student body, as well as organizing regular events that bring all PS 150 stakeholders together through events that foster our sense of community.
As a small school, each parent has an opportunity to help shape their child’s educational environment and contribute to enriching our school experience. The information below will hopefully help parents better understand why a successful PTA is so critical to our beloved school and children.
Through our parents’ financial and volunteer contributions, the PS 150 PTA funds 100% of the following programs. Please take the time today and give through Zelle, PayPal, check, or stock grant here.
Assistant Teachers
By far our most ambitious and costly program, the Assistant Teacher Program truly makes PS 150 stand out for its commitment to providing each student, regardless of grade, added support and attention. With a full-time assistant teacher present in all our classrooms, the PS 150 student-to-adult ratio averages 14:1, half the average NYC public school ratio of 25:1. As a result, our students receive more quality, individualized time with their teachers and benefit from a more tailored approach to their needs.
Academic Enrichment
PTA funds help pay for a dedicated science teacher and an extra day of science class for all students starting in 3-K. Having a dedicated science teacher is a privilege. Few public schools can offer this level of expertise and often rely on classroom teachers to teach science in addition to their many other curricular responsibilities.
In addition to science, the PTA funds pay for weekly chess instruction for each grade, starting in pre-kindergarten! Among its many benefits, chess is found to improve a child’s critical thinking ability, develop their attention span, and support improved academic performance.
Enrichment funds also support our dance and theater program. Each class participates in 12 dance classes, while fifth graders also receive instruction in playwriting.
Curriculum Support
This program funds field trips and discretionary purchases by our classroom and specialty teachers (Art, Music, Physical Education, and Science) not covered by our school budget. These expenditures include such items as food for classroom animals, supplies for in-classroom cooking projects, musical instruments, sheet music, physical education equipment, and art materials, and alleviate the burden of our teachers funding classroom activities out of their own pockets.
End-of-Year Celebration
Each school year ends with a full-staged theatrical performance, written by fifth graders, in which every student from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade participates. This is one of the beautiful ways our school leverages its small size to come together to create a unique and memorable event for all the participants and the lucky audience.
Community Building
This program supports the many community outreach events PS 150 PTA organizes throughout the year, including the October Pumpkin Festival on Governors Island, the Holiday Ice Skating Social, the School Auction, and the Spring Field Day event. With pandemic conditions easing, we look forward to the return of our Halloween Disco, bingo nights, and all school potlucks.
These funds are also used to support initiatives such as Blankets of Hope and Letters of Love that will help our children grow into charitable, empathetic, and compassionate young adults. Additionally, these funds support nominal miscellaneous PTA costs and administrative needs.
