March 12, 2023

A Note from the Director

Dear families,

A reminder that this coming Friday is a professional day, so there is no school for students. We hope you'll take time next Sunday to join us at Ivymount for the Outreach Resource Fair. It's a great opportunity to see friends and talk in person with various service providers who support our children, youth and adults. Plus, our staff are excited to present on a variety of topics. See below for a link to register and see exhibitors, topics and times.

Have a great evening.

Sincerely,

Susan Holt

NEWS YOU NEED RIGHT NOW!

Dates to Remember

March 17

Professional Day

No School for Students

March 19

Outreach Resource Fair

12 pm - 3 pm

April 3 - 10

Spring Break

IvyMount School PTA

Save the Date

Virtual PTA Meeting

March 28

You can join our next PTA meeting virtually. We'll be holding it over Zoom at 7 pm on Tuesday, March 28. Save the date and log on for whatever time you're available. Zoom link coming soon.

Black History Month Gallery

In anticipation of their field trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, students in Aspire room 234 transformed their classroom into a museum exhibition for Black Activists throughout history! Visitors saw their realistic replicas of historical artifacts from the civil rights movement to the present and learned about six monumental black activists, from James Baldwin to Ruby Bridges.

Students used interdisciplinary skills to create their classroom museum. In Public Speaking, students had been learning different styles of presentation formats. For this project, students researched information on a black activist and created a brochure to highlight important information. They used other class times, specifically STEAM, to create artifacts to support their presentations and have a 3D model related to their research. Students presented their brochures to their classmates during the museum and practiced answering questions about their activists.

Room 172 Celebrates Holi

Holi is a religious festival to welcome the spring season. The festival is celebrated with color, water, sweets, singing, and dancing. This week, students in Endeavors room 172 celebrated Holi by creating three art projects. Students created a “Straw Blow Painting”, “Cotton Splatter Painting”, and a “Smush Painting."

Crafty Classroom Opening Soon

The Crafty Classroom is an Endeavors School Program student-run business that makes and sells seasonal crafts. This week students worked on a new type of craft – resin.

Students learned about the chemical reactions that create resin, and then followed YouTube tutorials to create their own resin crafts. Be on the lookout for new Crafty Classroom items coming to you this spring!

See You Next Weekend at the Resource Fair

10th Annual Ivymount Outreach Resource Fair

Sunday, March 19

12 - 3 pm

You should have received a backpack flyer about the Resource Fair. Visit the webpage for everything you need to plan your visit. Register to attend and check out the list of exhibitors, plus the schedule and descriptions of Ivymount-led presentations. Please share the link with your networks.

https://www.ivymount.org/resourcefair2023

Memories and Momentum Gala

Two Ways to Support

The October 14 Memories and Momentum Gala celebrating six decades of Ivymount will be our largest fundraiser to invest in staff training, student programs, technology and more. There will be many ways for everyone to help. Here are two we're working on right now.

Honorary Chair Ideas

We know our community of families and partners have many connections in the DC region and beyond. Do you personally know or is someone in your network connected to a high-profile individual who has demonstrated interest and advocacy in the topics important to our community? A high-profile honorary gala chair connected to our mission supporting individuals with disabilities could bring a spotlight to our event and further our ability for fundraising. Please email Tina Brodrick if you have suggestions.

Silent Auction Items

Silent auction items and gift cards are needed in various categories, including Getaways; Sports; Entertainment; Wine & Dine; Technology.

Do you frequent a business or restaurant or use a service that might donate an item or gift card? You can download the Auction Item Packet, which contains a cover letter, donation form, and About Ivymount flyer to help you explain the Ivymount mission.

PTA NEWS AND UPDATES

Great to See You!

Thank you so much to all the parents and caregivers who attended our parent/caregiver hangout. Our next hangout is in April. We'll share the date soon. We hope many of you can make it!

Collecting Old or Outgrown Sneakers

More information will be sent shortly on our next fundraiser. For now, please gather your old or outgrown sneakers as we will be collecting them for our PTA fundraiser, suggested by an Ivymount School parent. Stay tuned!

PTA Meeting - Save the Date

You can join our next PTA meeting virtually. We'll be holding it over Zoom at 7 pm on Tuesday, March 28. Save the date and log on for whatever time you're available. A Zoom link will be sent soon.

Next PTA Family Event

Please be on the lookout for Information on the upcoming PTA family event. If you have any questions or are interested in supporting the PTA please email, Cindy Gottfried - ckgottfried@gmail.com