December 18, 2020
With all the uncertainty that is upon us during the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is very clear – our CWS community needs your help.
We all have been impacted adversely and the problems accompanying COVID-19 will continue to have a significant impact upon us and our communities well into this school year.
During this very difficult period, we have seen the strength of our community. There has been an outpouring of support for CWS to help meet the critical goal of ensuring we have the volunteers, supplies, and funds to run programs and support the school through this unprecedented crisis. At the start of the 2020-2021 school year, our community banded together to support each other with unanimous support for emergency technology purchases of nearly $17,000. This provided critical technology (laptops, keyboards, etc.) to assist in a successful start of our remote and hybrid learning experiences.
The PTA funds many programs, such as Yoga, Music, PPE/Classroom supplementals, Bridges in Mathematics and the 5th grade moving up ceremony, a ceremony that brings together our whole community to celebrate graduating students. Additionally, the PTA funds the S.T.A.R. program. This program uses a theater-based model to incorporate drama, music & peer education to help guide pre-adolescents, adolescents, and young adults as they confront the many challenges of growing up.
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the PTA’s ability to have in-person fundraisers has been hugely impacted since March 2020 and, as a result, we’ve had to cut many programs from the current budget or reduce the duration of some programs. The programs that were cut were the 4th-grade farm trip, 5th-grade DC trip, Garden Program, Band, Lice Check & in-person Yoga. We do hope that post-pandemic many of these programs will be back, especially since they are a cornerstone of student experiences at CWS.
These programs also ensure that the students learn about global connections. They provide a well-rounded arts education, an opportunity for students (some of whom have not traveled outside of New York City) to see living US history first-hand while also meeting their social-emotional learning goals, further emphasized upon especially during the current hybrid-remote learning environment. Most importantly, they ensure equity and access to well-rounded experiences for ALL students.
The Direct Appeal is a year-long fundraiser that runs throughout the school year. We implore you to donate to help meet our funding needs. The DoE has cut our school budget by nearly $214,000 this year. Unfortunately, since the Department of Education does not adequately fund many of our programs, we need to raise an additional $200 per student to ensure that the PTA can help cover the costs. This will help raise nearly $60,000 to support the programs for this school year for the 300 students at CWS. Your donations to the Direct Appeal will help us bridge the gap. It’s never too late to give and no amount is too small.
Together, we can help our community and support our school. You can either make a one-time donation or a monthly donation to help us meet our goal. Please donate and share this fundraiser with your family and friends too!
Who benefits from your donation?
When you donate through the Direct Appeal, you can do so using PayPal or with a Debit or Credit Card. 100% of your contribution funds the programming our children enjoy and deserve. The Children’s Workshop School PTA is a registered nonprofit and your gift is tax-deductible. (Tax ID: 13-389-3251).
