What’s on our calendar this month (click here for more):

4/1/23 B’DAT presents: ALICE BY HEART (2pm & 7pm, Beacon)

4/3/23 PTA Executive Board meeting (6pm, Zoom)

4/4/23 Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences (5:30-8:30pm)

4/4/23 PTA Auction & Fundraising meeting (8:00pm, Zoom)

4/5/23 Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences (12:00pm-2:30pm)

4/6-14/2023 No school: Passover, Good Friday & Spring Recess

4/17/23 Classes resume

4/17/23 PTA Monthly general membership meeting (6pm, Zoom)

4/18/23 School Leadership Team: Community Service Sub-Committee meeting (4:30pm, Zoom)

4/18/23 “The Disruptors” free film screening presented by the Beacon PTA Special Education Committee (5:30pm, Beacon Auditorium)

4/19/23 School Leadership Team meeting (4pm, Zoom)

4/19/23 PTA DEI Committee meeting (5:30pm, Zoom)  

4/19/23 Beacon PBA Workshop for 9th Grade Parents (6pm, Zoom)

4/19/23 PTA DEI Multimedia Club meeting (6:15pm, Zoom)

4/19/23 PTA Auction & Fundraising meeting (6:30pm, Zoom)

4/21/23 No school: Eid al-Fitr

4/21/23 Deadline for Frankie Morris-Memorial Scholarship applications 

4/24/23 PTA Auction & Fundraising meeting (6:30pm, Zoom)

4/25/23 PTA Budget Committee meeting (6pm, Zoom)

4/26/23 PTA Special Education Committee meeting (6pm, Zoom)

4/26/23 Beacon College Office: IEP/504 Parents & Guardians Coffee Talk (Noon, Zoom) 

4/27/23 Costa Rica summer exchange program meeting (6pm, Zoom)

4/27/23 PTA Auction & Fundraising meeting (6:30pm, Zoom)

4/28/22 Beacon merch sale (all lunch bands) Volunteers needed.

4/28/23 Beacon College Office: IEP/504 Parents & Guardians Coffee Talk (12pm, Zoom)

BEACON’S 30th ANNIVERSARY & ALUMNI REUNION!

Date: Saturday, June 10, 2023 (4-8pm)

Where: The Beacon School (522 West 44th Street, NYC)

Alumni and past staff as well as current Beacon students, faculty and staff are invited to a reunion celebrating 30 years of The Beacon School!

There will be theatre, dance and musical performances as well as art on display around the school. We will be providing food and drinks in the cafeteria as well!

Tickets are only $20—buy yours here!

We also have a special anniversary t-shirt—click here!

Volunteers needed—click here!

All ticket and t-shirt sales are fundraisers for our school!

Questions? Please contact rblayloc@beaconschool.org

Beacon PTA Spring Auction & Gala – May 3, 2023, 7pm (Taj Lounge)

Theme: Party like it’s 1993—it’s Beacon’s 30th anniversary!

Auction homepage: https://2023auction.givesmart.com

---

VOLUNTEER! It takes our entire community to make this event successful. We need everyone’s help! There are many ways to get involved. Join an upcoming meeting of the auction committee to find out ways to help or email us at beaconauctiongala2023@gmail.com.

---

STAY INFORMED! Please READ YOUR EMAILS and pay attention to the PTA weekly newsletter. The Auction Team will update you regularly on the latest news and important information about the event, including ticket sales, donation requests, the silent auction and everything else related to the big night.

---

BUY A TICKET! Attend the auction gala event on May 3rd — click here!

The auction gala, at Taj Lounge (48 West 21st Street), will feature live music, drinks, a silent and live auction (featuring auctioneer Alasdair Nichol of Antiques Roadshow fame!)

Early bird tickets are $85 each — and increase to $100 on April 23.

Day of/at the door admission will cost $125 per person (unless we reach capacity first).

You can also purchase tickets to sponsor a teacher to attend the event at the link above.

---

SOLICIT DONATIONS! Reach out for support to anyone and everyone in your network – be creative and confident, your ask is for an important cause! Our PTA is a 501c(3) non-profit organization, so all auction donations are tax deductible to the full extent permissible by law. The deadline for auction donations is APRIL 19, 2023.

Here are some ideas for soliciting donations:

• Businesses you frequent
• Retail stores & shops
• Spas, Gyms & Health facilities
• Restaurants, Bars & Cafes
• Media and Entertainment contacts (for tickets and behind-the-scenes tours)
• Friends & Family with interesting jobs and connections (for experiences & internships)
• Hotels & contacts with Vacation Homes & Timeshares
• Unused and unexpired Gift Certificates
• Find more ideas here!

---

➡️ Once secured, please SUBMIT YOUR DONATION to enter it into the database using our:

• Online donation form

• Printable donation form (PDF to download, fill in, scan & email to beaconauctiongala2023@gmail.com)

• EMAIL any e-gift cards, logos or other marketing materials to beaconauctiongala2023@gmail.com

---

➡️ Do you need a solicitation letter that you can share with potential auction item donors?

• Our sample letter to send/give donors is available online or as PDF.

---

Please reach out with any questions or suggestions. Thanks for your support!

— Morghan Richardson (2026) & the Beacon Spring 2023 Auction Gala Team

Email: beaconauctiongala2023@gmail.com

Our PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization ID #13-3749712.

How to Survive an Encounter with Police: A Community Forum with Royce Russell

WHEN: MAY 18, 2023 (6PM)

WHERE: Beacon School Auditorium (7th Floor)

About this workshop: Please join Beacon’s DEI Committee in welcoming civil rights and criminal defense attorney Royce Russell for his presentation “How to Survive an Encounter with Police.”

So-called routine stops by police are not routine encounters. They can lead to death or serious injury to the person being stopped. Some of our students will soon be heading off to other cities and states for college, while others may exercise their first amendment rights in some form.

During this forum, Mr. Russell will talk to students and caregivers about practical steps and thoughts that should take place during an encounter with law enforcement.

Guest speaker: Civil Rights and Defense Attorney Royce Russell is the author of the book, “Cardiac Arrest: A Tactical Guide on How to Handle Unlawful Police Stops.” He is also a former Bronx District Attorney. Read his bio here.

The Beacon PTA will give free copies to the first 50 families (1 per student/family).

ALL ARE WELCOME! A MOTHER’S RITE SCREENING

What: The Beacon PTA’s DEI Committee is partnering with Beacon school social worker Samilia Ghartey-Sam on a Beacon community film screening and discussion of A Mother’s Rite.

When: This community event will be held in Beacon’s Auditorium (7th floor), on March 20, 2023 beginning at 6:30 PM. All Beacon students and parents are welcome to participate. Tyler Brewster from Peer-Connect will moderate the event.

RSVP here: https://bit.ly/AMothersRiteRSVP

About the film: Inspired by countless Black mothers who have lost their children to police brutality and racially-targeted violence, A Mother’s Rite is a 37-minute solo dance set to Igor Stravinsky’s iconic Rite of Spring musical composition. From The Black Iris Project, A Mother’s Rite pays tribute, through film, to a cutting-edge ballet that explores one mother’s journey through stages of grief after being thrust into the spotlight by way of her son’s murder.

BEACON PTA SPRING AUCTION & GALA 

The Beacon Spring Auction & Gala will be held on May 3, 2023 — and we need volunteers to help! Please volunteer! It’s fun, you’ll meet other parents and you get to enhance the Beacon experience for all kids while helping us produce our biggest fundraiser and community-building event of the school year! Volunteer opportunities include:

• Marketing and promotion
• Auctions – Silent, Online & In-person
• Themed Class Baskets
• Donations
• Entertainment
• Food & Drink
• Securing a venue 
• Themed Table & Room Decorations 

➡️ Sign up to volunteer by clicking here.

Questions? Please email beaconauctiongala2023@gmail.com 

Also, feel free to attend a Gala & Auction committee meeting & find out more!

Beacon Music Spring Concert (March 17, 2023) 3:30-6:30 PM

Admission: $5 for students, $10 for adults, teachers/staff (free)

If students would like to invite non-Beacon guests, please contact the email addresses below.

Beacon parent volunteers are welcome!

Details: The Beacon Music crew is looking for at least 2 Beacon parents/guardians to manage ticket sales at the concert.

Duties: At each shift, one parent could sell tickets (students $5, adults $10, staff get free) and stamp hands; parent 2 could run the concession table (students are bringing baked goods to sell).

Timing: Shift 1 volunteers to arrive by 3:15pm and help set up before doors open at 3:30pm, working until 5pm; Shift 2 volunteers to work from 5-6:30pm. Or the same volunteers could work the whole show!

Contact: If you can help, please email bletiecq@beaconschool.org, adelrosa@beaconschool.org, oneaman@beaconschool.org and rhill1@beaconschool.org. Thanks!

BEACON PARENT/GUARDIAN VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! 

NOMINATING COMMITTEE FOR JUNE 2023 PTA/SLT ELECTION

---

Beacon parents and guardians, we need your help!  

The Beacon PTA is seeking 3-5 Beacon parents/guardians to form a Nominating Committee in preparation for the election taking place at our June 12, 2023 monthly general membership meeting. This is where Beacon parents and guardians will vote on parent/guardian candidates who wish to serve on the 2023-24 Beacon PTA Executive Board and the 2023-24 Beacon School Leadership Team. 

The only requirements to become a Nominating Committee member: (a) you are not a current member of the Beacon PTA Executive Board and (b) you do not plan on running for next year’s PTA Executive Board. Other than that, all we ask is for enthusiasm!

We are not looking for parents to run for next year’s Executive Board at this time—just a team of Beacon parents/guardians to manage the nomination process fairly and impartially. We’re hoping to find parent/guardian volunteers across grades… and it’s not a big time commitment! More details on what’s involved in being part of the election nominating committee can be found here.

If you’re interested or would like more information, please email beaconpta@beaconschool.org.

March is Women’s History Month!

The NYC DOE writes that Women’s History Month “serves as a time to honor the achievements and contributions that women of all backgrounds have made throughout the history of the United States, both by remembering those who paved the way in the struggle for gender equity in the United States, and by recognizing the history-makers and barrier breakers of today.” In 2023, the theme for Women’s History Month is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories,” which “honors women in every community who have devoted their lives and talents to producing art, pursuing truth, and reflecting the human condition decade after decade.” The theme of International Women’s Day 2023, which takes place on March 8 each year, is “Embrace Equity.”

In this spirit, below please find some resource to learn more about different women’s stories.

Books & Authors
Celebrate Women’s History Month with Powerful Storytellers (Penguin Random House)
Real Stories of Courage and Determination (Simon & Schuster)
Powell’s City of Books (Powell’s Books)
Women’s History Month at NYPL
Celebrate Women’s History Month With the Book Review
Legal Defense Fund Celebrates Women History Month
Six Asian-American Memoirs to Read for Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month in NYC
Women’s History Month in NYC guide
9 Ways to Celebrate Women’s History Month in NYC
How to Celebrate Women’s History Month in NYC by 6sqft
NYBG Women’s History Month 2023
New York Historical Society

Public Resources
Public Laws, Presidential Proclamations and congressional resolutions
National Endowment for the Humanities
National Archives
National Park Service
Smithsonian
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Women’s History Month

Films
10 Documentaries that Celebrate the Power of Women (Netflix)
Celebrate Women’s History Month in March with these Empowering Movies (USA Today)
Honor Women’s History Month With These Impactful Movies and TV Shows (CNET)
What to Watch | Women’s History Month (PBS)
7 Latina Films to Watch for Women’s History Month

Here’s to Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories!

BEACON PTA PHONE-A-THON (MARCH 2023) — VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

We need your help for a new fundraiser for Beacon to help our Annual Giving Fund!

For other high schools, phone-a-thons are their BIGGEST fundraiser of the year, so we’re introducing our own to support our 2022-23 fundraising. As a result of DOE cutbacks, additional funds are still needed for Beacon’s afterschool clubs, arts, sports, classroom equipment, arts, sports and College Office needs not covered by the regular school budget.

WHAT: We are holding PTA phone-a-thon sessions at Beacon from March 20 to March 30, 2023, from 5pm-8pm. Sessions are open to all Beacon parents and guardians who want to volunteer. Invite others with similar interests—maybe your kids are in the same grade, neighborhood, club or sport.

WHEN: Mondays-Thursdays from March 20-30, we need parent and guardian volunteers to come to Beacon (any time between 5pm-8pm) and make calls to other Beacon parents/guardians, encouraging them to donate to the PTA so that we can fully fund your children’s classroom learning and extracurricular activities.

WHY: Unlike emails and paper mailings, personal calls made by parents and guardians just like you can help unlock the generosity of the Beacon community. If you haven’t been to Beacon this school year, this is a great opportunity to do so and give back. Just bring your phone and your enthusiasm!

HOW: Sign up as an individual, with a friend or with a group—all are welcome! Let us know your availability on our sign-up form (CLICK HERE). Consider giving your time (anywhere between 30 minutes to 60 minutes, or a three-hour session) to chat with fellow Beacon parents and encourage them to support our high school (and all students) by making a donation that’s meaningful for them.

QUESTIONS: Please reach out to us at beaconptafundraising@gmail.com.

We appreciate your support as we come together as a community for a fun gathering that will help bolster the invaluable fundraising we do to support Beacon. And if you can’t donate your time for this phone-a-thon, please consider making a donation to support our fundraising, which benefits all students and our school. Thanks!