Dear ERHS Students and Community,

As we know this past week, an earthquake devastated the nation of Haiti.  The ElRo community immediately jumped into action since this tragic event occurred with students and staff contributing to raise funds to aid those affected by the earthquake.  Haiti, as a nation with a history of hardship from decades of military dictatorship and economic strife needs our help more than ever.  The ElRo community has come up with various ways to raise funds that we will be announcing this week.  We will be sending the initial money raised in the lobby this week to Doctors Without Borders (approximately $225).  We have placed a couple of links to articles, under the news icon, where you clicked for this calendar on our website that contain reputable organizations for you to make direct donations.  We encourage our students to eat school meals for breakfast and lunch and donate the saved money towards this cause.  Eat a Meal, Save a Life is what members of the Student Council have called this idea.  The ElRo community wishes all families impacted directly by this tragedy our deepest condolences and prayers.  Rebuilding Haiti will be a lengthy process and our community is committed to making an impact in this important endeavor.    

As the semester draws to a close, all students are reminded to take care of all requirements for classes and study for end of semester exams.  Preparation and review this week can make the difference in achieving one's goals.  All advisory requirements must be completed as soon as possible.  Students are encouraged to speak to their advisors about concerns or areas of needed improvement and goals for the semester/year.  Make sure all reading logs and community service are appropriately completed, entered and checked by advisors.  

Following this week, the New York State January Regents will take place.  During the exam week students will come to ERHS only for scheduled exams and special class sessions (mostly AP classes).  This schedule, by grade level, will be distributed later this week and will be under "News" on the school website homepage to be downloaded.  See this schedule in order to know when students are expected to be in attendance.  We will have an abridged class schedule on Monday, January 1/25 in order to administer a Regents-like mid-term exam for several math classes in the 10th and 11th grade.  The class periods will be trimmed by 10 minutes and the mid-term will occur in the afternoon.  Please contact our Math teachers for more information.  We believe this will be an important opportunity for our students to get valuable extended seat time for a lengthier exam as they will be taking Regents exams later this year.  Students who are not taking the mid-term will participate in other meetings/activities and will be dismissed at the regular time. 

On Tuesday, Irwin Simon will return to ERHS for those who would like to retake their yearbook pictures. Please contact your advisor if you need your picture retaken as a list was created at the end of last week.  During advisory on Wednesday afternoon we will be having our first-ever Advanced Placement Class Fair for the 10th and 11th grades.  All students interested AP courses for next year will have an opportunity to hear from faculty and students currently in AP classes.  Students will be invited to make their elective preferences during Regents week and the AP Fair will be a great opportunity to gauge interest in these challenging classes. 

Welcome back Mirella C. our "Students on Ice" Antarctica explorer who has provided these amazing pictures from her trip to bottom of the Earth!  Mirella will be speaking about her trip and experiences at our upcoming Earth Day presentation later in the spring.

I hope you are "WHOAing" your way to a strong finish this semester.

Your principal,

Mr. Saliani

School-wide Student Information:

• Juniors interested in enrolling in an SAT Prep course at Eleanor Roosevelt can register with Revolution Prep online. We will offer two sessions, one for the March SAT and one for the May SAT. Students who think they may qualify for a scholarship can see Ms. Cohen for an application.
• The current art show will be closing this week. If you would like to purchase a piece please contact Marty in the office or Ms. Ettenheim. Join us for the Photography Show opening Thursday 4-6pm.
• We are still accepting orders for Elro apparel.  Please see Ms. Miller (rm. 520) for order forms or info.
• Supplies for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are still being collected.  Bring items to Ms. Miller (rm. 520).
• Do you like playing Ping Pong? Come to room 401 Thursday at 3 pm for our first meeting. 
• New library bulletin board outside of library and new display of books - check them out!

Advisory Information:

 
Please Note: Any student who does not complete their requirements for advisory by the end of the semester will have their grade adversely affected including the possibility of failure for the semester.  Please see your advisor and complete all requirements by advisory scheduled deadlines.  DO NOT rush to complete logs and make sure you complete your logs in your own words and have official evidence of completion of community service. 
 

• This week's highlights... 

•   9th Grade
• Monday - MLK Jr. Day- NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday - Activity: UpFront Preview
• Wednesday - Read
• Thursday - Read
• Friday - Activity: Up Front Discussion

•   10th Grade
• Monday - MLK Jr. Day- NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday - Activity: UpFront Preview
• Wednesday - AP Course Fair
• Thursday - Read
• Friday - Activity: Up Front Discussion

• 11th Grade
• Monday - MLK Jr. Day- NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday - Read
• Wednesday - AP Course Fair

• Thursday - Read
• Friday - TBD

•   12th Grade
• Monday - MLK Jr. Day- NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday- Independent Q of L Work / Shelfari and Google Doc Update / Read/ Conferences
• Thursday- Independent Q of L Work / Shelfari and Google Doc Update / Read/ Conferences

Athletics:

• Girls Basketball Games of the Week:
• Wednesday, January 20^th vs. Julia Richman Educational Center @ Wagner 6:00pm
• Boys Basketball Games of the Week:
• Tuesday, January 19th @ Foundations Academy 4:30pm
• Wednesday, January 20th @ Stuyvesant 4:30pm
• Thursday, January 21st @ JKO 4:30pm
• Friday, January 22nd @ H.S. of Construction 4:30pm
• Softball Interest Meeting on Wednesday, January 20th at 3:15pm in the gym
• Track Interest Meeting on Thursday, January 21st at 3:05pm in the gym

 
Clubs/Extracurricular Information:

• For weekly scheduled before/after school clubs and extra help meetings click this link.

         http://erhsnyc.org/clubs.jsp?rn=2139841

• Our Nutrition Club is offering a highlight called "Restaurant of the Week."  Restaurant of the week will offer menu options for healthy eating. Our restaurant of the week is Bagels and Co
• Go for the whole wheat bagel.  If you are watching your calories try scooping out the inside of the bagels.
• Ask them to leave the cream cheese and butter on the side and save yourself 5 servings
• Go for the low fat tuna instead of the cream cheese or butter
• Try the Israeli Salad
• Soups- Vegetable Soup or Split Pea
• Coffee use skim milk or soy and save the saturated fat
• Go easy on the artificial sugar and lay off the chemicals.
• Most gyms give free trials take advantage of the opportunity and hit the cardio deck, weights, or take a class you have always wanted to take.
• Walk, walk, and walk some more.  Walking is the greatest exercise... and its free!!!
• All students are invited to help organize and participate in ElRo's Black History Month Celebration.  Meetings will take place on Fridays at 3:00 p.m. in Room 520. See Tevin J. (senior) or Savanna S. (junior) for more details.
• Chess Club in every Tuesday from 3 to 4 pm in room 401.
• Drama Revolution rehearsals Wednesday from 3 to 4 pm in the auditorium.
• Calling all Animal Rights club members! Please join us for a special screening of "Apes: An Unnatural History" Thursday in room 402.  This amazing movie will be a kick off to our next event: Save the Chimps! We hope our original group will rejoin us!!!
• In February, we will be launching a series of small group after school writing seminars led by Ms. Sonia Taitz a professional writer and freelancer. If you are interested in getting a start on personal essay writing for college, or just want to improve your skills, see Ms. Cohen or Ms. Fink for details.
• All SAS members, please check the Google Wave for follow-up discussion after our iTouch meeting. Please add anyone missing who would like to join us on this community service project or see Ms. Ettenheim if interested.
• Friday Film Club in room 521 starting at 3pm.  Last week Film Club started off with a bang with the Peter Sellers movie, Being There.  Funny and thought provoking. Everybody was so jazzed by the film we talked until 6.  Wow!  This week's film is King of Hearts, another often forgotten favorite.  Laura, Laili and Scott will be visiting 9th grade advisories on Monday to speak with students who originally signed up in September. (and anyone else who is interested!) We need your e-mail addresses.  We want to mail you clips and questions to think about while watching.  A special invite to 9th and 10th graders -- we'd love to have you!!  Popcorn, movie, great discussion -- a perfect way to start the weekend.
• Thursday - PING PONG meeting - Come in with ideas to room 401!!

WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST/LUNCH THIS WEEK:

The Student Council encourages all students to participate in Eat a Meal, Save a Life this week as we raise funds for Haiti in the lobby.  Simply dine in the cafeteria and donate $ to this cause.  Thank you in advance for making a difference. 

Last Week's Numbers

Monday: 1/11

• Breakfast  74
• Lunch  218

Tuesday: 1/12

•  Breakfast  76
•  Lunch  165

Wednesday: 1/13

• Breakfast  90
• Lunch  175

Thurday: 1/14

• Breakfast  86
• Lunch  179

Friday: 1/15

• Breakfast  85
• Lunch  183

Monday: MLK Jr. Day- NO SCHOOL

Breakfast: 

Lunch: 

Tuesday:

Breakfast: Breakfast Sausage Roll, Whole Grain Apple Loaf & Assorted Milk

Lunch: Taco Bar with Assorted Fixing's, Rice and Beans & Steamed Corn

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Canadian Bacon and Sliced WW Bread, Whole Grain Blueberry Square & Assorted Milk

Lunch:Beef Gyro Strips served with Lettuce, Tomato &  Tzatziki Sauce on Loco Bread, Mozzarella Sticks served with Tomato Sauce, Wedge Cut Potatoes & SchoolFood Green Salad

Thursday:

Breakfast: Pancake served with Syrup, Assorted Fruit Yogurt & Assorted Milk

Lunch: Sweet and Sour Roasted Chicken, SchoolFood Plus Steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower, & Choice of Vegetable Fried Rice or Hot LoMein

Friday:

Breakfast: Cheese Omelet on an English Muffin, Whole Grain Banana Bread & Assorted Milk

Lunch: Bacon Egg and Cheese on a Bagel & French Bread Pizza                                                                       

Senior Class Information:

• Attention seniors:  The Seinfeld Scholarship Program is looking for students who give back to their community, have achieved academic success, show great financial need and are committed to furthering their education. The Seinfeld Scholarship provides: A four-year scholarship of up to $10,000 to the college or university of the student's choice.  Applicants should show financial need, be a leader and be active in their community, and show academic excellence.  If you're interested in applying, email Ms. Blanchette (nblanchette@erhsnyc.net).  The application deadline is February 12, 2010.
• Senior Class Meeting on Monday, January 25th in the auditorium after abridged class schedule.  
• All seniors requesting financial aid should submit a letter from your family specifying the activity (Senior Trip and/or Senior Prom) to Ms. Miller.
• Senior Council meeting on Wed 1/20 at 3p.m. in room 520 to discuss fundraising and senior shirts.

Student Council Information:

• The next school dance is Friday, February 5th, 6-9pm. ElRo students $3 and invited guests $5. 
• Please support "Eat a meal, Save a Life". Throughout this week we are asking everyone to stay in for lunch and donate the money that you would spend for lunch to help the people in Haiti.

Technology and Library Information:

Featured in the library table baskets this week:

• Books: Dewey Decimal 810-813 - American Literature
• Environmental Magazine - How does eating meat affect global warming? That and other baffling environmental issues are explored in this colorful magazine!
  - If you'd like to request a topic to be featured, just tell Rebecca H. or Ms. Ettenheim.

This week ...

• Need to do a collaborative project? Try Google Wave - https://wave.google.com/a/erhsnyc.net - live chat, document sharing and email - all in one place with a playback feature so no one is lost! Use your erhsnyc.net username and password. Printed instructions available in 518.

Site of the Week

• Timeline of Art History - Need to place anything in a time based context? This timeline will help!
   http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/
• For more helpful timelines, see erhsnyc.org>Academics>Library>Homework Help>Timelines

Science Olympiad:

Science Olympiad teams meet each week.  Please see your science teacher for details.    (LN 11/20 - 2/5)

Community Service, Internships, & Summer Programs: 

If you'd like to set up an appointment to talk about community service, please email nblanchette@erhsnyc.net.     

The Door Internships - This is a paid career exploration program for young adults ages 16 - 21.  150 candidates will be selected to participate in their This Way Ahead program and will also compete for 1 of 40 internship positions at The Gap or Old Navy.  Info sessions are ongoing through January 21st.  Visit the Internship page of the website for details.  

Princeton's Summer Journalism Program is looking for applicants for their all-expense-paid 10 day 2010 session. To apply you must currently be a junior in high school, and have at least an unweighted 3.5 grade point average (out of 4.0). You must have an interest in journalism and the combined income of your custodial parent(s)/guardian(s) plus child support payments, if any, must not exceed $45,000.  Visit the Summer Opportunities page of the website (under "Activities") to download the application -- due February 5th.

Library community service opportunities - We could use more people working on the library reference project! Flexible hours - when you have time - invite a friend and work on any subject area that is of interest to you! See Ms. Ettenheim for details

Scholarships, Contests & Opportunities:

• March of Dimes Essay Competition - Submission date, January 29th.  The Question: "What are the possible impacts if people ignore the urgency of getting vaccinated?  What is the best way to broadcast the importance of vaccination in your own community?"  Winners receive $400.  Email Ms. Blanchette for details on how to enter the competition (nblanchette@erhsnyc.net).
• Check the Music and Arts Opportunity tab on the school website for scholarship, tickets, and audition opportunities. Currently posted are the FREE New York City Summer Institute of the Arts, New York State Summer School of the Arts, Northeastern's 7th annual Electronic Music Composition Contest, and the Duke Ellington Essay Contest.

• Like Shakespeare?  Like to act?  Participate in the 2010 National Shakespeare Competition by auditioning with a monologue here at ElRo for a chance to go on to the NYC competition.  The NYC winner receives a scholarship for summer study in the United Kingdom. The runner-up receives $1,000 from the English-Speaking Union, and the third place winner is awarded $500 by The Shakespeare Society.  For more information, email Ms. Fink at efink@erhsnyc.net.
• 2010 Harlem YMCA Black Achievers College Tour - March 28-April 3 current Juniors are invited to apply to go on this College tour that will include stops at 11 different colleges. Contact Ms. Cohen if you would like to apply (deadline January 29, essay and solid grades required)
• Harlem YMCA Black Achievers in Industry Scholarship - $2,500 scholarship for eligible seniors of African American descent with an interest in science, math, engineering, and business. See Ms. Cohen for an application.  Deadline January 29
• The Alliance Development Committee offers free SAT tutoring to eligible black and latino Juniors with financial need. See Ms. Cohen for additional information, the deadline is February 8 to apply.
• Huntington Learning Center is offering another free diagnostic ACT or SAT to ElRo Students on January 31 at their 87th and 3rd Ave location. Email Dawn Helene at dhhlc@verizon.net by January 22 to sign up.
• Additional Scholarship Opportunities are listed in the College Office Update posted to the ElRo website.
• Additional Writing Contests are listed on the Writing Contests bulletin board next to the Lobby.

The Week - day by day

Monday, January 18th  - MLK Jr. Day- NO SCHOOL

Birthdays today: Jacob B., Sandra P. & Dardane S.

Tuesday, January 19th
Birthdays today:  Eric A., Laili A., Matthew B., Genesis C. & Charles L.

Meetings:

• Extra Video Edit from 3:00 to 4:30 in Room 516.  (RG 1/16)

Special events:

• School Picture Retakes 

Wednesday, January 20th

Birthdays Today: Mr. Landri

Meetings:

• Drama Revolution at 3pm in the auditorium.

Thursday, January 21st

Birthdays today:

Meetings:

• Beginning Film and Video Extra Edit Time from 3 pm until 4 PM in Room 516.  (RG 1/16)
• Ping Pong meeting in room 401

Special events:

• Art Gallery Opening of our Photography Show - 4-6pm - EVERYONE is invited!
• FAFSA Themed PTA Meeting - Seniors (and their Parent/Guardian) are encouraged to attend, 6:00 PM in the Auditorium 

Friday, January 22nd

Birthdays today:  Have L. & Yu Qin L.

Meetings:

• Friday Film Club at 3 in room 521.  We're watching King of Hearts.  E-mail Ms. Ryan, Laura , Scott  or Laili if you'd like to be on our e-mail list for ideas and highlights.  Bring goodies to eat!   

Saturday, January 23rd

Birthdays Today:  Caitlin G.

Sunday, January 24th

Birthdays Today:  Isabella C. & Roger S.

Upcoming Events:

• Monday 1/25 - End of Second Marking Period
• Tuesday 1/26 - Friday 1/29 Students will come in as scheduled (Regents Week)
• Monday 2/1 - Chancellor's Conference Day - No students in attendance
• Tuesday 2/2 - First Day of the 2nd Semester & 1st Semester Grades distributed
• Friday 2/5 - School Dance
• Monday 2/15 - Friday 2/19 - Midwinter Recess (School resumes Monday 2/22)
• Wednesday 2/24 - Black History Month Celebration
• Thursday 2/25 - PTA Meeting - "College Night"

College Information:

SUNY is offering free FAFSA workshops to Seniors - go to www.suny.edu/studentevents to register or call 1-800-342-3811 for details.

Always update your Naviance when you submit a transcript request form. If schools are not listed online, your request cannot be processed.

The link to the Family Connection for Naviance is: http://connection.naviance.com/erhsny

The College Office Newsletter can be found on the website and is updated weekly. For an expanded version of College Office Announcements, please visit the site.

Ms. Levy is available for Essay Help on Monday from 3:00-4:00.
Ms. Taitz is available on Wednesday from 3:00-5:00.
Utilize our volunteers for help with both your personal statement and scholarship essays!

Sign up for all Essay help in the Binder on the table in the College Office.

There will be no College Office Office Hours this Wednesday (1/20) after school with Ms. Cohen. If you need additional help this week, stop in the College Office during advisory, lunch, or on a different day of the week after 3:00.

Juniors:
Sign up now to take the ACT/SAT tests in the spring. If you are interested in testing at ElRo seats will fill up, so register as soon as possible. If you think you qualify for a fee waiver, see Ms. Cohen right away for a fee waiver code, if you are not sure, ask!
SAT: www.collegeboard.com  ACT: www.actstudent.org

Revolution Prep is offering two sessions of SAT prep, one for the March exam and one for May. If you signed up a long time ago, please be advised that we changed the day of the week for the May Test sessions. Please email me if you have questions or concerns, the correct dates are listed at the Revolution Prep website www.revolutionprep.com. Scholarship applications are available to students that think they cannot afford the cost of the course. See Ms. Cohen for details as soon as possible.

COLLEGE VISITS

Stay tuned for schools that will be visiting us in the spring of 2010.