Hello families!
This is our digital monthly October PTA Newsletter. A paper version will come home in backpack mail.
Your BNS PTA
Questions? We’re here to help! Email the PTA at bnspta2025@bns146.org.
LETTERS FROM LEADERSHIP
Dear BNS,
At a recent meeting, a family asked about our partnership with BAX, and I found myself chronicling a 30+ year, deeply interwoven relationship that ties into our approach and practice as a school community. Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX) is a Community-Based Organization founded in 1991, just four years after BNS opened its doors. BAX’s founder, Marya Warshaw, was also one of BNS’s founding parents, and our shared core values have continued to strengthen and connect the two communities ever since.
In the early years of BNS, José Joaquín Garcia was a founding BAX teaching artist (TA), leading our little ones in dance and movement alongside his fellow founding TA Dani Nikas. Soon, his TA partner Jennifer Garcia joined us here at BNS. Jennifer later moved into the role of PreK teacher at BNS before helping to root the inaugural year of our sister school, PS456. When Jennifer started teaching PreK, Rachel Lane joined the BAX/BNS partnership as a teaching artist of dance - yes, fifth grade teacher, Rachel! Rachel grew up dancing at BAX, and was one of Marya’s students - she then became a BCS teacher upstairs, before joining us as a teacher at BNS. Over the years, others danced through our community and moved with our children, until we had the great fortune of working with Donna Costello, and thus began the Donna and José partnership that your children now experience.
In PreK, first, and third grades, José leads an 8-12 week residency that helps children plant their feet on stage, find their voices, and tell stories through movement and spoken word. In kindergarten, second, and fifth grades, Donna guides children to explore the strength in their bodies’ shapes, the power of pauses, and what it means to move with purpose and take up space.
The fifth-grade residency culminates in a graduation performance that celebrates students’ readiness for middle school—but before that comes something very special: the Fourth Grade Musical. Alongside David, one of our music teachers, Donna and José help fourth graders create a show that grows from the spirit of each classroom. Performed over two evenings, it’s a story of our community told through dance, song, skits, and sometimes even a yo-yo. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, February 11 and Thursday, February 12—and come see what our children have to teach us.
Of course, this doesn’t happen in a single year. The fourth grade musical could not exist without the foundation built in PreK and Kindergarten, and the community-building, movement-learning, and risk-taking that grow each year.
Soon, we dance.
Diane
Link to letter
FUNDRAISING ANNUAL APPEAL
Help us reach our goal!
We're aiming for 100 monthly donors by the New Year—and we're already halfway there! Whether it's $2 or $200, it's not about the amount, it's about our whole community coming together. Join us in supporting our school and help us hit that goal! 
Donate to the Annual Appeal using the QR code or visit https://donorbox.org/friends-of-bns-supporter
SCREEN TIME TALK FOR PARENTS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 4:30-5:30 pm
Room 124
Join us for "Less Screens, More Life" -- an inspiring talk with Phoebe Vaughn about transforming your family's relationship with technology. You'll walk away with simple steps to reshape how your family engages with screens and make space for what matters most to you.
FUN RUN IN PROSPECT PARK
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 10 AM
Come support BNS at the upcoming PTA Fun Run on Oct 25 at 10 am. You do not have to be a runner to participate. Bring kids on bikes and scooters or in strollers/wagons. To register, use this link and select BNS as your team:
(The BNS team will meet before the race starts near the bathrooms at Prospect Park’s LeFrak Center, where you pick up bibs.)
Don’t forget to wear your BNS attire to show your school spirit! If you need some new merch, visit bns146.org/shop. Place your order now, and we can deliver it to your child’s classroom by Friday 10/24!
HEALTHY SNACK TABLE
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2:20-4:30 pm
Before our kids guzzle Skittles and Starbursts… join the Food Committee for some healthy snacks (and raise a little $$ to support our school)! Think high protein, low sugar: yogurts, apples, cheese sticks, hard-boiled eggs, hummus, and carrots, etc!
P.S. If this sounds up your alley, we really need another volunteer to help set up and work the stand. Contact nicoledefino@gmail.com.
BCS/BNS UNITY FEST
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 11 am-3 pm
Join us in the cafeteria, gym, and yard for a joyful celebration of the 610 Henry St. community. BCS students run the event, which includes delicious food; face painting, crafts, and games; student-led performances, dancing, hoops, and music; and a Family Swap Table! (Bring gently used books, toys, or household items to exchange with other families. Discount codes for this annual fundraiser are available as needed—all are welcome!
SAVE THE DATE: CHUCK E. CHEESE NIGHT FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 5:30 PM
BNS’s annual Chuck E. Cheese Night is Friday, November 7, from 5:30 to 9 pm! Join us on your way home from school for some games and hang out with your BNS friends.
Chuck E. Cheese will donate 20% of sales. Make sure to mention you're with BNS & wear your BNS gear!
Chuck E. Cheese, 139 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217 (3rd Floor)
