Every dollar raised by our PTA goes directly back to our students. Here is how your contributions make a difference at The Neighborhood School.
Teaching Assistants
Our largest annual expense is funding two full-time teaching assistants who provide critical support in our K-1 classrooms. These TAs help with differentiated instruction, small group work, and ensuring every child gets the attention they need during their foundational years. Annual cost: $40,000.
Studio in a School — Visual Arts
TNS has partnered with Studio in a School for over 30 years to bring professional visual arts instruction into every classroom. Our teaching artist works with all K-5 students weekly, teaching skills from mark-making and self-portraits in the younger grades to advanced printmaking, paper-mache, and portraiture in 4th and 5th grade. Annual cost: approximately $7,000.
TNS students are consistently selected for professional exhibition at Christie's auction house — a testament to the quality of this program.
Field Trips & Experiential Learning
Field trips are an integral part of our progressive curriculum. The PTA ensures that every student can participate regardless of family ability to pay. Our trips include museum visits, theater experiences, nature centers, ice skating, and the beloved Ashokan overnight environmental education program for upper grades.
Health Education
The PTA funds Sexually Smart, a comprehensive health education program for 4th and 5th graders that addresses age-appropriate topics with care and professionalism.
Community Building
Throughout the year, the PTA organizes community events that bring our families together: Fall Fling, Movie Nights, Holiday Fair, Talent Show, Spring Fling, and more. These events strengthen the bonds that make TNS special.
TNS Food Pantry
In partnership with Trinity Church, the PTA helps maintain a food pantry in the school lobby, providing groceries to families in need. This open-access model ensures no family goes without, especially during times when government assistance is delayed.
Additional Programs
PTA funds also support technology resources, professional development for teachers, garden programs, library resources, and diversity workshops. Our goal is to provide every enrichment opportunity that the DOE budget cannot cover.