Community

Portledge Parents Association

Welcome to the 2020-2021 School Year!

On behalf of the Portledge Parents Association (PA), I would like to extend a warm welcome back to all our Portledge families. Many aspects of our lives have been altered since March, but I am certain that our return to Portledge, whether virtually, on campus, or a mix of the two, will lend a certain degree of normalcy back into our lives. For me personally, the sense of community that I feel as a member of the Portledge family is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling. I look forward to creating connections with our new families and strengthening those already present with our existing families.

The Parents Association is a fantastic way to get involved in our school’s community. It is a forum where we have the opportunity to meet our peers, learn from each other, volunteer our time and talents, and work together. The Portledge Parents Association is comprised of dedicated parents who are committed to supporting our amazing faculty, staff, and students. Although you may not volunteer expecting anything in return, I can guarantee that in the end, the rewards will be immeasurable. While this school year will undoubtedly be a bit different than the norm, the Parents Association will be offering many exciting and unique virtual opportunities so that we can all stay connected and have some fun while doing so! We will be participating in our Book Club once again, please join us this fall in reading “The Person You Mean to Be,” by Dolly Chugh. Even though the PA will not be present on campus, we will still have plenty of opportunities to grow and support our school. We are a community of people who all share the same goal… celebrating and supporting Portledge.

I invite you to get involved this year, whether it be for a PA meeting via Zoom, a virtual cocktail party, or our popular Book Club. Your Class Parents are a phenomenal group of individuals who are dedicated to making this school year amazing, productive, and engaging. They are a great resource and will be happy to answer questions you have along the way. I am also always available for questions, comments, and suggestions, and welcome you to contact me as well.

This school year will present many new experiences for all of us, and the Parents Association is here to support our families and our school. I encourage you to join us, and I look forward to working with you to make this an incredible year.

My best,

Tiffany Terranova
President, Parents Association
Tanner ‘24, Remy ‘27

Parents Association Interest Circles

Fitness:
Peloton Rides
Be #PortledgeStrong and join us for a bi-weekly Peloton Ride! Add the #PortledgeStrong Pelton group to your groups and ride with other parents and community members. Also, sign up and you will receive an email from Jessica Chitty, LS VP, with the weekly schedule.   

1,000 Minute Fitness Challenge
Accumulate 1,000 workout minutes (challenge began on 9/11), screenshot proof (via an app, your fitness track out, etc.) and email it to Kelly Walles at kwalles@portledge.org and receive a FREE #PortledgeStrong water bottle. The perfect addition to your workout! 

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Please join us for the evening to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!  We invite members of our community to share family recipes and traditions while we learn about regional wines and listen to music from the Latin American diaspora.  This Zoom event is for adults and all participants are encouraged to bring a glass of their favorite beverage! Friday, October 9 at 7 pm. Click the calendar link to the right to RSVP.

Portledge Book Club
Join the Portledge Book Club as we read together and discuss a book (or two) over Zoom!
  • The Little Book of Life Skills by Erin Ruddy, Thursday, November 5, 7:00 p.m.
  • The Person You Mean to Be by Dolly Chugh, Wednesday, December 2, 9:30 a.m

Calendar

Parents Association Leadership

List of 4 items.

  • Leadership

    PA PresidentTiffany Terranova
    Executive Vice-President &
    VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  (Lower/Middle School)
    		Traci Douglas
    VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  (Upper School)
    		Ayesha Brantley
    International Family LiaisonKim Guo
     

  • Lower School Class Parents

    Lower School VPJessica Chitty
    NurseryJennifer Cave
    Pre-KVanessa Cruz
    KindergartenAngelica Van Pelt '06
    1st GradeJenni Lynn
    2nd GradeJessica Chitty
    3rd GradeAllison Soltani
    4th GradeSharon Cleary
    Claudia Quiroz-Marcos
    5th GradeTiffany Palagonia
    Christine Pata

  • Middle School Class Parents

    Middle School VP
    / ISE Chair    		Maria Zografos
    6th Grade Andrea Carlsen
    Tara Fitzpatrick
    7th Grade Paula Ligotti
    Aimee Bartolomeo-Cody
    8th GradeMichelle Ort

  • Upper School Class Parents

    Upper School VP          Becky Schamis
    9th Grade Marie Bahnik
    Kim Leonard
    10th Grade Michele Bahnik Mercier ‘93
    Cindy Neugebauer
    11th Grade Chris Koundourakis
    Melissa Worth
    12th Grade Toni Bardong
    Kathleen Katzmann

Parent Association Events

List of 5 events.

  • Oct
    22

    Peloton Ride 10/22

    Join the #PortledgeStrong Peloton group for Cody Rigsby’s 30 min XOXO Ride from 1/22/20.
    Kelly Walles
    Register
  • Nov
    5

    Portledge Book Club

    The Little Book of Life Skills features 150 of the best how-to tips from top experts like Rachael Ray, Arianna Huffington, Dr. Oz, Hoda, Gretchen Rubin, and more to teach us how to tackle life’s trickiest tasks. From how to wake up in the morning feeling refreshed to working from home productively, to organizing your junk drawer (or 2), the book is packed with advice we can all use right now to make our days run smoother and our lives a little easier. 
     
    About the Author: Erin Zammett Ruddy is the author of The Little Book of Life Skills published by Grand Central Publishing in September 2020. She is a contributing editor at Parents and writes frequently for many major magazines. For 10 years she was a lifestyle editor at GLAMOUR, where she wrote the award-winning Life With Cancer column. She lives on Long Island with her husband and three children.
    Kelly Walles
    Register
  • Dec
    2

    Portledge Book Club

    The Person You Mean to Be is an inspiring by Dolly Chugh is an inspiring and accessible guide from an award-winning social psychologist on how to confront difficult issues, including sexism, racism, inequality, and injustice, so that you can make the world (and yourself) better.  Dolly Chugh, a social psychologist and professor at the New York University Stern School of Business, reveals the surprising causes of inequality, grounded in the “psychology of good people.”  Using her research findings in unconscious bias as well as work across psychology, sociology, economics, political science, and other disciplines, she offers practical tools to respectfully and effectively talk politics with family, to be a better colleague to people who don’t look like you, and to avoid being a well-intentioned barrier to equality.  Becoming the person we mean to be starts with a look at ourselves.

    The conversation will be lead by Martha Haakmat of Haakmat Consulting and Portledge Director of DEI, Olga Florentino.
    Kelly Walles
    Register
  • Jan
    14

    Parents Association Meeting

    Kelly Walles
  • May
    11

    Parents Association Meeting

    Kelly Walles
View All Events