Family Newsletter- 1/18/20

Dear Families, 

As our first official marking period of this unprecedented school year comes to an end,  we prepare for yet another historic week.  While we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King (*Reminder:  No School Monday, January 18th!) and the inauguration of a new president amid national tensions and divisions, please know  PS 15 staff are here for you and your family.  If you need support or resources, or just need to talk,  do not hesitate to reach out to us.  All staff hold office hours each week and the school voicemail is checked throughout the day whether our building is opened or closed.  Call us, email us, jump on a zoom… we are here to support you and your family; we are all in this together. 

In my new role as interim acting principal, I would love to hear from all of you.  Please consider filling out this survey, which is a simple way you can provide feedback to me directly.  I will also hold a Listening Town Hall on Monday, February 1st at 6:30 PM (flyer with zoom link forthcoming), save the date!  This will be an opportunity for me to meet with our community and listen to any feedback, concerns, questions, or ideas you all may have.  I look forward to “seeing” as many families as possible. 

As mentioned above, we have come to the end of the first marking period.  As a reminder, we have two marking periods this year and an updated grading policy for this school year HERE.  I want to take some time and space here to acknowledge, as we prepare report cards to be sent to New York City Schools Accounts on January 29th and Promotion in Doubt Letters in February, that there has been a tremendous focus nationally and locally on the idea that “the kids are going to be so behind when they get back”.  

Benchmarks and performance standards, while a good indicator of the expectations for a given grade level, are assigned and not inherent to age or individualized in any way, and they certainly do not take into account what we have collectively been through since the start of the pandemic.  To be blunt, “learning loss” research is driven by deficit theory, and deficit theory is usually an expression of racial and socioeconomic bias.    The staff at PS 15  are positioned to meet our children where they are and see them for who they are and we will work with every family to make decisions about promotion this year together, not based on deficit model thinking.

For some children, we may together decide that more time would serve your child best.  For others, we may decide that their needs will be best met with additional academic support.  For some children, we may share the belief that there is no need to “catch up” because your child is keeping their own pace, and we all develop differently.  To put it simply, not every child starts walking exactly on their first birthday right!?  Some walk before, many after.   Some crawled before they walked, some scooted.  Not every child crawls before they walk either.  My son refused to crawl, and I read so many books saying this would negatively  impact his development.   It didn’t, and ironically he stood up and walked across the room on exactly his first birthday!  I spent months worrying, laid out on the floor trying to encourage him to crawl with no success, and it served no purpose.  He was observing and thinking the whole time, and he made his moves on his own terms, when he was ready.  That still sums up his personality today at eight years old!

Whatever our children’s learning journey and all of the steps and falls along the way, our goal is to focus on your child, their needs, and as best we can, to create a responsive plan that will best meet your child where they are and prepare them for success in their lives beyond elementary school.  You, our families, are our partners in that.

While we cannot predict when our children will take the steps each year necessary to acquire and master a new range of skills, strategies, and knowledge, what we do know is engagement matters.  It is vital that we are all doing everything we can to engage our children during this time of interrupted and unconventional learning.  Please be sure you are working with your child’s teacher to maximize engagement for your child.  Participation and classwork are vital to your child’s success.  Zoom may not be for every child. Therefore, we offer a digital curriculum and paper packets for those who just cannot access Zoom.  iLearn may not be for every child, so we offer flexible plans and communication to access and turn in  classwork.  You can call us, email us, text us, or drop off classwork or projects.  

We cannot change the current circumstances, and we must meet children where they are, but engagement in school is vitally important for all of our children right now.   Be sure that your child is engaged in at least one reading, writing, and math activity each and every day.  Please be sure you are supporting their access to enrichment opportunities such as the arts as well.  PS 15 will be offering more opportunities for academic support and enrichment outside of the regular school hours  in the coming months,  stay tuned for those invitations.

Finally,  please communicate with us if you need support, if you need an alternative plan, or  if you need more resources or supplies.  As for next year, please do not worry that your child “is behind”.   Every child is unique and we will all work together to meet your child’s needs, whether they crawl, scoot, walk or run in June,  and  into September 2021, we will be there to cheer them on, to catch them if they fall, and to walk alongside them.  

Sending everyone in our community solidarity, support, and love,

Ms. Julie Cavanagh

Interim Acting Principal

A Big, Big Thank You!

Special thanks to Bob Bland.  Bob is a member of our PTA executive board and just completed a full revamp of our school website including ensuring we are meeting the gold standard for accessibility and access.  Thank you Bob!  Please check out the new website at PS15K.org.  Special thanks to our PTA for funding the project including annual accessibility monitoring!

Special thanks to Melinda Pacheco and Bob Bland for assisting with picture days unlike any others before (and hopefully ever again)!  Your time was so appreciated in ensuring we could provide this opportunity to families safely.  Thank you!  Families, do not worry if you missed pictures in January.  PTA will offer another picture day in the spring. 

Important Information and Resources:

• No School Monday, January 18, 2021 in celebration of Martin Luther King Day. We will resume in-person and remote learning on 1/19/21. 

Resource Summary

National Civil Rights Museum, King Day

Register for the Museum's virtual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Two sessions are available, afternoon and evening. 

National Constitution Center: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

Registration links to free, live virtual sessions on the civil rights movement and MLK Jr.’s legacy. Students explore the civil rights movement; the Warren Court; and landmark laws enacted by Congress like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. On Friday, January 22 there is a session with Hasan Kwame Jeffries, associate professor of history at The Ohio State University to explore the civil rights movement. On this page there are also videos of a performance of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and links to classroom materials.

• Learning Bridges Application, note families can now select choices,  Learning Lab @ The Miccio Cornerstone Community Center is in Red Hook.  Karl, who runs the site, said families can come to arrange in person as well.  There are still spots available for days your child is enrolled in remote learning. 

• https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/learn-at-home/lets-learn-nyc  The DOE, in partnership with the WNET Group, launched new episodes of the public television program  Let’s Learn, which features lessons for children in 3-K—grade 2, that will continue to serve as a supplemental resource for remote and blended learning.  

• PS 15 Family Assistance Form Request Families who need assistance with rent, bills, or food are encouraged to fill out this form.  PTA and our COVID committee are working to secure support for our families in need.  

• Please feel free to share this donor facing form with your networks (we will match donors w/ families who fill out the assistance request form.) You can share this form with anyone you would like who might like to support a family in need. 

• Report Cards will be completed on January 29th.  Report Cards will be sent centrally to New York City Schools Accounts.  If you do not have a NYCSA account, please contact Melissa Johnson to set one up as soon as possible (mjohnson98@schools.nyc.gov or 917-669-0508).  Please note, letters for students who have promotion in doubt will go home in February.  You will have the opportunity to discuss this with your chid’s teacher(s) at the March 4th parent-teacher conferences.  A potential hold over letter does not mean your child will definitely not be promoted.  These decisions will be made in June and we will have a team meeting, including administration, at that time to make a collective decision. Promotion decisions are not punitive, these decisions are made to best support and prepare our students for a successful academic journey. 

• Citywide and Community Education Town Halls with Chancellor Carranza

1/19/2021 - Citywide Education Council on High Schools - 6:30 pm- 7:30 pm Flyers: English, Spanish, Chinese

• Parent University (parentu.schools.nyc) is a course registration and management system where NYC families can find free trainings on a wide range of topics. Parent University serves all families, from early childhood through adulthood, and seeks to educate and empower them as partners and advocates through free courses, resources, events, and activities. They currently offer 200+ pre-recorded, on-demand, or live, web-based courses and they cover a wide range of topics including:  

·         Adult and Continuing Education

·         Early Childhood Education  

·         Enrollment  

·         Health and Wellness 

·         Multilingual Learners  

·         Parent Leadership   

·         Remote Learning and Technology   

·         School Buildings and Operations   

·         Special Education    

Haven't joined us yet? Watch this short video tutorial to learn how to create an account.

Then, go to parentu.schools.nyc to log in and enroll in one of their upcoming live, web-based courses!

Weekly Newsletter Translations Available Here:

English: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F8KMwkIpP91xDgu5pFmhfUKqeAqok0QVS9QRJNy_r84/edit?usp=sharing

Espanol: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kOSMk6gcMk0iy4aSoLkLnYvyzIzgriYUQAcLUq9TYgI/edit?usp=sharing

Chinese: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JV6Qp49E0BN7dO6a_wdmujMpZD89Pz8rG_QLaIVgqLk/edit?usp=sharing

Arabic: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_VQfsYnCng7Gh2P70p6sDEgGMw-Oe7K3uK9OvwaphlQ/edit?usp=sharing