I hope everyone had a wonderful week. It was another packed, great week @ PS 88Q. It seems like every Thursday night we have a fun event planned. Lets keep that tradition going! It truly feels wonderful to have all the families back in the building. This week's event was just spectacular. It showcased all of our student artists. Our actors and actresses, our dancers, our singers and our musicians. Students who never held and instrument, or carried a note, or held a script took to the stage and performed for all of us. Such bravery! It is not easy to perform in front of a packed auditorium (and it was packed). These artist have so much more to look forward to, and we look forward to our next collaborative performance. I am particularly proud of the relationship we have with GRYC and Kevin Goodish. These are all our children.

This week is our last week of March. Time is flying! After this week, we are heading into Spring Break. Almost immediately when we return in the NYS ELA exam for grades 3-5. If you have a student in grades 3-5, please read the information below regarding the dates, etc.

This weeks newsletter has A LOT of information, so check it all out, and as always, if you have any questions, suggestions, feedback, reach out anytime!

Dear Families:

The annual New York State English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics tests for students in grades 3-8 will be administered to all students later this spring. These tests are required by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and are designed to provide important information about whether students are prepared to progress through school and graduate with the critical thinking, problem-solving, and reasoning skills they need for long-term success in school, college, and careers, and to support students in their pursuit of economic security and a choice-filled life.

These tests are just one of several measures our schools use to assess student progress: grades, report cards, writing samples, projects, assignments, and other performance-based student work are equally important.

If you have additional questions, please contact Ms. Lowe and I anytime.

• When are the State tests for grades 3–8?
• How do State tests benefit my child?
• What do the tests entail? How long does my child have to complete a state exam?
• What is the impact of score results on teachers?
• How do these tests factor into middle or high school admissions?
• Can families opt their children out of State tests, or request an alternative evaluation?
• What should my child do to prepare for the test?
• When will I find out how my child performed on the tests?
• What happens if my child is not in school when the State exam is administered?
• Does my child have to take the State test if they are also taking a Regents exam?
• Click here for all answers to these questions. https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/testing/student-participation-guide

PS 88Q was honored to be one of the three schools chosen to host the first year G and T program introduced by our Mayor and Chancellor. This grade 3 entry point was a first for schools, as it was previously introduced in kindergarten only. Grade 2 students applied last year, and our inaugural class has been amazing! The students will move on to grade 4 next year, and grade 5 after that in a G and T track. This week at the PTA meeting, I will be discussing the program, the application, and the work!. The program is open to all students, not just current students of PS 88Q. Below is the guidance.

Grade 3 G&T Programs

• These programs––at least one in each NYC community school district––serve children from grade 3 to grade 5.
• Children enter these programs in grade 3. Highest-performing grade 2 students (whose grades are in the top 10% at their school) are invited to apply.
• Click here for more information https://www.schools.nyc.gov/enrollment/enroll-grade-by-grade/gifted-talented

Our students are working on their PBL. PBL, or project based learning, encourages learning, research, critical thinking and activism. For example, this week;

Class 3-308's PBL groups researched the following questions and then charted their information into 3 categories to share and discuss with the class:

1. What do community members need to do to protect or positively affect endangered or threatened species native to your community (New York)?
2. What can you do to protect or positively affect endangered or threatened species native to your community?
3. How can you share the importance of protecting these species with the community?
4. Why is it important to protect these species?

This year, the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan begins the evening of Wednesday, March 22nd and ends the evening of Thursday, April 20th. Part of the observation of Ramadan is a tradition of performing good deeds every day for 30 days. The PS88Q S.M.I.L.E. and Social Justice Committees are excited to present the attached “Kindness Calendar” for you and your students to use throughout the Holy Month of Ramadan. Each day on the calendar provides a suggestion or opportunity to perform an act of kindness in your students’ school or household community. Students are of course not limited to these proposed examples of kindnesses, they are simply ideas meant to guide them.

With this, PS88Q hopes to bring cultural awareness of this Muslim Tradition to our students by reading the book, “The Proudest Blue“, by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali, as well as to kick off April’s monthly S.M.I.L.E. theme of “Random acts of Kindness”, by reading April’s book of the month, “Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler”, by Margery Cuyler.

The hope is that through consistent practice, our children will strengthen awareness of how their choices to use words and perform acts of kindness make not only the lives of those around them more peaceful and fulfilling, but that it makes their own lives more gratifying as well.

We hope that you will encourage your students to participate- the best way to do so is to take part yourself! Families, please do the same with your child at home!

Enjoy making the world a better place!

As always, thank you in advance for your support.

Sincerely,

The PS88Q S.M.I.L.E. Committee and The PS88Q Social Justice Committee

This week, all of our classes will be not only reading Enemy Pie, but will be making it as well! Our SMILE committee has been busy prepping for our 690 students to mix up a special recipte! The book of the month for March is Enemy Pie. Enemy Pie is a touching story with the message that bullying is not okay and that it is possible to become friends with anyone if you are willing to try. Readers connect to the story because they understand the boy's emotions, which increases the theme.

We are excited about this upcoming event! Catch a preview below of this amazing day.❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Designed to be more than a career day, the Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work® program goes beyond the average practice of “shadowing” an adult. Exposing children to what a parent or mentor does during the work day is important, but showing them the value of their education, helping them discover the power and possibilities of work and family life, providing boys and girls a chance to share how they envision the future, and allowing them to begin steps toward their goals in a hands-on and interactive environment is key to their achieving success.

If DOE students participate, schools may consider this an “excused” absence, but the student’s attendance record should reflect that they are absent from school using reason code, Absent – special event. If you are planning to participate in this day, please submit a note to your child's teacher for the absence.

Our amazing PTA has raised money this year through online pasta sales, as well as through the Scholastic Book Fair. In past meetings, proposals to support the Social Justice Committee and the Theater Production team were approved. Now they want to know where else would you like to see the fundraising money put to use? This months PTA meeting, which is hybrid (both in person and on zoom) is not only the place to voice your wishes. Below is a link to share your ideas, so that as a community, you can agree on the decision. All ideas will be shared on Thursday.

Hello Everyone!

We all love our school and now is a great time to share that! We have to let the internet know how much we all love and care for our school. More and more parents rely on sites like GreatSchools.org to make an education decision for their child. Our reviews are outdated! Many were left BEFORE Principal O’Shaughnessy became principal and does not reflect the hard work she has put in to make our school great!

Please visit https://www.greatschools.org/.../2308-Ps-88-Seneca/...

and leave a review for our school! You can talk about your child’s favorite Teachers, your experience with the administration and supporting groups. (GRYC, The PTA, our SLT, Common Threads cooking program, etc). This is a great opportunity to boast about the great school we have.

The PTA is granting a Free Ice Cream Voucher for the first 10 students from each grade (3K-5th grade) who’s family has successfully left a review. (That’s 80 vouchers!)

Once you have left your school review and you are notified it’s been published. Please send us a direct message with your child’s Name, teacher and class! We will leave the Voucher in the teachers mailbox to be distributed to your child.

We will be offering this until the end of the school year.

https://www.greatschools.org/.../2308-Ps-88-Seneca/...

* one review = 1 voucher. We understand there are sometimes siblings but we are only able to offer 1 voucher per review. You would need to leave a review specific to each child to earn multiple vouchers.

Many people wonder what each of these groups do! Hope this explains each groups role:

PTA:

All of our schools are required to have either a:

• Parent Association (PA)
• Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

These organizations:

• advocate for students and families
• update parents and families about the school
• plan and run activities for parents and families

PA/PTAs can support schools in a number of ways, including:

• hosting parent workshops
• organizing activities for families—both academic and social
• raising funds
• running volunteer events

PAC:

All NYCDOE Title I schools are required to have a Title I Parent Advisory Council (PAC) that will serve as the consultative and representative body to involve and engage all parents of students who are included in the Title I program. They do not fundraise, but do plan for the 1% of funds allocated to the school.

SLT:

The School Leadership Team (SLT) is a group of people who develop educational policies for their school. They also make sure there are resources to support those policies.

SLTs:

• Provide ongoing evaluations of a school’s educational programs and their impact on student achievement.
• Play an important role in school-based decision-making
• Help to make school cultures more collaborative.

SLT Members

There are three members of the school community who must be members of the SLT:

1. Principal
2. Parent Association/Parent-Teacher Association President
3. United Federation of Teachers Chapter Leader

The other members are elected parents and staff members. The SLT must have an equal number of parents and staff.

An SLT should have a minimum of 10 members, and a maximum of 17 members. The exact number of members on a school’s SLT is stated in the team’s bylaws. Regardless of the total number, the SLT must have an equal number of parents and staff members.