September 14 update

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Dear Families,

Please see below for the announcements for this week’s family newsletter!

1. Congratulations Class of 2023

2. SY23-24 Updated School Calendar

3. SY23 Athletic Banquet - Canceled

4. Eigth Grade Overnight Trip: Six Flags Great Escape Lodge

5. ESY (Extended School Year)

6. Hyde Park’s Juneteenth Joy Festival

7. Juneteenth: NO School

8. 8th Grade Step-Up Ceremony

9. Grade 6 Application Re-Opened

10. Medication Pickup

11. Work Permits

12. Student MBTA/M7 Charlie card

13. Summer P-EBT Benefits

14. Exam School Initiative (ESI)

15. Middle School End of Year Announcements

16. High School End of Year Announcements

Stay safe and be well!

Sincerely,

Madelyn Ruizdeporras
Family Operations Manager

Congratulations to the Class of 2023!

We are so proud of everything they have accomplished. They worked hard to achieve their goals and now they are on their way to seek new vistas, dream new dreams, and embark on who they are! We cannot wait to see what other amazing things they will triumph. We hope they never forget to take chances, stay true to themselves, and get out there and change the world! As always, RISE LIKE A PHOENIX!

Please take some time to review and print out the updated school calendar.

The Athletics banquet has been canceled. We will plan to celebrate our student athletes this year and will inform you of a date and time.

The 8th grade will be taking an overnight trip to the Great Escape Lodge in Queensbury, NY on Friday, June 16th to Saturday, June 17th, 2023. The purpose of this field trip is to celebrate our 8th grade students for their hard work throughout middle school! Students will have the opportunity to visit the Six Flags Theme Park as well as the White Water Bay Indoor Water Park at the Great Escape Lodge.

The cost to attend this trip is $75 per student; this price includes admission to both Six Flags and White Water Bay Water Park, as well as transportation, lodging, and all meals.

While all students are invited to this trip, students are required to meet academic and behavioral criteria in order to maintain eligibility to attend.

If you have any questions or concerns about this fee, please do not hesitate to reach out at any time if you have any questions or concerns. I can be reached by phone at 617-910-5344 or via email at vharris@bostonprep.org.

Extended School Year, also known as ESY, is an 8-day program for students who obtain an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) that addresses skills certain students require to prevent regression or the loss of learned skills. Your child's TEAM decides if ESY is appropriate during their annual or reevaluation IEP meeting. ESY is not a mandated program your child has to attend, but rather an optional program to help continue their growth academically, socially, and/or behaviorally.

ESY details are below:

Location: Boston Prep school in one of our many air-conditioned classrooms.

Dates: Monday, July 24 - Thursday, July 27 - No Friday

Dates: Monday, July 31 - Thursday, August 3 - No Friday

Hours: 8:30am - 1:00pm.

Transportation: provided according to your child’s IEP

Breakfast/Lunch: will be provided

We greatly appreciate your continued partnership and look forward to an exciting ESY!

Celebrate Hyde Park's rich diversity and the contribution of its residents at the Juneteenth celebration, Juneteenth Joy Festival in Hyde Park. There will be a great display of the many history makers of Hyde Park, activities for the whole family (bouncy castle & painting, etc), food vendors, and many other community stakeholders.

Date: Saturday, June 17th, 2023
Time: 10am - 3pm
Location: Martini Memorial Shell Park & Moynihan Recreational Area

Pre-register today to be eligible for giveaways (linked here)!

For more info visit westfhcommunity.org

There will be NO SCHOOL on Monday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth, an official Massachusetts state holiday that commemorates the day in 1865 when officials in Texas issued an order freeing the remaining people held in slavery, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Juneteenth is a day for celebration, and also an opportunity to confront the racial inequity that persists today in our country. We are proud of our collective commitment to understand the root causes of inequity and advance racial equity. Over the past years, Boston Prep has taken important steps, including adopting definitions of equity and racial equity, detracking classrooms, diversifying our teaching force and school leadership, building capacity around culturally responsive instruction, and creating an antiracist vision and mission statements while buiding on Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

We are excited to celebrate our current 8th graders as they graduate middle school and rise into 9th grade!

Please join us for Step-Up Ceremony to honor their hard work. Please use this link to RSVP.

Ceremony Details:

Date: Tuesday, June 20th

Student Arrival Time: 5:00PM

Ceremony Time: 6:00PM-7:30PM

Location: Boston Prep Gym (885 River St. Hyde Park, MA 02136)

Graduation Details:

• Students should arrive by 5:00pm

• We will have a group photo at 5:20pm and then assemble for procession

• Doors for families will open at 5:30pm

Contact Tania Nora at tnora@bostonprep.org or 617-910-5070 (call or text) with any questions or concerns.

The 6th grade application has been reopened. Families can apply to 6th grade at Boston Prep for SY24 starting now through July 17, 2023. If you know anyone entering grade 6th for SY24 APPLY HERE!

If your child has any medications that he/she takes at school, it will need to be picked up from the nurse’s office by 12PM on Wednesday June 21st . Per policy, medications MUST be picked up by a parent or guardian. Medications cannot be given to students to take home. Any medications not picked up by 12PM on Wednesday, June 21st will be discarded.

Thank you!

If your student is in need of a work permit before the end of the school year, here is what they need to know and do:

1. They must have a job offer before they can apply for and receive a work permit. After they have the job offer, they can complete the next step.

2. Complete the Youth Employment Permit Application (linked here for you). If they prefer the paper version of the application, they can stop by Mod 2 after school to pick up a paper copy from Ms. Fontes’s desk.

• Their employer will need to complete the first page.

• If they are 15 or younger, they will need to have a physician complete the second page.

• The parent/guardian must complete the second half of the second page.

3. Provide Ms. Fontes with the completed permit application & proof of age documents such as the birth certificate, passport, or immigration record. They can email these materials or provide them in person.

4. Once Ms. Fontes has the completed application and proof of age document, a work permit will be provided to them.

If you have any questions, you may reach out to Ms. Fontes at: ffontes@bostonprep.org

Current MBTA/M7 Charlie cards for the SY22-23 school year will remain active until August 31st, 2023 as fare free. Students should hold onto their current cards throughout the summer and can continue to ride the MBTA system fare-free (they do not need to load money onto their Charlie Cards). This policy applies to all students in the city of Boston. If students happen to lose their card during the summer, they can request a new card using the google form.

New M7 MBTA Charlie cards for next school year will be passed out on the first day of school on Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023.

The Exam School Initiative (ESI) is an equity initiative designed by the Office of Opportunity Gaps to increase diversity in the BPS exam schools by increasing opportunities for students from traditionally underrepresented communities.

You just meet the criteria listed below. If so, we encourage families to apply to the free ESI Summer Program.

1) Student of color (Black or Latina/o/x)

2) Economically disadvantaged

3) Average of a B or higher in ELA and Math from the current school year

4) The student DOES NOT attend the Boston Public Schools

5) The student is a resident of the City of Boston (residency verification required)

6) The student will complete grades 4, 5, or 7 in June 2023

7) The student can attend the program in its entirety (7/10/23-8/4/23, 8AM-1PM)

Take some time to read this letter here and the direct link to the application form is available here. Please direct any questions to examschoolprep@bostonpublicschools.org or 617-685-8562.

Upcoming Dates:

• Friday, June 16th - Saturday June 17th: 8th Grade Overnight Six Flags Field Trip
• Monday, June 19th: Juneteenth - No School
• Tuesday, June 20th: Half Day 12:00 pm dismissal
• Tuesday, June 20th: 8th Grade Step-Up Ceremony; 6pm
• Wednesday, June 21: Last Day of School for Grades 6-11 (Half Day 12:00 pm dismissal)

• Monday, July 17th - August 3rd: ESY (Extended School Year)

Have questions?

Please don’t ever hesitate to reach out with questions! You can contact your child’s advisor or utilize any of the emails/websites below.

• For questions about buses, MBTA passes, and transportation: transportation@bostonprep.org
• To report an absence or tardiness or any attendance related matters: attendance@bostonprep.org
• To submit a physical exam record or to discuss health-related topics: nurses@bostonprep.org
• For questions or documents related to enrollment: enrollment@bostonprep.org
• For information about resources, please familiarize yourselves with our Boston Prep resource page: https://www.bostonprep.org/resources
• For other questions: info@bostonprep.org