The following is the reaction by the Office of Family and Community Empowerment to the Mayor's announcement that all NYC schools are to move to remote only instruction: Today, the Chancellor announced that schools will transition to full remote learning starting tomorrow, Thursday, November 19th. Below is a letter from our Chancellor to families.
Dear Families, I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. All of us at the Department of Education have been so proud to witness the joy of students and educators reuniting and learning together this year. We have been the only major school district in the nation to reopen our buildings. The benefit to hundreds of thousands of students is incredible, as school communities have reconnected in person for learning, growing, and supporting one another. All along, we have kept health and safety at the forefront of everything we do. That includes carefully monitoring COVID-19 transmission rates across the city and, when necessary in response to infections, temporarily closing our school buildings and transitioning students to fully remote learning. Given recent increases in transmission, we have reached a point in our City’s infection rate that requires all students to transition to remote learning. Beginning Thursday, November 19, all school buildings will be closed, and all learning will proceed remotely for all students, until further notice. You will hear from your principal shortly about next steps for you and your student. Please note that this is a temporary closure, and school buildings will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so. I am sure you have many questions, and below you can find some important guidance to provide some answers. As always, we are committed to academic excellence, community-building, and social-emotional support for your child—no matter where they are learning. Devices for Remote Learning Do you need a device, need technical support or to fix a broken device, or are dealing with a lost or stolen device? Call DOE’s IT Help desk at 718-935-5100 and press 5 to get assistance. You can also get quick help online:
We are committed to ensuring every student is learning 5 days a week. Your child’s school will support you in remote learning if you currently don’t have a device by providing paper-based work. Contact your school for more info. Free Meals for Students and Families All families and students can continue to go to any school building between 9:00 a.m. and noon on weekdays to pick up three free grab-and-go meals. No identification or registration is necessary. Halal and kosher meals are available at some sites, which are listed at schools.nyc.gov/freemeals. From 3-5 p.m., New Yorkers of all ages can pick up free meals at 260 Community Meals sites across the city. For a list of sites, please visit schools.nyc.gov/freemeals. Learning Bridges Learning Bridges, the City’s free childcare program for children in 3-K through 8th grade, will continue to serve families enrolled in blended learning. We will continue to give priority to children of essential workers, as well as students in temporary housing or residing in NYCHA developments, children in foster care or receiving child welfare services, and students with disabilities. Families can learn more and apply at http://schools.nyc.gov/learningbridges and new offers will be made to families weekly as seats are available. Early Childhood Education 3-K and Pre-K classrooms in district schools and DOE Pre-K Centers will be closed. If your child attends a program in a community-based center that is not located in a public school, or attends a family childcare program that is part of a DOE network, it will remain open. If you are not sure which type of program your child attends or have questions about your child’s services, please contact your program directly. Strong supports are in place to ensure that these sites can continue operating safely. Although we are temporarily shifting to fully remote teaching and learning for all students, if you have recently elected to enroll your child in blended learning, your child will be able to begin in-person learning after we reopen. I know that for many of you, this decision to temporarily close school buildings that we recently opened up will be disappointing, and I understand. But by confronting these challenges together, we can continue to fight back against COVID-19. And I am confident that before long, we will be able to safely reopen our school buildings again. Please remember the “Core Four”: wash your hands, wear a face covering, keep six feet of distance from others, and stay home if you’re feeling sick. These are critically important steps that all of us can take every day. We will continue to provide updates, supporting you and everyone in the DOE family as this public health crisis continues to evolve. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s school with any questions or concerns. We are grateful for your partnership and all you do for our city. Sincerely, Richard A. Carranza Chancellor New York City Department of Education The YMCA is offering remote learning on the days the students are not in person.
Virtual programs will be Monday through Friday (fun activities, arts and craft, STEM, arts, interactive online games) Time: 3:00 pm If you are interested, please register online by clicking here. In order to apply for this program, you must create an account or login. Families click on the link and select After School programs on the right side of the page. After that Families can find TAG by Zip code 10029 and list icon button. Please make sure the Online link/registration must say:
Once you are confirmed with online registration we send you zoom link info. Any questions or concerns please email Mrs. Scott or Mr. Melendez. The Office of Family and Community Empowerment (FACE) is providing an update of events and resources:
Within our schools, we have seen a COVID-19 positivity rate of only .18 percent out of more than 100,000 students and staff tested. This has been a reassuring sign that our schools are safe, and that our families, staff and student are taking all necessary precautions to stay safe and healthy. However, outside of schools, the signs are not as promising. Two months ago, we pledged to close our buildings and temporarily shift to fully remote teaching and learning if the average weekly positive testing rate, across the city, reached 3%. Unfortunately, the rate has been increasing towards 3%, and we may have to temporarily shift back to full-time remote learning for every school in the coming weeks. We have already communicated this to principals and know that you and your colleagues are working hard to prepare for that possibility. This is an outcome that no-one wants, in a set of circumstances that no-one is happy about. However, we do need to be prepared should we have to take this step, and thank you all, as ever, for your continued dedication through these challenging times. We will keep you closely updated. Show Your Schoolwork NYC The DOE is launching “Show Your Schoolwork NYC” series, a year-long virtual celebration of great schoolwork completed by blended and remote-learning students in 3-K– grade 12 throughout the 2020–21 school year. All DOE staff members and families are invited to participate by submitting a brief summary of a student and their work that you would like to highlight via the submission form at any time during the course of the 2020–21 school year. Submitters should also include at least three photos and/or one video with your submission—this could be media featuring the student, their work, your relationship to the work (i.e., did you assign it), and/or any background regarding the assignment (i.e., lessons learned, expected outcomes). The series will be featured on the DOE’s blog The Morning Bell and the DOE’s social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For more information, review the submission form homepage. The Window to Opt Into Blended Learning is Open until November 15 DOE public schools offer blended/in-person learning (a mix of in-person days at school and remote-learning days at home) and fully remote learning. Learn more about blended/in-person learning and the 2020-2021 school year on our Return to School 2020 web pages. If guardians have any difficulty completing this form online, they can call 311 for help. Changing Preferences
Big Apple Awards 2020 Nominations are Now Open!We are now accepting nominations for the Big Apple Awards! Nominations for teachers and college and career counselors will be accepted through January 10, 2021. Students, families, educators, school staff, and community members can nominate teachers and counselors by visiting the Big Apple Awards website, today through January 10, 2021. Nominees must be current, full-time public school teachers or college counselors in a district school, charter school or early childhood education center in New York City who demonstrate exceptional success in the classroom. PA/PTA Elections and Annual Financial Report (AFR): Thank you for all of the work you put into holding PA/PTA elections. Holding elections during a traditional year is challenging work, and the transition to holding elections in a virtual environment has made the challenge even greater. FACE is in the process of developing a waiver process that will allow PAs/PTAs unable to meet the election deadline to request an extension to December 31, 2020. SLT Parent Member Elections: Following the PA/PTA election, your school should also have conducted School Leadership Team (SLT) parent-member elections to fill any vacancies on the SLT. Annual Financial Report (AFR): Your school is required to submit the Annual Financial Report (AFR), including the PA/PTA budget beginning balance, income, expenses, and ending balance. The results of these elections, and the Annual Financial Report (AFR), should be recorded in the School Parent Leader Contact Information (SPLCI) system by you or your parent coordinator by November 16. For step-by-step directions on how to access SPLCI from a remote workspace, or on the DOE network, see this guide. For more information and resources, see the PA/PTA Resource Folder and SLT Support Site. For questions, email FACE@schools.nyc.gov. PA/PTA Roles and Responsibilities Virtual Training We would like to share the Roles and Responsibilities for PA/PTA presentation and recording for the virtual training held by FACE on November 10, 2020. We will be posting on the DOE website over the next few days. Access the recording here with Access Passcode: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/N8AmV7_Ha8DJHkXU0TWUprSkHNE0IoedqWKkvBGLFYd7yyNul_VSPAfOPaGg_egW.G1nOXkshpWmasl0m EVENTS FOR PARENTS November is Family Empowerment Month Family Empowerment Month is an opportunity to recognize the importance of school, home and community partnerships, now even more crucial in these times. Family Empowerment Month is collection of activities and events celebrating and supporting families. We invite you, our colleagues and partners in this work, to join us this month and year in celebrating and supporting our families. Save the Date
Family and Student Information Session Families across the DOE are invited to attend a virtual “Family and Student Information” session, which will take place from 6:30–8:00 p.m. on November 19. Principals and their parent coordinators/family-facing staff should share the following session flyers (English, Spanish, Chinese) via email to ensure families are aware of this opportunity. The session, hosted by Chancellor Richard A. Carranza, will feature DOE leaders discussing the most up-to-date information about remote and blended learning, grading policies, and health and safety protocols. Families can join this event by registering via Learn DOE; families can also view the event, without registering, via this livestream on the day/time of the event. Missed us on November 12th? You can view the recording here: https://learndoe.org/face/recordings/ Virtual Workshops on Financial Wellness for Students and Families (English and Spanish) The DOE is partnering with EverFi and Master Your Card to host two workshops on Financial Wellness, one in English and one in Spanish. The workshops will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, November 18th, with the English workshop taking place from 3:00pm to 4:00pm and the Spanish workshop taking place from 4:30pm to 5:30pm. Please share the information below or the flyers for the English workshop (3:00pm-4:00pm) and the Spanish workshop (4:30pm to 5:30pm) with your communities. For questions, email the Division of Multilingual Learners at DML@schools.nyc.gov. The Power Of Financial Wellness Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2020 Time: 3:00 P.M.—4:00 P.M. Location: Online (Zoom) Registration: https://tinyurl.com/MM1108201 Join us for this online session to learn about:
Su Bienestar Financiero Fecha: miércoles es 18 de noviembre de 2020 Hora: 4:30 P.M.–5:30 P.M. Ubicación: Zoom Registro: https://tinyurl.com/MM1108201S Acompáñenos a una sesión en línea para aprender:
For MLL/ELL students and families If you have a child who is in middle schools and is a Multilingual or English Language Learners, or know someone who does, please attend an information session that highlights Career & Technical Education programs in NYC schools and the benefits of career related school pathways. The session will take place on November 16th from 5pm - 6pm with translations available in Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin. City University of New York Admissions Events Thursday November 19th and Friday November 20th - 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Monday November 23rd and Tuesday November 24th - 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm For all families, especially junior and senior MLLs/ELLs CUNY Admissions Overview – 11.19 and 11.20 Learn more about colleges, majors, and support programs available to new students at the City University of New York (CUNY), and ask any questions you have about applying. Held in the afternoons on November 19-20, and offered in Spanish, Mandarin, Bengali, and Russian. Students and families are welcome. CUNY Application Support – 11.23 and 11.24 Receive hands-on support in starting and completing an application to CUNY colleges. Held in the afternoons on November 23-24, and offered in Spanish, Mandarin, Bengali, and Russian. Students wanting to apply to CUNY are welcome. City Harvest Food Drive For 38 years, City Harvest and the Daily News have partnered to host the city’s largest food drive, taking place this year from Tuesday, October 20, 2020 through Friday, January 22, 2021. Our goal is to collect one million pounds of nutritious food, which we will deliver, free of charge, to hundreds of soup kitchens, food pantries, and other community food programs across the five boroughs. Find out how you can get involved this year by visiting City Harvest’s website ICYMI From Betty A. Rosa, Interim Commissioner New York State Education Department Dear Parents, Throughout the pandemic, our priority has been the health and wellbeing of our students and educators. With this in mind, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) determined that the January Regents Exams could not be safely, equitably, and fairly administered across the state given the current status of the pandemic, and we recently announced that the January 2021 administration of the High School Regents Examination Program is cancelled. This cancellation applies to all Regents Examinations that had been scheduled for the January 2021 Regents Examination period. No decisions have been made regarding the June and August 2021 administrations of Regents Examinations or any of the other state assessment programs. We will continue to monitor applicable data and make decisions about other state assessment programs as the school year progresses, being mindful of the evolving situation. Protecting children is part of the responsibility of educators, and that includes preventing child sexual abuse. Curriculum resources are now available to help schools and educators implement Erin’s law, which requires public schools to teach child sexual abuse and exploitation prevention in Kindergarten through eighth grade. NYSED launched an Erin’s law website with materials to help educate students on awareness, skills, self-confidence, and support to prevent child sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse. These curriculum resources provide schools with caring, grade-appropriate materials to help empower children by letting them know it’s safe to speak up to someone they can trust. We are grateful to our partners in the legislature, Senator Alessandra Biaggi and Assembly member Jeffrey Dinowitz, who advocated for this law and for our students. NYSED strives to maintain a strong connection with families and communities, and a key aspect of this connection is transparency. We recently launched a Parent Dashboard to increase transparency and make information about school performance and other school-level data easier for parents and the public to access. The Parent Dashboard increases data transparency by providing you, as parents, with valuable information about your child’s school, enabling you to make informed decisions about your child’s education. NYSED is now gathering additional feedback from parents and stakeholders to guide further enhancements to the Parent Dashboard. We will use this feedback to identify the data that is most useful to parents and the public and to make improvements to the website. We invite you to explore the Parent Dashboard and then provide feedback via an online survey, available in 17 languages. By completing the survey, you will help us determine how the Parent Dashboard can best provide you with information about your child’s education. All children deserve access to a high-quality education that will allow them to meet their full potential, regardless of their race or religious beliefs. NYSED will hold a series of regional meetings to engage and gather input from stakeholders in the religious and independent school community, as well as their counterparts in public schools, to inform policy decisions related to the substantial equivalence of instruction in nonpublic schools as required by Education Law Section 3204(2). The outcomes of the stakeholder engagement sessions and the survey of religious and independent schools will be considered by the Board of Regents as it considers next steps in the process to develop regulations for substantially equivalent instruction for nonpublic school students. By engaging our partners in the field, we anticipate constructive and thoughtful discussions to develop an inclusive framework for determining substantial equivalence for the students of New York State. Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership and dedication to your children's education. Sincerely, Betty A. Rosa Interim Commissioner Warm Regards, The FACE Team Meeting Date: November 17, 2020 (Tuesday) Meeting Time: 6:00 to 8:00 PM Meeting Agenda: PTA 2020-2021 Budget Vote Meeting Location: Virtual Zoom Meeting View the proposed budget: https://drive.google.com/file/d/167ZmLZZaWtCnCocgRoShDpHRu2Z2d780/view?usp=sharing
Fully remote families will soon have the option to opt-in to blended learning, meaning that students will learn in the school building for part of the week, and remotely at home the rest of the week.
From Monday, November 2 through Sunday, November 15, families will be able to fill out a form indicating their wish to change learning preferences. Students who change from remote to blended will begin in-person between the weeks of November 30 and December 7, and will be informed by their school their start date and schedule. Schools will make every effort to accommodate these requests based on programming and space capacity. DEBATE PROGRAM -
The PTA launched the Debate Program for 5th - 8th grades. Registration has closed. Please contact the PTA Debate Program if you have any questions or concerns about this program at TAG. Vendors that TAG PTA has worked with in the past are still offering classes! Contact the vendors directly if your child is interested in taking a virtual afterschool class for Piano, Spanish, Mandarin, French, Chess and other Bridge The Gap Enrichments. FYI: The French class is a new program being offered by a vendor we have a long-standing relationship with. The Wisdom Learning program is being offered by a vendor we have a long-standing relationship with as well, offering various "Bridge The Gap Enrichment" courses. PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT THE VENDOR DIRECTLY FOR ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROGRAMS, THEY ARE HAPPY TO ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION WITH ANY OF OUR TAG FAMILY MEMBERS. IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER FOR THESE CLASSES, PLEASE EMAIL THE VENDOR DIRECTLY IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. PIANO - (see flyer for details) Beehive Music www.beehivemusicacademy.com Contact - Mirta Gomez: mirta@beehivemusicacademy.com SPANISH - (see flyer for details) Espanol Experience www.espanolexperience.com/fall-2020-online.html Contact - info@espanolexperience.com MANDARIN - Registration Information: www.manhattanmandarin.com/fall2020 Contacts - Michelle: michelle@manhattanmandarin.com Jamie: jamie@manhattanmandarin.com FRENCH - (see flyer for details) French Classes www.beehivemusicacademy.com Contact - Mirta Gomez: mirta@beehivemusicacademy.com CHESS - Chess online afterschool offered by NY Chess Kids is open to all students. Information is here: www.nychesskids.com/online-fall-program Feel free to register for whatever day works for you, but we suggest Fridays, to keep our program consistent with last year and to have the kids see each other once a week. If you register we would like to ask you if you could also fill this out: forms.gle/XrKyFWjcNFuDrnGY6 so that we can keep track of which kid is registered and we can communicate to you if there's any news. If you want to be added to the chess mailing list please email tagchessinfo@gmail.com Email THE VENDOR Saudin at nychesskids@gmail.com IF YOU HAVE ANY REGISTRATION QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT CHESS. BRIDGE THE GAP ENRICHMENTS - Wisdom Learning: www.wisdomlearning.us/ for more information contact: info@wisdomlearning.us We were excited to welcome students back into school, whether remotely or in-person, over the last two weeks.
After all we have been through this year, it is wonderful to see students interacting with each other and their teachers, doing science experiments, creating art, discussing literature—in school buildings buzzing with activity. Safely welcoming our children back to a brick and mortar classroom this fall is a milestone for our school system and our city as a while. We are the only major city in the nation to do this and it couldn’t have happened without our families. Thank you for your support and faith in our public schools. Each day we work to earn that faith by protecting the health and safety of all students and staff. That’s why many things in our school buildings look different this year: from wearing face masks to physical distancing in every classroom to disinfecting every school, every night, and much more. We are taking all these steps so that our schools remain safe and open and so that families can feel confident sending their children for in-person learning. Our vision for the fall is safe, strong, and supportive learning for every student. School will be in session 5 days per week – whether our students are in their school buildings or learning remotely at home. UPDATES COVID-19 Testing in Schools Monthly testing of randomly selected staff and students is a vital part of our efforts to prevent COVID-19 transmission in our buildings, because it helps identify positive COVID-19 cases when symptoms are not present. As with other health and safety measures we are requiring to keep our staff and students safe, the success of this testing initiative relies on the partnership and cooperation of staff and students. DOE has partnered with NYC Health + Hospitals, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the NYC Test & Trace Corps to arrange for testing of NYC DOE students and staff for COVID-19 infection. Testing will be provided by, among others, school nurses, City staff, and our partners: SOMOS, Bio Reference Laboratory, and Fulgent Genetics. Our testing partners will test a randomly selected group of staff and students in schools once per month. The number of children and staff to be tested each month will depend on the size of the school population. Instead of the “long swab” that goes in the back of the nose, this test is a short, small swab (like a Q-Tip) that goes just in the front of the nose. Later this school year, it is possible that tests will be administered by collecting a small amount of saliva (spit). If a child is selected for testing but is uncomfortable or unable to be tested, the child will not best tested and the school will work with the family to address any concerns so that they can participate in future testing.
How to Complete Daily Health Screenings for Your Child As always, the health and safety of our students, families, and school staff remain our top priority. We have spent months preparing for the safe reopening of our schools; we know they are like home for so many of us and provide the social-emotional support and learning our children need. We all have a part to play in keeping our school communities safe. We are asking you to do your part by making sure your children have completed their health screenings (including temperature checks) before they enter school buildings. We encourage you to use our Online Health Screening Tool(Open external link) each day that your child is scheduled to attend in-person learning.
Daily COVID Case Map On September 14, the Situation Room—a multi-agency partnership between the Department of Education, Department of Health and Mental Health, and the Test & Trace Corps—launched to facilitate a rapid response to positive COVID-19 cases in public schools. Since then, it has operated six days a week from 5:30AM-9:30PM Monday – Friday, and 11:00AM – 9:30PM on Sundays. Staff communicates with school principals, quickly confirming positive cases, taking swift action where necessary, and clearly communicating to the school community. This week, the Situation Room is launching an online map updating families and the public on which buildings have active confirmed cases of COVID-19 and which require either temporary classroom or full-building closures. This map will be updated once daily with the latest information from the School Reopening Situation Room. The online map can be accessed here. In the event of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in a school community, school leadership works closely with the Situation Room and the Test + Trace Corps to confirm the case, identify close contacts, and provide immediate next steps for the entire school community. Schools will communicate this information and next steps to all families and students when the case is laboratory confirmed. COVID-19 School-Based Testing Programs School staff and DOE students in grades 3k through 12 receive priority testing at 22 Health and Hospital (H+H) testing sites. Please see the COVID-19 School-Based Testing Programs page for a list of the 22 priority sites and additional details. COVID Alert NY Contact Tracing App New York on Thursday launched a new contact tracing app that alerts users when they’ve come into close contact with someone who tests positive for the coronavirus. The app is called “Covid Alert NY.” It’s free and available through Apple’s App Store and Google Play for both iPhones and Android phones. State Health Department issues guidance on who is healthy enough to be in school Today, the State Health Department today issued a nine-page document to help parents, school employees and school officials make decisions regarding who belongs in school when symptoms associated with COVID-19 arise. The Pre-K to Gr 12 COVID-19 Toolkit includes many decision trees with green and red arrows. One page for employees is labeled: "I have COVID-19 symptoms. When can I go back to work at the school?" The toolkit states that school officials should call 911 if a student or staff has:
Download the document here The Fund for Public Schools The Fund for Public Schools has consistently and rigorously dedicated itself to supporting New York City’s public schools since 1982. The Fund has secured unprecedented investment from foundations, businesses, and individuals, raising more than $532 million for the city’s 1,800 public schools and 1.1 million students. Julie L. Shapiro, the Chief Executive Offer of the Fund was in her role for just 4 months when the COVID-19 pandemic started. Read about the Fund’s support of New York City’s schools in Julie’s blog here. RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES PA/PTA Virtual Election Guidance Please be reminded that PA/PTA Virtual Election Guidance has been issued. You may find this and other helpful documents in the PA/PTA Resource folder on the DOE website. Also, don't fret if you missed this week's trainings! The next training will be held on Friday Oct. 9th at 5PM. Please click this link to join the webinar. The passcode is: 285745 You may also join via telephone (dial either number listed below, based on your current location): 646-558-8656, 301-715-8592, 312-626-6799, 253-215-8782, 346-248-7799, 669-900- 9128 Webinar ID: 868 6762 4172 Passcode: 285745 Take-Out Meals for Remote Learning Remote Learning Students may pick up a free breakfast and lunch at select locations. The parents/guardians of those students may also pick up the take-out meals. Take-out meals for students and other NYC children will be available on school days from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM. No registration, ID, or documentation required. Find a Take-Out Meal Location Near YouWhat's on the Menu
Please visit the community meals page for more information on meals for all New Yorkers. Substitute Teaching The NYCDOE is hiring substitute teachers! We are looking for committed, compassionate, positive educators who are ready to make a difference for NYC students. You will find information about the position and how to apply on the DOE’s website here. Technology Support If you have issues with technology for learning at home, visit our support pages: http://on.nyc.gov/3kImrrp. If you still have issues, we are here for you. Fill out the Technical Support for Families form: http://schools.nyc.gov/techsupport and we will get in touch. We hope that these first few days of school went well for your children, colleagues and loved ones. Please enjoy the weekend! --The FACE Team Whether or not you are struggling from the effects of the pandemic, look into P-EBT:
What are P-EBT (Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer) food benefits? The Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 authorized the payment of P-EBT food benefits to households with children who would have received free school lunches under the National School Lunch Act, if not for a school closure. These temporary food benefits are to help cover the cost of meals children would otherwise would have received at school. Can my child get P-EBT? Every single NYC public school student, ages 2-21, regardless of income or immigration status will receive P-EBT. Benefits will be issued automatically. There is no application or documentation required and it does not affect eligibility for other benefits or public charge status. Click for answers to many commonly asked questions about the P-EBT food benefits for New York State residents. Click if you are looking for information on how and when you will receive your benefits or call the P-EBT hotline at 833-452-0096. Visit the P-EBT Redistribution Network site for information for financially secure families who want to donate their P-EBT. The Office of Family and Community Empowerment (FACE) has organized a series of free, live-virtual summer field trips. Below are upcoming field trips for this week. Click here to see all August field trips.
This fall, your child’s school will offer a combination of in-person and remote learning. You can choose from two options:
1. 100% Remote Learning: Opt in to have your child learn 100% remotely (all online, from home). To choose this option for your child, fill out and submit the form at the link below. If you are having technical difficulties completing the form, call 311. OR 2. Combination of In-Person and Remote Learning: Your child can follow their school’s schedule, a mix of in-person days at school and remote learning days from home. Your school will be in touch about its schedule and programming plans in the coming weeks. Please visit the Return to School 2020 pages on the website for more information. Changing Preferences If you chose 100% Remote Learning but want to change your child’s preference back to Blended Learning, complete this form again by August 7. After August 7, any family who chose 100% Remote Learning will have the option to change back to Blended Learning at a few specific times during the school year. If no form is submitted for a child, the default for that student will be Blended Learning. Note that families can choose full-time remote learning at any time. This form does not apply to charter schools. If your child attends a charter school, please reach out to the school directly to discuss remote learning options. GET TO STARTED, CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT SURVEY (DUE BY AUG 7th) From Nicholas Cruz, UFT Director of Community and Parent Engagement (ncruz@uft.org):
The UFT Manhattan parents summer workshop series will be online this year. Workshops will explain how to use Zoom to run online meetings, and you'll get a chance to practice using the software. After you register, you'll receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to join the meeting. Here are the dates and registration forms in case you'd like to mark your calendar and register now: Register online
At last week's parent webinar, we heard about free summer programs from the Fresh Air Fund and shared with participants some other camps, internships and summer programs that are still accepting applications. Here is that list. Please take note of the application deadlines, as some of them are coming up quickly! Jobs and internships
From the Office of Family and Community Empowerment (FACE):
Thank you for your continued partnership. I hope you find time to rest and relax this summer. This week, DOE issued guidance to schools on blended learning and offered a series of program models that schools will use in the fall. This framework will support the intensive planning efforts underway in our schools across the City, as we continue the challenging work of preparing for next school year. Below are key highlights from this week that we hope you share with your communities. Successful 2020 Parent Member for PEP Election We are pleased to announce that Thomas Sheppard will serve as the first CEC-elected member of the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP)! Tom served as the Title 1 Parent Representative at PS 41 in the Bronx from 2014-2019. He has been on PS 41’s SLT since 2015, and served as PTA President for the 2019-20 term. Tom was on the District’s Equity Team and was the North Bronx Area Representative on the ACS Citywide Head Start team during 2015-16. Most recently, has was a member of Community Education Council 11. The CEC-elected parent member of the PEP is a new position, created last year in connection with the legislative changes around Mayoral accountability. The change came about as a direct result of the Education Council Consortium lobbying for legislation expanding parent participation on the PEP. We thank the members of the Nominating Committee for their hard work and partnership in ensuring a fair process for this first-ever election. We also thank every parent who submitted an application; all were exceptional leaders and staunch advocates for students, families and communities. And we congratulate the other finalists, Sanayi Beckles-Canton and Sharmilee Ramudit, for a well-run race. Family and Student Information Sessions Throughout the summer we will host a series of Family & Student Information Sessions to answer any questions or concerns that families may have. The first of these will be held on July 16, 2020, from 6:30 – 7:30 pm. Spanish and Mandarin interpretation will be available. You can join this event by registering at the Return to School 2020 Webpage. Translated flyers will also be available for download there. Fall Re-opening Announcements This week, the Chancellor and Mayor announced the new split schedule program models that schools will choose from for the fall. The most up-to-date information is available in the School Building Reopening Plan. Below are the most important takeaways at this moment including Overall Guidance, Developing Student Schedules, New Health and Safety Protocols, Equitable Education, and Keeping Parents and Families Informed. This guidance may change as city, state, and federal health guidance continues to evolve. Overall Guidance
Developing Student Schedules It is clear that given the necessary health and safety requirements, it will not be feasible to have 100% of students present in any school building at the same time on any given day.
New Health and Safety Protocols
We are focused on delivering a high-quality, trauma-informed, purposeful education for every student this fall. We know that many of our families experienced trauma and loss related to COVID-19, and that the last few months have been difficult for all. As we return to school buildings, it is important to make space for these experiences, and to recognize that our “new normal” is not what any of us are used to.
As we finalize plans for a school year like no other in our history, we know how important it is that our students, families, and staff have the information they need to prepare. For each piece of information we are providing, more questions can emerge. Please visit the Return to School 2020 webpage on a regular basis for the latest updates at schools.nyc.gov/returntoschool2020. In addition:
Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) We are so excited to host SYEP at our Watch Party Wednesday. Please join us on Wednesday, July 15th from 1pm – 2pm, to hear the latest information about how students can apply for summer jobs. This is your opportunity to add this workshop to your summer family empowerment recipe. The Virtual United Activities Unlimited Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) helps youth ages 14-21 and 22-24 by providing programming throughout New York City, offering opportunities to learn new skills, explore potential careers and earn money this summer. United Activities Unlimited are available via phone or web to help young adults find jobs and prepare them for the workforce. Log on this upcoming Wednesday, July 15th at 1pm and learn about the available resources for your families/communities that include:
Thank you all for your unwavering dedication to our families! We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. Have a good weekend. |
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ArchivesPast TAG newsletters, family engagement committee weekly digests, and miscellaneous meeting handouts:
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