This Week @ PS 88Q
March 22, 2021
Update From Mrs. O'Shaughnessy
- Morning Announcements Every morning @ 8:15am(Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday) in Mrs. O'Shaughnessy's classroom
- Thursday is Virtual Class Trip with Me!! Who doesn't like to watch a story come to life?
PreK-2 will watch a performance of Leonardo and Sam: The Terrible Monster and the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World, Respectively. Emmy Award®–winning company, Manual Cinema tells Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence Mo Willems’ tale of a not-so-scary monster. Leonardo is truly a terrible monster—terrible at being a monster, that is. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to frighten anyone. Determined to succeed, Leonardo sets himself to training and research. Finally, he finds a nervous little boy, and scares the tuna salad out of him! But scaring people isn't quite as satisfying as he thought it would be. Leonardo realizes that he might be a terrible, awful monster—but he could be a really good friend. The trip begins at 9:00am, and the link will be in your classroom!
Grades 3-5 will watch a performance of Ceniciental: A Bilingual Cinderella Story. Austin-based Glass Half Full Theatre presents its award-winning “story within a story” using puppetry, Spanish, and English, and tackles cultural heritage, family, and the power of language. The trip begins at 10:30, link in your classroom.
- Friday is #SELDAY. This years theme is Building Bonds, Reimagining Communities. We are excited about all of the activities that our school community will engage in on Friday. We are proud of the work we do everyday during our SMILE periods, and through our every day interactions, but this day is focused around everything Social Emotional Learning is and how WE can build bonds, and reimagine our community! The activities for the day will be in your Google classroom! I have added a video to kick it off!
Happy Spring!
Our building has been closed for a 24 hour closure, based on more than one unlinked positive cases. I am awaiting word on the rest of the week, but for now MONDAY, MARCH 22 ALL STUDENTS ARE LEARNING REMOTELY.
Opt In
We just reopened high school buildings for in-person learning for the first time since November 2020, and I have
to say that the joy on our students’ faces as they entered their school buildings was amazing. We are thrilled to
see students of all ages safely learning in physical classrooms.
That is why I am very pleased to let you know that all our remote families will now have one more opportunity
to transition to blended learning this school year. This means that if your child is currently learning remotely
every day, they will be able to opt in to learning in person in the school building at least part of the week for
the remainder of the school year. We will make every effort to provide as many days of in-person learning as
possible.
When and How to Opt In to Blended Learning
Beginning this Wednesday, March 24, you can visit the Learning Preference Survey
at https://www.nycenet.edu/surveys/learningpreference to select blended learning for your child.
Families can also call 311.
You can change to blended learning until Wednesday, April 7.
When Your Student Can Return to the School Building
Students in district 3-K, Pre-K, and grades K-5, including students in District 75, who opt into
blended learning during this opt-in window will return to buildings in April.
Students in grades 6-12 who opt into blended learning during this opt-in window will return at a later
date, and we will communicate more details as soon as possible.
Updates will be posted at https://www.schools.nyc.gov/coronavirus.
Requirements for Returning to the School Building
Please note that if you select blended learning for your child, you must submit the consent form for random
COVID-19 testing by the first day your child begins in-person learning. You can submit your consent for testing
one of two ways:
Through your New York City Schools Account (NYCSA) under ‘Manage Account’, or
Complete and sign the consent form available here and bring it to your child’s school on the first day they
are back in the school building.
Families that select blended learning are expected to have their child attend in person on days they are scheduled
to do so.
Please note that if your child is currently learning fully remotely and you do not complete the survey indicating
a preference for blended learning, your student(s) will remain fully remote.
We are able to offer this additional chance for fully remote students to opt in to learning in buildings because
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidance, allowing us to safely
accommodate more students in a classroom. As always, our focus is on the health and safety of your children, the
dedicated staff who serve them, and you—their family. That has been our priority since day one, and will continue
to guide everything we do.
Thanks to our strong health and safety practices—including wearing masks, hand hygiene, weekly random testing
for COVID-19, physical distancing, and more—our school buildings are among the safest places in the whole
city.
Thank you, as always, for your faith and partnership. We continue to show the nation what is possible in terms of
safely educating our one million students—and we couldn’t do it without you. I thank you for your
commitment and, in turn, I promise you that our commitment to your child is unwavering.
Sincerely,
Meisha Porter
New York City Schools Chancellor
Butterflies!!
Join Us on Wednesday Night !
Linda Oshaughnessy is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Coffee With Mrs. O'Shaughnessy 6:00pm-7:00pm. Understanding the Referral Process 7:00pm-8:00pm
Time: Mar 24, 2021 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81805604461?pwd=MVgrT0hZMTJpbE9OaEpIUkhvNGxqQT09
Meeting ID: 818 0560 4461
Passcode: 440654
One tap mobile
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+13126266799,,81805604461#,,,,*440654# US (Chicago)
Dial by your location
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Meeting ID: 818 0560 4461
Passcode: 440654
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdMYpNUgA6
Our S.M.I.L.E. Committee
Way back in July, a group of very passionate individuals met to plan for what would be a year like no other. This team has a specific mission and vision. The name SMILE is an acronym for:
Supporting Mindful Individuals in a Learning Environment. The team created their vision and their guiding ideas.Vision:
PS88Q will work collaboratively to create a nurturing environment in which all learners can achieve their highest intellectual and ethical potential by implementing mindfulness and social and emotional practices that will meet the individual needs of all students.
Guiding Ideas:
We believe all students will have the tools to self-regulate their emotions by practicing mindfulness techniques.
We believe in an unwavering commitment of learning and growing from all educators by providing ongoing professional development and support.
We Believe in a positive school culture by developing and maintaining effective and relevant relationships with all stakeholders
We Believe in a safe and nurturing environment by fostering and maintaining a supportive, inclusive, and effective environment for all students.
We Believe in empowering students to become life-long learners by providing strategies and programs for every student to build relationships on trust and respect, and where every voice is heard.
Check out some of the work being accomplished every day!