This Week @ PS 88Q
February 28th, 2022
A Message From Mrs. O'Shaughnessy
I hope everyone enjoyed this past week. It was the break that many of us needed. I hope you had time to rest, to connect with friends and family and to enjoy the time for you and your family. We are returning to a new month this week, March! Spring is upon us. With Spring, I am hoping for good news for us on the health front as well. This week there have been some updates regarding Covid 19 Protocols.
- Chancellor Banks’s announcement that effective February 28, face coverings will be optional for all staff and students when outdoors on DOE property, including while participating in outdoor recess, all outdoor sports, and other outdoor athletic activities. Outdoor DOE property includes school yards, sports fields, DOE Open Streets, and school rooftop play areas
- A decision regarding indoor mask wearing will be made this week, as per Mayor Adams
Before we left for break, all students received two test kits for Covid 19. If your child tested positive on either one, please email me @ loshaughnessy@schools.nyc.gov
I am optimistic that the next four months of school will be filled with many fun events, from field day, celebrations, family events, stepping up ceremonies, and graduations.
Have a great week!
Parent Teacher Conferences March 3, 2022
NYS ELA and Math Test
This year, all students in grades 3-5 will be taking the NYS ELA and NYS Math Tests. The dates are as follows:
- NYS ELA March 29th and 30th
- NYS Math April 26th and 27th
To prepare for these tests, our students will be taking part in two Mock ELA days and two Mock Math days. We want the students to be confident and familiar with the process, as our students have not taken a school wide state test due to the pandemic.
Our first Mock ELA will be Tuesday, March 1st. Students will take a practice test, and recreate what it will look like on the actual day. Doing this "trial run" will give them a feeling of what it looks like and what happens. We are confident that the students will do great!! This is a paper based test, so things like bubbling answer choices, time management, and test taking skills will be our focus this month. To help prepare them, we will be hosting three assemblies for our students on Monday, February 28th (grade 3, grade 4 and grade 5) to discuss what the test actually is and what it measures. We will also be modeling some strategies for stress during this time.
Come Audition for Band and Frozen
Vaccine Requirement
As of today, the following requirement is still in place for those who would like to audition.
Vaccine Requirements for Visitors and Extracurricular Activities
All students and staff who are eligible to receive the vaccine and participate in high-risk sports must be vaccinated against COVID-19. Students in fall high-risk sports must get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by their first day of competitive play. Winter and spring participants have until the beginning of their season to be fully vaccinated. High risk sports are competitive sports are football, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, lacrosse, stunt, and rugby. Vaccination is also required for participation in bowling, because while not a high-risk sport, it takes place in spaces that require vaccination for children ages five and up.
A COVID-19 vaccination requirement also applies to students participating in high-risk afterschool extracurricular activities like chorus, musical theater, dance/dance team, band/orchestra (with concern for woodwinds), marching band, cheerleading/step teams/flag team. Students ages five and up must be vaccinated in order to participate in these extracurricular activities.
