PS/IS 119 The Glendale School
May Newsletter
Welcome from the Principal
Greetings and happy May! What an AMAZING six weeks it has been since I transitioned from my former school into the acting principal at PS/IS 119. I am positively overwhelmed with how amazing your children are, as well as how passionate the teachers are, along with the support staff that serve them. Over the past month and a half, with a vacation built in, it has been my intention to continue to cultivate relationships with all members of the school community, while communicating the priority of balancing academic excellence, safety and fun for students and adults alike. In this short time, we have immersed ourselves in a Minecraft sustainable Battle of the Borough Challenge that we decided to not only include a core group of upper grade students, but to also expose teams of students from all grades from K-8 allowing them to be exposed to project based learning and critical thinking that can impact the world, even in formative years.
We also have had an amazing Holi celebration, Wear Red Unity Day in alliance with our Asian and Pacific Islander students reminding them the value of being kind, empathetic and inclusive for all people. Who knew, as it related to a school-wide Holi celebration, that students would be filled with so much joy being able to engage with their friends and play in colored chalk, dancing to music. The year that we have all been through will be a time we will all remember for years, and it reaffirmed the importance of social connection, despite having to be far apart, hidden behind masked smiles. I'm happy to share that we have other events coming up that the students had a voice in generating.
As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation week for the week of May 3rd, I ask that you have your children consider ways to say thank you to their teachers, even is something as simple as a letter or a drawing on a sheet of paper. In a year of continued unknowns, we try to keep consistency and love of students as our highest priorities. I say thank you to all of you for being partners in your children's education, and if you have ideas, I am happily willing to hear. I would also like to give a shoutout to one of my amazing secretaries (I am so lucky to have three phenomenal ones), Ms. Pena, and one of our teachers, Ms. Merjave for helping to coordinate with me to create our first newsletter for the year. We look forward to keeping you informed and providing you with resources that you or someone you know may see value in.
In partnership,
Ms. Robinson-Etkins
Principal, Acting
Stay in the Know
K-8 NYC Public School, Glendale New York
https://www.instagram.com/psis119qtheglendale/?r=nametag
Website: http://PSIS119.org
Location: 7401 78th Street, Glendale, NY, USA
Phone: (718) 326 - 8261
Survey for RSVP for our 8th grade graduation and K and 5 moving up ceremonies.
Happy Holi
Arbor Day at PS/IS 119
Teacher Appreciation Week
Remind your children to express their thankfulness and gratitude for all the work their teachers do.
Events
May 9 - Happy Mother's Day
May 13 - Eid Al-Fitr, school closed
May 19 – NJHS Induction Ceremony
May 24 - May 28 - School Spirit Week
May 31 - Memorial Day, school closed
PS/IS 119 invites you to Career Day
UFT Health and Fitness for Children and Adults
The past year has not been easy on families. With the stress of remote learning and other hardships, physical health and quality time have suffered in many of our households. Let’s change that together! At Transitioning Back to Groovement, our weekly, online health and fitness classes, we’ll take time for bonding and self-care. Details and Registration here.
Get moving with dance-based fitness classes; return to fundamentals of mental, spiritual and physical health; and learn some nourishing, budget-friendly recipes that kids will love. These classes are designed to be engaging and fun for children and adults together.
You can register for as many or as few of the classes as you choose. Here's the full schedule:
May 8 — Stretch and Strengthen: Synchronize movement and energy in this mindful exercise class that is appropriate for all levels. We will focus on building flexibility and strength while learning fitness fundamentals so you can care for your body for years to come.
May 15 — Kemetic Yoga: Experience an ancient yoga practice that originated in Kemet, Egypt. We’ll learn the yogic breathing technique, geometric progression through poses depicted on ancient hieroglyphics and Hekau words of power in the Medu Neter language. This class combines movement and meditation to heal your mind, body and spirit.
May 22 — Soca Fitness: Move your body to upbeat Soca music from the Caribbean Islands! We’ll tone our bodies, strengthen our cores and have tons of fun.
May 29 — Hip-Hop: Together we’ll learn a piece of hip-hop choreography, incorporating street dance styles, and the pop-locking technique. Children may be invited to use props to understand counts and rhythm and to enhance their motor skills.
June 5 — Budget-Friendly Dinners: This session will teach you how to prepare healthy food using everyday cooking items you may already have in your fridge or freezer. Learn easy tips to cook meals with your family that are super tasty and economical!
Resources
DOE UPDATE: Opt in to New York State Exams this Year
In a typical year, New York State Grades 3–8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics exams and the Grades 4 and 8 Science exams would be administered to nearly all students in their physical classroom. This year, many of our students are learning remotely, but the New York State Education Department has required that exams must still take place in-person in the school building.
Assessments will be administered in-person for students who would like to participate. Schools will conduct outreach to all families on whether you would like your student to participate in this year’s State exams so that schools can prepare and create a testing schedule that ensures the health and safety of all our students. The 2021 Student Participation Guide includes helpful information to help answer questions about this spring’s tests in Grades 3-8.
Read below for more information about the tests your child may be required to take depending on their grade level, including a list of upcoming 2020–2021 test dates, view the test date calendar
For a complete list of tests, including tests with rolling dates, view the full list of city, state and national tests.
We have finished our ELA Exams and are preparing for NYS Math Assessment this Friday, May 7th.
Report Cards
Report Cards:
If you have not created your Mystudent.NYC account - you will not have access to your child's report card. Email to Mpena25@schools.nyc.gov and an account will be created for you.
Parent Voting For Council Representatives
NYC DOE Parent University - How to Vote in the 2021 NYCDOE CCEC Elections (schools.nyc)
Voting for Council Representatives begins May 1 and ends May 11! Parents will vote for the councils that serve their children using their NYC Schools Account. To vote, parents will need to have an NYC Schools Account that has all of their students registered. Parents can join a virtual Candidate Forum to hear what the candidates have to say, or watch a recording of the Forum.
Watch How to Vote in the 2021 NYCDOE CCEC Elections for an overview of the CCECs and voting process. Parent Coordinators and parent leaders can share this link with parents or view the video together at the school’s next PA/PTA meeting. Parent Coordinators and parent leaders can give the presentation themselves with this Voting Guide Presentation and script. (Translated versions will be posted soon.)
Check out the DOE’s CCEC Elections website, for updated information about Candidates, Candidate Forums, Recorded Candidate Forums and Campaign Guidelines.
DOE UPDATE: SUMMER RISING
A RECOVERY FOR ALL OF US: MAYOR DE BLASIO, CHANCELLOR PORTER, DYCD COMMISSIONER CHONG ANNOUNCE INNOVATIVE SUMMER RISING PLAN
For the first time ever, the City will use the Community Schools strategy to integrate the New York City Department of Education’s (NYCDOE’s) academic supports and DYCD’s school-based enrichment programming to create a comprehensive summer program: Summer Rising.
This will be the City’s free, summer plan for any child in grades K-12 including students with disabilities, who wants to participate. Applications for free Summer Rising in-person programs (grades K-8) will open Monday, April 26, 2021. Families can sign up through the Discover DYCD website
Summer Rising programs are full day and in-person experiences for students K-8.
K-5 will be Monday through Friday, From 8 to 6 in partnership with Maspeth Town Hall
6-8 will be Monday through Thursday, From 8 to 6 in partnership with Maspeth Town Hall
Students with 12-month IEPs will be contacted about participating in their IEP-recommended programs and about their learning preferences (remote or in person)
Our School site will be held at PS/IS 49 in Middle Village
We only have a selected amount of seats, if that changes we will notify
You can find the Summer Rising Calendar, Commonly Asked Questions, and more information on the Summer Rising Program on the DOE website.
Read the full announcement for more details.