Family & Student Weekly News
January 20, 2020 - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
Dear Brooklyn Collaborative Families & Students,
We hope that you and your family enjoyed the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
You may have honored the civil-rights leader’s legacy by attending one of the many performances, programs, and events throughout the city.
Perhaps you honored the day by engaging in a day of service to advance the ideals of brotherhood and sisterhood to which Dr. King committed his life.
You may have read, listened to, and reflected upon specific sermons and speeches of Dr. King, including “I Have a Dream”; “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”; “Where Do We Go from Here?”; and “The Other America”.
However you chose to reflect upon and honor the man, his message, and his legacy, we wished to share the following quote from Dr. King that inspires us and captures what is essentially the central principle of teaching and learning in an EL Education School - to do good work that is good for the soul and good for the world.
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think
critically, intelligence plus character---that is the goal of true education.” -- from a speech delivered by Dr. King at Morehouse College in 1948
In solidarity,
Scill and Imani (BCS School Leaders)
Tracey (BCS Parent Coordinator)
UPCOMING DATES
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
- EVERY TUESDAY: Mastery Support -3:15 - 4:00 p.m. (unless noted otherwise)
- 1/20: Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Day (No School)
- 1/21: UG ELA Regents. No school for UG students who are not taking the Regents.
- 1/22 - 1/24: UG PBAT Week & LG Intensives. No school for UG students who are not scheduled to present PBATS.
- 1/22 - No Tuesday Mastery Support
- 1/24: Practice SAT exam for 11th grade students
- 1/27: Staff PD Day. No School for Students Grades 6-12.
- 1/28: Spring Semester Begins
- 1/28: LG Ice Skating Trips & UG Campus Visits
- No Tuesday Mastery Support
- 1/31: BCS New Year's Potluck Community Feast: A Celebration of Hope (5:45 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.)
- 2/4: SLT meeting from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
- 2/4 - PTA meeting from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
- 2/17 - 2/21: Midwinter Recess
Check this link for weekly highlights:
of what's going at the school, in the classroom, in after school clubs, an at sports events.
Check this link for important dates: http://www.bcs448.org/monthly-calendar/
Contact Information: To sign up for our parent mailing list, please email scill@bcs448.org with your name, your child’s name and grade level. Note: if you are receiving this email, you are already on our parent mailing list.
If you have any additional questions, please email imani@bcs448.org and tracey@bcs448.org
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
BCS New Year's Potluck Community Feast: A Celebration of Hope - Friday, January 31st at 5:45 p.m.
- WHAT: We warmly invite you to join us to celebrate the New Year at our second annual BCS New Year's Potluck Community Feast: A Celebration of Hope!
- Bring your family, friends, and a favorite New Year's dish for an evening of celebration, performances, community building, and breaking bread with other families and staff.
- WHERE: BCS Cafeteria.
- WHY: Let's kick off a Brooklyn Collaborative tradition and come together to bring in 2020 as a school community.
- What are we hopeful for as a community? What individual and community commitments will we make to support the mission and vision of Brooklyn Collaborative?
- RSVP to Imani at imani@bcs448.org
WHEN: Friday, January 31, 2020 from 5:45 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.
FAMILY CORNER: RESOURCES, EVENTS, & OPPORTUNITIES
BCS School Leadership Team Update
- On Tuesday, 1/17, we had our largest SLT meeting ever!
- Parent, staff, and student representatives provided input about our Comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP) goals and action plan for the year.
BCS Parent Equity Workshops Series - Rescheduled for Tuesday, February 11th @ 6:00 p.m
- We invite you to join us for our monthly BCS Parent Equity Workshop Series in the Library.
- Be part of this important schoolwide conversation on educational equity and what it means at Brooklyn Collaborative.
- Mark your calendars for Tuesday, February 11th @ 6:00 p.m.
- Kindly RSVP to imani@bcs448.org
CEC15 Calendar Meeting with the D15 Presidents' Council, Tuesday, 1/28 @ 6;30 p.m.
- WHAT: CEC15 invites you to attend our January Calendar Meeting with the D15 Presidents' Council. There will be a presentation by the School Construction Authority on the 2020-2024 Capital Plan school improvements list for D15 school buildings. Please review the CEC15 Priority List that was submitted to the SCA last week. After the SCA Presentation, there will be an opportunity for attendees to voice concerns or give feedback on any education related subject.
- WHEN: Tuesday, January 28th
- TIME: 6:30 p.m.
- WHERE: P.S. 24, 427 38th Street in Sunset Park
PTA CORNER
PTA Needs Your Ideas, Volunteer Spirit, & Enthusiasm
- WHAT: BCS PTA General Meeting
- WHEN: February 4, 2020
- TIME: 6:30-8PM
- WHERE: BCS Cafeteria
- WHY: Participate. Communicate. Advocate.
STUDENT CORNER: RESOURCES, EVENTS, & OPPORTUNITIES
IntegrateNYC D15 Middle School Youth Council Meeting this Thursday, 1/23 from 4:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
- WHAT: Students in 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are invited to join the next IntegrateNYC D15 Middle School Youth Council meeting to continue to build relationships, eat pizza, and to develop the Middle School Youth Council guiding principles and goals for the year! Students will explore what their school communities can learn from each other in creating community and demanding the equitable resources. They will also learn more about the D15 Diversity Plan and what we can do to continue to create welcoming, inclusive, and equitable school environments.
- WHEN: Thursday, January 23rd
- TIME: 4:30-6:00pm
- WHERE: I.S. 136 Charles Dewey
Tuesday Mastery Support: Weekly, 3:15 - 4:00 p.m.
- EVERY Tuesday after school is mastery support time from 3:15-4pm.
- This is a chance for you to get extra help from your teachers.You are encouraged to stay for this time if there are any assignments they would like to work on or extra help they would like from teachers. All teachers are available during this time.
- We look forward to you remaining after school for support on Tuesdays!
- You are the leader of your own learning. Seize the Master Support opportunities
CLASSROOM, COLLABORATION, & CURRICULUM SPOTLIGHT
ELA 8 Students Present Literary Analysis PBAT & Roundtable on John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men
- On Friday, 1/17, 8th Grade ELA students showcased their literary analysis PBAT's on power dynamics in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men as part of our annual roundtable panels!
- They did an awesome job of demonstrating their in depth grasp of the text.
- Students used their PBAT work to engage in thought-provoking conversations with the facilitators from the BCS school community and our "extended" learning community.
- They received the message that their work matters!
Stephen's Crew Welcomes Poet Larissa Pham
- On 1/17, Poet Larissa Pham joined Stephen’s Crew and seniors to share her work.
Model Job Fair
- On 1/10, our Model Job Fair took place for Junior Interns to interview underclassmen about their internship sites, like a mock interview.
- Students enjoyed hearing about all the internship site.
- Shout out to Tanisha and Stephen for making it all happen.
Grade 6 students to the New Victory Theater
- On 1/8, Grade 6 students went to the New Victory Theater to enjoy the musical Cartography about migration and human rights.
- The show aligned with the work students are doing in Social Studies class.
- On Friday 1/3, professional artists gave a pre-show workshop to prepare our students for the show and at the end of the show at New Victory Theater, there was a final debrief with all of the actual performers and the director of the show itself.
BCS World Arts Department Partners with IRT Theater to see the play Yovo
- On 1/9, the World Arts Department at BCS, including our current and former ELLs/MLLs speakers of Spanish, in partnership with IRT Theater went to see the play Yovo at The Lexington School for the Deaf in Queens.
- Students had an awesome time!
- “This workshop, supported by the DCLA CreateNYC Language Access Fund, explores the process of translating YOVO into Spanish and American Sign Language. IRT is excited to invite the hispanic and Deaf communities to experience the exquisite madness that is Daniel Irazarry and One-Eighth Theatre” http://irttheater.org/asl-creative/yovo/
READING CORNER
Articles of Interest
- Italy Becomes First Country to Make Climate Change Education Mandatory https://mymodernmet.com/italy-climate-change-education/
- DIVERSITY DEBATE Here are five takeaways from a new report about whether NYC schools are demographically representative of their local districts. The 74
- INTEGRATION STRIKE Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Councilman Brand Lander joined teen integration advocates demanding admissions changes for the city's high schools. amNewYork
- FIRST PERSON “America doesn’t have a public education problem. America has a values problem,” writes Jamaal Bowman, who would be one of the only school principals to serve in Congress, if elected. Chalkbeat
SCHOOL POLICY REMINDERS
BCS Electronic Policy
- During instructional time, students must put cell phones and headphones in bookbags or lockers everyday, including on fieldwork.
- During lunch, students may use cell phones to play a game on their device quietly, read an electronic book or listen to music with headphones.
- .We expect families to message that electronics are to be invisible at school. Families should not contact their children during school and expect a response. If a student is not responsible with their device during school hours, we encourage parents to contract with their child, confiscate the device, turn off particular apps/features on their child’s device, and/or work with the cellular carrier to limit internet/data access during school hours
DOE POLICY REMINDER
Attendance Matters: DOE Attendance Policy
- The DOE identifies students who are absent two (2) days a month to be "chronically absent," even if the absence is excused. This means they have less than 90% attendance.
- Please make sure your child is present and on time every day and avoid scheduling appointments and vacations during the school year.
- Any absence that your child has needs to be accompanied by an excuse note from the parent and/or doctor. Lower Grades students (Grades 6-8) should give their notes to their crew leader, and Upper Grades students (Grades 9-12) should show their notes to their teachers each period and then submit the note to Office 507.
- Statistically, students who are identified as "chronically absent" are less likely to have grade-level academic performance and to be on pace for promotion and on-time graduation.
FUNDRAISING CORNER
Brooklyn Collaborative Wish List
- We greatly appreciate you taking a look at our wish list and supporting us in whatever ways you can.
- Link:https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/WX69HNQ4TUM0?ref_=wl_share