Panther Press

empathy and engagement

Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) takes place September 15 to October 15 every year as a time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American Latino community.


The theme for 2023 is "Todos Somos, Somos Uno: We Are All, We Are One", which reinforces the diversity inherent in the Hispanic Community, as well as the power that comes from being a united community.


I look forward to celebrating this diversity together- staff, students and families.


See below for our school-wide scope and sequence, set to begin on Monday, September 18, and end on Wednesday, October 25th with an on-line culminating activity.

Hispanic Heritage Month
L’shanah Tovah

L’shanah Tovah

Warm wishes to all those observing Rosh Hashanah, the first of the High Holy Days. We hope you have the opportunity to celebrate with loved ones as you reflect on the past year and look forward to the future with hope and joy. May the new year bring you and your family good health, peace, and prosperity!
L’shanah Tovah

Dates to Remember


  • September 18- SANDI opens
  • September 18- extended day SANDI training-all staff
  • September 21- Meet the Faculty Night (virtual) 5:30-7PM- information below
  • September 25- Yom Kippur, schools closed
  • October 9- Indigenous Peoples Day, schools closed

Meet the Faculty Night September 21

Please plan to invite parents into your google classroom on Thursday, September 21st from 5:30 to 7 PM for a virtual Meet the Faculty Night. First they will view a video presentation about the school, then attend a google meet session with homeroom and cluster staff. Administration will host office hours for families as well.

Look for additional information early this week.

Resource Fair, September 24

Please join us for our first annual school resource fair in partnership with Brooklyn North Command, on Sunday, September 24 from noon to 4 pm.

We'll host food trucks, clothing and backpack giveaways, a rock climbing wall and bounce house, plus community partners and resources. Please let your students and their families know- we hope this will be the first of many community celebrations.

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FLAG awards

Please nominate a fellow teacher for a FLAG award- last year Ms. Schiller and Ms. Hamilton were both recognized for teaching excellence!


The FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence recognizes and celebrates extraordinary public school teachers who inspire learning through creativity, passion, and commitment. An independent jury will select the finalists from those nominated based on numerous factors, with a strong emphasis placed on the student experience.


One grand-prize winner from each of the five NYC boroughs plus one PreK-5th grade teacher from any borough will receive a $25,000 unrestricted cash prize, and each finalist will receive $10,000. The winning teachers’ schools will each receive $10,000, and each finalist’s school will receive $5,000 to be used for arts-based initiatives designed by each winner.


Here is the nomination ink:

https://flagaward.org/nominate-your-teacher


A video about the award and organization is below.

FlagAward_2020_FINAL with CC
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Shout Out

From Ms. Fourquet:


Should out to the staff of X63 @ McKinney, Ms. Kavena and Mr. Brayan for leading our first design contest and developing warm relationships with our students!

Song of the Week


Afro-Cuban American artist Celia Cruz and Dominican American musician, composer, and producer Johnny Pacheco met on the New York salsa scene and collaborated throughout their careers. In 1974, they recorded the album Celia and Johnny and the song “Quimbara.” The song is a Cuban rumba, a genre of music based on African music and dance. This song became Celia Cruz's signature hit, and cemented her place as the "Queen of Salsa".
Celia Cruz - Quimbara (Audio)