A wise man, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., once said, “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” This month, we have curated a collection of synchronous and asynchronous experiences and activities for students of all ages to explore each day. One of our eighth grade students on Student Council and Model CEC3 was recently selected as a guest panelist at a NYC DOE Black Lives Matter at Schools Event. Now more than ever, we are encouraging our scholars to use their voices and know that words have power to bring social change.

This Friday 2/26 at 11:00AM, we will have a Virtual Black History Assembly where we will showcase our students interviewing members of the PS/IS 180 parent community and Harlem community celebrating Black Excellence. Whether students are learning in person or remotely, all Jaguars will have an opportunity to attend the celebration and hear local inspiring voices and their stories. I invite you to celebrate with us.

"Because of them we can."

Jeneca Parker

Principal, PS/IS 180

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held virtually on Thursday, March 4th from 12:20- 2:20PM and 4:30- 7:30PM. Students will be dismissed early at 11:00AM.

Your child's teacher will send information about how to sign-up for an appointment. Like the fall, all meetings will take place via Zoom. Report Cards for students in Grades K-8 will also be discussed and distributed at the meeting.

As a reminder, our school's grading policy has changed for the 2020-21 school year. As a parent, you can view your child's performance history across specific standards at any time on Otus. For official school records, we use the numeric 1-4 grading scale to communicate mastery for the course with 4 (Exceeds Standard) or 3 (Meets Standard) on the report card and student transcript. This year, we will not have scores of 1 or 2 for marking periods and final grades. In Grades K-8, students will receive grades of “needs improvement” (N) in place of failing grades. In Grades 6-8, students will receive grades of “course in progress” (NX) when there is insufficient work to calculate a final grade. Middle school students have the summer to make up work to change NX grade(s). We welcome and encourage parents to contact their child’s classroom teacher any time they have an academic or social concern and not only at Parent Teacher Conference Night. Teachers' office hours are between 2:00PM- 2:20PM Monday- Friday.

Upper grade students will experience Activist New York with museum educators from the Museum of the City of New York DOE school program.

Middle school scholars will explore the drama of social activism in New York City from the 17th century right up to the present. Using artifacts, photographs, audio and visual presentations, as well as interactive components that seek to tell the story of activism in the five boroughs past and present, Activist New York presents the passions and conflicts that underlie the city's history of agitation. Specifically, they will study

• Health Activism and Civil Rights
• The Movement for Black Lives

For students in Grades 3 and 4, Jaguars experience Chess on Wednesdays during the school day.

All Jaguars across all grades are welcome to attend Chess after school between 2-3PM. Check Bloomz and Otus classboard for details.

This spring (dates TBA), lower grade students will participate in a virtual field trip with museum educators. Visual storytelling and activities will be in both Spanish & English.

Experience the rhythm and sounds of El Barrio with Tito Puente, Mambo King/Tito Puente, Rey del Mambo, a bilingual book by Monica Brown. Participants will learn about the East Harlem native known as the King of Mambo and the Godfather of Salsa. In addition to exploring the themes of community heroes, music and dance, participants will create their own instrument!

We are writing to share the exciting news that pre-K applications for fall 2021 are now open! PS/IS 180 is hosting Virtual Information Sessions about our program on 3/10 at 9AM and 3/24 at 9AM. Visit our website for the Zoom link to register.

The application process is not first come, first served, and all applications received by the deadline will be treated equally. Families with children born in 2017 can apply to pre-K by the April 7 deadline.

Families can apply online at MySchools.nyc, or over the phone by calling 718-935-2009. Translation and interpretation services are available through both application pathways. Families can visit nyc.gov/prek for more information.

If you have questions about admissions and enrollment, you can contact

• AP Maureen Sullivan at msullivan18@schools.nyc.gov
• DOE Office of Student Enrollment at 718-935-2009 or email ESEnrollment@schools.nyc.gov

Attendance will continue to be taken first period in both in-person and remote settings. Students who arrive past the first period class (8:30AM- 9:00AM) will be marked as Tardy for the school day. Students who are not present at school for scheduled synchronous sessions with the teacher will be marked as Absent for the day. Attendance does not count towards grades. Students’ grades reflect the extent to which they have met the learning outcomes for their courses. When students attend remote and blended learning consistently, they have the greatest opportunity to make progress, receive support from their teacher, and demonstrate their learning.

Bloomz is available on the desktop, iPhone and Android phones. Downloading the app is very easy and can be done in a couple of minutes. It is a private and secure way that we communicate with families.

New Bloomz Parent

1. Download the “Bloomz" app from the AppStore/PlayStore and click on "Enter Code". If browser, go to bloomz.com and click on "Join Bloomz" followed by "Enter Code"

2. In the text box, enter the following codes to access the following pages:

1. PS/IS 180 Announcements: P8WSVG
2. PTA: 4XEBTA

3. Create your account

Existing Bloomz Parent

1. Log into your Bloomz account

2. Click “+Add Class/Group” on the left navigation.

3. In the text box, enter the codes as provided by classroom teacher(s)

4. Click next

Things to be aware of……

• The app will provide you with access to your child’s classroom blog
• For those who give photo/ video permission, we will periodically post pictures from activities/ events of your child(ren) visible to the grade
• You will be able to view general news posted by the school, PreK grade team, PTA and any other important announcements
• Upcoming events are listed on the app
  
• Your child’s classroom teacher may send you alerts and reminders via the app