-
This week is Respect For All Week, as noted in last week's parent newsletter. Please see the attached for a list of daily activities.
-
Please see the February 2026 NYCPS Family Update backpack letter (available in all NYCPS languages) with your school community as soon as possible. This month’s letter features important information about pre-k and 3-K admissions for fall 2026; the 2026 NYC School Survey, and February events: Climate Action Day and Respect for All Week.
-
On Wednesday, March 4th and Thursday, March 5th, we will have the privilege of offering our families a mobile eye exam service, Eye On Education. Licensed Optometrists will give your child a comprehensive eye exam. As part of this eye exam, they will be dilating your child’s eyes to check for proper eye health.Should their team of doctors determine that your child will benefit from eyeglasses, they will be provided to you at No Cost to you or our school. To cover their administrative costs, you will be required to provide your health insurance information, including your ID number, on the attached form. If you do not have insurance, your child will still be eligible for the eye exam. This process will help fund the cost of the program and allow Eye On Education to provide professional eye care to New York City school children free of charge.Again, there are no out-of-pocket costs, no co-pays and no deductibles. You will not receive a bill for their services. If you are interested in having your child receive an eye exam from Eye On Education, please fill out the attached form and return it to the main office no later than February 27, 2026. I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to evaluate your child’s vision. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ms. DiMatteo in the main office.
-
Students and families are invited to join a Lunar New Year Celebration at Sunset Park High School!Event Details:
Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Open to the public at 4:00 PM
Location: 153 35th St, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Cavallaro will be holding it's own Chinese New Year Celebration for our Dual Language Students and their families from 8:30 - 10:30 in our school auditorium. (see attached flyer)
How Participants Access the Survey
Families
- Enter lowercase “f” followed by their child’s OSIS number
- Example: f123456789
- Families may also complete the survey through NYC Schools Account
- Please see the attached February PTA meeting agenda and the zoom link below. Please let me know if there's anything else you want me to add.
D21 21K281PA is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: IS 281 PTA Meeting
Time: Feb 10, 2026 05:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)Join Zoom Meeting
https://nycdoe.zoom.us/j/96551050311?pwd=OGZujnGR1Pp3RwnItQFaTxNpFTkTeb.1
Meeting ID: 965 5105 0311
Passcode: 579657
- I want to recognize Jessica, who represented I.S. 281 at the District 21 Spelling Bee this week. Out of all of the students who took part, they selected the top 15 finalists to move on to the NYC Spelling Bee competition. I am so excited and proud to announce that Jessica finished 5th out of their top 15, and will be representing Brooklyn in the City Spelling Bee Championship in March.
- As we recognize Black History Month, our students will be completing special projects in Social Studies to observe and honor the achievements and contributions of Black Americans throughout history. The month will conclude with our Black History Month assemblies for each grade. Black History Month is a time to reflect upon and recognize the continued struggles we face as a society to ensure racial justice and equity are upheld
Academic Vocabulary Word of the Week:
2/2/26 – Positive, Negative
Spanish: Positivo, Negativo
Chinese: 正、負
Russian: Позитивный, Отрицательный
Urdu: مثبت، منفی
Positive (adj): fully confident, certain, having a beneficial result
• Synonyms: affirmative, favorable, reassuring, encouraging
Negative (adj.): not desirable or optimistic
• Synonyms: pessimistic, defeatist, gloomy
Morphology Map:
Social Emotional Focus:
6th grade - Compassion -How does acting with compassion reflect our character?
7th grade – Diversity -How does understanding and valuing our differences help us build a stronger community?
8th grade - Building Relationships - How do empathy and communication help us build healthy relationships?