Family Newsletter - 3.30.26

• I must recognize and celebrate the efforts and dedication of our science department, under the leadership of Ms. Wiederhold, as this year’s Science Expo was once again a tremendous success. From assigning the projects and supporting students through the process, to the navigation and coordination of the entire event – presenting, judging and displaying – it was an enormous task done so with style and purpose. A huge thank you to Ms. Wiederhold, our Science Expo coordinator Ms. Travis, and Cavallaro science teachers who did all the hard work to make it a success. Additional thanks to all the behind-the-scenes helpers who made it all look beautiful and organized, as well as to our custodial staff who managed set up and break down of the tables and chairs. Our parents were so impressed, visiting vendors and engaging with student presenters. Congratulations to Paulie, our 2026 Science Expo overall winner. It really was an all-hands-on deck event. The most notable aspect of the Science Expo was the fact that it was completely inclusive, representing students from all classes. Even the outside organizations in attendance from Billion Oyster Project, NY Hall of Science, Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and NYC Emergency Management were impressed with the showing. It was clear that the entirety of our Science Department really put the time and effort in these past months to making this the best Expo to date. Many thanks! 
   
• Our 8th Grade future graduates took part in some fun activities last week. On Wednesday, they smiled at the drone camera for their 8th Grade rooftop yearbook photo. Using new-age technology certainly is safer than having our photographer dangling from the rafters above. Friday’s Senior PJ brunch was a hit, as our staff and students had a great time dancing it up and competing for special prizes. Special thanks to Ms. Chris for coordinating the DJ andfood, PTA for donuts and drinks, our school aides and paras for helping to serve food, Ms. Zambri for decorations, our cafeteria staff for going the extra mile, and of course, Ms. W and Mr. Hall, for creating lasting memories for their seniors to take with them when they move on to HS
   
• Congratulations to Tehreem and Ying Yi on their award-winning book “A World Without Color” They won a special recognition award from the Ezra Jack Keats Bookmaking Competition, and their book will be on display at the central location of the Brooklyn Public Library the entire month of May. Go check out all the winning books from around the city. Special thanks to Ms. Singer and Ms. Dougherty for encouraging your students to enter the competition; you help our students turn big ideas into beautiful stories
   
• Ms. Travis and Class 616 went on a trip to Kaiser Park and learned that sand dunes keep the homes in the area from flooding during a storm. They also learned how Beach grass roots keep the sand dunes from eroding, and then they learned how to plant Beach grass. They spent about an hour planting, and when they finished, they performed a beach cleanup, filling up buckets and trash bags with plastics found on the beach. (see pics) Thank you, Ms. Travis, for bringing these real experiences to life for your students. They will hopefully see the beach from a different perspective this summer because of you. You are cultivating little eco-activists in the work that you do with them. Keep up the great work!
   
• Some 8th grade students received more than one offer to a high school in the main round. The deadline for these students to choose between their offers is coming up- Monday, April 13. Families can use their myschools.nyc accounts to accept the offer on their own or you can help them by logging in to school.myschools.nyc and accepting the offer on their behalf. For instructions, please review the MySchools Guide.
   
• We are committed to ensuring that our school communities, including staff, students, and families, can navigate AI responsibly and effectively, and to that end, this guidance lays out boundaries that protect our students, support our educators, and empower our families. It also outlines how AI can support teaching and learning in ways that are intentional, equitable, and grounded in data safety. This guidance is the first step in a multi-step process of developing systemwide policy around the use of AI. As part of this process, we are seeking feedback from internal and external stakeholders over the next 45 days. Please see the attached letter to raise awareness both about this document and about the opportunity for community input.

Academic Vocabulary Word of the week:

3/30/26 –  Analyze, modify

Spanish: Analizar, modificar

Chinese: 分析、修改

Russian: Анализировать, изменять

Urdu: تجزیہ کرنا، ترمیم کرنا

Analyze (v.): to examine in detail for purposes of explanation and interpretation.

Synonyms: examine, inspect, study

Modify (v.): make partial or minor changes to (something), typically so as to improve it or to make it less extreme.

Synonyms: change, alter, adjust, adapt

Morphology Map

Social Emotional Focus:

6th grade- Responsibility -What does responsibility mean to you, and how can it help you in preparing for a test?

7th grade-Collaboration-In what ways do teamwork help us to problem solve?

8th grade-Motivation- How does motivation help you to overcome challenges