Family Newsletter - 9-14-26

• Friday we held our first School Spirit Day – Patriots Day, in honor of the 25^th anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. It marked the 25th anniversary of a day that will always be remembered in our nation's history, because it changed NYC, our country and the world forever. Our students were not born yet, but those who lived through that day were personally affected by these events. They lost loved ones, dear friends, and felt the very vivid impact of the loss of others, living through the most frightening moments in our city's history. I encouraged everyone to use this as a life lesson, because we can connect and learn from history. Honor and never forget those we lost by choosing kindness over cruelty, helping those in need, standing together in times of difficulty and never taking for granted the beautiful people we have in our lives. We remember, we honor and we will never forget.

• All students will be viewing emergency readiness videos, to prepare them for our evacuation, shelter-in and soft lock down drills. As you know, it is important for everyone to be aware of what to do as a school community in the case of an emergency. Our first evacuation drill will be on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. You will receive an email from me on your schools' account at the conclusion of each successful drill.  Also see the attached prohibited items list and Family letter. 
   
• Please make sure to send all necessary documentation back to the school, especially the Emergency Blue Cards. It is imperative that we have the most current information for your child, as well as a list of those who will be permitted to pick your child up in the event of an emergency. It is for their own safety that we follow appropriate guidelines.
• We will be conducting our student government elections later this month for the positions of 8th Grade President, 7th Grade Vice President, and 6th Grade Secretary. Those students will make up our SGO Cabinet. We will also be having elections for a student government class representative for each class.
• I am excited to share that our school will continue using Mathematics and Reading diagnostics called i-Ready.  
  i-Ready is an online program that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth. Diagnostics are administered at the start, middle and end of the school year. Once we receive the results, our team will personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year using leveled instruction tailored to their needs during their AIS periods. 
  To help prepare your child for the i-Ready Diagnostic, encourage them to try their best on each question, try not to rush, and understand that they will not know the answer to every question. Thank you for your continued support and for being a partner in your child’s learning!
• Families, please complete the school foods lunch forms using the following link:  form online, .  Just a note, the family income inquiry forms are ONLY used to provide schools with their Title I funding, which is used to support after school programs for our students.
• IMPT>>>You must have a current email address, phone number and home address listed in your child's NYCSA account to be linked to my Parent distribution list. 
   
  Update or register following this link: https://www.schoolsaccount.nyc/
   
• Our first PTA meeting will be held tomorrow, September 15th virtually at 5:30 pm.
  See the link below to log on tomorrow and the attached agendas.
  D21 21K281PA is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
  
  Topic: IS 281 PTA Meeting
  Time: Sep 15, 2026 05:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
  Join Zoom Meeting
  https://nycdoe.zoom.us/j/96037949677?pwd=Kw0AgsnxavvIolGWcvXaR9uD7osT5t.1
  
  Meeting ID: 960 3794 9677
  Passcode: 228075
   
• Federal and state law, and Chancellor’s Regulation A-820, require NYCPS and its schools to provide families with the following annual notices around the protection of student rights and privacy:
  Annual FERPA Notice;
  Annual PPRA Notice; and
  Parent Bill of Rights for Data Privacy and Security.
  Please review the Privacy Packet for Families, which includes these annual notices, a letter from our Chief Privacy Officer, and a Privacy Rights 101 Flyer. Translations can be found on the NYCPS Student Privacy webpage. 

Spanish:  Reclamación, Argumento, Refutar

Chinese:  索賠, 參數, 反駁

Russian: Утверждают, Аргумент, опровергать

• Synonyms: declaration, assertion

Argument (n.): a discussion of different claims or opinions about a topic used to change someone’s mind.

• Synonyms: disagreement

Refute (v.): to prove (a statement or theory) to be wrong or false; disprove.

• Synonyms: disprove, invalidate

Morphology Focus of the Week:

Each week, we will focus on a root prefix/suffix to support our students in their understanding of academic vocabulary. This focus will be incorporated into all content areas. I will send you the word parts each week so you can focus on them at home as well.

Social Emotional Focus: Goal Setting

6th Grade – Good Character

7th Grade – Serving Community

8th Grade – Striving for Excellence