February: WISDOM:

Please have a conversation with your child/children about the word wisdom. What is wisdom? Who has wisdom? How do we obtain wisdom? How do we learn from and use wisdom?

January seemed to fly right by. It's hard to believe this school year is already half over! January highlights include a visit from Harlem Globetrotter, Max "Hops" Pearce and the winter concert. We also have some exciting things happening in February, including a chorus performance at the Blue Cross Arena for the Harlem Globetrotters!

There are a few things that we have been working on this year in terms of our goals. First, we are setting a high bar for improvement on the NYS ELA and Math tests. That growth goal is 20%. In order to gather some more up-to-date data, we designed common assessments using the released test questions from the 2019 NYS state ELA test. In addition, we are using the NWEA benchmark data to monitor progress. In the coming weeks, we will be taking a close look at the common assessment data to figure out what we need to do to get our students ready to pass the State test. Our goal is to increase our passing rate to match the state passing rate of 50%. Right now, the NWEA data is showing that our students are making really good progress across the board! Now we just need to focus on getting them familiar and comfortable with the NYS testing format. Know that we are going to be laser focused on providing your student(s) with as much practice and skill-building as we can in the coming weeks before test day arrives because we want them to be as successful as possible.

The rest of our work this year will be focused on Restorative Practices and Culturally Responsive Teaching. I will send home more information about that as those committees get into the swing of things. The Restorative Practices Committee will be evaluating our current practices with regard to PBS (positive behavior supports), celebrations, and classroom dojo. We will be making decisions about how to move our building to a full restorative practices model. I will likely be asking for your input through a survey link on classroom dojo later this Spring. Our Culturally Responsive Teaching Committee will be focused on evaluating our curriculum and practices to find more ways to include culturally responsive content and extra-curricular activities. For example, we have invited Ms. Adriann Santucci, from Hochstein School of Music, to teach a ten week African Dance and Drumming class for the entire school. Every classroom will participate in a 30 minute class once a week for ten weeks. I am very excited to begin classes next week! Thank you, Dr. Marshall, for volunteering to help us with this very important work! We are so happy to have you on the committee.

Some quick reminders:

1. We are a uniform school, so the expectation is that your child will come to school in the uniform. If they do not have their uniform on, we have a ton of clothing out in the portable that they will be asked to change into. I have had older students come into school without a uniform and then complain when I tell them that they have to change. The simple solution? If they don't want to wear our uniform clothes, they should come dressed in their own. Please convey that message to them and ensure that they are wearing their uniform. We have plenty of clothes in the portable to give away as well if you are in need. Just stop by and let us know what sizes you need.

2. We welcome you to visit. If you do, I just ask that you sign in and get a visitor pass from the office. Please wear your sticker so that it is visible and folks here know that you have indeed followed our safety protocol. If you want a conference with a teacher, please make an appointment to do so. While they love to keep you posted and do enjoy visiting, the day is busy and there are a lot of little bodies to manage, especially in the morning.

3. Tis the season to get sick. There are many things that we do not send students home for. Unless the nurse calls you to say that your child needs to be picked up, you should not feel the need to come and get your child. We send students home for fevers over 100, vomiting, or if they are in some sort of physical distress (such as a break or a sprain that needs medical attention). Of course it is up to you whether or not to send a student who isn't feeling well, but remember they cannot learn if they are not in school.

Have a wonderful month! And as always, thank you for sharing your amazing children with us!