(Sent to BPN on June 5)
As a representative of the Culture & Community Committee for PS 87, I am a proud parent of our beloved school and a black mother.
I am positive you are all aware of the protests held over this past weekend and everyday since. While there has been so much anger and violence in the streets, there is also beauty. People got together to denounce racism.
After many many years of systemic racism, of bigotry, and of hate, we have to stand in solidarity to unfold new journeys to create a better world. There is immense power in numbers and we have to band together.
When George Floyd called out to his mother on that ground — all mothers (and fathers) were summoned.
We need to live in a society in which people like myself can be treated with fairness and respect. It’s important that we have these conversations with our children because our children will soon lead the way to a better future. This is delicate, but we have to trust our children and we have to guide them. It has to be sensitive and age appropriate. The time is NOW.
This is where it gets tough — we have to admit to our own individual wrongdoings.
I am committed to the continued conversation and actions that are absolutely necessary for the change that has been long overdue in America. Children are not born racists, it is a learned behavior. We are uniquely qualified to talk with our children about the reality that exists and the changes that will happen when we are united in the message of love and fairness and equality for all people.
Black Lives Matter!
- Regine Vincent Bonet
During this pivotal time, many of us are looking for guidance on how to talk to our children about race. Below is the list of resources that Monica included in her June 5 email to the PS 87 community.
Interviews/Advice from Experts:
- Talking to Children after Racial Incidents from the Penn GSE Newsroom
- Supporting Kids Of Color In Wake Of Racialized Violence from EmbraceRace
- Tips for Parents on Media Coverage from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
- Talking to Children about the Shooting from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
- An Activity Book For African American Families: Helping Children Cope with Crisis from the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- 10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books For Racism and Sexism, Council on Interracial Books for Children
- Talking to kids about discrimination, American Psychological Association
- What White Children Need to Know About Race, Ali Michael and Eleonora Bartoli
- Talking to Kids about Racial Stereotypes – Tip Sheet, Media Smarts
Resource Lists:
- Resources for Discussing Police Violence, Race, and Racism With Students by Evie Blad
- Teaching About Race, Racism and Police Violence from Teaching Tolerance
- 100 Race-Conscious Things you can Say to your Child to Advance Racial Justice from Raising Race Conscious Children
- Talking to Kids About Racism and Justice: a list for parents, caregivers & educators from the Oakland Public Library
- Resources for Educators Focusing on Anti-Racist Learning and Teaching from the Early Childhood Education Assembly
- A Collection of Resources for Teaching Social Justice, Jennifer Gonzalez.
- 60+ Resources for Talking to Kids About Racism, Lorien Van Ness
- Talking About Racism And Bias: Resources For Parents And Caregivers, Children’s Alliance
- Racial Justice Resources for Families, Massachusetts Conference United Church of Christ
- Talking to Children About Race and Ethnicity, Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences
Articles:
- How should New York City teachers guide conversations about race and police violence? by Alex Zimmerman, Patrick Wall and Annie Ma
- Talking to Kids about Racial Violence, by Haig Chahinian
- The Conversation We Must Have with Our White Children by Courtney E. Martin
- How To Talk To Your Kids About The Dallas Shooting, Because It Shouldn’t Be Ignored by Alana Romain
- What Kids Need to Know about Race and Violence- but many Schools won’t Touch by Valerie Strauss
- Little Pitchers Have Big Ears: Helping Children Deal with Tragedies by Cabinet of Curiosities LLC
- Talking to Kids about Current Events and Conflicts from Lee & Low Books
- How should teachers and parents talk to kids about police violence? by Emma Brown
- 4 Things We Should All Teach Kids About Racism Right Now by Mia McKenzie
- Philando Castile Shooting: How Do Parents Talk To Children About Police Brutality? by Julia Glum
- In the Turmoil Over Race and Policing, Children Pay a Steep Emotional Price by Yamiche Alcindor
- too great a burden to bear by Sabrina Joy Stevens
- What White Children Need to Know about Race by Ali Michael and Eleonora Bartoli
- Teaching Tolerance: How white parents should talk to their young kids about race by Melinda Wenner Moyer
- 5 Tips for Talking About Racism With Kids by Sasha Emmons
- Race Talk: Engaging Young People in Conversations about Race and Racism by Anti-Defamation League
- Honestly, Sometimes I’m Uncomfortable With My Children Making White Friends by Margaret e Jacobsen
- Here’s How To Raise Race-Conscious Children by Erin Winkler
- Your 5-year-old is already racially biased. Here’s what you can do about it by Andrew Grant-Thomas
- Kids Are Quoting Trump To Bully Their Classmates And Teachers Don’t Know What To Do About It by Albert Samaha (BuzzFeed News Reporter) Mike Hayes (BuzzFeed News Reporter) Talal Ansari (BuzzFeed News Reporter)
- Talking to Children About Race, Policing and Violence by New York Times
- Why I teach my 2-year-old about race by Michelle Acker Perez
- It’s Never Too Early to Talk About Race by Sarah Butler
- Black Parents in Baton Rouge on How They’re Talking to Kids about Police Brutality by Taryn Finley
- 7 Tips for White Parents to Talk to their Kids about Police Murders of Black People by Katie Tastrom
- Talking with Kids about Racism is an Act of Kindness and and Act of Freedom by Emma Redden
Examples:
- Livingroom Protest from Staceyann and Zuri Chin
- Telling my White Four-year-old about Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by Sachi Feris
Affinity Spaces:
- Why a White Space? From CARLE Institute, courtesy of “Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere” (AWARE-LA)
- Right-wing delusions about anti-white propaganda: Why they’re wrong about shielding children from the truth about racism,”by Chauncey Devega
- NY Post Slams Diversity Programs,” by Steve Nelson
- Letter to the LREI Community, July 12, 2016, by Phil Kassen
“What if 2020 isn’t cancelled?
What if 2020 is the year we’ve been waiting for?
A year so uncomfortable, so painful, so scary, so raw — that it finally forces us to grow.
A year that screams so loud, finally awakening us from our ignorant slumber.
A year we finally accept the need for change.
Declare change. Work for change. Become the change. A year we finally band together, instead of
pushing each other further apart.
2020 isn’t cancelled, but rather
the most important year of them all.”
Hi PS 87 Families,
After we sent out the notice about the General PA Meeting, we were informed of a scheduling conflict that would have prevented some families from attending. With that in mind, we are moving it back one hour.
So please join us Friday June 19 at 4 p.m. for the last PA meeting of the school year. Monica will have the latest information on plans for the fall and we will vote on a preliminary budget.
Please click on the link below to register:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkfu-urTItGtwe9b43U9Gm_ewhoLta8hcY
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing the meeting link.
We hope you can make it, but if not, a recording of the meeting will be made available on ps87.info
Thank you,
- Jenny and Cheryl
Our annual Spring Book Fair is finally here! This year it’s a VIRTUAL Book Fair! We have access to the entire Scholastic library, so this is the perfect way to restock your bookshelves without leaving the comfort of your couch.
The fair will run continuously until September 4, 2020, so you can regularly refresh your bookshelves all summer long!
All book-only orders of at least $25 will ship free. PRO-TIP: If you are going to buy anything that is NOT a book, do it in a separate order as only book-only orders will ship free.
25% of your purchase will be donated back to the school so you can shop knowing that you are helping the school as well as getting your little ones excited about reading.
Attached is a great list of recommended reading by grade level created by our wonderful teachers. You can find all of these books at the Virtual Book Fair!
Happy Reading!
Your Scholastic Signature Book Fair Co-Chairs,
Mercy Ji, Megan Pilla, Kelly Ramot, & Sejal Shah
PS87 Teacher Recommended Reading List.pdf
The NYC Department of Education recently posted information about summer school, which you can read here:
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/enrollment/summer-school-2020
Take the Return to School 2020 Survey here.
Additionally the DOE continues to post the latest information on learning from home here:
We encourage you to check back often for updates on school policies and protocols, additional home learning resources, as well as tips on staying healthy.