Dear families,
As many of you may have heard, the mayor announced that in-person learning will resume on Monday, December 7. Here is the letter from the Chancellor. (Update for Families_November 29 2020.pdf)
One of the important things to note is that COVID testing will now take place on a weekly basis. Parents of all blended learning students in grades 1-5 MUST give consent to participate in the City’s random COVID testing program, even if consent was given earlier in the year.
Students who do not have consent will be transferred into remote learning. Consent can be given through your mystudent.nyc account or by filling out a hard copy of the consent form found here student-covid-19-testing-consent-form.pdf
Families who opted into blended learning from remote will receive their class assignments on Tuesday, December 1.
This is all the information we have at this time. As we receive more information throughout the week, we will share it with you.
We hope that you had a restful holiday, and we look forward to seeing you in person on December 7.
Be well and stay safe,
Monica
“The Sad Little Fact” by Jonah Winter will be December’s Book. It was a nail biter! Principal Monica’s “Book of the Month” column will be featured in our next issue. It was great to see all the votes and the suggestions! More to come as we continue to ask the PS 87 kids to share their opinions.
Final results:
38%: The Sad Little Fact by Jonah Winter
35%: Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing by Dean Robbins
15%: Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena
We also received some great suggestions that we can explore for future Books of the Month!
Dear PS 87 Parents:
The amazing experience we’ve all come to expect at PS 87 isn’t possible without your help. The Department of Education does not provide our incredible administration, faculty, and staff with all of the resources they deserve.
As “Giving Tuesday” approaches, please click here to support the PS 87 parents association (or here to contribute monthly) and help us provide safety equipment, classroom supplies, classroom aids and supplemental enrichment including science, drama and our school librarian.
We’re asking every family to contribute the $960 that the PA spends per student each year, or more if you can, but we’ll be grateful for whatever you can afford, even just $1 a month. And if this year your family is in need and cannot contribute, please reach out to the PA or to Jennifer Stark, the school’s new parent coordinator. The PA is here to help ensure that every child has the same special PS 87 experience.
Click here to make your contribution or here to contribute monthly, and get our 2020-2021 campaign off to a strong start.
Sincerely,
Ross Goldstein
PA Family Giving
The Book Fair was a great success. Thanks to our wonderful parent community for buying books for your children and supporting the school in the process. We are humbled, amazed and impressed by the generosity of our outstanding community. See you at the Spring Book Fair!
Your Book Fair Co-Chairs,
Mercy Ji, Megan Pilla, Kelly Ramot, Sejal Shah
Interested in helping to plan and execute PS 87’s biggest fundraiser of the year? Email us at pa-auction@ps87.info or complete the form to join a committee! We need your help planning, marketing, soliciting donations, and more.
Link to form: https://forms.gle/pdyj47EQNCgUhYxW7
Happy Holidays to all of our PS 87 families. We hope you had a great Thanksgiving and found yourselves creating special moments. Speaking of creating moments, please join us this coming Friday, December 5 from 7-8 p.m. for our annual International Dinner Dance with a virtual twist! We’d love to see all of your faces. You can join with family or just log the kids in. Set up a party atmosphere in your space including snacks and your best dance moves! We promise to have lots of fun! See you there! Access info to come.
Régine Vincent Bonet
Co-Chair
PS 87 Culture & Community Committee/Membership
pa-culturecommunity@ps87.info
The Special Education Support Services Group wants to continue to support families during this challenging time. We will provide a space in which parents can ask questions, and share their experience and resources. Our group’s goal is to foster an environment of compassion and openness. We’re looking forward to meeting you and spending time together. However, due to schedule challenges and unknowns of the next few months, we will offer meetings as needed. Please email with any questions and/or to schedule a time with us! pa-specialed@ps87.info
Who: All families are welcome
When: Email us at pa-specialed@ps87.info to schedule a time
We are fortunate and very excited that our residency partnerships are still offering virtual classes to enhance the children’s curriculum. We will be working with the following organizations this year:
– National Dance Institute (Kindergarten and 1st grade)
– Center for Architecture (2nd grade)
– Symphony Space and Chinese Cultural Center (3rd grade)
– Ballroom Dancing (4th grade)
– Bio Bus (5th grade)
In addition to our residencies listed above, we will continue to research virtual assemblies that align with the curriculum. The 4th graders recently enjoyed an assembly by the Redhawk Council. Members wore native regalia and performed a variety of music and dances from their culture. We plan to provide more music and movement assemblies this year as well. Finally, we are looking into art and STEM enrichment programs to enhance the at home learning days.
The Enrichment Committee is looking for parent volunteers to join the committee and help research options for our children. Please reach out to PA-Enrichment@ps87.info if you are interested.
The NYC Department of Education continues to update the link below. Keep an eye on it for the latest information from the Department of Education.
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/health-and-wellness/coronavirus-update
Joint Middle School & Equity & Excellence Committee
Monday, Nov 30, at 7 p.m., the CEC (Community Education Council) meeting will focus on the “Joint Middle School & Equity & Excellence Committee.” Click here to register in advance to attend.
Middle School Panel
Attention all 5th grade parents and students! Are you looking for some information on Middle Schools? Please join us for a question and answer panel on Tuesday, December 1 at 6:30 p.m. We have several students from our zoned middle schools joining us. If time permits, we will ask the audience if they have additional questions. Zoom info:
https://zoom.us/j/91719966041?pwd=SXQ5TXVmck5FY2R0SUtHcjRjb1FVQT09
Meeting ID: 917 1996 6041
Passcode: 7b6CmQ
CEC3 Chancellor Town Hall
The Community Education Council District 3 Chancellor Town Hall is scheduled for Wednesday, December 2 at 6:30 p.m. The registration link will be provided soon, but save this date!
Masks and social distancing reminder – let’s protect our community!
As Covid-19 cases are rising sharply around the country, the UWS has already seen COVID-19-related closures in several schools. Let’s stay vigilant about wearing masks and maintaining a safe distance from others, both around the school and moving about the community. We can work together to protect our health care workers and loved ones! Follow the local data here.
Parent Advocacy
A list of elected officials is listed on our website, should you want to voice your opinion on this year’s school plans. We will continue to inform you of meetings and events that could be helpful to our school community.
To advocate for screened admissions for middle schools, visit: https://placenyc.org/2020/11/06/urgent-save-screen-admissions/.
PS 87 Calendar
| DECEMBER 2020 | |
| 1 | Middle School Panel, 6:30 p.m. |
| 2 | CEC3 Chancellor Town Hall, 6:30 p.m. |
| 9 | General PA meeting, 6 – 7 p.m. |
| 14 | SLT – 4:15- 5:30 p.m. |
| 24-1 | Winter Recess, NO SCHOOL |
| JANUARY 2021 | |
| 2 | Winter Recess Ends |
| 11 | SLT – 4:15- 5:30 p.m. |
| 18 | Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day, NO SCHOOL |
| Backpack News is published during the school year by the Parents Association of PS 87. E-mail articles or updates to Backpacknews87@gmail.com. For details on how to sponsor Backpack News, go to the Fundraising bar at site.ps87.info. The PS 87 PA does not endorse any of the services represented by paid sponsorships. Editors: Angie Arlia, Beth Goldstein, Madhuri Iyer, Greta Karris |