Principal's Notes for the Week Ending 9/20/2019

Principal’s notes for the week of 9/20/2019
 

• The PS 172 PTA is sponsoring a “Welcome Back to School” movie night at 7pm this evening.  Admission is free and the PTA will be selling snacks.  Join us tonight in the auditorium for our 7pm showing of Emoji Movie.
• The first PTA meeting of the school year will be held on Tuesday evening 9/24 at 6:30 pm.  At this meeting, we will be discussing Health and Safety Issues.  Mrs. Garcia will address bullying and discuss the way PS 172 is working with kids and families to address this and other social emotional issues. I will also be at the meeting to present information about building safety (evacuation drills, soft lockdown drills, and signing in and out of the school building.)  I hope you will join us for this important first meeting of the school year.
• Our first “Parents as Learning Partners” event is scheduled for Friday 9/27. Join your child in their first period class and work alongside them as their teacher leads an activity/lesson. The day begins at 8:40am and classroom time ends at 9:30am. Immediately following classroom visits, parents not currently enrolled in pupil path or parents confused by pupil path are welcome to join us for a workshop in the auditorium.  We will be helping you log in and answering any questions you have. EVERY FAMILY MUST LOG IN TO PUPIL PATH.  Report cards will be released through Pupil Path!  Please contact the school if you require any assistance.
• Reminder:  Because of DOE restrictions, only Pre-K parents may escort their children into the cafeteria and remain with them through breakfast.  Only Pre-K parents wearing their Pre-K badge will be permitted into the cafeteria.  Similarly, Pre-K parents are permitted to escort their children into the auditorium each morning for the month of September.  For security purposes, parents must wear their Pre-K lanyard to walk their child up the stairs.
• Students in grades 3 and 4 will receive their recorders next week. Students are responsible for maintaining their instrument and making sure they bring it to school on days when their class is scheduled for music.  5thgrade students will be given their keyboards next week as well. Parents and students must sign their musical instrument contract and return it to school next week.
• At our school based safety meeting last week, our team discussed a safety issue that was observed during dismissal at the front entrance. Beginning at 2:50pm, pre-k parents arrive at school in preparation for 2:55pm dismissal.  It is important our safety agent verifies that each of these parents are wearing the appropriate pre-K badge.  The safety officer must also watch over kindergarten dismissal and the late pick-up process.  This becomes complicated when parents arrive at school between 2:50 – 3:10 to go to the office.  Since every parent must present ID and sign in to the building, the safety agent cannot effectively monitor all the traffic at the front entrance while simultaneously, checking ID’s. .  We are therefore asking all parents to avoid signing into the school between 2:50 – 3:10pm.  Obviously, this policy excludes any emergency meetings (nurse etc…).  If you have any questions about the policy, feel free to contact me.
• Enrichment application were distributed on Wednesday. Please submit these forms ASAP. Remember:  First come, First serve.  Late submissions will reduce your chances of getting into the most highly sought after clubs.
• Congratulations to our raffle winners (held during our enrichment fair).  Charlie Padgen won the STEM kits and Mashiat Anisha won free tuiton for an enrichment club of choice. 
• Our school building officially opens at 7:30am.  Recently, we have seen an increase in the number of students arriving before that time;   A time when there is no adult supervision.  To assist working parents interested in a drop off as early as 7:00am, we are considering opening up a small early drop-off program.  Like our After 3 program, this would be a not-for profit endeavor.  To determine pricing, we need to have a solid estimate of the number of students that would be interested in the program.  If you are interested in the program, kindly email our parent coordinator at AHendrickson@schools.nyc.gov and write “early drop off” in the subject line.
• New lunch forms will be given to students who have not already submitted them for this school year.  If your child brings home this form, please complete it over the weekend and return it to school on Monday.  Remember, these forms generate funding for our school.  
• Our first “No Homework” weekend is scheduled for 9/27.
• Here are a few dates for your calendar:
  • Tuesday 9/24  5pm –leadership meeting *for members
  • Tuesday 9/24  6:30pm – our first PTA meeting focused on health and safety.
  • Friday 9/27  8:40 – 9:30 – our first Parents and Learning partners for the school year
  • Friday 9/27 9:30 – 10:15 – Pupil Path sign on parent workshop in the auditorium.
  • Monday 9/30 and Tuesday 10/1 – school closed for Rosh Hashanah
• Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!