P.S. 120 Parent Weekly Bulletin - 4/23/21

P.S. 120

Parent Weekly Bulletin

Week of 4/26/21

Principal’s Memo

Dear P.S. 120 Families,

I’m happy to report that New York State ELA testing ran extremely well this week. We had 175 students across Grades 3, 4, and 5 take the ELA exam; 125 of them were remote students who came to the building for the first time this year. I want to thank all of our parents, staff and students for following procedures so that testing ran safely and smoothly. Go Dragons! We will resume the next round of state testing in early May with the NYS Math exam. Additionally, students who are English Language Learners will begin taking the NYSESLAT exam starting Wednesday, April 28th.

This week we also wrapped up preparations to welcome almost 60 P.S. 120 students as they transition from remote learning to Blended (in-person) learning this Monday. We are excited to see these students back in the school building! As a reminder, students beginning Blended (in-person) learning on Monday must have a Covid testing consent form on file.Please click here to access the forms in your preferred language.

Spring continues to be a busy time of year, as we schedule state exams and end-of-year assessments, plan for upcoming graduation ceremonies, and look to celebrate all the learning and growth our students have demonstrated during this unprecedented school year. We will be messaging frequently to share information and request parent feedback via survey and ParentSquare posts. Please ensure that you have a working email address and ParentSquare account. For assistance with ParentSquare, please contact Parent Coordinator Sandy Wu (ywu25@schools.nyc.gov)

Have a wonderful weekend with your family.

Sincerely,
Robert Marino
PrincipalAnnouncements

  • Updated Parent Handbook: Please see our updated Parent Handbook, with new information for Spring 2021. You can access it in English, Spanish and Chinese.

  • Summer Rising: Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter and Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) Commissioner Bill Chong announced Summer Rising, the City’s free, summer program for any child in grades K-12 who wants to participate. Applications for in-person K-8 programs will open on Monday, April 26, and families can sign up through the Discover DYCD website.

  • New York City Council Member Peter Koo COVID Vaccine guide: Find here.

  • STEM Summer Enrichment Programs: Students entering grades 1-12 can apply now to attend programs with STEM Matters NYC. Get your hands dirty in the garden, encounter amazing animals, or design an art or engineering project. Students entering grades 1-9 in September can apply for one-week camps. Choose from a wide range of programs offered at sites throughout the city! Programs are offered at the NYC Department of Education’s Genovesi Environmental Study Center; Audubon New York; Bronx Zoo; MakerSpace NYC; New York Aquarium; New-York Historical Society; Prospect Park Zoo; Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden; Staten Island Museum; Staten Island Zoo; The Battery Conservancy; The Green-Wood Cemetery; and UrbanGlass. Students will meet and work with field experts in programs that feature real-world learning experiences. Don’t miss out, spots are limited and the application deadline is TODAY, Friday, April 23. Preference is given to students who attend Title I schools. Download the flyer, learn more, and apply now. For questions, contact STEMMattersNYC@schools.nyc.gov.

  • Kindergarten offer letters: On Thursday, April 8th, the Office of Enrollment sent Kindergarten offer letters via email (to the email address used on the application). Paper copies will be sent over the next few weeks via U.S. Mail. Please note that families have until April 30th to accept their Kindergarten offer. Please be sure to accept your offer for P.S. 120 if you plan for your child to attend here (and we hope you do!). Contact Ms. Zanata with any questions (szanata@schools.nyc.gov) about Kindergarten offers.

  • Summer Learning & Emotional Wellbeing Virtual Parent Workshop: Queens North Borough Citywise Office would like to invite you to the workshop to learn about strategies that will support your child in the transition from the summer to the upcoming academic year? Find more information here. Chinese flyer. Spanish flyer.

SEL Corner

  • Announcement

    • If a parent/guardian needs support from our school counselors, please complete this form.

    • If any parents would like to participate in our Virtual Career Day, click here.

    • Middle School Announcements

      • Click here to see the flyer for the upcoming IS 189Q - Daniel Carter Beard Junior High School Virtual Open House

      • Once middle school offers are sent out in May, we will host a virtual workshop to help parents understand next steps and discuss tips for preparing for middle school

      • If you can not access your child’s MySchools account (the one used to apply for middle school), please call 203-548-0204 or email rwoodburn@schools.nyc.gov.

    • The New York Public Library’s World Literature Festival, which runs April 12–30, 2021, celebrates books and writers from around the world and reflects the languages spoken in our communities. April 12–18 was Immigrant Heritage Week and the library is hosting virtual events to discover special author talks in world languages, online events, our multilingual resources, what New Yorkers are reading in different languages, book recommendations, and more for all ages including Español (Spanish), 中文 (Chinese), Русский (Russian), বাংলা (Bengali), Français (French), and 日本語 (Japanese)—all free. Click here to learn more.

    • Every Kid Healthy Week is April 26-30 - To celebrate the week, COSEM is joining Action for Healthy Kids to host a free interactive event for the week's "Mindful Monday" on April 26 at 5:30 pm Eastern Standard time. Click here for information and to register.


  • Brain Power Wellness

    • As you know, we strive to enrich our minds, bodies and hearts each day at P.S.120! We have been using Brain Power Wellness activities to provide virtual “brain breaks” while we engage in in-person and remote learning.

    • DragonFire TV - Please continue to watch the “Strategy of the Week” videos with your child, and help them master each strategy!

    • To spread Brain Power throughout our P.S. 120 community, please try some individual activities with your children on Mr. Manzione’s YouTube channel! This week, please enjoy a review of:

      • Back-to-Back Clapping

      • Plates - Level 1

      • Flying Eagle

  • In addition to Mr. Manzione’s YouTube page, please check out and share the Brain Power YouTube Page and Brain Power I.G. Live pages with your family!


Celebrations

  • Reminder- April School Spirit Day: Friday, April 30th is "Dress up like your favorite teacher or principal" day.

  • Ramadan: The Muslim holy month of Ramadan continues through May 13th. There will be NO SCHOOL on Thursday, May 13th in observance of the Eid al-Fitr festival.