Principal’s Memo
Dear P.S. 120 Families,
As a reminder, all New York City public schools are closed next week for Spring Recess: Monday, April 14 - Friday, April 18. School resumes at 8:00 AM on Monday, April 21.
While school vacations are an important opportunity for students to rest, recharge, and spend quality time with family and friends, we have organized daily Spring Recess homework tasks for P.S. 120 families to keep your child engaged academically:
Kindergarten - 2nd grade students have been provided with a choice board including ELA and Math activities.
3rd grade students have received a printed test sophistication packet for ELA, and Google Forms Math assignments in their Google Classroom.
4th and 5th grade students have received Google Forms ELA and Math assignments in their Google Classroom.
We also encourage Kindergarten - 5th grade students to continue logging into iReady for daily MyPath lessons, as applicable.
Thank you for your support, and we wish you and your family a wonderful Spring Recess!
Sincerely,
Robert Marino
Principal
P.S. 120’s Mission
At P.S. 120, we are committed to preparing our different types of learners to compete in the ever-changing 21st Century workforce by guiding them to recognize the importance of finding the balance between doing what they love, and what the world will need them to do. The faculty at PS 120 will:
Commit to the use of data-driven instruction and decision-making to provide equity-based instruction in all classrooms.
Provide opportunities for students to take responsibility for their own learning by participating in classroom discussion and be able to predict how they can use what they are learning in their everyday lives and goals
Engage students in problem-solving and critical thinking activities
Foster leadership opportunities for students in and out of the classroom
Expose and engage students in the cultural arts
Enable digital literacy by teaching students to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills
Empower students to apply their talents to the service of others
As a result, students at P.S. 120:
Field Trip: Our second graders went on a field trip this week to the Cinemart Cinemas in Queens! They enjoyed a movie, Snow White and popcorn with their teachers and classmates. Second graders will create written responses comparing the original Snow White movie to the new version!
Girls Soccer Game: Our girls soccer team faced P.S. 24 earlier this week in an exciting match! Our Dragons demonstrated athleticism, teamwork, and sportsmanship throughout the entire game. We are so proud of you!
SEL Assemblies: Some of our Dragons engaged in SEL assemblies this week as we continuously strive to build our socioemotional intelligence at P.S. 120.
Announcements
SMILE Dental On-site Visits: The mobile dentist will return for their spring visit to PS120 on the following dates to provide all of our students with a dental check-up free of cost:
4/21-4/25/25
4/28/25
If you did not sign a consent form in the fall, you can complete consent forms in two ways:
Preferred Method - Online: Complete the consent form online by visiting www.myschooldentist.com. Please submit your online consent by 3/14/25
Paper Consent: Paper consent forms will be sent home in students backpacks during the week of 3/3 for any parent who does not wish to complete the consent online. Completed forms should be returned to school by 3/14/25.
NOTE: If you previously consented for your child to receive dental services (this school year or in a prior school year), that permission form is still valid. A new consent form is not required for your child to be seen.
If you consented for your child to receive dental services previously, and no longer wish for your child to receive dental services at school, please call # (855)481-8638 to opt out.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! If you are able to help out on one of the Dental Visit days, please sign-up on Parent Square! CLICK ME FOR SIGN-UPhttps://www.parentsquare.com/feeds/48382172
Summer Rising: Families interested in participating in Summer Rising programming should check this page frequently for resources. Important Dates:
April 2025: Offer releases will be available in MySchools.
July 2, 2025: Summer Rising starts for K-8 students.
July 4, 2025: Summer Rising will be closed in observance of Independence Day.
August 15, 2025: Summer Rising ends for elementary school students.
PTA Updates (Sent on behalf of the PTA):
April 4/4/25 Meeting: View our meeting agenda here: P.S.120Q PTA & PAC Meeting Agenda: April (4-4-25) - Google Docs
PTA Elections for 2025-2026 School Year - Spring Timeline:
March to April: PTA creates PTA Nomination Committee. Any parent interested in assisting with PTA elections should complete this brief form before April 25, 2025.
April to May: Nominations collected for the 2025-2026 PTA executive board elections. Interested candidates may indicate their interest in running as an officer, or selecting a running mate and running as co-officers, by Friday, April 25 .
PTA elections will be conducted on Friday, May 2.
P.S. 120’s PTA is actively seeking a Treasurer for the 2025-2026 school year. The Treasurer is one of the 3 mandatory officers on the PTA’s executive board. Specifically, P.S. 120’s incoming treasurer will be tasked with the responsibility to create a new PTA checking account (must have a Social Security Number). Please see more resources about the Treasurer position here:
If you would like to know more about the Treasurer position, please email the PTA at PS120QPTA@gmail.com or send a ParentSquare message to Jacqueline Momoh or our Parent Coordinator, Annabelle TianTian Zhang.
Panel General Elections
The Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) consists of 24 voting members. Each borough president will appoint one member, 5 members are elected by CEC presidents (one member from each borough), and 13 members appointed by the mayor - including 4 NYC public school parents, with at least one parent of a child with an individualized education program, at least one parent of a child who is in a bilingual or English as a second language program, and at least one parent of a child attending a District 75 school or program). These members are in addition to the Chancellor and the New York City Comptroller serving as ex-officio, and two high school students serve as non-voting members. The parent representatives will serve a one-year term from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.
Parents: If you are interested in serving on the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) as one of the 5 parents elected by the CEC presidents, please complete the application (see below) and send to PEPParentApplications@schools.nyc.gov by April 15, 2025. You must have at least one child currently attending a public, non-charter school in NYC and reside in the borough you seek to represent.
School Meals/Menus: Click the links below to access daily/monthly cafeteria menus:
SEL Corner
Announcements
Middle school offers were released on 4/9. Please log onto My Schools to accept the offer or check your waitlist status.
For 5th grade parents: There are several virtual information sessions that you are strongly encouraged to attend. Please see below for the session times and flyers (English flyer here):
April is National Stress Awareness Month. One way that can help our students and adults manage stress is by practicing mindfulness. Take 2 minutes out of your day and take a few deep breaths!
Summer Opportunity: Fordham School of Professional and Continuing Studies is offering Summer Reading skills programs for all kids from ages 4-18. If you are interested, please see Ms. Yuqi for a program flyer or call 1-800-499-8557 directly.
Free Museums and Free Museum Days in NYC
Reservations are strongly encouraged and sometimes required!
The Bronx Zoo – General admission is free on Wednesdays, but reservations are required. The Wednesday Ticket Store opens at 5pm on Mondays. Total Experience activities cost extra.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden – Winter weekdays (December through February) are pay-what-you-can. Children 11 and under are always free.
Brooklyn Children's Museum – Free hours are held on Thursday afternoons from 2-5pm. Reservations should be booked in advance.
The Jewish Museum – Saturday admission is free. Timed-entry reservations are recommended.
Museum of the Moving Image – Free admission is offered on Thursdays from 2pm-6pm. Timed-entry tickets are recommended.
New York Aquarium – Pay-what-you-wish Wednesday afternoons from 3pm to last entry, which varies by season. Reservations are required and the Wednesday Ticket Store opens at 3pm Monday.
New York Botanical Garden – Free grounds admission for NYC residents all day Wednesdays. Non-NYC residents can enter for free from 10-11am on Wednesdays.
New-York Historical Society – Pay-what-you-wish Fridays from 5-8pm. Admission to the on-site DiMenna Children's History Museum is included. Timed-entry tickets are recommended.
NYSCI – Free admission on Fridays from 2-5pm. Reserve tickets online in advance beginning Thursday mornings at 9am.
Queens Botanical Garden – Free admission daily from mid-December through March. Admission is free on Wednesdays from 3-6pm and Sundays from 9-11am the rest of the year.
Respect For All (RFA) Student-to-Student Discrimination, Sexual and Other Harassment, Intimidation, Bullying FAQ:
Code of Conduct Letter:
Local Events for this week:
NY Family Queens To Do Events Calendar click here
If you would like to recommend students for Student Success counseling groups (formerly known as At Risk Counseling), please click here. This is not a special education evaluation form.
SEL Resources
April 5th to 12th is National Robotics Week, here is a library for Robotics + STEM/STEAM.
April 11th is National Pet Day, here is a library on our purrfect and adorable friends!
April 23rd is Spanish Language Day, here is a collection of 100 books, all in Spanish!
Child Mind Institute Family Resource Search Tool, click here
Free virtual parent workshops by Marble Health, sign up here:
🌍 April 15: Finding Calm in Chaos: Helping Children Navigate Political Anxiety (NEW!)
Practical approaches to help children feel secure during uncertain times
MindUp/Brain Power Wellness
Spring is around the corner, and reading is blooming too! Here are some tips to help your child fall in love with reading:
Model good reading behavior. If kids see you reading, they will be more likely to pick up a book themselves.
Read together before bedtime. Get quality time together at the end of the day. Reading out loud helps kids bring the words to life. Talk about the story together. Ask questions like, "What do you think will happen next?" You can switch things up some nights and ask your school-age child to read a book to you!
Get a library card. Most communities offer free library access. Some libraries have reading programs with games and prizes to keep kids busy when school is out. Many also offer contact-free ways to check out books or participate in
Read what they read. Follow their interests by keeping up with what your kids read. It makes it more fun and gives you something enjoyable to talk about.
Activities, such as e-book loans and virtual story times.
All reading is good reading. Let kids know that reading is great no matter what they're interested in. Anything goes: fiction, biographies, kids magazines, comic books or even reading a cookbook in the kitchen!
Create a reading nook. A cozy, snuggle-friendly area in your home can be turned into the family "reading zone." Just add blankets, pillows, a bean bag chair, and a window or lamp!
Read with friends. A book club with friends can give kids a way to share and learn about different views. Kids can talk about a book, their favorite characters, or how they think the book could have ended differently.
Keep books around. If there's always a book within reach, kids will be more likely to pick one up and read, even for a few minutes at a time.
Travel with reading material. Bring books for car rides, for example, or waiting to see a doctor. Books are a great option instead of a tablet or a smartphone.
A gift that keeps giving. Friends and family can give the gift of books for a birthday or a holiday. Make it personal by asking the gift-giver to write a message inside the book cover. Your child can cherish the book and message from a loved one for years to come.
Celebrations
New York City Public Schools Calendar 2024-2025: Please bookmark this year’s school calendar, which includes information on school events and vacations throughout the year! Scroll down to view and/or print translations in your preferred language.
Please mark your calendar with upcoming holidays and school closures:
Monday, April 14 - Friday, April 18: NO SCHOOL - Spring Recess
School resumes at 8:00 AM on Monday, April 21!