P.S. 120 Parent Weekly Bulletin - 1/29/2021

P.S. 120

Parent Weekly Bulletin

Week of 2/1/21

Principal’s Memo

Dear P.S. 120 Families,

I want to thank you for your assistance with the iReady Diagnostic Assessment #2, administered earlier this week. As of Wednesday afternoon, 96% of students completed their Reading assessment, and 94% of students completed their Math assessment. Teachers are working with the remaining students to remedy any device issues and complete the assessments as soon as possible during small group time.

At the end of the assessment window, we will have individualized data to share with you showing your child’s progress in Reading and Math. This data will help you know how your child is progressing according to grade-level standards, and will help your child’s teacher know what standards and skills to review to support and/or challenge your child appropriately.

There is another component of the iReady system that I want to make all parents aware of. Your child should engage in daily “MyPath” Reading and Math assignments. These are fun and personalized assignments that target the skills your child is working to master, based on his/her results on the iReady diagnostic assessments. It is recommended that children work on “My Path” assignments for 30 minutes a week in each subject (although your child can do more!) If your child is not currently using “My Path,” please be sure to access it regularly:

  • On a laptop/computer: Log into TeachHub, then select the Clever app, then the iReady app

  • On an iPad: Select the iReady app

  • You can visit https://i-readycentral.com/familycenter/ for more information and resources on how you can support your child’s use of this amazing program at home.

Your child’s teacher will begin sending iReady reminders and assignments using Google Classroom, so that all students and parents are aware of these wonderful iReady resources!

This program, when combined with the quality instruction your child is receiving at P.S. 120, can prove to be very useful in closing gaps and helping students both catch up, and move ahead, with the standards, My son, Robert, uses a similar program and we have seen tremendous progress in a short period of time. Please stay on top of your child’s daily iReady usage.

Sincerely,
Robert Marino
PrincipalAnnouncements

  • February 2021 Calendar: Please see our February 2021 calendar for important dates and information!

  • NYC Schools Account (“My Student”): All P.S. 120 parents/guardians are encouraged to sign up for a NYC Schools Account to view important data and documents about your child’s progress, such as report cards. If you have already created your account, you can log in here: https://mystudent.nyc/ To learn more about NYCSA, please visit this website.

    • NYCDOE wants all parents/guardians signed up on NYCSA by February 1st.

    • If you have not yet set up an account, school staff will be contacting you in the coming week to assist you. You can also watch this video for a tutorial. We will make outreach attempts in English, Chinese and Spanish. We hope to get to 100% so that every P.S. 120 parent/guardian has access to their child’s NYCSA account.

  • Save the Date! District 25 CEC Meeting: The District 25 Community Education Council (CEC) is hosting a virtual town hall event with Chancellor Richard Carranza on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. To prepare, the CEC is collecting questions and comments from the community in advance via their website. Families may submit as many questions/comments as they like.

  • If you would like to submit a question/comment for the event, please visit the District 25 CEC's website: www.d25.nyc/cec

  • Details about the virtual town hall event will be coming soon.

  • STEM Spring Break: Families may apply now for exciting STEM Enrichment Programs for Spring Break! (March 29th - April 2nd)

    • Kindergarten through grade 12 students can apply now to attend programs with STEM Matters NYC

    • Kindergarten through grade 8 students can apply for discovery Day, a day-long hands-on learning experience, and enjoy a special interactive class with their adult caregiver.

    • Learn more about STEM Matters here. You can find STEM flyers in your preferred language. Email STEMMattersNYC@schools.nyc.gov with any questions.

SEL Corner

  • Announcements

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

    • Middle School announcement for 5th grade students:

      • Middle School Applications are due by Tuesday, February 9.

      • If you have not created a MySchools account by Friday, January 29 on your own, the Middle School Enrollment Office will create the account for you. The Middle School Enrollment will send an email to you, so please check your email or trash/junk to make sure you receive it. Please contact Mr. Woodburn at rwoodburn@schools.nyc.gov or Ms. Zhu at xzhu5@schools.nyc.gov for any concerns or questions.

      • Middle School Enrollment One-pager: Click here to access the Middle school enrollment one-pager in different languages. It is a two page document that summarizes the changes to the Middle School enrollment process this year.

  • 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.

    • 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 revisit:

      • Sky, Earth, Friend

      • Rock, Paper, Scissors

      • Bow & Arrow

    • 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

  • February 3rd - World Read Aloud Day/Pajama Day: On Wednesday, February 3rd, the P.S. 120 school community will join people all around the globe to celebrate World Read Aloud Day. At some point during the school day, all classes will “Drop Everything And Read” aloud to students (DEAR). We will continue to share stories to advocate for literacy as a human right, and to build a love of reading! On World Read Aloud Day, both in-person and fully remote students may dress in pajamas as part of the celebration. (Please ensure that in-person students are dressed properly for the weather, and wear shoes, not slippers, when coming to school!)