P.S. 120 Parent Weekly Bulletin - 2/5/2021

P.S. 120

Parent Weekly Bulletin

Week of 2/8/21

Principal’s Memo

Dear P.S. 120 Families,

Many of you have been contacted by school staff over the past two weeks regarding the creation of your child’s NYC Schools Account (NYCSA). NYCSA is an important app that helps you track your child’s education and receive report cards, promotion letters and other notifications from the Department of Education. Ideally, each parent/guardian should sign up for an individual account so that all caretakers have access to this information. I would like to sincerely thank those of you who have taken the time to create a NYCSA account for your child, and offer assistance to anyone who has not yet created an account. Please email Ms. Momoh (jmomoh@schools.nyc.gov) if you would like help setting up your NYCSA account.

Parents who hold NYCSA accounts are eligible to run for a seat on a Community or Citywide Education Council, and help shape policies and priorities for NYC schools. There is one council for each of NYC’s 32 community school districts, plus four citywide councils. You can learn more about the2021 Community and Citywide Council Elections here, and log into NYCSA to apply.

Additionally, as messaged on ParentSquare on Wednesday, all parents have the opportunity to provide feedback to the Department of Education by taking the Fall 2020 School Experience survey. If you have not already,please click hereto read more and to take the survey before TODAY’S deadline, February 5th!

Thank you for everything you are doing to support your child this year.

Sincerely,
Robert Marino
PrincipalAnnouncements

  • PTA Meeting 2/10: Please join us for February’s PTA meeting on Wednesday, February 10th at 4:15 PM. Join on Google Meet: meet.google.com/anb-puyf-xss (No login required) Agenda topics include:

    • Join us in welcoming our NEW Parent Coordinator, Ms. Sandy (Yu Hsien) Wu!

    • NYCSA account information and support

    • District and Citywide Education Council elections

    • Brainstorming Title I PAC/Parent Engagement fund allocation

  • iReady assignments:

    • General: Please remind your child to log into iReady instruction for at least 30-49 minutes per week, per subject (Reading and Math). Your child’s teacher will also assign iReady time in Google Classroom as a reminder for you and your child.

    • February break: During February break, our school-wide expectation is that all students log 30-49 minutes of iReady in both Reading and Math, for a total of 60-98 minutes over the course of the week. Your child’s teacher should suggest age-appropriate ways to schedule this time so that your child can meet his/her goals. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have questions.

  • Save the Date REMINDER! 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 Families may submit as many questions/comments as they like.

    • Please see these flyers for the registration link and details about the virtual town hall event on 3/3:

  • Webinar Series for Families of Students with Disabilities: When students transitioned to remote learning last school year, the DOE launched a series of webinars for families of students with disabilities called the Beyond Access series. The series is continuing this year with webinars designed to support families of students with disabilities during this challenging time. The webinars are hosted by the DOE in partnership with experts in the field. Topics include executive cognitive functioning, literacy, social emotional learning, among other topics. Content experts will provide strategies and resources that families can use to support their children's learning and overall well-being at home. The webinars, which began on January 12, are being held every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. through the end of May. Families can review webinar topics and register for a webinar by visiting Eventbrite. The webinars are also listed on the DOE family-facing website and calendar. Past webinars are available on YouTube and can be viewed with English or translated captions.

  • Spring Break STEAM Enrichment Program Opportunity for Students: One More Week to Apply for Exciting (In-Person) Spring Break STEM Enrichment Programs!

    • This spring break, (re)discover STEM with STEM Matters NYC! Kindergarten through grade 12 students can apply now to attend programs with STEM Matters NYC. K-8 students can apply for Discovery Day, a day-long hands-on learning experience, and enjoy a special interactive class with their adult caregiver.

    • A wide range of programs are offered at the NYC Department of Education’s Genovesi Environmental Study Center; Audubon New York; Bronx Zoo; Central Park Zoo; Green-Wood Cemetery; GrowNYC Teaching Garden at Governors Island; Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum; Makerspace NYC; New York Aquarium; New York Botanical Garden; Prospect Park Zoo; Queens Botanical Garden; Queens County Farm Museum; Queens Zoo; Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden; Solar One; Staten Island Museum; Staten Island Zoo; and Wave Hill. 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 Wednesday, February 10. Preference is given to students who attend Title I schools. Download our flyer, learn more, and apply now. For questions, contact STEMMattersNYC@schools.nyc.gov.

SEL Corner

  • Announcements

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

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

      • Families who need assistance with completing the application, please contact Mr. Woodburn at rwoodburn@schools.nyc.gov or Ms. Zhu at xzhu5@schools.nyc.gov with any concerns or questions.

      • Middle School Application Office Hours - Have questions about the Middle School application? Need help submitting the application? Join us for office hours. Check below for the schedule.

        • Monday, February 8th - 9:30 - 11:00 AM with Ms. Zhu. Click on the link here to join.

        • Monday, February 8th - 8:30-9:30 AM and 2:00 - 3:20 PM with Mr. Woodburn. Click on the link here to join.

        • Tuesday, February 9th - 8:30 - 9:30 AM and 1:30 - 2:30 PM with Ms. Zhu. Click on the link here to join.

        • Tuesday, February 9th - 8:30-9:30 AM and 2:00 - 3:20 PM with Mr. Woodburn. Click on the link here to join.

  • 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.

  • STEM Matters NYC - K-12 Students: K-8 students can apply for Discovery Day, a day-long hands-on learning experience, and enjoy a special interactive class with their adult caregiver. You can find a wide range of programs here. Application deadline is Wednesday, February 10th. Click here to apply now.

  • Parent Workshop - Queens North Student Services in collaboration with Child Mind Institute: How to Support Your Children in Times of Change. Tuesday, February 9th, 2021. Learn about challenges children are experiencing and strategies to help them. The workshop will consist of an overview, with time for your questions and specific concerns. Translation will be available in Spanish and Mandarin. Click here 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.

    • 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, you can look for:

      • Push Ups

      • Squat Thrusts

    • 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
Please see our February 2021 Calendaras a reminder - This will be a busy week!

  • Respect for All Week: February 5th - 11th

  • Lunar New Year: February 12th - NO SCHOOL

  • Valentines Day: February 14th

  • Midwinter Recess (President’s Day/Lincoln’s Birthday): February 15th-19th - NO SCHOOL