Communication from Mrs. Kirrane & Our School Chancellor
Robert J. Christen School P.S. 81
IMPORTANT CORRESPONDENCE FROM MRS. KIRRANE...
Dear Ps. 81 Families,
We are excited to share with you the details of the Winterfest that has been organized by our Parent Association.
Our Raise Craze fundraiser is starting today! Our school is going to make an impact by spreading kindness in our community! Acts of kindness can include many things such as writing thank you cards to our local fire department, baking cookies for your neighbor, or even telling a friend what they mean to you! The possibilities are endless and no act of kindness is too small so get creative!
In addition to spreading kindness, we will be asking our friends and family for donations to help support our school using the Raise Craze website. If you haven’t done so already, grab your parent and register! Once you’ve registered, track your acts of kindness every day!
Classes are working together to earn fun rewards just for registering and logging the Acts of Kindness. There are stats tracked on our School Leaderboard, and right now:
Class 1-104 is in the lead with the most students registered on the Raise Craze website.
Class KB14 has sent the most emails sent out to donors
Class 2-123 has the most donations
and Class 5-202 has logged the most Acts of Kindness
There are two weeks left on the Raise Craze and plenty of time to catch up on the leaderboard!
Please join us tomorrow in the cafeteria from 2-5PM where we will be performing acts of kindness as a group for our community in the cafeteria.
Get started by registering at this link: https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmy.raisecraze.com%2FARQ37TM%2F&data=05%7C01%7CSOriordan%40schools.nyc.gov%7C8018ee346210413e618208dbe7782b53%7C18492cb7ef45456185710c42e5f7ac07%7C0%7C0%7C638358275536077419%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=I7u6br7BAooqtG4GSF6MjSnU5Q%2FmBm1xVm0pchPUk1U%3D&reserved=0
Make today a kind day!
We are very happy to announce that the main door (the safer access door) of our school will be locked. This is effective immediately.
The following procedures will be in place for you to enter the building:
• Please ring the bell to the right of the door
• Identify yourself and provide the name of your
child and their grade and/or the name of their
teacher
• Upon verification you will be buzzed in
• Provide your identification to the security agent,
which will be recorded
Thank you for your cooperation with these new guidelines.
- Thursday, December 14th report cards will be released to families. The distribution of the first report card has been extended due to a limited number of instructional days. Report cards will be available through your New York City Schools Account (NYCSA). Please visit www.schoolsaccount.nyc to access your account. If you are not able to log into your account, please reach out to Nina Velazquez NVelazquez@schools.nyc.gov. All families will receive a progress report on Wednesday, 11/1 for each student.. Please use the progress report that you receive from your child’s teacher to guide you in reinforcing the skills that have been modeled and practiced in the classroom. This will help to support your child in making adequate progress on their report card in December.
REMINDERS:
- There is NO school on the following dates:
- Tuesday, November 7, for Election Day
- Thursday, 11/23 and Friday, 11/24 for Thanksgiving Recess.
Please see the attached letter from the Chancellor and the city’s Health Commissioner regarding respiratory virus season. The letter includes useful information about the school calendar, admissions information, parent-teacher conferences, and setting up a NYCSA account.
Family Letter
There is now an APP for you to access your New York City Schools Account NYSCA
NYC DOE 2023-2024 School Calendar
NYC DOE 2024-2025 School Calendar
NYC DOE 2025-2026 School Calendar
November 2023 Lunch Menu
Mission
In partnership with our families and the community, we are committed to celebrating the diverse social emotional, linguistic and academic strengths and needs of our children through culturally responsive, tiered and rigorous instruction.
Vision
The vision of the PS 81 community, including students, families and staff, is to provide a safe, equitable and child-centered educational experience that prepares our children to be compassionate, civically-minded, productive members of society.
Instructional Focus
If we know each child well through Social and Emotional Learning and Culturally Responsive Teaching, while sustaining a collaborative learning environment, then we will see an increase in proficiency in Integration of Knowledge and Ideas in ELA and Numbers and Operations in Math.
Please fill out LUNCH FORMS!
Even if your child doesn't eat lunch in school, we still need a lunch form filled out for EVERY Student!
Please fill out the LUNCH FORM HERE!
THANK YOU!
P.S.81 Cell Phone & Electronic Device Policy
We recognize today there may be a need for students to carry a cell phone. Therefore, students are allowed to bring their cell phones to school, with guardian’s permission. This will enable you to communicate with your child before and after school. However, once in the school building, all cell phones must be turned off and kept in the students’ backpack. In addition, students may give it to the teacher to be kept in a secure location for the school day. Cell phones may not be used during lunch and recess. In case of emergency you may call the main office to leave a message for your child (718-796-8965). This policy is also in place for the use of iPods, iPads, tablets and all other devices capable of recording or playing back audio, photographic, or video content, or sending/receiving text, audio, or video messages.
If a student is found to be in violation of the cell phone/electronic devices policy the following protocol will be followed:
1st Violation: The phone/device will be taken from the student and returned at the end of the day.
2nd Violation: The phone/device will be taken from the student and the parent/guardian is contacted to pick up the cell phone.
3rd Violation: Use of cell phones is suspended for the remainder of the school year. The cell phone must be checked in at the main office at arrival every school day.
Please note the school is not responsible for the theft, loss or damage to student’s technology devices. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the school. The safety of our students is a schoolwide community responsibility. Together we can increase safety and promote responsible “Digital Citizenship” among our students.
School Leadership Team SLT
School Leadership Team
SLT Meetings are open to all parents, even if you are not an SLT member.
Here is a description of what the SLT is: https://tinyurl.com/2rvjbbvn
The link is the same for all meetings.
The meetings begin at 2:30 pm.
You can attend either IN PERSON or via ZOOM!
2023-2024 Schedule
Wednesday, Sept 27, 2023
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Tuesday, February 13, 2024Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Click Here to join the ZOOM MEETING
https://tinyurl.com/SLTPS81Meeting ID: 981 8267 4420
Passcode: 081123
P.S.81 Dress Code Policy
All students should dress appropriately for school. Students may not wear revealing clothing such as shirts, skirts, shorts or other clothing items that reveal private areas of the body. Students may not wear clothing displaying foul language or slurs against any race, color, creed, religion, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability or weight. In addition, appropriate footwear for physical education and outdoor recess/structured play should be worn on a daily basis. Flip flops are not allowed due to injuries in the schoolyard when children are running. Please see the following link for additional information regarding the NYC DOE Dress Code Guidelines. https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/school-environment/dress-code-guidelines
EduMate NYC
A group of college students seeking to support New York City public school students in this time of need by connecting them with free, virtual tutoring. If you are interested in getting paired with a tutor, click above!
Coronavirus Update
All New Yorkers should continue to practice general flu prevention measures including:
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or sleeve
- Wash your hands regularly
- Avoid touching your face
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Get your flu shot – it’s never too late
- Stay home if you’re feeling sick. Call your doctor and let them know your symptoms and travel history.
Please see the NYC Health Department’s Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions for more information, or visit nyc.gov/health at any time for important updates.
Click Here for information about Covid-19 NYS testing from the New York State Department of Health.
Brainfuse HelpNow!
On demand, anytime, anywhere eLearning. See how easy, intuitive and engaging Brainfuse HelpNow eLearning is for all ages and levels.
Live online tutoring is available from every day 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM EST.
Use your NYC Library Barcode to get started!
HelpNow's features include:
- Homework Help Interact with live tutors in math, science, reading/writing, social studies, PSAT/SAT, ACT, AP and state standardized tests.
- Skills-Building Choose your topic to receive real-time help.
- Personalized eLearning Tools My File Sharing, My Session Replay, My Tutoring Archive, My Tests Archive, and more!
- 24-Hour Writing Lab Submit essays and other forms of writing for constructive feedback.
- Homework Send Question Submit homework questions for expert guidance.
- Adult Learning Center Access a library of rich adult learning content (GED) and live, professional assistance in resume/cover letter writing, U.S. citizenship prep, MS Office Essential Skills Series, and more!
- Foreign Language Lab /Spanish-Speaking Support
Learning Platforms
At P.S. 81 we are using multiple platforms to communicate with families & students.
Every class has a Class Dojo where teachers & staff can communicate directly with families. Please be sure to check your Class Dojo daily for Important Information and Updates from your classroom teacher, other staff and the administration.
Teachers are posting required student assignments on Google Classroom for Blended and Remote students. Students should log onto Google Classroom using their unique @nycstudents.net username and password.
For help using any of these platforms, please see the resources below.
Classroom Dojo Help for Parents
Google Classroom
Parent Guide to Google Classroom PDF
Parent Guide to Google Classroom Slideshow
Feel free to email DKnecht@schools.nyc.gov or JCapurro@schools.nyc.gov for help with any of our online resources!
UFT DIal a Teacher
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What: Homework help line for students, run by classroom teachers
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Where: Call 212-777-3380
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Who: Students in kindergarten through 12th grade
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Hours: Monday through Thursday, 4 to 7 p.m. when school is in session
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Languages spoken: Armenian, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, Haitian-Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Tagalog
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Subjects available: English, math, science and social studies
