Communication from Mrs. Kirrane & Chancellor Carranza
Please click HERE for the most recent letter from the school's chancellor.
See Mrs. Kirrane's most recent correspondence attached.
Robert J. Christen School P.S. 81
Remote Learning Update
New York City public schools will be continuing academic instruction through Remote Learning for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year.
- Students will not report to school buildings for instruction during this time.
- Learn at Home for grades K-12 has all you need to know for getting set up for remote learning.
- Regional Enrichment Centers are available for the children of first responders, healthcare workers, transit workers, and other essential workers.
- Grab-and-Go free meals for ALL New Yorkers are available at the entrance of select buildings. The closest site to P.S.81 is RKA MS/ HS 141 at 660 W 237th St, Bronx, NY 10463.
- Request a Device for families that need electronic devices. You may request one device per student. Families can also call 718-935-5100 and select option 5 to complete the survey over the phone.
Text COVID to 692-692 to receive regular SMS texts with the latest news and developments.
See the new COVID-19: FAQ for Parents and Caregivers of Pre-School and School-Age Children from the NYC Department of Health.
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.
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!
PS81 Loves You! A message from the staff of PS81 to our Families
P.S.81 Loves You! from Heather Temple on Vimeo.
May 10, 2020
Dear P.S. 81 Families,
I would like to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all of our mothers, grandmothers and caregivers. You have been amazing partners to our school staff in supporting our children during these challenging times. Your increased commitment and dedication has demonstrated the many successes that can be achieved when we work in partnership. Our students continue to maintain and build upon their academic and social growth as a result of our collaborative efforts.
The week of May 5th was Teachers’ Appreciation Week. The administration extended heartfelt gratitude to our entire staff for their unwavering dedication to our students. They continue to build upon their online platform to support students. Teams of teachers are working collaboratively to plan, modify and differentiate rigorous instruction through videos, live lessons, small groups and whole group meetings. I want to thank all of the parents for their kind thoughts and acknowledgments of our P.S. 81 staff. The administration and the P.S. 81 staff wish to acknowledge your partnership during remote learning. Please enjoy the video that we created to honor you as your child’s first teacher. During this time, your role has added many dimensions. You have been incredible and we are very thankful and appreciative for the increased role you have assumed.
Our teachers will be conducting parent conferences during the next two weeks to discuss your child’s progress. They will be discussing the new skills that are being embedded into the online remote learning platform. Conversations will identify where your child was in reaching the grade specific standards as of the March report card as well as your child’s engagement during the online remote learning. Teachers will be identifying students’ growth and effort during this time and will be providing support and suggestions to address challenges as we move forward for the remainder of the school year. The administration continues to review and assess our online learning as our teachers and students navigate these uncharted waters. We monitor the overarching goals, which includes ensuring we are providing engaging and rigorous instruction and addressing students’ emotional and social needs. I am overjoyed to witness and monitor your child’s engagement online.
During the last two weeks, it has been very painful to hear from families that have lost a family member or a dear friend from coronavirus. The administration and staff extend our heartfelt sympathy. Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you mourn your loved ones. The administration, counselors and school support team are available through email, phone calls and Google meet conferencing to provide you with support. Please contact us with any concerns. We are here for you and your family.
Please stay safe and healthy. Give your children big hugs from their P.S. 81 family.
Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.
Best wishes and love for all.
Sincerely,
Anne Kirrane
Principal, P.S. 81
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
Remote 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.
Kindergarten, First & Second grade classes are posting required student assignments on Seesaw. There are two different Seesaw log in pages, one for Families and one for Students. Be sure your child is using the correct website to access and submit their work!
Third, Fourth & Fifth grade classes are posting required student assignments on Google Classroom. Students should log onto Google Classroom using their unique @ps81x.org 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
Seesaw Resources for Families
Feel free to email DKnecht@schools.nyc.gov for help with any of our online resources!
NYCDOE Learn at Home
The materials on the Learn at Home pages are designed to provide supplementary learning resources to students in the event that students may need to be home from school. We encourage you to use this time to continue your student’s learning while they are at home. To help students engage in educational material, we have shared the resources below for students in all grades, from Early Learn through elementary and middle school, and for high school. These materials do not replace what your child has been learning at school, but during this unusual time it is important that students continue to read, write, do social studies and science activities, and work on math problems.
The materials on the grade specific pages below include:
- Suggested daily study schedules
- Guides and materials for instructional activities
- Recommended educational television shows
- Links to a variety of books, magazines, and websites on a wide range of topics that appeal to children at all ages
Internet & Phone Service Offers for Distance Learning
Individual offers my vary according to your personal address and/or situation
AlticeUSA is providing free internet service for all students for 60 days. Please call 866-200-9522 to enroll.
Comcast - Comcast is offering an internet essentials package for free. To sign up for a free internet essentials package for 60 days, applicants can visit www.internetessentials.com The accessible website also includes the option to video chat with customer service agents in American Sign Language. There are also two dedicated phone numbers 1-855-846-8376 for English and 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish.
Spectrum - Spectrum is offering free internet access for students. Beginning March 16, Spectrum is offering free internet for 60 days to households with K-12 or college students who don’t already have a Spectrum subscription. To enroll, call 1-844-488-8395.
Charter - Charter is offering free internet for 2 months. 1 (877) 906-9121
AT&T - AT&T COVID-19 response. AT&T will offer unlimited data to existing customers
Verizon - Verizon does not have special offers, but is following the FCC agreement, waiving late fees from March 16 -May 16
Sprint - Sprint is following the FCC agreement, providing unlimited data to existing customers, and, starting Tuesday, 3/17/2020, will allow all handsets to enable hot spots for 60 days at no extra charge.
T-Mobile - T-Mobile is following the FCC agreement, plus unlimited data to existing customers, and, coming soon, will allow all handsets to enable hot-spots for 60 days at no extra charge.
Did You Know???
Turn your phone into a HotSpot (article from PC Magazine)
Access Google Classroom on Xbox and Playstation
Google Classroom can be opened on Xbox and Playstation. There isn’t an app that the students can add to their consoles. Instead, they are going to have to use the built-in browsers that come on the two devices. On Xbox, it is Microsoft Edge. On Playstation, it is the “www” browser. Your students will probably know how to find the browsers on their consoles, but if not, each one has a search function they can access on the home screen.
Once the browser has been opened:
-
Type in classroom.google.com in the address bar.
-
A prompt for a Google account will appear.
-
Log in with your @ps81x.org email and password
-
The Google Classroom home screen will open up.
If students have a keyboard they can plug in, they will have a much easier time of navigation. Otherwise, they will have to use their controllers to click on the classroom tiles, open up assignments and type.
Mission
In partnership with home and community, our school, The Robert J. Christen School, is committed to promoting a culture of civic and personal responsibility, a love of learning, and a sense of family within a safe and nurturing environment.
Vision
PS 81, The Robert J. Christen School is a school of excellence. Our vision is to maintain a safe and nurturing child-centered learning atmosphere.
We focus on implementing educational programs that promote high standards, a love of learning and contribute to the growth and social development of our children. We treat children as individuals and provide every child with a supportive and appropriately challenging learning environment. We celebrate our cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to create an atmosphere of tolerance that will be the foundation of our children’s lives. Our educational program prepares our children to be productive, literate members of their community and our democratic society.
Instructional Focus
Our instructional focus is driven by our vision of creating a nurturing and child centered learning environment. Social and emotional learning is embedded in all subject areas. The R.U.L.E.R approach acknowledges the value and impact of emotions in our everyday experiences. It is designed to support the emotional intelligence to stakeholders of all ages, with the goal of creating a healthier, more equitable, innovative and compassionate society. We immerse children in reading a variety of genres for the purpose of making connections, formulating questions, making interpretations, and reading critically. Paralleling this process, the Writing Program is designed to encourage expressive formats including research based non-fiction writing as well as personal responses to literature. Our mathematical goals go way beyond computational experiences. Math talk, problem solving, and Literacy in Math” are built into mathematical instruction in order to deepen understanding and emphasize mathematical thought processes. Scientific inquiry is the basis of our instruction in this area and encourages curiosity and the use of the scientific method. Community values are taught inclusively within our Social Studies program. Technology is used to support all areas of the curriculum. Currently we are putting emphasis on digital sophistication and coding experiences.
