I.S. 131 - The Albert Einstein School

 Family Letter September 20 2021.pdf 

  
                                                                                                    GRADE 6 NEWSLETTER

                                                                                                              Welcome to October!

During the month of October, we will be celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month, Italian Heritage, and Indigenous People Day! Every year we celebrate the people and traditions of these communities. Understanding our identity and how our lives connect to the world is essential to understanding life. Listen every morning to the announcements to learn something new and wonderful about Hispanic Heritage. 

This month we also continue to focus on our social-emotional health and well-being. In class, you will receive lessons that will help you and your social-emotional health.  Our Social Emotional Lessons (SEL) will focus on the 3 P’s and identity with Ms. Kava, Ms. Melendez and Ms. Alex.  

Last month, all our students completed the DRP, and iReady ELA Reading and Math Assessments.  The data results will show growth and progress from the beginning of the school year.   If you did not complete these assessments, your teachers will arrange for you to do so. These assessments will allow each student to track our growth and determine the best path toward success.

Ms. E. MORO SULLIVAN

Assistant Principle

Dear 7th grade families,

I am humbly honored and excited to be a new member of the I.S.131 school community. My name is Juan Fernandez, and I am the 7th grade assistant principal and the Math Department supervisor. With a month into the school year, I am fortunate enough to have met your child and some of you! In this post-remote learning  school year, we face new challenges. This is why our relationship and communication is more important than ever. Working together will ensure your child has a champion all day, everyday. If we have not met yet, I look forward to building a relationship in the near future. I will always make myself available to meet with you to support you and your child. You can reach me using my contact information detailed below, and your child can always reach me during morning entry, lunch, and dismissal. My goal is to help your child not only achieve academic success, but support their social and emotional needs, as stated in our school mission and vision. Seventh grade is not only a year of transition, as well as a year where our students are learning who they are, but it is a pivotal year as this report card is attached to High School applications. It is important that we all work together to help your child achieve academic achievement.
To support our communication this year, please take a few minutes to read the attached documents involving Kinvo (our messaging system) and Liveschool (our behavioral system). This will allow us to communicate effectively and easily in regards to your child and their behavioral patterns in school. I look forward to building our relationship this year. Let us make this homecoming year a rewarding one! To contact me, you can email Jfernandez35@schools.nyc.gov, or call (718) 991-7490, extension 236.

Best Regards,
Mr. J. Fernandez
Assistant Principal   

    Spanish Family Welcome Letter.pdf 

October 2021

Dear I.S. 131 8^th Grade Family Members:

We would are so pleased to have you and your child as part of the I.S.131 family this school year. After the last struggles that we have all faced over the last year and a half, it is wonderful to have all our students back in the building and ready to learn.

The I.S.131 school motto is “In The Middle Of Difficulty Lies Opportunity” (Albert Einstein). Over the last year and a half, our school community has learned how true the message behind our motto is. While the past two school years have included some very difficult times, we now have the opportunity to grow and learn together again. Our students are being introduced to our motto and providing us with their insights as to what it means to them and sharing out in class.  We are working together to build our school community and we invite you to be an important part of our educational adventure.

Things to Know:

1. Masks are to be worn at all times in the building.
2. All students are to complete their Health Screening before entering the building. https://healthscreening.schools.nyc/
3. All students should complete the Covid Consent Form through their NYCSA account.
4. https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-year-20-21/return-to-school-2020/health-and-safety/covid-19-testing.  

It is important for all students to eat a balanced breakfast to be prepared for the school day. The Breakfast door opens at 7:40 am on the Bolton Avenue side of the building if your child prefers a hot breakfast.  All students may take advantage of our “Grab & Go” breakfast upon their entry to school.  

Grade 8 enters the building through Exit 11, which is located on Underhill Avenue.  The school doors open at 8:10 for morning entry and students will be dismissed at 2:30 pm via Exit 11. Students who participate in the afterschool Aspira program are dismissed through the main entrance at 5:30 pm.

While our 8^th grade students will be graduating this year, many of our students have spent a limited amount of time in our building. The readjustment to in-person learning, with the increased workload and social adjustments may feel overwhelming to some. As a school community we believe it is important to support all our students through this transition. To that end, all students are participating in social emotional wellness lessons with our guidance counselors. Through this SEL curriculum students will learn coping mechanisms to guide them not only through this time, but all the changes they will encounter as they prepare for the entrance into High School next year. We ask that you support these efforts by having your student attend school regularly, complete all assignments, behave appropriately, and adhere to the school dress code.  In the coming weeks you will be receiving additional information regarding our communication systems and how they will be utilized to communicate with teachers as well as monitor your child’s academic progress. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s time at I.S.131.

Ms. Kava, our 8^th grade guidance counselor, will be supporting you and your child as you prepare to apply for High School. Over the coming weeks, Ms. Kava will be reaching out with important information regarding the application process. Please look for announcements from Ms. Kava via her iLearn page, your NYCSA account and our Kinvolved communication system.

State law now mandates that every child of school age must obtain the necessary immunizations.  Any child who has not begun the immunization process by the first day of school will be considered out of compliance. Please contact your community health center, or if you prefer, your family health care provider to help with the process.

In an effort to meet your needs and encourage ongoing communication, we are asking that all members of the community set up their NYCSA account NYC Schools Account NYCSA - Schools.nyc.gov have established a school website to provide important information about scheduled activities. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at 718-991-7490.  We look forward to working with you to ensure the quality of your child’s education and success.

At this time all students should have been issued a DOE device to use in school as well as at home.  If your child is not in possession of a DOE device, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can provide an appropriate remote device. All students are to bring their device to school every day, fully charged. On Election Day (November 11, 2021) and any potential snow days, your child will need to utilize their device to complete assignments.

In order to ease our students back into in-person learning as well as to buildup their foundational skills, we are asking our students to read 30 minutes each night on LightSail and 20-30 minutes 3 times a week on IREADY Math.  LightSail teachers have provided your child with a username and password for their LightSail accounts. Your child’s Math teacher will let you know the dates.

We will be beginning our Saturday Academy through the Recovery Program on Saturday, October 23, 2021, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm.  Invitations will be sent out this week to selected students.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Ms. Monique Mason

Principal

   Students set-up account