GRADE 6 NEWSLETTER

It’s May!

Welcome to our 4th Marking Period! We would like to thank you for assisting us in ensuring that all of our students sat for the NYS ELA & NYS Math Exams. We believe that all of our students were committed to do their best and “Slam the Exam!” Our Parent-Teacher Conferences will run from 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm on Thursday, May 18th . Remember, our teachers are always available Tuesday afternoons from 2:40 pm – 3:40 pm. Just contact us and we’ll set up a time that is convenient to you.

Please remember that as the weather gets warmer, it is our expectation that our students dress appropriately for school. The following is a reminder, outlining our expectations for our 3 P’s – Polite, Prepared, and Punctual.

Our first concern is our dress code:

Dress code

I.S. 131 seeks to prepare students for a future in the workforce and to "Dress for Success". Therefore, the dress code requires all students to use:

Tops: Royal Blue or Black Collared School Shirts

Bottoms: Pants in Khaki or Black

Gym Attire: Sneakers, Sweatpants, T-Shirt in Royal Blue or Black.

The following are NOT acceptable at any time:

* Jeans – especially ripped ones)

* T-shirts with photographs, emblems or inappropriate words.

* Sleeveless shirts (Tank tops, tube tops, halters, spaghetti straps, etc.)

* Pants worn below the waist which show underwear or shorts underneath

* Skirts or shorts with hems higher than 4 inches above the knee.

* Do-Rags/Scarves [unless for medical or religious reasons]

* Hats

* Hoodies

* Emoticon “sweat suits”

We are still expecting our students to adhere to our dress code and not dress in attire suitable to weekend or beach attire. We will contact you if we believe that your child is not Dressed for Success for school.

Our second concern is Punctuality:

School begins at 8:10 am. Class instruction begins at 8:15 am. Students are expected to be in their class prepared to work at that time. Students are given three minutes to transition from class to class during the school day. The schedule was designed to accommodate the movement of five hundred students on the second floor. Each grade has a primary hallway and staircase to use to ease any possible congestion. Unfortunately, some students believe that they should “visit” sections of the building that they are not assigned. This causes a number of problems such as disrupting classes as well as being late to their own class. Students, who have been identified as being consistently late to class, without a pass, will be placed on a “No Pass” list to monitor their lateness. Letters will be sent home to the parents/guardians of students who still are having difficulties with following a schedule in May.

The letter will state:

Your child has been taking advantage of the Pass System here at IS 131 and has been placed on a list to monitor their time out of the classroom. Your child is either constantly late to class, leaves the classroom without permission, or when given a pass will socialize in the hallways, wander into other sections in the building, or remain out of the classroom for extended periods of time. In order to insure the safety of your child and to make sure that all academic needs are met, we are implementing the following procedures beginning Monday, May 15, 2017:

1. Each student is allowed to request one pass from a subject class per day.

2. An Administrator or Dean will be informed that the student has requested to leave the room.

3. The following information will be documented on the section sheet:

a. Pass issued

b. Time student left room and time student returned

4. If a student does not return within five (5) minutes, a follow-up call will be made and the student will serve lunch detention.

5. Parents will be contacted if there is no change in behavior.

6. If the student displays the proper responsibility regarding punctuality, they will earn back their privileges.

Remember, we are here to assist your child to achieve and grow educationally, emotionally, and socially. Our goal at IS 131 is for all of our students to be College and Career ready and when we work together this goal can be achieved.

Other News:

We have been holding our Town Hall Meetings, where again we had 50 students with Perfect Attendance for the month of March and over 70 students with Perfect Attendance for the month of April as well as recognizing the following students for being selected: March- Student of the Month:

Elisandra Matthews Emily Valentin Margarett Casilla Nieves

Emilson Rosario Tylar Moore Colston Thalia Pena Kaitlyn Robles

April- Student of the Month:

Keily Arias Anaiyah Mena Juelz Drye Jordano Marte

Eric Barr Ramzey Quinones Miguel Henriquez

At IS 131, we are building a community of readers! Your child is required to read 30 minutes each night. The only way that we can increase the readability level of anyone is by reading every day.

Remember, our staff is always available through our Pupilpath.com communication system or if you would like to set up an appointment to meet and discuss your child. Just contact me at emorosu@schools.nyc.gov to set up a date and time.

Dates to Remember!

Date Day Event

May 17, 2017 Wednesday Career Day

May 17, 2017 Wednesday Ice Cream Social & Bingo 3 pm

May 18, 2017 Thursday Parent-Teacher Conferences – 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm

May 25, 2017 Thursday Yankee Day – 3rd Quarter Honor Roll Students

May 29, 2017 Monday Memorial Day – No School Feel free to contact me anytime at emorosu@schools.nyc.gov if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your support!

Dear 7^th Grade Parent/Guardian,

As we now enter June, I would like to thank you all for your support to our 7th-grade students. Our school year is moving rather quickly and we want to ensure that all of our 7th graders are Punctual, Prepared, and Polite.  I would also once again like to remind our parents of our school-wide core values of Responsibility, Respect, Trust, Perseverance, and Positivity.

We are currently in our fourth and final marking period of the year. Now more than ever every piece of work needs to be submitted in order for students to be able to be in good standing and meet their promotional criteria. In the next week or so we will be making the promotional decisions based on all of the data we have gathered all year.   If your child is slated for summer school he/she must attend in order to be promoted to the eighth grade.   

We have been preparing your child to be College & Career Ready with their soon to be 8th-grade counselor, Ms. Staine, conducting workshops now as they prepare for the arduous high school application next year.  We will also be concluding our final field trip with our Middle School College Access for All liaison, I Will Graduate.  Last month we had a field trip to Manhattan College for selected 7th-grade students. This week our last group will be attending the open house at Lehman College. The goal of this initiative is to ensure that every child has an opportunity to set foot on a college campus this year.  Remember we believe in your children and we will continue to emphasize to them to utilize the skills that they have been taught this year and to do their best.  The State Exams do not signal the end of the school year for learning but are just a stop along our academic highway.  Please join us in emphasizing this belief to your children.

Remember, we are here to assist your child to achieve and grow educationally, emotionally, and socially.  Our goal at IS 131 is for all our students to be College and Career ready and when we work together this goal can be achieved. Our staff is always available through our Pupilpath communication system. If you would like to set up an appointment to meet and discuss your child, contact me at caceved5 @schools.nyc.gov to set up a date and time.

On behalf of myself, and the 7th-grade staff here at I.S. 131, we would like to like once again thank you for your support all year long.  We hope you and your family enjoy your summer and I look forward to seeing all of our new 8^th graders in the fall!

Respectfully yours,

Mr. Carlos L. Acevedo       

7th Grade Assistant Principal                                                                                                                  

June Dates to Remember!

Senior Parent Letter # 7                                                                                                                                  

6/5/17

Dear Parents /Guardians,

I would first like to extend my thanks and appreciation to all our eighth-grade parents and students who have worked so hard in this rapidly moving school year.  Our eighth-grade staff is excited about the upcoming senior events that we have slated for our graduating class of 2017.

This is the time of the school year that can be the most exciting and for some the most disheartening. Many of our students will soon find out their status as it relates to meeting their own promotional standards. However, all students must understand that they must finish out the school year strong to avoid summer school and retain that seat that awaits them at the next level. If your child is on probation they are NOT ELIGIBLE to attend ANY eighth-grade event.  This does not include graduation as students must be in good academic standing in order to attend. This will be determined later this month.  However, if a student is MANDATED for summer school they will NOT BE ALLOWED TO ATTEND THE GRADUATION CEREMONY.  This is a DOE policy and our school cannot supersede this edict. Also, keep in mind there are no refunds issued if your child must attend Summer in The City.

Students will receive separate information for each individual event as those dates draw closer.  For the parent's convenience, we do have a senior advisor, Mr. R. Kessler, who can address any concerns you may have regarding senior activities.  Feel free to contact him directly if you have any further questions. The dues remain $ 90.00 but we do advise all of our parents to please pay these funds as soon as possible.  There are many plans and preparations that must be made in advance and these funds assist in securing these venues and time is running out. Some students did receive a probation letter earlier this year. Parents will be notified and updated of their child’s status prior to each senior event.  If you ARE NOT called by Mr. Acevedo your child has not been removed from Probation.  At the end of this letter, you will find two calendars. The first is upcoming dates in June as well as some updated senior events to keep in mind for our 8th-grade events later this school year. This includes the lower of our senior dance to 40.00!  Please be mindful that prior to any senior activity all dues ($90.00) must be paid in full.  I look forward to a successful academic end of the year for all of our seniors.

Our school sent home a letter last month to all grades regarding the proper attire to be worn during the remainder of this school year.  As the weather begins to warm up some of our students take the liberty of “dressing down” on certain days.  Proper attire MUST be worn as well as proper footwear. Slippers for school are NOT permitted.

On behalf of myself, and the 8th-grade staff here at I.S. 131, we would like to like once again thank you for your support. It has been our pleasure working and supporting your children this school year and we wish you and them well as they continue to the next leg of their educational journey- High School!

 Respectfully yours,

Mr. Carlos L. Acevedo                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

8th Grade Assistant Principal                                                                                                                  

June Dates to Remember!

FUTURE SENIOR EVENTS