Week 14 of Remote Learning Family Letter June 22 – June 26

Kindly read this letter in its entirety since it contains important updates as well as helpful reminders. 

Dear TAOTS Families ,                                                                                                     

June 19, 2020

        I can’t believe that this is our  final week of remote learning.  As I reflect and think about these past few months, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for all your continued support during these unprecedented times. I am grateful that we have been able to keep in touch and connect on a weekly basis through my updates.  As the principal of TAOTS, I am always here  for you and look forward to returning back to school in the near future.  Enjoy your summer!

        I encourage you to keep yourselves informed and up to date by listening to your local news and following the directives of our Chancellor, Mayor, and Governor. School reopening procedures will continue to unfold throughout the summer months. 

      This week, Governor Cuomo signed an executive order declaring June 19th a holiday for state employees.  Today, Mayor de Blasio declared Juneteenth an official NYC and school holiday beginning in 2021.  According to Chancellor Carranza, “These announcements present a teachable moment for our students, as Juneteenth marked a significant turning point in the history of our country.  Juneteenth marks the date when the emancipation of enslaved Africans in the confederate state of Texas learned of their freedom, two and a half years subsequent to President Lincoln’s proclamation. This news ultimately altered the trajectory of the lives of those who were enslaved. It also created challenges politically, socially and economically for ex-slaves, who struggled to assimilate in society post-slavery. Although the government attempted to provide solutions to these challenges through legislation and social programs, life continued to be an uphill battle. Hundreds of years later, we are still on the battlefield.”  

I encourage you to spend some time over the weekend discussing the significance of Juneteenth with your child/ren. Here is a resource that may aid you in having these discussions. 

CONGRATULATIONS to our 5th Grade Graduating Class of 2020 and to our Kindergarteners on their Stepping Up.  Please refer to your itinerary that was emailed to you regarding Kindergarten Stepping Up Ceremony and 5th Grade Graduation Ceremony.

   Our team here at TAOTS have been planning & preparing for the following events :

• Tuesday, June 23, 2020 – 10am Kindergarten Virtual Stepping Up & Award Ceremony

• Wednesday, June 24, 2020 – 10am 5th Grade Virtual Graduation & Award Ceremony

• Thursday, June 25, 2020 – Classroom Awards Grades 1-4 (unless otherwise specified by classroom teachers) except Class 1-217 .  1-217 will have their Classroom Awards on June 24.

• Friday, June 26, 2020 – Last Day of School

• Week of June 29, 2020 – Report Cards posted virtually on your NYCSA 

 Updates & Reminders:

From Parent Coordinator, Ms. Appelbaum & Community Coordinator, Mr. DeFeo – pandc@taots.org

UPDATES & REMINDERS & Important Resources:

• https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/in-our-classrooms/return-to-school-2020  COMPLETE THE RETURN TO SCHOOL 2020-2021 SURVEY!  Thank you.
• Register for your NYCSA – NYC Schools Account :  SUMMER SCHOOL UPDATES & REPORT CARDS WILL BE POSTED ON YOUR NYCSA.  Please reach out to Ms. Melissa Appelbaum to register or reset your NYCSA.  NYCSA allows parents and guardians to access their child’s past and present, grades, assessments, and attendance.  
• Please Complete Your Census :  https://www1.nyc.gov/site/census/resources/resources.page The Census is Important – A complete count, ensures our city gets its fair share of $650 billion in federal funding for Title I programs, Head Start, special education, bilingual education, classroom technology, teacher training, preschool and after-school programs, and school lunch assistance services. A full census count also ensures our communities receive enough elected officials to represent and protect our interests. The census needs to count people of all ages, including visitors, foster children, and people not born in the US. No matter what your household looks like, please make sure to count everybody.
• Library Resources:   This resource is available seven days a week, from 2:00–11:00 p.m., and provides support to all grade levels in the following areas:
• 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 kinds of writing for constructive feedback.
• Homework Questions: 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.
• To access Brainfuse, New York State residents must sign up for a free library card in one of the three library systems. See below for information about how school communities in all five boroughs can obtain library cards at any of the three public library systems: Brooklyn Public Library: To obtain a Brooklyn Public Library eCard, fill out this form. Families and students may access Brainfuse using their Brooklyn Public Library eCard.  For questions, please contact Brooklyn Public Library
• Dial a Teacher Available for Grades K-5  The UFT has re-opened its Dial-A-Teacher program, a homework help line for students, run by classroom teachers. This resource is available from 4:00–7:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, for students in grades K–5. Due to limitations caused by school building closures, the help line is currently only available for ELA and math homework from teachers speaking English. The UFT is hoping to expand to other subjects, grades, and languages soon. Please share this optional resource with your school community.
• 1st Day School Supplies Online Store has opened up. Kindly visit www.1stDaySchoolSupplies.com.  The deadline to purchase supplies is July 1, 2020.  This link is also available on our website www.taots.org.  Please reach out to mappelbaum@taots.org for assistance.  
• Recess at Home with Playworks. You can log on from Monday to Friday at; 12 PM, 2 PM, and 4 PM to join in a Live Virtual Recess. Students will get to play and learn games in a virtual environment with a Live Playworks Coach. Click on the link for more information. Live Virtual Recess.

Third Marking Period
Third marking period will use the same grading scale as used in the previous marking periods. TAOTS will be using second marking period grades as a baseline for the third marking period. Teachers will continue to assess students and use this data to maintain the grade that students received in marking period two. Teachers will support students that are struggling and are not quite maintaining the level of work they have been producing throughout the school year.

If students have proven to excel in remote learning (e.g. – an increase in remote learning participation, increase in volume and quality of assignments that are handed in and engagement in class/small group discussion) students have the opportunity to improve their grade. Data will be collected and the grade will be justified.

As students participate in remote learning, teachers must grade their work and keep their gradebooks up to date, in alignment with expectations set by the principal. In alignment with existing systems, teachers must document students’ areas for improvement in gradebooks, report cards, and/or other platforms for recording student progress, so that this information is accessible in planning for summer and fall.

Final Marking Period
TAOTS will be following the NYCDOE grading policy. DOE Grading Policy

Schools must award final grades of meets standards (MT) and needs improvement (N) only. Schools define how MT and N relate to their prior grading scales and practices. N must be used in cases where there is insufficient information to determine whether a student has met standards. For students who receive final grades of N, teachers must document students’ areas for improvement in gradebooks, report cards, and other existing platforms for recording student progress, so that this information is accessible for further planning. The DOE provides standards-aligned report card comments in STARS which may be used for this purpose.

Recognizing and Noting High Performance
Students that have been excelling throughout the school year including remote learning will be recognized through the comment section of the final marking period.

(Student name) has exceeded grade level performance in the area of __________. She/He has continued to demonstrate mastery of the standards through assignments, tasks and discussions with teachers.
(Student name) has seamlessly transitioned to remote learning and in the midst of adversary and has proven to excel in his/her learning.

Updated for Remote Learning May 2020