Principal’s Message
Week of October 19, 2020
Dearest Parents of THE MOST Super Sensational Students of P.S. 56,
Salutations Fabulous 56 Families! After our extra-rainy Friday, it was extra-wonderful to welcome our extra-beautiful weekend! And what a weather-perfect autumn weekend it was! I hope everyone had the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy it and make an abundance of joy-filled memories to cherish always. I also hope your weekend included plenty of R & R!
It continues to be our tremendous JOY to welcome all our students, Cohorts A, B and D, to a new day of learning every day. There are not enough words to convey our gratitude to all of you, dear parents, for your patience, flexibility, understanding and support. I know navigating the world of technology is not always easy, and internet connections are not always reliable. To everyone’s credit, we are managing all the bumps in the road, and the wide, beautiful smiles of all our children make managing the bumps so very worthwhile. Working together – we’ve got this! Together we are going far!
All our children are without limits as learners. We are steadfast in our commitment to the education of the whole child. We have planned units of study that support every child’s academic, social-emotional and physical growth. The beginning weeks of our new school year are always extra-special. There is lots of excitement and wonder-filled anticipation abounding for this next new chapter of learning in the lives of all our students. We are so very proud of our three cohorts of super sensational students: Cohort A, Cohort B and Cohort D. Cohort A students attend school every Tuesday and Thursday. Cohort B students attend school every Wednesday and Friday. (Cohorts A and B also attend on alternating Mondays.) Cohort D students are all the children who are participating in Fully Remote Learning. Reminder: parents who chose Fully Remote Learning (Cohort D) will have the opportunity in November to change to the Blended Learning model, if they wish. Parents who chose Blended Learning may opt to go Fully Remote at any time. Whether our students are learning fully remote or in a blended learning model, we will continue to ensure their learning is engaging, joyful, wonder-filled and fun! They are ALL Super Stars! We are one family of learners and we love them all so very much!
Last Tuesday, October 13, our Parents Association held their first meeting of our 2020-2021 school year. This meeting was an overview of the important role our Parents Association has in the academic lives of all our children. Included in this virtual meeting were details regarding the nomination and election processes for Executive Board Officers and School Leadership Team members. Our PA Executive Board includes two co-presidents, a secretary and a treasurer. There are four parent positions available on our School Leadership Team. During this time of COVID-19, nominations and elections must be held virtually and are scheduled for Friday, October 30, at 2:30 p.m. We are sending home a unique code for every parent to use to join the meeting and to vote. (FYI: each individual code includes our school’s DBN: 10X056, your child’s 3 digit class, and the last four digits of your child’s OSIS/ID number). Along with this code, is a flyer with additional information regarding our PA elections 2020-2021.
We want all our students to have the resources they need to have a successful year of learning! We have begun a second round of distribution of resources to support all our students. Each teacher prepared an additional “bag” of resources for every student to use when learning at home. This second distribution includes language arts workbooks and math workbooks. Cohort A and Cohort B students are able to bring these additional resources home with them. The parents of Cohort D students will be contacted regarding the day and time to pick up their child’s school bag! Please contact our Parent Coordinator, Carmen Garcia, if you need any support (school days 718-920-1100, after school hours 718-552-0429).
All our incredible in-person students are all practicing the 3 W's (Wear our masks, Wash our hands, and Walk and stand 6 feet apart) and they have adapted beautifully to our arrival and dismissal protocols. Their parents are expected to complete a daily health screening for their children before coming to the school. We have thermometers available for any family who needs one. Please let us know! If parents are unable to complete the health screening at home, staff is on hand at arrival time with touchless thermometers to do a quick temperature check before a child enters the building. Remember: if your child has a cough and/or fever, please do not send him/her to school. Do not hesitate to contact us, if you have any questions or concerns. Health and safety are always top priorities.
All our sensational students learning remotely at-home should be on their devices each morning to begin a new day of learning. Attendance is recorded and monitored during the school day and we want all our students to be marked present every day. It is important for our children to follow a schedule when they are learning at home. A daily routine and clear expectations bring comfort and consistency to a child’s life. We know this can be challenging during this time of COVID-19 and we are here to support all our families always. Please continue to contact the school (718-920-1100) if your child is absent or unable to participate in remote learning on a school day. The NYC DOE is monitoring the daily attendance and the active participation of every student every day.
Grab and Go meals (breakfast and lunch) for our students learning at home are available Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon (at our main entrance). Students learning in the school building have breakfast and lunch in their classrooms. Students may bring lunch from home, if they wish.
If you need a device for your child, please contact our school office (718-920-1100) as soon as possible. We will continue distributing devices as needed. In addition, please complete the Remote Learning Device request form at https://coronavirus.schools.nyc/RemoteLearningDevices. The DOE wants to know the number of devices needed per school.
During this time of COVID-19, it is imperative that all our parents and guardians complete the P.S. 56 Parent Contact Information 2020-2021 form. We need 100% of everyone’s information and their preferred language of communication to ensure our ongoing strong home-school connection. Our One Call Now messaging system provides important updates and information every family needs to know. Most importantly, we need to be able to reach all our families in a moment’s notice. If you have not already done so, please complete this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf8ULUIGtsWvcN52SidBs5wpR9KUhy-POMvBF_P5vGPHovDBw/viewform?usp=pp_url
Dear parents, we understand the challenges everyone continues to face this year. All our families have been impacted by COVID-19, and for some of our families the personal losses and economic hardships have been devastating. Being here for each other and staying connected remain more important than ever. This year our school day will look different for the safety and wellbeing of our entire school community. Our goals, however, remain constant: Every child feels safe. Every child feels loved and known. Every child reaches his/her full potential while becoming a lifelong learner. We cannot guarantee there will never be any positive cases of Covid-19 at our school. However, we are implementing and practicing all the safety and health guidelines and protocols from the DOE. Wearing our masks and practicing physical distancing at all times, as well as staying home when we are sick, are non-negotiables. If your child is participating in the Blended Learning model, continue having these important conversations on a daily basis. Please watch our Super Heroes Wear Masks staff slideshow posted here on our school website with your children. It is an opportunity for all our students to see the staff of P.S. 56 with and without their masks. The masks we wear show that we care and Super Heroes Wear Masks!
Please visit our Parent Information tab at the top of our website for immediate access to important and supportive links. There are many excellent resources available for all families. Heartfelt appreciation always for your constant support and thoughtfulness. I am so grateful to be on this learning journey with all of you! #BestFamiliesEver!
Fondly,
Maureen O’Neill
Principal
Below is the P.S. 56 arrival and dismissal times for students participating in the Blended Learning model:
