As the Thanksgiving Recess nears, the DOE encourages all students and staff to get tested for COVID-19 before returning to school on November 28, regardless of vaccination status, and especially if they plan to travel and/or attend large gatherings during the break. Staff and students can take a PCR, lab-based test, or a home test.For more information please read this  letter to families.  

As a reminder and in accordance with the existing School Health Policy, masks are also required for staff and students when:  

• Entering the school medical room, nurse’s office, or school-based health center.  
• Returning to school on the sixth day after testing positive for COVID-19, through day 10 after symptom onset or date of a positive test, whichever is earlier, including when traveling on a school bus. (Masks may be removed during this period if the person has received two negative rapid tests 48 hours apart.)  
• Exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 at school.   

For questions, email covid19virus@schools.nyc.gov. 

Your Pics are Ready!

Hello families, your pictures are ready to view! Spoiler alert-- they are AWESOME.

Visit our  Picture Day Page  and click View & Purchase in the top right to shop. 
Your online code is PS166 + First 4 of First Name + First 4 of Last Name
i.e. Susan Smith would be PS166susasmit

If you are unhappy with your photos, you may schedule a Retake

As the Thanksgiving Recess nears, the DOE encourages all students and staff to get tested for COVID-19 before returning to school on November 28, regardless of vaccination status, and especially if they plan to travel and/or attend large gatherings during the break. Staff and students can take a PCR, lab-based test, or a home test.For more information please read this  letter to families.  

As a reminder and in accordance with the existing School Health Policy, masks are also required for staff and students when:  

• Entering the school medical room, nurse’s office, or school-based health center.  
• Returning to school on the sixth day after testing positive for COVID-19, through day 10 after symptom onset or date of a positive test, whichever is earlier, including when traveling on a school bus. (Masks may be removed during this period if the person has received two negative rapid tests 48 hours apart.)  
• Exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 at school.   

For questions, email covid19virus@schools.nyc.gov. 

NYC FITNESSGRAM is an annual fitness assessment for students in grades kindergarten-twelve that helps students and their families develop personal goals for lifelong fitness. Students complete the assessments in Physical Education class. NYC FITNESSGRAM is not a graded test, and the results are confidential.

You can view your child’s NYC FITNESSGRAM results and more information about NYC FITNESSGRAM on your NYC Schools Account.

You can also ask Mr. DeVito, your child’s PE teacher, to print out your child’s report. PE teachers can help you understand:

• How the test was administered
• What the results mean
• How your student can make a personal plan for staying healthy and fit

You may also want to share your child’s NYC FITNESSGRAM report with your health care provider. The NYC FITNESSGRAM reports can help start conversations about eating habits and levels of physical activity needed for good health.

What is on the NYC FITNESSGRAM assessment?

• Grades K-3: Students are measured for height and weight only.
• Grades 4-12: Students are measured for height and weight, and complete five fitness activities that assess strength, endurance, flexibility, and aerobic capacity.

Contacts

• To learn more about NYC FITNESSGRAM, email wellness@schools.nyc.gov.

Over the next week or so, we are going to be transitioning all students from PS 166 email accounts (ps166.org) to DOE email accounts (nycstudents.net).   DOE email accounts are more secure as they are monitored by the DOE and limited with their access capabilities.  
 
All students registered to a DOE school automatically have DOE student emails. Earlier today, a list of all emails was sent via Operoo. Although PS 166 has not used them for students to access Google classrooms in the past, parents may be using them for other DOE platforms. If so, you may have received a message that your password has been changed. We apologize for the inconvenience but will receive your new password soon.
 
Please see the DOE student e-mail page for more information. 
 
In order to transition over to the DOE emails and eliminate the use of PS166 emails for students, families will have until Wednesday, November 30, 2023 at 8:00am to download or backup anything that they need and would like to save in their ps166 accounts.  Once deactivated, students will not have access to anything saved under the PS166 accounts. 
 
Once the DOE emails and passwords have been communicated to parents, teachers will invite students to their class/cluster Google Classrooms. 
 
If you have any questions, please ask your child’s teacher or Deborah Markewich (dmarkewich@schools.nyc.gov).

Every school is required to conduct safety drills for emergency evacuation and lockdowns. The drills take place throughout the school year. Before the first of each type of drill, teachers give lessons to the students so they know what to expect. The lessons are posted on our website's safety drill page.

Our amazing art teacher, Ms. King, has a google classroom which all students  and parents should visit. Students can find assignments and links to fun art sites. Parents can find information about free museum days, exhibits of interest and view their child's work. Her Monthly Art Newsletter is also posted there. To access the site, sign in with the student's ps166 email and enter code: y53s4ke

Please visit our Middle School Page on our website for the latest information and links to events. 

The presentation slides from our middle school Information meeting have been posted.

In District 3 there is one middle school that is a grade 5-8 school. The Center School, located on West 84th Street, only admits students for 5th grade. All students currently in 4th grade can apply if they choose to. Like other District 3 middle schools, admission is now unscreened by lottery. If you are interested in learning about the Center School you may attend a Virtual Tour, links below. 
 

Admissions Requirements

1. All applicants to The Center School MUST be done through https://www.myschools.nyc/en/
2. Attend a virtual open house.

Join Zoom Meeting
Time: November 9 – 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Time: November 10 – 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Time: November 15 – 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Time: November 16 – 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Time: November 22 – 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Time: November 30 – 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

The P.S. 166 Manhattan Knights had an amazing time at the P.S. 9 tournament! 26 students from 166 competed, including many first-time tournament-goers — and seven won trophies or medals! Congratulations to everyone who participated — and to all of the parents who spent the day cheering the kids on!

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Tournament at P.S. 166 on November 20th
We are super excited that P.S. 166 will be hosting its first tournament in years — coming up on Sunday, November 20th!
You can register here today: http://artsandathletics.org/chess/tournaments/

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Sunday, November 13: Tournament at Hunter College Elementary Schools. Join us at the next Hunter tournament! Spots fill up quickly — particularly the unrated sections. So please register early to get the section that's right for your child: https://events4chess.com/events/?event_ID=1679

If your child is playing in the tournament this Sunday at P.S. 9, please e-mail chess@manhattanknights.org with your child’s name and section and join us in our team room with game analysis provided by Coach Marquez! We should have a great showing of Manhattan Knights, see you at the tournament. 

If you’re shopping on Amazon, please activate Amazon Smile by going to smile.amazon.com and selecting Friends of PS 166 Inc as the charity recipient. A percentage of each purchase will go to support our school!

PS 166 has a moderated Google discussion group that enables you to communicate and share useful information with other PS 166 parents/guardians.  If you have questions about pick up or drop off procedures or need a recommendation for a good babysitter, pediatrician or other service provider, feel free to post your questions to the group.  If you would like to send and/or receive reminders about upcoming school events or activities or would like to thank or congratulate another member for a job well done, this is the place to do it.  

If you would like to join, email moderatorps166@gmail.com.  Please include PS 166 Message Group in the subject line with your name and your child’s grade in the body of the message.

Gale Brewer’s office is giving out free test kits and masks available for pickup during business hours at her district office: 563 Columbus Ave. at 87th St., from 10 am – 5:30 pm. 

Both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech bivalent boosters have been authorized by the FDA and CDC for children as young as 5—Moderna for ages 6+, Pfizer for 5+. (“Bivalent” means the newest booster which helps target the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of Omicron.) You can search your ZIP code for availability of appointments for the new bivalent COVID booster at vaccines.gov. 

Flu season is soon and flu shots are available now. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that “all children ages 6 months and older be vaccinated for influenza this fall, as vaccines remain the best way to prevent severe illness and keep kids in classrooms.”

Our school community relies on parents like you!  Please sign up here to learn more about volunteer opportunities, and to let us know what skills and services you may be able to share! We are specifically looking for:

• Scavenger Hunt Volunteers! Sign up with your friends!

• Teacher Appreciation Event Volunteers

• Volunteers with graphic design or programming experience to join our digital team!

Find out more about the fun events we have planned for this year here and learn about volunteer opportunities. Email our VP of Volunteers, Tiffany Boyer, with questions or ideas!

The chess program at PS 166 is a crown jewel at our school and one of the premier elementary school chess programs in the United States? Now in its 22nd year, the Manhattan Knights Chess Team boasts consistent top honors in all levels of tournament play. If your child is interested in participating in tournaments as a member of the chess team, please contact us to learn more.