Blended Schedules for December and January
1/18-1/22: WEEK 2 (Monday off) ABBB
1/25-1/29: WEEK 1 AAABB
2/1 - 2/5: WEEK 2 AABBB
2/8-2/12: WEEK 1 AAAB (Friday off)
2/22- 2/26: WEEK 2 AABBB
1/18-1/22: WEEK 2 (Monday off) ABBB
1/25-1/29: WEEK 1 AAABB
2/1 - 2/5: WEEK 2 AABBB
2/8-2/12: WEEK 1 AAAB (Friday off)
2/22- 2/26: WEEK 2 AABBB
Thursday, January 21: PTA Meeting, Time TBD
Friday, February 12- Friday, February 19: Mid-Winter recess (includes Lunar New Year and Presidents Day)
When: Monday, January 11, 6:00 PM
Zoom Registration Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrdOitpjwtH90idWDs_oJcCbfPrpoceWyP
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: CEC3 Multilingual Committee. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: CEC3 Multilingual Committee. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. us02web.zoom.us |
COME TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ALL OF OUR DISTRICT 3 MIDDLE SCHOOLS TO FILL UP YOUR PREFERENCE SHEETS BY FEBRUARY 9TH!
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13TH FROM 5 PM TO 7 PM
HTTPS://TINYURL.COM/D3MEETTHESCHOOLS
The chancellor announced today that there will be no screening process for middle school admissions this year. All admissions will be lottery based. Please read the chancellor's letter here. We are awaiting further information and will have a meeting for fifth grade parents in early December.
Timeline:
· The middle school application will open during the week of January 11, 2021. Families and school staff will be notified when the application opens.
· The deadline for families to submit their middle school application will be the week of February 8, 2021.
· Middle school offers will be available to families and school staff in the spring.
The DOE is requiring that all parents submit the updated Covid-19 Testing Consent Form, now that testing takes place very week instead of every month. If you filled out your paper form before October 15th or your online form before October 23rd, please fill out the updated one before December 23rd.
Please visit this page for updated forms. If you use your NYCSA, it will be updated.
Parent University is a collaboration between the Office of Family and Community Empowerment (FACE) and the Division of Instructional and Information Technology (DIIT).
Parent University seeks to educate and empower all families from early childhood through adulthood, with free courses, resources, events, and activities. Parents can register for free trainings on a wide range of topics, including adult education, student social-emotional learning, and special education.
Visit Parent University at parent.schools.nyc! Click on the links below to download the Parent University flyer in English and translated versions.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR REMOTE LEARNING DEVICES.
Families who need technical support for their student's DOE iPad now have the option of contacting AppleCare Support for the NYCDOE. Call 1-800-919-2775, and when prompted, enter the PIN 692363. (Only call AppleCare to ask about setting up your iPad once you've received the device; don't call to check on the status of a device request.) Families whose iPads are not working can also call the DOE's Help Desk at 718-935-5100 or submit a ticket online.
DOE Tech Support
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/learn-at-home/technical-tools-and-support/technical-support-for-families
Free or Low-Cost Internet Options
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/learn-at-home/technical-tools-and-support/free-and-low-cost-internet-options
To request a device from the DOE
https://coronavirus.schools.nyc/RemoteLearningDevices
To switch to All-Remote Learning
https://www.nycenet.edu/surveys/learningpreference
Wear a mask
Wash your hands
Stay 6 feet apart
Stay home if you are sick
Place under tongue, close mouth, and wait 1 minute to hear beep.
2. Complete the health screening by clicking here:
Based on continuing guidance from Governor Andrew Cuomo, the DOE has updated the questions on the daily health screening form, to reflect the latest COVID-19 precautions and New York State travel advisories. You can preview the updated questions on the attachment or click on this link.
Health Screenings must be shown to school staff before students will be admitted.
The DOE has partnered with NYC Health + Hospitals, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the NYC Test & Trace
Corps to arrange for testing of NYC DOE students and staff for COVID-19 infection.
Testing partners will test a randomly selected group of staff and students in schools.
Parents must give consent in order for their child to attend school in person. Click below to download the form.
Make sure your child is set up for Remote Learning with the remote-learning-checklist-for-families
Family Guide
The DOE Family Guide provides information on what teaching and learning will look like this school year, and universal expectations for how our schools support all students —whether they are attending fully remote or blended learning classes. The guide also provides information about who families can contact when they have questions or concerns, and resources that families can use to support learning at home.
2020-2021 Family Guide is available online and in all 9 DOE languages.
Chancellor's Letters
Read the Chancellor's update letters for families below:
DOE Return to School Covid School Health Policy
Students or their parents/guardians may pick up meals for students from 9 am to 12 pm on school days. You can find your nearest take-out location here.
Any New Yorker may pick up free meals available at more than 200 locations across the city.
Click below for the 2020 NYC DOE School Calendar
Visit the DOE Return to School webpage regularly for the latest updates.
Covid Testing: The administration encourages students to get tested for Covid before the first day of in-person classes. Here is a map to find local testing centers near you and at-home testing options.
Face Shields: Students will only remove their masks during lunch in the classroom. The administration has requested that parents send in their children with face shields to wear during lunch to help mitigate the spread of germs. Here is a type of mask that should fit children’s heads
Health Forms / Flu Shot: Per Nurse Hamilton, new Medication Administration Forms need to be submitted. Also, she reminds parents and children to get a flu shot now. This is highly important, especially this year, as getting FLU and COVID at the same time can be extremely dangerous.
Ventilation Reports: Ventilation reports for PS 166 can be found here. A room requires at least one functioning method of ventilation to be cleared for occupancy. This could be a window that opens, a type of mechanical ventilation (exhaust fan, supply fan, unit ventilator) or a combination of both.
This map shows all known cases of COVID-19 at New York City public schools. It is updated Sunday through Friday at 5:30 PM. This information was compiled by the DOE COVID Response Situation Room—a multi-agency partnership between the Department of Education, Department of Health and Mental Health, and the Test & Trace Corps—to facilitate a rapid response to positive COVID-19 cases in public schools.
This is a voluntary, anonymous, exposure-notification smartphone app. You will get an alert if you are in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. You can download the free app to your smartphone to receive an alert if you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Please see the NYC Health Department’s Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions for more information, or visit nyc.gov/health(Open external link) at any time for important updates.
Roles needed:
If you have an idea or would like to help, please email me directly at volunteers@ps166pta.org or fill out our survey.
Child Mind Institute Caregiver Support Workshops
This series provides proactive strategies families can use to support their child’s mental health and learning needs while virtually learning from home. These workshops are available at no cost to all NYC DOE parents and caregivers.
Find Help at findhelp.org
If you or your family need assistance of any kind, this new resource is a non-profit that connects people and programs — making it easy for people to find social services in their communities. Resource connections include food, housing, jobs, money, legal, etc.
ICYMI - Middle Schools Enrollment September 2021
Teaching Reading for Families: What Everyone Should Know about Reading in English, Tue. Jan. 12, 7:30 PM
This session is designed to give parents the basic theory and practice of good reading instruction and to enable them to have a repertoire of research-based activities to move the reading process along. Many of these activities can be done while cooking, driving, cleaning, shopping and the myriad of other things parents have to do as they raise their children. This session focuses on integrating everyday reading and using oral language at home with your child.
Parent University serves all families, from early childhood through adulthood, and seeks to educate and empower them as partners and advocates through free courses, resources, events, and activities.
Find additional information on the DOE’s Family Empowerment site.
CMI Parent Workshops
The Child Mind Institute’s School and Community Programs team would like to invite you to join us for our upcoming Caregiver Support Workshops. Our three workshop series are designed to provide families with proactive strategies they can use to support their child’s mental health and learning needs while virtually learning from home. These workshops are available at no cost to all NYC DOE parents and caregivers. Please see below for additional details.
Promoting Positive Behaviors for Your Child – Please click here to learn more and register.
Coping During COVID-19 – Please click here to learn more and register.
Supporting Learning at Home – Please click here to learn more and register.
For additional resources, please visit us at: https://childmind.org/coping-during-covid-19-resources-for-parents/.
All families and students can continue to go to any school building between 9:00 a.m. - noon on weekdays to pick up three free grab-and-go meals. No identification or registration is necessary. Halal and kosher meals are available at some sites.
From 3-5 p.m., New Yorkers of all ages can pick up free meals at 260 Community Meals sites across the city.
Get the power of The New York Public Library, anytime, anywhere. With the new NYPL app, you can manage your account online, browse for books, and request materials for pickup at one of NYPL’s 50 grab-and-go locations. You can even use the app for contactless self-checkout while at the Library.
The FLAG Award recognizes and celebrates extraordinary public-school teachers who inspire learning through creativity, passion, and commitment. One grand-prize winner from each of NYC’s five boroughs will receive a $25,000 cash prize and finalists will each receive $10,000. The winning teachers’ schools will each receive $10,000 and each finalist’s school will receive $2,000 for arts-based initiatives designed by the award recipient. Nominate a teacher now!
Need food? If you or someone you know needs groceries for the holidays, sign up for the New York Academy of Medicine’s East Harlem holiday food distribution.
Families who need technical support for their student's DOE iPad now have the option of contacting AppleCare Support for the NYCDOE. Call 1-800-919-2775, and when prompted, enter the PIN 692363. (Only call AppleCare to ask about setting up your iPad once you've received the device; don't call to check on the status of a device request.) Families whose iPads are not working can also call the DOE's Help Desk at 718-935-5100 or submit a ticket online.
DOE Tech Support
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/learn-at-home/technical-tools-and-support/technical-support-for-families
Free or Low-Cost Internet Options
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/learn-at-home/technical-tools-and-support/free-and-low-cost-internet-options
To request a device from the DOE
https://coronavirus.schools.nyc/RemoteLearningDevices
To switch to All-Remote Learning
https://www.nycenet.edu/surveys/learningpreference
1/18-1/22: WEEK 2 (Monday off) ABBB
1/25-1/29: WEEK 1 AAABB
2/1 - 2/5: WEEK 2 AABBB
2/8-2/12: WEEK 1 AAAB (Friday off)
2/22- 2/26: WEEK 2 AABBB
Thursday, January 21: PTA Meeting, Time TBD
Friday, February 12- Friday, February 19: Mid-Winter recess (includes Lunar New Year and Presidents Day)
When: Monday, January 11, 6:00 PM
Zoom Registration Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrdOitpjwtH90idWDs_oJcCbfPrpoceWyP
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: CEC3 Multilingual Committee. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: CEC3 Multilingual Committee. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. us02web.zoom.us |
COME TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ALL OF OUR DISTRICT 3 MIDDLE SCHOOLS TO FILL UP YOUR PREFERENCE SHEETS BY FEBRUARY 9TH!
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13TH FROM 5 PM TO 7 PM
HTTPS://TINYURL.COM/D3MEETTHESCHOOLS
The chancellor announced today that there will be no screening process for middle school admissions this year. All admissions will be lottery based. Please read the chancellor's letter here. We are awaiting further information and will have a meeting for fifth grade parents in early December.
Timeline:
· The middle school application will open during the week of January 11, 2021. Families and school staff will be notified when the application opens.
· The deadline for families to submit their middle school application will be the week of February 8, 2021.
· Middle school offers will be available to families and school staff in the spring.
The DOE is requiring that all parents submit the updated Covid-19 Testing Consent Form, now that testing takes place very week instead of every month. If you filled out your paper form before October 15th or your online form before October 23rd, please fill out the updated one before December 23rd.
Please visit this page for updated forms. If you use your NYCSA, it will be updated.
Parent University is a collaboration between the Office of Family and Community Empowerment (FACE) and the Division of Instructional and Information Technology (DIIT).
Parent University seeks to educate and empower all families from early childhood through adulthood, with free courses, resources, events, and activities. Parents can register for free trainings on a wide range of topics, including adult education, student social-emotional learning, and special education.
Visit Parent University at parent.schools.nyc! Click on the links below to download the Parent University flyer in English and translated versions.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR REMOTE LEARNING DEVICES.
Families who need technical support for their student's DOE iPad now have the option of contacting AppleCare Support for the NYCDOE. Call 1-800-919-2775, and when prompted, enter the PIN 692363. (Only call AppleCare to ask about setting up your iPad once you've received the device; don't call to check on the status of a device request.) Families whose iPads are not working can also call the DOE's Help Desk at 718-935-5100 or submit a ticket online.
DOE Tech Support
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/learn-at-home/technical-tools-and-support/technical-support-for-families
Free or Low-Cost Internet Options
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/learn-at-home/technical-tools-and-support/free-and-low-cost-internet-options
To request a device from the DOE
https://coronavirus.schools.nyc/RemoteLearningDevices
To switch to All-Remote Learning
https://www.nycenet.edu/surveys/learningpreference
Cohort B
If you’re doing any holiday shopping on Amazon, please be sure to 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 support our school!
We are especially grateful for everything our teachers have done for our kids during this challenging year. For various reasons, including DOE regulations on PTA gift-giving, we are unable to distribute holiday gifts as a PTA. However, we encourage parents to work with their classes and grades to thank teachers, TAs and staff for all they do. For any gesture of appreciation, please be aware of the chancellor’s regulations. The relevant information is in section IIE.
Reminder: To support PS 166 parent-owned businesses, the PTA is creating a list that we will share with the community. Fill out this form if you own a business and would like to be considered for this list. Email us to learn more.
Donate to school...win prizes! The December Mini-auction closes Saturday!
RAFFLE ITEMS (valued $200-$1000) make great gifts! Many have sold NO tickets...
there's a high chance of winning!Your purchase of $20 raffle tickets benefits the PTA general fund, which directly supports class assistants, technology, books and much more!Make it easy....buy the basket bonanza and you are automatically entered into all 16 raffles!
Click here to fill out this short survey to let us know what time works best for you to attend PTA meetings, and what topics you would like to see covered.
Many of you may have barely used test prep books left over from last year. If anyone has test prep books in good condition (mostly unused), you can drop them off in the school lobby any day that school is in session. The administration will try to use these for this year’s test prep whenever possible.
Have an idea for a fundraiser or community event? Want to lend a hand to our school? Please email Annalisa Petersen or fill out our survey.
PS 166 is updating our online family directory to make sure all families receive appropriate information from the administration, PTA announcements about important community events, and any grade, cohort or class-specific info.
Eco-Friendly New Year’s Resolutions from the NYLCV.
Families looking for places to take their food scraps for composting can search this list of current options:
Want more information? Click here for more composting sites and information.
While our collection of clothing / textiles for recycling is also still on hold, clothing, shoes, and linens can be taken to the Farmer’s Market at Morningside Park, 110th and Manhattan Ave, on Saturdays from 9 am til 3 pm. In addition, Wearable Collections will pick up from your residence, although there is now a fee, and a large minimum amount: https://www.wearablecollections.com/homepickups
Another option is Pick Up Please: https://pickupplease.org/
Be sure to check out the Green Committee Home Page for more info.
Chancellor's town hall, Thu. Jan. 14, 6:00 pm
A presentation by the Citywide Council on Special Education
The INCLUDEnyc Fair, Sat, Jan. 30, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Register for the INCLUDEnyc Fair and learn more about organizations and programs supporting young people with disabilities.
ADVOCATES FOR CHILDREN’S TURNING 5 WORKSHOPS: KINDERGARTEN ADMISSIONS.
These workshops will cover the process for applying to DOE public schools, including tips for researching schools, ways to submit an application, understanding how school offers are made, what to do when you get an offer, and more. See all webinar dates and register
Continued Special Education Services during Remote Learning
Your child continues to have the right to receive the special education supports listed on their IEP during remote learning. If you have questions or concerns, reach out to the Special Education office at specialeducation@schools.nyc.gov or call 311, or contact your child’s special education providers to confirm scheduling options for all-remote services.
Webinar: DOE’s Temporary Transition for Fully Remote Learning
Hosted by NYCDOE Division of Specialized Instruction and Student Support. Join DOE representatives to learn more about what the transition to fully-remote learning means for students with IEPs.
Advocates for Children Education Helpline:
This Education Helpline provides individualized guidance and information for your education-related issues. Monday-Thursday, 10am -4pm. Translators available. (866) 427-6033
Food Allergy Support - Return to School
If you are a parent or a guardian of a child with food allergies, you can explore some useful recommendations from the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) group regarding return to school:
PS166 Family Guide to 504 Accommodations
Please visit the 504 Accommodations Page for information on whether your child is eligible to receive health services or accommodations in school under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
For additional information related to 504 accommodations, you can review the Department of Education’s Student and Family Guide here.
Become a Certified Parent Member of the IEP Team!
The Parent Member is a member of the IEP team that supports a parent of a child with a disability at their IEP meeting. In this state-approved FREE training, learn about procedures and regulations, as well as how to promote the parent's understanding and participation. For more information, please visit here.
We are looking for new Inclusion Committee Co-Chairs. Please email the VP Volunteers if you are interested.
Each student in a DOE school is assigned a NYC Schools Account, which provides parents with a new way of accessing key information about their child’s progress. With your NYC Schools account, you will be able to view your child's information (grades, test scores and attendance) in one of ten languages on a computer, phone or tablet.
For 4th and 5th grade students, the NYC Account is the only way for you to see your child's 3rd or 4th grade state test results.
In order to set up your account, you will need your child's student ID number and a Creation Code.Student IDs are 9 digit numbers beginning with the number 2 and can be found on your child's report card. Letters will be sent home with the Creation Codes over the next week. (Fourth grade parents received them earlier so they could access last year's test scores.) Letters are only sent to parents who have not yet set up an account.
Kindergarten parents who do not yet know their child's ID can ask their child's teacher or contact the main office after receiving their letters.
If you have more than one child attending a NYC public school, you will receive one letter containing an account creation code for each child. You will only need to enter the student ID and Account Creation Code for one of your children. Once you create an account, you can add your remaining children by entering their student IDs and Account Creation Codes on the “Manage My Account” page. Each Account Creation Code is unique to you and your child and should not be shared with others.
As PS166 continuers the blended model, class assistants continue to be essential in running the day to day for our children. Due to the pandemic, we seek your support more than ever before. You can learn more about suggested donations by grade and installment options here. A donation of any amount is very much appreciated. Thank you kindly to families who have already contributed to our 2020-2021 Family Giving fund.